Vigues' House of Happiness

In Memory of Mom

2012-01-20T10:50:00.006-07:00

Today, it has been one year since my mom passed away. I cannot believe that so much time has gone by--this year seems to have flown past so quickly that I still haven't caught my breath. In other ways, I can't believe it has only been one year. It feels like forever, an eternity. I can go several days in a row before something reminds me of her, and then it's like a bandage has been yanked rather abruptly from a not-quite-healed wound and I'm left with stinging tears and an ache in my heart.

Losing Mom stinks.

Even with the perspective that I'll see her again after this life, I'm lonely for her. I miss calling Mom every Sunday to talk about the week and touch base. I still want to call her randomly and share some of my kids' accomplishments.

I call my sister, instead.

Watching my mom get hit with liver cancer and die 2 weeks after the diagnosis was horrible. She was in pain, she could barely talk, and she just wanted to go. And I knew she was in so much pain and I wanted her to be able to move on.

But I didn't want to let her go because I knew I would miss her. And I still do.

So today, I'll eat some chocolate for Mom. I'll tell the kids stories about her, and how she taught me to burp and to sew. I'll share pictures and celebrate her life, and the life she gave to all of us. And then I'll cry a little, because that's part of today, too.

Miss you, Mom. Love you forever.

Weird Science: Jack turns 7!

2011-11-19T23:05:00.005-07:00

Can you believe Jack is SEVEN!?! Wow, that has gone by fast!
He had a really special birthday that included having his cousin, Sam, over for a sleep-over. They had so much fun together. It's nice that they're old enough to do stuff like that, since they don't get to spend as much time together as they'd like. We started out the day with a the birthday gifts. Jack got spoiled. He loved every second! His friend party was at 10 am, so we went from that to frantic party-prep.
We started out the friend party with a little monster-making. The kids all made monster puppets with paper bags, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and markers. They loved all the dry ice! The also really enjoyed some homemade "lava lamps". Those were just water bottles with 1/4 water and 3/4 oil. We let each kid choose their color and added 3 drops of color. Then we dropped in 1/2 of an Alka Seltzer. The bubbles pulled the colored water up through the oil, making it look like a lava lamp. These cool little bottles were also fun to shake. Because the oil was yellow and the kids chose red, blue, or green, they could make new colors and then watch the colors separate out again.
Then we moved on to the show.
For the fun part of the party, we had some 15 year-olds bring their science to our garage! They started out with water surface tension. That was cool. Then, they brought fire. That was even cooler!!! They built all of these experiments themselves and were great at explaining the science behind the reaction to the kids.
The kids loved it. We repeated the warning "do not try this at home. These guys are trained in safety measures. Don't ever play with fire. Or matches. Or electricity. Oh, and don't run with scissors!"
See! They burned right through the foil using electricity! Don't try that one at home, kids!
The kids were entranced by all the fire. They were cold, but they enjoyed the show! Awesome.
The grand finale? These boys made their own Jacob's Ladder. That fire is moving up between 2 wires. It was very, very cool. Later, some of the kids told their parents that "at Jack's party, they had 2 scientists with 2 years of experience and they blew stuff up." Yes!
All the party people. Partying. They loved all the containers filled with colored water and dry ice. They also enjoyed their cake.
The beaker cake. It's from Family Fun's website, but I'm not going to link you because it's late and might take some effort. Heck, I'm blogging. Just be proud of me for getting the pictures up before the end of November and Google "mad scientist flask cake" and you, too, can find it!
There was no way to top last year's R2D2 cake, but dry ice makes every cake cooler (get it? cooler?). I made the inside a rainbow by tinting cupfuls of the cake batter and pouring them in order into the bundt pans. This cake takes 2 bundt cakes and a tall, skinny glass (such as the "Italian Soda" glass from The Old Spaghetti Factory that I got my Freshman year at BYU--thanks, Kelli "Buttafooko", I still owe you for that one!) filled with warm water and dry ice. I'd recommend covering said cup with foil so that the warm water doesn't start melting the frosting before you hit it with dry ice. Not that I had that problem or anything... Oh, and pretend like I staged that picture properly, not with the breadmaker and paper bag and microwave behind.
Time to sing a little song for the birthday boy!
Amelia occupied herself during the fun. She seemed to enjoy getting stuck under the plant stand.
Aunt Rebecca came to pick up Sam and all the kids enjoyed slime-time. Except for Sheridan. She literally ran screaming from the room every time we busted out the slime, shrieking "it stinks! Put it away, it smells so bad I wanna throw up!". No one else had this issue. I'm hesitant to call her "crazy", but I guess it was a Mad Scientist birthday party, right...
After dinner (pizza, as usual!) we polished off the cake with one last candle-lighting and song.
Jack had a super-fabulous birthday. He proudly proclaimed it "the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!"

SPICA cast diaper tutorial

2011-11-19T21:54:00.006-07:00

A little diapering tutorial for spica casters. Also, some bonus pictures on how I prevented major problems with the whole "diapering" thing.
This will probably bore you to tears if you aren't going through the Spica thing. Family and friends, don't feel obligated to read this (but you can if you want, it's a free country).
Bonus pictures first!
If you've been to many web sites that have pictures on Spica Casts, you've probably seen pictures of moleskin petaling (called thus because it looks like the petals of a flower. cute.).
1. Wait until the cast is TOTALLY dry after the casting. Otherwise, the petals just pull a bunch of moisture from the still-drying cast and you'll just have to re-do your work when you get home from the hospital. Not that we EVER had issues with this when we got her re-casted. Right.
2. Get as much moleskin as you can from the hospital. You will need it. They cut it into rectangles, then rounded off the edges. Very handy to have.
3. Some people don't like moleskin because it absorbs moisture and smells. I like it because if there was just a little accident, the moleskin tended to suck up the yuck. I could then pull it off and throw it away. Far less work than blow-drying out the entire cast, or trying to mop up any grossness with whatever you can find!I liked to start my petals at the back and at the front, making sure to overlap all the way around (I finish the sides last, since that's the area where we usually had leakage. Then, I wouldn't have to remove the entire job just to get a few damp ones from the sides). It is easier to change the petals when they aren't wearing a diaper, but be sure to put something like a cloth diaper in the front to catch any pee that they're sure to do when you have their diaper off).
Oh, those blue pieces of tape you see sticking up at the back? I took pantyliners and cut them in half (the short way, not the long way!) then taped up the cut short side. I put those all along the back opening, as far onto the sides as I could. Just to catch anything that might make it out. Then, I put this on top of the moleskin. It's far easier to change 2 or 3 of those than it is to change the entire moleskin/duct tape job. Oh, and I put 3 uncut pantyliners side-by-side along the back of the inside of the cast, too. Because I learned after the first cast...
I tore off small strips of cute duct tape and petaled those on as well. Another layer of protection for the cast and a little layer of cuteness! BTW, they have super-cute duct tape online and at most retailers that carry any type of home improvement. We found the cheapest ones at walmart. Our favorite is the zebra print for girls, esp with the purple cast. She got a tons of compliments on that combo! For boys, I really like the flames of skull-and-crossbones. Fierce. Make sure you line the bottoms of the legs with the moleskin (if there are any sharp or rough patches, or places that will rub on your sweetie) and duct tape.

And, on to diapering! These picts were just after we got home from the hospital for re-casting. She did not enjoy me taking the pictures :)
So, I found a couple of different things that worked for us, depending on where we were in the process. In the beginning, the cast is really snug, so it's a little more difficult to get your diaper stuffed up in the cast. I know most of the information I found out there said to use a newborn diaper with a very large diaper on top of the cast. Honestly, though, I had so many leaks when I did that. There was next-to-no absorbency inside and I had problem after problem. Having the diaper on the outside only caught a little if there was a leak (most of it went into the cast) and seemed to just hold the tiny diaper in place. My method may take a minute longer, but I avoided so many problems by going this route!
I used either a large (on my itty-bitty baby, a size 4 since that's what I had around from her 35 pound brother) diaper or some Poise pads I was given (and since I was given a lot of those, that's what I used most of). I found that a really good diaper like Huggies sucked. The elastic at the top of the back led to a worse fit inside the cast. A cheaper diaper like Target's Up & Up brand or Luvs worked WAY better. The Poise pads worked well if I didn't pull them too tightly against her bum--I had to leave a little poop space or it'd get all over inside.
Have everything you need ready. Keep a couple of cloth diapers or old towels around in case there's any problem, or in case you need to get up and get something else. Always stuff one in the front if you need to leave the baby (or you'll end up getting lots more out to mop up the inside of their cast and the floor!).
Start with baby on their tummy. I found it easiest to change her on my lap, with her legs on my legs (that way I could tip her a little forward or down, so I could get my diaper in better).
Stuff the diaper up as far as you can in the back, pushing it out to each side.
Use your other hand to reach down the back of the cast and pull the diaper up. I generally could just catch the edge with my fingertips. This gets easier as the cast stretches out over the first few days, but my husband couldn't get his large hands in to do this (or so he says...;) and yes, I believe him!) I usually kept my one hand pushing the diaper up in the back while using the other hand to pull it up. I couldn't do that while taking pictures. From the top, spread the diaper out as best you can. Turn your baby onto their back.
Push the diaper up in front, again spreading out the front wings.
Get the diaper as far up as you can!
Use your other hand to pull the diaper snugly up. Make sure it's spread out in front.
You can put another diaper on top, use a cloth diaper cover (the one-sized "econobum" were a frugal option--and through Nov. 30th most online retailers have them "buy one, get one free", which works out to $5 each--and you only need 2-4). I prefer to stuff my diaper cover inside.
Why?
Another layer of protection, baby. I'd rather get a cover dirty than the diaper. When I did that, I almost NEVER had a problem. It's how I was able to use Poise pads without any issue. It's a tiny bit different if you do this...
First, stuff the cover in the back. Spread the wings out. Pull it up from the top. Then, stuff in your diaper or poise pad as far up in the back as you can. If you are using a Poise pad, make sure you leave a tiny bit of space around the bum, so poop has somewhere to go.
Flip baby over, you'll now have 2 layers to stuff up the front. Stuff up the diaper/pad first. Use your fingers from the top to fish it up as high as you can.Tuck the diaper cover up the front, again spreading it out. You'll grab it from the top, as well.
Ta da! Get a high-five from someone, you did it!
I think that having the diaper cover inside of the cast is the a little cuter than on the outside. If you don't want to invest in a couple of covers, just use the large sized disposable diaper. If you need more absorbency (she always did at night), tear some of the backing off a pantyliner or maxi pad and add it inside the diaper/Poise pad. This allows the pee to go through to the diaper, rather than going over the sides of the pad and risking wicking into the cast.
Realize that you'll have some "incidents". Everyone does. The worst one was 3 weeks into the first cast. I was getting cocky, thinking I was the Spica Cast Diaper Champion. She blew out so badly that it was around her knee. It was up the back. It was down the long and short legs. IT WAS HORRIBLE!
Of course, it was also the day I'd promised Amelia's big siblings we'd be going to the library. Instead, they got to watch a show while I desperately soaked up pee and poop with cloth diapers and rags, ran a cool blow dryer with the occasional shot of warm up to try and dry out the cast, while I tried to figure out how to clean poop out the the long bent leg, without being able to get anything really in there. I cried. It took around 2 hours. I felt guilty and worried that I wouldn't be able to get the darn thing clean. Amelia got really, really tired and grumpy since she was due for her nap about an hour into the incident.
But you know what? We got through it. It sucked, but we did it.
You can do it, too!
Know you'll have those times where the poop will overwhelm, or where your baby can't get comfortable at night, or where you feel like your kid has worn the same 5 outfits for 2 months. It went by so much more quickly than I could've imagined (and I've got a pretty good imagination!). So, if you're going through this, join the hip dysplasia support groups (there are some in Yahoo groups and at Babycenter). Let me know if I can give you any ideas. YOU CAN DO IT!!
Oh, and my other tip? Go for a solid-colored cast. Man, our doctor talked us into a cast with 2 colors this time, but I got so annoyed with the pink--it got so dirty, it was SO bright, and it wasn't as versatile as a 1 colored cast. Fortunately, Duck Tape's colors are pretty close to the cast colors...but it would've been better if we'd just stuck with one color. When it was only 1 color, people were less-inclined to notice it and think we were child abusers. If they did notice it, they sometimes thought it was clothes (I guess they didn't see the bar?). Word to the wise!

Cast-Off

2011-11-15T17:07:00.001-07:00

CAST IS OFF!!! Baby is doing GREAT!! More info in future post (also, upcoming posts on SPICA diaper changes--hold the excitement!!--and Jack's 7th). I'm going to go snuggle my light-weight, soft, pose-able baby :)
!!!!

!!!

May the Force be Vigue!

2011-11-01T09:23:00.007-06:00

Carving pumpkins a week before Halloween. It was still, like, 60 degrees outside. Henry wanted a "mean pumpkin with star eyes", Sheridan wanted a pumpkin with a "heart face. Heart eyes and heart nose and a heart mouth." Jack drew out his design and had Tyler cut it out.Making Halloween costumes is something I really enjoy. It's one of the few times I really pay attention to detail and finish the project. The deadline of Halloween without a costume is a surprisingly great motivator for me. This year, I needed to have costumes done for our church party on the 25th. Fortunately, Grammy had purchased Jack his Jengo Fett costume at a yard sale the summer before last, so he was at least good to go!
Still had some costume tweaks to make after the Trunk or Treat. Needed to figure out how to keep R2D2's shoulders from sagging all over the place, add the "lights" to the bottom of Amidala's dress, and hem up the Leia dress--that thing was BLACK by the end of the church party!

The whole, nerdy famPrincess Leia, complete with "Leia buns" hat and belt. She insisted that she needed the hood, and I have to concur that she made a good fashion call. Sheridan was SO PROUD of her costume!

R2D2.
I tried to talk him into something simpler--like Yoda or a Jawa--but he insisted that he would only go along with the theme if he was R2D2. He made cute little beeps and boops when in costume.
(to make: use white felt covered in reg. white fabric for the tube part. Sew a channel at the top for a clothes hanger. Sew on various blue felt and silver-covered felt shapes--use an R2 toy to figure out the shapes. Quilt the white lines with grey thread. Cut armholes low enough that the tube comes around mouth level. Curse when you realize that you've cut them too high and add the leg hubs to cover the fact. Spray paint your recycle trash can lid silver after you've cut a hole out of the lid using tin snips and hot glued it shut. Add various felt shapes, again using the toy as a guide. Raid your husband's shop and find odds and ends for the 3-D elements. Use a mirror for the "light" part since you waited too long to make an LED light, then lose said mirror while trick or treating. Glue the insert of a hard hat into the head, then duct tape to keep it in place. Still spend half the time trick or treating carrying it. Sew up the side of the tube and insert the mangled wire coat hanger into the channel. Use various coat hangers bent up and pipe insulation or pool noodles to keep the top of the tube from sagging. Call it good!).

Queen Amidala
(to make: use all those old pieces of red satin from your wedding centerpieces. Make a skirt from 3--long and wide enough to fit over the body cast!--by sewing them side by side and putting elastic along the top edge. Use black felt left over from a pirate costume 3 years ago along the bottom edge. Sew on circles that were white felt painted yellow and orange with black felt circles sewn on top. Use 1 table-topper to make the top--a T shape with a neck hole and cut down the front. Line with black felt. Make that silly bib-thingy with yet another centerpiece thingy, velcro, and a gold fabric paint. Make sure that it is a defective bottle of fabric paint so you can't just squeeze it on, but have to use a paint brush and try to make the gold lines look consistent. Laugh at yourself when you realize how long your taking on a costume your daughter will never be able to fit into again! Then make the hat--using a bonnet as a guide--with gold for the bonnet part and accents, and another wire coat hanger and pipe insulation as the hair. Do this knowing she can't possible keep the silly thing on for more than 10 minutes!)You know your costumes are cool when people (you don't know) walking down the street stop to take pictures of your kids. When neighbors you don't know give your kid dressed as R2D2 extra candy just because "R2D2 needs extra candy!". When a random person (again, whom you've never met) stops their car, gets out and says (of Leia), "That is the cutest costume EVER!" and drives away.

I don't know that I can top this year. Maybe next year we'll all just go as nerds or something...oh wait, I think this year's costumes showed that already! :)

All said, it was a lot of fun.

