All I Want for Christmas...

is some front teeth....for my children. And, I'm gettin' them!
Bubby's two front top teeth are growing in nicely.
And Little Man's first tooth (on the bottom) broke through sometime last night. I'm guessing it was between 3:30 and 4:30 this am, when I went in for his nightly "snack" and he WOULD NOT go back to sleep after the usual 20 minute snack. And I went back into him 5 minutes after putting him back in his crib because he was screaming (usually, IF he is "awake" after the 20 minutes together, I can put him back in his crib and he will quietly put himself back to sleep). 15 more minutes of nursing, and I put him in his crib again. He fussed for a few moments before getting quiet again. So, I think that pesky tooth must have pushed through during that hour. Anyhow, I rubbed my CLEAN finger over his gums this morning and sure enough, there was a sharp little bugger there!

So, each of my little boys gets new front teeth for Christmas! Hooray for us!

Oh, and the Little Man is this close to crawling! He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth until he shoots himself forward (and sometimes backwards!). He does a combination of the lurching and some rolling side to side to get where he wants to go. He's pretty funny to watch!

And one more funny little thing about my Little Man. On Sunday, during the Sunday School lesson, he decided HE had something to say on the subject, VERY LOUDLY! An older (not so jovial) gentleman asked a person making a comment to PLEASE SPEAK UP because he couldn't hear them (and his look our direction indicated his afterthought of "over that loud baby, whose parents aren't taking him out of here"). D and I just laughed, and whispered "Louder, baby" to the Little Man. Because, let's be honest, he probably knows more about ALL THINGS Spiritual than the rest of us, seeing as he was more recently in the presence of our Heavenly Father than the rest of us in that room! D and I just laughed. And later, we agreed that had we been in Sunday School in our HH ward, there would have been LAUGHTER over his vocalization, rather than irritation. Oh well. We got a good laugh out of his "comments" anyway!

Dear Nosy Primary Teacher, Butt Out!

SO when I went to pick up Bubby from Primary today, his teacher (who is, how can I put this nicely?....aged)instigated the most irritating conversation. Here's how it went:

Teacher: Have you considered medicating him?

Me (Incredulous, and stern, but not mean): NO, I have NOT considered medicating him, NOR WILL I consider medicating him.

Teacher: Well, he just had so much energy today and seems to have difficulty keeping his bottom in his chair. And you know, not EVERY child gets called up to do something during sharing time and he had a difficult time dealing with not be called on.

Me: I know he has a lot of energy. He is 6. And if you consider all the changes in his life, he's had a lot to deal with and I am aware of the difficulty he is having with these transitions. He has moved from a home and a life that he loved, is living with his grandparents, and has a new baby brother. That's a lot for a person to deal with all at once, much less a 6 year old. We are actually looking into finding a counselor to help him deal with all that. It's been tough. But we are dealing with it. I have no intention of medicating him because at this point I have no reason to believe medication would help him.

Teacher: Well, I recommended medication to another family I knew who had a 4th grader who had the same behavioral issues, and they sought a professional's advice and let the child be involved in making the decision whether to use medication. Now, I'm not sure what the outcome was, but they took my advice and sought professional assistance.

Me: Well, good for them. My husband and I are doing what we feel is best for our son. I have no intention of seeking medication for him at this point. Perhaps when we are settled in our own home, and life has settled into a routine and is not so up in the air all the time, if he is still having difficulty coping with some things in life, I may pursue an evaluation. However, at this point, I feel very good about our current efforts to help him to be happy. We have to go.

At this point, I ended the conversation and walked out of the room. I mean really...she thinks I should medicate my NORMAL 6 year old, so life can be easier FOR HER once a week?!!? It's a good thing I was still feeling good from an amazing Relief Society lesson, because it may have been a HEATED discussion. As it was, I handled the situation with honesty and sternness, but NOT with anger. The Mama Bear anger didn't start to settle until I got home and told my husband and my mom about it (did I mention that this primary teacher is also my mom's VT and spent half of her last visit, just last week, bossing around my niece and nephew who were at our house while she was here? I didn't? well, she is and she did).
So, I have taken to my blog to vent. Thank you, Cyber-Blog-World, for lending me your, uh, eyes(?). I feel much better now!

Easy to Please

SO tonight, D asks Bubby what he wants for Christmas. Here's how the conversation went.
D: So, what do you want for Christmas.

Bubby: I want what you got me.

D: What did we get you?

Bubby: Oh, I don't know what it's called.

Me: What did we get you?

