what I can expect during dinner

Lately I have been thinking about how um ...eventful our meals are. So I decided to observe carefully for a few days to see how eventful they actually are. So here goes.

Someone will complain about the meal I make.

Some or all will get up from the table at least once while eating.

Scott and I will tell the boys at least 3 times to sit down and don't get up until finished.

Someone will fall off their chair despite the multiple warnings from mom and dad that if they don't sit down they will get hurt. Yes we are smarter than we look.

Someone will argue about where to sit.

Someone will argue about what color of cup they want. Blue is coveted, green acceptable, yellow, orange or heaven forbid pink are unacceptable.

Someone will wolf down their food and be done in 5 minutes. I don't think they actually chew, just inhale.

Someone will pick at their food for half an hour.

Someone will spend most of the time dissecting their food looking for the poisonous parts to pick out. You would think they were performing brain surgery.

Someone will spill their milk.

Scott and I will tell some or all of them to use their napkin, not their sleeve at least twice.

Someone will try and sneak a toy onto the table despite the rule that no toys are allowed on the table while we eat.

Someone will complain that the food is too hot despite that fact that the food has been blown upon until it is at room temperature.

Scott and I will argue with at least one of them about how many more bites they need to take and what constitutes an actual bite.

Scott and I will threaten no dessert.

Scott and I will threaten immediate bedtime if their meal isn't finished.

At least one of them will sneak their plate over to the dishwasher without taking the number of bites agreed upon.

Mom will request 2 minutes of silence. She usually gets about 10 seconds followed by a minute of suppressed giggling sounds from all three.

Someone will use the words "poo" or "pee" at least once. This is followed by more snickering which if followed by Scott or myself requesting those words not to be used at the dinner table.

Lego Guys + Star Wars =

Some very happy boys. Santa was very clever in bringing them Legos with a lot of guys. How did he know these would go over so well? He must have some inside information.

Highlights of Christmas

Baking Christmas Cookies. A little overkill on the sprinkles don't ya think? Funny story. The night after we made these cookies Taylor threw up. He blamed it on the cookies and will now not touch sugar cookies.


Assembling and decorating a Gingerbread house. Thank you Costco. That $10.00 kit was well worth the money. Maybe I am slow and everyone else knows this trick, but hot glue is the best way to glue gingerbread together.


Assembling 84 hygiene kits for the Humanitarian Center with the Kimballs. A tradition we started several years ago and love!


4 boys in their new pajamas waiting to go down to see what Santa brought them. Sorry Chasey I couldn't find matching ones for you.


2 boys pouring over the Best Book Ever!


Assembling new Star Wars Lego kits. A definite hit.



Putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Another tradition we love. However this tradition can only happen when we don't have a toddler tearing it apart faster than we can put it together. This was a good year.

We miss you little guy

Merry Christmas Gavin.

our house guest

I would like you to meet Andy. He appeared at our house on December 1st and has been doing a very good job keeping an eye on the kiddos and reporting back to Santa every evening. He also does a wonderful job finding a new place to sit and watch the chaos when he returns from the North Pole. A place that is up high so no little hands can reach him. We wouldn't want his magic to disappear would we.

Taylor thinks he is great. After we read the story of why this elf came to our house he immediately believed and started talking to him. Taylor understands that Andy has strict instructions from Santa not to talk back - but he does listen. Good enough for Taylor. He told Andy that he had rosy cheeks and to please not hide in the basement or upstairs. Every time he talks to him he waits there for a few seconds hoping maybe Andy will respond.

Bennett was skeptical and was not as welcoming at first. His first response after the introduction was "He is not real, he is fake." After some convincing from Taylor he decides Andy is welcome and is o.k. to keep watch. Bennett does ask Mom if Andy can watch him in other rooms and outside of the house. Hmmm maybe we will invite Andy to stay longer than Christmas Eve.

Owen was the man who came up with our little Elf's name. The name Austin Collie was shot down by mom. Owen likes Andy, but doesn't quite understand what he is here for. He often goes up to Andy and says "Hi Andy...Hi Andy." He then gets frustrated and says to mom "He's not talking!" Sorry Owen, Santa does not look kindly on those that disobey his rule.

All three kids love to get up in the morning to find where Andy is watching for the day. Mom loves telling Andy if the boys have been good or bad. Thanks for the idea Amber!

feeling helpless & frustrated

Poor little Chasey has developed quite a case of eczema. It is not surprising considering that Scott has always had it and Owen has it. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I could control it, but I can't. I have tried almost everything.

I started to notice some scaly patches on his legs a few months ago. Slowly the patches moved up his legs, onto his arms and they are now on his shoulders, cheeks, stomach and back. I really thought I could get rid of them with the standard measures that I have done with Owen. Eucerin and Vaseline right after baths. That is not even phasing it.

