Here I Come to Save the Day!

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun, or are really busy. :) This week I tried to introduce my kids to playing Superman. Of course, they were adorable, but only lasted about minutes in the cape. I don't get it. Superman was my favorite game. I have childhood pictures of me tying dish-towels around my neck and running around the house and yard. My boys seemed more intent on trying to get the "cape" off.

We did have fun for a few minutes though. I guess we'll just have to build up to playing new games. I did feel like a good mom for trying though. Now that I'm getting back a little more energy and I don't feel so "carsick" all the time, it helps the time pass to find games to play while we're still stuck indoors with the cold weather.

Saturday was fun. We went swimming in our basement, sort of. The kids were downstairs watching a show as usual while Morgan and I were taking our showers and getting ready for the day, when Logan starts yelling and saying, "Mommy, the water is coming" I thought, oh it must be one of his shows, so I sort of ignored it until he started coming up the stairs. Then I thought Damon must have turned the show off.

Nope. Our basement flooded a little bit. We can't find any evidence of how or why it happened and we're baffled by it. I'm just glad it didn't cover the entire basement, and nothing got ruined and especially grateful we hadn't invested any time or money finishing it yet. Now we need to figure out the problem.

Our best theory is that something clogged the drain for a while until the water pressure was enough to clear it out, but the water wasn't dirty like sewer water or anything, so we don't know if it backed up, or just clogged. I have a hard time imagining that this came from the little drips that naturally come from the appliances. We'll call the home warranty department and see if they know anything, but we haven't had any problems since.

Logan loves the camera and knows how to take pictures. I would have posted some, but he didn't quite grasp the concept of getting people in the pictures, so it was a lot of pictures of his thumb, and the carpet. Maybe next time our budding photographer will have something.

Logan giving Mommy smooches. The other day I said, I love you Logan, and without hesitation or help he said, I love you too Mom. It melted my heart.

And of course this little guy melts my heart too. He's really starting to talk up a storm and tries to keep up with his brother in about everything. Who knows, maybe we'll have both kids potty trained before the new baby arrives, wouldn't that be a miracle. :)

His smile is so contagious and I can't help but smile when he does.

The kids love to have a "picnic" and today I let Logan be in charge after he grabbed the box of Kix from the counter. Damon would go over by him and sign and say "peese" and Logan would give him some Kix. It was really cute! They are both getting a little better at sharing, but also a little more stubborn. Logan knows if he takes a toy Damon is playing with that Damon will have a meltdown and Damon also knows how to purposely intrude on Logan's space and make him upset. But in the end they prefer hugs to hitting. At least right now, so I'll cherish that while it lasts. :) Until next time...

Warm Weather

I love that the weather is getting a bit warmer, although I wouldn't mind a couple more big snow storms, we sure could use it. These last couple weeks have gone by really fast. This is the latest form of entertainment for the boys. They like to tip the chairs over and climb all over them.

We've only have a few cuts and bruises, but boys will be boys!

And it really does keep them occupied while I'm making dinner or unloading the dishwasher, or something like that.

I love this little guy. He's been teething lately, all four of his canines, just how Logan's came in. One finally popped through, but he still occasionally wakes up at night. Tylenol has been our best friend lately. I love those baby blues though!

Well, we're not starting potty training with Damon, but he likes to do whatever Logan does, so maybe we will :) We're starting slow, first just getting Logan even excited about underwear. I let him pick out some at the store and they had a blast wearing them all night.

Of course, they had to wear them on top of their pajamas. It took me a while to convince Logan that they go "under" your clothes, like "under"wear. :)

Before we started the potty adventures though we took a trip to St. George for President's Day weekend. It was also our 6-year engagement anniversary. Papa made "Wilson" the mouse for the boys.

Damon was a little too occupied with the camera and the piano, but he giggled a couple of times.

Logan thought it was pretty fun, but was still a little nervous. Maybe when he's just a little bit older he'll appreciate Wilson more.

