Dialogue

This morning in his morning grooming session Jack was "mining for gold" if you know what I mean. Upon finding a particularly fine specimen in a voice of reverenced awe I hear, "Wow, that's a good one." Boys.

Also-

Entering I-15 via the Blue Diamond on-ramp is a ginormous billboard of...what else in 'Vegas? Show-girl bootie.

Enter Jack...

"Me see her bum-bum."

Enough said.


P.S. I think we will be doing all of our shopping once he turns 12 in our friendly neighbor to the north, UTAH!

Three

The birthday boy is three. Look at that face. That smudged nose and kissable pouty lips so precious.

Jack's personality is quite entertaining. He is a happy little boy. He radiates adorable mischievousness. How could I not not adore him? He is his father's son, the similarities in mannerisms are frightening. Same naughty glint in their eyes. Same dogged persistence'ness'. I keep reminding myself if Jed's mom can survive Jed's middle school years, I'll make it through Jack's, hopefully. He has quite a repertoire of sayings...

Wooooow, awesome!!!
Me-everything is me, not I, "Me so excited, for me motorcycle bike!!!"
HeHeHe-he actually says this verbatim when he does something naughty and then looks at me and smiles. Yes, he knows how to manipulate the system.
NeeNee you little devil. This is just one of the many things he calls his poor, innocent sister.
Suwwr (sure)
Why??? Everything is why, that's when I have to take a breath and explain for the millionth time why the cat is mean, what the difference is between a helicopter and an airplane and why you can't pee in the front yard.

He is passionate about...

• anything with wheels, especially 4-wheelers, riding with Jed is his favorite past time


• friends, everyone is a friend, he loves to be around kids his age or older, especially his cousins, Sam and Mason


• people, he is so excited by a familiar face


• loving, he will squeeze a little too hard at times, which is not endearing to most of his victims, but it is truly because he loves you


• treats, he can't get enough sugar

Love you. Happy Birthday Jack!

Happy, Happy, Happy

Happy, Happy Birthday ! Today Jara turns five.



Five seems monumental when I start thinking about all the things it leads to... Kindergarten/school then before you know it she'll be doing everything on her own and as I told Jed last night with teary eyes, "In 3 more years she probably won't even want to go trick or treating with US anymore!" sniff.
But for now...
We will enjoy that she is at a magical age where she enjoys helping me (fetching diapers and cell phones ringing wildly from within the couch) and thinks I'm beautiful in my dress-up makeup. She is tender and tough all at the same time. She is not quick to shed tears but yet she feels other people's sadness or pain and has sensitive feelings. Someone making fun of her hair would hurt a lot more than someone pulling her hair. She is very considerate of me and since Elise was born she asks me if my "owies" are okay and prays every night for me. She also prays that "Elise will not whine, Jack will not be a menace, and Jack's snot will go away." Obviously she also has a sense of humor. Wonderful child that she is, she even loves time out and will ask me if she can go there, the reason being she doesn't have "to see Jack in time out."
Jara's favorite things:
-friends and playing dress-up and tea-party
-princesses (don't get me started on my princess theory)
-dancing
-being the "boss of the world" Wonder where she gets that from?
-dirt, thank goodness, she loves making mud pies
-being with her family (read this when your 13 missy) after being gone from us one evening she came home and said "I hope you missed me because I really missed you guys."

Love you Jara! Happy Birthday!

2 Months

Smiley Face




Pouty Face

Both equally cute. It's the chubby cheeks!


She is growing so fast. Here are a few of my favorite moments...

• She growls-at night when she wakes up to eat if I don't get her fast enough she'll start growling, then when I comment about the growling, she will smile because she already "knows."


• Elise likes to smile, she started smiling a couple of weeks ago and is especially happy in the morning when she first wakes up.


• Nights are getting better, the last 5 nights she has only woken up once during the night! Hallelujah!


• She has a happy to sad speed of about 1 second. First a warning cry and then flat out angry yelps.


