Okay, I'm not sure just how appropriate it is to 1st: video tape a prayer and 2nd: to put it online. My mother always said "if you ever have to question it, it's probably better not do it." But here I go, ignoring my mother's sound advice. It's just so cute. JB has been talking more and more these days, but he would never repeat a prayer. We've casually tried a dozen times but he just ignored any attempt at saying the prayer. That is up until last week. He actually repeated it after Lucas asked him to. And now he only will do it for Lucas. What can I say? That kid loves his brother. Last night was the second time he repeated a prayer.
Afterward you can hear the patented, "Hi Daddy!" that we hear all day and night. Any time he sees us after being in another room or just when he wants to acknowlege us, he oh-so-brightly and happily says, "Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" A sound I will never tire of hearing. It just makes me smile every time.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Birthday of a 2nd child just days after Christmas
It's begun, poor kid. I was warned it was typical with a second child and gets worse with each subsequent sibling. Yet I didn't think it would happen my child. In many families the birthday celebration of each child gets significantly smaller with each child that is added. And now I found myself doing that exact thing.
JB's birthday was the 30th but on the 1st we were going to friends to bring in the new year so I thought I'd bring a cupcake, throw a candle in it and we'd at least have pictures to say we sang and celebrated in some way. I have to admit I was just feeling lazy after the craziness of the holidays.
Then I got to thinking how I used to love to make a fun cake for Lucas' birthday. Back then I had a good friend who was a cake decorator, so yes, they usually turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Everything from dinosaurs to pirate ships. Then my cake decorator moved away and I was on my own. Still I persevered. My creations were much sadder but Lucas was always so nice and supportive of my efforts. I made the "Pirate-Chef Cake" one year, which was supposed to be a pirate but really did turn out to look like a contestant for Hell's Kitchen. Do not ask me how. And my mom and I made a fantastical castle one year. Crazy looking but loved. And my first-foray-into-fondant Lego cake from last year was quite sad looking but 10 year old boys DO NOT care. It was sort of a Lego and that was all that mattered.
So at the last minute I decided to take on one of Jonah's favorite things... a fire engine. Why not?! It something I enjoyed and it would be a new challenge. Bring it on.
And it was coming along great until I took a break to check out our new working shower in our renovated master bathroom. I had closed the kitchen door but...
It's hard to tell in the pictures but there a finger prints every where, wheels taken off and put back on, ladders broken ... and yes, that's a kitchen knife sticking out the back. I didn't even get to finish it. Jonah thought it was divine.
We decided to take it to the party as is, knife and all. But the destruction didn't end there. Apparently sitting on a warm shelf for 2 hours wasn't conducive to the construction of the fire engine's cab which subsequently made a dramatic exit all over the kitchen floor.
This is what we sang to him with....
Knife still sticking out the back...
And he loved every minute of it. I realized the back-to-basic attitude wasn't just out of laziness, but the wisdom of knowing what it takes to make your child feel special and loved, right?! ;) Most of the time it doesn't require much. Cupcake, ruined fire engine, whatever. And in my infinite wisdom I know that the pictures and story of it all would be more than memorable and even better than if everything had turned out perfectly. ;) At least that's what I keep telling myself.
And the riding Thomas the Tank Engine didn't hurt the day either.
JB's birthday was the 30th but on the 1st we were going to friends to bring in the new year so I thought I'd bring a cupcake, throw a candle in it and we'd at least have pictures to say we sang and celebrated in some way. I have to admit I was just feeling lazy after the craziness of the holidays.
Then I got to thinking how I used to love to make a fun cake for Lucas' birthday. Back then I had a good friend who was a cake decorator, so yes, they usually turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Everything from dinosaurs to pirate ships. Then my cake decorator moved away and I was on my own. Still I persevered. My creations were much sadder but Lucas was always so nice and supportive of my efforts. I made the "Pirate-Chef Cake" one year, which was supposed to be a pirate but really did turn out to look like a contestant for Hell's Kitchen. Do not ask me how. And my mom and I made a fantastical castle one year. Crazy looking but loved. And my first-foray-into-fondant Lego cake from last year was quite sad looking but 10 year old boys DO NOT care. It was sort of a Lego and that was all that mattered.
So at the last minute I decided to take on one of Jonah's favorite things... a fire engine. Why not?! It something I enjoyed and it would be a new challenge. Bring it on.
