From our Little Nook

Home Sick

2011-12-19T15:56:00.004-07:00

We've had multiple sick days this past week. Today it's Eli's turn. Here he is with his throw-up bowl, watching Diego for at least the 15th time today. He coughs into his bowl (nothing has come out into it yet) and then puts it right back on his head. I suppose he should get a bath and a hair-wash tonight!

Thankful

2011-11-25T21:06:00.003-07:00

We are thankful at our house for so many things! We recorded some of them on our Thankful Tree. Barry is thankful for crash tests, crumple zones, and puddles on dirt. I'm thankful for a beautiful commute to work and all of my boys. C.J. is thankful for "Mommy and Daddy hugging each other." Eli is thankful for Mom and Dad. Brian, Debbie, Andy, and Eric also added great leaves to the amazing tree that Brian (and kids) drew. A few leaves didn't make it to the tree--Eli enjoyed putting them on the glass patio door instead.

(Please excuse our half-naked son... C.J. must be very thankful for his Spiderman jammies and his flip flops--his preferred outfit these days. And when his top--or bottoms--get wet, he just goes without, as he's done here. It's going to be a LONG winter at the Grzybowski house in the 4-year old clothing department.)

Breakfast Barry-Style

2011-10-16T13:41:00.001-06:00

Barry was in charge of breakfast this morning. Nothing like pancakes with chocolate chips! Yum!

Conference Weekend at the Cabin

2011-10-15T15:45:00.002-06:00

I took my two boys to the cabin two weeks ago. The weather was PERFECT and the kids were great. C.J. was disappointed that couldn't live ALWAYS at the cabin. I adore fall in the mountains!

First Day of Pre-School

2011-10-15T15:41:00.000-06:00

C.J. and Eli both participate in pre-school at their day care. It's amazing. Even Eli is absorbing everything. He gets so excited when he sees letters he knows - and his teacher says he's the first to say what sound they make.

August - Bear Lake Trip

2011-10-15T15:36:00.001-06:00

We didn't make it on any big trips this summer, but we did make it to Bear Lake! "Barry-land" returned. This time we had a shade tent AND a screen tent. And new supplies for the beach.

We spent 3 nights there with our great neighbors and friends. Eli loved the beach. Barry and C.J. loved the raft and the water balloon fights.

Brighton Camp - 90 years

2011-10-15T15:28:00.002-06:00

My FAVORITE place in this entire world is Brighton. I absolutely cherish the memories of the 4 summers I spent there. And I relish any opportunity to go back. The smell, the sounds, the trees, the sky, the people, the memories. Love it all.

I had the opportunity to speak at a devotional there this summer. And then a few weeks later I participated in the 90th birthday program, and farewell to Floss Waltman, the long-time camp president. I felt so honored. I did have to learn a few new (old) songs - so if you saw me driving around town singing "We remem-remem-remember..." that was why.

I got to show my family around the camp. Seems strange that Barry had never even been "up the hill" before!

I hope Brighton stays a part of my life forever.

Our First CJ

2011-10-15T15:12:00.003-06:00

Barry bought this CJ7 before we were married. It worked, and then it didn't. It had a rusted out floor. Actually there wasn't much on it that wasn't rusted out! A number of people have worked on it over the years--replacing about everything there was to replace (except the rims), as well as adding some really cool bells and whistles.

When it wouldn't pass inspection this summer we knew it was time to really let it go. We sold it to a man in our ward who used to work for Jeep. You should have seen his eyes light up when he came to look it over. He got an amazing deal, a fun project, and we got our driveway back and a promise for a Jeep ride once it's really working! Word has it that it's getting close!

Visit from Wisconsin

2011-10-03T20:20:00.003-06:00

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Tony came out for a visit. They put themselves to work doing little (and big) things around the house like a new ceiling fan and two new trees in a yard. Hopefully they had a little fun... we did take them to Silver Lake at Brighton, one of our favorite places!

The Summer Yard Project

2011-10-03T20:14:00.002-06:00

Also known as Barry's summer workout. Some of those ties are HEAVY!

Also known as the project that ruined lots of clothes.

Still lots more to go, but it's coming along! Soon we'll have grass! And next spring--a garden!

So Long, Farewell

2011-10-03T20:07:00.002-06:00

to Barry's truck. He totalled it pulling an uneven load of dirt last summer.

Eli turns 2!

2011-09-05T16:45:00.000-06:00

So I've got a lot of catching up to do! Eli turned two the end of June.

A few things about Eli:

-He's a skinny thing--only in the 4th % for weight, and about the 50% for height.

-He loves bugs! Pointing out an ant or a fly can immediately calm a temper tantrum.

-He loves everything in twos--Grandma Pat taught him how to hold up his two fingers, so now when we pass out anything (napkins, cookies, crayons...) he asks holds up his fingers and asks for two.

-He wasn't a super talker on his birthday, but now he's turning into a parrot.

-He loves to match colors.

"So You Won't Miss Me"

2011-07-13T14:21:00.007-06:00

About a month ago I bought new contact lens solution. C.J. emptied the box, put a few of this own treasures inside, and using stickers he got from his REI field journal, taped it back up. He gave it to me with instructions that I take it to work, "so you won't miss me."

Well, I left it in the car that day. C.J. discovered it when I picked him up after work and he wasn't very happy with me. I took it inside with intentions to take it to work the next day, but I forgot about it and it ended up in a toy basket.

Yesterday, C.J. found it and once again, told me I needed to take it to work. So I did. I'm not sure if I was supposed to open it or not, so I opened it from the bottom so I wouldn't ruin his sticker work. And this is what I found:

Hurray!! Our DVD remote control! We have been MISSING it for a month and it has driven us crazy! No wonder we couldn't find it. Now we won't have to sit through all the previews anymore.

Thank you, C.J.! The irony in all this? It's made me miss him MORE today!

Soup's On!

2011-05-19T20:39:00.002-06:00

You know how Campbell's changed their cans so you can "pop" them open? Much easier to open. Even for one-year olds. Eli cracked opened 5 cans this morning. Guess what we had for dinner?

C.J. is Four!

2011-05-15T14:31:00.004-06:00

C.J.'s birthday was this last week. It's hard to believe he's four! We had a fun Diego birthday party yesterday complete with an animal rescue in our under-construction backyard.