• Bath time is an intense work out. This little girl creates white caps in the tub with her vicious kicking/splashing.


• Elise is an "easy" baby, most of the time. She knows what she wants and is easily soothed. The only thing is, is sometimes its hard to hold her for hours at a time and she refuses a pacifier. sigh. However, it's a perfect reason not to do my dishes. Sorry can't clean holding my precious baby. Thank you Elise.


• Elise is a great communicator. Whenever I talk to her she will reply to all of my comments. She listens to me better than anyone and always says the right thing, "coo." She also grunts at me in the morning until I get out of bed, at which point she promptly burrows into my king size bed, ALONE, and goes back to sleep. I believe it is a sibling conspiracy to get me up in the morning. And no she isn't in my bed all night, she takes over Jed's spot when he goes to work.


• Swaddling comforts her and when she is tired and only wants to go to sleep, this is the best way to calm her.


• She is oh so snugly and loves to burrow.


• She still gets hiccups at least once a day, this has been going on since she was only 26 weeks into the cooker.


• Toys are starting to fascinate her. There is a bee rattle on her bouncy chair and she will stare at it for 20 minutes, talking to it and viciously kicking in its general direction. It's a love/hate relationship. I don't think she likes that it won't talk back to her and yet is so close to her face.

Jara and Jack are doing well. Jack has never intentionally hurt her and Jara loves to hold her and sing songs to her, and make fun of Jack with her, yes it's already started.

Hooray for two months!

The Farm

Staheli Farm that is, not that other place all my childhood animals disappeared to, or the place where I might end up, i.e. the funny farm. ANYWAY...
Over the weekend the Watson's were visiting, so the Watson's and Wheeler's made a field trip (get it "field" haha) to Farmland. I want a farm like this one complete with my very own...


Cottage
The kids were so fascinated as they peered into the witch's hut/cottage. Inside was decorated oh so wicked.


Bouncy Balloon
This has got to make animals of all shape and size very, very happy.


Haunted Furnishings (in front of the aforementioned witch's cottage)
HGTV couldn't have done it better. Don't I look comfortable in my natural environment?


Pumpkin Patch
Yes I subjected my children to the cheesy torture of pumpkin patch pictures. They are so adorable. How can one resist?


We had to take this beauty home for Jara, she really wanted a green pumpkin.

Farm Limousine

Or a trap meant to contain children while waiting in line for hay rides.

Scarecrow

Even Elise got in the picture to measure "How tall this fall?" She slept the rest of the time.

The Reason

The multiple reasons why I am hitting the cookies before 9 o' clock:

-i've really been awake long enough for it to be at least noon, so why not?
-my son-bless his little heart-has already smeared diaper cream all over the house, watercolored the tile, and poured a bottle of shampoo down the tub.
-i can't have a normal conversation with people without unknowingly repeating myself. i only know I do this when i get the funny look.
-i still have no grasp on grammar it sailed out the window when i was pregnant
-i can't put down my little baby, which wouldn't be a problem, if i didn't have two other children and a bladder
-my husband hasn't been home in four saturday's, some of those days have been work related but still...
-i dreamt about Voldermort AGAIN!
-i can't sleep at night, even when i get the chance, because my daughter's princess "ipod" music-with-no-words is stuck in my head. ahhh

So if you see me around and i'm muttering to myself and i look a little dazed, run the other way, because i might just tell you this whole bitter diatribe again.

Blessing Day

Elise on her big day. She was beautiful and happy. No crying or fussing, only kicking grandpa in the head (because he is much shorter than daddy.)

Elise and I afterwards, after the tears stopped flowing. Mine not Elise's. Why am I as so emotional, it couldn't be because I just had a baby, could it???

Our little family outside of the Moapa church building. Elise is the second of our children to be blessed in the Muddy River Spanish Branch.

Yes, Jed had a difficult time holding Elise in her princess dress. Too much dress, too little baby but isn't it the loveliest dress you've ever seen?