Jack-tastic

2011-10-11T19:58:00.004-06:00

Recently, Tyler went to go help out in Jack's class at school. While there, he noticed Jack's drawing of his favorite animal.
Any guesses as to what it was?
?
?
?
Well, whatever you guessed, you were wrong.
It's a Wing Wolf.
"A what!?!"
"Like, a wolf with wings. From Secrets of Droon," he casually explained.
Ahhhhhh.
I was able to contain the laughter that tried to explode out of me when they revealed this at the dinner table.
"But Jack," I choked out, "what's your favorite REAL animal? Like, not from the fiction books you read?"
His answer was pretty quick.
"Vampire bats."
"Oh," I responded, "that's really--"
He cut me off, explaining further. "Because they turn into vampires by night and then when they see the least bit of light, BAM, they turn back into bats!" He was very excited by this favorite.
Neither Tyler nor I could stop from laughing. Fortunately, it was fairly quiet and I was able to get myself under control (at least momentarily) to try to find out his favorite REAL animal. It was becoming important to me to know that he could KINDA separate fact and fiction.
"Dude, we've talked about that and you know that's something people like to pretend happens, but bats don't really turn into vampires, right? What's your favorite real animal that exists on EARTH and that doesn't turn into a monster?"
He pondered this one for a moment, then triumphantly replied, "Humans!"
Seriously. Humans?
"Ok, and how about other than humans, cuz lots of people kinda think humans are different from animals. What animal that is real, that doesn't change shape, that isn't a human?"
Tyler had to interject here, "Sheesh, Mom, putting in all these limitations! What kind of question is that?"
Finally, Jack had an answer for me. A real animal.
"Turtles."
Ok, not an animal he's ever considered as his favorite, but hey, it's a REAL animal.
"Because their shell is like a force field. I also like crabs because their shell is like a force field, too."

Cast-tastic!

2011-10-06T20:48:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it's been 6 weeks since the Spica Cast went on our little Amelia?!?
The time has totally flown. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 other, older hooligans running around causing mischief. :)
She might look serious here, but Mia has been fabulous. I have never met a happier baby. She is generally all sunshine and smiles, unless she's hungry, tired, or really wanting some elusive attention. Oh, here we go! This is what our baby usually looks like!
So, we needed to document how cute our littlest one is, even with a cast! I'll give you a hint. Purple and zebra print. Ta da!
My friend Becca was kind enough to snap these shots of Amelia on a day that didn't have perfect lighting. Amelia was also more than ready for bed. The odds were against us getting anything decent. But she managed it!
In these pictures, Amelia is sporting her favorite look. Girlie-rocker-spica-chic. The edges of the cast can be really sharp, so we lined it with some smashing zebra print duct tape (found at any of your big box retailers or home improvement stores...or even on line!). Plain purple duct tape was a solid foundation for some of the trickier spots. The pink "baboon bum" effect is a one-size, wrap-style cloth diaper cover. I tucked it up in the back as far as my little fingers could reach, tuck in a poise pad or smaller disposable diaper in back, flip her over and tuck in the front diaper and then cover, reaching down the front of the cast to spread it out. I'll do a more tutorial-style post on that later, just in case anyone is searching for Spica tips like I did before this business). You can't really tell in these picts, but the cast only goes above her knee on the right and to her lower-calf on the left side. I continue to be amazed at how much herself she's been with the body cast on. Seriously, if one of us adults had this, we'd be moaning and complaining and generally miserable until it was off and our physical therapy was done. She handles it like a champ! So far, it hasn't been horrific for me, although there have been some challenges. Around 3 weeks in, she had a gargantuan poop-splosion that (of course) went down the long-leg side. To her knee. For two hours, I furiously soaked up poop with cloth diapers, shoving it at far down her leg (that side is also tighter so there's not as much wiggle room) as my fingers could shove. Then I tried various implements to get wipe, cloth diapers, or rags down that side and around the back (don't worry, none of those implements were returned to their original jobs!). I wiped it with a zillion wet wipes, I soaked out more liquid, I wiped. I blow dried it (on cool!) for over half an hour. I soaked up some more junk, then busted out the blow drier again. During this time, I also had Sheridan and Henry begging to go to the library--which had been the plan for the morning--to have a snack, to watch a movie...oh, and Henry was a week or so into potty training, so Sheridan ended up taking him to the potty twice! The whole process took 2 hours and a bunch of tears.
I adjusted my diapering technique and had no more explosions. The increase in solids probably also helped...
Amelia has learned to roll over in the cast, both back-to-front and front-to back! Amazing. She was not crawling before but can maneuver herself around a little. She is one determined little peanut!
There you have it! Cutest spica baby ever! Today we had her cast change and got the de-casting date: November 15th!!! Wooo hooo! Stay tuned for more pictures (and learning experiences!). Ok, don't really "stay tuned". You know I'm not going to post anything for at least a week. But check back her before Nov. 15th, I promise, I'll put some more stuff on! Maybe even stuff about other people...

First Day of School! First Day of School!

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

School started!
Jack's first day was the day after we flew home from New Jersey. Yup, we're really good planners (at least we took the morning flight, not the arriving-at-midnight flight, right?). He was so excited to go...but pretty nervous, too. Here he is in his uniformed glory. Notice the cool Star Wars lunchbox. He was very excited to be bringing lunch for the first time! He still won't put the lunchbox in his backpack, but has to carry it in his hot little hands. What do you think, future briefcase holder?
Sheridan's first day of (pre)school was a week later. She was SO EXCITED!!! She'd had "orientation" the day after we got back from NJ, so she totally knew what to expect (coloring, cupcakes, macaroni necklace-making, and outdoor play. Plus, she'd met one of her classmates) so she wasn't afraid to jump right in. It's funny, but this girl is far less anxious about new experiences than her big brother.

I could barely get her to stand still long enough for these pictures. The other 12 are blurry and blinky.

Sheridan started Preschool the day before Amelia's surgery. It added a little je ne sais quoi to the experience!

Henry keeps asking "Where-a my school at?" I've told him time and again that he'll go to school "after he's 4" and "in 2 years, buddy," but this has not satisfied him. Every day we go to drop

Sheridan off at her home-based school, he asks when he gets to go. Finally, on the drive home last week, he pointed to a random house and announced "Der's my school. I go-a school der!" I had to (sadly) inform him that there probably wasn't a preschool in that house and that he would be going to school after he turned 4, and in 2 years.

Can't fault the kid for trying!

Babies and Body Casts

2011-09-10T11:11:00.006-06:00

At 4 months, we found out our cute little Amelia had a severely dislocated left hip. It's a fairly common condition and happens more to girls and breech babies. There's a genetic factor in many cases (that's all from my side, I'm afraid!). We weren't able to get Mia into the Orthopedist until she was almost 5 months. They tried a brace for a week, but Amelia was MISERABLE and it didn't have any effect. So, we moved on to the Spica Cast.

A spica cast is a body cast, used for either hip dysplasia or broken femurs. She'll have hers on for about 3 months, with a cast change in the middle. Diaper blowouts are my current biggest fear (especially since she has a lot of those when she's in disposable diapers--not cloth--and there's not really good way to cloth diaper in the cast. It's just too bulky). Wed, August 25th. One day before casting!

We woke up at 5:30 am to get to Shriner's Hospital by her 6:30 appointment time. She got dressed up in a cute little gown and was really pretty happy (although she started getting very tired by the time they took us to the acutal waiting area for the procedure).

One last shot of those cute little legs and back--the last for 3 months! The most we'll see of these cute limbs will be on x-rays during her re-casting in 6 weeks. Going into the procedure, we weren't sure if they'd need to just cast of do surgery (they inject dye into the socket to see if there's any tissue in the way of the joint seating properly). After 45 minutes the doctor let us know she'd need surgery to clean up the joint and tighten up her hip casing. Thus began a 2 hour wait (which I know is not long, but to a parent who's kid is under anesthesia, it's LOOOOONG).

We passed the time meeting some Shriners... and by enjoying the gorgeous weather outside of Shriner's. Amelia came back from the surgery the saddest I've ever seen her. She would rouse a little and cry and cry, then finally settle down and sleep restlessly. Then she'd repeat. This went on from about 12:30-4pm. It made for a sad mama--I couldn't fix her problem at all!

After 4 she started to perk up, but she was still (understandably!) out of sorts. Her cast was cute and all but it made her a little hard to cuddle. She had an IV and monitors attached to her (including a big old splint and bandage on her left hand that was driving her crazy, but had to be there to keep her from pulling the IV out).After a less-than-restful night with nurses in and out of the room, checking her blood pressure and other vitals, changing her position, giving her oxygen since her levels kept setting off the oxygen monitor, and giving her medicine, Amelia was a usual happy self. Seriously, this kid is the happiest kid I've ever met. We got to take a ride up to Primary Children's Hospital for a CT scan to make sure everything was properly in place. It was, phew! That gave us the chance to get her fit into a car seat, which is an adventure in a of itself!

They found the cutest oxygen mask for her--and the purple dino even matched her cast! Seriously, the girl knows how to accessorize!

My sweet little girl in a Spica Chair. A guy who's daughter was in a cast donated this one to Shriner's Hospital and we were able to let Amelia try it out before we went home. She really enjoyed it--it lets her sit up and play with her favorite toys (in this case, her oxygen mask and tubing). Tyler is building one for her at home as we speak! Look forward to pictures of Amelia at home (with her zebra {duct tape} cast trim) and in her Spica chair!

Summer Wrap-Up

2011-09-10T10:01:00.004-06:00

This was a busy summer. Yard work (including sprinker installation), family visiting, visiting family, swimming, swim lessons, zoo, preparing for Amelia's body cast...it was very, very full.
Some quick picts and highlights:

Outdoor FunPrepping the yard for sprinklers included ripping out a ton of RR ties. Those things were all over our yard and were HEAVY! We also ripped out the grass on that side of the yard to put in a large planter bed. Tada! The planter bed is in...and so are the sprinklers! Apparently, I didn't take any before or during pictures. So just enjoy the after with me, won't you? This is the first summer that we've lived here and had green grass all season! The backyard is particularly wonderful that way. It's nice for the kids to have green grass to play in. Our driveway. We didn't do anything to it...

Indoor FunDressing up is always part of our indoor fun! Sheridan as an Indian Maiden. Henry as the side kick.Spiderman, spiderman...Henry loves to be Spiderman! Sheridan loves to feel his muscles...Spiderman takes some time out for sister-love. Awwww.

Outdoor FunSummer isn't complete without pool-time with cousins!

Henry was getting back in for some fun swimming time with friends.

Prehistoric Fun

The Hogel Zoo had a "Zoorasic" even this summer. A bunch of dynobots, slightly smaller than the originals, but SO COOL! Henry has been begging to go back and see dinosaurs. T Rex was cool (but they also had one that squirted water, that was very nice because it was HOT).

Cutiesaurus AmeliasJack, Henry, Sheridan and Daddy (with some random kid) on the sunken dino. Now we know why they became extinct...they were not smart enough to stay away from wet cement and got stuck there forever, unable to hunt for food. This dino is clearly unhappy with his lot in life, as you can see from the expression on his face. The rest of us were cool with his fate, it made for a good photo op.Sheridan was terrified of the T Rex. She was convinced it was going to get her. Other parents might have thought it was kinda funny and giggled at her hysterics when she wasn't looking, but not us. We took made her stand in front of it so we could get a picture. She liked the giraffes much better.

Away for August

2011-09-06T13:33:00.009-06:00

My last post was mid-July. That's because the rest of July was filled with fun little things and then we left for half of August. And then life got crazy when we got back. I think it has finally settled down...for now.
The first half of August, we went to the Happiest Place on Earth.
No, silly, not Disneyland. I'm sure it's nice and all, but it's no New Jersey.
That's right, baby. Bring on the sand, surf, sun and sugar. Bring on Maximum Spoiling. Bring on Grammy and Pop,Beach, Boardwalk, Tastee Kakes, Baseball, The Middle, Backyard, Pool, and Klondike Bars.
Ahhhh, New Jersey....

Children's Museum!Ready, set, delivered! Sheridan loved weighing this "newborn". She also liked shopping...Fighting fires (instead of each other) Not only does he fight fires, he fights gum disease! Take that, Plaque!

Boardwalk!!!

Amelia was a little wide-eyed about the whole Boardwalk experience. The lights, the noises, the smells...

Out for a sedate ride. Something all 3 could enjoy together.

These fire engines have been around since Pop was a kid. Always a hit!

Jack loves the kiddie bumper cars. He got pretty good at them this year.

Henry loved the "fast cars". I might have thought they were fun, too. Maybe.

Last ride is always the Carousel. A nice way to round out your Boardwalk experience.

Boardwalk frozen custards. If you're at the Boardwalk, you must either have a Water Ice, a Frozen Custard, a Soft Pretzel, or a Funnel Cake. MUST. It's the rule.

THE BEACH!!!!

This year, Jack learned to Boogeyboard. He got pretty good at it and went between that and rolling in the warm sand.

Henry found his favorite thing. The ocean. Join the club, kid, join the club! We could not keep him out of it!

Pop found this Horseshoe Crab shell. So Cool!

First dip in the ocean. Her response?

"Waaahhhhhhh!"

"I may not love the water yet, but I LOVE MY GRAMMY!!"

While Dad's away...

Singin' in the Rain--There were a lot of HUGE rainstorms while we were in Jersey.

We played in them. It was fun.

Down with Delaware

aka "For the Birds"

We got to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and their baby, Allouette. Little "Lulu" is just 10 days younger than Amelia and we were pretty excited to meet her. We love that they live so close to Tyler's parents so we can see them whenever we get back east. As usual, we had a great time visiting and spending time with the Birds.

"Gotcher nose! I gotcher nose!"

"Love you, Lulu!"

Backyard fun!

Sheridan and Jack put their swim lessons into practice. Grammy and Pop's pool was the perfect size for them.

Henry loved the pool in Grammy's backyard. He added all his own safety gear.

Beach Time!

Harry and Lucy came all the way from Utah! They had a blast building in the sand (and in the water...Harry and Henry were best buddies in the ocean and stayed out in the waves most of the time!)

Jellyfish. We tried not to let them ruin our last day at the beach...the clear ones don't sting...

Sheridan loved leading Lucy around the beach!This is the closest we got to a family photo on the beach this year. Oops!More friends at the beach--they came all the way from Virginia because they love Tyler so much!

Thanks for a fantastic vacation, Grammy and Pop! Can't wait 'til next year!!

Independence Day!

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

The 4th of July would not be complete without a parade. We did NOT sleep out all night to reserve our spaces, but the guys still managed to find a nice spot in the shade. It was the mildest parade weather we've had in our whole time parading here. Later in the day, we swam, had my nephew and his buddy plus my cousin and her kids over for a BBQ, and set off some fireworks (where we got rained on). I don't have pictures of that other stuff cuz I was cooking and baby-holding and trying to keep my kids from searing myself on their sparklers. I do, however, have pictures of the parade. She is ready for some Princess spotting! And Adam was ready in case any Jedis showed their faces...

My sister and her cute little Annia. Annia didn't quite know what to make of all the parade noise and craziness at first. My sweet Amelia!

Jack was getting ready for the soldiers to fire off their guns and Tyler was making a new friend. Here, when we do a parade, people come together. Despite the look on his face, Henry really was enjoying himself! Coach Dave Rose's car. Cuz hey, why not? All of the guys are in this picture (you can just see Adam's back behind the other guys...he was too involved with the parade to be bothered by a picture!) This was Sheridan's favorite. Wonder why?

Who knew flag shops could dream up such a parade number? The Force is strong with this one...

Goooooo Cougars!

It was a nice, not-too-hectic July 4th. We LOVED spending it with family!!

One Hip Baby!

2011-07-11T16:39:00.005-06:00

At Amelia's 4 month well-check, we got some bad news.

When they did the little leg check, her hip had a loud "clunk". That is not good.

They sent us in for a hip ultrasound and x-rays. It is never a good sign when the ultrasound tech does one hip fine, and then upon doing the other calls the orthopedics and asks for someone to "come down and take a look at this." We weren't able to get into the pediatric othopedics until July 6th.

Sure enough, Mia's left hip naturally wants to dislocate rather than be nice and happily snug in the hip socket. They put her in a Pavlik harness to try and get the socket to form.

No dice.

By Saturday, Tyler noticed she wasn't using the bad side AT ALL. She'd kick the good side like crazy, but would only twitch the bad side's foot. She was upset almost all the time (which is very, very irregular for our happy little girl). She barely slept and wouldn't eat a full meal. An email to the doc and she told us to take her out of the harness and bring her in on Tuesday (12th). Sigh.On Tuesday, we learned that the harness wasn't working. The next option is a body cast (google "spica cast" for what that option looks like). She may or may not need surgery--the doc will only be able to figure that out when Amelia is under anesthesia--but will be in the cast for 3 months (with a change in the middle).

August 25th is C-Day. Wish us luck!

Baby, Take a Bow

2011-06-27T15:55:00.012-06:00

Sheridan has found her true love in life.
Dance recitals.
She enjoyed the class, sure. But the thrill of the performance is where she's at! This is the ONLY picture we took of Sheridan in her dancing threads. She got to do 5 different numbers (with 5 different costumes--she was in HEAVEN!). Sheridan LOVED being on stage. She found her mark every time and grinned like a maniac the whole time. Immediately after each number she would ask "Do we get to do another one?!?"