Bubby: You know. What you got me when you went shopping.

Me: You want whatever we bought you when we went Christmas shopping the other day?

Bubby: Yeah. I want whatever you bought for me.

Me: So, you only want two presents?

Bubby: I get TWO presents? (big smile on his face). Wow, thanks! I'm so excited~

Me: Bubby, I love you so much! You are so easy to please!

post script:
seriously, can you think of ANYONE who is THAT easy to please?

Post post script:
he's getting more than 2 presents. really.

12 Years, Inspiration, a Wish and an Apology

This weekend D and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. 12 years since we entered the doors of the Jordan River Utah Temple and made covenants that sealed us for eternity. Man, I LOVE the sound of that! I get to be with my best friend FOREVER! And he is amazing. In light of it being our 12th anniversary, here are 12 things I LOVE about D:
1. I love that D is kind and thoughtful and selfless.
2. I love that D make dinner more than I do! And man alive he is a GREAT cook!
3. I love that D is a really sweet daddy. Our boys ADORE him, and he adores them right back. He is DEFINITELY the fun parent around here!
4. I love that D works so hard and goes the extra mile, even if the people he works for may not notice or appreciate it. He just has such an honest, put in 110% work ethic!
5. I love that D is always trying to learn more about everything. Right now he has 2 books from the library on how to design web pages and use the internet to build a business. Because he wants to create a business with an online customer base, and wants to increase his knowledge of the internet so he can do it right.
6. I love that D loves to play. He talks of having more money than we "need" so that he can play with his family; vacations, a cabin, a camper, four wheelers - all things he wants so he can spend leisure time with his family.
7. I love that our family is important to D.
8. I love that D likes to talk to me, and that I don't have to do all the talking! I love that he WANTS to tell me about his day and what is happening at work, even if some of the things he talks about go over my head and are a little boring, I love listening to him talk about what is pertinent in his day, because he is willing to share that with me!
9. I love that D LISTENS to me. He tells me about his day, and I get to tell him about my day, which coincidentally involves our children and the people who are important in our lives. And he offers commentary and suggestions (when they are needed), which lets me know he has actually listened.
10. I love that D loves things to be beautiful. He made our yard in Utah so beautiful, and has made the yard in our current home pretty, even though it is a rental and he is NOT "invested" in this home whatsoever. He loves to come home and see a lovely environment around him.
11. I love that D is funny. He makes me laugh every day. And some days are just crappy, and on those days my sense of humor is lacking. But D somehow manages to make me laugh!
12. I LOVE THAT D LOVES ME! I know that is totally self-absorbed, but oh well. I LOVE HIM AND HE LOVES ME! Is there anything more comforting than that knowledge? I think not.

As a show of his love, D honored me yesterday by spending the day with our family, spending the day with my very dear friend, who is an inspiration to me. My friend Liz has spent the past year or so training for and raising money to participate in the Breast Cancer 3 day. Let me do that better justice. She has worked her TAIL OFF helping her 6 team mates raise money (each teammate must raise $2400), even though her portion was raised by early spring this year. She helped with fundraiser after fundraiser all summer long. AND she walked miles and miles and had blister after blister on her feet, and continued with her training walks, all to prepare for walking 60 miles in 3 days this past weekend. And she walked. She walked over half of the 60 miles. A knee injury prevented some of the walking. And then she met up with her teammates and she finished the last miles of the walk on Sunday amidst a firestorm in her life. My family and I hung out with her 3 darling girls waiting in the stadium for her triumphant completion of all that work. It was inspirational to be in that stadium with thousands of family members, friends, and coworkers who were there to show their support of those brave men and women who raised the money and walked the walk in the name of ENDING BREAST CANCER. And you know what? The Phoenix 3 day alone raised 4.1 million dollars for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. And in the words of the 3 day theme, "Everyone Deserves a Lifetime".

So, while we were busy with my friend's family, I went and forgot to call me sweet niece Alyssa to wish her a VERY HAPPY 10th Birthday. So, here I WISH YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALYSSA! I apologize for not calling you yesterday. I hope you had a great birthday. We miss you, cutie pie! And we love you!