A few things about C.J.:

most requested meal: Top Ramen (chicken) -- he calls them "pink noodles". We're not sure why...
favorite shirt: green striped shirt (see above) and "orange" (tan) pants with his white socks (inside-out) and church shoes. Even when it's 80 degrees outside.
favorite show: Curious George. Go Diego Go is a close second.
favorite toys: that's a tough one. He adores his tools and is quick to offer help to the cable guy or electrician when they work at our house. And of course he's excited about all of his new birthday toys: bug kit, butterfly net, golf clubs, t-ball set, nerf dart gun, binoculars, and fireman set.

Happy birthday, C.J.!

Toddler Tantrums

2011-03-29T11:31:00.006-06:00

I need to keep looking the cute picture of Eli in the laundry basket (post below) to remind myself what a cutie he is. He had a long, SCREAMING tantrum at 2:30am last night. AND the night before. AND this morning. AND everyday when we get home.

I keep thinking it will be nice when he can communicate better.

But then again C.J. cried for 1/2 hour this morning over his clothes. He spilled milk on his shirt and can't STAND any wet clothing, even if it's just a few drops. But then our problem is that he only has THREE shirts he will wear. (And just THREE pairs of pants--his tan pants, that he calls his "orange" ones.) And when you're three years old, clothes don't stay clean very long, so they are always in the wash. I finally talked him into one of his non-favorite shirts. But that shirt "hurts." And then he cries. And then his tears drop onto his clothes. And then they are WET. Which means he needs a new one...

So I put on his jacket and carried him screaming to the car. I didn't even ATTEMPT to get his socks or shoes on--he will only wear ONE pair of socks--his UTES socks which for some reason he calls his "BYU" socks ???, but even those "hurt" when he first puts them on. Anyway, C.J. cried the entire way to day care--I think because his pants were wet (yup, thanks to all the tears.)

But don't worry about the kids--after a few minutes at day care they were both happy angels and C.J. shooed me out the door.

As for their mother? Let's just say it's a two-can day. (That's two cans of fully-caffeinated Diet Pepsi in case you were wondering.)

A Cozy Bed

2011-03-18T23:03:00.003-06:00

C.J. tucked Eli into bed tonight. In the laundry basket. Eli was happy for a minute or two, and then I rescued him and put him in his own bed.

C.J. thought it was such a brilliant idea, that HE is trying to sleep in it. And he's twice a big as Eli. Barry, for the second time tonight, is currently trying to convince him to climb in his real bed. Or at least sleep on the mattress that's in the tepee, which has been his preferred bed lately. What is he doing awake at 11:00pm anyway??

The Adventure of Hansel and Gretel

2011-03-18T23:00:00.001-06:00

(AKA: Margaret and Sons at the Grocery Store)

What was I thinking? Oh yeah--we were out of milk. And Smith's is close to the kids' day care. So I picked them up after work (when we were all hungry for dinner) and we trekked to the store.

Dear Smith's General Manager if you happen to be reading:

PLEASE bring back the kid-sized grocery carts! I promise never to let my 3-year old careen down the isle behind one, instilling terror in all your customers, again. I promise to wipe it down with clorox wipes when we're done. Or at the very least, get more than one car-cart. The one in your store is always occupied when I'm there. That screaming you hear each week? That's because my kids see OTHER kids having a ball, driving through the store. Yes, more than one family shops at your store at a time.

Sincerely, a soon-to-be WalMart shopper, where at least the food is cheaper.

P.S. I'm really sorry about the puddle of water near the front door. My 20-month old threw his sippy cup to the ground. What can I say? He was angry about the cart situation.

So I loaded Eli in a regular cart and gave C.J. instructions to stay close. Yeah right. He quickly found the Animal Cookies--those pink and white ones with sprinkles. Well, since we were getting 2 gallons of milk and 8 boxes of pasta for free and eggs at half off (I'm a couponer), I could justify the $3 purchase. Plus, it might keep two kids quite and still at the grocery store. I opened them up and handed them out, and set the bag next to Eli. For a few minutes, the kids were angels.

Half way down the pasta isle, I noticed pink and white animal cookies on the ground. Wow--another out-of-luck-with-kid-carts family must have discovered the same solution! Really? Nope. My bag of cookies was split at the bottom. There was a trail of pink and white and sprinkles down 2 grocery isles. And worse, the cookies were already half gone.

After some rationing and lots of bad behavior from both kids, we finally checked out. The cashier graciously told me I could go get another bag of cookies AND, she gave the kids each a sticker. So nice. But when I realized, AFTER I had paid, that I had forgotten to give her my stack of coupons ($5.75 worth!), she sent me to wait and wait at the customer service center. So much for my quick store run. At least we had lots of cookies for the drive home.

And to think I have to do my REAL grocery store shopping tomorrow... I think I'll hire a babysitter.

Our Kid

2011-03-05T16:04:00.004-07:00

This kid's dad works at Sports Authority and his mom works at Jewel Kade. Can you tell?

True Love

2011-02-06T11:43:00.003-07:00

Barry's working today, so I'm in charge of boiling 25 brats in beer and onions for the Superbowl party. I don't even eat brats! So if that isn't true love, I don't know what is. (Note for those who have never made beer brats: It's the SMELL that takes days to get rid of that I can't stand. Get out the scented candles!)

But we're pretty excited at our house about the game today and looking forward to a Packer win!

Eli's Escapades

2011-01-30T16:52:00.005-07:00

Eli is 19 months old today, and sure is one whirlwind of activity! He empties the kitchen drawers as often as he can. And he loves to dive off the chair onto the beanbag. Another favorite activity is emptying my purse. And using the phone. Last month the police showed up because he had dialed 911. He loves drinking from real cups and has broken two glass ones in the past week when he dropped them on the floor.

He's a pretty good eater, though half of his meals end up on the floor. That's when I wish we had a dog.

His favorite things include his blankie, his puppy-puppets, and his Daddy. He adores playing peek-a-boo. It amazes me how it still entertains him. Baby Einstein movies are lifesavers while I get ready in the morning.

He only says a few words, but he does a few signs which helps. He's starting to play with C.J. more and more, though often one of them ends up in tears. (Eli is usually the rough one--he uses golf clubs, wooden spoons, train tracks, etc. as weapons, and he also loves to tackle. And pull hair.)

He had his check-up last week. Here are his stats:

22 lbs (6%)

33" (54%)

Love you, Eli!

"Scale"

2011-01-14T21:48:00.004-07:00

Nope, this is NOT a post about the scale in the bathroom.