Eczema is hereditary. I know at least one reason why he has it. But it can be exacerbated by numerous things including food allergies, dry winter air and environmental triggers (dyes, mites, pet dander etc.) or for no reason at all. The trick is finding out what the triggers are. That is the hard part. Knowing this I started doing one thing after another. I started by changing his and my laundry detergent to Dreft. I have tried Eucerin, Vaseline, calming creme, Lanolin, shea butter and Aquaphor on him. He is so lubed up he practically shimmers. He is getting wet wraps in his oatmeal baths. It is not phasing it. When it is really bad I will put a tiny amount of cortisone on his patches, but I hate using steroids on him at all.

I stripped his room of everything that might possibly hold a dust mite and put a humidifier in his room. I have even resorted to cutting out dairy in my diet to see if that helps him. I read that the following things can trigger eczema: dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, citrus, nuts. Hello? What does one eat then? Sticks and twigs?

I think the most frustrating thing is that everything you do to try to reduce the eczema takes at least two weeks to take effect. That means that by the time he is 18 I may be able to figure out what is causing it, if it is actually something instead of just the hereditary thing. I will get to a point where I think I have it under control and then he flares up again.

I took him to a dermatologist today to see what if anything else I could do for him. Unfortunately everything that he told me I already knew. He just gave me 2 prescriptions for some outrageously expensive medications that may help. And one of them is a cortisone medication that I will use very sparingly.

As far as food allergies he said those are very hard to determine. Yep knew that too. So now I am wondering if I should continue with my dairy free diet for a few more weeks to see if it helps. Consuming no dairy is definitely testing my dedication to nursing. The only hope is that I will lose a few pounds. :)

It breaks my heart to see scabs all over his face and legs from itching.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

12,000 legos!




12,000 ways I have tried to keep them contained in one area and failed
12,000 places that I have found them hiding in my house
12,000 different toys my boys have built
12,000 different arguments over who gets the gold visor or the jet pack
12,000 times I have stepped on one
12,000 times I have sucked them up in the vacuum
12,000 times they have asked me to find or build or fix a part
12,000 times I have found them in the washer or dryer
12,000 times I wish they would disappear
12,000 times they have snuck out of the house
12,000 hours of entertainment

We can't live without Legos at our house

Whew! I'm done!

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

Eleven Hardy Boy books and counting



This kid is a lightning fast reader. Little did my mom know that when she started giving Taylor Hardy Boy books that he would race through them in a half a day. The funny thing is that when Taylor reads he can't sit still. He wanders through the house. Here he is reading on our stair landing. Not quite upstairs not quite down. And of course always his football at his side.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

Ten filthy toes that snuck into the house.



And ten more filthy toes that were caught before they could make it in.



That filth is mulch in case you are wondering.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

Nine hours of uninterrupted sleep!



What makes this especially miraculous as that he did it with his arm out of his swaddle. Usually as soon as he works his arm or arms out he is up and crying.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

8 works of art.



Taylor is an avid BYU football fan. As soon as the football season started he drew these fantastic pictures and hung them on his wall. The numbers are his favorite players. Collie, Unga, Pitta, Vacapuna, Jorgensen, Tafuna, and Nixon. Taylor did inform me that he had Max Hall's number (15) hung up as well, but it fell down.

And Taylor made a comment while I was writing this: "One reason why his number shouldn't be on (his wall) is because he threw 5 interceptions and 1 fumble in the Utah game." Yes, Taylor has become disenchanted with Max Hall. So sorry Max.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

7 letters formed from a piece of cardboard. B,C,O,P,U,V,W

On the sixth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

6 prized toys stored in a trail mix container.


2 cars, a football, a McDonald's toy, a duck, and a storm trooper. And no we did not eat the trail mix.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

5 precious minutes to get something done before meltdown.

Lovin it!

Tolerating it.

Get me out of it!

On the fourth day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

4 seats that are always available on their space ship.



Bennett and Owen are constantly lining up the kitchen chairs into rows for their spaceship. Food is always involved as well. This time they were eating chocolate.

On the third day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

3 kids that have me laughing all the time!



When Scott and I went down to Tampa we went to a luau dinner. We brought the hats and leis back for them. The boys thought they were great. They wore them around for a few days and then I threw them in the costume box. You never know when they will come in handy for a future Halloween costume.

On the second day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

Two funny faces



Every morning when I unwrap Chase from his swaddle he stretches and makes the funniest face. He is stretching everything from head to toe!



This pix is of Bennett when he was just being goofy! He loves to make funny faces for the camera.

And while I'm on number two for today.

Two sitting ducks



I noticed these two ducks sitting on the deck while Taylor and Bennett were playing football. I asked what the ducks were for and Taylor told me they were watching the game. I guess they needed some spectators. This picture is of Taylor and Bennett walking around the field with their team flag (aka garage broom).

On the first day of Christmas my true loves gave to me

One little boy stashing his gum for future enjoyment.

