Keeping up the tradition

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember making sugar cookies with my Grandma Joyce. Since I was the only grandchild for about 6 years, and then there were a few years after that when I was the only one old enough to help, that meant that I got to make a lot of cookies. We usually left out a few for Santa, and then enjoyed the rest of them over the next few days. It's a tradition that I think of fondly, and I have decided to start with my own kids. Over the last 2 days, Will and I have probably made over 2 dozen cookies. I'm not sure if there will be any left for Santa next week, considering both Bill and Will enjoy my baking a little too much, and a lot of them will end up being gifts for friends, but I'm looking forward to doing this every year with my kids and maybe even my own grandkids someday.

Unexpected Bonding

Anyone who sees Will on a regular basis knows that he is a wiggly, active 3-year-old, as most kids his age are. He's always running around with endless energy, jumping off furniture, chasing his cousin Alice around, and loving life. One thing I didn't know until this morning is that this kid loves to exercise! Our stake does aerobics at the church 3x a week, and I decided it was time for me to get a little more exercise, so I gave it a try this morning. It was a lot of fun, as well as a really great workout. The thing I hadn't counted on was Will joining in with me. He was right by my side practically the whole time, kicking, punching, jumping, and running. Even with a couple of his little friends there, he decided that exercising with Mommy was more fun. I'm glad I have my little motivator to get me out of bed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

What do you get a child for Christmas that already has plenty and isn't greedy?

I never thought I'd have this particular problem. I have no idea what to get Will for Christmas, and he's so content with what he has that he hasn't asked us for anything. I definitely want to get him something, because I would feel really bad if his only present came from grandparents and aunts and uncles, but I have no idea what to get! Why can't my child be greedy and bratty! Hehe, just kidding.

It's beginnig to look a lot like Christmas

I was going to wait and post a massive run-down of our Christmas festivities, but I decided to give you a little preview. We finally got to decorate our little Christmas tree this last weekend, so we turned on a little Kurt Bestor Christmas, Bill and I donned Santa hats for no reason whatsoever, and we went to work. I love this time of year, and I'm looking forward to more Christmas fun in the next few weeks.

Competitive mothers and the children caught in the line of fire

Once again I have tried a new potty training technique, and once again, my child is not responding the way I would like him to. I feel horrible, because I feel like I'm turning him against using the potty forever. I just get so jealous when I read other people's blogs, and see that their children are having success. I understand that each child is different, and I've come to realize that my child is just likely not ready yet. It's just so frustrating! I keep thinking "He's over 3 years old, I'm about to have another baby in a few months. I don't want to be changing two sets of diapers!" But it's not healthy if the mother isn't happy or patient or the child is resisting and not being responsive. I need to be ok with that I guess. Anyway, sorry for this random post. I guess I just needed to vent for a second.

Smiling Snowmen, Happy Boy

I found this great little snack idea from a book a long time ago. It's super easy to make, and Will seems to enjoy it.

"Smiling Snowmen":
Graham cracker squares
Apple wedges
Raisins or chocolate chips
Cream cheese

Thanksgiving and Temple Trip

This past weekend was a lot of fun for our family. It all started Thanksgiving morning. We got up early and watched the Macy's parade on our computer (we have a TV, but don't have it hooked up), while I decided to be ambitious and make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It was my first time making them, and while they came out a tad bit dry (in my opinion at least), they weren't bad.


After breakfast, we all got ready for the day, and finished our family's contribution to Thanksgiving dinner: mashed potatoes and two kinds of pie. I also decided we should have an alternative dessert for Will and Alice, since I wasn't sure how they would do with pie. So the 3 of us made turkey cookies. I wish I had taken a picture of them before they went in the oven, because they got quite a bit bigger than we expected and you can hardly tell what they are. Oh well, now we know.


After finishing the food preparations, we all drove over to Bobby and Susan's house, where we had a yummy dinner and a lot of fun spending most of the evening together. I think Will and Alice's favorite part of the day was jumping into the big pile of leaves that everyone raked up for them in the backyard. It was a lot of fun for the adults to watch, and after a while everyone got into the action of throwing leaves up in the air (and at each other), until it got too cold to stay outside.




The adults then got a little alone time to play a card game while Will and Alice watched a movie. It was a wonderful day, and we're glad we had family to share it with.

The other fun part of the weekend was going to the temple in St. Louis, also with Bobby and Susan. Normally, we drive down the morning of, then drive home in the evening, which sometimes makes it a long and tiring day for everybody. This time, we decided to drive down the night before and stay in a hotel, so we could be there early the next day. The hotel wasn't the greatest, but it served our needs, and Will definitely had a lot of fun jumping up and down on the bed for a while.