My cute neice, Katherine, has two imaginary friends. I can't remember their names, but it's so cute. And normal, right? My son? No imaginary friends. C.J. has an imaginary place of work, that also happens to be a store.

For the past 3-4 months, he talks about "Scale" at least once a day. I'm still not sure if "Scale" is even its true name. Because he can't say r's or l's, I was convinced for a long time he was trying to say something else. But I can't figure out anything else, so I've decided it must be "Scale."

What I know about "Scale":
-It's really, really far away
-C.J. works there
-You can get anything there. Today he told me they have light bulbs and really, really big backpacks. It's something different every day.

So if anyone can help me find this place (C.J.'s not much help), I'd like to go and inquire about the employee discount. I need some new light bulbs.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T21:51:00.003-07:00

C.J. and Eli in their new tepee with their new sleeping bags and their favorite new toys.
Flashlights continue to be HITS at our house. Good thing Barry can get batteries cheaply these days.
C.J. wouldn't put his new camera down. Yup, that one requires batteries, too.

It was a lovely Christmas. We stayed home all day which was so nice! Barry spent the afternoon (while the kids napped, C.J. in the tepee) putting up new shelving in the garage and now my car fits inside! Seriously, the best present ever. And I love my new coat and Ute pj's too--thanks, love!

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-07T21:47:00.002-07:00

Christmas Eve at the Jackson home is always a highlight of the year. Sure wish my kids behaved better!
Alex, Ruby, and C.J. in the Angel Band.

December Memories

2011-01-07T21:36:00.003-07:00

-Jamming to Jingle Bells in the car on the way to and from day care. Every day.

-I only ruined one batch of caramels this year.

-A new Christmas Tree buying experience: over the internet using one of those deal-a-day sites. We got a beautiful, live tree for $32! I was totally prepared to give the delivery guy a generous tip (if the pizza delivery people get tips, certainly a tree delivery person deserves one!) but he left it on the front porch, rang the doorbell, and ran back to his truck before I could even open the door! So $32 it was.

-Lots of discussion about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. C.J. has been concerned how the tooth fairy gets into the house because we keep the windows and doors locked. But he put two and two together and figured out that it comes down the chimney, just like Santa! Of course!

-Dustbuster action. (Hands down my favorite appliance in the house!) Broken glass ornaments, pine needles, ice-melt that gets tracked in the house, and a lot of other goodies on the floor.

-Retail work hours at The Sports Authority on top of his regular day job. It was one exhausting month for Barry!

-Sub-for-Santa with friends. We provided awesome Christmases for 3 boys in need. Sure love that tradition!

-Making nougat with mom. Mmm. Sure is good. Sure is intense.

C.J.-isms

2010-12-07T15:56:00.002-07:00

A couple favorites I'd like to submit to Webster's for their next dictionary:

Primarried: a description of those who attend Primary at church. C.J.'s first day of Primary was last week, and on the way home, we had an unrelated discussion about how Mom and Dad are married. Since then, C.J. has been eager to tell everyone he is "primarried."

Yestertime: a time before today. It's a great word that we use a lot at our house.

Sleeping In

2010-11-07T13:00:00.004-07:00

What a wonderful treat. We went to bed early and got to change our clocks and sleep in today! (Not a totally restful night thanks to Eli.) And the best part? C.J. didn't come right into our room when he woke up. He made a trip to the bathroom, and then back to his room with his door closed. He came out about 30 minutes later so proud of himself because he was dressed! All by himself. If you look closely, you may notice his pants are on backwards and his shirt is on inside-out. I'm still not sure how he managed to button it. One of his socks was on inside-out as well, and his shoes were on the wrong feet. And in case you're wondering (because I am), I haven't checked his underwear yet. I'm going to try to change his clothes for church without deflating his pride, but if I'm unsuccessful, I sure hope the nursery leaders understand!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T11:17:00.004-06:00

C.J. made this amazing glitter pumpkin at pre-school a few days ago. I'm glad that project wasn't done at my house! I can only imagine the glitter mess.

C.J. was a dragon! (Yeah, I know it's a dinosaur costume--he picked it out a month or so ago, but since then has determined it is a fire breathing dragon.)
And Eli made a cute frog.

It was a windy, drizzly night for trick-or-treating, so we didn't stay out long. But the kids didn't mind, and the fewer peanut M&Ms we collect the better. (No matter how hard we keep them from Eli, he manages to stuff one or two in his mouth when we aren't looking, resulting in a chewed up peanut mess a few minutes later.) Plus, we had a birthday pumpkin pie waiting! Mmm...I think I may go finish it off right now.

It's a Jungle Out There

2010-10-22T12:13:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday Barry and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. Barry did an excellent job, speaking on Elder Uchtdorf's talk from conference (yup, the one with the Vince Lombardi reference.) And I spoke on President Monson's talk on charity from the general Relief Society meeting.

Once church was over, we went for a drive to see the fall leaves and give C.J. a chance to nap. We took our favorite drive--up Big Cottonwood Canyon and over Guardsman's Pass and down to Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway. It was beautiful. I'll never tire of vibrant yellow aspen groves surrounded by deep green pines.

As we drove through the trees, C.J. asked if we could see a tiger. "A tiger?" we asked. "Yeah, we're in the jungle." We looked, but we didn't see any tigers. Bummer. But we did play at the park before we headed home.

Goodbye, Ben

2010-10-14T21:23:00.003-06:00

We are mourning the death of our friend, Ben Jacobsen. He passed away yesterday after a fight with cancer. Although we knew this was coming, the news has been hard to take--he was just so young and good and athletic and wonderful, and now leaving behind such a beautiful family.

The last time we saw Allison and Ben, we sat with them at a wedding reception a few summers ago. We had a lovely visit, and when we left I remember commenting on what great people they are. We had no idea what the coming months would bring.

But I am deeply comforted to know that Ben is just in a different place, free from the ailments of his physical body. And that one day, his spirit will reunite with his perfect body, and he will live in happiness with his family forever. That I know to be true. In the meantime, he will be one of many angels watching over his family. And I bet he has a good view.

Summer Days at the Cabin

2010-10-09T14:32:00.007-06:00

We haven't been to the cabin much this summer--but when we were there, it was heaven. Except from 11:00 pm - 7:00 am when Eli wouldn't sleep... Here are some long overdue photos.

