In like a lamb and out like a lion, indeed! It's the penultimate day of March and we walked out of church to snow falling from the sky. I ran in shorts just yesterday. What the...?!
The macacos in this house are in a constant state of crazy. We wouldn't want it any other way. Regardless of what's in Benjamin's diaper, if asked if it contains poop, he quickly retorts,"Just gas!" Derek is always narrating some Thomas the Train story, even during the Sacrament at church.
The 411 with Derek
Derek continues to LOVE preschool. We had fun with Valentine's Day. He got Planes Valentines and we sent them to cousins, grandparents, and friend. We also made hearts to put on the kitchen window. When Mommy went to pick him up from his preschool Valentine's party he was crying, hiding behind Mr. Avery. ??? Mommy went and asked what was wrong. Apparently about 20-30 minutes before the end of preschool, they'd been playing the"Quiet Game." Derek let out a crazy, loud yell and Mr Avery said, "Oops! You lose." Well, that did it. Derek totally fell apart and had been inconsolable since. He wouldn't eat his Valentine's cookie, nothin'. Mommy tried not to laugh as this was recounted to her. Perhaps we make things a bit too competitive at our house...?
St. Patrick's Day was extra fun for him since his favorite color is green. Oh boy! Not too long ago Tyler and I found the bathroom floor wet. When we inquired Derek if it was urine, her responded, "It just came spilling out!" :) He is a joy to grocery shop with, 1-on-1 that is. He has a love for the peanut butter grinder at WinCo and always like to push the button. He brought a spider in the house, inside his curled up hand, the other day. Mom totally over-reacted when she screamed for him to take it outside!
One day when Mommy was having a hard morning, Derek woke up and snuggled in bed with her while she read scriptures. She asked if he wanted her to read to him. He said he did. After finishing a chapter, Derek requested she keep going since there were clearly lots of pages to go. Mommy explained the concept of chapters and reading a little bit every day. He then sat and thumbed through the pages.
Benjaminator
This. Kid. Last week after a 16 mile run, Mommy made pancakes and he wanted to "help." After the batter was made and the griddle was heating up, Mom stepped away. She returned to find Ben using a tablespoon to plop batter on the griddle. What a helper! He was SO proud of himself! He's learning how to put his boots on, open some doors, and respond to the Master Negotiator, his brother, Derek. They're frequently battling over Dusty Crophopper and Lightning McQueen. Sigh. Mommy does her best to stay out of the line fire.
His camouflage galoshes are the best, as is his Captain American beanie. He makes the best face, especially the squinting of the eyes as he folds his arms for prayer. When we go to parks, he likes running up and down hills. Playing in the dirt, going down slides, chasing Derek while big brother rides his bike,and running from whomever is about to change his diaper are his latest favorite activities. He called a plane a helicopter the other day. He refused to be corrected!
The Clan
We all went to Arizona the beginning of March. Oh glorious weather! However, come June-September I'll steer clear of that Hades! Derek and his cousin Laura played and fought like siblings. Benjamin ordered Curtist around, telling him to "Vai!" when he didn't want to play, but cling to Daddy. The boys played outside A LOT, loved Aunt Autum's pool and big box of cars. The time away from home was needed for us all. Mindy had a great half marathon and Tyler was happy to be away from the prison.
We did our 1st marshmallow roast of the season using our way under-used fireplace in the backyard. That was WAY too much fun! It's nice that both boys are old enough to know the fire is not to be messed with.
We're always learning to be better- Tyler to let work stay at work, Mindy to not yell at the children, Derek to not manipulate his brother, and Benjamin to eat what's given him and not throw tantrums. Well, perhaps the tantrums part is extra slow in coming.
3 cheers for the warmer weather to come!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
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Winter is so not my favorite
Well, time flies and although I like winter less every year, I'll still take it over Arizona summers.
We went to Boise for Thanksgiving to my sister Melanie's. It was TONS of fun! Both Tyler and I worked the day before the holiday, so I got done early to prep all our stuff, pack, etc. As soon as Tyler got home we got on the road and drove to a Motel just off the exit to Twin Falls, continuing our journey the following morning. It was delightful to be with family, be away from home, and be together.
We came home and with December came overly cold weather. Let's put it this way, I actually didn't run in the early am for quite a while because it was that cold. In a word, it was wretched. I began to seriously dread the rest of the winter more than every before.
Tyler and I work alternate weekends. It's glorious. Not really. But, it works and I'm grateful my work has been good to comply. Here in another 6 weeks-ish, I'll be working mostly evenings and hardly any weekends at all. It's going to be best for family life- consistency, and more sleep.
Tyler is really trying to figure out what he wants to do career wise. The prison job is a major blessing, but he knows he doesn't want to be there forever. He's toying with the ideas of being a diplomat, working for the US Marshals, Emergency Management, and a few others. All of a sudden he's a "grown up."
Derek is learning so much as preschool- counting to 100, the months of the year, "Puff the Magic Dragon," a much more. We're still trying to get that chronic thumb out of his mouth. He continues to be a good helper and I love it when he wakes up in the morning and climbs in bed with me.
