2010 By the Numbers!

As we count down the hours until the New Year, I've been counting up some of the happenings of our family during 2010.

45

Consecutive minutes that I pushed Brayden on the swing one summer day.

2

Arms that were tired after that.

1.5 Million

Number of guests that visited Andy’s theater during 2010!

651

Movies released to theaters in 2010.

10

Number of those movies I watched in theaters in 2010.

2

Movies the twins saw in theaters this year.

39

Approximate number of miles we hiked with the kids this year.

12

Times I read In a People House to Makenzie in the same day.

4

Books that I read for my own pleasure during the year.

27

Average number of times we tell one kid or another “no” during any given day.

50

Percent of the time they actually heed the "no."

3

Number of NBA 3 pointers Andy made while playing basketball on the court at the ESA.

2

Pancakes swiped off our picnic table by this beautiful bird to feed her babies.

3

Kids who fit on my lap while eating breakfast.  

1

Amount of seconds it took us to fall in love with this girl!

Songs of the Day

I thought it would be fun choose a song to describe the lives of each member of our family at this moment in time. So here ‘ya go!


MAKENZIE
Hot and Cold by Katy Perry

Why? Makenzie has a little friend at My Gym named Caden. They always gravitate toward each other during free play and have a lot of fun together. One week, Caden decided to give Kenzie a goodbye hug. She refused to hug him back and screamed, “I don’t want to hug you!” I was a bit embarrassed. The next week when she saw him she excitedly yelled, “Mom, look, there’s Caden!” Then she ran up to him and gave him a HUGE hug. That same day when it was time to go, Caden tried to give her another hug and she turned her back and walked away. At the tender age of 3½ Makenzie has already learned to play the boys hot and cold!


BRAYDEN
Troublemaker by Weezer

Yes, I know we aren’t supposed to label our kids. I always tell Brayden that he is a good kid who sometimes makes bad choices and encourage him to make better choices. But while griping to my hubby in the privacy of my own home or to you on the oh-so-intimate internet, I’m allowed to call him a troublemaker. Right? It’s not enough that moves the stepstool over to pee in the tub instead of the toilet or bullies his twin sister. I am pretty sure that he also hid my wedding ring and lied about it. I searched for it for two entire days. Finally, I found it. . .IN THE HEATING VENT! At first I believed him when he said he didn’t hide it and thought Lexi had swiped it off the dresser and accidentally dropped it there. But a few days later, Makenzie came crying to me because Brayden had taken her tiny little Jessie doll from Toy Story and hidden it. . .IN THE HEATING VENT! Coincidence? I think not. Troublemaker? I think so.


ALEXIS
I Would Walk 500 Miles by The Proclaimers

This little girl is already on the move! She took her first steps on November 2 and hasn’t slowed down since! All she wants to do is walk. She almost runs to the door when she hears Andy come home. It is very cute!


MELINDA
Hum Hallelujah By Fall Out Boy

I chose this song for one specific line: The road outside my house is paved with good intentions. Hired a construction crew ‘cuz it’s hell on the engine. That pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I have so many projects that I have every intention of getting done, but something happens and I never have the time. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels and I’m exhausted. Of course, the fact that Lexi has been waking up anywhere from four to eight times a night for the past two months hasn’t helped my productivity. (The ear tubes only brought us two nights of sleep and then she was back to her old ways.) Which brings me to Andy’s choice for a song. . .


ANDY
Silent Night by Joseph Mohr and Franz Xavier Gruber

I’m almost afraid to type this for fear I might jinx it. But the last two nights Lexi finally slept for nine and eight hours straight, respectively. And a silent night is DEFINITELY a holy night. Andy (and everyone else in the house) is rejoicing in the fact that our holy infant is not waking up hourly, standing up in the crib, throwing her binky across the room and screaming at the top of her lungs. Here’s to hoping for ten hours tonight! Sleep in heavenly peace.


Now it’s your turn. I want to hear from EVERYONE! Which song describes your life right now?

Thankful

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

Dora. Best. Babysitter. EVER!

