Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Merry Christmas!

If this doesn't bring you some holiday cheer, then I don't know what will. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!


Will just pulled up his chair by the fire, unprompted, sat down in front of it and exclaimed, "Ooohh, fire!" And then, miracle of Christmas miracles, he actually posed for the camera!

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Christmas Tree That Almost Never Was (otherwise known as free advertising for Lowe's)

This year, the putting-up-of-the-Christmas-tree started out as auspiciously as it had in years' past. It began in the parking lot of Lowe's (hooray for a new Lowe's just down the street!), where we acquired the cheapest, prettiest tree (and in that order, I'm afraid, thanks to my frugal hubby).The lights were then tested and tried and not found wanting as in years' past, (with Will saying "hot" and trying to blow out the lights like fire).
The items in the Christmas box were analyzed in the little one's mouth, just like last year.
The tree stand was screwed in with love and care (don't worry, Josh tested his work).
and that's where it all hit the fan, if you will (and I think you will).
The tree stand broke; Josh went to Lowe's. The lights ran out; Josh went to Lowe's. The fuse blew; Josh went to Lowe's. The lights ran out again; Josh went to Lowe's. Then finally, oh finally, the tree was lit. But wait, one side was lopsided (thanks to the aforementioned cheapness of the tree). The tree was trimmed. But wait, while trimming the tree, the lights were also trimmed. All went dark. Tears were shed. Heartache was had. Another trip to Lowe's was made. So, three days, ten packages of lights, one fuse splitter, eighty dollars and six trips to Lowe's later, the tree was lit and decorated. Hoo-ray.
I should have trusted my instinct and paid Josh the thirteen dollars I did last year so that the lights would have gotten on the tree in a timely and pain-free manner. But no, I had to do it myself.

The finished tree (please, tell me how pretty it is and how it was worth the effort--even if you have to lie).
Josh and Will with THE TREE.

Giving Thanks 2009

The things for which I am truly grateful can be summed up in these two photos:

My cute little boy and my happy little family.


What Will, on the other hand, is truly grateful for, is evidenced in these two photos:

That's right: stuffing and the chocolate turkey place-settings. He couldn't get enough of the stuffing and he tried to gobble up everyone's chocolate turkeys. That Will--he knows what's good for him.
Happy Thanksgiving (better late than never, right?). Our holiday weekend was filled with family (Nate, Amy, Sam, Beth, Jane and Adelee), fun (football, Twilight, Glee, bike rides, cousin time and shopping) and of course, food (too much yummy yum-ness to even mention). Thanks to all who participated in our Thanksgiving 2009 Bash.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Day I (Finally) Sat on my Toddler

Those of you who know me (and know my toddler) knew this day wasn't long in coming. To be honest, I'm surprised we've made it this far. But today it finally happened: I sat on my child. But at least let me explain.

Will and I have a system. It's a good system, especially for one who craves order and routines as much as I do. I wake up before Will, shower, dress, do my hair and make my bed. Then, when Will wakes up around 7 and after he plays in his crib for half an hour with the toys and books I bring in to him, we head downstairs for breakfast. We usually eat a breakfast of oatmeal, toast and fruit and then Will gets to have a "show" (usually Curious George on PBS at 8:00) while I finish cleaning up and getting ready to head out the door. I then dress him while he is watching his show, which is key because getting this child dressed is no simple task. But while he is in the TV-zombie zone, changing his diaper and getting him dressed is no big deal (as long as I don't get in the way of the television). Then we take off for a morning activity and come home around 11:30 for lunch and a nap. It's not a perfect process, but it works for us.

Well, today was a little different b/c it was a Monday and on Mondays I wake up early, start the laundry, clean the bathrooms, mop, vacuum, dust, etc., etc. And most Monday mornings I just let Will run around in his jammies and do basically whatever he wants so that I can get the house cleaned for the week. On this particular Monday, though, I was supposed to help an elderly lady clean and organize her newly moved-into apartment at 10:30. My neighbor had kindly agreed to watch Will while I did this task. So at around 10:00, I realized it was time to get the kid ready to go. And this is where it all went wrong. I should have listened to my gut and turned on the television to get the task quickly and efficiently accomplished. But no, I bravely dared the task sans television. I got him undressed when he slipped out of my grasp. He ran around his room, behind the rocking chair, then under the crib, then shut himself up in the closet all within 3 seconds. I chased him, but to no avail. Finally, I caught him and lay him down to attempt to diaper him. But he literally is stronger than me. He squirmed away and off he went again. Discouraged and now running late, I grabbed him again. I tried to hold his feet down, while once again attempting to diaper him. But again I failed. Off he went. This process went on for another few minutes until I was REALLY running late. Finally, at my wit's end, the next time I caught him, I sat on him. What would you do? He squirmed and wiggled and screamed but there was no way he was getting away again. Not with the weight of me on top of him. So off I went to my neighbor's, with a fully clothed child. And then off I went to help a lady in need, a lady who WASN'T EVEN THERE. And then off I went to rescue my neighbor from my child, a child who had thrown up all over my neighbor's home, a child who had taken half an hour and one sitting incident to get dressed. And all for what? For naught. So the day I finally sat on my child, it was all in vain. I guess I learned my lesson: trust your gut and turn on that PBS (or at least wait for the perfect occasion when it would be appropriate and justified to sit upon one's child).