Um, no stage fright there! She comes by it honestly...
You might not want to see all 5 of Sheridan's numbers, but there are grandparents and stuff who are obligated to pretend like they want to. Here are links to all 5 (the files were too big to post here...). This is for you, grandparents and stuff! Get out the popcorn and enjoy the show!

(No offense to the camera man, but the camera doesn't focus that well on someone so far away...so she's a little blurry...and he was only interested in one kid--ours!--so you miss out on some of the funniest stuff with the other kids. But I'm pretty sure you'll get the idea. :) )

Oh, funny things to look for? She always goes back to her "mark" on the stage--it's fun to watch her remember that and adjust herself. Her plies also CRACK ME UP!!! She never figured out how to turn out her feet, so she struggles with them! She also got more and more tired as the recital went on (since it went from 7 pm until almost 10:30!!!) so she gets a little punch drunk. Enjoy!
ABC

Gimme a Little Kiss

Dolly, Won't You Dance With Me?

Big Cats

Baby, Take a Bow

A T-Ball of Fun

2011-06-27T15:13:00.007-06:00

Ah, the wonderful T-ball season in Provo ended this weekend with Capri Suns and medals. Jack played for the first time this year, and Tyler ended up coaching the team. They had a lot of fun together. Fortunately, our friends Aunt Jenni and Uncle Corey came to the games. They helped me wrangle the other 3 kids, since Tyler was otherwise occupied. Jenni even took all the pictures (since, although I had brought my camera, chasing after 2 kids isn't very conducive to actually getting worthwhile shots. Thanks, Jenni and Corey, for supporting Team Vigue!).

The T-Ball team agreed to call themselves "Lightning", as per Jack's suggestion."Cuz we're really fast."

Jack learned lots of skills and had great fun playing "the intro to America's favorite game".He liked playing in the outfield, where he honed his sweet dancing skills and got to wear a blue glove. He also enjoyed playing outfield because he "gets to rest a little". There were, unfortunately, no daisies for him to pick out there, cuz otherwise he would've been in heaven.

Outfield for T-Ball is anywhere from the back of the dirt to the front of the grass (and yes, those are the technical terms for such places). They smack those balls pretty hard. Jack liked playing outfield so much, that he forgot to come in when his team came in to bat. So when our 2nd or 3rd batter smacked one into the outfield, Jack was really proud that he fielded it. I think he was a little disappointed when Tyler made him come in and bat!Jack also really enjoyed batting. He had his stance down pat by the second or third game. His favorite place in the line-up to bat is LAST. That is because, in T-ball, the last guy up to bat gets to hit everyone in--it's like an automatic home run. At the beginning of the season, he'd just watch for a minute after he hit the ball. Sometimes, this resulted in the other team actually getting the ball to first base and getting Jack out. That was very sad, but he learned quickly! Jack did not like to get "out". One time, I think he wanted to bat last, but he'd already batted last once in the game. He wanted to hit a home run. So, although the play was over and his team members were on the other bases, Jack just kept running. No one really noticed until he was at third base. Before the next batter had hit the ball, Jack ran all the way home! Talk about ingenuity! They taught the kids the traditional team high-five line to end the games. That's right, in T-ball they're all about "sportsmanship". No one even gets to strike out!

Watch out, it's Coach Tyler comin' to getcha! He really enjoyed coaching T-ball...he won every game and got to yell to his heart's content (stuff like, "Go, Jack, go!" and "Alright! Great hit!!").Because babies under 6 months can't use most popular sunscreens, poor little Amelia got swathed in layers of light blankets and hats. (I think I'm going to invest in zinc oxide sunscreen so she can actually get out and be protected without sweltering!) Fortunately, Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni weren't opposed to help hold her during some hot games.

This was the other way we kept Amelia out of the sun. Stroller-shade!

Sheridan spent most of the games tagging along with some girls a few years older than her. She liked it best when the games were played at the field by the park, because then she could play instead of pretending to care about the game. I mean, really! Henry was a good fan. He was willing to keep cheering as long as I gave him enough water and crackers.

Let's hear it for some summer fun!

More Miss Mia!

2011-06-27T14:26:00.007-06:00

There are some pictures here that were taken this month. Just wanted to warn you so you don't die of shock. Ha! Take that, you people who say I never post anything current! (Yes, I know June is almost over, but those last few pictures will be current for a whole 3 days!)Just shy of 2 months! Her little smile.

Cute little pixie-girl! Our fabulous friend made this sweet little hat for our 2 month Amelia. She is suitably shocked and awed by the knitting skillz! EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!! 2.5 months
"No, really, I'm totally awake. I'm not falling asleep! See how open my eyesszzzzzz...."
2.5 months

At 3 months, Amelia finally got to meet her Great-Granpa Larry and Great-Gramma Diane. (Due to various health, school, and work conflicts, we weren't able to arrange a visit any sooner). Gramma Di got some cute pict...unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures with them!Look at that little tongue sticking out!One of Mia's favorite toys is her play mat. She love the giraffe (pictured) but the elephant seems to be her favorite. Surrounded by some of her favorite supporters ("Pearl" at top left, "elephant" at front right), at 3.4 months, Amelia learned how to roll from Back to Front. She didn't know quite what to think abou this new skill.But, a few weeks later, she's totally gotten the hang of rolling and is proud of the results!

Here she is at 4 months, rollin' like a homey."Love to all my loyal fans!"Yo.

Christmas in June

2011-06-16T14:37:00.008-06:00

That's right, kids, Christmas in June.

Or, really, remembering in June that we haven't blogged about our wonderful Season due to less-than-wonderful-happenings in January. More on that in a future post, I'm sure.

Sooo, back in December we got a lovely, formerly-alive Christmas tree. It smelled DIVINE and the kids really enjoyed decorating it. As per their request, we went with colorful lights.

Jack had crazy hair day at school. I think. Or, he got really bored and decided a fauxhawk was a good way to combat that boredom...

Henry loves a good smoothie! Look at that happy boy! I could just eat him up (especially since i know he's berry-flavored now...and because it might stop those tantrums...)

Ummm, not really a festive picture, but it was a breakfast-for-dinner in December. Which resulted in the aforementioned smoothied-Henry. Fierce.

For our first Nativity re-enactment, Jack decided to be the shepherd (as in, he decided at the last minute that he WOULD NOT be Joseph. That caused us to re-shuffle all the other rolls...)

Shockingly, Sheridan was picked to play Mary. I know, I know, I was the pregnant one...Tyler was the understudy for Joseph, so with Jack's switch-a-roo to shepherd, Tyler got to shine in his role of SuperDad.

Henry was the sleepy Wise man. Carrying a toy fox. On a sweet wooden rocking horse. Really, he was thrilled with his roll. So thrillllllzzzzzzzzzz....

There was snow here in December (and in November, January, February, March, April, and May...none so far in June...). It was very gorgeous and deep in December. It was annoying in March, April, and May.

Before Christmas, Tyler and his dad (who was out from NJ) got to go to the U of U Bowl game in Vegas. They had a nice, safe, fun time. It's not often Tyler gets the chance to have one on one time with his dad and he really enjoyed it.
Then, we had a lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As a fun first, we got to have Tyler's mom and dad with us on Christmas Eve! That was a first, and we had a blast. Grammy and Pop are always fun!

On Christmas Eve, we once again acted out the Nativity. This time Henry was a rockin' shepherd (again, on the awesome wooden rocking horse) and he actually let us dress him up.

Here is Sheridan as...wait for it...an expectant Mary. I can't remember if she had YellowBear or a doll in there...

Jack agreed to lend his thespianatic skills to the roll of Joseph. He was so cute as he pulled Sheridan from "inn" to "inn", looking for refuge! Grammy played, of course, the angel! (It makes sense, as she is often the bringer of news in the family...and she is so good!).

The shepherd found the baby asleep in the pack-n-play. I don't have a picture of Tyler-as-Wise-Man, but you can rest assured that he knocked that roll out of the park.

We celebrated with hymns of Christ throughout. Singing Christmas Carols is one of my favorite holiday traditions, and it feels so special and sacred to do so on Christmas eve.

Oh, and the kids got new PJ's. Then they got sent to bed. Tyler and I were up, as usual on Christmas Eve, far too late. But everything came together in the end:).

Christmas morning dawned bright and not-too-early. Santa DID come and visit the kids. I guess they were good after all! He brought Sheridan and Henry this sweet play house
and he brought Jack this fabulous easel. Which he loves and has gotten more continuous use out of than almost any gift he's ever been given (other than, perhaps, books).Jack got a bunch Star Wars paraphenalia (surprise!), books, and legos. Henry got a SWEET wooden ramp that Tyler built. He sent all of his cars, movies, books, and gloves down it. They had to go down the ramp when they were opened. It was hilarious. I mostly lounged around and watched them open stuff. I was 8 months pregnant. I was just happy that they were happy! (although I was also happy that I got a toaster oven and a bunch of other handy kitchen gear).
Sheridan got a lovely little princess baby. And a bunch of play food, books, dolls, and toys. She was happy (this was a very rare calm moment!). We got to eat a yummy breakfast with Grammy and Pop, and then my brother and his family joined us later in the afternoon. We had a lovely dinner with Tyler's sister and her family.

Surrounded by family and friends was the best way to celebrate the season of Christ's birth!

Hospital Pictures and Goin' Home

2011-05-04T14:39:00.009-06:00

Lots of pictures, as the title says, of the hospital and going home. Brace yourself! So ready to have this baby!

Lights, camera, suction!

Daddy is in awe of his new baby!

First cuddles with Mommy.

A little one-on-one with Daddy.Cute little feet!First bath. She was not impressed.

First Checkup (and seeing siblings for the first time).

All the kiddos at once (with convenient protection for the newest!)

Sisters!

First family picture!Sister-Love! Kiddos enjoyed a little cuddle time with Daddy and Amelia. The TV wasn't too bad, either...Aww, totally un-prompted hug! And then he was done.

This big brother couldn't get enough of her!

Such a sweet baby!

Torturing her with CLOTHES! Sheesh, what kind of people are we?!?

Amelia was NOT impressed with having to get dressed to go.

Still not impressed with getting ready to go!

Loaded up and nearly ready to go.Home at last!

More on Mia

2011-04-29T17:17:00.008-06:00

Warning: This post has a lot of photos! (earlier photos to come)

Did you know Mia is sometimes a nickname for Amelia? Well, now you do!
Sheridan REALLY likes to call her sister "Mia". It's cute.
So, we've been berated very gently for not posting enough new picts of our baby. Just because 4/5 of our immediate family lives out of state and they haven't seen anything since newborn pictures. Sheesh :) I'll admit it, I'm lazy.

3 days old!

Meeting cousins for the first time!

More Cousin time!

This baby can sleep through a hurricane! At 1 week, though, she was getting 3 hour stretches all day and one 4 hour stretch at night.

1 week old!

Sweet, sleepy girl!

Thoughtful Amelia. Pondering her busy life at 2 weeks.

Trying to eat either the couch or her fist at 2 weeks. She doesn't care which one, Mia just wants SOMETHING in that mouth! I love how her brow wrinkles up!

Sleeping at 3 weeks. She did that most of the time for that first month!

On her blessing day. My brother-in-law took a lot of picts, but those are still processing :) I'll do a whole big post on that someday! This is one of the 3 picture I took of her (with Aunt Jenni and the beautiful blanket she made. It complimented the gorgeous blessing gown a sweet lady from church made for Amelia). Due to the no-blowout factor, she wore that sweet outfit all day long with no fear!

4 weeks old, in her cloth diapers. Yep, still using them. They may make her bum look a little bigger, but it's totally worth it to have ZERO blowouts. Haven't had any since the switch from Huggies.

With Daddy. I had to capture a rare crying fit! She was 5 weeks here.

In her cute St. Patty's outfit on her cute personalized blanket from Grammy and Pop.

About 5 weeks old.

With big sis for St. Patrick's day!

This is when she started getting smiley around 6 weeks. Maybe it's cuz she's wearing such a cute outfit from Aunt Ruth!

More smiles!

I'll post more recent picures...when I download them off my camera! Thanks for stickin' around to get through this photo bomb!

Party for a Princess

2011-04-29T16:23:00.006-06:00

Well, one might say that I am a little behind on this "blogging" thing.
One might be correct.
Sheridan turned 4 in February. The day before Amelia was born, as a matter of fact! That likely tells you why there hasn't been a post about her birthday festivities. If that doesn't explain enough, call me. If you can hear me over the screaming chaos that is my life :) I'll explain it to you!
So, Thursday was out little Shei-Shei's birthday. We woke up bright and early and opened presents, had blueberry pancakes, and PLAYED! She got a movie (which we watched Thursday morning and Friday morning while I was in labor--go Barbie Swan Lake!), a trike (because she needs to learn how to pedal and can't seem to master the bike), a plethora or clothes (because she is Sheridan, after all!), and a bunch of toys. After taking Jack to school, we used her birthday present $$ to buy a beautiful Rapunzel dress-up she'd been pining for. She and Henry had a blast checking out the aisles of Toys-R-Us, that mecca of childhood glee. That evening, we invited my brother and his family, along with the kids' surrogate Aunt and Uncle, for dinner and fun. Mostly for dinner, since 6 kids tearing around our house is chaotic-insanity (which is fun, but very very loud). After pizza, we had a lovely cake and we were all exhausted!
Here she is, ready to open all her birthday loot! Girl got SPOILED!! What a way to start out the day, right?
Grammy and Pop's package arrived a little after Sheridan's birthday, but she didn't mind dragging out the festivities! After less than 24 hours, I had to comb out all of Rapunzel's hair and braid it because Sheridan loved it a little too much (if you know what I mean!). It's been fun to see her get into playing with her dolls a little more!
Grandpa Bird hooked her UP with a castle of her very own. She moved all of her stuff in that day and had a big problem when we wanted to relocate it. The kids have had hours of fun in that castle (and it has a MOAT!! so cool!).
Uncle Daniel and Aunt Deon, along with cousins, gave her a magical princess wand. It has tons of learning games to play, perfect for a 4 year-old. She and Jack fight over it all the time. Honestly, I'd recommend this for the princess in your life!
She got her first "couples" Disney dolls from Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni. She LOVED them...until a few weeks later, she tried to help Prince Philip do the splits and his leg broke off. Maybe he was meant to be a pirate...:) Seriously, can you ever go wrong with these dolls?
She was very excited for her Aurora cake. The requisite "barbie in a cake" cake. She loved the dress, the hair...yes a vision of loveliness! Sheridan was super excited to feast on that, baby (my kids have no problems cutting into their favorite characters. Should I be worried?)
I'll be honest, it's not my greatest piece of work. I'd almost forgotten to make it. I was so tired and done...but the girl needed a cake! So, forgive the frosting on her skirt (it was supposed to be fondant, but I ran out of oumph), the funny shape of the dress (I ended up not making enough layers. I did not do a good job of planning ahead!), and the fact that I was trying to pull it together when I should have been making dinner (thank you, Uncles and Aunts, for your patience that night!). Really, though, she was happy. That's the important thing, right :)

On to the Party!

So, as usual, Sheridan is obsessed with all things Princess. BYU's ballet company was nice enough to put on Cinderella, all for her (don't believe them if they tell you it was for Valentine's Day. Hello! Is February 12th Valentine's Day? Nope. Do guy even like going to ballets? Not so much. Do couples much want to come early to a performance to meet-and-greet with the fairies and princesses and prince-who-had-on-a-ton-of-make-up? Doubt it. Does Valentine's Day specifically welcome kids aged 2+? Perhaps it will result in said kids later on, but not many romantical couples want a kid aged 2+ along with them on their V-day date. I'm just sayin', it was totally meant for my princess-lovin' girl).
I was praying I wouldn't go into labor on Saturday--that would've made it impossible to take the girls. As it turned out, I had Amelia on Friday (thus avoiding both Sheridan's actual birth date and the party) so Tyler got to take these little Princesses to the Shin-dig.

They each wore their lovely ball gowns as a show of support for Cinderella. Very cute and very thoughtful! (Notice the sunshine? The lack of coats? Yeah, 2.5 months later and it's snowing and COLD. Just thought I'd mention that. Crazy Spring!)Ok, I had to include this one of them descending the stairs together. Hello! Adorable!!! I love that they're holding hands (and they're SO EXCITED to meet the dancers!).This just reminded me of all the scenes in all the Disney movies of princesses coming down the stairs. CUTE!These ladies are READY for the show. They're finding out who's who and what's what. With Cinderella! A dream come true, for sure!
Favorite foods: Pizza, candy, tortellini, lasagna, strawberry ice cream
Favorite color: Pink. Duh.
Favorite movie: She is really into the Barbie movies and Dora. And, of course, anything princess.
Favorite things to do: Dress up. Play with her siblings. Pick dandylions for mommy. Dancing. Playing "house", especially when her cousin Wyatt can pretend to be her husband! She loves any kind of pretending.
Random info: Sheridan is a headstrong, tenacious girl! She is kind of a diva, but she loves to mother her little siblings. She loves to be independent but is very much a cuddler!