Weight Loss Update

2010-09-22T12:23:00.002-06:00

Barry and I weighed in last night. He's lost 21.4 lbs since we started Weight Watchers in June. Isn't that awesome! He's looking good and people are noticing. I'm sure proud of him!

Goodbye, Christine!

2010-09-08T21:37:00.003-06:00

A little over two years ago, I dropped my then one-year-old C.J. off at Christine's home day-care. I could barely see through the tears as I drove away. A comforting phone call came a little later and she told me he was doing just fine.

And for two years, "Christine's house" has been C.J. and now Eli's second home. That's why I choose it--it felt like a home. A little chaotic at times, but that's to be expected when you get lots of kids having fun (and learning to get along).

Christine has been wonderful, kind, and patient. Her home has been full castles and forts, birthday cakes and balloons, singing and dancing.

Christine's two boys, Kylan and Jace, are definitely like big brothers. C.J. has emulated their every move--he started wearing a backpack to Christine's house so he could be like Jace as he went to school. Some days he took his own "homework", along with a menagerie of treasures: a wooden spoon, a flashlight from grandma, his McDonald's puppy, a bicycle pump that he broke long ago...

C.J. would often shoe me out the door after a hug and a kiss and another hug. Sometimes he would give me a grocery list. (Is that what he thinks I do at work?) Other times he would remind me not to get lost and not to go to Daddy's work, but to my work. And my favorite is when he would yell out, "Make bacon!" (Barry taught him that.) Once in a while he would get his meats mixed up and yell out "Make turkey!" instead.

And Eli's favorite thing at Christine's house? Fiero, the cat. Eli squeals when I come in the door every evening. But if the cat's around, he wants nothing to do with me. He squeals even MORE and toddles as fast as possible to tackle the poor thing.

Well, Christine's life is changing and she's moving on from day care. Last Friday was our last day. I dropped the kids off, drove to work, and cried.

Thank you, Christine!

I want to linger... a little longer

2010-07-31T22:49:00.002-06:00

The Brighton Camp reunion was this weekend. I didn't take one photo, but believe me, it was pure heaven. Amazing--after 10 years, it's still the same, wonderful place. Even the costume closet still smells the same! I had SO much fun. The memories kept flooding back. We laughed and laughed and talked and talked and we even raided the walk-in. Do we really have to wait FIVE more years until the next reunion? I'm planning on it already.

And then today was our Israel reunion. Wow--it's been 16 years. I honestly didn't even recognize some people, though others look exactly the same. What a great afternoon.

I certainly am grateful for the amazing experiences I've had and especially for all the extraordinary individuals who have impacted my life in one way or another. I love them all!

July Highlights

2010-07-23T23:06:00.004-06:00

Oh, it's been a busy month! Sorry, no photos--they won't load for some reason.

I spent a week kid-free in D.C. for work--Barry is still recovering. But they had great fun at This is the Place State Park (or "That is the Place State Park" as C.J. calls it), on the Gibby's trampoline, up the canyon, in my parents' pool, planting flowers in our front yard, and cleaning our windows--inside and out! C.J. greeted me at the airport with the biggest grin ever and bouquet of flowers. I got all teared up, I had missed my family so much, but then couldn't stop laughing when C.J. went on and on about how fun escalators are!

Other adventures include a visit to the aquarium, lots of swimming (at Grammy and Pop's house or in our own little pool), walks around Silver Lake, dinner in Park City (fyi--there is NO A/C at the Pizza and Noodle place on Main Street), BBQ with the neighbors and the missionaries, and lots of popsicles.

As for Eli, he's finally to the point where he wants to get off his knees and walk. (I would too if I was crawling on all the sand that gets brought in every time we come inside from our Little Sahara backyard.) He took 6 steps this evening. He is starting to throw temper tantrums. Isn't he too young for that? And he is finally eating fruit and veggies. Well, some.

C.J. is using the potty! It's been a week, and he's only had a handful of accidents. Hurray!

Eli hits 40%

2010-07-23T22:42:00.002-06:00

Eli had his 1 year check-up today. For the record, here are his measurements:

Height (I guess they call it "length" when you're under 3): 29.8" (40%)
Weight: 19.5 lbs (5%)

Eli Turns One

2010-07-03T12:31:00.002-06:00

Eli's first birthday was on June 30th. It's amazing how much babies change in their first year!

Eli isn't saying anything we can understand yet, but does lots of pointing and squealing when he wants something. And he goes crazy when his mom or dad comes home. He loves to crawl, climb, and explore--C.J.'s firetruck bed is one of his favorite hangouts. Church is a weekly nightmare. He adores riding or pushing his walk 'n ride toys and is even starting to take a few steps on his own. He loves chicken nuggets, lunch meat, cheese, and anything with noodles. At least half of his meals end up on the floor and/or in his hair. He doesn't care for any fruit or veggie (except cauliflower) unless it's pureed. He's got beautiful olive skin, dark brown eyes, and six (whoops--EIGHT!--just checked) sharp teeth.

Happy birthday, Eli. We sure love you!

Week 1

2010-06-09T08:48:00.002-06:00

Barry and I made it through our first week of Weight Watchers. We weighed in last night--Barry lost 7 lbs! I’m so proud of him! And I’m proud of my 2 lbs, too.

Southpaw

2010-05-24T22:31:00.004-06:00

Meet the newest addition to our family, Southpaw! Stuffed animals love living at our house because they come to life. This one came especially for Eli from my co-worker, Maria. Thanks Maria! Eli loves him!
By the way, Eli's shoulder is healing quickly. He's been crawling for a few days now and it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Kids Care Visit

2010-05-20T16:37:00.004-06:00

Eli is really good at stairs. So good, I don't even worry about him. I was finally getting C.J. to eat his dinner last night when I saw Eli head down the stairs to the family room with a toy in hand. A few seconds later I heard a crash at the bottom of the stairs. I don't think he fell far, but it didn't help that his ride-n-walk car was in his way at the bottom.

He certainly wasn't himself after the fall -- he had a sad cry and wouldn't crawl, so Barry left work early and took him in to Kids Care just before they closed. He got home after midnight with an x-ray showing Eli's broken clavicle on his right shoulder. Good thing he's a lefty! (Well, I'm pretty sure he is.) So now he's got an ace bandage around him to keep him from moving his arm. It only takes 7-10 days to heal -- amazing! Apparently a clavicle break is the most common bone to break, and even more common among infants.

