In the Eyes of a Child

Tim was watching ESPN when Mel Kiper came on. Kyle looked at him and instantly exclaimed, "Papa!" It made us laugh. Kiper was wearing glasses, so he looked a little more like Papa than this picture.

Also related, whenever I'm in Dillards and pass the men's section, Kyle says, "Dada!" when he sees the pictures of the men in white boxer briefs. How hilarious is that? Tim, I think it's probably a compliment.
  
          (I didn't want to search for a picture to give you the idea. Just laugh next time you're in a department store).

One week until Christmas!

Fire Station #49

A few weekends ago we went to our neighbor's birthday party. We had lunch at the park and then went to the fire station. Everything was perfect except it was freezing!! Poor Kyle only had one jacket that is too small, no mittens or beanie. He seemed to be fine as he ran around and refused to drink the hot chocolate I was offering.

   At the fire station the boys climbed inside the fire truck and an ambulance. Kyle was very serious in the truck, which is a sign he loved it. I had to pull him away from the steering wheel.

  This is how he handles the paparazzi lately:


Each kid got a turn spraying the hose. Unfortunately Kyle was more interested in the truck than the hose.


These smiles are pure happiness!:

I'm glad I threw in my camera at the last minute. Kyle loved playing with the older boys!

The Wall

My sister was home over Thanksgiving and took this pic of "the wall" in our house. She was so excited to officially be part of it. The funny thing is that my parents had arranged it to fit three pics in October, and now a year later had to make room for one more. I love coming home and seeing these beautiful pictures of my siblings and their spouses.

Seriously though, how lucky am I to totally love a) all my siblings and b) all of their spouses? We're each different in our own little way, but have fun together. Taylor just better keep it up and marry a cool girl. I guess he still has a few years to work on that :).

Let's Play a Game

Out of the following characters, who do you think is the happiest these days?

A) Tim- a second year law student studying for finals while also trying to deal with characters B and C

B) Jennifer- a stay at home mom who is pregnant with baby number 2, always hungry but can't pinpoint what sounds good to eat, and dealing with characters A and C

or

C) Kyle- a boy who is one month away from turning two, currently expressing the phrase, "No. Mine," too much and suddenly whines and cries all the time when he doesn't get his way. (I never knew he didn't get his way so often!) Also trying to deal with characters A and B.

Why do the walls seem to be getting closer in each day? The good news is that Tim's last final is this Wednesday, so we should feel some more love by at least one more person this week.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Footed PJs

Does anyone know of a brand of footed pjs that run a little long for their size? Kyle has the Carter's size 2T and they are just a little too short in the length. The 3T would probably be too big.

Thanks!

Speaking of pjs, these pics from last year get me excited about the Christmas season!

Oh I miss kissing those chubby cheeks!

Ultrasound pics

Third post today! I guess this is what happens when I stay up two hours past my bed time. I know I'll pay for it tomorrow!!

  I had my first ultrasound appointment this morning! I am so grateful for technology. I don't think ultrasounds ever get old.

How cute are these crossed feet?

The baby measured correctly for my expected due date. I had a little drama after getting my blood drawn (no sugar in the blood= very dizzy). Unfortunately I had thrown up my breakfast before getting my blood drawn so it was embarrassing for me how long it took for me to get out of the chair. Our little baby was so active during the ultrasound. I also renewed my knack for gaining a lot of weight in just a few weeks. We saw "it" totally roll over, jump around and stretch out.

Tim sacrificed some study time so he could come with me. It was the best!

So True it Hurts

My dad regularly sends out emails to his "Mensa" group (that term is used lightly). This email had me laughing at every line. Maybe I shouldn't admit it, but I just called Tim today because I couldn't figure out how to get the heat on. Enjoy.

Fall Classes for Women at 
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By Monday November 30, 2009

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 wks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..

   
Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, orComplaining About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours. 
   
Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?--Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours. 
   