THE BEST SUNDAY....

is Primary Program Sunday. My Favorite Sunday of the year! So, this past Sunday we got to go to TWO Primary Programs - Bubby's, and my 4 year old nephew. Here are the highlights from each:

Bubby's Program:
* Bubby knew the words to at least half the songs this year (this is an improvement from past years, when he knew maybe one or two), and he sang them!
* Bubby spoke his part VERY CLEARLY. I understood every word he said! Awesome.
* Bubby got chastised by his teacher for something, and he was not very happy with her (as evidenced by the scowl on his face). BUT, when it came time to sing the next song (which he knew very well), he tried SO HARD to keep frowning while also singing the song. It was really funny, because it's pretty hard to frown when you are singing a church song that you sing a lot when you are HAPPY. Maybe I'm a mean mom, but it was funny to watch!

Now, from the Sunbeams:
"Jesus taught us some TINGS we can do to be like Him. HEWE AW some TINGS he taught us to do:"
- Be Wevewent
- Be a good Fwend
- (whispered): be baptised (Loudly): LIKE HE WAS!!!

My favorite part:
Little boy (about 7 years old), who sang with CONVICTION and VIBRATO, and could be heard singing over the rest of the primary. The best part - he sang ON KEY, and would hold out some of the notes USING HIS VIBRATO. I was loving it! I mentioned to my mom that he HAD to belong to a family of singers and/or performers (I know there are some of those in our ward). So, I watched who he went to after the meeting was over....sure enough, he belongs to a gal whose family of 10 sibling are ALL talented singers. I grew up with them. This little boy's grandmother was the vocalist for Mary's Lullaby for the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant. NO BIG SURPRISE HE CAME FROM ROBERTS STOCK! It was GREAT!

My Nephew's ward:

Question: Our body is a temple. How can we take care of our temples?
Answers:
* Wash my hair
* Brush my teeth
* (My nephew's answer, as he passes by the microphone without stopping): Help my family (like a drive by answer!)
* haha - "Obey My parents" (the child who said this really was laughing as he said it, as if to say, "yea, right!" It was hilarious!)

I Love to See the Temple:
If you recall from an earlier post, Bubby and I had a very sacred experience with this song when it was sang at my sister's ward's Primary Program. Well, this one is just as sweet:
During the first verse of the song, Bubby whispered the ENTIRE FIRST VERSE of lyrics into my ear (like he was telling me a secret). My heart melted that he liked this song so much that he wanted to whisper it to me while still listening to the primary sing it. For the second verse, two of the boys in Primary (I'm guessing they were 10 or 11 years old) played a guitar duet - instrumental only. I had chills.
The chills continued when a few songs later, a choir of boys only(again, aged 10 or 11) sang "We Thank thee O God for a Prophet". And with such conviction. I tell you what, the spirit was amazing. Children plus music about family and the savior and the gospel equals THE BEST SUNDAY OF THE YEAR!

ROLLIN', ROLLIN', ROLLIN'!!

The Little Man has figured out how to roll from his back to his tummy. It started late yesterday afternoon while he was "crying it out" in his crib. (Don't worry - it's not like it was an epic, hours long situation. The crying only lasted about 10 minutes). I went in to check on him when he got quiet, and found him fast asleep on his tummy. I rolled him onto his side, since his face was FACE DOWN (not turned to the side). He has since rolled from tummy to back 5-6 times today. The only problem is - HE DOESN"T REALLY LIKE BEING ON HIS TUMMY! Funny boy! So, now he's just got to figure out how to get himself back onto his back. I'll let ya know when that happens!

Bye, Bye, Baby

Last Wednesday night, October 21, my husband and father noticed the family dog, Baby (a black, mostly pomeranian), hobbling and looking very frail. She could hardly walk. My dad noticed she had hardly eaten or drank any water for a few days. she looked depressed. It was very disconcerting.
Thursday morning, after I returned home from taking Bubby to school, I found my dad cleaning up a little pile of bile vomit Baby had left on the floor just outside our bathroom. He said he was up most of the night with her vomiting. And this was about the 4th pile in a half hour. While he was cleaning, Baby went into Bubby's room to hide between his dresser and nightstand (in a corner, as if she were putting herself in time out for leaving a "mess" on the floor). It was disheartening. She is an old pup - 14 years and 7 months. She started this life in ill health, as a puppy unable to eat or drink much and dying from starvation and dehydration. In those days, I kept her alive by taking her to the vet every other day for a week for hydration IV fluids, and giving her a pill (she had Parvo). She was depressed then. And on Thursday, when my mom picked her up from her hiding spot in Bubby's room, she looked depressed. Her face looked sad. She was a very sick puppy.
Dad took her to the vet. After being convinced, my mom went with him. There was a very real possiblity that old age had taken it's toll, and the humane thing to do would be to put her down, gently, with what remained of of her dignity. I asked them to call if they decided to put Baby out of her misery.
I got that call within a half hour. She was old. The vet said from the odor from her breath, her kidneys were shutting down. Hundreds of dollars could be spent doing multiple tests in order to find out if her condition was "treatable", which treatments may extend her life anywhere from one week to a few months. My parents decided the kind thing to do for their beloved canine companion would be to put her to sleep. They called to let me know this was their decision.
My mom said it was very gentle and humane. The vet put a catheter/IV in Baby's leg. She first gave her a "drowsy maker". She lay on her little bed my parents had taken with them, between my parents. They pet her and she was very calm. Then, the vet put the heartstopper drug into the IV, said, "Let me just help her to close her eyes" as she put her hand over Baby's little face and closed her eyes, and then put her stethoscope on Baby's chest and said,"She's gone". My mom said it was very peaceful, and the vet was very kind and gentle. And it was very quick - maybe 10 seconds after the drug was administered. Such a humane way to end misery.
So, I bid you farewell, Baby. You were a good dog. You were a sweet, gentle pet. We all loved you. Have fun in dog heaven, where you can run around without pain and be with your brothers and sisters who went there before you.

