Chapstick

"Chasey sweetie. I understand that you think this is really big chap stick for really big lips, but I promise it's not."

Happy Birthday Owen!

This kid is 5 already!



Owen tell me what you like about yourself?

"I like giving um people kisses and I like when we play transformers together with Bennett and I like eating pizza and I like going on hikes and I like going to Disneyland and I like going to JCWS and I like my birthdays."

What is your favorite part of the day?

"Going camping and I like when I go to friend's house and I like riding on two wheels and I like birthday presents and I like Easter day."

What don't you like?

"I don't like Bennett beating me up and I don't like tomatoes and I don't like getting my toys broken. That what I don't like."

Anything else you want to say?

"And I like my presents from my birthday."

What I learned today

1)The cardboard on which a Costco cake is placed is not very strong.

I decided to freeze the remainder of Owen's birthday cake instead of leaving it on the counter for me to wolfe down one fork-ful at a time for the next three days. I wanted to wrap saran wrap around the entire cake so I hung it about halfway off of the counter so I could wrap one side first. Before I could get the saran wrap going the cardboard buckled and dumped half the cake on the floor.


2)The term "leading the witness" will never be used against Owen.

On each of the boy's birthday we always take them out to dinner at a restaurant of their choice. Knowing full well that Owen will choose McNastys oh I mean McDonalds, Scott cleverly tries to lead him in another direction. Instead of asking him where he wants to go he says "Hey Owen, how about we go to JCW'S for your birthday lunch?" To which he immediately replies "No I want to go to McDonalds."

What I learned today

1) Forgetting to put Chase's blankets in the dryer way before nap time comes around is not a good idea. No matter how much I tried to convince him that this blanket was soft, this one was warm and cozy and this one had cool dinosaurs on it, he would not allow any of them to defile his crib. He screamed it out until he went to sleep.

2) Owen is a quick learner when it comes to bike riding. He has been asking me for a couple weeks now to take off his training wheels so he can learn to ride without. I have put it off thinking that he was too young and it would prove more frustrating than anything. I was wrong. Within a few turns around the yard he had it figured out. Even when I tried to help him he said "No Mom I can do it myself." If Owen is one thing it is determined.


3) Even the simplest things will entertain my boys. We have a hawk that lives in a pine tree next to our house. We sat for a good 30 minutes just watching the hawk soar on the wind wondering where he would turn next.

What I learned today

Chasey has been peeing in the boy's closet.

Is he working his magic with the diaper on? Or is he stripping down? I don't recall him running around naked....today. Who knows. This is all according to my ever-so-truthful would never tell a lie Owen who has reportedly witnessed these episodes and did not bother to tell me. "He has peed here and here and here and here."

The only thing I know is that the closet reeks and the carpet is wet.

Dang.

A Simple Story About Caramel Apples

About 13 years ago, Scott and I and a few other couples from our newly married Ward decided to go up to Park City for the evening. We started out at the outlet mall and did a little shopping. Correction: All the other couples were doing some shopping, but Scott and I were only looking. You see I was not working, but doing my internship to finish school and Scott was working at Jiffy Lube. The money wasn't exactly rolling in so to speak. So I drooled over some black pants at the Gap that I'm sure were tapered and pleated. I wanted them, but didn't get them. In hindsight it was probably good I didn't buy them. They undoubtedly would have made me look like an ice cream cone from the waist down. Highly unflattering.

After watching them shop we went out to dinner on Main Street. That was the one thing we decided we could afford. After dinner we strolled on down the street and ended up at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory where we all oohed and awed at the yummy caramel apples they had displayed. Something like this.



They all decided to buy one for dessert. Scott and I opted out, since we were watching our money very, very closely. I'm not sure what happened, but Scott and I left the store while they all bought their apples. Probably so they wouldn't feel bad that they were all getting one and we weren't. And sure enough on our way home our good friend's Ben and Stacey presented us with an apple they had bought for us. Very nice of them to do this. We were slightly embarrassed.

Fast forward 13 years and Scott and I found ourselves in Park City for some alone time. We went out to dinner on Main street and then happened upon the same store with all the same caramel apples flaunting their goodness at us. Well not the exact same caramel apples, those would be gross. You understand what I am saying. And you know what we did? We bought one.




The End

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

We recently had a fire-pit put in in our backyard. After it was finished Scott dumped some sand in the bottom of the pit. As soon as Chasey spotted the sand he got his scoop, jumped in and immediately got to work removing it. He doesn't need a lot of room to be happy. Perhaps the next project should be the sandbox.