Announcing Amelia

2011-02-18T20:38:00.004-07:00

Amelia Kathleen Vigue

February 11, 2011 at 6:12 pm

7 lbs 1 oz, 19 inches long

Our little Amelia came into the world after a smooth day of labor. The doctors keep saying she's perfect. Who are we to disagree?

The pictures are by BellaBabyPhotography (taken right at the hospital, can you believe it!?!) They did a fabulous job, so go buy pictures from them.

Below is the birth experience. It's fairly lengthy, because I have a struggle editing my experience down. Don't feel obligated to read it, esp. since I'm not editing the details out :)

"I don't think you're going to work today, " I greeted Tyler as I went upstairs to join him, Jack, and Sheridan on the morning of February 11th. I'd been having some real contractions (not just the painful-yet-ineffective braxton hicks I'd been having for months) since 4 am, and they were getting closer together.

Then I ate a banana.

They weren't horrible contractions, mind you. I was able to relax and breathe through them just fine (except the one where Sheridan flopped onto my stomach mid-contraction...I thought I might break something or someone). Throughout the morning I relaxed with the kids as they watched Barbie Swan Lake, I showered, I spent some time talking to Tyler and figuring out a plan for what we'd do with the kids.

It was standing up to coif my hair and put on makeup that moved things along. In that half hour or so, contractions went from 8-10 minutes apart to 5-7. By noon, we hit the road (making a short detor to drop Jack at school), leaving Sheridan and Henry with our FABULOUS neighbor. Between contractions I was able to talk and laugh and just be myself. During contractions I needed to do some deep breathing and was able to deal with the increasing intensity just fine. The only hard time I had on the way to the hospital were the darn potholes in the road! With this winter's crazy weather and snow, it seems like those babies are all over the roads; the car bumping over these definitely challenged my relaxation skills!

This is our 4th time at Orem Community Hospital. Love it, love it, love it. Seriously, if you're giving birth in Utah County, natural or not, I HIGHLY recommend birthing there.

I was having contractions all the way inside, but again was able to breathe through them. I figured I wasn't very far along (I'd measured a 3+ the day before at the midwives') since the contractions weren't sharp, stabbing pains and I didn't need Tyler to talk me through each one and since I was able to be myself between contractions. The midwife checked me and laughed. "I don't think we'll be sending you home, you're at a 6 or 7". ( They hooked me up to antibiotics (due to my having an active case of GBS) but everyone kept going on about how I wouldn't have time for the 2nd dose in 4 hours (at which point Tyler and I are both thinking "don't jinx us!").

(Side note! Here are the funny things that weren't working at the hospital. Alone, each thing isn't worth noting. Together, it makes Tyler and I chuckle.

The first room had no heat. They moved us before I'd done more than get my lovely gown on.

In my new room, the montior machine was broken. They got another one and it took 3 or 4 tries to get the new one to work.

The birthing bed was on the wrong side in that room. They had to unhook me, the monitor, the IV, etc and move the bed...except the brake was stuck and it took them 5 minutes to get it to move.

The IV wouldn't work after they moved us.

The computer didn't want to work again, either.

The privacy curtain? Yeah, it wouldn't extend fully to block full view from the door. Fortunately, Tyler fixed it.)

Phew! By the time everything was working, I was dilated to 8 cm. Woohoo! I was still able to interact normally between contractions. I think word started to spread, because I had several nurses, CNA's, and other techs checking in on us and saying things like, "Wow, they weren't kidding, you're amazing." (I don't say this to brag, but because it was funny at the beginning and pretty annoying by the end--I felt like I was going to disappoint people when it came to pushing, since I know how that doesn't go as smoothly for me). I really wanted to hang out on the birthing ball for a while, which was nice and relaxing. Tyler and I had a little privacy and we could talk ("No, Tyler, I still don't know what we are going to name this baby" or "Yeah, Jimmer is having a really great season". Just kidding on that last one). It was about 2:30 at this point and I was at 9 cm. I was having a little bit of pushy feelings, but was mostly just relaxing through the contractions and carrying on like usual between (if usual is sitting around in a hospital gown having conversations that need to pause every 2.5-3 minutes for contractions). I figured it'd all be over soon since I was at a 9, for heaven's sake! I couldn't believe how well this labor was going, how much I was able to relax during contractions, how normally I felt (usually I'm laying on my side, focusing with all my might on relaxing cuz the contractions are INTENSE).

We were both really grateful that I had GBS and they hadn't broken my water since they wanted to have the chance to get the antibiotics all in me (usually I get impatient and have them break my water to get things moving along and that is WAY MORE INTENSE with far sharper contractions). We changed positions often, but weren't really moving past 9 cm. Finally, at 5 pm they ran my second IV of antibiotics (with statements of "I can't believe we actually have the time to do this!" and "Wow, I didn't think you'd be in labor that long!" Thanks for that, very helpful.). I was getting a little discouraged at this point, but was glad we wouldn't have to worry about baby getting GBS or the serious problems that can result from her picking it up while delivering. (we thought of those positives while I was bemoaning to Tyler that my body "wasn't doing what it's supposed to be doing!". ) When the antibiotic was done, I had the midwife go ahead and break my water. The first 3 contractions after that weren't any worse. "I'm starting to feel despondant, Tyler." The next one was were the stabbing, fully-intense, must-remain-in-relaxation-between-contractions sort.

And then, I started to lose it.

"I can't do this, Tyler!" I stared at him, panic-filled and way NOT in my happy, safe place.

"You have to believe you can do it, Ali, or you can't." (when I get like this, he knows pushing is VERY soon).

"Talk me through it, I can't do it alone!!!!" He talked me through the next 2 contractions, getting me to relax more, but not as much as I had been. At the end of the next contraction, I started pushing.

"I feel like I need to push, Tyler!" That was in a sort of desperate, trying-to-maintain-relaxation-but-failing voice.

"Go with what your body wants to do," he was so calm and yet so focused. It's very cute.

"Call for them to come in, I need to push!"

I then tried to get back into relaxation, but the sensation of baby's head descending is not one I deal very well with. I was very very focused on what my body was doing and the distinct feeling that there was no WAY my body was going to open up enough to let the baby move easily through my birth canal. I remember snippets of conversations through the next contraction:

The midwife "I'm not going to have time for a gown--ok, hurry, hurry, get it on!"

"Help her hold her leg back. Dad! You grab the other leg!" (Legs? I had those? Pretty much, all I was aware of was my uterus and birth canal...there was no way I was going to be able to move one of those "leg" thingies).

At this point, another contraction hit. Man, you cannot deny the pushing at that point! It HURT! I did a little head-toss thing (I think I was really trying to get the people holding my legs to let go of me), tried not to swear, and exclaimed "I can't do this!"

Midwife, "You are doing it, there's her head!" And then, the head was out. Tyler told me to push again and (without me really doing more than taking in a deep breath) the rest of the body followed. Those shoulders were WAY easier than Henry's! I got cleaned up and birthed the placenta, the delivery team cleaned baby up (at which point I was still shaking from the birth, so I had Tyler hold her). She was so tiny with so much dark hair!

"It really is a girl, right?" I asked Tyler. He reassured me that he'd checked!

I was finally focused enough to pay proper attention to my baby. She was so perfect and alert (when the bright lights were off) and precious. Having a baby is such a surreal thing. Even though we'd been through 9 months of pregnancy, which included a belly of hugeness that foreshadowed the baby-to-come, actually having that baby in your arms is something else. Suddenly, we're a family of 6. I had 4 kids. We're bringin' this kid HOME.

Admittedly, the last 6 contractions were hard. Pushing the baby out found me a little off-kilter (although my midwife was like "yeah, you lost it for one minute. Literally. I think that's ok"), something I'd been hoping I'd not struggle with this time. As I look at my little Amelia sleeping contentedly by me, every second was totally worth it...and hey, I'm sure I'll go through worse pains during those teenage years, right?

A brief respite

2011-02-07T22:33:00.002-07:00

We stayed Thanksgiving night at Tyler's sister's house, and then we abandoned our children! Rebecca gifted us with 2 days of babysitting, knowing that (after this next kiddo comes) our one-on-one time will be limited.

Very limited.

We visited Temple Square in sub-freezing temps. It was very beautiful, all lit up for Christmas. We got 90% of our Christmas shopping crossed off the list. We stayed at the beautiful Downtown Marriott. That's right, it was nice to have some time without kiddos.

Thanks, Rebecca, for some nice time to relax and have fun before the real insanity begins :)

Thankfully, Two!

2011-02-07T22:03:00.003-07:00

November 25th was rockin'.

But we'll talk about that further down.

This year, Henry's birthday was on Thanksgiving. It will be every 6 years. Welcome to your life, birthday boy! (at least it's not December 25th...that would be an even rougher holiday-birthday!)

He's 2. He didn't know any differently, so we did the bulk of celebrating on November 24th.

He. loved. it.

Who doesn't like waking up to a pile of presents (even ones so classily wrapped as these) and opening a bunch of your favorite things (cars, trucks, wagons, toy story and nemo stuff)?

He was in heaven. That smile stuck around most of the day.

The ooooh's and ahhhh's were hilarious. See that cute dimple? From Tyler. This pict bears striking resemblence to picts of Tyler at 2. CUTE!

Henry smiled most of the day...and spent a lot of his time in this little wagon from Grammy and Pop. He couldn't get enough of the thing! Luckily, his siblings enjoyed carting him around in it. (Here, he's totally thinkin' "Dude! Get a move on it already!")

And, of course, what birthday would be complete without a marvelous cake? He LOVES Nemo, so it was the obvious choice. I was finishing up the decorating before dinner (only the orange was piped in), when someone thought it would be a good idea to show Henry the cake. I'm not namin' names or anything. This led to IMMEDIATE demands for "Nemo take! Nemo take!" (aka "Nemo cake") and screaming fits. Ah, welcome to 2 my little man.

He was not disappointed by the rich chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. YUM. He still asks for "Nemo take" when he hears it's someone's birthday.

The next day was Thanksgiving. Yum again. We enjoyed a DELICIOUS feast at Tyler's sister's house with the whole Vigue family that's out here.

And since it was really Henry's birthday, we got to sing to him again (this time with my mom's cheesecake. More yum.). He was a little disappointed that it wasn't "Nemo take". Poor kid. But, he played along and blew out the candle and had a lovely night.
A good time was had by all.

Catch-up while you can!

2011-02-05T20:49:00.002-07:00

I know, it's been months. Literally.

So I really, really should catch up on blogging. Especially with a baby due in a few weeks. Then when will I blog? (Sure, I have friends who've recently had their 4th kid and still blog regularly, but I'm struggling and I don't even have #4 here yet...it doesn't look good for the frequency of blog posts). We've got Henry's 2nd birthday, Christmas, and Sad January to blog about. Plus the last trimester of this pregnancy.

It seems likely that those posts may never happen.

However, progress has been made. Pictures have finally been downloaded off the camera. Unfortunately, they're on the other computer (since that one is easy and quick to down/upload from). So, you'll have to wait. But don't hold your breath or anything. You might be holding it for a long time...

6 Year Celebration

2010-11-11T16:19:00.007-07:00

It was a little crazy to celebrate Jack's 6th birthday. It was the same day of the week that he was born, which just brought back memory after memory of the birth experience. It was fun to talk to him at various times throughout the day about what happened at that point (no, not like "At this time, the doctor broke my water and then, BOY, did I really know pain", or "then I had to go to the bathroom and the IV got yanked out of my arm and blood was spurting everywhere". More like, "Aw, this was around the time that we were at the hospital waiting for you" and "oh, around this time you were actually born!" and "Aw, you pooped all over Mommy in the bed as she was trying to change your meconium diaper!" You know, the wholesome, not-scary details!).

Jack chose waffles and strawberries for birthday breakfast. He devoured them.

In the Vigue House, we start celebrating on the birthday. I was always sad that I didn't do that growing up, and Tyler just thought it was how things were done. So he did all the streamers the night before while I...hmmm, I don't know what it was I did, but it obviously wasn't cleaning! Bright and early! We learned early on that opening gifts in the morning lets our kids have ALL DAY to play and experiment with their toys. I foresee this getting more difficult as all-day school happens, but it was SO MUCH FUN today!

Upon opening the Lego Starfighter, Jack repeated "I cannot believe it! I cannot believe it!" It's his first "big build" Lego from Granddude and Manah. Thank you!

He put this shirt on right after finishing present-opening. Thanks Grammy and Pop--you spoiled him!

This was Jack's "WHOA" present opening face. He wore that expression most of his birthday morning! It was nice that he was truly appreciative of every gift.

I didn't think I'd be doing a cake for Jack's actual birthday. We were having a friend party the next day, and the R2 cake required a lot of cake and quite a bit of time...but I ended up having 2 extra 6" cakes, which was perfect for a VERY last minute Yoda cake. He looks more like a cross between ET and a Gremlin, but Jack was thrilled, so who's gonna worry that it's not accurate?

I think this is a "hand-over-the-mouth-in-excitement" look. Yoda is on fire, however, so it might be shock. We're burning the last true Master of the Jedi arts! It tasted delicious!

Tyler was in charge of the birthday party. Honestly, between the pregnancy and getting over a sinus infection, I wasn't really eager to do the party this year. Tyler was, however, so I told him he could plan it and do it. I'd do the cake.

So, here he is. After a nice gathering game of "Pin the Lightsaber (or blaster) on Luke (or Han)", the crew moved outside for some REAL fun.
A Jedi Obstacle Course. There was running, and climbing, and rolling, and bubbles. Did I mention running?

And, they were off! Fortunately, it was nearly 70 degrees the day of the party, so they got to run around like crazy little Younglings! It ended up being the best kind of mildly-organized chaos--the best kind of thing for a 6 year-old's party!

R2D2 was my contribution to the party. I must admit, it was a LOT of fun to make...and so fabulous to see the kids' expressions when they saw it. How often do you feel like you nailed that kind of magical moment?

(now back to me...for my first go with fondant, not too shabby, eh? I learned that with marshmallow fondant, you just knead it until it gets elastic. If you knead more than that--other than when adding coloring--it goes all crumbly and you'll end up sending your husband to the store for C&H powdered sugar at 10:15 pm so you can make the cake the night before the party. What can I say, we don't have a second fridge so everything is last minute!)

Using the Force to keep up balloons. Lots of giggling and shrieking.

The lure of the cake was too much. As one game was ending and another about to begin, we found this crew checkin' out the goods one more time...

We rounded up games with "Don't Eat Pete", Star Wars style! Everyone got a turn and it was a nice transitional game...transition to PRESENTS! His friends spoiled him rotten, and he's thoroughly enjoyed every gift! Thank you!

We love these Party People! We had friends old and new, as well as cousins--it was the best combination!

Sheridan was a little upset that I was cutting into R2D2...although the cake resolved any qualms about that!
Thanks for those who came! We had SO MUCH FUN. Things went off without problems. Grown-up friends cleaned a bunch of the mess up before I could even waddle to it! Seriously, it was a happy birthday for all of us.

Some of Jack's Favorites:

Color: Rainbow

Food: Pizza and Ravioli

Things to do:

Play Nintendo with Dad (and other video games)

Read Harry Potter with Mom

Play with Friends

Play games (he really likes his new game of Star Wars Guess Who?)

Going on Treasure Hunts

Jack is becoming such a great sharer and helper. He was great about sharing his birthday toys with his brother and sister (which was really impressive!) and he's so good at helping his siblings when they're sad or angry. He's started using some of the distraction techniques we've been trying out--and he does a better job with those (with Henry and Sheridan) than we do! He does adore Star Wars...but he loves his family even more!

It's Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:28:00.006-06:00

That's right, I'm on the ball this year.

(shocked gasps)

It's NOT EVEN Halloween yet, and here I am, posting pictures of pumpkin carving and kids going trick-or-treating. YES, they are my kids, and they are even pictures from THIS YEAR!

(jaws drop. tears well up in a grandparent's eye).

That's right folks, remember this day. This sort of thing may not happen again in your lifetime.

(murmured agreements)

Certainly not with that kind of attitude!!

Here they are, getting ready to carve into some PUMPKINS! The kids were all SO excited!

Henry really liked his pumpkin (he was a little concerned when I started cutting it).

These guys knew what was coming. They couldn't wait!