Class 4 
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks. 
   
Class 5
Curling Irons--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
At 7:00 PM 
   
Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM  
Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.  
Class 8
Health Watch--They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours. 
   
Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.  
Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours. 
Class 11
Learning to Live--How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined   
Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 wks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.   
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.  

My Little Monster

(a little journal entry-esque)

My little monster has turned into "Mr. Personality," as Tim and I like to call it these days. He is our parrot, always repeating what we say. Today it was, "Oh noooo! Oh noooo! Poop!" all the way up the stairs and while in the bathtub as I prepared him for an emergency bath. Some of my other favorites are, "Super Zooom!" (more like "Duper doom!") while watching Diego and "Reeks!"

  He is still our music man, insisting on performing songs for us daily on his six key piano. If Tim and I aren't sitting right in front of him on the couches (where he likes us best) he calls our names at the end of each song for us to clap and tell him, "More! Again!"
  He loves to play the drums from the Guitar Hero game while watching Elmo and his latest is the guitar. He likes to have the movie Cars turned on so that he can play the guitar with the opening song. He rocks his head to the music. It is so cute.

  Kyle is really into being funny. If you laugh, he laughs and does it again. Sometimes his laughs are so fake I wonder how he gets them out. He is his biggest fan (ok, maybe he gets this from me?). Kyle also loves to jump. Tim and I love when we go to get him from his crib and he yells, "Jumping!" and jumps forever. He can count to ten--sometimes by himself-- but usually needs my help and never repeats the number one.

  Kyle is his dadda's boy lately. At night our routine includes prayers, then Tim gets a kiss and leaves. Kyle shuts the door, goes crazy running in circles or jumping and then when I say it's time for bed he cries, "Dada! Dada!" and Tim has to come back in and sing to him. We really need to shorten it. He also cries for him first thing in the morning. I can't say I mind the extra minutes in bed for myself :).

  Sometimes during the day he has to throw up. He'll walk over to the toilet, open the lid, cough or gag, close the lid and come back out. It's so funny. He's very good at saying please, thank you and "Welcome," and almost uses too many napkins at dinner. He is all about every. little. thing. in his routines. That sort of drives me crazy, but I really love this stage. (Minus the hitting. He's still a hitter).

He likes to eat berries, muffins, hot dog, fruit snacks, chicken nuggets, taquitos and tangerines. He is still my meat and fruit boy. He wishes he could have a lollipop "pop" or a popsicle "pop cool" all the time.

I love my Kyle boy!

So Thankful

- for my two boys who have really given me so much love lately. Tim has really helped out around the house and with Kyle when he's home. Right now is his most stressful time of the school year and he still makes time to wrestle with Kyle and help me out.
  Kyle is very concerned for me when I throw up. He yells, "Mama!" and comes and finds me. He used to talk really fast because he was nervous. He once brought me the blanket I sleep with, and now he stands right by me and rubs my back and gives me hugs... as I'm throwing up! He also tries to make me laugh by making funny faces and noises. It melts my heart everytime.

- For my family. It's my Dad's birthday!!!! I love him so much. I know I'll never understand how he accomplishes all that he does, but I think as I get older I understand the sacrifices and how hard he works a little more each day. Ok, starting to get teary eyed. Can I blame it on the pregnancy? We love you Dad! Papa!!

-For my mom and grandmother's cooking. Let's just say Thanksgiving will never be the same. Can't I get the food Fed-Exed? Why am I SO slow in the  kitchen?

- For my health. I've had some really good days lately. I'll take them when I can get them. They give me the energy to get things done and stay positive.

- For our freedoms.
- For my religion.
- For technology.
- For Diego and Elmo.
- for our house
- for the GPS unit! Saves me every time.
- For elastic waistbands and drawstring pants. I haven't worn real pants all week.
- For smiling faces everywhere I go.
- For the little one inside of me!
- For Black Friday. Tim's going to be at Target at 3 am. Anyone else out there??
- For airplane tickets.

