Natalie's Latest Adventures

Hiding in the corner with Jansen's favorite racecar and his blanket...if he knew about this he would NOT BE HAPPY. "No laddie!!!"

This is a video of Natalie cruising around.

Warning: video may not be suitable for all viewers...could be considered very boring unless you love Natalie as much as we do!

Stroller Stress

Decision: We won't be getting one of these any time soon.

Nate and I have been tossing around the idea of getting a double jogging stroller/bike trailer for a long time. We thought this would be the perfect way to spend time together, get some exercise, enjoy the outdoors, etc. But apparently Jansen and Natalie don't feel the same. All along we have known that they probably wouldn't want to ride in one, and we were right. We borrowed this one from a friend for the day to see how the kids liked it...they hated it. Now, I think Natalie would learn to like it and put up with it after a few trial runs, but Jansen will always hate it. He has always hated strollers and swings and things like that. He was screaming, "Please stop! Please! STOP!" for the full 2 minutes we tried it out. I think he was really scared. Anyway, there goes that idea. In some ways it's kind a relief...knowing we shouldn't buy it...like seeing a cute shirt that you really shouldn't buy and then finding out they don't have your size anyway...it's nice to have the decision made for us. Hmmm....now where else can we spend our stimulus check...

Mess!

I accumulated a few books from my year of teaching second grade...and now they are coming back to haunt me. It's always been nice to have more books than Jansen could ever get bored of, but after we found this in his room, I am wondering if they need a new home. Yes, he is pretty much climbing a small hill of books in this picture. We've come across a few old favorites as we've sorted through and worked on cleaning up the pile. I think it's so great that some books that don't have the most "intense" or up to date illustrations are still some of his most loved. (I'm thinking of Goodnight Moon, Make Way for Ducklings, and Goodnight Gorilla.) Books are so cool.

Bring on the Boards! And Bring Back My Husband!

Nate has been preparing and studying for the boards, the first of 3 standardized exams that med students take in order to become licensed as a physician. Scoring well is very important if you want to get into a competitive residency. So for the past little while he has been swallowed up in the foreign-to-me world of pharmacology, biochemistry, organ systems, etc. What's even more amazing is he has been finding spelling mistakes and other errors in the practice question banks and has submitted them to the publishers and earned us almost $200 in Amazon.com gift cards! He's too smart for his own good. If you leave a comment on this post (which I would sure love) wish him good luck on Wednesday!

Despite the heavy load he is dealing with right now, he always comes to my rescue around 5 o clock when I just don't think I can be a mom for another second. He usually takes the kids outside while I take a deep breath and finish making dinner.

Here is the doctor in action. Mom, please, please don't be worried about this or upset at me for taking a picture of it. Everything worked out just fine and Lyme disease is rare for the amount of kids that get ticks. We were undressing Jansen the other night to cut his hair and found a tick on him. (We'd been on a walk at a Metro Park earlier that day.) For some reason it really didn't upset me like I have always imagined it would.

Things have been really rough with Natalie lately. It almost feels like the colic days again. She won't eat solids anymore (I'm not just talking baby food, she just doesn't want to eat, period) so she just has bottles all day. Teething maybe? Every time I offer something to her, she starts to fuss and then whacks it out of my hand. She's too much of a busybody to sit and drink more than about 3 oz. at a time, so she just has lots of sips all day. She has been very fussy and waking a lot at night. She has a bad diaper rash and is also sick...runny nose and that persistent, nap-shortening, sleep interrupting cough that I hate!!! She has been frightened by some curious things lately. She got very scared on an escalator today, hates the swings, and was also freaked out when I sat in the front seat of the car and was going to let her play with the steering wheel. She did not want to be there, almost acted claustrophobic or something.

Friday

We made our first trip of the year to the zoo on Friday. And my first time doing it with 2 kids. I know, waaaahhhh poor me (not really), but this kind of thing takes planning, strategy, and some getting used to! It was a crazy, crowded, crying-filled time, but I'm so glad I went. And will go again soon. Here are a few pictures I managed to take:

It was date night again. Woohoo! We went miniature golfing and had a gay old time. Don't even ask me what I am doing in that last picture in the "cave" twirling my pink ball. We got some value menu Wendy's afterwards and I just can't escape the fact that a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and a Frosty is just so tasty sometimes.

A few funny (at least they are to me) things Jansen has said the past few days:

-Nate was carrying Jansen across some mud so he wouldn't have to walk through it and when they reached the other side Jansen said, ''Well done, daddy, well done."

-Jansen: "I have an idea Mommy." Me: "What is it?" Jansen: "It's a surprise."

-I told Jansen to come to me so that I could change his diaper. He said, "No way, Mommy. No way." (Pause) "What's 'no way' Mommy?"

-He always exclaims, "Oh my peas!" Kind of like, oh my goodness. I think this is from SuperWhy but I am not sure. Can anyone confirm that?

Here's What's Cookin'

Natalie loves messing around in this little kitchen. As I mentioned earlier, it has fallen over on her twice...it was so sad! It's nailed to the wall now. Here are some shots of her cookin' up something special...