(Forgive the red eyes, but I had to include this, because it is such an awesome action shot)
On Saturday we all went to the temple, and Bill and I watched Will and Alice first while Bobby and Susan went through a session, then we switched. We got to know a
couple of other families while we were there, and it was fun to see everyone's kids playing together. Once it warmed up a bit, Bill took Will and Alice on a walk around the temple for a little while. It was funny to see Alice bundled up in my coat, but they seemed to have a good time.



The drive home took an unusually long time for some reason, but we made it home safely, and being able to go to the temple made it all worth it.

I'm thankful #5

Today I am thankful for my family. I have been blessed with one of the most amazing families in the world. And not just my husband and my son, but my parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, in-laws. Each of my family members have influenced me in so many good ways. My parents taught me the importance of responsibility, hard work, forgiveness, and many other qualities that I am striving to use in my own family. My sister and I have always been close, and have had many wonderful experiences together. I have very fond and fun memories of family reunions, Christmas programs, dinners, and other activities involving both sides of my extended family. I definitely lucked out in marrying into a wonderful family. Each of my brothers- and sisters-in-law are so much fun to be around and talk with. I have enjoyed getting to know them all over the last 4+ years. And Bill's parents have been so supportive and loving toward me, and making me feel so comfortable in their family. And of course, I can't say enough about my fabulous husband and adorable little boy. They are two of the best things that have ever happened to me, and I am so lucky that I get to be with them forever, as well as this new baby and any other children we have in the future. I am one lucky girl!











*Sorry for all the pictures. I couldn't narrow down which pictures I wanted to use. And if I forgot anyone in these pictures, I apologize and I love you anyway :-)

I'm thankful #4

Today I am thankful for good friends. I've been blessed with many amazing friends as early as elementary school, some of whom I am still in contact with. I'm grateful that I've never seemed to have much of a problem making friends, because I enjoy spending time with people and getting to know them. Many of my friends have helped me through some tough situations over the years, and I am truly grateful that they have been willing to listen to me vent, cry, and deal with my stress. Connected with the subject of friends, I'm grateful for the visiting teaching program of the Church. It has forced me somewhat to become friends with people I might not have otherwise. I have had companions and women I teach who are much older than me, but somehow the gap becomes a lot narrower as we serve and talk with one another. I enjoy feeling a sense of sisterhood whenever I am around the many wonderful women that I've met over the years.

I'm thankful #3

Today I am thankful for holiday vacations. It may sound kind of silly, but it's the truth. Mostly I'm grateful for them because it means that my husband doesn't have so much to do for a few days. So far this week Bill has been gone for a few hours yesterday to finish some homework, and will probably have to be gone a few hours on Friday to do some research, but for the rest of the week he gets to be home to help me and be with our family. Will and I really enjoy having him home with us. I enjoy it because he's a big help with things around the house and keeping Will entertained while I get things done. Will enjoys it because he loves his daddy and being able to play with him during hours when he's usually at school. So I am grateful that we will get to see him a little bit more over the next month or two.

I'm thankful #2

Today I'm thankful that I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Ever since I was young, that's always been one of my biggest goals. I know how important a mother's influence is in the lives of her children, and I want to be there every step of the way. Admittedly, the last 3+ years haven't always been easy, and I sometimes get frustrated or stressed with being home alone all day, especially when Will is throwing a tantrum or just being unusually difficult. When I sincerely look at my life and think about what a gift I've been given, however, I honestly wouldn't trade this job for anything else. Will is such a sweet boy, and I love helping him learn and grow. And I'm excited to go through it all again with this new baby. Being a mother is definitely the best job in the world.

I'm thankful

Being the week of Thanksgiving, I decided that this week I am going to write one thing I'm grateful for each day. Obviously, I'm thankful for a lot more things than just 6 or 7, but for this purpose I will narrow it down a bit.


Today I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had our Stake Conference yesterday and today, and it was a wonderful experience. There were many talks and musical numbers which uplifted me and gave me a renewed determination to be a better wife, mother, and overall person. I am far from perfect, but being a member of the Church and using the gift of the Atonement each and every day gives me the opportunity to learn and grow, and to be closer to my Savior and Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are eternal, and that the blessings I enjoy now can be with me forever. I know it sounds cliche, but honestly, if I didn't have the gospel I don't know where I'd be right now. It has blessed me in so many ways over the years. And now that I'm living in a place where being a member of the Church is less common, I have gained a great appreciation for that blessing. The Church gives me peace and joy in a way that nothing else can, and I am grateful for it.

Braving the cold

So...the afternoon Thanksgiving activity didn't happen, due to my lack of being able to reach any of the ingredients I needed. Instead, Will and I ventured outside for one of his favorite activities - picking crab apples off of the trees by our apartment. I don't know what started this fascination, but Will loves to go and pick at least one crab apple every day. Unfortunately I'm not the photographer that a lot of my friends are, so these pictures aren't that good. Plus after only about 10 minutes, both Will and my hands were practically frozen, which made picture-taking a little hard, and forced us to make a hasty retreat back to the warmth of our house.