Little Show-Off

Yesterday, I took the Little Man in for his 4 month well-baby visit (although, he will ACTUALLY be 5 months this Saturday). He weighs 16 pounds. He is 27 1/4" tall. This puts him in the 60th percentile for weight, and 90-95% for height. Yes, one day I will be looking UP to my boys!

When the doctor put her fingers into his little hands to test his ability to pull himself up to sitting (with her help), he pulled himself up to STANDING. She commented, "Little show-off!". This, I was informed, is a bit ahead of the curve for his age. SMARTY PANTS! He smiled for the doctor (the whole visit) and also showed off his LOUD voice ("talking"). When placed on his tummy, he showed off how strong his neck is. When placed back on his back, he showed off how he is THIS close to rolling onto his tummy from his back.

Overall, we still have a healthy baby boy!

Now, if we could just get him to sleep through the night and take some REAL naps......(working on that, by the way! We'll let you know when we have success!)

MISSING....

I AM MISSING Autumn in Utah. The close proximity to a canyon full of reds and yellows and oranges and pinks, through which I could drive on any given day and admire the Lord's handiwork and perhaps capture some of those lovely fall colors on my digital camera.

I AM MISSING pulling out the sweaters and jackets and having a reason to change my wardrobe. Strange...I always thought of myself as an "Arizona girl", hating the cold, the snow, thinking that winter was arriving TOO SOON there in Utah, wishing I were in Arizona this time of year when the cool, sometimes cold, crisp weather arrives in Utah. And now, how I miss that cool, crisp weather and the reason for which I I have HALF of my wardrobe in long sleeve shirts and cute jackets and coats.

I AM MISSING hot chocolate, hot apple cider, feeling chili enough to want...well, chili!

I AM MISSING my Halloween decorations. Bubby keeps asking if we are going to decorate for Halloween. I keep telling him our Halloween Decorations are in storage, and maybe, just maybe, we'll be in our OWN house in time to decorate for Christmas.

I AM MISSING my homegrown pumpkins to carve. We had homegrown pumpkins for past few years , which we picked from our own amazing garden that we kept there at our home in Utah. I'm even missing seeing Janie and Matt's pumpkins growing across the street, and Mistie and Chad's pumpkins that grew in their FRONT yard garden.

I AM MISSING my Harvest Hills friends and neighbors. Having moved back to AZ, and living in a home where we know exactly 4 of our neighbors, I have come to realize that I don't know WHERE I can take Bubby trick-or-treating! It was so lovely last year when we went trick-or-treating with friends for almost 2 hours, and we knew the people at EVERY house we visited. I KNEW the candy was safe, and the people were happy to see MY Bubby. Still haven't decided how to solve this dilemma!

I AM MISSING a piece of my heart. I think I left it in Harvest Hills. If one of you 4 people who read my blog find it, please e-mail me and let me know. Maybe D and I will find some $ to come for a visit, and I can pick up the pieces of my heart that are still residing there.

I AM SORRY to those 4 of you who read this that this post has been, well, morose, at best. Thank you for taking a minute to indulge my "pity party". My life actually IS blessed. I have the cutest baby boy in the UNIVERSE, my tender-hearted 6 year old boy gives me more hugs and kisses than any other boy on the planet has ever bestowed upon his mother, and my husband ADORES me (and I ADORE him, for the record!). I have dear friends near and far who are kind, and loving, and allow me to be me. I have both of my parents and both of my husband's parents still living on this earth, and loving my little family.