- For friends. I've realized if I ever feel lonely here, it's my own fault. There are plenty of people around me who are so nice and willing to help. I've had so many people offer to help with Kyle or give me advice that I've needed.

- For our Savior. I'll never stop learning about Him and understanding how much He loves me.
             ... and the list goes on and on.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Bunch of Words

   Wow! Thank you so much for all of the Happy Birthday messages and congratulations. Announcing the pregnancy was the best part of my birthday! Unfortunately my day started with me running to the toilet to dry heave. Tim walked in as I was sitting next to the toilet and sort of laughing exclaimed, "Happy Birthday!" I got up and wanted to cry. haha. The day was up and down from there but it ended on a good note and I felt so loved and had fun reading the comments.

  Most of you know my feelings on being pregnant. Before I got pregnant I would cry in bed at night (I'm a crier) just thinking about me being pregnant and having to take care of Kyle at the same time. I didn't ever think it would be possible. Two kids? That sounded easier to me than a pregnant me and an active Kyle. Give me a few months and my mind will be changed :).

  I started praying not about when to get pregnant or that we would get pregnant, but to have the faith to even entertain the thought. Yes, I dislike pregnancy THAT much. I did not want to gain 50 lbs again, have headaches all the time and carry grocery bags around with me for the random times I would throw up. I'm pretty negative about it. I have friends who have a hard time getting pregnant or are more sick than me, but for me this was seriously a trial.

  Soon enough Heavenly Father was softening my heart and what do you know, Kyle's going to be a big brother. The pregnancy started out great... and then got worse and worse. I still get as sick, and with each pregnancy the number of kids I want goes down. I feel like I'm stuck in jail the times I have migraines, I experience more nausea than I did with Kyle, and now with my anti-nausea medicine the pounds are sticking like never before... but I still feel Heavenly Father telling me, "You can do it!" For that I am so grateful.

Here's to the next 30 weeks or so!

Sort of a Big Deal

So today is my b-day! I'm a whopping quarter of a century old. In honor of turning 25 I am going to list 25 things I love about myself! (Joking, joking people. Did you believe me?)

November 17 is sort of a big deal to me. Here is a stroll through the past couple of years...

November 17, 2005: First birthday engaged 

        Tim surprised me and proposed on my birthday! I totally didn't see it coming. My best friend Kristina also flew out from AZ and surprised me in UT. Nina and I laughed that Tim had to share his "engagement weekend" with me and her. That's how it would be for the rest of life...

November 17, 2006: First birthday as a married woman.
      I don't remember much about it actually. I'm sure my cousin Christi and I made my birthday cake together.  This pic was taken a month after my birthday. It cracks me up. I'm loving Tim's hair.

November 17, 2007: First birthday pregnant.

    I was student teaching for the last time the Friday before my birthday. We ate donuts (my fav.) in my morning class and cake in the afternoon classes. My students also put their money together to buy me some baby outfits. It was bitter-sweet saying good-bye to student teaching.  At almost 8 months pregnant I couldn't wait to get that baby out of me though!

November 17, 2008: First birthday as a mom.
  What's better than being a mom? Kyle is my favorite little monster. I love this picture of he and I right before we got him ready for bed last year on my birthday. Oh those cheeks. 

November 17, 2009: First time announcing to the world...


 That this happy little family of three:

Is on it's way to becoming a crazy family of four!

(I'm eleven weeks pregnant and feeling/looking every bit of it. Baby Ray is due June 9!)

Sort of a big deal.

Trash Cans

How fun are your trash cans?

  The past couple of mornings when I have gone in our backyard to check on Kyle I have found him standing in between our garbage and recycle can. He's just hanging out in that small, smelly space. It's the oddest thing to me.

With Christmas and his birthday just around the corner I want to get him something a two-year-old can enjoy in the backyard while it's still cool enough to be outside. I'd prefer it not to attract flies...