Ahh, the joys of pregnancy....NOT!

Don't let the title fool you too much. I really am glad to be pregnant, because it means that I get to have a new baby to love and teach here in a few months. I love feeling her kick and move around inside me, I love looking at cute girl clothes when we go to a store, and I love imagining what great friends she and Will are going to be. However, I am constantly having to remind myself that the journey is worth the end result. Because I seem to have forgotten something in the 3 years since I was last pregnant - Pregnancy is hard and painful! I have not been so tired, or so sore, or so emotional in a very, very long time. It's definitely starting to wear me down. I feel so bad for my family, because they have to see me at my worst. I try and put on a good face when I'm out in public, but the minute I get home again, watch out! I try my best to take care of myself, by making sure I eat right, get enough sleep, and let myself rest as much as possible, but lately it doesn't seem to be doing much good. I just hope I can survive the next 112 days, or however long I have left. Sorry for the depressing post, I just had to get that out. Next post will be the fun Thanksgiving activity I have planned for this afternoon.

To sleep or not to sleep

Lately, unfortunately, Will has chosen not to sleep. He used to be so good about taking at least a 2-hour nap every single day, but for the past month or two, he has decided that naps aren't for him anymore. This creates quite a bit of stress for all of us. For one thing, nap time is pretty much the only time of day that I have to get much done or have quiet time. Also, if Will doesn't take a nap, then by about 6 or 7 that night he is tired and cranky, which makes life hard on all of us. I have tried to read to him quietly and sit with him in his room for 10-15 minutes, but that doesn't seem to be working anymore either, because as soon as I leave he gets right back up again and starts playing. I know how important it is for children to get as much sleep as possible, I just don't know how to fix this problem. Anyone have a suggestion?

Aren't the holidays great!

After being married for almost 5 years to a man who gets slightly frustrated with stores and with people who kind of gloss over Thanksgiving, I've started to inherit some of his way of thinking. So I decided the other day to make a small Thanksgiving decoration for our apartment. I tried to get Will involved as much as I could (hence the hand-shaped turkeys), and I think it turned out well. I just wish I had thought of it a couple of weeks ago so we could have a little more time to enjoy it before all the Christmas stuff goes up. Oh well. Next year maybe I'll be a little more on-the-ball.




Will admiring our handiwork

Going where I have never gone before

Ok, so I've blogged about potty training before. This is because we have tried numerous times to do it without any success. Well I've decided that it's time for a new tactic. I got the idea from a friend of mine the other day who said it has been working for her son. I'm not going to tell you what it is, in case it doesn't work and I'm too ashamed to admit it (and also because I'm not entirely sure my husband will agree with this tactic :-) ) If it works, and if we actually have some success this week, I'm sure a future post will be coming soon. Wish me luck!

Random cuteness

I don't have anything interesting to blog about at the moment, so here is a picture of the bows that my friend JuliAnne and I made this morning. She made the red ones, and I made the white ones. So easy, and with any luck our new little girl will have lots of hair, so she can wear them.


And for the grandparents, here's a picture of our big boy.

The verdict is in

And I am a paranoid mother. Will has nothing worse than a simple cold. He will be fine in a few days, it just means we have to deal with sniffles and a little coughing for a while.

Is there anything worse than having a sick child?

Ok, there probably are lots of things worse...war, famine, a debilitating disease, I could go on and on. For a mother, however, having a sick child is probably in the top 10. There's just something about listening to them cough or sneeze, having to wipe their little nose every five minutes, or seeing their endless energy drop that makes your heart tear. I brag all the time about the fact that Will hasn't gotten anything worse than a cold since the week he spent in the NICU when he was born, so I'm hoping that what he has is just a really bad cold, and not the flu or anything worse. Guess it's time to go get that flu shot we've been meaning to get.

The Miracle of Life

As I'm sitting here feeling our little girl kicking and doing gymnastics all over my stomach, I can't help but think about how miraculous this experience is. Just a few short months ago we didn't even know that she was coming, and all of a sudden in just another few short months, we will be holding her in our arms. I don't know if I've ever fully appreciated the unique role I have in the journeys that our children will take to come to this earth. It kinda puts all my aches and pains into perspective. Being pregnant and being a mother is definitely one of the most challenging things I've ever experienced, but when I look into Will's sweet face, or I think about what my daughter is going to be like, I marvel at how wonderful God's plan is for us, and I'm grateful that I get to be a part of it.

So excited!