And I have the gospel. It is true no matter where I live (though hearing the messages of the gospel in a ward that is ZION is a bit sweeter to the soul - my soul is missing that sweetness). God lives. He loves me. He is aware of me. And He forgives me many times each day for the dumb offenses I commit. I am thankful for that!

And now, I will sign off from this post, and post the updates on the Little Man!

Britain SUCKS!

So D and I got to go on a date Saturday night (thanks to my mom and dad for babysitting). We went to Joe's Real BBQ in Old Town Gilbert (DELISH! and fun. D LOVES that they have a full sized tractor inside the restaurant). Then we went across the street to Oreganos for a White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pizza Cookie for dessert. Also DELISH! When we were walking through the parking lot back to the truck, I saw a car with this license plate:
HOGWRTS
I commented how I thought it was pathetic that someone actually had that as a license plate. I mean, I like the books and all, but I wouldn't label my CAR as such! Anyway, D replies that if he were an actor in the movies, HE would put that on his license plate. So the conversation continued like this:
Me: Well, as we are in AZ, and all the actors are Brits, and none of them have probably moved to AZ and bought a cheap car to label with a Hogwarts license plate, that car probably doesn't belong to one of the actors.
D: Maybe one of the actors DID move to Arizona. I wouldn't blame them. Britain sucks!
Me: What?!!?
D: Britain sucks. It's cold, and gloomy, and dirty.
Me: How do you know that? Have you BEEN to Britain?
D: No, but I WATCHED MARY POPPINS!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I seriously laughed for 5 minutes straight. Tears streaming down my face, VERY full tummy hurting from laughing so hard. It was a really fun date!

Bon Jovi by Bubby

"You Give Love a Bad Name" comes on the radio as we arrive at our destination last night. My 6 year old, who is well versed in MANY radio songs, and says "This is the song in Dad's truck" EVERY time he hears a familiar song, begins to sing along. Here's what we hear:
Bubby: "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, darling you give looove, a BANDAID."

Yep, we like that version better, too! :)

Hola! Sloss!

What?!?? That's right, we speak espan-bubby round these parts! So, here's the story:

Friday night, we load up the boys (plus my nephew B.) and head to a high school football game to watch my darling niece cheer. When we arrive, we have to park a mile away (SMALL exageration), and during the walk around the school to get to the football field, we pass a couple girls who are just sittin' on the grass hangin' out. These are caucasian American girls (NORTH American girls, not Latin American girls, mind you). One of the girls says as we walk past, "Hola!". Bubby then says, "Hola! Sloss!" The girl giggles and looks confused, I'm sure thinking "What the heck does Sloss mean?"
I say to Bubby "What is Sloss?".
Bubby says "You know, Hola. Sloss. Wait, not sloss. What is it?"
(Have you figured it out yet?)
I then have a light bulb moment and say, "Do you mean 'Hola, como estas'?" (not sure if I spelled that correctly. Give me a break! I majored in French!)
Bubby says, "YES! Hola, como esLOSS" Wait, I said it wrong again. Hola, como esTAS. That's right. Whew!".
D and I have a good laugh. ANd somewhere, the poor girl that started it all is still trying to figure out what the Spanish word SLOSS means!

***By the By, our actual GAME experience did not last long. You see, it was the Homecoming game, and was CROWDED! Narry a place in the stands to sit, and we WERE there to watch the cheerleader, NOT the game. And standing at the fence down at either end zone does not make for a good spot to see my niece cheer on the 40. Plus, the first 5 minutes there, OUR team scored a touchdown, the crowd got loud, and the little man got SCARED. It was pretty sad! So, we left Bubby with my parents and his cousin, and we took the little man home. We may try again next Friday, but we'll leave the little man home with Haba!

And Another One

This latest Bubby-ism came tumbling out last night when we were at Chili's, just after our dinner was place on our table:

Bubby: "Hey, we're at a restaurant, so we don't have to pray! At home we have to pray before we eat, but not at a restaurant!"

Thank goodness for his dad, who told him to say a prayer in his head when we are at a restaurant. But then, this was the reply:

Bubby: "You know what I just prayed for in my head? I just prayed that I can have a green card day at school tomorrow."