So, when we got back home I had a doctor appointment. Everything seemed normal, and then they tried to get a heart beat and that little baby was being a stinker and we couldn't find it. I started to get nervous thinking something happened, but they said we'd do an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay. My real ultrasound appointment isn't until next week, but we did take a sneak peek and everything looks normal and healthy and it's a...............................BOY!

Of course, what else would it be. :) We'll just get all our boys out and then we'll have that baby girl that I know is going to come eventually. We're really excited though, we're already set up for boys. :)

Speaking of boys though, potty training really sucks! Actually I really have no idea what I'm doing. I did order a couple books off Amazon to give me some ideas, but I tried just putting Logan in underwear and seriously not 5 minutes after he peed, but not in the potty. And then it was mostly my fault for the other 3 accidents because I just kept getting distracted and didn't get him on the potty soon enough. He would sit on the potty AFTER he already went. I couldn't handle the smell of pee though, so that's when I got the books and said we'll try again another day...that and Logan kept requesting a diaper. :) So, if you have any ideas, let me know. I'm just not even sure Logan is physically ready, but we'll see how it goes the next little while. Until next time...

February?

My, my, my, January went by dreadfully slow, but now that the first week of February is basically over, it's cruisin'. I think we're finally settling into a nice groove at home and it helps that there have been some bright days this week and we have actually gone outside and taken fun walks and met friends in the neighborhood. Logan and Damon found the backpack a while ago and Logan loves to put it on and say, "see ya later, I'm going to school" or work, or the store. I think he's going to have a really fun time at school in several years of course, I don't think I'm quite ready for him to be that old yet.

For as picky of an eater that Logan is (which has actually been getting better) he loves bologna. I used to love bologna as a kid, but now the thought of it makes me queasy, I even hate the smell it leaves on my hands after I take of that little red band around it (yeah, it's only on the cheap kind, but Logan eats it, so why go for "gourmet" bologna).

I'm glad they like it though. They won't eat it as part of a sandwich, but if I do pieces of bologna, cheese, and crackers, they'll eat it like a "lunchable" meal. This was just a snack so I gave them the whole piece, they thought that was pretty fun too.

And I don't normally let the kids on the table (well, when we play Play-Doh, or with crayons, it's just easier to have Damon up there), but Damon can now climb up on the chairs and onto the table and it's his favorite pastime. He'll spend hours just going up and down and giving me that look when I tell him to climb down from the table. Yeah, he knows he's not supposed to be up there to and he does it just to tease me. Damon is such a teaser. He loves to tease and taunt Logan too.

Logan has also taken an interest in "cooking" lately. I've had to re-arrange a few counter items (ahem, steak knives) so they can't reach them anymore. He usually pulls it up to the stove, but I actually needed the stove, so we found a good compromise in letting them pull chairs up to the island to "help" me cook.

I was making some really good buttery sauteed brussel sprouts (I know, sounds gross, but they taste just like broccoli that way and so are edible). I let Logan and Damon play with all the sprout discards and they spent I think a good hour putting them in the cups and then dumping them out. Logan especially loved being able to use the tongs. Damon just liked to dump the cups out.

We were playing with some balls this week and Logan threw this one up and it just stopped right there between the blinds. It was hilarious. I had to take a picture for proof, although now that I'm writing about it, this picture just doesn't do the moment justice.

Anytime the kids see the camera it's a chorus of "cheese." And they both try to get their picture taken.

Look, a semi-normal smile. Logan is such a handsome little guy. He's also a very friendly little guy. When we go on walks around the neighborhood he practically jumps out of the stroller to go play with his "friends" (anyone who is walking is pretty much his friend). He's usually really good with other kids too about staying in the area, I don't have to worry as much about him or Damon wandering off if there is a group. So, here's to warmer weather and meeting more friends, until next time....