He's been a trooper today, just crying when we dressed him. He desperately wants to crawl, but his shoulder won't allow it. Hopefully the week will go by quickly!

Sunday Bubbles

2010-05-19T22:59:00.006-06:00

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful spring day. We played outside with Aubrey and our new bubble wand.

Happy 3rd Birthday, C.J.!

2010-05-12T22:02:00.004-06:00

Today C.J. turned three! We sure can't imagine life without him--he certainly has changed our lives.

Thanks to him, we have 55 episodes of Curious George saved in our TiVo. We watch it first thing in the morning, and sometimes before bed at night. And lest you think that's all we watch, we know Toy Story and Toy Story II by heart. We get in trouble by C.J. when we say the word "stupid," and he melts our hearts when he spontaneously tells us, "I love you SO much." He totally knows how to manipulate us (well, me more than Barry) into giving him a treat or buying him something he sees at the store. ("It would make me SO happy.") Whenever we leave for work he insists on a little hug, a big hug, and a kiss. And then all of those things all over again. He even hugs and kisses the phone before hanging up. He adores playing outside so we're grateful he loves hats so much.

And he sure had a great birthday. He's already taken a bath with his new goggles.

He's starting to figure out his new bike.
Some kids have pony rides at their parties. We had digger rides tonight! Aubrey was pretty scared, but Andy ate it up! (More on the backyard project later.)
Happy birthday, C.J.! We love you!

The Month of March--Come and Gone

2010-04-12T21:08:00.005-06:00

The past month and a half have whizzed by. And I totally missed documenting the highlights (and low-lights):

Saying good-bye to Chris, Carol, Harry, and Ella as they packed up and moved to Southern California
Grandma Pat and Grandpa Tony in town, bringing Grandpa-made beds for the boys and some fun days of visiting
Ski days at Solitude
Expensive car repairs
Barry's cross-country road trips to deliver my newly repaired, too-small-for-our-family car to its new home in California and to bring my new one home from Wisconsin
The Five-Alls for Grammy Gretchen's birthday dinner
Easter egg hunts at the park, the grocery store, and our living room
Barry's job hunt: resume writing and re-writing
Eli's never-ending colds and that snot-sucking bulb that he would rather chew on
Margaret's new book club and her devouring The Help
Bribes for potty training: M&Ms, Reece's peanut butter cups, and now a soccer ball
Margaret and Marianne's exercise deal
and of course, lots of weekend pancakes!

But here is some spring snow, dying Easter eggs, and 9 month old Eli.

Wiggle Monkey

2010-04-03T14:25:00.004-06:00

That's what we call Eli. He turned 9 months old this last week and is into everything! It's about impossible to get anything done while he's awake. The toy drawers were great barricades from the family room stairs for a week or two. But now he either climbs into the drawer (above), or detours under the train table to get to the stairs. Last night Barry caught him on top of the train table! But we sure do love him. And the other night he slept through the entire night for the first time!

At his 9 month checkup, of course he was as wiggly as ever. Our pediatrician called him "co-ordinated." Here are his stats:

Weight: 17 lbs 11 ounces (10 percentile)
Height: 27 1/2" (22 percentile)

Why are our kids short? No idea.

"Not Yummy!"

2010-03-10T22:07:00.002-07:00

I made some apple cinnamon muffins the other night. As C.J. was devouring his second, I asked him if they were yummy. "NOT YUMMY!" he replied in his angry voice, "Delicious." I can't believe I dared use such a childish word with my grown-up two year old.

Patent # D610,833

2010-03-08T21:25:00.004-07:00

Yup! My first patent. It's only a design patent, which isn't nearly as cool as a utility patent, but I'll take it anyway. It's for the design of Close To My Heart's ink organization unit. Of course I assigned it to Close To My Heart as the owner and I share the inventor status with Ron Lunt, our former VP of Operations. It's been on the market for a year and a half, but the patent was just issued last week.

It can store 60 CTMH stamp pads, even more markers, and has a tray for re-inkers that sits on top. It can spin around and be disassembled. Some people want to see all of their inks at once, so these towers can stand alone on a desk or be mounted on the wall. You can buy it piece by piece (if you just have 12 stamp pads you just need to buy one stamp pad tower) or get the whole thing outright.

This was one of the many fun products I got to work on in New Product Development. I miss that job, but my new job is cool, too. For those of you who don't know, last November I moved out of NPD and into the Finance/Business Development dept. I spend about 1/2 of my time creating financial models and the other 1/2 brainstorming and implementing ways to generate incremental revenue for the company. My brain definitely gets a daily workout!

Stairs...

2010-02-20T20:23:00.004-07:00

Two short weeks after Eli started crawling I found him climbing up the stairs. He only made it up two stairs before I rescued him. While he may think he's ready for it, we are not! I love having a split-level home (we're never more than 7 stairs from the kitchen), but it's a nightmare trying to come up with 4 barricades. Today it was laundry baskets. So instead of climbing stairs, Eli pulled out clean laundry to chew on. Lovely.

And here is Eli enjoying his Valentine's Day card. Thanks Gramma and Grandpa!

A Child's Prayer

2010-02-16T21:28:00.002-07:00

For the first time, C.J. wanted to say his bedtime prayer by himself last night. It was pretty cute, what I could hear of it (he prays in a little, high voice with his face buried in his arms):

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the food, for Mommy, for Daddy, for Baby Eli, for Baby Jesus, for Baby Eli, for Baby Kaisha (our neighbor's new baby), for Baby Jesus. AMEN!

Sure love you, C.J.!

Stuck in Texas

2010-02-13T21:39:00.003-07:00

10" of snow in Dallas. Who would have thought? And Barry happened to be there, just finishing up a business trip. Flight after flight was cancelled. But he FINALLY made it home, two and a half days late. We're so happy. According to C.J., his daddy just needs an umbrella so it won't snow on him. Then he wouldn't get stuck in the snow. I guess we'll have to send one with him next time.

Imagine my surprise on Friday when I got an edible bouquet delivered to my office. Yum! Here it is. Thanks, love! Happy Valentine's Day!

Sick Day or Ski Day?

2010-02-04T21:28:00.003-07:00

I stayed home with the boys yesterday. C.J. was sick with a cold and rather miserable. Mostly because his cough had kept him up most of the night before. There were a few times during the day when he perked up though. Here's one of them. He insisted on playing outside for about an hour (don't worry, it was warm and he was bundled up.) He found his skis, put them on and tromped around on the dead grass. Maybe one day it will snow again so he can take another sick day to go skiing.