A Weekend Getaway with a good friend. . .

Mandi & Melinda, Las Vegas October 2010

 . . .and good food!

Max Brenner's chocolate pizza and fondue.

 Happy kids!

 Sleepy kids!

A Celebration with old friends!

Brian & Jaclyn's wedding BBQ, September 2010

 Grandparents! (A close second to Dora.)

My Sis, who always has time to listen to me gripe.

Me Time with a good book in a hot bath!

And of course, this guy!

Crappy Day

I had not slept in three days. My baby had yet another ear infection and was waking up every hour. On top of that, I was still fighting the über-cold from Hell. The only thing that got me through the previous night was knowing that at 6:30 am in the morning the doctor would put tubes in her ears and her suffering would soon be over. And, hopefully, mine too.

The procedure went well and we were back home by 9:45 am. By 11:45 am, the twins were playing happily in the basement and my baby was still sleeping in her crib. I decided to sieze the opportunity to enjoy a nice, quiet lunch complete with a brownie for dessert. About halfway through my pasta, twin number one waddled into the room and informed me that she had an accident. The kind of heavy-weight accident that is no match for feather-weight Elmo undies. (Sigh.) No sooner did I say, “OK let’s clean you up,” then her co-twin appeared and informed me that he too was poopy.

Oddly enough, I lost my appetite after that. Now I was doing laundry. As I was emptying the twins' hamper into the washing machine, I was met with another surprise: one dirty, used, blue Pull-Up. It smelled something fierce and I yelled louder than a drill sergant! After I finished that load, I decided that I might as well knock out another one. And run the dishwasher. It was a few hours later when I noticed that none of the water was draining. It had backed up into both our upstairs tubs and the toilets wouldn’t flush. I was positive that a certain mischievous little boy had (yet again!) flushed something down the toilet that didn’t belong. Once it was a plastic, travel size bottle of hand sanitizer; another time, a plastic tub toy. What was it today?! I asked him repeatedly, but the boy swore up and down he didn’t do it. Yeah, right!!

Since my dear sweet hubby would not be home until 3 am, I called for reinforcements. A few attempts to snake the object from the outside clean-out valve proved unsuccessful. Time for plan B: Remove the toilet from the hall bathroom and snake it from that end. Hmmm. . .someone didn’t think this plan through. Now all the water in the pipe behind that toilet was flooding the bathroom and the hall. Said reinforcement was yelling for towels.

After that mess was somewhat cleaned up, more attempts to get the object out were made from the clean-out valve in the basement. No luck. Plan C: dig up the pipe outside and see what could be done. By then it was dark so we called off Operation PLEASE GET MY TOILETS WORKING! until the morning. I still needed to go to the pharmacy to get my baby’s post-op prescription so we all piled into the car. On my way there, I called for other reinforcements to help me clean and dry the carpet in the hall. This is when I had my meltdown. I was exhausted and all I could do was cry. I pulled it together and went inside the store. The cashier’s over-enthusiastic inquiry as to how I was doing today was met with an icy stare. I had no words.

Back at home, my troops rallied and we got the hall cleaned up and two out of three kids in bed. Unfortunately, the little one fell asleep on the way home from the pharmacy and had absolutely no interest in going to sleep at bedtime. Finally, at ten o’clock everyone else in the house was asleep. I drowned my sorrows in a pan of brownies then fell into bed. It was a crappy day, both literally and figuratively.

AFTERWORD
I’m happy to report that the night went much better with tubes in the ears. She only woke up once and quickly went back to sleep when I gave her more ibuprofen. In the morning, my hubby and my dad dug up the pipe and found the problem: settling. The dirt had shifted so much that joint fitting stretched and the two pipes weren’t lined up anymore. Seriously?! I ate crow for lunch and apologized to my sweet, angelic little boy!

Oh, and scrubbed tubs, floors and toilets and washed towels. :(

'Tis the Season

A chill is in the air and the colors are changing outside and inside my house. That can only mean one thing: MUST BE FOOTBALL SEASON!