Well, he was thinking ahead to not getting in trouble at school (a "green card" means he didn't get in trouble. Trouble at school leads to a yellow card, then a red card, then a blue card - he's had several yellows, about 3 reds, but no blues. When he keeps his card on green, he gets a slushy from Sonic - you know, they have half price drinks from 2-4, so this little reward system only costs me $0.50).
Now if he had caught that what his dad was getting at was to ASK A BLESSING ON HIS FOOD in a silent "head prayer", I might feel a little less guilty right now. I mean, seriously, how have I passed on to him that NOT praying is a RELIEF of sorts? I feel an FHE lesson about the BLESSING of prayer is imminent!
Oh, yea. We are not consistent about FHE, either. Great, bring on the guilt~

Bubby-isms

As we were leaving:
Bubby: "Bye Haba"
Haba (aka my mom): "Bye Darlin'"
Bubby: "Did you just call me 'darlin'? Well I'm gonna call you Haba Bobba!"

At Church, on the way out of the chapel going to Primary:
Bubby: "Bye Haba"
Haba: "Bye Honey"
Bubby: "Did she call me 'honey'? Honey is for Bees!"

I love this kid!

Before I forget...

I wanted to post a few highlights of the Primary Program (at my sister's ward) from whence I just returned:

How can you help your family feel the spirit:
"I can play nithe with my thithta!"
"I can be REVERENT" (Yes, reverent was spoken with great exuberance)

Caveat:
Some of the children reminded me of some of the children in my ward in Harvest Hills. Oh how I miss my ward family there.
Okay, back to the highlights from today:

Quote:
"I lived with Heavenly Father" (long pause, deep breath) "before I came to earth"

THE highlight:
An 11 year old girl with a very powerful voice sings a solo of "I Love to See the Temple", which in itself was amazing. But the best part was right after she finished, Bubby turned to me and said "She has the spirit".
Instantly, tears sprang to my eyes. My 6 year old felt and recognized The Spirit.
It's a good Sabbath!

On the Playground

Overheard:
First grade girl chasing first grade boy: "I'm gonna kiss you!"

Observed:
6th Grade Girl:
Wearing shorts SO SHORT the bottom 3" of the linings of the pockets stuck out BELOW the bottom of the shorts.

What have we learned:
Lock up your boys! The girls seem to be on the prowl!

PICTURES!

They are on Facebook. For now. If you would like to see them, look at my album on facebook. If you are not my "friend" on facebook - invite me to be your friend! If you do not have a facebook account, send me an e-mail to request that I e-mail pictures to you, or leave your e-mail in the comments, and I will e-mail pictures to you.

I WILL post pictures here on this very blog, as soon as I learn to watermark them (protect them from weirdos wanting to copy and paste them and use them for evil). Does anybody out there know how protect pictures from being "lifted" from a blog? I would love for you to share!

Have a nice day!

On the Way Home....

from our weekend camping excursion, here is how the conversation went:
D - Okay, look out the window and see if you can see any animals.
Bubby: Like ELF?
Me: It's ELK, Bubby. With a K.
Bubby: Are you talking about ELK?
Me: Yes.
Bubby: I don't see any.

And that was the beginning of a WAY TOO LONG CAR RIDE. Yes, my adventuring husband said, "Let's take a different way home than we came". This turned into SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS in the car yesterday. It should NEVER take that long to get home from CAMPING. At about hour 6 I said,"Wow, we could have camped at Zion's for as long as this ride home is!". Really, we were only camping about 4 hours away - IF we had not chosen the "road less traveled by!"
And now we know.

I Hate it When..

D: "I hate it when you run out of ice cream. It's so depressing."

Bubby-ism

Bubby (in a really whiney voice): I really did want...wait, what was I whining about?

Nip-Tabulous Comment at the Dinner Table

At last night's SPECTACULAR feast put on by my mother dear and shared with my brother dear in honor of his reaching his 28th year (WHAT??!!?? When did that happen?), the conversation started with a comment from my Bubby:
Bubby: Cousin PM has a nipple.
The rest of us: WHAT??!!??
Bubby: PM has a nipple on her arm.
TROU: WHAT??!!?? Where?
Bubby: Right there on her arm.
PM (2 1/2 years old): I have nip-ple (pointing to her chest).
Bubby: No, you have a nipple on your arm.
D (investigating): I think that's just a mole.
PM's Mother: She doesn't have a mole on her arm. Are you sure it isn't a piece of food?
Bubby: It's a nipple on her arm.
D (upon more finite investigation): It's a piece of food on her arm. See?
PM: I have nip-ple (still pointing to her chest.