Crawling!

2010-02-01T21:14:00.004-07:00

Eli turned 7 months old a couple of days ago. And on the same day, he started crawling, for real. It's still such a cute crawl. He moves inches at a time. But he's getting faster and going further every day. He's always loved being on the ground. And now he loves it even more!

I had to clean up and re-arrange our family room last night, to make more room for our mobile baby. (He kept rolling and bumping into the train table that was in the middle of the room.) I consolidated train toys into one drawer below the table, and put many of C.J.'s other toys in the other drawer. And moved a lot into storage, too. This morning when C.J. saw the oh, so clean room, he was a bit distraught and wondered where all of his toys were. Peering into the new toy drawer, he exclaimed, "Mom, you made a MESS!" I guess he prefers his toys organized his way -- strewn across the floor where he can see them all.

By the way, here is a photo of C.J. when he was Eli's age. Do they look anything alike?

C.J.

Eli

How We Decide, a Study of the Brain

2010-01-27T21:24:00.006-07:00

It snowed yesterday morning, which meant it took twice as long as usual to get to work. While I was inching down the freeway in Utah County, I heard the most FASCINATING report on NPR that I think everyone should know about.

Here's the scoop. A marketing professor at Stanford had each person participating in the study commit a number to memory. Some of the people were given two digit numbers, and some seven digit numbers.

(If you remember from psych 101, there are several famous studies which concluded that 7 digits is all we can store in our short term memory--which is why phone numbers are "rememberable", except that now we have 10 digits in Utah!)

Back to the study. The person was to commit the number to memory and then deliver that number to a person in a room down the hall.

While walking down the hall, each person was presented with a snack, as a thanks for participating in the study. A piece of chocolate cake, or a healthy bowl of fruit.

Those who were given the seven digit number were TWICE as likely to choose the cake! That's not just barely statistically significant, that's overwhelmingly significant.

The theory: the rational part of our brains are constantly at war with the emotional parts. When we fill up valuable cognitive space in our rational side, our emotional side is quick to take over.

I can only imagine the marketing implications...

Bedtime Stories

2010-01-11T21:41:00.004-07:00

It's no secret that bedtime is my favorite time of day. One of the good things about short, winter days is that the early darkness gives me an excuse to get my pajamas on as early as I want.

Isn't climbing into bed with a book heavenly? I remember when I was little I'd take a flashlight to bed so I could read under the covers. I don't indulge in many books these days. It's too risky. If it's a really good book it will consume me and I will ignore my family and stay up way too late while I read just one more page. Okay, one more chapter...or five. And then I can't function the next day.

So in this stage of life most of my bedtime stories are C.J.'s. I love this mommy-son time. But lately it's getting a bit more challenging. C.J. wants to know what EVERYTHING does. I guess it's how he learns about the world. But it means every book takes about four times longer than it should to read. For example:

M: Goodnight Moon

CJ: What does the moon do?

M: It shines in the sky at night.

M (very quickly to avoid interruptions): In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon

CJ: What does the red balloon do?

M: It floats around the room.

M: And a picture of--the cow jumping over the moon.

CJ: What does the cow do?

M: It jumps over the moon.

CJ: What does the moon do?

M: It shines in the sky at night...

I have resorted to skipping pages so we can make it through the book. Don't tell C.J.

Another book, "When Cows Come Home", has a page about cows doing somersaults. When I forget to skip that page, it sparks another action: C.J. climbing out of his bed to show me his somersaults.

But bedtime reading is still my favorite time of day.

Grammy came for dinner last week and stayed for bedtime stories. What a treat!

Six Months Old and Still Growing

2010-01-04T21:44:00.003-07:00

Eli had his 6 month checkup today. Here are his stats:

Height: 26 inches (31%)

Weight: 15 1/2 lbs (14%)

Dr. Valentine was impressed with his sitting abilities and gave him a clean bill of health. Now if he would only sleep through the night!

I love our appointments with Dr. Valentine--I always learn something new. Today he told me that 6 month olds can differentiate between their parents' native tongue and other languages. He also talked about some studies that show that babies are just learning the difference between right and wrong at 18 months, not at 9 months like many believe.

Today was also Eli's first day at Christine's day care. She said he did great. I know it was harder on me, though I did pretty well, too. Except I was over half way to work when I realized I was in the car pool lane...whoops. And I definitely felt empty-handed going to meetings today without a stroller, bottle, formula, burp cloth, toys, or baby!

A Review of Christmas

2010-01-02T21:42:00.006-07:00

Christmas morning was a delightful one. C.J. was happy to watch a few episodes of Curious George while I showered and made breakfast. We finally showed him all the presents, but I don't think he realized that he was actually going to get to open all them all that morning! He spent some time organizing the gifts under the tree and then on the floor.

And then we told him he could open them...

"It's a BOX!" And then he was off to open the next gift.

Yes, we did tell him there were toys inside the boxes. He was thrilled to receive a stuffed Woody, a big box of pretend food for his kitchen, some trucks and a bulldozer, some books, a sled, and some kid-skis. Eli received a darling tag monster, stickers for his wall, a book, a stuffed Snoopy, and a cute elephant rattle.

Barry pulled C.J. around the yard on his sled and they did a few ski runs down our hill. It was a cold day, but he didn't seem to mind.

He preferred the skis over the sled. Maybe because he could get air on his skis!

We used his sled today (January 2) though and had a blast. We went to the park with the Brinkerhoffs. C.J. was a bit apprehensive at first--he didn't want to start at the top of the hill but just half-way down. But soon he was cruising down from the top on Aubrey's sled with her and Ryan. Which meant I had a sled to myself. I had forgotten how much fun sledding is. We'll have to do that again, soon!

Bedtime Chat

2009-12-28T21:24:00.004-07:00

I tucked C.J. into bed the other night and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

C.J.: Where did my whiskers go? Mommy, you took my whiskers!

M: You have whiskers?

C.J.: Yeah.

M: Does Daddy have whiskers?

C.J.: Yeah.

M: Does Mommy have whiskers?

C.J.: No (glad he answered right!)

M: Do you have whiskers?

C.J.: Yeah. My whiskers are hiding.

M: Hopefully for a long time.