I'm sure I've already expressed it many, many times in the last month or so, but I just have to say again that I am so excited that we are having a little girl! Especially after finding these on Walmart.com:




Let's just say that March 13th can't come fast enough! :-)

Can't we all just get along?

I realized something a little disturbing today - There are a number of children's songs or rhymes that deal with animals attacking each other. For example, today Will and I talked about the word "alligator" as part of our continuing to learn about the letter A. I found a rhyme/song that goes a little something like this:

5 little monkeys swinging on a tree
Teasing the alligators "Can't catch me"
Along came an alligator, quiet as can be
And snatched a monkey right out of the tree

I know it's a harmless little song, and Will enjoyed learning it. I guess I just wish that there were more songs about animals getting along with each other. Kinda makes me wonder what our society is turning out to be.

A-P-P-L-E

Will and I started our own mini-preschool today, and of course we started with the letter "A". I found these great little books online that help kids learn words and how to write their letters. Will didn't quite grasp the whole writing thing, but he knows all of his capital letters, and now knows a fun song to go with the word "Apple" (In case you can't tell from the video, it's to the tune of B-I-N-G-O)

Tag you're it part 2

So I guess there's a second part to the recent tag I did. I think I've officially become a tag junkie :-)

8 shows I like to watch

1. Dancing with the Stars
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Smallville
4. Privileged
5. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
6. Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?
7. Ugly Betty
8. Lost

8 things that happened yesterday

1. I got a free ride to my doctor's appointment rather than having to take the bus (Thanks Susan!)
2. I finally got a doctor's note to get my wheelchair fixed
3. Made scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner
4. Tried to fish a pen out of the VCR
5. Spent way too much time checking e-mail and blogs
6. Fell out of my chair in the bathroom, then got paranoid that I had hurt the baby - everything's ok :-)
7. Had FHE with the family
8. Stayed up way too late reading comics online with Bill

8 of my favorite places to eat

1. Chili's
2. Olive Garden
3. Wendy's
4. Sonic
5. McDonald's
6. Papa John's
7. Hot Wok Express
8. Dairy Queen

8 things I'm looking forward to

1. Thankgiving
2. Christmas
3. The birth of our baby
4. Bill finishing his PhD
5. Will getting potty-trained
6. Losing all my baby fat
7. Project Night
8. Date Night

8 things on my wish list

1. A house
2. Some new clothes
3. Going home for Christmas or just sometime in the near future
4. Matching furniture
5. A clean bedroom
6. People coming out to visit us
7. No idea
8. Can't think of anything else

I tag anyone who feels like it

Family Picture Fun

This past weekend we took our annual family picture. We took them at Sears, and are very pleased with how they turned out. Will was wonderfully well-behaved for all the picture-taking, and only started having a melt-down when we were waiting to look at the pictures with the photographer afterwards. Since we will be using one of the pictures of the whole family for our Christmas card this year, I'm only going to post some individual ones and other favorites.


This is my personal favorite of Will's. I just think he looks so adorable (not that I'm biased or anything)


I love Will's face in this one. The photographer kept asking him to say either "cookies" or "candy" to get him to smile, and every time he would say them he would get so excited, and his little nose would scrunch up. So cute!



I am so glad the photographer came up with the idea of doing pictures of Will with each of us. These turned out to be some of my absolute favorites.


And of course, the happy couple :-)

Halloween Happenings

Like I've mentioned before, our camera has been having issues lately, so unfortunately we don't have a whole lot of pictures from things that we've done over the past few weeks to get ready for Halloween, but we did manage to get a few taken.




This year we carved pumpkins with Bobby and Susan and Alice. We had a fabulous time, but the humidity of the Midwest was not kind to our pumpkin. About two days after carving it, it started to turn moldy (sorry, no pictures of the moldy pumpkin).



Sadly, these are the only pictures we have of Will in his costume. And even more sad is that, if it weren't for Susan, our poor child wouldn't even have had a costume. I had great aspirations of the 3 of us being the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, or the 3 blind mice, but unfortunately I got a little lazy and those things never got past being a thought in my mind. So thankfully Susan found this dog costume at a garage sale and let us borrow it. I'm also sad that we never took any pictures of the fun Halloween party we went to at the church. That was quite the night. Will would not put on his costume for the longest time, no matter how many times we tried to persuade him and convince him that he would get lots of fun candy if he put it on. Luckily, just as we were about to go outside for the Trunk-or-Treat, Will decided to give the costume a try, and then he had a great time.

A Yummy New Tradition

I've decided that holidays are much more fun now that we have kids. I came up with a fun new holiday tradition that Will and I could do together - making yummy treats. For Halloween, Will and I made Jack-o-lantern cupcakes. Will, of course, had much more fun eating the cupcakes, frosting, and chocolate chips, but we did manage to get a number of them done. I can't wait to come up with something for Thanksgiving :-)