Please tell me that you've succumbed once or twice and sat upon your child. Please tell me that mine is NOT the worst child to get dressed in the mornings. Basically, please tell me that I am not failing as a mother since my logical and seemingly only option was to, in fact, sit upon my child.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Parental Units

They came. We played. We snuggled (well, Will and his grandparents snuggled, that is). We hiked. We celebrated (my mom's b-day). We walked. We swung. We giggled. We sewed (technically just my mom sewed). We ate (and ate and ate). We Palmyra-ed. We bonded. They left. We cried (literally--lots).
Parental units, my ones and only, please, please come back. Often. Soon. Will misses you and talks of you often. I miss you and talk of you often.
Proof positive: Will and Pompa snuggling on the couch (Will was in heaven, watching Cars on the couch with his Pompa. And, I dare say, so was Pompa).

The Palmyra visit. Is there anything better than touring Church history sights with your parents? It was a spiritual feast. I loved being there with my parents, hearing their testimonies, feeling of their spirit, recognizing how blessed I am to have them as my parents.

More Palmyra (the log house).

The sacred grove.

Happy B-day, Mom. Here she is blowing out her candles on her German pancakes.
And this is thanks to my dad, who taught Will all about Mater clips on You-tube. Now, Will is obsessed, addicted and constantly begging for "Mayer, Mayer" on the computer.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

In the Meantime: Somersaults

I have plenty to post, but little motivation/time. In the meantime, enjoy these two gems: Will's newest past time, somersaults off the couch. Does it get any better than that for an almost-two-year-old? I think not, my friends, I think not.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Halloween 2009

Yet another Halloween has come and gone. There were some highs and there were some lows, but fun was had by all.
The highs:
  • Will made one mighty fine-looking cowboy (in spite of my low-budget, lazy costume-making abilities)
  • Will loved candy
  • Will had a blast at the Ward par-tay, baking cookies with friends and trick-or-treating
  • Will also was in hog heaven at our neighborhood fire department party and parade: fire trucks galore
  • Josh and I loved diving right into Will's Halloween bag, helping ourselves to our favorite candy

The lows:

  • Will wanted no part of his costume--not the hat, not the vest, not the bandanna. He did, however, love the pony (he called it a "cow" since he was a cowboy) and the red boots. Oh, the red boots.
  • Will loved the candy--so much so that at the ward party he stole candy out of other children's bags, wouldn't play any games (only asked for more candy) and while trick-or-treating, insisted on eating the candy he received right then and there or else a tantrum would ensue (hence, not much trick-or-treating was accomplished).
  • Will is still hopped up from his "sugar high"
  • Josh and I ate way too much candy.

Good-bye Halloween, 'til we meet next year. Enjoy the photos that document this fine, sugar-filled holiday.




Sitting in the big fire truck
A fire boat, oh my!
Will insisted on the pony wearing the cowboy hat (and insisted that he did not).


This is his new "cheese" smile. He loves to say "cheese" when we take photos.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Never Leave us Fall

Fall, if you leave us, how will we be able to enjoy:

Trips down the slide (Will is standing atop the slide)

Sprints full-speed down the hill

Poses by the tree

Rolls down (across?) the hill

Skies filled with blue, lawns covered in leaves, days filled with fresh air. I am posting these pictures so that in the cold, dark, dreary days to come I can remember why I live here and not despair. Oh, Fall--please, never, never leave!

Now, check out this video of this silly kid sprinting down the hill into my arms, bonking my head and knocking me down in the process. It's quite the show.