I also caught him trying to stash his gum on his cheek. That didn't work so well. It fell off before I could get a picture. He LOVES gum!

What Am I Thankful For?

these



and this




him




this




and these when they are not doing naughty things




this




most definitely these



and who could not be thankful for kissy lips



and of course this



and most definitely, positively this



just to name a few

You get what you pay for

This is the classic example. Last night we opened the "store" for the boys to purchase something from the prize box. They had all done well earning tickets for the week and each had enough to buy a $1 toy. All of them wanted to buy these faux Power Rangers. I stupidly had only bought 2 of them instead of 3, but that is another story. Within half a day one leg had broken off of 2 out of the 3 Power Rangers. A design flaw perhaps? No, just cheap as you can get. I think these toys were literally falling apart as they were taking them out of the box. So I spent a half an hour trying to fix the stupid legs. They were of course disappointed that the toy they spent their hard earned tickets on was a piece of crap. The only way I could figure out how to fix the legs was to wrap a rubber band around them. Plus, the sword surprisingly wouldn't stay in the hand, so Bennett had taped it in place.

I guess the upside of it all is that I talked to Taylor about the concept of delayed gratification. You save up more tickets = you get something nicer. I think it pretty much went over his head, but I'm just trying to plant the seed at this point.

living life

Today I went down to BYU for a little Christmas shopping. I got a 20% coupon in the mail the other day and I decided to use it sooner rather than later. But shopping at BYU isn't really what this post is about. You see in the back of my mind I have always thought that if you took away my kids that go with me everywhere and put on some clothes that were actually in style, I would still fit in with the college crowd. I would still look like them. Today I felt old. I don't fit in anymore. I swear it seems only a couple of years ago that I graduated. It has been ten years. Where did that time go? I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I did not see a skinny freshman. I saw a mom with a "mom" body. It didn't depress me, it was just a reminder of where I am in life.

The other day I was talking to my sister-in-law Michelle and I was telling her that I still feel like I am a new mom. When I talk to moms with only one or two kids I feel like I am one of them, but I am not. I am a mom with 4 kids! How did that happen? Didn't I just have Taylor a few years ago? What happened to all that time since then?

I have always known that time flies quickly. When people tell me to enjoy my kids now because they grow up so fast I have never doubted that. They are growing up fast. Faster than I ever imagined they could. Every once in awhile I will catch myself saying things like "As soon as he does this...." or "It will be so nice when he can..." I have been stopping myself a lot more lately from saying stuff like this. I know it is only a matter of time.

Right now I know where my kids are every night. Right now every single one of them think Scott and I are the best things in the world. Right now they are soaking up whatever we tell them like a sponge.


Right now he would rather throw the football with me than with any of his other friends.


Right now this kid says the sweetest things and I see my 5 year old chubby cheeks on him.


Right now his personality is blossoming and he makes me laugh with his ever-growing vocabulary.


Right now I can't get enough of this one. I really could smell him and hold him all day long.

Right now they are all mine.

tweaking the tickets

A few months ago I started a ticket system in order to encourage my boys to do or not to do certain behaviors. It worked very well. However, lately I have gotten lazy about giving them tickets and I realized that my system needed some tweaking. It was getting to be more of a hassle for me to dole out tickets all day everyday and then keep track of them.

Yesterday my friend and I were chatting while our kids were playing and we had a nice long discussion about the ticket system. She has been doing it for awhile with her kids and she had some good ideas for me. So I have reworked the system. Tickets are only given out at night and rewards are given out once a week. I compiled a list of what they can do to earn tickets each day and a list of rewards that they can buy with their tickets. I don't think this system is perfect yet, but I am going to give this version a go and see what else needs to change.

How Sweet

Sometimes I forget how sweet my kids can be. Last night we arrived home from Tampa with 3 mini Nerf footballs and 1 mini baseball. I told Owen this morning that the softball was for Chase and the other boys each got a football. Obviously Chase got the baseball so there would be no arguing among the older boys. I found Chase snuggled up against his baseball a little while later.

Greetings from Florida!

Scott, Chase and I are spending some time in Tampa for a few days. The weather is delightfully warm and I am delightfully happy to have a much needed break from being mommy to 4. Seriously, what on earth did I do all day with only 1 child, or less than 4 for that matter? Don't get me wrong. I am not saying less than 4 is easy. I remember being quite busy with only 1, 2 and 3 kids. It is a mystery how us moms adjust depending on the number that we have.

Little Chase here has been a piece of cake. When we leave our hotel room every person we walk by oohs and aahs at how cute he is. I will definitely agree. My goal for the next few days is to sleep, read and eat something deep fried for every meal.




A little windy and a little bright. I think that is standard weather for most beaches.



Chasey testing out the water with his little toes.



Love the hat!

low-tech

scott.

sitting on our bed.

listening to the UofU vs. TCU game

broadcast on a 20 year old

clock radio.



pretty funny.