The Dentist

So this week...yesterday (Thursday) in fact I went to the dentist. Last time I came out of their office I vowed never to go back, was in tears, and seriously was ready to drive all the way to St. George back to my old dentist. I even told the babysitter (my awesome cousin MeChel who came up last minute - you don't know how much that meant to me! Thanks again!) to prepare for a total meltdown when I got home.

I'm not sure why I was even having such a hard time at the dentist, it was really bothering me, but it was almost like having anxiety attacks when I thought about it. And it's not that he was a bad dentist because I don't think that at all, well, maybe it had to do with the fact that the last time I visited it was to yank out a huge tooth in preparation for an implant...dental implant of course. :)

I kept postponing the appointment, but knew I couldn't much longer because I wanted to take advantage of the insurance paying 100% (instead of 50% which is huge on a $2,000 procedure--and that's only for one of the three appointments--yikes) of course, I also wanted to make sure I was in the 2nd trimester when it's safer for all that stuff. Alright, cutting to the point of the story, there are 3 dentists where I go (if you really want to know where, ask me) and I had only seen the one. I saw a different one this time and seriously I was whistling (not really, my face was numb) and happy and totally ready to go back in 4 months for the final appointment of this procedure and no they didn't give me happy gas...couldn't...pregnant.

It was just a world of difference. I can't even really say exactly what it was that was different other than I felt like my dentist (yes my dentist now, I'm totally going back and requesting him again) empathized with how awkward and uncomfortable it really is to have three people's hands in your mouth at the same time, pulling, and drilling, and sucking out your spit and somehow that made me more relaxed. I'm also the type that likes to know how things are going and how far along we are and how much longer it will take and of course a few words of encouragement are also welcome, "you're doing great, hang in there, we're almost done" that sort of thing. (Yes, I do like to be treated like a child at the dentist, it makes me feel better). So, the short and long of it all, I used to hate going to the dentist, but now I don't. :)

Bad Mother Moment

Well, it looks like Friday has become the latest blogging day, although, really I'm just trying to post at least once a week, or when something interesting happens...so...for the last 7 weeks, the kids will go down in the basement and watch a show while I'm taking a shower. It's pretty cold down there, so I had a space heater that would buzz if it got knocked over, so I didn't worry much. Everything else is very safe and baby-proof down there so I thought all was well. Until just a few days ago, the boys were getting a little braver and would touch the heater and I thought to myself, hmmm, it's probably not a good idea to have that down here unsupervised anymore, but the moment passed. So, on Wednesday, I'm up on the computer ( I wish I were doing something more noble, say, cleaning or cooking, or well, anything but basically wasting time) and I hear Logan say something about the heater. I don't worry about it, but I listen for the buzz if it gets knocked over. No buzz...everything's fine...not. I few seconds later Damon is crying and Logan is coming up the stairs saying, "What's that on heater mom?" I rush down to find flames lapping at the concrete floor (at this point I'm SOOOO grateful our basement isn't finished or this could have been so much worse). I tell the kids to get away and go upstairs and blow out the fire, in the process spreading ash everywhere. It wasn't really too major. The smoke alarms did go off and I had to open the basement windows for the rest of the day. The alarms terrified the kids most of all. Damon had dropped a set of play keys (well, real, but useless) in the heater, the plastic keychain, along with a hair thing and other flammable objects started the fire. Most of the keys were charred black. I have no idea how long it was sitting in there. My guess is that when Damon started crying it was because he dropped them and then tried to get them out and possibly burned himself a little (no evidence of that thankfully). So, the heater is ruined, but the kids are safe, lesson learned, NOTHING is safe in our house with Damon around. :)

"Damon did you put the keys in there?" "Uhhh, maybe?"

"I mean, who, me?"

On a happier note though Logan has a new kitchen fetish. He loves to push the chairs against the counter and find any utensil, bowl, whatever and say he has to cook. (Of course, now I have to find a new spot for all the steak knives). The latest was the bowl hats.