And it was coming along great until I took a break to check out our new working shower in our renovated master bathroom. I had closed the kitchen door but...
It's hard to tell in the pictures but there a finger prints every where, wheels taken off and put back on, ladders broken ... and yes, that's a kitchen knife sticking out the back. I didn't even get to finish it. Jonah thought it was divine.
This is what we sang to him with....
And he loved every minute of it. I realized the back-to-basic attitude wasn't just out of laziness, but the wisdom of knowing what it takes to make your child feel special and loved, right?! ;) Most of the time it doesn't require much. Cupcake, ruined fire engine, whatever. And in my infinite wisdom I know that the pictures and story of it all would be more than memorable and even better than if everything had turned out perfectly. ;) At least that's what I keep telling myself.
And the riding Thomas the Tank Engine didn't hurt the day either.
Monday, January 3, 2011
White Christmas
We ran off to Utah for Chirstmas this year to visit with Aaron's parents. Aah, relaxing was the theme of the week. It was so relaxing hanging out, just enjoying the season holed up as a family. It had been too long since we'd been to Utah, so it was nice to catch up. Lucas and Jonah had a great time playing with Grandma, running around crazy, watching Grandpa set up his new fish tank, and playing with all the old toys that we had as kids. And with a 4-2 adult to kid ratio, our zone defense worked well enough to get some good R&R in for everyone.
We drove down to Payson and Salem Pond to see lights, which was fun. Apparently not ecxiting enough for Lucas since he decided to provoke his mother into a snowball fight. And his mother is always up for a challenge. We might have differing views on who won.
We had a wonderful lunch with Aunt Marlene on Christmas Eve. She is such a dear, sweet woman and I loved having time to visit with her. We didn't see much other family but Christmas is a busy time for most people so hopefully we'll see everyone come summer when we hope to come out again. Fingers crossed.
Christmas morning was calm and lovely though Lucas was adamant about our wake up time, the minutes we had to dress and brush our teeth and when we were expected to be sitting upstairs ready to open presents. It took Jonah only moments before he got the hang of Christmas morning.
Grandma had fun setting up her new Kindle.
Grandpa with Jonah, who hates wearing clothers once he wakes up.
We had a great visit with Grandma J, my 95 year old grandmother who is as sharp and capable as she has always been.
Jonah warmed up to her quickly especially as she showed him her "magic chair" which reclined back and and raised it's footing with a touch of a button. He even gave her kisses as we left.
We traveled up to Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square. It was a beautiful sight and an ispiring family time.
The kids had so much fun with their grandparents and loved hanging out, playing with Grandpa's orange bucket, checking out his new aquarium and pulling out everything from the pantry. Okay, that was Jonah. But Lucas loved hanging out, watching movies, going birding with Dad and Grandpa, and building new legos.
Those boys LOVE their grandparents!
We drove down to Payson and Salem Pond to see lights, which was fun. Apparently not ecxiting enough for Lucas since he decided to provoke his mother into a snowball fight. And his mother is always up for a challenge. We might have differing views on who won.
Jonah loved the snow as well, just until his hands got cold and wet and then he was done.
We had a wonderful lunch with Aunt Marlene on Christmas Eve. She is such a dear, sweet woman and I loved having time to visit with her. We didn't see much other family but Christmas is a busy time for most people so hopefully we'll see everyone come summer when we hope to come out again. Fingers crossed.
Christmas morning was calm and lovely though Lucas was adamant about our wake up time, the minutes we had to dress and brush our teeth and when we were expected to be sitting upstairs ready to open presents. It took Jonah only moments before he got the hang of Christmas morning.
Grandpa with Jonah, who hates wearing clothers once he wakes up.
We had a great visit with Grandma J, my 95 year old grandmother who is as sharp and capable as she has always been.
Jonah warmed up to her quickly especially as she showed him her "magic chair" which reclined back and and raised it's footing with a touch of a button. He even gave her kisses as we left.
We traveled up to Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square. It was a beautiful sight and an ispiring family time.
The kids had so much fun with their grandparents and loved hanging out, playing with Grandpa's orange bucket, checking out his new aquarium and pulling out everything from the pantry. Okay, that was Jonah. But Lucas loved hanging out, watching movies, going birding with Dad and Grandpa, and building new legos.
Those boys LOVE their grandparents!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
These are a few of my favorite things...