Here are the 3 post-carving: Jack's, Henry's, and Sheridan's.

And here they are in all their illuminated glory!

Jack designed his and Tyler executed it.

Henry drew on his with a marker and I cut it out.

Kinda reminds me of "Mike" from Monsters, Inc.

Sheridan described what she wanted (roundish eyes with eyelashes, triangle nose, and lips).

She was pleased with the results.

And NOW....

The Costumes!

Here is Henry as "Prince Phillip." He had refused to wear the knight breastplate for trunk-or-treating on Tuesday, so I made him the fleece tunic (to keep him cosy). Thank goodness we had a trial run, or Halloween night would have been a little stressful! He loved the sword and spent a few minutes trying to slay the dragon...with the hilt. He ended up "slaying" himself far more often. Good thing he'll have other career choices!

Sheridan loves Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty). I made this little number for her without a pattern. Yes, I am tooting my own horn and I am pretty pleased with the results! She was thrilled. When I showed her the finished dress, she gasped in excitement and exclaimed "Oh, Mother, see what my fairies have made for me?!?! It's a beautiful dress!" Then she fell right into humming "I know you" from the movie and twirling around. Success!

Jack inherited this AWESOME Maleficent-Dragon costume from his cousins. THANK YOU!! He loves this costume and was nice and toasty for trick-or-treating. Seriously, one of the coolest costumes ever.

They were so ready to go! Henry didn't know what we were doing, but he wanted to go, too. We could barely keep him still for pictures (although, that's fairly normal at this point for him).

Once we got out (here in Utah, they trick-or-treat on Saturday if Halloween is on Sunday), Henry figured out VERY quickly that if he knocked on the door and said "Tick-a-teat," he got candy. Far too many people let him pick out his own piece...to which he grabbed fist-fulls of candy and stuffed them in his sack! The boy is smart, no doubt! We kept him under control, but it was hard with the adults laughing at his antics and congratulating him for "doing what we all really WANT to do!" The other kids had a blast and were total troopers.

Such a fun night!

Happy Halloween!

Milestone!

2010-10-29T22:05:00.000-06:00

A week or so ago, Jack brought me home something from school.

Can you tell what it is?

IT IS A TOOTH!!!

He lost his first tooth last week. We discovered it was wiggly while flossing one evening. A few days later, there it was in a baggie!

The tooth fairy brought him a GOLD COIN!

The excitement! The joy! The cuteness of a little gap-toothed smile! I can't believe my first kid is old enough to have lost a tooth!

Any guesses?

2010-10-04T13:22:00.003-06:00

Surprise!

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and due mid-February. That's right. Sigh. Winter again. Despite shooting for spring babies, we keep on this winter track.

Yes, we can do math! It just doesn't always work out...

Anyways, I'm feeling better now (although still battling the nausea, but it's generally not bad anymore). Baby is wiggling and squirming around like a little monkey.

Did you see that cute profile? Hands bunched up in front of face, knees curled into chest...yep, it's one of our kids!

And it appears to be a girl one of our kids. Hooray!

K-Jack

2010-10-04T13:05:00.007-06:00

He started a little over a month ago at Freedom. Pseudo-uniform and all.

Yes, I am WAY behind. Not a surprise!

He reads, he does math, he LOVES it.

Hey baby, hey baby, hey!

2010-08-20T17:21:00.004-06:00

While we were in Oregon, my sister and my sister-in-law gave birth on THE SAME DAY! It's pretty cool. We were in town for my sister (my SIL lives in NJ) and I got to be the one who got the 4:45 am phone call to watch the other kiddos. HOW FUN!! I also got to be the first to hold the little bundle of adorableness (that's totally a word, don't mock me!). But, as usual, I didn't have my camera...so you all can enjoy picts of Jack and Sheridan loving on sweet little Annia.

Sadly, I haven't figured out how to upload picts from facebook onto my blog, so you don't get to enjoy the cuteness that is Max. If I figure out how to upload that pict, though, I'll add it for a little more baby sweetness. Congrats on the babies, my sistas!

You Drive Me Crazy!

2010-08-14T21:16:00.003-06:00

We drove to Oregon in May.It was a LONG drive. The kids got tired, but they did a really great job. Star Wars helped (at the end of the drive, the kids started pretending that Storm Troopers were attacking our van and they had to use their blasters to head them off. It made the last bit go by much more quickly!)
We all survived, even if the kids only slept for 1 hour during the whole 13 hour trip. Fun times!

Mother Dear, We Love You So

2010-08-14T21:07:00.002-06:00

Mothers' Day may have been 3 months ago, but it was a good one, so let's share!

Tyler and the kiddos made me my favorite breakfast, whole grain belgian waffles with strawberries and cream. YUM!

Jack and Sheridan made me cards. Sheridan's has a "pink dress" on it and Jack drew a picture of Princess Leia with a blaster (inside a heart). They were VERY cute, and very much represent my kids' loves at that point!

The kids were so excited at present time that they couldn't help but DANCE! I love family time! (I also really like my new bread maker).

And what rounds out the day better than New York steaks fresh off the grill with sauted mushrooms, couscous, and chopped salad? Thanks for a great day, family!

Off the Rail, What the--!?!, and Other Home Improvement Stories

2010-08-11T14:55:00.007-06:00

Perhaps you remember this deck. It has been featured on the blog before (usually for sections of the railing falling down under pressure from snow) and has easily been one area we don't want people around as it is a death trap.

Those stable-looking pieces of lattice? They're plastic and the wood around them is pine. Pine+water+extreme temps=major warping. Which equals pieces of plastic lattice hanging out and warping all over the place. That leads to gaps, which we feared could lead to extreme injury. Wanna come over for a BBQ?

In April, we were DONE! We decided to do a proper railing.
Look how gorgeous it is! Yay, Tyler! Preventing injury and head trauma!

Hooray for projects done well!

Patchwork:

So, there were some sketchy patch jobs on walls in our house. Actuallly, there are probably still some I haven't found yet.

This was the one in the office. It was originally covered in a little joint compound and paint, but if you rested against it, the edges would pop up and the middle would push in. Not a pretty sight!

And here's what I found:
Oh, right, the old "metal sheet as a really big patch"" thing. Weird. Underneath?Yeah, it was joint compound on another piece of metal. Because, I'm sure that was so much easier than getting a 1.5 x 3 foot piece of sheetrock. And it looked nicer, too, I'm sure. I undid all their work and put in that "sheetrock" patch and even textured over it. I'd show you the "finished" picture, but it just looks like...a piece of wall.

Next! This patch got a little screwed up when I pushed against it and it crumbled.
So, I wanted to put a new patch on. First, I evened up the hole so I could just put in some sheetrock (a little more stable than the patch below: a bunch of newspapers crumpled up and painted over)At least the previous homeowners can't get blamed for that one. They only lived here from 2004-2007. This job took place in 1993! Looks like our poor house has a history of poor patch jobs. Don't worry, house, we're finding all the junk jobs and cleaning house! In other home improvement news, we were gifted this sweet dollhouse. I have since stripped all the contact-paper wallpaper (it was peeling a little) and rather dusty carpet. Tyler helped a lot.

Now I just have a waist-high 4 room dollhouse. Any suggestions? I'm thinking I'll paint it out black or white and decoupage some damask-style paper in the back. Thoughts? Suggestions? Sheridan would probably like it painted bright pink with pink carpet and pink everything, but I'm executing it, so...

Jack got his Pomp on

2010-08-11T14:41:00.002-06:00

I know that most dutiful parents have long since blogged about their children's preschool finale, but I have been less-than-dutiful with the blog, so you get it just shy of 3 months after. Let's all sigh sadly and then move along.
Mrs. Taylor was the ROCKIN'EST teacher EVER! She worked with Jack's superior skills so he'd still be challenged. Here, she's showing off a picture he journaled about what he wants to be when he grows up. At the beginning of the year and throughout, he'd decided he wanted to be a preschool teacher. Awwwww. He journaled about his real desire to be a Lego Star Wars video game designer. The truth must come out sometime, I suppose!
We were not surprised that Jack wanted to lead the class in a poem about Pizza. It is his favorite food, hands down.
He had such cute friends in his class. We miss seeing them every week!
Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni were able to make it for the big event! Jack was thrilled beyond measure that they'd come along. So was I (they distracted the little ones while I tried to get some photographic masterpieces with my point-and-shoot under flourescent lighting--that's what real friends do!)

We're so proud of our big boy! Can't believe he starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks!

Works in Progress

2010-08-09T12:10:00.002-06:00

Where have I been?

It's like a great big void was in the bloggosphere because I haven't blogged in ages, I'm sure.

Truth is, we left at the end of May the day after Jack's preschool let out. We got back a week into June and then wrestled with ear infections and getting Henry ear tubes for the next 3 weeks. Then, Tyler's parents came into town at that point and we had FAMILY TIME for the next month (Vigue family reunion in Heber and SLC was included in that time). The day T's mom flew back to NJ...we did, too! We got back from NJ last week after 2 FABULOUS weeks of fun, and I have yet to download the picts from my camera. I'm a little slow, I'll admit.

So, what posts do you have to look forward to in the next several weeks?

Mother's Day, Father's Day, my birthday, Fun in Oregon, Bird Family Reunion, 2 new babies, Vigue Family Reunion, Fun in New Jersey...and maybe some others.

Right, I'll be lucky to get those all up!

So, look forward to some updates...as soon as I find the cord to my camera...

Peace out!

The HBLL New Spice

2010-07-16T11:05:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/hbllproduction

They asked me to do this since I work in the Library now, but then they found this guy who looked more like the guy from the commercials... I guess I'll just have to wait for a take off that includes one of my other look-a-likes...

Too much book info

2010-05-17T15:47:00.002-06:00

If you're looking for pictures of my adorable kids or interesting info about our family's goings-on, look further. Try the next post, it's a cute on about Sheridan with far too many pictures. This one is all about my addiction.

Reading.

Hello, my name is Ali, and I'm a Bookaholic.

(Just so you know, I am not trying to make light of people with serious addictions, but I really think I have a problem with being a reading addict. Fortunately, it does not have as many negative outcomes associated with it.)

My friend Jenni posted this little reading Q&A on her blog and I think it's kinda fun. Never knew everyone didn't read the same way I do!

That might be a good thing (at least according to my darling husband)

Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?
Nope, I'm too sucked into the story. Who needs physical food when they have an imagination being fed?

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read? Or, does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Only my school books. I like to keep my reading books as nice as possible.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book open?
I either lay the book open (if it's going to be a brief break) or remember the page (if I'm going on a longer hiatus).

Do you prefer fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Fiction. Reality usually involves something grim and sad, whereas fiction often is happily-ever-after. Plus, I haven't seen dragons in much non-fiction, so what's the point to that?!?

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

Actually, I like to read to the end of the book, like so mad-cap marathon. When that isn't possible, I prefer to read to the end of a chapter.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No. I generally finish the story and then decide that I'll never touch the book again if I had really strong, bad feelings.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Nope. I usually understand what is meant by the context. If I'm wrong, though, and I use the word later I end up looking silly.

What are you currently reading?
Nothing. My poor husband already had to put up with too much reading this month!

What is the last book you bought?
A Star Wars book for the oldest boy. For myself...I can't even remember the last book I bought myself! Maybe Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I'm generally a one at-a-time person, but if I'm having a tough time getting into a book I'll start another as I trudge through the first.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
Favorite time of day: When kids are napping.

Favorite place: the couch.

Favorite situation: when Tyler's out of town so he can't give me a hard time about not paying attention to anything. Plus, it makes the time he's gone go by so much faster.

Do you prefer series or stand-alone books?
I like to have some good stand-alones, but I really enjoy series (it takes away the question of "whatever shall I read next?").

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Brandon Sanderson. Not a lot of people know about him, but he's got a really fun style and a-typical fantasy notions.

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)?
Genre.

Suddenly Sher Bear

2010-05-15T21:05:00.006-06:00

"Once there was a girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good, she was very good..."

(She reminds me SO MUCH of my sister-in-law in this pict. She is ALL VIGUE!)

"And when she was bad, she was horrid!"

Yes, that is one of those "nursery rhyme" thingies. But, seriously, our little Sheridan is INTENSE! It's either stunningly good or devastatingly terrible with her--is there such a thing as in-between (and no, I'm not talking about her hair and makeup...although her but her bed-head is hilarious and I don't really think she needed to smear an entire tube of lip gloss all over her face...and I'm not the biggest fan of the "Kris Kross" style...but she cleans up well!)

Recently, Sheridan has indicated that she likes to be called "Sher Bear". She did this be constantly repeating, "You call me 'Sher Bear' most of the time, Mommy. You call me 'Sheridan' and 'Sheridan Marie', but you call me 'Sher Bear' most of the time." I think that whole monologue is what Mommy calls "wishful thinking", but since I don't exactly go by my whole given name I can't really argue with my daughter wanting to be called "Sher Bear". She also gets called "Mama" a lot these days, since one of her favorite games (besides Princess) is House. And she is most DEFINITELY the Mama in that game!

"Dress Up" is another favorite thing of Sheridan's. She generally has a costume on before she has real clothing on (which is amazing, as she loves to get herself dressed fairly early in the morning...certainly before either Jack or I have dressed!). Sometimes she's a knight riding a horse (see above)...other times she's a Musketeer (see below)...and other times...

she's a princess wearing no less than 5 layers (seriously, in the below pict. she has on 3 dresses and at least 2 skirts. I have seen her in 3 dresses, 4 skirts, 2 leotards and a top. All at once. You think the camera adds 10 lbs? You should see what 10 layers adds!). Sheridan loves to look pretty (although she DOES NOT like to have her hair brushed or styled, nor does she like to have it touched. Thus the movie-induced hypnotizing that allowed me to put in some good-old pink rollers!).Miss Sheridan loves to dance! She pretends she is Sleeping Beauty, excuse me, Aurora, and dances with her prince while humming "I know you..." Don't hum along. She doesn't like that.

Sheridan LOVES her friends. Poor kid doesn't have very many (they are either boys, and, you know, not as much into dressing up, or they live too far away!) but the ones she has she adores. She also adores her babies and Yellow Bear (haven't heard about Yellow Bear? She is a beanie baby-sized yellow teddy that my mom gave Sheridan as a very tiny baby. Sheridan loved that bear...slept with it, played with it, chewed on it...Eventually she chewed a hole right through its nose and I had to give it a nose job--I know, I'm not qualified, I didn't complete med school let alone all the extra training to become a plastic surgeon. But it has a nose again, so she's not complaining! I wash the darn thing and it still is matted and slightly grey and stinks of spit and who-knows-what-else. But she loves the thing and calls it her baby and she soothes the heck out of it. What can ya do?).

Above all, Sheridan adores her brothers. She would follow Jack to the ends of the earth. Of course, when they finally reached the ends of the earth she'd probably take great delight in snatching his favorite rock from him just to have the pleasure of him chasing her and screaming hysterically. Not that she would ever do something like that at home...

Sher loves to mother her "baby Henry". She doesn't really get that he's not a baby anymore. She still likes to give him food off of her plate, share her toys with him, and push him over when she walks by. Ah, sisterly love. I'm still astounded that I survived that sisterly kind of love from 2 older sisters with my sanity and self-esteem intact. We're currently hoping that Henry survives Nursery for the next 6 months with her "helping" him.

(This is a picture of when Sheridan broke off our dead cherry tree in the backyard. I just thought it was funny, and if you survived this rather lengthy post, you probably need a good laugh!)

Sheridan is a many-splendored thing. She adds a little spitfire in out life. And who doesn't need spitfire with their giggles?

Henry Happenings

2010-04-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

Well, our little H-Factor is nearly 18 months. Time has flown with this kid--when Jack was a baby, things seemed to go so slowly. Now with 3 kids (one of whom is a very busy 5 year-old) it feels like blink and Henry ages another month.

Let's get a few basics out of the way first. He weighs 25 lbs. That's somewhere between the 25th and 50th percentile, which my kids do not hit on the weight catagory between 6 months and 3 years. The other 2 have been in the 2nd percentile at this age...they didn't hit 25 lbs until well after 2 years. Henry is a pretty tall kid...I'm not sure how tall at this point (his 15 month check up was, like, 1.5 months ago!), but it was somewhere between the 75th and 90th percentile. You know, I could have told you when Jack was 16.5 months exactly what he'd weighed at each check up for his entire life, as well as his height and head circumference...Now, I'm lucky if I can find my car keys to take them to the doctor...I'm sure if I ever have another, that kid will be lucky to be taken to the doctor for check ups at all!

But this is supposed to be about Henry, not about my plummeting mental capacities!

He likes to play games. Like, the old "pull everything out of the bathroom drawers and drop it into the seat", or "climb us the slide and wave around the lightsaber", or "put sister's purse on the head and smile big". He's lots of fun.

