Aaron's Favorites

• Shaking the gate at the top of the stairs like he's in prison and wants to get out.
• Opening and slamming shut the entertainment center doors.
• Hitting his sister in the face with anything he can get his hands on.
• Getting all the cups and bowls out of the kiddie drawer.
• Playing in the cat food and water.
• Eating the cat food.
• Putting cups and lids and toys and Halloween candy in the cat water.
• Lifting the toilet seat and lid.
• Sticking his fingers in my mouth and nose.
• Crawling on the concrete driveway with bare knees.
• His dad.
• Taking the knobs off the stereo.
• Everything in his sister's room.
• Messing with the computer while I'm trying to type a very important post.

AND

• Soft, fuzzy blankets for snuggling.

I LOVE being a mom to a one-year old. I mean it. I really do!

Just Because I'm a Follower . . .

Seems like everyone is posting about Halloween, so I guess I should too. A couple of weeks ago I was feeling like we don't go out and do enough fun stuff together, I mean just me and the kids. So I took the kids to "Pumpkinland" and we had a great time. Aaron was very sleepy, but he was a trooper. Sara thought it was the best thing ever. We found our way through the corn maze, she got to play on the bouncy slide and in the bounce-house, we played at the regular park, and went through the "light" alley. Then we picked out our pumpkins. Or rather, Sara picked out a pumpkin for me, Than, her, Aaron, and our cat Bronco. And she picked them out by size so Aaron's was the smallest and Than's was the biggest. Somehow she thinks that our cat is bigger than both her and Aaron. He is a big cat, but not that big. Sara loved her pumpkin so much that she wanted to sleep with it when we went home.

Sara sitting on some hay.

Messing around.

Aaron thinks that getting his picture taken is serious business.

A few days later we went to a Halloween party. Sara wanted to dress up as a kitty so I bought some face paint and make-up stuff. We were in a big hurry that night so I left everything out in her bathroom. The next morning was Saturday so Than was being his sweet self and let me sleep in. I guess that Sara was being exceptionally quiet for a long time and when Than went to check on her, he found her in the bathroom, all dolled-up. It looked like she put pink and purple war paint all over her face.

Ain't she a beauty?

Like I said before, Sara absolutely loved her pumpkin. We've never actually carved pumpkins as a family, but I thought that we'd give it a try this year. Well, Sara wanted none of that!!! How could we possibly cut the pumpkin that she adored so much? So we let her paint it and we left the others on the front porch as-is.

What a masterpiece!!

And now to the big day!!! Sara got to dress-up for preschool and they had a little Halloween party. They had a parade through the halls and she even got candy from all the kids in her class. Our plan for the evening was for Than to take the kids out Trick-or-Treating and for me to hang back and pass out the candy. But Aaron's been feeling miserable because he's got another ear infection. I hadn't yet taken a picture of both kids in the costumes, so I got Aaron all dressed up just for a few pictures. He wasn't having any of it. He screamed and screamed, but I had to get a picture, right? Anyway, Aaron stayed home with me and we made chilli and cornbread with honeybutter (our Halloween tradition). Also, Aaron had his first lollipop so the evening wasn't a total bust for him.

Than and Sara went trick-or-treating with Sara's friend Josie and her Dad. They got too much candy from everyone and hot chocolate from the Mackay's and homemade doughnuts from the Perry's. It was so great that it was nice enough outside to not have to wear jackets, but it did rain on them a bit. The end of Sara's tail was fluffy and white when she left and wet and gray when they got home. To end the day, we had some family visitors come over and we hung out for awhile. It was a fun day, but boy am I glad it's over!!

Sara the kitty.

Look at that lion roar!

Yummy.