Every year Aaron asks me how this song became a Christmas song? Just mentioning sleigh rides and silver, white winters does not a Christmas song make. Luckily I like it anyway no matter time of year it's sung. And it inspired me to write out a few of our favorite things at the moment. I hope to make this a series :) and do a post on each of us. We'll see what happens.
Jonah Byron....
1. As mentioned in previous posts, the boy loves to go nakers. If not completely down to his diaper, then it's shirtless day in and day out. Hey, I do less laundry, it's easier to change diapers, & faster to get him into the "tatub" which he loves to bathe in everyday. Win-win.
2. JB loves books, especially "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go." It's read everyday and he's learning all the names of his favorite cars, like the Bananamobile, the Pickle Truck and the Broomcycle. Plus he l.o.v.e.s. all things trains, fire engines & construction equipment. What is it about boys and their vehicles? My parents got him a battery powered riding Thomas the Tank engine for his birthday at the end of the month and this kid is going to have heart attack! Can't wait to see his face.
(Uncle Brant, you'll always be the endearing "woodchuck in a hurry" to us :)
3. Jonah loves to climb, get into things, explore and experiment. For a while he loved to push a chair up to the counter, climb up to find the "brownies" for himself. Aren't I a neglectful mother?... That I would allow our son to keep believing that those stale, cinnamon cookies were actual brownies? And that he doesn't know the sweet nectar he is missing out on? No worries, it has been recitfied since this picture was taken. Oh, and I am better at keeping him off the counter now too.
4. This kid loves the outdoors and loves sticks, swords, lightsabors, spatulas and anything he can turn into a battle implement. Again, it's a boy thing. He loves to chase Lucas around and scream his head off until Lucas turns around to chase him back. Then he squeals and runs to me for safety. Why do I always get to be base?
5. JB loves his brother. He follows Lucas around, does everything he does. JB jumps on top of him to wrestle any chance he gets and turns to him when he's hurt. Lucas is usually great with the kid unless he's getting into his Legos.
Jonah turns 2 years old on the 30th. My baby. I've loved the quiet cuddles and tenderness of the baby stage and I am ready for the independant craziness of toddlerhood. It's all fun.
Jonah Byron....
1. As mentioned in previous posts, the boy loves to go nakers. If not completely down to his diaper, then it's shirtless day in and day out. Hey, I do less laundry, it's easier to change diapers, & faster to get him into the "tatub" which he loves to bathe in everyday. Win-win.
2. JB loves books, especially "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go." It's read everyday and he's learning all the names of his favorite cars, like the Bananamobile, the Pickle Truck and the Broomcycle. Plus he l.o.v.e.s. all things trains, fire engines & construction equipment. What is it about boys and their vehicles? My parents got him a battery powered riding Thomas the Tank engine for his birthday at the end of the month and this kid is going to have heart attack! Can't wait to see his face.
(Uncle Brant, you'll always be the endearing "woodchuck in a hurry" to us :)
3. Jonah loves to climb, get into things, explore and experiment. For a while he loved to push a chair up to the counter, climb up to find the "brownies" for himself. Aren't I a neglectful mother?... That I would allow our son to keep believing that those stale, cinnamon cookies were actual brownies? And that he doesn't know the sweet nectar he is missing out on? No worries, it has been recitfied since this picture was taken. Oh, and I am better at keeping him off the counter now too.
4. This kid loves the outdoors and loves sticks, swords, lightsabors, spatulas and anything he can turn into a battle implement. Again, it's a boy thing. He loves to chase Lucas around and scream his head off until Lucas turns around to chase him back. Then he squeals and runs to me for safety. Why do I always get to be base?
5. JB loves his brother. He follows Lucas around, does everything he does. JB jumps on top of him to wrestle any chance he gets and turns to him when he's hurt. Lucas is usually great with the kid unless he's getting into his Legos.
Jonah turns 2 years old on the 30th. My baby. I've loved the quiet cuddles and tenderness of the baby stage and I am ready for the independant craziness of toddlerhood. It's all fun.
Friday, December 10, 2010
1 out 2 ain't bad
My Christmas goal this year was to make new stockings and a new advent calendar. I finally finished up the last stocking this afternoon and I am calling it quits for my Christmas projects for the year. Is anyone surprised I didn't get around to the advent calendar? I always have high expectations and I fall short every time. But I am teaching myself to be glad with what I accomplish and not what I don't. So, I am glad about our cute stockings. Every year Aaron comments our current stockings are too small. :) I made them almost 8 years ago when we were poor students out of $.25 felt pieces, painted wooden shapes and embroidery floss. So I definitely made up for lack of size this time around. I also made them super simple. Plain white with green pom-poms. I ran to my local craft guru V. who has an amazing computerized machine that does lettering. And 30 minutes later we had our names. Cute, huh?