Any suggestions??

(I should mention the grass here is like weeds and not friendly to ride-on cars).

See ya October

Wow! October went by fast.  Here we go...
Cousin Sadie came to visit! It was so fun to have Hillery and Sadie here. Kyle loved having his buddy around all day long. The day she left he yelled for her all morning. After his nap I think he realized she was gone for good.

They watched their videos together. Kyle loved Sadie so much that when I told them to scoot back from the tv, he wanted to sit on her.

He also wanted to share his toothbrush, how sweet.

Sadie loves her some t.v.

We did other things too, like go to "Just Add Children," an indoor playplace I read about online that was only $5. It was great and the perfect thing to do on a rainy day!!

Kyle chose to both play and sleep on the inflatable. This kid takes the quickest 10 second cat naps.

Long live the steering wheel.

It was too short of a visit!

Kyle also started a new favorite game with Dad this month, "Lay on your Back and See if your Ball Can Hit the Fan." Anytime Tim would hit the fan Kyle would laugh so hard.

I spent a couple of days making over 6 dozen sugar cookies and frosting. Kyle was my, ummm, "Big Helper," and clearly the job couldn't have been done without him. At one point he dumped the flour in and missed about half of it in the bowl. I knew it was only through Heaven's help that they would turn out.

(Although blurry, that face cracked me up.)

I invited a group of girls from my ward to come over at night and help frost the cookies. It was so nice to have Kyle down to sleep and to be able to get to know some girls better. We had a good time, although I had to keep telling the girls to frost more. They were going to leave me with too many cookies!

Kyle helped take a plate of cookies over to our neighbor, Pete, who's Spanish-speaking-only mother is often at his house. He was so excited to see Kyle and made us wait until the mother came out. She went on and on in Spanish and grabbed Kyle's cheeks.  After I told Kyle to give her the plate he started crying. I knew it was because he wanted a cookie so I told him we would go home and get one. As he ate his cookie I told him how nice it was that he shared. "Nice" was the word of the day after that.

     Another activity was decorating pumpkins at a friend's house. Kyle loves his pumpkin and on some days we have to go ouside and bring it in from the porch. Here he is waving to Pete while I was trying to get him to look at the camera:

  We attended our ward trunk or treat which Kyle loved and where he was introduced to trick or treating. His version was just as cute, "Treat. Thank you." It was candy in his mouth the entire drive home.

On Halloween we went to Sea World and watched a Sesame Street show that included Elmo! Kyle loved it but was upset that he couldn't go on stage. We also went down "Trick or Treat Street."

 It was nearly impossible to get a good photo of our Batman. Kyle hates clothes in general and cries every Sunday when I put a sweater vest on him. He is still anti-tie too. So I knew his Halloween costume had to be accessory-less and feel like regular clothes, hence the Batman pjs.

  Above he is happy and saying, "Candy!" on our way out. We went home to hit up a few houses and hand out candy to other trick or treaters. I think that was a tie for Kyle's favorite part too. Every time someone came up he made sure he ran to the bowl and gave them candy. We started passing out candy at 8:30 and got rid of all of it. Our neighborhood was hopping!

We're excited November is here!