Reminiscing

"Mom, tell us stories about when we were babies." Brayden and Makenzie request this on almost a daily basis. Every time Lexi does something new or gets into mischief I tell them if they did the same thing when they were her age. Now they can't seem to hear enough about when they were babies. All of this reminiscing reminded me of something I wrote when the twins were about 10 months old. So hop in, buckle up, and take a trip down memory lane with me!

A Day in My Life Circa Spring 2008

7:00 am
The twins wake up and start chattering. Is it morning already? (Insert Mommy groan here.) Neither Andy nor I want to roll out of bed just yet. So we lay there listening to them for a bit. We’re not fluent in “baby-speak,” but we think their conversation goes something like this:

      “Are you awake?”
      “Yeah, I’m awake. What do you think is for breakfast today?”
      “Probably more mushy stuff.”
      “I’m tired of mushy stuff. That’s all we ever get.”
      “Yeah, I know.”
      (Silence for a brief moment)
      “What’s taking Mom and Dad so long to get us?”
      “I don’t know. Maybe if we make more noise they’ll get in here.”
      (In unison) AAAiiiEEEHH!!! MA-MA-MA-DA-DA-DA-DA. . . .

8:30 am
Andy makes Makenzie laugh as he playfully kisses her goodbye. I can’t think of anything I’d rather hear than her cute little giggle.

10:00 am
The twins just went down for their morning nap. I take the opportunity to enjoy a long hot shower and get ready for the day. As I put on my new capris and start accessorizing I think to myself, “Just because I’m a stay-at-home Mom doesn’t mean I have to be frumpy.” I feel fabulous!

11:54 am
The Hitter and The Spitter (as I am affectionately referring to them right now) have managed to get food EVERYWHERE, including in my hair and on my new capris! Is it really necessary to swat at the spoon every time it comes near? Or continuously blow raspberries that make sweet potatoes airborne? I don’t think so!

12:08 pm
My own lunch is now in the oven and my capris are in the laundry. I begrudgingly put on outfit number 2. So much for fabulous.

12:20 pm
Did you know that when you accidentally line a baking sheet with wax paper instead of parchment paper it has the opposite effect and makes a sticky, gooey mess? Oops. I guess I’ll have a PBJ instead.

1:11 pm
Brayden, Makenzie and I are crawling around the house playing Follow the Leader. Brayden stops, turns around and waits for his sister who is struggling to catch up. (She closely resembles a wounded soldier when she crawls, dragging one leg behind her and grunting all the way.) He gives her a big smile when she reaches him. My heart swells three sizes.

3:00 pm
The kids are finishing up their pre-nap bottles. As I am burping Makenzie she spits up all over my shirt. Time for outfit number three.

4:30 pm
Brayden is so snugly when he wakes up from his afternoon nap. I cherish these moments. Now that the twins are mobile, they never want to hold still, let alone cuddle with me.

5:04 pm
I just walked past a mirror. Apparently someone slobbered on my shoulder while I was holding her and someone else wiped his nose on my shirt. (Note to self: Invest in some shirts that camouflage slobber, spit up and whatever else comes my way. Think of them as practical rather than frumpy.)

7:15 pm
It’s bath time, which means it’s time for outfit number four: a raincoat and snorkel mask. Those twins can really splash up a storm!

7:45 pm
I kiss both kids goodnight and put them in their cribs. I never thought this day would end. But as they pull their blankets up close and smile back and me I can’t wait for the morning.

***

It's funny how a day 2 years ago differs so much from a day now. Stay tuned for A Day in My Life 2010 coming soon!

Time for a Halloween Rhyme

It’s the Cat in the Hat!

Embarrassing costumes? He knows a lot about that!

He’s a cat and he’s oodles of fun.

With his hairy helpers Thing 2 and Thing 1!



Even Horton made her debut on this eve in the Fall.

Because, after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.

But she didn’t like the big hat and started to bawl.

 Then off she went with a grunt and a crawl.

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play.

Be that didn’t stop us on that cold, cold wet day.