Milestones

2009-12-16T22:19:00.003-07:00

1. Eli's first tooth came in yesterday! No wonder he woke up 6 times Monday night.

2. I am no longer shedding clumps of hair every day. If you've never had a baby, that sounds like a strange milestone. But believe me, I've been looking forward to this one for a while.

Baby Tricks

2009-11-27T21:30:00.002-07:00

Don't you wish you could do this?

Maybe not, but Eli sure thinks it's fun!

Baaa

2009-11-18T21:56:00.004-07:00

I can't decide what baby age is my favorite. Eli is so much fun as a 4 1/2 month old. He loves to giggle, suck his thumb, play with his toys, and smile at anyone willing pay attention to him.

Today at work he was in his crib cooing away while I was on the phone with a new vendor. I apologized for the loud background noise and explained it was my baby. His response: "Oh, I thought it was a sheep."

Right. Because we sheer sheep when things get slow...

34th Birthday!

2009-11-01T21:08:00.005-07:00

What a day! Our Halloween celebration at Close To My Heart fell on my birthday this year. And this is no ordinary work party. It is huge. So big that the events dept hired an intern for the month of October, and her sole responsibility was to get the party ready. The decorations in the party room were unbelievable. Wish I had pictures. I don't envy the clean up crew though!

My dept teamed up with purchasing and we were the "kings": King of Pop (Michael Jackson), King of Rock (Elvis), Don King, King Kong, the King of Hearts, and I was the Lion King (Mufasa), and Eli was Simba.

We got our photos taken, got judged by the judges (the executive team), paraded around the building (which is always funny because 98% of the employees are IN the parade!), voted for our favorite costumes and for the pumpkin carving contest, ate doughnuts and cider, etc. I must admit, I was never a big Halloween fan, but after 5 years at CTMH, I love it.

I had to slip out during the festivities to get a crown on my tooth that has been killing me for a week. Turns out I'm still in pain. Guess I'll break down and dish out the dough for a root canal.

I left work early for what I thought was an evening with the Gibbys--dinner and a trunk or treat. But I got home and Barry got out a suitcase and instructed me to pack for an overnighter! I was going to the new Waldorf-Astoria lodge in Park City with my good friends, Jill and Jenny for the night!

It was amazing--and because it was my birthday they upgraded us to a deluxe suite with 3 bathrooms, king size beds, a full kitchen, 4 fireplaces...you get the idea. I missed having Barry with me but the break from the kids (and getting up multiple times in the night) was wonderful! And we had so much fun together. My favorite part was my morning at the spa complete with the most amazing facial. Thank you, Barry! It was perfect!

Daddy's Helper

2009-10-24T15:04:00.001-06:00

Our fall garbage pickup is coming soon so it is time to clean up our backyard. The big items got thrown over the fence on to the street. C.J. was able to help put the smaller items in the wheelbarrow, and he made sure to get a few rides in.

Hats, Hats, Hats

2009-10-14T22:05:00.001-06:00

One thing we will always remember about C.J.'s toddler years is his love of HATS! Last winter it was his Batman hat. This summer it's been his bug hat, his camou hat, or his helmet. Tonight it was Eli's Packer hat.

What do you think? Too small?

Blessing Eli

2009-10-12T21:49:00.001-06:00

Eli's baby blessing was Sunday. We love the intimacy of a family gathering in a home, so we did it at my parents' house so it would be convenient for everyone. It was nice to see everyone and to celebrate our new little one.

Growing Up

2009-10-07T21:59:00.001-06:00

Almost daily, C.J. puts on my backpack and tells me he is going to school. This two year old also does homework! At least that's what he calls drawing. He recognizes letters as either "numbers" or as the letters "A" and "O". And he can count: 1-2-3-8-7! He puts his shoes and socks on by himself and yes, they are almost always on the wrong feet (see photo below.) He's getting his pronouns down. He refers to Eli as "he" instead of "it." And every morning he comes into our room and announces "I wake up" instead of "My wake up." And I imagine soon he'll even get his tenses right. Oh dear. Slow down little boy--you're growing up too fast!

First Annual Neighborhood Campout

2009-09-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

We gathered together some of our neighbors and went camping at the Spruces this last weekend. We hope to make it an annual tradition. We need a good name for it. Any ideas?

Our wonderful husbands set up camp in the drizzling rain Friday night. Setting up and taking down camp is always the hardest part, so I'm grateful for a husband who does it well, even in the rain. And if you know us, we don't camp "light." For our small family of four we had two large tents--one to house our sleeping bags, port-a-crib, and tent heater, the other to store our gear like my guitar and rocking chair. Yes, my sweet husband wanted me to be as comfortable as possible, so he brought along our wooden rocking chair!

Saturday we hiked to Doughnut Falls (Jill and Nate and family joined us for our morning breakfast and hike) and just enjoyed the amazing weather and beautiful surroundings. It didn't rain again until Saturday night when we were snug in bed. And then did it ever rain! The nights were cold and we got good use out of our tent heater!

The kids did great for the most part. C.J. slept through the nights and Eli didn't wake up any more than usual. We had a few incidences--like Aubrey throwing up, C.J. falling and getting a bloody nose and goose-egg on his forehead, time-outs due to fighting over toys and trikes, etc., but overall I think they loved the adventure of sleeping in a tent and throwing pine cones in the stream.

We definitely want to do it again next year!

Aaron and Ryan cooking breakfast. Yum!

C.J., Aubrey, and Ella playing ball

Jill and Baby Josh being cute

Margaret, Eli, and Barry hanging out at camp

Baby Eli being cute

Aldo drying his son's socks over the fire

Tree Trimming

2009-09-14T21:11:00.000-06:00

We've had an overgrown tree in our backyard. Barry and C.J. made a visit to Home Depot on Saturday to get tree trimmers and Barry went to work. C.J. was a big help -- he picked up the stray branches and moved them to a pile. I don't have a good "before" picture, but this is near the beginning of the project.
And this is after! Now the Brinkerhoffs will be able to see the Draper fireworks!

Photoshoot with Eli

2009-09-03T21:46:00.000-06:00

One of the great benefits of working at Close To My Heart is that I can take my babies with me until they are 6 months old. Amazing, I know. Getting all of my work done can be a challenge--my to do list seems to just grow and grow. But I love being with my little one all day long.

Another benefit of my job is that there are some great, on-site photographers. Eli and I went outside with Katie today to get some photos while the weather is still good. Here are a few.