So, in the last 2 weeks Henry has started WALKING! Hallelujah!!! He took his first steps back in February (around Valentine's), but didn't do much more until very recently. I look forward to not having to carry him everywhere--he's heavy! I do mourn the fact (a little) that my baby is not a baby anymore.

He's not only walking, but he's talking as well. He started trying to sing "Happy Birthday" at 15 months (we have a lot of March birthdays, so he got a ton of practice). It sounds like "Ah-bee-ay-oooo" but it's to the tune of "Happy Birthday" and he tries to sing it right along with us! We haven't worked on signing quite as much with our little H, but he does sign "more", "water", "milk", "banana", "eat" (he signs that A LOT), "bath" (probably his 2nd favorite sign), "dog", "cat", "cheese" (ok, he also really likes that sign), "book", "hat" (any time he sees someone wearing a hat he begs to have it on), and "fish". There are probably more he signs...but he's pretty proficient with the old "Point and Me" method. Yes, he actually says, "MEEE!" quite emphatically. His other verbalizations are "Whee" (which he says when he is swinging or wants to be swinging), "Mommy", "Daddy", "cheese", "please", "book", "ball", "Jack", "Leah" (like, Alex and Leah from Signing Time, his FAVORITE show that he tries to sing the theme song to and begs to watch all the time), and "hat". He also can spout of what sound like a string of profanity when he's not getting what he wants. I try very hard not to laugh, I'll be honest.

Henry is a climber. These days he can often be found on the kitchen table, scrounging for leftover; in the front window, standing on the computer; and on a chair at the pantry, again scrounging for food.

I do feed the kid, I really do...but then he's always asking for more food. He usually eats more than Sheridan does, and often out-eats Jack. It's like having a miniature teenager in the house!

Henry is a happy, happy kid. He has HUGE dimples and lights up the room with his smile. He dances if there's music (last month at church, they were learning a song about prophets that he couldn't HELP but groove to. The kids thought his little booty-wiggle was hilarious).

He's at such a fun developmental stage. We love our Henry-Boy!

All that Easter Goodness

2010-04-11T20:57:00.004-06:00

It was a very nice Easter this year. Very low-key. We had our church's general conference, so we were able to stay around the house and watch our prophet and apostles speak about Christ and how to live better lives. It was very spiritually uplifting. We had dinner with Tyler's sister and her family, his Grandpa, his brother and his family, and his brother-in-law's brothers. It was quite a fun crowd, and super-tasty food! (pineapple chutney goes very nicely with an Easter ham, if you're wondering!)

When the 2 oldest woke up, they found some baskets full of sugary bounty awaiting them. They, of course, dug right on in. (can't. stop. for pictures. must. eat. chocolate.)

It also snowed about . Since the Easter Bunny hid eggs the night before, the hunt in the morning was a bit more challenging than usual (not only was the snow covering the eggs, but the wardrobe requirements were extensive!).
The pink panther goes after the poor lost eggies. She will find them, oh yes, she will.
Is that a bunny hopping up from behind the slide? Nope, it's a Jack-a-Lope, ready to find some hidden goodness.
Henry missed the outdoor hunt, but he didn't care...he got him some SUGAR! (which, let's be honest, is a major rarity for him. poor kid)
Most importantly, we were excited to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!

TYLER!

2010-04-11T20:47:00.002-06:00

That's Tyler, the love-of-my-life. He shared his birthday with Easter this year. Tyler wanted to just celebrate his birthday on Monday, but Jack was ANXIOUS for him to open his presents.

Why?

Oh, because Jack chose the PERFECT gift for him.

Star Wars Trouble.

R2-D2 is in the bubble with the die. You push the bubble and it makes Artoo sounds. Jack knew it was the PERFECT gift for his Dad the second he saw it. It was adorable. How could I say no?

Doesn't Tyler look happy and excited?

Well, not only did he get presents, he also got a delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting. In honor of Easter and many-a-birthday-past, I copied a cake from his childhood and made him THIS

Don't you want a piece?

Too late, it's all gone. It was, however, delicious! (and pretty durn cute, too boot!)

Jack, Lately

2010-03-09T21:13:00.009-07:00

This is a quick update because I hate posting pictures. I am lazy, and it takes MINUTES for them to upload. Minutes of my life that I could be wasting cruising around the internet or reading something fictional. Or, more likely the minutes would be spent working on my rock-solid abs, refining my spiritual focus, or cleaning my already-spotless house. Yeah, the second thing I said.

Hmm, or I might include some pictures to soothe the GrandParents. If they ain't happy....

Jack and Sheridan often dress up. Here they are as "Musketteers", apparently some cross between cowboy and knight (if you're Jack) and princess and knight (if you're Shei)

At preschool, he made an AWESOME birdcage with a little bird sitting on a swing (during their "pet" month). He is so proud of Rainbow (the bird, named thusly for his rainbow-colored feathers). Notice his shirt? We'll talk more about that later.

Jack tried to do his own hair, to make it spiky. Get a look at the shine on his forehead. Yup, that's all gel. He put more on his head (and face) than I use in a week! He really, really likes spiky hair.

One of his favorite activities? Playing "Jedi Reading" on his leapster. He's already a Jedi Master. Yeah, you're jealous!

He also enjoys playing on the computer (here with Aunt Jenni). He really wishes I would let him play on Lego.com more often. But I'm mean.

Jack is learning a lot these days. He is in preschool Tues and Thurs and is LOVING it. It's a really good opportunity for him to learn some social skills for the classroom. He's currently reading at a 2nd grade level or above. He's learned some basic math.

Jack's favorite color used to be green. For over a year, it was green. Then for a week it was pink. For 2 weeks it was purple. Now, he doesn't really have one. I think he might take after his Daddy in this area...Jack is fairly reluctant to commit to any one favorite.

Sharing is one of his Mad Skills. He is one of the best sharers I have met...usually. Adores his brother and usually his sister (although they really like to tease each other. Alot.). His favorite person, however, is probably his Dad. Jack likes to build stuff (Home Depot Workshop, anyone?). Dreams of visiting his friend Quinn in Texas. Does NOT like spicy food. Generally doesn't care for milk. Tends to be a bit sensitive and if his feelings get hurt or he doesn't get what he wants, he gets very SAD. He's already had several crushes on girls in his church class.

Wants to be a Jedi Knight.

He is obsessed with Star Wars. OBSESSED. His friend introduced him to Lego Star Wars (the video game) and it's all been downhill since then. He will take down the original 3 and study to covers, think about the movies, and badger us with questions:

"What color is Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in 'A New Hope'? Why did he choose a green one later?"

"Was Han Solo friends with Yoda, too?"

"Which one is the one where Yoda uses his lightsaber? Why can't I see that one yet?"

"Mom, I need some help! I can't figure out how to use the Force!" (that wasn't a question, but it was adorable!)

Another quotable? I had to take the other 2 in for well checks at the doctor. When the doctor come in, Sheridan said she didn't want any shots.

Jack announced, "My sister doesn't need any shots today, but my baby brother needs his booster shot."

The doctor laughed out loud, especially when he saw that Jack was correct.

Jack is a total love and helper. He likes to be right, and often times is. We're so amazed at the kid he's become.

3 for Tea

2010-02-10T22:08:00.008-07:00

You know, Sheridan's 3rd birthday started out right...with PRESENTS! She was so excited to open up her princess tea set, pink roller bag, princess book, princess wand, princess magnet activity, princess aquadoodle, and princess CD player (thanks, Daniel and Deon!).

Are we sensing a theme here?

I think Disney hit the nail on the head. Either that, or they put something very addictive in the Princess stuff, so that the girls are instantly hooked. Kinda like Colonel Sanders puts into his Fried Chicken (what movie, what movie?!?). Seriously, the girl is a princess addict. She might need an intervention.

Hmmm, maybe she just needs a good drink. From a princess cup.

Wait!

She did get one non-princess thing (yep, one). A new doctor kit, the kind most of us had as kids. This might be good, since the old Dr. kit was more of a surgical kit. The leaders in her Church nursery class were becoming a little concerned that she was always trying to cut their legs off and remove animals from their stomachs.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit!"

(Yeah, she's far more dangerous with the odoscope than with the scalpel). Crazy doctor, LOOK OUT!

And then, it was time. Time for a PAR-TAY!

The princess, ready for action! Decked out in a lovely teal dress from one set of grandparents and the crown and shoes from the other! Thanks for helping our princess look so lovely on her big day!

The tea is calling to Henry. "Drink me! Drink me!"

I count 4 princesses, ready for some tea partying!

Royal Freeze Dance (notice how the girls are holding their dresses? Yeah, I couldn't believe it either.)

A curtsey! Sheridan had her 3 favorite princesses over for the Grand Princess Tea Party. They were all glamourously attired and ready for some FUN. Oh, and also for some tea.

Pouring the "tea". It's amazing how much pink lemonade a little girl can chug from such tiny, delicate cups! Henry was in heaven. He loved eating the snacks and banging the china cups together....He was soon removed to the dining room!

Those are some happy princesses (and princes)! That's because I gave them lots of sugar.

On their way to cupcakes and ice cream, someone mentioned "presents". Once the girls decided it was time for presents, there was no moving them. Literally. They parked it in the doorway to the dining room and opened presents right then and there!

"Oh, I need my new scissors to open it!"

Princess cupcakes for everyone! Do you notice a heavy "pink" influence? Weird.

Sheridan's friend was coaching her on the proper way to make a 3. Very important stuff!

Like any good party, we ended with BUBBLES! Fortunately, it was in the 40's, so more than warm enough for some outdoor fun.

And then, she took a nap. Phew!

This evening, we had my brother, Daniel, and his family over for dinner. Her choice: Pizza. Shocking, yes, I know. The cousins ran around with each other until it was time for some food. Unfortunately, I was preparing that food and didn't get any picts of cousin-fun. Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni made it over in time for a cakely masterpiece.

She wanted a princess cake. With Aurora, Cinderella, and Snow White. I tried to convince her to just have 1 (I'd been planning on doing one of those skirt cakes with the barbie stuck into it, but I wasn't doing 3!). She was insistent that it have her 3 favorites, so...this is what she got. She was absolutely delighted.

Once there was a snowman

2010-02-01T21:19:00.003-07:00

...and that snowman had a snowwife, a snowson, and a snowdaughter.

Tyler's parents gave us a "snowfamily kit" and Jack couldn't WAIT to use it! Fortunately, we had snow shortly after Christmas. Tyler helped him build the forms and Jack went to town.

Unfortunately, 2 were beheaded in a freak act of violence by maurading teenagers. The females were spared (at least until the sun really came out...and in the sun they melted, small...small...small).

Help in Haiti

2010-01-22T15:34:00.003-07:00

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/

Donations made via LDS Philanthropies go 100% (no overhead deductions) to the intended recipients. If you've been reluctant to give to charities, but you want to help, I'd encourage you to give through LDS Philanthropies. Gifts to the Emergency Response fund will help people right now in Haiti.

Good Morning, Christmas!

2010-01-09T20:25:00.005-07:00

We had such a fun Christmas and Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas Eve morning with Tyler's Grandpa Larry and Grandma Diane and her granddaughter (and her granddaughter's husband and puppy. Guess what my kids' favorite part was? Yeah, the eggs. NOOOO, the puppy, silly!). We also went up to SLC to visit some friends. Then, we headed to my brother's house in Orem. It is so nice having my brother and his family close. The kids LOVED playing with their cousins and we loved eating such yummy food. Thanks again, Deon (since I know you're the one who cranked out such fabulous treats!).We had our traditional Christmas Vigil before bed. A tradition in Tyler's family, we read the story of Christ's birth and sing all the Christmas Carols that we can (that fit in with the Christmas story--we had to explain several times to Sheridan that "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" don't really fit in with the story of Christ's birth!) And then, Santa Claus visited us. No, really, he came down to the kids rooms and they got to SEE him! Whoa. He gave them each a candy cane and a stuffed puppy and they were SO EXCITED I can't believe that they actually slept.

And then, the kiddos didn't get up until 7:30 am! Oh, what a beautiful morning! Merry Christmas to Tyler and I! We all crept upstairs to discover that Santa had indeed left some goods for us all.

Here, Jack has discovered the Leapster he's been begging Santa for. Sheridan discovered her high chair, and Henry was wondering what the slide was that Santa left for him...or maybe he just wants the electronics in my hand!

Jack asked for a guitar, and he got a REAL lighting mcqueen acoustic. His favorite part? Un-tuning it!

Sheridan got some SWEET dress ups from the grandparents. She decided to climb Henry's slide in her "glass slippers". They are, like, 3 inch thick acrylic platform heals. She had a different dress on all day long. Really, she was in heaven!

Henry was STOKED to rock out to his Popper Chopper (yep, it's one of the ball popper thingies but it looks like a motorcycle and plays an electric guitar "bad to the bones". He loves pushing the button again. and again. oh, yes, and again). He's one rockin' kid.

It was such a relaxing, easy-going day. We opened presents and played all morning (I got my upgraded detachable stand/hand mixer and Tyler got a compound miter saw), and I got to make a delicious Christmas dinner. Daniel and his family joined us in chowing down. Brined, roasted turkey, Pop's bacon-studded stuffing, Deon's Smashing Sweet Potato Souffle, mashed potatoes and gravy, 2 kinds of homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, and peas. Apple Bavarian Tart for dessert. Sigh. I was so full and happy at the end of the day. Family time, thoughtful gifts, and good food, and the celebration of Christ's birth. It doesn't get any better than this!

Christmas, Christmas Time is Near...

2010-01-09T19:50:00.008-07:00

Well, we did have lots of fun the whole month of December. Decorating the tree, building candy houses, family dinners, and a visit to Santa!

Jack loved Santa. Henry was not impressed. Sheridan refused to even approach him unless I held on to her. She still managed to let him know in no uncertain terms that she was expecting a high chair for her Yellow Bear. Jack spouted off a long list. Henry...well, he mostly cried.

The kids had a great time putting up the tree. And building candy houses (more candy probably went into their mouths than onto the house...good thing Tyler and I get 'em done!). Unfortunately, my cheap-o $7 WalMart hand mixer couldn't take the royal icing. (Gasp! NO!).

I know, shocker (I should've figured, after its "5 speeds" turned out to be the same speed, even whilst whipping cream). Fortunately, the starts aligned and my in-laws had a replacement (far, far nicer than the $7 version!) under the tree. But, shhhhh, that's a surprise for later! (oh, and please excuse the crazy picture placement--blogger is not letting me move stuff!)

Henry the First

2009-11-25T23:53:00.004-07:00

Our little Herny is not turning the Eighth yet, just the First. Happy Birthday, Henry!

(I know, you're thinking that I already blogged about a birthday today. But the date on Jack's birthday post is CLEARLY published on the 11th. Maybe you just haven't been paying attention--afterall, who fakes a date on a blogpost just to not look like a negligent blogging momma?)

This year has FLOWN by. I can't believe that 365 days and a fe

w hours ago I had this little guy. He's gone from a tiny-ish newborn to a fork-wielding, cupcake devouring, dimple-grinning one year-old! (and, by the way, I have NEVER seen a one year-old kid do more than lick the frosting or destroy the cake--this kid literally ate EVERY BITE. Hey, don't be jealous, we all have different talents).

Last pict is him shoving the last morsel of cupcake in his face. Is that what you were drooling over all day? YUM!

Holy Toledo, Batman, he's 5!

2009-11-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

Ah, November 5th...a special day for our family...the day our Oldest Kid was born!
Our big guy recently finished up his Birthday Celebration (which actually started in October while Grammy was here and went through his birthday weekend). It's crazy that our oldest is now 5--that's not a toddler anymore! Not that he has been for a while...reading, talking back, and flirting with girls has been going on for some time. He's practically a teenager!

Well, in October, he got to kick off birthday festivities with Tyler's mom (she was visiting from NJ). He did a great job sharing his new presents with his sister. Since Jack's been soooo into reading lately, he

thoroughly enjoyed his new GIANT book and read-along CD.

On his

actual birthday, we did the family stuff. Waffles for

breakfast, Mac&Cheese for lunch, and Pizza for dinner (he couldn't decide between blueberry pancakes and pizza for dinner...but I figured after waffles we needed a little somethin'

else). He finally got the

Imaginext Batcave he's been coveting for 6 months, and he spent ALL DAY playing with it. Great Grampa Larry and Great

Gramma Diane made it down in the afternoon and had cupcakes with us after his Preschool party. We were so excited to spend a little time with them--and we were even able to visit outside (it was in the 60's!). We spent all day doing the stuff he loves, but he informed me that it wasn't really his birthday. (oh no?) Nope, not until his party with his cousins!