Whatever Floats Your Boat

I love spending $1 and making my little guy so happy. And adding another toy to the crazy mess that rules my home. It's my own doing I guess. After going to Target to pick up a few specific things (that ended up not being there ironically) we walked out with this little toy boat. My main reason for this post is not the boat; it's because I love this picture of Natalie having a happy time watching Jansen float his boat. Her big milestone lately is puling herself up on things. She has pulled our little pretend kitchen down on top of her twice, but other that things have gone pretty smoothly. This is definitely an age that requires a very watchful eye all the time.

When I first told Jansen I was going to take his picture he held the boat in front of his face. I told him to move it so I could see his face and he gave me this pose. I think he did it so I could "see his face" better.

Party at the Park

When Natalie woke up WAY TOO SOON from her afternoon nap the other day I whisked the kids off to the park. I was not about to spend the afternoon wandering around my house. It was definitely a good decision. I met another mom there who had a little girl that Jansen loved running around with. We chatted while they played. It's amazing how much more enjoyable life is when you have someone over the age of 2 to talk to! Jansen is getting a lot braver with the playground equipment...a good and bad thing. He is loving parks these days (what kid doesn't) and I am making sure I make the most of these spring days.

Natalie's Bowl

Oh boy does Natalie love this bowl. The infatuation first began in the bathtub. She figured out how to fill it with a little water and then swing it up to her mouth and drink the water...practically drowning herself each time. And then, sputtering, coughing, and blinking away the water, she would fill it up and do it again. We have to hide it at bath time because I don't want her drinking dirty bath water, and I hate seeing her choke on it. But if she spots it, she gets so upset and wants it so badly.

Just Hangin' Out

It made me smile to walk in Jansen's room the other day and find this:

Lounging by the log---she likes to pull that black vent (or whatever it is) off the front of the fireplace.

Last Day

Jansen finished up his Sporties for Shorties class today. I think he wore this baseball shirt every time...per his request. He "played golf" for a good part of the class today and I had to laugh when they instructor said something to the effect of, "That's good that's he's playing a sport today." (Since he usually just runs around or invents new ways to use the equipment.)

Here's his good buddy Aiden who had just finished at the T-ball area and thought he would try a swing with the golf club.

The other day I was telling Jansen all the people (family) we will be visiting next month and he got really excited. He said to me, "All of them! All my friends I love in my house. And I love my special rock." Typical Jansen jibberish that I LOVE listening to.

My Favorite Room, Gifts, and a Mom

My cousin Angie had the splendid idea of doing a "Favorite Room" Tag. You know, take a picture of your favorite room and tell 5 things about it. Fabulous. I have put this off a bit because my bedroom is never clean, but I realized if I waited until it was, then I would never ever do it. So here it is in it's plain, messy glory. Someday I will get around to adding some color and depth to it. But my favorite room nonetheless. And this is why:

1. We have a really nice view of the pond across from our house. It's fun to watch the geese and ducks and everyone else enjoying it on a nice night.

2. Because the recliner lives here. I just fall more and more in love with this chair as time goes on. It's so comfy and so...reclinable.

3. This is where I read.

4. I love the ambiance of a lamp and I love to turn off the light and flip on the lamp and feel cozy.

5. This room represents my retreat after the kids go to bed. I live for bedtime. I love my kids to pieces, but my alone time after they are asleep is INVALUABLE, NECESSARY, TREASURED, ETC.!

This is my Mother's Day gift and I love it. Under the odd colored pillowcase is a splendid, puffy pillow that Nate got for me. And the other gift...super turbo insect killer. We kind of have a lot of bugs here, and I am especially not fond of spiders, so I am so excited to have the house sprayed down. (Sorry Leisy.)

I've been called to teach the 9/10 year olds in Primary. I guess I have some experience with this type of thing having taught school, but any bits of advice or secrets would be much appreciated! My mom teaches this same age in her ward in Utah and I thought that was pretty cool.

And of course, Happy Mother's Day Mom. I love you!

My Vain Children

Watch out ladies, there's a new man in town.

Who's the fairest of them all?

The Hoover Maneuver

And here is my dashing husband in front of the Hoover Grille where we had dinner last night to celebrate our anniversary. It has a great view of the Hoover Reservoir and I thought the food was excellent. And I don't feel that way about restaurants too terribly often. We had one of those $25 gift certificates that cost $10 that we had been meaning to use. Too bad it was raining, but even rain can be beautiful right? Nate thought it was a little Seattle-esque.

Here we are...just beginning to digest our Tuscan Chicken Marsala and something Walleye. Every time I eat out I usually think 2 things: I love eating out! And, This is so expensive! We will definitely be going back sometime.

May 7, 2004

Definitely the best decision I ever made...

(Not the dress, people! NATE!)

Some things I remember:

• being late to our own reception
• wearing one of those corset things for some stupid reason and feeling nauseated from it
• feeling SO glad it was a nice evening for our outdoor reception (May is risky in UT)
• Nate bringing me breakfast from Einstein's that morning
• forgetting our marriage license and having to run back and get it (just to the parking garage)
• feeling incredibly stressed that morning and probably being a little bit of a brat to my mom
• seeing my sister cry after the reception
• feeling like the luckiest girl in the world!
  

Back in the Spotlight

I love seeing this face peeking up over the crib when she wakes up.

FYI: Not be outdone by her brother, Natalie ALSO has an ear infection in her left ear. Kind of a crazy coincidence! Lucky me!