Brrrr It's Cold Outside!

The bitter wind hasn't stopped blowing in two days. Yesterday I decided to go out and try to shovel a path to the front door. I stopped after about 5 minutes when I realized there was a layer of ice underneath the snow. There was no way I was shoveling unless I had an ice pick. So I took a picture instead.



An on a similar vein. Back in October on a whim I planted these 3 pots with pansies and decorative kale, thinking they would last a month or two and then die. They survived a few major windstorms and some pretty cold weather. I was impressed.

About a month ago I decided for some reason that I would try to keep them alive as long as I could. I moved them to the balmy, wind-protected south side of our house and have brought them into our well lit insulated garage when it gets below 15 outside. As soon as it warms up a bit, out they go again. I am crazy I know. They don't look that great. But seriously. I have flowers in January!

Chase

A.K.A. Chasey, Chasey love, love, little love, cub

~Loves trains and will ask to watch the train show (Thomas the train.)
~Loves scoopers and diggers. Points them out when we are driving in the car.
~Happy-go-lucky.
~Sleeps 11 hours at night. Likes to have his bug blanket between him and the mattress and then his construction vehicle blanket on top.
~Needs at least one "clean" sock to suck on every time he goes to bed or takes a nap.
~Yes, he still sucks on socks. This habit doesn't appear to be going away on its own. Luckily, he does all of his sucking in the house.
~Also likes to take 1 or 2 toys to bed with him as well. I guess to keep him company.
~Leaves wet, sucked on socks on the floor everywhere.
~In the morning he goes around and collects all the previously sucked on socks from the previous day and carries them around.
~Takes a 1-2 hour nap every afternoon.
~When he is finished with his nap I hear him yelling from his crib "Mom! Get out!"
~Loves nursery.
~Likes when babysitters come over and has no problem with me and Scott leaving.
~Does not like to wear soft pants and will throw a fit if you try and put them on.
~Loves to wear his trackhoe shirt.
~Has no interest in potty training yet.
~Will eat most anything that is put in front of him.
~Likes to tell Bennett what to bring him when he is in his crib.
~Has a definite preference for Scott right now.
~When offered a sucker he will always say "No! A blue one!" even though he has no idea what color blue actually is. All you have to do is tell him that it is blue and then he will accept it, no matter what color it is.
~Likes to read train, construction and dinosaur books with Scott.
~Has gotten into the habit of spitting on the floor. Hmmm I wonder where he learned that from?
~His vocabulary is quickly expanding. Just about speaking in full sentences.
~Makes us laugh every day with his cute phrases and behaviors.
~Likes to play with scoopers in the sand.
~Does not like to ride in the grocery cart.
~Has stick straight hair that never quite lays down.

Owen

A.K.A. Owen, fatso katso, Owen bowen pudding n pie

~My most energetic child.
~He has 2 modes. Full power and off. No in between.
~The family comedian.
~Gives very good hugs.
~Is very particular about his clothes. This winter he has insisted on wearing 2 shirts at once. He also likes his pants touching the floor. He tries to get away with wearing his older brother's clothes. And the cuffs on his shirts can't be too tight. It is a miracle he gets dressed in the morning.
~Has no inside voice...ever. All yell, all the time.
~Likes to play Legos with Bennett
~Likes to play with his friends...a lot.
~Has been giving gifts to people lately. He wraps them up in paper and tapes them together. Pine cones, feathers, suckers etc.
~Has a love/hate relationship with Bennett
~Is so full of energy some days I think he is going to explode.
~Likes to repeat questions over and over without giving me a second to respond.
~He likes full and complete answers to his questions. If he is not happy with the answer he will say "Mom tell me more about it."
~Has a chipped front tooth.
~Our little hoarder.
~Headstrong.
~Knows the entire alphabet and is doing well at learning to read.
~Likes watching the Berenstein Bears and Dragon Tales.
~Doesn't like wearing a coat when it is cold outside. He tells me it is warm.
~Likes to color and paint.
~Has a hard time listening and sitting still.
~Likes helping me bake cookies.
~Is popular with the ladies. He likes to flirt.
~Holds nothing back. Is very good at pointing out people's body parts.
~Is a very good helper when he puts his mind to it. He can stick with a task for quite awhile.
~Decides what is acceptable to eat by watching his brothers. If they hate it, he hates it too.
~Likes to sleep with a light on in his room.
~Comes into our bedroom at night to tell us he needs to use the bathroom.
~Likes his special blanket covering his pillow before he goes to bed.
~Makes a clicking noise with his mouth just for fun that Mom hopes will stop soon.
~Hair is curly when he lets me grow it out.
~Love this kid!