We took to the street to get good things to eat.

And looked to the sky for a beautiful treat.

The afternoon before there was a party to attend.

Our Things had a blast with their little My Gym friends.

Those things ran about with big jumps, bumps and thumps.

I don't know if anything next year will be able to trump.

But we will all be anxiously awaiting

Next Halloween and more celebrating!

Pumpkins and Patience

On a windy Spring day, the twins helped Grandpa plant some pumpkins.

All summer long they excitedly checked the status of their pumpkins from the first sprout to the yellow blossoms to the small, green balls and finally, bright orange pumpkins! I know a lot of people use a garden to teach their children the value of patience; unfortunately, this was not the case with the twins. They wanted to pick and paint their pumpkins yesterday! It's hard to drive home the concept of waiting patiently to toddlers, especially in an era of Dora OnDemand and pre-made Rice Krispie Treats. I remember waiting all week to watch my favorite cartoon (The Smurfs!) on Saturday morning. Not so for this generation. Forget Generation X, Y, Z or whatever letter is supposed to define this age group. I am hereby dubbing them Generation NOW: Cohorts of Instant Gratification. But I digress. Back to the pumpkins. . .

A few days ago, on a nice Fall day, the harvest was finally ready.

Grandpa helped them pick their pumpkins and they took them back to our house.

This year I decided not to paint or carve the pumpkins. Instead I had a variety of craft supplies that they could simply stick on the pumpkins. We also spray painted a couple of little pumpkins black and used some pipe cleaner and googly eyes to turn them into spiders. It was a big hit!

Shhh. . .don't tell Makenzie but if you look in the background of that picture you can see that Lexi stole her sister's sippy cup and was helping herself to a drink while Kenzie was busy bedazzling her gourd. Once again I present to you Generation NOW.

If you visit our house, this boo-tiful array of pumpkins will greet you at our front door. The twins are quite proud of them and love showing them off!

Thanks, Grandpa!!

More Hiking Adventures

Wind Caves in Logan
The destination was awesome! The journey? Not so much. This hike was dubbed one of the best hikes with children in Utah, but it was fairly steep the entire way and longer than the guidebook or the signage at the trail head stated. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 fruit snacks.


Fehr Lake in The Uintas
A great way to spend a fabulous Autumn day. Even the moon wanted to stay out and enjoy the scenery. (That is what the tiny white dot in the sky is, this picture really doesn't do it justice.)This was a short, fun hike for toddlers and preschoolers alike. Lots of bridges, steps and water to keep them interested. Rating: 4 out of 5 fruit snacks.

Maybe someday when I am feeling ambitious I will create another blog devoted entirely to describing and rating my favorite hikes for children 5 and under.

LOVE IT/LOATHE IT

LOVE IT: Baby polar bears!
LOATHE IT: My bi-polar toddler.

LOVE IT: Feeling the sand between my toes when I walk on the beach.
LOATHE IT: Feeling sand on my bare feet when I walk into the twins’ bathroom.

LOVE IT: A hike on any mountain trail.
LOATHE IT: A hike on my property tax notice.

LOVE IT: New episodes of The Good Wife and Modern Family.
LOATHE IT: Reruns from the aforementioned bi-polar toddler.

LOVE IT: Spending money on a break.
LOATHE IT: Spending money on new brakes.

LOVE IT: The leaves turning red outside.
LOATHE IT: My walls smeared with red stuff inside.

LOVE IT: Mini candy bars everywhere!
LOATHE IT: Mega calories on my hips and thighs!

ROAD TRIP!

About three weeks ago, Andy & I decided that we needed a little vacay. We quickly decided on a road trip to one of our favorite places: Grand Teton National Park. This was the third visit for the two of us, but the first time for the kids. Each visit has been a completely different trip. We could go quite a few more times and it would still be different. It is a truly amazing place!

WEDNESDAY

Since it is about a 4½ hour drive, we decided to break things up for the kids and stop at Bear World in Rexburg. We drove through the park and saw elk (including a rare white elk), deer, turkeys, and (of course) bears. Lots and lots of bears.