So, Saturday was WARM AND WONDERFUL, which led to his first (and probably only!) birthday party outdoors. He's been really into dinos lately, so we made brachiosaurus hats, played T-Rex tag,

tossed dino beanbags into a volcano, and played pin the meat on the T-Rex. The friends and cousins were running around like a bunch of wild animals and had a GREAT time. The topper of it all was the dinosaur volcano cake that REALLY errupted. It was like magic! (it was pretty fun to redo this cake, since it's the same one we had on his 1st birthday!).I can't believe how quickly the past 4 years has gone (yup, 4....the first one was LONG and I wondered if we'd survive 2 months, let alone 5 years!).

We love our Axel Jack SO MUCH!!

Points of Fact

2009-11-09T19:20:00.001-07:00

Tonight, we redeemed some vouchers Grammy gave us for Frosties. Jack wanted to try white, but Sheridan and I wanted brown.

Sheridan: Mommy, you have brown, too?

Me: Yup.

Sheridan: Mommy, girls like chocolate.

Me: Yup, that's true (oh, you don't know how true that is, my girl!).

Sheridan: Henry's a cute boy.

How can I argue with her points of fact?

Take the Shots You Can Get and Don't Complain

2009-11-03T19:50:00.004-07:00

I've learned that with my kids, you take the shots you can get and don't complain. They didn't stay still very long. And they scream a lot when you try to make them stay still...or even minimize their movements.

The pirate, the princess, and the dragon.

They came.

They saw.

They hauled in some candy.

Jack decided to be a pirate after he got an eye patch at pre-K and had a costume party shortly afterward. Sheridan has wanted to be Cinderella since...well, last spring I think. She NEVER varied from that. Her Grammy was super-nice and gave her an actual Cinderella dres...but Sheridan had already decided (probably in Spring, unbeknownst to me) that she was going to wear the blue princess dress she already had...deep down, I think she kinda wanted to be Cinderella in the pink dress (the one the stepsisters tore up). She has very strong opinions. Henry got to be the dragon since we had the alligator costume from Jack's first Halloween--I only needed to add the long red tongue and wings. He looked SO CUTE crawling around (that little tail was adorable!) but all those pictures are a blur. Sigh. Photographing a baby is rough work.

We got to attend a friend's Halloween Party and made some fun spiders with glowing legs (the kids fought over the glowing legs ALL THE NEXT DAY). We ate tasty food. We trick-or-treated around our little neighborhood and the kids got enough candy to last me a week or so. I mean, to last them a little while. Long enough that I'll get sick of their sugar-induced craziness and I'll have to do something desperate, like eat all the rest (which shouldn't be too bad, cuz they like all the candy like strawberry drops and bubble gum and they're leaving all the chocolate).

Then our friends Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni came over and hung out with us until the last of the trick-or-treaters gave up. They left fairly early...which is good, due to the time change. (Falling back is not a kind time change for parents. It means the kids will STILL get up at their "regular" time, except now their regular time is an hour earlier. I'm looking forward to springing forward already.) And then the kids got to come down off their sugar high and messed up sleep cycles on Sunday. The end.

Almost 11 months...

2009-10-19T22:14:00.003-06:00

Really, the time is FLYING by! In honor of Henry's 5th tooth (another tooth beside the top middle one...Yeah, he only has one top middle one, weird!) I thought I'd put up some cute picts...He is such a fun little guy! He's getting vocal and cruising around everywhere. He LOVES his siblings! He ADORES his Daddy (in fact, we think he just figured out how to say "Daddy"--the first of our kids to say "Daddy" before "Mommy"). He cries whenever Dad or Mom leave the room. He loves exploring and is really eager to show off when he can do. He's more quiet than his siblings (not difficult to be!) and has a knack for finding trouble (today he pulled a speaker over on himself, tried to get into the toilet, and managed to get two solid fistfulls of cat fur...). He has the most infectious smile...We love our little Henry-boy!

Privacy, Please!

2009-10-19T21:40:00.006-06:00

You know how everyone is going private with their blogs?

Yeah, we're not doing that. I figure that blogstalkers need blogs to stalk, right?

Anyhow, this is about more important privacy.

Our room.

For those of you who've been out of the loop or haven't visited our house, we sleep in the family room. There are only 2 bedrooms on each floor of our house and we weren't comfortable with having our little kids a whole floor away. Since Sheridan was in a crib and Jack stayed in his room when we moved in, it wasn't an issue that we didn't have a bedroom door. But, come on, after 2 years it got a little old.

So, we built one.

There was a cold air return agains the old wall, so we had to build out a 2 foot section into the entrance to the room. Studwork above the doorway, Sheetrock, door insertion, mud and tape, texturizing, and priming followed. I still need to put up the trim around the door, and air return above the door, and put finishing paint on, but hey! We got a door up before my brother moved in, which is a win for EVERYONE!

And then we fixed the paneling. You can see it in the back of some of the above picts, but here's a clearer shot.

I have hated the paneling in our room since we moved in. It's dark and a little creepy.

What, creepy, you think?

Let us take a closer look at that innocent paneling...

You thought they were faux knotholes, but they're hunting vignettes! Apparently, they were a big selling point for the previous owners...but then, if you've followed this blog since we moved in, you know that they had all manner of animal-centric decor going on (heck, not just decor...they were VERY into animals and hunt'n).

Oh, so here's what it looked like with the skim coat of joint compound (and on anther tangent, I LOVE JOINT COMPOUND!!! Give me that and some painters' caulk, and I am a happy little homie). And the final? MUCH better! It just looks like a normal old wall!

Do you believe in Magic?

2009-10-19T21:30:00.003-06:00

So, speaking of Family Home Evening (see previous post)...

It's national Chemistry Week (what?!? You didn't KNOW that?!?).

All week at BYU they are having a FREE chemistry magic show.

Free.

I believe it's at 7 pm every night in the Benson Building (room 111 and 112--funny thing, I had chem 101 in room 111 my freshman year, which was about a billion years ago). You may want to check the website.

We went tonight for FHE (on the way, when Jack announced "There's BYU!" Sheridan belted out "Rah! Rah! Rah, rah, rah! Goooooo Cougars!" Tyler and I were so proud!). Lots of burning stuff, explosions, color changes, etc. It was VERY cool. Jack was enthralled, rapt attention the whole hour. Sheridan really liked it...for about 1/2 hour. After that point she started yelling very loudly that she had to go potty. (sigh). Henry was pretty happy the whole time...but a little antsy at the end.

We adults REALLY enjoyed it!

So for a cheap date or free family fun, if you're around BYU check it out!

(sorry no picts...but really, you have to see it to appreciate it!)

Goooooo Chemistry!

All the Brothahs in the House...

2009-10-19T21:02:00.006-06:00

For those of you that don't know, my big brother, Daniel, has moved out to Happy Valley where I (along with my loverly family) reside. He started his new job here this summer.

His lovely wife and 3 lovely little boys (3 years and younger) have been packing up their home and lives back west in readiness for moving out here next month. Their oldest boy is a freshman at BYU-I (formerly known as Ricks Junior College and still known as Ricks to anyone who hasn't attended there...) Eeek! I don't know how they've all done it!Sooo, he's participating in our crazy life, including the Family Home Evenings that we have every Monday night. A few months ago we started including "talent" as part of our FHE...and he had talent a few weeks ago. Can you guess what his talent was? (Sorry these photos are so blurry--he was in motion, boy was he ever!)

I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants.

And then, to top it all off, we frosted pumpkin cupcakes.

The end.

So it's been a while...

2009-10-06T19:50:00.003-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know. If I could actually locate my camera cord, I'd be downloading pictures, too, but I can't so I won't. And I figured not having the pictures was only a good enough excuse for one month, so bask in the glory or my photoless posts...

Done basking?

Good.

Busy month, that September. I dragged the whole family back up to Oregon to visit my mom before chemo started mid-month. It is one of the best visits we've had in YEEAARRS. Mom was taken off some meds before her surgery and it turns out that it was the drugs, not the M.S. that had caused some of Mom's personality to fade. She's back! It was so unbelievable to have that kind of visit with my Mom...the best visit at least since Tyler and I got hitched 7 years ago...

Jack started back to Pre-K and life is busy again with driving him around and trying to do all the other stuff I'm supposed to (those of you with older kids are probably laughing at me maniacally, thinking, "oh, you think that's crazy? just you wait until your the soccer-Mom to 4..."). We all caught whatever cold is going around here and have been coughing (basically) since we got home. Sigh.

Oh, and chemo was going ok but now mom has some PAINFUL nerve side-effects. Fabulous.

Also not-fabulous is my sister-in-laws first invitro attempt (she has premature ovarian failure...anyone dealing with infertility can find a friend in her and perhaps help for your own journey...see our sidelink to Wild Thing, I Think I Love You). She got pregnant...and then the hcg levels dropped and it looks like a blighted ovum. I had one of those, once, and without the path she's endured to get there. I'm still struggling to deal with this tragedy so I can only imagine their feelings (and how much it hurts).

In good news, Henry is 10 months old now! Crazy, how quickly time has flown with him. He's now crawling for REAL (for about the past month or so), and sitting up, and pulling to stand, and cruising, and teething! He got the first tooth around 9 months, the second 2 or 3 weeks later, and just Sunday cut his first top tooth (and is working on cutting 3 more on top). He's been a little grumpy and isn't sleeping great (again). He is having SO MUCH FUN, though, with Jack and Sheridan. They get him giggling like nothing else. When Sheridan isn't trying to sit on him, at least...

Jack and Sheridan just keep getting bigger. He turns 5 in less than a month (!) and is counting down the days (literally). He has learned to read over the past 4 months and now we find him reading Bernstein Bears books by himself. It's really cool! He's also been my helper during naptimes--he gardens, cooks, and crafts with the best of them. Sheridan is busy being "mommy" to her yellowish bear--she cooks for her, pushes her around in the stroller, and loses her then breaks down into hysterics when she can't find her. Such is the life of a mother, I guess!

Good news comes in twos!

2009-09-03T00:02:00.003-06:00

Man, after a month of frustration with my mom's cancer situation, she finally got the post-op visit with an oncologist. And she finally got good news. It's "only" uterine cancer. It's actually been downgraded to stage 1 (which is MUCH MUCH better than stage 3!). Without chemo, the survival rate is 50%. With chemo, it's up to 65%. Much better odds, especially since it is an aggressive cancer. We'll be heading up this weekend to spend some time with her...it should be a much happier trip now!

In other medicalish news, I have a new nephew! My oldest brother, Daniel, and his wife, Deon, had their little baby, Emmett, today. He weighed in at a paltry 10 lbs 8 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long.

Here's a few picts of the happy family last year, plus the new bebe. (I couldn't figure out how to just get the one pict of the new guy...so you get the whole family!) Congrats, Daniel and Deon!

This is the new baby, cute "little" Emmett.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-23T15:27:00.005-06:00

7 years

2 degrees

3 kids

some craziness

countless memories

lots of love

I love you, Babe!

Mmmm, tasty.

2009-08-23T15:02:00.006-06:00

(Evan, Sheridan, Jack, and Adam at the Oquirrh Mt. Temple Open House, July)

This morning our friends watched the kids so we could go to the LDS Ouqirrh Mountain Temple dedication (it's pronounce "ocher", like the color). Over the past months the temple has been open to the general public for tours, but with the dedication it becomes sacred. It was really cool to participate in a dedication on our 7th anniversary--it was a great reminder that temples allow our family to be together forever and a very peaceful and spiritual way to spend the morning.

After the dedication, we had a tasty brunch with Corey and Jenni. I made my FAVORITE pancakes, pikelets from New Zealand. Corey got as addicted to them as I am so I thought I'd share the recipe (I make a double batch at least weekly and we all gobble them up!). Sheridan calls them "baby pancakes" since they're silver dollar sized and because they're a little sweet, they're delicious just plain (of course, they're also delicious slathered in butter or dunked in yogurt or topped with fruit and powdered sugar, or nutella'd...the possibilities are endless!).

(from the Edmonds Cookery Book, New Zealand)

1 c flour (I do half whole wheat and half unbleached flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat egg and sugar until thick (I just use a fork to do this). Add with milk to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (overmixing results in rubbery pancakes). Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture from the point of a spoon onto a hot nonstick gridle (I set my gridle to 375--if yours isn't nonstick, grease it lightly). Turn pikelets over when bubbles start to burst on top surface. Cook second side until golden. Makes 8-12. (I like them best hot off the gridle without any toppings--they are slightly crunchy on the edges and sooo tasty!)

Back to school, back to school...

2009-08-19T22:34:00.004-06:00

Jack is certainly proving to Dad that he's no fool.

Preschool started on Tuesday for Jack. He's attending an in-home school this year--Little Learners--and his teacher is fabulous. She did the kindergarten testing for all the kids and (no surprise) Jack knocked it outta the park. He was a little nervous about going to a new school, but he had SO MUCH FUN!!! His first field trip is in 2 weeks and tomorrow I'll get to spotlight him.

He's growing up too fast! Somebody slow him down!!!

Here he is in front of his preschool! He's got his nervous/excited face on.

He chose the apple shirt--he's a mac, not a pc. His teacher said "he's certainly got a lot of personality!". That's good, right? :)

Caught in the Act

2009-08-19T21:58:00.005-06:00

Finally! I'm getting one of my favorite videos (ok, one of our only videos!) of Sheridan off the camera and into the bloggasphere. This was back in June. Forgive the lighting. Live the dream.

She's been singing this song for MONTHS and loves to pretend she's Cinderella. Usually she gets some comb action going, too.

Not a good thing...

2009-08-13T11:34:00.003-06:00

Well, for those of you who know my extended family (the Birds), it has been a rough few weeks. My mom was recently diagnosed with uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy--that was supposed to take care of the problem since uterine cancer is generally localized and is less aggressive.

My mom has Multiple Sclerosis and is wheelchair-bound, so there were some complications with recovery--pnuemonia, congestive heart failure, etc. It was a little scary, but she finally came home on Monday (hooray!). Things were looking up.

Unfortunately, they found free-floating ovarian cancer cells during the surgery. Ovarian cancer isn't as 'friendly' as uterine cancer, so things are looking less cheery. Chemotherapy for 6 months is now in her near future. So, for those of you who do know my mom, your prayers will be MUCH appreciated. Heck, those of you who don't know my mom can also pray for her--I'm pretty sure God listens to people who don't know my mom as well as to those who do! My family tends to keep stuff like this on the down-low, but I know lots of my friends who love my mom--and I don't want to forget to tell someone!

Thanks for listening--I may not feel much like talking about this in person or over the phone, but it makes me feel better knowing that, nonetheless, friends will know what's going on.

Peace out.

Victory is Ours (or, the post about pee)

2009-08-04T22:45:00.003-06:00

I'm probably jinxing myself...but one must celebrate a victory as it comes, non?

(that was french for "no")

We started doing the full-time potty training on Saturday.

No, it's for Sheridan, silly. (This post might be a little gross for the super-clean--come on, it's about potty training, of course it's a little gross!)

I've been a little...mmm...reluctant to potty train Sheridan. Maybe terrified and resistant would be better descriptions. Jack was not an easy child to potty train ("not easy"? try horribly frustrating). I was not in a hurry to repeat that. However, she's been showing signs of readiness for a few months. With travelling and such, though, there was no way.

So, now the company has departed and we have no further adventures planned for this summer. When the kids had a viral rash this weekend, I figured there was no better time.

Saturday we started. The princess underpants were a DEFINITE incentive (thank you, Grammy!). She's only had one or two accidents each day since then. But...

no poop.

Typical. she did NOT want to poop on the potty. This girl is normally more regular than metamucil, but she wasn't having it.

Today I looked up some stuff online about potty training the non-poopers. One site recommended no underwear so they can feel the difference. After she failed to "go" at her usual time on the potty, I tried it. Whilst perusing another "potty" site, I heard a "thud, thud, thud" on the floor.

Thank goodness I turned around and caught her before the 4th rabbit-like turd hit the floor. Fortunately she'd a little less loose than normal (that would have been DISGUSTING). I whisked her to the potty and she got the last out there (she couldn't even protest, just had to keep doing her business). Blessedly, Henry was far enough away that those...things...on the floor weren't a problem until I could get her onto the potty. While she finished up, I cleaned up (hoorary for Lysol!) and we celebrated with a potty dance and popsicles (don't worry, we sanitized everything in sight first!).

And tonight, wonder of wonder and miracle of miracles, she pooped on the potty of her own volition.

Tomorrow will probably make up for it all.

Happy pooping!

Why we love the beach...

2009-08-02T20:43:00.005-06:00

Henry loves some one-on-one time with Daddy.
Sheridan loves the excitement.

Jack loves the sand. And his cousins...

Ali loves time with all the family.

Tyler loves it all.