It's going to take a little more for Santa to fill these puppies. I want to put in my order for See's chocolate now that a good size box would fit. Nothing else. Just See's chocolate...
We'll see if he reads my blog.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Love Affair with a Penguin
I almost didn't pull this out of the decorations box. I am not one for obnoxious musical toys. But then I thought maybe Jonah would get a kick out of it...
He kissed it. Danced with it. Cuddled with it. And the wonderful & patient parents that we are, we let him listen to the song AT LEAST 35 times in a row before we had to pry it out of his claws to get ready for bed. It was the first thing he asked for this morning.
The Saggy Diaper is a popular ensemble around here lately. He always wants his clothes off even when his feet and hands turn into human popsicles. The boy likes what the boy likes.
He kissed it. Danced with it. Cuddled with it. And the wonderful & patient parents that we are, we let him listen to the song AT LEAST 35 times in a row before we had to pry it out of his claws to get ready for bed. It was the first thing he asked for this morning.
The Saggy Diaper is a popular ensemble around here lately. He always wants his clothes off even when his feet and hands turn into human popsicles. The boy likes what the boy likes.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
"Punkin Chunkin 2010"
This Mythbuster Thanksgiving Special, that Lucas and our nephew Jack love, took on new meaning for me this year. It all started the Saturday before we were supposed to leave for Arizona to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with lots of family, sun and food. About mid-morning on Saturday, Jonah got sick. Nothing too serious, just throwing up every few hours. He would eat a little and then throw up, repeat. It continued through Sunday, though again he didn't act miserable. He would play, eat a little and just before it all came back up, he gratefully would emit a high pitched scream to warn & prepare us of the oncoming mess. He reminded me of the Fire Swamp in The Princess Bride. It wasn't so bad now that we knew what to look for, like the popping sounds before the ground spewed fire.
By Monday we took him to the doctor who diagnosed a viral stomach problem but that he should be fine. All afternoon and night, JB was just peachy. Then Lucas woke us up in the middle of the night by throwing up in our doorway. We seriously talked about not going to Arizona and risk spreading this to the whole family. But by Tuesday morning when we were to leave for Arizona, all was better. Lucas felt good, Jonah was happy and hungry, and Aaron and I felt like the worst was behind us. I know. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We all did great until standing in line on the jet way waiting to get on the plane. Jonah, who had been running around as happy as could be just moments before, started to let out a high pitched scream. Aaron and I looked at each other, No. No! NO! But yes, Jonah erupted all over Aaron and the jet way. People were kind but appalled and gave us many pitying looks. We cleaned up as best we could and went to the far back reaches of the plane to get away from anyone who saw the first explosion. The plane ride did not go well. Without going into details, let's just say that by the end of the flight he had lost it twice more, Aaron and I were both completely soaked, Jonah was naked and we all stank to high heaven. Yes, it was bad. Both Aaron and I were on the verge of losing it ourselves, so nauseated with no were to go. My dad and Jack picked us up at the airport and we somehow made it to Prescott with no further incident until...
Our brother-in-law just a few hours later joined in the sickness. But his was different. This was an awful, violent, we-thought-he-had-food-poisoning kind of sick. Alas, he didn't. People started dropping like flies. First my dad, then our baby nephew Pax, then our niece, then my sister, then my mom, then my other sister. Dad completely missed Thanksgiving, we all missed the family reunion and we missed our cousin's wedding.
Now I want everyone to know I am NOT taking the fall for the violent stomach strain. Ours was very mild where JB was the only one who threw up more than 3 times and Aaron and I only just felt like it for a day and nothing more. I lay this Thanksgiving debacle completely at the feet of my brother-in-law Geoff. It must of been some kind of mutant policeman flu he picked up from one of his druggie arrests. :)
And I don't even know who started the strain of strep throat 9 out of 15 of us brought home with them once the stomach bug ran its course. (Yes, 9 people now have strep too. It's ALMOST funny.)
But amid the great disappointment of the missed events, we still managed to play cards, eat too much (those who could) and have some wonderful time just talking and visiting. Family makes me smile and I love being with them, sick and all. So if I had to be stuck in a house with sickies for an entire week, I wouldn't want those sickies to be anyone else.