Laughter ensues. Ahhhhh, sparkling conversation! It was a lovely dinner!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Happy Birthday to our Dear Jenny-O!
Today we wish we could be your neighbor (again) so we could bring you a delicious, home-made birthday treat (maybe some of the yummy homemade triple berry ice cream D made last night)and give you big birthday hugs (you know Bubby gives some of the best hugs you could get), and go to lunch (you and me and the little guys), and have some laughs.
Some of our favorite memories:
*Getting to see you at least 3 days a week when we got to babysit B when he was just a little babe
*Impromptu meeting in the front yard when we're both outside and our boys just gravitate to each other
*Bubby opening his bedroom window to say "Hi Jenny" EVERY TIME you walk by
*Cristal stories
*"I like your earrings"...you:"Oh, do you want them?"
*"Can I borrow your skirt?"...you"Oh, it looks good on you. Why don't you keep it?"
* You are SERIOUSLY THE MOST GENEROUS PERSON I KNOW!
*You picking my mom up from the airport when my world fell apart
*Ladies Lunch at your house with "the good dishes" -just us, while B slept and Bubby was at pre-school
*Haircut visitation at Jil's house
*The Office...nuff said!
*The BEST SURPRISE BABY SHOWER/GOING AWAY PARTY EVER GIVEN!!!!
*Big bottle of hand sanitizer on your banister, right when you come in your house
*I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way you decorate! Colorful and pretty - just like you!
*The way you make me laugh til my cheeks hurt and my belly feels like I got a workout
*You mowing the lawn with a baby on your back in the backpack carrier - YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!
* A thousand more memories my tired brain can't conjure at the moment, but are precious to me just the same....

WE LOVE OUR JENNY! Bubby wanted to just" drive up there and tell her happy birthday". I agreed that would be AWESOME! Then he said,"We have to make sure we call her from the home phone, since you don't have your cell phone anymore, Mom. Remember, cuz you flushed it down the toilet?" I told him we would make sure to call from the home phone. He sure does love you, too!

We hope you have a GREAT birthday!

Conversation at the Boarder of Dreamland

So Bubby lost his second tooth while we were at church this past Sunday. (His first tooth came out exactly 6 weeks prior, on the very same day we blessed our Little Man in Utah - that's a cute story, too. I'll have to tell you sometime). That tooth was pretty loose before we left for church, so D folded up a paper towel and stuck it in Bubby's shirt pocket, in case the tooth should come out while we were at church. I'm married to a very smart man! Thinking ahead like that! Thinking of me, really - you see, I DESPISE stain treating, and yet am subjected to it EVERY time I do laundry! - so that if blood accompanied the tooth, it could be sopped up with the paper towel rather than drip onto the shirt. Like I said, thoughtful, prepared husband!
So, sitting in Sunday School, in walks my little Bubby with a big ole' jack-o-lantern grin holding his now dislodged tooth! He was so excited, he said (3 or 4 times),"I can't believe I lost my tooth at church! I just can't believe it!" pretty cute! Then he said,"Now I get to put it under my pillow so the tooth fairy can leave some money for me!" Enterprising young man! So, I took said tooth, put it in my wallet and said we would put it under his pillow that night.
I. Am. A. Slacker! The tooth has yet to make it under his pillow! SO, here is the conversation that ensued between Bubby and his father last night (Bubby had been in bed for about 5 minutes):
D: Are you still awake?
Bubby: A little.
D: Did you want to put your tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy tonight?
Bubby (very sleepily): Are you talking about the tooth fairy?
D: Yes. Did you want to put your tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy?
Bubby: Dad, I just need to go to sleep so I can have a good day at school tomorrow.

And that, my friends, is a conversation on the boarder of Barely Awake and Dreamland!