Bennett

A.K.A. Benihana, Benster, Ben Ben, Ben-a-rama-ding-dong

~Loves playing with Legos. Has his creations stashed all over the house. He specializes in airplanes.
~Also does well playing by himself.
~Has 4 favorite stuffed animals that sleep with him every night - sharky, rudy, tiny and puff. There is hardly any room for him. He is hoping to get a Gorilla for Christmas. I don't know where he will fit.
~Moody.
~Has an old blue blanket that he likes in his bed as well.
~Is quite popular in the neighborhood. Gets calls to play every day. His favorite friends are Max, Ryan and Koji.
~Takes piano lessons, but does not enjoy practicing at all.
~Most recent sport played - flag football.
~Talks in his sleep.
~Not particular about what he wears. He just grabs whatever is in his drawer. The only thing he doesn't like is when his pants are too loose and I really can't fault him for that!
~The most loving and caring of my boys. He is the first to give me hugs and kisses.
~Has cute chubby cheeks just like his mom use to have.
~Sneaky.
~Is very protective of his brothers if he thinks others are being mean to them.
~Has a love/hate relationship with Owen. Sometimes they play very well and other times it is war.
~Has a slight lisp.
~Is an excellent roommate for Chase. He is always willing to give him a clean sock to suck on or to get Mom or Dad when he needs something.
~Is currently reading "The Magic School Bus" with Mom.
~Needs to be reminded to complete homework and piano.
~Struggles falling asleep at night. He is the last boy to fall asleep and the last one to wake up.
~Loves playing in the shower.
~When Bennett sets his mind to something, he is very determined to accomplish it.
~Working on being honest all the time.
~Is very polite and considerate in other people's homes.
~Does well in math at school.
~Enjoys throwing a tantrum every once in awhile.
~Likes to draw rainbow pictures.
~A risk taker. Has little fear of scary rides or unknown situations.
~Likes desserts.
~Has a great smile!

Taylor

A.K.A. Taylor

~My easy-going child.
~He tends to neither get really upset or really excited.
~He is a risk assessor. Cautious about new things and likes to be filled in on the details before they happen.
~Smart as a whip.
~Sensitive.
~Very self-motivated. I rarely have to ask him to do his homework or practice piano.
~Currently plays the piano and is on fire!
~Most recent sports played are lacrosse, soccer and flag football.
~And speaking of sports, he is obsessed. What emotions he lacks in his easy-going nature, he more than makes up for it in his personal interests.
His particular sport obsession changes depending on what sport is currently being played. Right now it is soccer because of the recent World Cup.
~Wants to be a soccer referee.
~Loves to talk about sports to anyone who will listen.
~Reads the sports section and the comics in the paper everyday.
~Also loves to find the "Sports Authority" and "Big 5" ads in the paper to drool over the sports equipment.
~All he wants to watch on T.V. are soccer and football game re-runs.
~Loves to read and re-read books. He currently loves fantasy. It is rare to find him without a book in hand.
~Mumbles
~Like to play Fifa World Cup on my iphone.
~Falls asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow and is usually the first one up in the morning. Still needs 11 hours of sleep at night.
~Wrestles with his sheets and blankets while in bed.
~Has numerous friends in school and in the neighborhood. His favorites are Toshi, J.T. and David.
~Quite particular about food.
~Quite particular about the clothes he wears. No collars. Nothing too big or too small.
~Thin as a rail.
~Not a big eater, but tends to attack his food when he eats. Working on manners.
~Huge BYU fan. Wears the hat above daily. He generally avoids wearing red lest someone confuse him with a Ute fan.
~Working on self-motivated personal hygiene.
~Is very helpful around the house.
~Does not like being late for school and will pressure Bennett to hurry up.
~Likes to make muffins on Sunday morning.
~Likes his hair very, very short.
~Has recently started asking me if he can go "hang out" with his friends instead of "play."

"Jingle Bells" Chasey Style

Things learned during pregnancy are not forgotten

As I was puking my guts out this weekend with some sort of stomach flu, there were a few minutes that I felt like I could eat something. Scott had just brought home a bag of Cuties. We look forward to these delicious clementines all year.

I looked at the Cuties and my stomach said "Sure, go ahead. I can handle that." I walked over to them, and as I was confirming my decision to eat one, I suddenly had a flashback 10 and a half years ago during a 4 month long episode of puking when I was pregnant with Taylor.

I remember it clearly. It was the 24th of July. We were headed outside to watch the Stadium of Fire from our backyard. I hadn't eaten anything in days it seemed like. But I had a momentary settling of the stomach. I looked at the orange on the counter and my stomach said "Sure, go ahead. I can handle that." as it was simultaneously cackling behind my back. So I ate it and it tasted like heaven going down. It was so good. I also remember a few hours later very, very vividly that citrus is absolutely brutal in reverse.

I walked away from the Cuties.