By Monday we took him to the doctor who diagnosed a viral stomach problem but that he should be fine. All afternoon and night, JB was just peachy. Then Lucas woke us up in the middle of the night by throwing up in our doorway. We seriously talked about not going to Arizona and risk spreading this to the whole family. But by Tuesday morning when we were to leave for Arizona, all was better. Lucas felt good, Jonah was happy and hungry, and Aaron and I felt like the worst was behind us. I know. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We all did great until standing in line on the jet way waiting to get on the plane. Jonah, who had been running around as happy as could be just moments before, started to let out a high pitched scream. Aaron and I looked at each other, No. No! NO! But yes, Jonah erupted all over Aaron and the jet way. People were kind but appalled and gave us many pitying looks. We cleaned up as best we could and went to the far back reaches of the plane to get away from anyone who saw the first explosion. The plane ride did not go well. Without going into details, let's just say that by the end of the flight he had lost it twice more, Aaron and I were both completely soaked, Jonah was naked and we all stank to high heaven. Yes, it was bad. Both Aaron and I were on the verge of losing it ourselves, so nauseated with no were to go. My dad and Jack picked us up at the airport and we somehow made it to Prescott with no further incident until...
Our brother-in-law just a few hours later joined in the sickness. But his was different. This was an awful, violent, we-thought-he-had-food-poisoning kind of sick. Alas, he didn't. People started dropping like flies. First my dad, then our baby nephew Pax, then our niece, then my sister, then my mom, then my other sister. Dad completely missed Thanksgiving, we all missed the family reunion and we missed our cousin's wedding.
Now I want everyone to know I am NOT taking the fall for the violent stomach strain. Ours was very mild where JB was the only one who threw up more than 3 times and Aaron and I only just felt like it for a day and nothing more. I lay this Thanksgiving debacle completely at the feet of my brother-in-law Geoff. It must of been some kind of mutant policeman flu he picked up from one of his druggie arrests. :)
And I don't even know who started the strain of strep throat 9 out of 15 of us brought home with them once the stomach bug ran its course. (Yes, 9 people now have strep too. It's ALMOST funny.)
But amid the great disappointment of the missed events, we still managed to play cards, eat too much (those who could) and have some wonderful time just talking and visiting. Family makes me smile and I love being with them, sick and all. So if I had to be stuck in a house with sickies for an entire week, I wouldn't want those sickies to be anyone else.
Jonah just minutes before the doomed plane ride. His eyes look tired but nothing else gave away the misery he was planning.
Lucas in happier times, playing in the AMAZING sand table my dad and Uncle Lloyd made for the backyard. Many happy hours were spent building dams and drudging rivers.
More to come. My goal is to get completely caught up with blogging before we leave for Utah and Christmas. That only leaves two weeks!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Recycled Mirror
I bought this mirror 4 years ago at DI for $15. It was originally brown and was SUPER heavy, but I needed a large mirror for our dining room and I couldn't beat $15! I painted it black, distressed it just a bit and the mirror worked well for the dining room, even after the makeover.
Well, 2 weeks ago we had to take it down because we were renovating our master bath. With the hammering and knocking down of the opposite wall, we were worried this monster would come crashing down. So with it leaning against the wall for 2 weeks, I started to get ideas...
Aaron really helped me with this one and we decided to take out the extra heavy glass mirror. (Those are Jonah's handprints above. Go figure.) The backing was a thick, smooth backer board, so Aaron cut it down to size to fit in the frame and I painted it with a couple coats of chalk board paint. I painted the frame white, of course, the same white as our kitchen cabinets. And up it went on the kitchen wall.
I love mirrors, especially in this house ,because it brings in more light and gives the illusion of more space. I did find another fabulous DI mirror for $10 that I refinished but I like it best on the mantel. I'll get pictures of that as soon as I figure out all the do-da's that will go with it.
I'll be rearranging a few mirrors from other walls because the bare one in the dining room is really missing something. But I love this one as a chalkboard better. What do you think?
Well, 2 weeks ago we had to take it down because we were renovating our master bath. With the hammering and knocking down of the opposite wall, we were worried this monster would come crashing down. So with it leaning against the wall for 2 weeks, I started to get ideas...
I'll be rearranging a few mirrors from other walls because the bare one in the dining room is really missing something. But I love this one as a chalkboard better. What do you think?
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