Poor Sweet Boy

Before we left for Chicago, Aaron was looking not well. I took him to the doctor and it turned out he had a minor ear infection. The doc put him on some antibiotics because we were going out of town and so it wouldn't get worse while aunts and uncles were caring for him. When we got back, he still had his runny nose, but he seemed good enough. Then, on Saturday, he slept until 10 am and when he finally awoke, he had some hives. I took him to an instacare where they told me it looks like he's allergic to penicillin. Yep, allergic to penicillin! And his ear infections had gotten worse. They gave us an different kind of antibiotic and we were on our way. His hives really flared up on Sunday and Monday so I took him back to the doctor and got a prescription to really get rid of them. The poor guy had pink splotches all over his body--his legs, tummy, back, arm and face. Today he's looking a lot better. The funny thing is he hasn't seemed really fussy about it. I guess that's not a funny thing, it's a good thing.

And then, this morning, when I got him out of his crib, his pj legs were all wet. I couldn't understand how his diaper could have leaked so much that his little footsies were soaked. When I unzipped his jammies, I found his diaper rolled up in a ball, stuffed down one leg. And to top it all off, it was poopy. What a way to start the day!!

Our Super-Duper Fun-Filled Trip to CHICAGO!!!

I think my title says it all. No need to explain now. We went to Chicago. Had lots of fun. The end.

I guess there is a little more to it. So thanks to Than's work, he got to go to a conference in Chicago and spouses were invited too. We shipped the kids off with aunts and uncles, who we are indebted to greatly. I was scared silly to be so far away from our little guys, to not know that they were safe every second of the day. And to top it all off, Aaron got sick 2 days before we left and had an ear infection. But even with all that going on, we packed up and headed out.

Our first day we were pretty pooped from the flight and horrible drive from O'hare to our hotel. It took us over an hour to drive 20 miles. Yet, we still got dressed up all fancy and headed to the posh hotel restaurant for some yummy eats. The next day was filled with grown-up stuff that our kids would have hated. First, Than had some classes in the morning and we had some pizza for lunch. Then we went downtown and saw Wicked. It felt like we were the last people on earth to have seen it and even a couple of 8 year old girls sitting in front of us were raving about the show before it began. I thought it was amazing and I cried at the end. Than even enjoyed himself. After the show we drove around the city so Than could see where I lived when I was a little girl. (I was born in Chicago and lived there until I was 7). I lived about a mile away from Wrigley Field and Than loved seeing that famed field where the Cubs play.

Waiting for Wicked to begin.

The famous Wrigley sign.

When we got to my old street, there was no where to park. Except in a tiny spot right next to a fire hydrant that really wasn't big enough for our rental, so we were parked a little in the red. No big deal. We were going to just take a few pictures walk down the street a bit. As we were doing just that, we started to hear sirens and joked about them heading our way. Sure enough, we turn to see a big red firetruck with lights flashing turn onto my childhood street. Oh, we panicked and ran back to our car just as the firetruck stopped a few feet away. Turns out that there was a elderly care center right across the street and the firetruck was only there to accompany an ambulance. Than was so relieved because he had visions of Backdraft going through his head where the firemen have to bust through the car's windows to get to the hydrant. Hey, that movie was even set in Chicago.

Me in front of my old house.

After all that excitement we went out to dinner at Ditka's. That's the restaurant of Mike Ditka, former coach of the Chicago Bears who lead them to winning the Superbowl in 1985. The food was delish and it was cool seeing the old and new signed photos of athletes that decorated the walls.

The next day, after classes and all, we went to the Art Institute. I loved seeing all those famous paintings. We even stared at A Sunday on Le Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. Just like Cameron on Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That night we had reservations on a dinner cruise on the lake with some others of the conference-goers. It was a beautiful crisp and clear night. Our boat cruised back and forth on the lake and we got amazing views of the city at night.

American Gothic.

Us at the pier.

The city from the lake at night.

On our last day we got to hear Bob Costas speak to the convention crowd. He had some great stories. That day was very cold and rainy. Still, we braved the elements because we had a few things we had to do. The first one was to eat an authentic Chicago Dog. Second, we took an architectural tour on the river. And the last was to walk for hours downtown in the pouring rain to find presents to take home for our kids and for everyone who helped us out while we were gone. We got soaked to the bone. Even my underwear was wet. We sought refuge in an Indian restaurant, which was to me an appropriate way to end the trip--like paying respects to my dad while I was there.