Then we got out of the car and the twins rode 5 or rides that were very age appropriate. Lexi could only watch.

Brayden talked and talked about riding two trains. One was actually a roller coaster, but he could not be convinced that it wasn’t a train. Makenzie really liked “going up in the big tree that went ‘CHHHHTTT’ when it went down.” Brayden squealed with delight—or according to Andy, “screamed like a girl”—when they dropped.

There was also a pretty cool petting zoo at Bear World. It had chickens, mountain goats, pigs, deer, ducks, etc. Brayden didn’t really like the deer, however, because they were trying to nuzzle or lick him. He kept yelling, "NO! Don't eat me!"

After that we headed to Jackson Hole where we had pizza for dinner. Makenzie later told us that eating pizza was her favorite part of the trip. Seriously?! It was good, but not that good.

THURSDAY

We woke up to beautiful blue skies and enjoyed panoramic views of the Jackson valley from our condo in Teton Village. Brayden especially enjoyed watching the hot air balloons ascending into the sky. (I wish I would have taken a picture of that!) We knew the nice weather wasn’t going to last long and headed into the park hoping to get a quick hike in before the rain came.

The view of the Tetons at 9:45 am.

We took the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked the ½ mile to Hidden Falls.

We were hoping to make it up to Inspiration point as well, but it started raining while we were eating our lunch. Andy pulled out ponchos for us and then showed off his mad MacGyver skills by fashioning some for the twins using a pocket knife and two kitchen size trash bags! We got a lot smiles and compliments on them.

It was an adventure high-tailing it down the mountain and riding the boat back across the lake in the rain.

The view of the Tetons from the back of our boat at 11:45 am.

It rained the rest of the day. :(

FRIDAY

We woke up to snow on the mountain just above us! We had been checking the weather constantly hoping that the rain would clear up. The forecast was for the showers to move out by 2 pm. So we drove to the other side of the park to have lunch and hike around Colter Bay. Unfortunately, the forecast was wrong. Many rounds of Rain, Rain, Go Away! were sung, to no avail. Our sense of adventure was gone. But we decided to get out and make the best of it anyway. The kids were very excited to try and fill up the lake with rocks, but their hands got too cold too quickly. So the mittens went back on and we kept walking.

The trail was very pretty, even in the rain.

The views across the lake weren’t bad, but would have been spectacular if it wasn’t for the clouds and the mist.

Then, as any child would, Brayden and Makenzie decided that it was more fun to walk through the puddles instead of around them. By the time we got back to the car they were soaking wet from their toes up to their knees. Oh well, from the smiles on their faces I’d say they still had fun.

SATURDAY

Enjoying the views from our condo one last time.

Our last day in the park boasted beautiful blue skies and a view of the mountains that we hadn’t seen in two days.

Our agenda for the day included a moderate, 4-mile hike on the Taggert Lake trail and a long, 374-mile drive home. It was 1.6 miles to the lake and the twins walked the entire way!

On the way up the trail we encountered a large pile of horse crap. Makenzie yelled, "Eeeew! Look at the horse crap. Uncle Brad needs to clean that up!" I'm not sure why that is Uncle Brad's job, but if your reading this Brad, please take care of that steaming pile ASAP!

We stopped for lunch at the lake where, as Makenzie is pointing out, two of our furry friends tried to join us.

Almost a nice family photo. . .if only my eyes were open and I didn't look like such a dork.

Lexi was a happy hiker! She LOVED every minute of it.

Brayden had a great time too.

The loop back around to the trailhead was 2.4 miles. We started off with Makenzie in the backpack and Brayden walking and planned to switch them out every 30 minutes or so. But Brayden fell asleep in the pack and Makenzie got tired of walking. Andy had Lexi on his back and carried Kenzie on the Daddy express for a while, but soon only the Mommy train would do. So this is how I finished off the hike. Now that was a work out!

It was sad to leave, but I was definately ready to sit down and trade my hiking boots for flip-flops!