Sunday, August 26, 2012

Ode to Josh

Josh is really the world's best father (and husband).  He comes home every night and he is in full dad mode.  He helps with dinner, plays with the kids, helps with clean-up, bathes the kids and helps with the bedtime routine.  He is efficient and hardworking but mostly he just loves those kids.  And those kids just love their dada.  And I just love their dada.  I don't say it enough, but Josh, you're my lobster (extra points if you know what that line's from).

Here's evidence:
just look how much these two rugs love their dada (well, Will is wearing a strange face, but trust me, he loves his dada).
And I love this one of Lu-lu--pushing her overbearing brother out of the way.
Snuggling with her dada.
Reading on the couch.
And if that isn't enough, Josh even wears his own daughter's hair bows.  How cute is that?

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sophie's Choice

*You've all read Sophie's Choice, right?  Or at least heard of the premise?  Mother must choose whose life she will save, daughter's or son's.  P.S. Be warned.  Potty talk ensuing.
Inevitably, whenever I am nursing Lucy in her room before her nap, Will is in dire need of going to the bathroom.  He is perfectly capable of doing this by himself; however, he is not capable of wiping his own bummy (trust me, I've tried to get him to do it himself--he is not one bit interested).  Every afternoon, at nap time, I will be in Lucy's room, with a half-sleeping babe in my arms, and from the bathroom next door I will hear the plea, "Ma-ma, come wipe my bum-my," over and over again, with each cry becoming louder and louder and more and more frantic.  Thus, I am faced with a choice:  put down the half-sleeping child who will assuredly awaken and start bawling and then take another half hour at least to calm and get to sleep or let my four-year-old sit on the toilet, worrying if I will ever come to save him from his toiletry needs, all the while getting a serious ring-around-the-bummy from spending far too long on the toilet?  Though I've never read the book (I was supposed to for my Psych 101 class and we did discuss it plenty), I understand the premise to Sophie's Choice and while I can safely say this is not quite as traumatic, it could, however, quite possibly be one of the more baffling parts of my day.  Sleeping baby versus traumatized four-year-old?  Sophie, however does one choose?  Don't worry, though.  In my house, sleeping baby trumps just about everything else.  Sorry Will for that darn ring-around-the-bummy, but you could you please possibly choose another time to go to the bathroom?

Friday, August 10, 2012

9 Months

Lucy is 9 months (well, really, she's almost 10, but I took these photos when she was exactly 9 months).  And these pictures are the perfect representation of what she is currently like:


 squirmy, squirmy, squirmy!  She is mobile and ALL OVER THE PLACE.

We did manage to take a few when she was sitting still, but it wasn't easy, trust me:



 And now that she has mastered this skill, this is her favorite place to be:  standing.

At 9 months, she:

  • weighs 17 lbs 11 oz. (35%)
  • stands 29.25 inches (85%)
  • has ONE tooth (received it @ 9.5 months and one more is breaking through)
  • is obsessed with climbing the stairs
  • is a chatty, chatty Cathy--just like her mom.  She loves to jabber and it is the cutest thing.
  • is a serious Mama's girl
  • is scared of her father if he is not wearing his glasses (apparently she only recognizes him as her father if he is wearing his glasses)
  • loves the toilet and the toilet paper
  • really is such a happy, cute baby.  I always, always want a baby this age in my home.  We really can't get enough of this sweet baby girl.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Hill Cumorah

Josh wins father of the year (yet again) because he decided last minute to take Will to the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  They left at 2:30 in the afternoon, saw all the sights, got a bite to eat, went to the hill to meet some Book of Mormon characters, watched the pageant and hopped in the car to arrive home around 1:30 in the morning.  Since Lucy and I were not up for such a whirlwind of a trip, we decided to stay home and Will and his dada decided to make it a boys trip.  And they had a ball.  Will loves him his Book of Mormon characters and was jazzed to meet them all.  The next morning, when he woke up, he climbed into bed with me and told me his favorite part was, "Jesus coming down."  So sweet.  He also loved the ship with Nephi and Samuel the Lamanite.  We've had endless Samuel the Lamanite arrow shooting sessions since he's returned.  And I love that he insisted on wearing  his medal that he received at park camp for, "Being a winner."  It's a good darn thing that Will has such a good dad!










Saturday, August 4, 2012

The Perfect {Summer} Day

 I have to tell you something:  I have a slight crush on my cute, little family--especially on those days that really are picture perfect.  We started off the day with a little exercising, a little housework and then spent the afternoon at the pond we joined when I was in desperate need of some water.  (It really is the cutest, perfect little place for our family.  If you're local check out the link here).  When I deemed it too hot to roast s'mores in our fire pit, we decided to enjoy some refreshing ice cream while watching a little of Le Tour de France.  Then the boys enjoyed some backyard camping while the girls enjoyed a good night's rest in their respective beds, complete with AC (the night was so hot that Josh had to bring a fan outside to provide some relief from the heat).  In these moments in my  life I just feel giddy; I'm so happy with my life and my family and all that I have.  I'm grateful for these days that are in stark contrast to some of the more drudgery days that come with motherhood.  I'm also grateful for the pictures that remind me of these perfect summer days.
 There is this great metal slide at the pond that Will adores.  But we learned quickly that you need to dump a bucket of water before sliding down that hot, metal slide.
 We forgot Lucy's hat so she got to wear Will's baseball cap or visor.
 Will splashing into the water from the slide.
The backyard campers.

Watching le Tour while eating ice cream.  My favorite part was when Will saw Bob Roll, the famous Tour announcer who has a large gap in his front teeth, and he asked, "Why he lost a tooth?"  Plus, now whenever Will rides his bike he likes to proclaim, "I'm in the tour!  I'm in the tour!"

Friday, August 3, 2012

Strawberry Fields Forever

Back in June, we went strawberry picking so that we could make us some homemade jam with some hand-picked strawberries (that really is the only way to eat jam).  It was one of those beautiful, clear days, not too hot and not too humid--one of those days that made me think I just might be able to make it this summer (don't you worry, though, the next day was humid enough to make me want to run far, far away).  The kids adored it--from the tractor ride, to the tart strawberries, to putting everything and anything into their mouths--they had a ball.  Will even made friends with the tractor driver, Ed.  Hand-picking fruit really is one of my favorite summer past times.  If only we could live our days in strawberry fields forever (and days filled with NO HUMIDITY).