I took this picture. Not half-bad if you ask me.

The Sears Tower.

When we got home everything was fine. Aaron took his first steps to me when he saw me. (But he hasn't done it again since). Andy totally cleaned our house. Our neighbors didn't steal our mail. It was great. It was so fun to do so many grown-up things. And it was wonderful to be back home and dry with our kids.

I Am...

This is a Tag from Amy. So here you go...

*I am....neglecting all the laundry I should be doing.
*I think....I am addicted to Dr. Pepper.
*I know....I am happy.
*I want....my sweet hubby to be sitting right next to me.
*I have....2 super sweet kids.
*I miss....going to school.
*I fear....losing someone I love.
*I feel....ready for my kids to go to bed.
*I hear....Kipper the Dog playing on the DVD player.
*I smell....nothing; my poor nose is all stuffed up.
*I crave....a yummy fruit salad with strawberries, grapes, and peaches.
*I cry....too much!! Especially when I get angry.
*I search...for matching socks in my drawer.
*I wonder....how my kids will turn out.
*I regret....not choosing a math based major in college.
*I wish....Than and I could go away for our anniversary.
*I love....the sound of a baby laughing--especially my baby Aaron.
*I care....about my family.
*I always....wear the same pair of earrings.
*I worry....about EVERYTHING.
*I am not....as outgoing as I want to be.
*I remember....when gas cost $1.00/gallon.
*I believe....in miracles.
*I sing...off key; I think I'm horrible.
*I don't always....act rationally.
*I argue....with my sister about politics.
*I write....the the notes and agenda for our RS presidency meeting.
*I lose....when I get angry and yell at Sara.
*I listen....to the radio in the car and my 4 year old knows the words to songs she shouldn't know.
*I don't understand...why people do such mean nasty things.
*I can usually be found....with my kids.
*I need....to have more patience.
*I forget....too much of the stuff I learned in school.
*I am happy....that Sara loves her brother and is so kind to him.

And now I tag no one!!

He's gone mental on account of the Skittles

Yes, I am addicted to changing my background. I admit it. I just can't stop. We'll see how long this one lasts.



Yesterday we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's to watch the BYU game. Which was awsome, by the way. So some people ate some Skittles and then left their half-eaten bags laying around. I'm not naming any names. And it's not really their fault that no one was watching my boy when he found one of these aforementioned bags. All of a sudden we realized that Aaron had a mouthful of something. As I approached him, I noticed an obsene amount of stickiness and discovered that he was covered in sugary-slobber. We took him to the closest bathroom and got him all cleaned up, but not before he flashed a big cheesy grin for the camera.

A few minutes later I put him back down on the floor to play around. He started crawling really fast to nowhere then changing direction on a dime. We were laughing so hard. The following video is evidence of Aaron's sugar high, and subsequent crash.

Good-Bye for 4 Months

Oh, my hubby. How I love you so much. I will miss you dearly as you are away from us for so long. I will welcome you back with open arms when you return in January. Good-Bye!!

College football season officially began on Saturday, thus changing our lives completely for the next 4 months. No, Than is not leaving us to travel the country with the BYU Football team. He will be at home, in body, but in mind and spirit he will be consumed with the ol' Cougars. The funny thing is that I don't mind. Too much. It's mushy, but I love him so much so if watching game after game after game makes him happy, I'm happy.

The home I grew up in was void of sports. I was the geeky girl in PE who was deathly afraid of the ball. And I still am. I wouldn't get near a volleyball game even to save my life. But I have a sweet, patient man who explains all the rules to me over and over again so now I know some stuff. I know what a safety is, and a quarterback sneak, and a blitz. I know the penalties for holding and pass interference. I know that BYU is ranked number 15 on the AP College Football Poll. So I actually enjoy sitting down and watching the game with him. One game, mind you, not 2 or 3 or more in a day. It's fun to me that he can come home and talk to me about some player or how excited he is for next Saturday and we actually have a conversation. I have even found myself listing to Sports Talk Radio in the car on occasion. Oh, what have I become?!!!

But then there is Fantasy Football . . . that's a different story.