Random shots with Grammy and cousins (including the 4-headed monster)

Sibling Love

2009-07-22T10:34:00.003-06:00

We recently returned home from New Jersey (more to come on this) and have been going through a re-adjustment period. While in NJ, Sheridan was working on some "big girl" stuff--napping in a "big kid bed" and using the "potty" (btw, I kinda hate the word potty--probably because my dear mom still used that word when we were teenagers--mortifying! Remind me to change the phrase by the time my kids hit that age! I love you, mom!).

Well, Sheridan decided she was ready for a full-time big kid bed when we got home. We threatened her with the crib (which is still up in her room) if she left her bed even once. Well, the first night in a big kid bed we heard nothing...but when Tyler went to check on Jack and Sheridan that night (they share a room) he found two people in Jack's bed. Jack had his arm around his sister and she (along with her smelly yellow bear) was fast asleep at his side. It was adorable--especially since we never heard a peep from them!

Potty training has not officially begun, but we've been casually working on it for a few months. A few nights ago, Jack hollered from the bathroom, "I need help, Dad! Come wipe my bum!" Sheridan scrambled out of her chair, yelling, "I'm coming, brudder! I wipe your bum!"

Now that is sibling love!

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-22T10:31:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law, Ashley, is now 29! Congrats on surviving so long...we love you!

Pomp and Circumstance

2009-06-30T22:05:00.004-06:00

This is my handsome nephew, Jason. The impetus for our trip to Portland was his graduation from Evergreen High School. He's headed to BYU-I in the fall. We're so proud of our guy (I was going to scan in the picts from his birth to include in this post, but ran out of time at my parents' house. Sorry!).Here he is with his Dad (my oldest brother, who, btw, will be our house guest in a week while he comes out to start his new job! So excited! His family will follow soonish--after they take care of having a baby, getting Jason off to school, and figure out what to do with the house...).

Congrats, Familia Bird! Now to shove him lovingly from the nest...:)

Road Trippin'--the toddler years

2009-06-30T21:41:00.004-06:00

Isn't he cute? That's his picture-taking face.

Well, we recently (like, at the end of may) took a trip to my oldest nephew's high school graduation. I made the executive decision that driving now makes sense for our family (as in, it's WAAAAYYYY cheaper to drive to Oregon than to fly the 5 of us). So, early-ish one Friday morning we headed out for a 13-hour-drive-that-really-takes-15-hours-with-kids-who-need-lots-of-stops.

I'll be honest. The kids were really really good. Jack and Sheridan only slept four about 2 hours after Boise (despite driving until almost midnight Utah time) and did great until a few hours past bedtime. Henry...

Honestly, Henry did play with his toys a little bit...but mostly he slept. Hooray! I never expected that from one of our kids!

Sheridan...was a little crazy. But she is two.

Jack...he's come a LONG way since he was 4 months old (from 4-about 20 months he mostly screamed during any car ride. You know how most kids fall asleep in the car? Uh, yeah, not Jack. Ever.). He handled the long ride like a pro.

I must say "hooray for DVD players!". Really.

Posers

2009-06-16T15:04:00.006-06:00

Finally a pict of the kiddos in Easter gear.
Henry looks a little afraid because he is a little afraid. Sheridan has a habit of being a little too friendly with his face.

Caught in the act! Sheridan was busy dancing with her "prince"

"Mom, HELP!!!"

2009-06-12T20:34:00.003-06:00

...is one of the scariest phrases from a kid. Well, perhaps "nothing" in answer to the old "what are you doing" question...

Jack announced that he needed help after appearing with a bloody nose. We were wiping it up when I noticed blood on his fingers.

"Uh oh, Jack, were you picking your nose?"

"Yep." No shame in this kid.

"Jack, that's why you've got a bloody nose! Please don't pick your nose anymore--you're hurting yourself!"

"But Mom, the boogers were TASTY!"

Do you dream in Chocolate?

2009-05-27T15:07:00.004-06:00

I do.
Henry will, too.
That's cuz his room is now a nice, rich chocolate brown.

(Originally Jack's room--when we moved in)

That's right, the room of requirement has been completed (mostly)!

(notice the dresser in the wall? it's hiding access to the under-stairs closet. It was just an open doorway when we got there--not kid-friendly and a little creepy)

The process started only a few months after we moved in. Jack got sick of the peeling wallpaper trim during his nap (he was still 2 and taking naps at that point) and decided to peel large swathes of if from the wall. I finished that process by November but we decided to forestall further "improvements" until we had completed more urgent matters.

(The awesome border went most of the way around the room. Even across the doors and into the shelves. Sweet)

Fast forward to October of 2008. Henry was due in a month and we'd moved Jack into Sheridan's larger (and no longer purple) room. Mission: Renovation was about to begin!
Except I was 8 months preggo and had no desire to move around the house, let alone tackle major renovation. Sigh.
Fast forward to January. Henry:born. I was getting no sleep due to our 2 month old bundle of joy, so I decided to tackle room improvement to get the kid into his own space. Starting at the top makes most sense, right?
So, I scraped off the popcorn ceiling in a day. Even cleaned up! Lookin' good! (well, the drywall/mud look was MUCH nicer than the popcorn).

It took a few weekends to get the ceiling mostly smooth, and then I spent over a month trying to get primer to stick to it! What!?! The issues that crop up during "home improvement" are enough to make me want to strip rooms down to studs!

(Mmmmm. Chocolate. The room is a bit full right now with bed, crib, and rocking chair...but it's way cooler than it used to be. Check out the fabulous beadboard T installed--not easy when no walls are square!)

Anyway, after a far more drawn-out process than we'd dreamed possible, the room is complete! Tyler busted his booty putting in the beadboard. I got to use a variety of his power tools (table saw, jigsaw, nail gun, miter box, and of course drills) but failed at the circular saw (you were wrong about my abilities, Beth!). We'll have to try that one again next time! I also got to use a bunch of my favorite drywall compound to even out the upper walls--but the wall texture in this house is another post.

(see the door to under the stairs? Only a thin seam...T did a great job making it blend)

So, here she is. No more funky border. Yes, the paint is chocolate brown (a little lighter and far less burgundy than it appears in these picts). We still have the linens and stuff to do, but we'll call her good!

Saturday is a Special Day

2009-05-24T20:37:00.005-06:00

Now that Henry's room is basically finished (still a few details to attend to, but we'll have pictures up soonish) our Saturdays have become much more enjoyable. No more painting trim or beadboard, no more finicky cuts to make or things to nail down...we now have Saturdays to do regular up-keepy things in the house and yard, to wash cars or (gasp!) do fun family things.

Yesterday we did a little house/yard upkeep and some family fun as well. We took our kiddos

on their first hike and picnic!

Lest you get too excited, we took them up Rock Canyon--which is more of a meander than it is a hike, and we didn't get pics of the picnic. But is was a coolish, cloudy day which is far more enjoyable for hiking with kids than a blisteringly hot, sunny day (since each of us lugged a kid the entire time). And it is still so beautiful here since the sun hasn't yet scorched all life of the landscape. It was comfortable weather and green and beautiful! We probably only hiked 1/2 mile, but Jack did great (other than trying to pick up every rock in his path to throw toward the river...or the flowers...or the canyon walls...). Sheridan rode on Tyler's back the first half...until we took a rest and she face-planted while in the hiking pack *ouch*. Henry was tired, but (unlike the other kids when they were babies) he wouldn't sleep while in the snuggly. Sigh. He did enjoy stretching out while we had our picnic lunch!

Hikes like these remind me that Utah really can conform to my Washingtonian standards of beauty...but you do have to search out the more verdant areas! The kids are already asking for another hike (after Sheridan reminds us that she "fell down in the backpack and got an owie!").

If you build it, they will come...

2009-05-10T22:35:00.005-06:00

the kiddos, that is.

Tyler put this bad boy together in March when the weather was GORGEOUS. 70 degree heaven. It took about 10 hours (started Friday night in the garage, since the night temps were COLD and finished Saturday afternoon out back), many power tools, and occasionally help from yours truly.

The next weekend it snowed.

It's nice again, though, so now the kids are all over it, all the time.

Just not when I'm taking picture, apparently.

And so they grow...

2009-05-10T22:31:00.004-06:00

'Sup.

Henry is now 5.5 months old.

That stuff coming out of his mouth is rice cereal.

Yup, his first introduction to solids was today. He's growing up too fast!!!

(Yeah, and despite the drooling out of cereal, he ate more than he spit out. Henry seemed a little unsure of it, but was willing to eat. I guess that's why he's still on the charts for his weight).

It's mine...all mine!

2009-05-10T21:34:00.008-06:00

warning: this is an excessively long post. grab your popcorn and get comfortable, folks. maybe use the bathroom first.
Alrighty? then here we go!Ok, I have to admit...THIS MOTHER'S DAY ROCKED!!!

It doesn't hurt that we kicked off festivities a day early--the more time for the family to cater to my every whim, the better, right? Yeah, it was all about ME this weekend, and boy, did I revel in it!

Um, ok. So, we've been working on a variety of projects around the house, but this weekend is generally the "safety zone" for planting--late enough that the frost doesn't kill but early enough that the heat doesn't destroy the fragile little transplants. Friday the kiddos and I ventured out to purchase our veggies of choice and survived the experience. Really, any shopping trip that doesn't contain several tantrums from Sheridan is considered a success! The one downer was that I couldn't lift the large, HEAVY bags of compost (I generally would've tried, but the old sciatic nerve had been acting up for the days prior and I was NOT interested in exacerbating the issues...) so we had to purchase those Saturday AM. Sigh. I hate it when my body doesn't cooperate with my grand plans. The older I get and more babies I carry the more it tends toward uncooperativeness (is that a word?). But we were talking about planting a garden (I wasn't very explicit about that, I know...).

Right. Planting a garden. You may remember posts last June that dealt with my nemisis, Morning Glory aka Devil Weed (that's what I call it around here. "Morning Glory" is far too nice a name...and really "Devil Weed" is far more appropriate to say around the kiddos than the words going through my mind as I try to rip that nasty, twisted, pernicious root out of my soil). Ok, so this year there is FAR less devil weed, although you never really get rid of it in my 'hood. Time to get on the gardening horse...so T and I spent 2 or 3 hours digging up the garden area (well, 1/2 of the area...it's too big for beginners like us!) and working in some nice, rich poo. Uh, I mean compost (it sure smelled like poo...). Jack and Sheridan spent the whole time finding the MANY worms and showing them to us and to each other. Again, success was had since Sheridan didn't put any in her mouth! Sheridan was trying to help the worms in Jack's hands by offering them dirt--huge clods of thick dirt that were bigger than she was. She kept talking about her "cute wittle wormies". She didn't want to go slide on the slide because of the wormies (she wanted to look at her buggies...). It was really cute.

We planted a ton of plants and are hoping that at least one or two work out.

Tyler treated us to dinner at Nicolitalia's, an East Coast style pizzeria. We both thought it tasted a ton like boardwalk pizza--the kind of greasy, delicious, fattening stuff most akin to the pizza you'd buy in Ocean City, NJ at the Boardwalk. And then, wonder of wonders, they had CANOLLI! For those non-Easterners, a canolli is a fried tube of dough that is stuffed with sweetened cream (marscapone?) and dusted with powdered suger. If you're lucky, there's some kind of chocolate involved. Well, these canolli were TO DIE FOR!!! Worth every last calorie. Better than some I've had in NJ. HEAVEN!!!!

Jack went to bed so excited he said he couldn't sleep. "Mother's Day is my favorite holiday! I can't wait to give you your present!" Wha...? This is the same 4 year old that regularly screams "Nooo! I want Daddy!"?

Um, and then I painted beadboard in Henry's future room, but that's another post.

Today rocked. I got to sleep in until 9er (Henry did want to eat around 4 am, but that's it) when the kiddos finally woke me up to come feast on belgian waffles with strawberries and cream. Sheridan couldn't wait to give me her gift. It was a purple baby doll, her dream (Tyler tried to talk her out of it, but she's pretty stubborn and had been talking about getting me one for weeks). Jack wanted to get me a movie so I finally got Enchanted (I'm pretty stoked about that, but the baby is WAY more funny). Henry got me a cookie sheet. Tyler got me a NEW CAMERA (finally moving up from the 3.2 megapixel one that has done the job but...yeah, it was time to upgrade).

Church went well. The kids were better than they've been in months. That's lucky since we got there late and none of the families I normally sit by had any space for us (my heart dropped when I realized that and I figured I'd be farming the kids out one by one as the chaos enveloped our pew). Jack got up to sing with the other kids and was ADORABLE! They sang a song about mothers (go figure, huh?) and when the words said "I love you" he signed it and pointed to me. Not subtly, either. Ah, yeah, I got a little misty-eyed. Then he came back to his seat and announced "I love you sooo much, Mama!" and gave me a big hug. I was in Mama heaven!

T pulled together a Freakin' Delicious dinner (grilled steak, sauted mushrooms, baked potato fries and green beans) and we had a family walk. I got to talk to my mom and wish my big bro a happy birthday. Kids went to bed well and now I'm blogging...yes, truly a fantabulous weekend! Thank, Ty!

Princess Poser

2009-04-28T20:53:00.004-06:00

Yup, she's all-girl!

Sheridan in her new Princess jacket (she loves it, Grammy!)

GO TEAM! (I know it's red...but it's a Rutgers cheerleader outfit, not a UofU one--Tyler wouldn't stand for that!)

Cinderella (that's her favorite princess).

Here's a little trivia about our girl.

Favorite Princess: Cinderella

Favorite song to sing: "A dream is a wish your heart makes"--she sings ALL the words and pretends to brush her hair, just like the aforementioned princess.

Favorite colors: Orange and Purple

Favorite animal: Tiger

Favorite things to do: Read books, play pretend (esp princess, doctor, and mommy), sing

Common sayings: "Momma, somefin' a eat?" (Actually, it's turning into "Mommy, I want somefin' to eat", but she says it A LOT), "I miss my Daddy!" (as he walks out the door to go to work), and "Mommy you wanna cuddle? OH! You read me a book!", and "Daddy, you be the baby, I be the Mommy, you be the sister, you be the brother..."

Modern Art

2009-04-28T20:34:00.003-06:00

Okay, I know people brag about their kids. So, yeah, I'm going to jump onto the bandwagon and brag about my oldest.

He's a budding artist.

Keep in mind, the kid is 4. He was (as he often enjoys doing) cutting and pasting--the old fashioned way, you know, with scissors and glue. After a while, he handed me this piece.

It's a little hard to see in white, but that is pretty cool for a 4 year old--he's got a repeating theme, layers of detail, and the scale from piece to piece...seriously, I think the kid has some talent!

Rollin' with my Homies

2009-04-22T21:29:00.005-06:00

This post is all about things in our life that roll.

This is NOT rollin' with my homies. This is the boys working

on being "real men". Just kidding, honey!

Exhibit 1:

Henry

He's been rolling front to back for about a month.

This week he learned to go the other way.

My period of putting baby down and having him stay put is nearly at an end. Sigh.

Here he is at the "start" position

Workin' on it...workin' on it...

ROLLOVER! (man, check out my sweet hair!)

Whoa! What just happened?!?

Exhibit 2:

This little baby joined our family today.

We got a screaming deal and both the kids and Tyler got their wishes:

Sheridan got to drive,

Jack got the DVD,

Tyler got the leather seats.

And I got my own sweet, golden chariot with plenty of room in it! The Corolla was getting mighty tight with 3 carseats in the back, and since Henry has nearly outgrown his baby carrier, we HAD to get something bigger or we absolutely would not fit. It is a little disconcerting to now be a Minivan Mama. At least I got a sassy new haircut to keep things real!

Home sweet home

2009-04-14T17:06:00.003-06:00

...is made even sweeter when the internet is hooked up. We're in, folks, we finallly have our own high speed connection!

It's been a long time coming.

Delay Transmission

2009-04-02T21:43:00.007-06:00

I know, it's been forever. While our internet has been down (it won't be officially back up until the 8th when we finally stop freeloading and get our own installed...) I've done about 20 different posts in my head. Some things to look forward to:

The return of my arch nemisis

Princess Poser

Poop Tales, woo-oo (to the tune of Duck Tales)

New Additions to the family

The room of requirement

In the meantime, I must tell you about today.

It was a big day.

We had Henry's 4 month check up.

Now, around this point, my kiddos have generally held steady on height (usually around the 70th percentile) but dropped on weight (say, 2nd to 25th percentile).

Henry followed the trend...well, not really.

He's 27 inches long (Jack and Sheridan reached that around 6 months)--96th percentile.

He's 16 lbs 3 oz (Jack reached that at 9 months, Sheridan closer to 11)--71st percentile.

So, when I tell people he looks like a 9 month old, I'm not kidding. My MIL sent him a cute little 9 month outfit, and it's TOO SMALL.

I kinda like having a big baby...