Logan thought it was the best hat in the world and would get so upset if it fell off. He would say, "no bowl hat, don't fall" My kids are great and teach me many wonderful things each day. Maybe by the time the third one comes around I might just have a few things figured out....but then again, I might not. Until next time....

Hide & Seek, Bubble, and Bathtime

My boys can seem so innocent and cute most of the time, but I'm their mom and I know better! :) Lately we have to put EVERYTHING away in the closet before bedtime, especially the lotion, wipes and diapers that I usually keep well stocked in the changing table cupboard and dresser. Not so much anymore. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the first incident, but I was too upset. I wanted to go to bed and was exhausted and I had already been in there about 4-5 times to tell them to stay in bed and go to sleep. I could hear the boys in the room laughing and playing, so of course I went to check on them again and they were both covered head to toe in lotion, not to mention the globs of it all over the carpet and bed, and the floor littered with about 3 full packages of wipes. I was not very happy at all! Needless to say though, it took twice for that to happen before I figured out to just shove everything in the closet, which they have yet to be able to open, before bedtime or any naptime. So, for that really long story and explanation, the cupboard door of the changing table is always empty, except for when Logan and Damon are playing hide and seek, it's their favorite place to play now.



We can't even show the boys the camera without hearing a chorus of "cheese" so all their smiles are pretty goofy and I love it.
While we were playing hide and seek and getting ready for bed, they found the bubbles, I think Damon's top three loves in the world are: food, bubbles, and hugs & kisses. So, he got pretty excited.

Of course, another cheeser.

And Logan posing in the cupboard again.

I love giving my little man smooches.

And I love how he tries to give them back. We're still working on the whole, keep your mouth closed when you kiss thing. :) I don't mind the slobber too much though.

He was totally zoned into the bubbles for at least 20 minutes, which is like year to Damon.

Climbing out of the cupboard.

Logan's super cheesy, super goofy grin.

I love that my boys love to read. They'll spend quite a while going through all the books we keep in the storytime box. Logan likes to get the books and read them to Damon. He tries to teach him things. "Damon, this is the number 2" It's really cute.

but of course as soon as I pull out the camera to capture these precious moments, they get up and go for the camera.

And of course, it's been a while since we've done some bathtime pictures. I love bath time and so do the boys. They love to play. Logan especially loves to "swim" like he is there. And Damon loves to try and drink the water and throw the toys out.

Someday I'll get a normal eye open smile from Logan. :)

I think I was holding up a choo choo train toy, hence the huge smile on his face.

Good ol Logan.

Damon loves the "mirror" in the tub. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but he's pointing to daddy in the "mirror" (but all you can see is his reflection)

And of course, giving himself kisses. Logan did the same thing when he saw himself in the mirror...am I raising narcissists?

I just thought this was a cool picture because you can see the water droplets from the splash.

I made some cookies the other day for a Relief Society Activity. ( I LOVE our new ward). When Logan put on the mitts he kept saying, "I can cook now"

Damon thought it was pretty great too.

And finally, the red socks, this one is to you Grandma. When my parents stayed here over New Years, my mom left a pair of red socks and I found them the other day when I was picking up the basement and Logan was complaining of cold feet and wanted shoes. I didn't want to go upstairs and get some, so I just said, here, wear Grandma's socks. That kid would NOT take off those socks for anything. It was killing him just to have to take them off to take a bath and he refused to calm down until we put them on again over his jammies. I did finally get them off the next day, but not without some struggle. He sure loves his Grandma.

Oh yeah, it seems a little anti-climactic this time around, but baby #3 is on the way!!! I guess w moved just in time. I'm not very far along, only about 12 weeks-ish and I'm due the end of July. So far everything has been pretty good and I haven't been too sick, just really tired (can't imagine why when I spend my days with Logan and Damon). I'm sure I'll have more moments to add, but I better finish up this post before the episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is over (Logan latest obsession). Until next time....