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Falling Leaves

Will loves to jump in piles of leaves--it's constant entertainment. Good thing we have lots of leaves in our yard, thanks to my sheer laziness. I pile them up, let him jump in them and then spread the leaves back on the lawn. Heaven forbid I actually rake any of the leaves, put them into piles and then bag them. That'd be far too much work.
These photos are quite reminiscent of last year's leaf collecting photos. Oh, how quickly time flies.




Saturday, October 24, 2009

le Tour

Our third annual le Tour de Vermont; it really has it all: beautiful bike rides through picturesque Vermont towns, gorgeous fall foliage, wonderful company, perfect weather, the best accommodations and even matching t-shirts (a must, really, for any successful vacation). If only every day I could live life like on le Tour--exercising everyday(with people!), Will playing with cousins every day, NOT cooking/cleaning every day, and, of course, watching 4 hours of 'Dancing with the Stars' every night. Oh, Tour. We can't hardly wait for next year. (And Macy Gray, all we can say is, you never had a chance).
*The only downside: apparently, contrary to popular belief, I don't look so good in spandex bike shorts. Why didn't anyone ever tell me? And all those out there possessing pictures of me in said bike shorts--don't even think about ever broadcasting those puppies or I will hunt you down. Trust me, I will hunt you down.
A picture from across our perfect house. It had rocks and a river (so the little boys were in heaven) and was attached to the Stowe bike trail. And the scenery. Oh, the scenery. We LOVERMONT.
The three little boy cousins in their matching shirts.
Silly Willy.
All the cousins: Grant, Will, Sarah, Sam and Beth.
Josh's best side.
The day Nate babysat all the kids by himself. The kids loved it (he took them to the river to throw rocks and they were just mesmerized by his ability to throw huge rocks in the river). Thanks go to Nate for his stalwart babysitting.
The John Deere wheelbarrow at Shelbourne Farms. He was obsessed with it.
Will loved him some Gus this trip.
The Mad-Family in all our biking glory, clad in our matching Tour t-shirts (and even notice the magnet on the car. The Madsen family does nothing half way. But please ignore the beauty that is me with my sweaty, helmet hair). Our emphatic thanks go out to all the Madsens who organized this dreamy, perfect trip!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Scratch

Scratch that last post. I figured it out. Apparently, all I had to do was agree to the terms and conditions and then: voila--I can upload photos to my heart's content. I must be on a roll today. When talking with my friend and neighbor earlier this afternoon, I asked her why she thought my mums were dying. She asked me if I'd watered them recently. To this I responded, "Er, I haven't watered them at all." Who knew mums needed water? I thought they were "winter hardy"--as in, they didn't need anything but the winter to survive. I guess it's safe to say I'm no green thumb. Not my proudest moment. But at least all's well that ends well: my mums will survive (thanks to the gallons of water I gave them and, of course, the winter) and I can once again blog. Happy day. Stay tuned for posts with pictures.

Just Can't Get Enough

I know there are many of you out there, people who, quite frankly, just can't get enough of my blog. I know you are sitting there thinking, "Where is that Jessy? I have seriously missed her blog." I can't blame you--I'm funny, witty, clever and, let's be honest, drop-dead sexy, so why wouldn't you want to read my blog? (And don't let the lack of numerous comments fool you. I know there are plenty of you, reading, waiting in anticipation for my every blog post, but are clearly just too bashful to write anything. I understand; I've been there). And as of now, I have about a ba-zillion things about which to post: our picture perfect bike trip, le Tour de Vermont, our recent fall festivities, and, of course, darling pictures of our precious little boy. Yet here's the rub: I can't get the dang blogger to upload my photos. I can't even click on the "upload photo" device. It is just a pale shade of orange, taunting me, showing me that it is there yet never allowing me to even click on it. It is driving me in-sane! Is anyone else out there having this problem? Does anyone out there want to help me solve this problem because I know you, my faithful readers, need to be entertained. I know you, my fabulous friends, are barely surviving without my blog posts. I know you, my bosom buddies, long to see my child's smiling face. So, everyone out there (yes, all two of you who read this), answer my call: please help. If I can't fix this, then the world will be short one awe-inspiring, breath-taking blog.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Farm Fest 2009

Our town's annual Farm Fest, filled with some of our favorite things: apple picking, animal feeding, hay riding, tractor pulling, apple cider drinking and donut eating. Does it get any better than this? I heart fall (for oh-so-many reasons: the crisp weather, the sweaters, the changing leaves, but mostly--the return of decent television).



I swear he likes me--you'd just never know it by looking at his face.


I think we took at least ten thousand photos of him feeding the animals. Feel lucky I only posted this one.