Saved My Day

  Today I experienced one of those mornings. The type of morning when maybe I would have let Kyle eat the whipped cream for breakfast he wanted if  only it wasn't expired. The type of morning where he just whined, whined and whined instead of using his words. The type of morning where you say to yourself, "Who cares!" if he doesn't want to wear his shoes in the backyard and so he tracks in mud. At least he was happy and I could clean for a bit.
  This type of morning continued as Kyle's friends stopped by and he did nothing but hit them and be a bully. So I threw him in his crib for the rest of the time they were over. Then I thought to myself that a walk to the mailbox might make the both of us happy... until he stepped right onto dog poop which made the smell sting the air. Great!
  I thought I might die this morning until the "trash man" saved the day. Every Monday morning as soon as I hear the garbage truck coming around the corner I tell Kyle, "The trash man is coming!" Kyle runs over to the couch and I pull up the mini blinds so he can wave to the trash man as he comes down our street. Then we wait the two minutes it takes for him to finish and turn back around to get the trash cans across the street so Kyle can wave again. Kyle loves it. He spends those two minutes yelling, "Back! Back!" trying to tell the garbage truck to come back.
   Today the trash man waved and then lifted up a large bag of candy to offer to Kyle. I took Kyle outside and the man jumped out of the truck and told Kyle, "Stick both hands in there buddy!" Kyle grabbed two tootsie rolls and said, "Thank you," really timidly. I think he felt like he was meeting a rock star.
  I just thought that was the nicest thing and it really made my morning. Kyle continued for the next twenty minutes to say, "Nice! Candy! Nice!" with tootsie roll stuck to his teeth.

The trash man saved my day.

We took these photobooth pictures after I documented this:

With Kyle's new hair cut I attempt to put styling product in it. Now he thinks everything goes in his hair, including my new lotion.

The Scariest Goblin

Happy Halloween from a mischievous 21 month old! Scary!!

Who, on other days, is known as Batman.

(and his father, the Huggies wipes box).

More pics to come!

Back to TX

A week and a half ago I boarded a plane with Kyle and headed to AZ! I just got back today. My parents were both going to be out of town at the same time so I got to go hang out with my brother Taylor and enjoy AZ. It was so fun. I found out I was going five days before I left. Usually I am counting down for weeks the next trip I have, but this was a change. Kyle was WAY better than last time I was home (Alli's wedding) and he made himself right at home at "Papa's house."

We

jumped on the trampoline
took walks in the morning
went to the zoo
played with Catcher
met baby Whitman and baby Ella
ate dinner at G.G.'s house
sang Happy Birthday to cousin Mo and ate cake
attended the Stake Pancake breakfast
went to the Mark Mabry fireside
watched cousins Adam and Kaylie in their primary program
had a waffle party with Tim's family
Kyle got his hair cut by Grandma when she came back
played and sang with"Unkie" (Taylor) numerous times on the piano
ate at all the best spots
shopped with Grandma
played with Papa
got together with high school friends at Guedos
went to the airport only to learn my flight was delayed 3.5 hrs and so we rebooked until the next morning

and now we're here. In humid TX. I'm tired and Kyle's sleeping. We missed Tim. Kyle started saying, "Dada! Dada!" as soon as I buckled him up for the descend into San Antonio. It was fun this time because he was excited to get on the plane both times and knew what to expect. On the way to AZ I got him apple juice. He set it on his tray and would drink some juice, eat a pretzel and then wipe his mouth with the napkin. It was too funny. Mr. Manners.

   As a thank you my mom helped me package Guedos to bring back to Tim. He ate it for lunch and said it was the most delicious lunch he's had in a long time. Looks like the poor kid ate a lot of Digiorno pizza while I was gone.

And why didn't anyone tell me Halloween is in just a couple of days? I need to get some candy!
Here are three pics I stole from other blogs:

Hmmm. Maybe I should mention I got Kyle and I dressed and ready to go in twenty minutes that morning. My cousin Christi and cute Bentley are on the left and then Lindsey and the boy she watched, Van. They were so nice to let me tag along!

Kyle loved the petting zoo. As you can see he is standing in some pee/water. Fortunately that puddle isn't deep. Unfortunately the puddle he did jump in was deep and so we left the petting zoo so I could wash off his feet. So gross!!

The girls at dinner. I always feel blessed to have friends that I can go months without talking to and then it's like I never moved away when we get together.

Of course there never seems like enough time when I'm home, but I loved seeing everyone I did get the chance to visit with.

I'm off to nap. Thanks mom and dad for letting me "babysit" my 16 yr. old brother!!