Benjamin talks more and more and actually forms little sentences. Now that I'm no longer the primary chorister (as of today), I'm really gonna miss going to nursery and singing with him and the other small children. That also goes for seeing Derek in primary. He's frequently coming up to the front to give me hugs. I'm gonna miss that.
Ben is even learning to make sound effects as he flies his little planes and drives his little cars. He's still trying hard to be a picky eater. We're exploring various options to remedy that. Sigh. Most of the time he's a pure delight to have around and will still snuggle with Mommy. :)
We've gone sledding a few times, Tyler's taken them to the zoo, and we're all trying to not get too-bad a case of cabin fever. Christmas was fun. We actually had Santa come on the 27th since Tyler and I worked Christmas Day, and he the day after. But, on the 27th, talk about magic!!! In fact, Ben woke up before Derek, at a normal time. So Tyler and I snuggled with him a bit waiting for Derek knowing that this was probably the last year before early Christmas mornings. Then, the magic began!!! I have my hesitations about the whole Santa thing, but it was fun to watch their excitement. Ben got to a point where he no longer wanted to open presents- too boring! Playing with new toys was much more fascinating.
We went uptown to the lights that afternoon and to see the giant gingerbread house in the Grand American Hotel. Holy moly! The floor was even made of rice krispie treats! It was a seriously marvelous day.
Our new year was pretty uneventful. Between the cold and work, we went to bed early New Year's Eve. Now we know how old and boring we are.
Benjamin's birthday was fun. Derek got a bit jealous as his brother opened presents. It's hard to believe he's already 2! Not fair how fast children grow.
Well, thankfully January is unusually warm. Should I be worried- water storage, etc? Perhaps, but I figure I can't do anything about it, so I'll just enjoy it, except for the inversion part.
Life is great and this blogpost is rather boring. But hey, I updated the blog, so I'm proud of myself for that.
We went to Boise for Thanksgiving to my sister Melanie's. It was TONS of fun! Both Tyler and I worked the day before the holiday, so I got done early to prep all our stuff, pack, etc. As soon as Tyler got home we got on the road and drove to a Motel just off the exit to Twin Falls, continuing our journey the following morning. It was delightful to be with family, be away from home, and be together.
We came home and with December came overly cold weather. Let's put it this way, I actually didn't run in the early am for quite a while because it was that cold. In a word, it was wretched. I began to seriously dread the rest of the winter more than every before.
Tyler and I work alternate weekends. It's glorious. Not really. But, it works and I'm grateful my work has been good to comply. Here in another 6 weeks-ish, I'll be working mostly evenings and hardly any weekends at all. It's going to be best for family life- consistency, and more sleep.
Tyler is really trying to figure out what he wants to do career wise. The prison job is a major blessing, but he knows he doesn't want to be there forever. He's toying with the ideas of being a diplomat, working for the US Marshals, Emergency Management, and a few others. All of a sudden he's a "grown up."
Derek is learning so much as preschool- counting to 100, the months of the year, "Puff the Magic Dragon," a much more. We're still trying to get that chronic thumb out of his mouth. He continues to be a good helper and I love it when he wakes up in the morning and climbs in bed with me.
Benjamin talks more and more and actually forms little sentences. Now that I'm no longer the primary chorister (as of today), I'm really gonna miss going to nursery and singing with him and the other small children. That also goes for seeing Derek in primary. He's frequently coming up to the front to give me hugs. I'm gonna miss that.
Ben is even learning to make sound effects as he flies his little planes and drives his little cars. He's still trying hard to be a picky eater. We're exploring various options to remedy that. Sigh. Most of the time he's a pure delight to have around and will still snuggle with Mommy. :)
We've gone sledding a few times, Tyler's taken them to the zoo, and we're all trying to not get too-bad a case of cabin fever. Christmas was fun. We actually had Santa come on the 27th since Tyler and I worked Christmas Day, and he the day after. But, on the 27th, talk about magic!!! In fact, Ben woke up before Derek, at a normal time. So Tyler and I snuggled with him a bit waiting for Derek knowing that this was probably the last year before early Christmas mornings. Then, the magic began!!! I have my hesitations about the whole Santa thing, but it was fun to watch their excitement. Ben got to a point where he no longer wanted to open presents- too boring! Playing with new toys was much more fascinating.
We went uptown to the lights that afternoon and to see the giant gingerbread house in the Grand American Hotel. Holy moly! The floor was even made of rice krispie treats! It was a seriously marvelous day.
Our new year was pretty uneventful. Between the cold and work, we went to bed early New Year's Eve. Now we know how old and boring we are.
Benjamin's birthday was fun. Derek got a bit jealous as his brother opened presents. It's hard to believe he's already 2! Not fair how fast children grow.
Well, thankfully January is unusually warm. Should I be worried- water storage, etc? Perhaps, but I figure I can't do anything about it, so I'll just enjoy it, except for the inversion part.
Life is great and this blogpost is rather boring. But hey, I updated the blog, so I'm proud of myself for that.
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