Remembering

I was reminded through a family member's Facebook status report that today marks the third anniversary of D's brother's passing. He was D's brother by choice - coming into the family at the age of 14 (maybe 15, not sure) after his biological brother joined the family at 16-ish - and choosing to remain a part of D's family into adulthood. D's parents names even shared space with this brother's biological parents on his wedding announcement. A late night motorcycle "joyride" without his helmet, wind blowing through his shoulder-length hair, turned out to be his last ride on his beloved "speed machine". A corner taken at too-high speed. A small tree. That was the end to a mortal body.
I would like to share some of the beautiful memories I have from around this time 3 years ago. Primary among them is that D's mom organized a family picture, taken two weeks before we lost our brother. He was present. Pictures of him from that day were used at the funeral. More importantly, some much needed emotional healing for several people began on the day of the family picture. It was a good day. I myself got to witness this brother's sweet tenderness with his then 5 year old daughter. While figuring out which tasty ice cream flavor to choose, their discussion about Rocky Road brought a lesson from a father: every person has likes and dislikes and that's okay. It doesn't make you right or wrong. It's just one of those things that makes you, you. Lesson learned. Thank you!
At the funeral, my little Bubby, then 3, asked me if I would like to look at Jesus. I asked him if he saw a picture of Jesus he would like to look at. He said, "No, Jesus is in the bed." He then pointed at the casket. To a three year old, a man with long hair looks very much like the pictures of Jesus he has seen, as many artitst renderings of Jesus depict Him with long hair. I found this comparison by my sweet son oddly comforting, as my brother-in-law had a great deal of religious angst in his mortal life, and I was reminded that he is now with his Savior, and can receive andswers to al his religious questions, and finally is spirit can have peace. It made me grateful for the knowledge I have gained as a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Although a person's death leaves behind grieving loved ones who grieve because they miss the one who has passed on, I know that death is merely a graduation from this life into life in the eternities. And I think returning home to a loving Heavenly Father and our Brother Jesus Christ would be a joyous reunion indeed.
In the meantime, I am sending my thoughts and prayers of comfort to all MY loved ones who are remembering and missing D's brother today.

She Sleeps With The Fishes

Warning: Bathroom talk ahead. If you are easily offended by words like toilet, flush, or crap, turn back now.. do not proceed...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

So, I had to use the toilet. We drink LOTS of water here in the desert. Something about staying hydrated and not wanting to deal with kidney problems as a result of dehydrating. But, I digress. Anyway, I "voided" (as they would term it in the medical world), wiped, stood up, flushed the toilet, pulled my pants up and felt my cell phone fall out of my pocket. I heard a clunking sound and I whirled around in time to see the water making it's way down the toilet hatch. I did NOT see my phone go down, but I heard what sounded like a clunking in the pipes. I exclaimed, "Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh Crap! (repeat multiple more times)" as I frantically searched all around the base of the toilet, in the tub, in the trash can...nothing. I came out of the bathroom (yes, my pants were up and buttoned, no need to worry about flashing in the story!), and said to the family members who were here at the time,"Someone please call my phone. I think I just accidentally flushed it down the toilet!". So, my mother calls - nothing. No ringing. My sexy little red cell phone sleeps with the fishes. I hope they enjoy the sweet picture of me and my two little boys that graces it's face. I will miss it!
-the end

Ode to My Baby Swing

Oh how I love the baby swing!
Oh how it makes my heart sing!
How do I tell you "thanks" for helping my baby sleep?
How he WOULD NOT NAP unless he was asleep on me?
And now I can eat my meals in peace.
And now I can blog, and snuggle with Bubby, and do other things as I please.
My favorite part is now that he gets more rest, he is more happy!
He smiles, and coos, and has a darling personality!
I love my baby - he's as cute as a button!
And now that you know the magic of our swing - YOU KNOW YOU WANT ONE!

PS - I am SOOOO not a poet! But, thanks for baring with me anyway! That was kinda fun!

One, Two Three....Jump!

Here I go, joining the blogging world! I'll just jump right in - no toe-ing the water for me! Here's the random update from the House of Mouse:
1. Why is my blog called Minnie Mouse Clubhouse? Well, one of my nicknames growing up (and still called so by my dad) was Minnie Mouse. Simple as that! And the clubhouse part is a nod to one of my son's favorite Disney Channel Shows, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I just had to include something of him in there. So, there you have the brief background to my brand new blog name!
2. I will refer to my family members with blog "code" names, because I think it's fun to have a secret code name! Maybe I should be a spy someday! So, for your info:
The hubs will be referred to as D. Yes, just D (this would be the name his whole family calls him, anyway! Plus, it's very short to type!).
My 6 year old son will be called....Bubby. This would be something I call him frequently anyhow. Now, I will just be typing it as well!
My brand spanking new (currently 2 month old) son will have the name of Little Man. He looks like a little man. And I call him little man half the time.
So there you have it - code names for the boys in the House of Mouse (am I violating some trademark by calling it that, since there is also a show on Disney called House of Mouse - different show than Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?)
3.I will post pictures at some point, since I have very dear friends who live in...other states, who have an interest in watching my children grow. Plus, I have really cute children!
So, there you have it. My very first blog post. I hope it wasn't too boring for you. Thank you for visiting. Please come again!