Other outings with Eli this week include a visit to our favorite pediatrician, Dr. Valentine, for Eli's 2 month old checkup. He weighs 11 lbs even and is 23 inches long. Thats 30th percentile for weight, 50th for height.

Weekend Jaunts

2009-08-31T21:47:00.001-06:00

First some cute photos.

C.J. loves his helmet. He puts it on before he plays soccer outside. He wears it when he rides his "airplane" around the house. He wears it when he rides in the Burly. He's even worn it to church. Here he is with it on in the bathtub.

And some recent photos of Eli. He sure is growing up!

Now to our recent weekends. These photos are at the cabin on our anniversary weekend. I sure do love spray bottles. They keep our toddler entertained for a long time.

Yesterday we went up to Silver Lake for a picnic and a walk around the lake. I've been meaning to get up there all summer! It was almost 20 degrees cooler and absolutely beautiful. On the way home we stopped at the Spruces and made some camping reservations for us and our neighbors. Can't wait!

Reasons to Celebrate!

2009-08-27T09:16:00.000-06:00

1- My parents have been married for 50 years! We had an amazing time celebrating with them at Aspen Grove earlier this month.

2- Barry and I have been married 6 years. We spent our anniversary at the cabin. It was a beautiful weekend, though not very romantic with 2 kids demanding our attention. Next year--no kids!

3- C.J. hasn't had a bottle in 4 days! This also means no more changing his sheets in the middle of the night.

4- My bone marrow has stepped up and doing its job and my white blood cell counts are totally normal. No more taking my temperature twice a day. No more quarantine from sick people or crowds. No more visits to the hematologist. And best of all, no bone marrow biopsy.

5- Our dear friend, Mike Torsak is getting married tomorrow. We're thrilled for him and Michelle.

6- Peach season is here! Mmmm. I may have to go every day to Taco Amigo to get a fresh peach shake. They are low fat, aren't they??

Only a dream?

2009-07-21T20:01:00.001-06:00

I don't have a picture so you'll just have to use your imagination. One of the many times I woke up last night I remembered this dream: Baby Bop and B.J. were working in the hospital inserting IVs. I was a psychology major so I feel qualified to interpret.

1- Too many visits to the hospital. (I've spent the last three evenings at the E.R. being diagnosed and getting treated for a kidney infection.)

2- Too much Barney. WAY too much Barney. Is there an addiction program we can put C.J. into that will end the constant Barney requests??

A Love Affair

2009-07-16T15:13:00.001-06:00

I know it sounds crazy, but before Eli was born I expected it would take weeks or months before I really loved him. Newborns don't really do much--they don't even smile!

Well, I was wrong. I am totally smitten by this little boy. No, he doesn't smile yet (on purpose) and yes, he just sleeps a lot and grunts and cries when he has a bubble, but I adore him. This newborn stage is more wonderful than I remembered. I find myself wishing we could stop time and just enjoy his newness forever. He had his two-week checkup today and he's up to 8 lbs 2 oz. Eeks! He's already growing up too quickly!

C.J. loves him, too, and enjoys "holding it" whenever he can.

Baby Eli has Arrived!

2009-07-02T13:45:00.000-06:00

Our new baby, Eli, was born June 30th, 2009 and weighed 7 lbs 6 oz.

It was quite the event. I had planned on doing a VBAC delivery, but when I wasn't progressing any, I gave in and scheduled a c-section for the day after his due date. I was much too uncomfortable and needed him out!

Late Monday night (his actual due date), I finally started having contractions. I hardly slept at all and came into the hospital at 7:30 the next morning. I was thrilled that I could still attempt a VBAC. About 3:00 pm I started pushing. After about 15 minutes it became clear that the baby wasn't tolerating the pushing well. Though his heart rate would return to normal between pushes, it is also one of the signs that the uterine incision from my last c-section could be opening. So the chaos began and they quickly had me cut open and the baby out.

The only complication was that they also cut into my bladder on accident. They were able to repair it, but for TWO weeks, I have to be attached to a catheter to make sure that my bladder stays empty. What fun. I suppose I won't miss all the bathroom trips--I've certainly made enough of them over the past month!

As for Eli, he is healthy and doing really well. He's a good eater and a great sleeper. I'm hopeful that his first few days are indicative of the next few months! I really expected him to look like C.J., but he is definitely his own self. He's two days old now and really turning into a handsome little thing. I think he looks like his dad.

The first night C.J. visited us in the hospital he was enamored with his new little brother. He wanted to hold him and touch him and kiss him. When he saw Eli breastfeeding, he exclaimed, "Eating Momma!" But last night C.J. visited and wanted nothing to do with Eli or me. I suppose it will take some time to adjust.

A Day Out with Thomas the Train

2009-06-01T21:37:00.000-06:00

We had a great time Memorial Day Weekend in Heber City riding Thomas the Train and enjoying all of the other fun things there. Teresa, Sam, and Alex, as well as Marianne, Mike, Katherine, and Ellie joined us for the fun.

2009-05-19T21:59:00.000-06:00

Birthday Celebration Continued

2009-05-17T15:03:00.001-06:00

Friday night we celebrated C.J.'s birthday with a big cake. As you can see, he's a pro at blowing out candles!

Thanks, Andy, for the fire truck bed. C.J. LOVES it!

Now if we can only keep him IN his bed all night long. Last night I must have walked him back to bed 7 times between 12:30 and 2:45. Once he wanted a bottle. Another time he wanted to give me a kiss and a hug. The next time he wanted to give Daddy a kiss and a hug. And three times he wanted his bicycle helmet, which was in the car. (He had worn it the whole way to Bountiful where we had dinner with my family at The Mandarin.) We made him wait until morning for that one. I was grateful he slept in.

Good thing Barry got C.J. a shovel for his birthday -- we need all the weeding help we can get!

He also helped Pop and me plant flowers on Saturday morning. I can't wait to see what our flower garden will look like once they all bloom! I'll wait until then to post a photo.

Happy Birthday, C.J.!

2009-05-12T22:06:00.001-06:00

Today C.J. is two years old! He is a happy child who enjoys life and has a lot of fun. He is a great talker and his favorite adjective is "big." All trucks are "big trucks," all diggers are "big diggers," and he loves to eat with "big forks." He loves spaghetti, cheese, apples, and any green vegetable except peas. He is left handed and loves to draw. He adores blowing bubbles, and that's way we sneak out when a babysitter comes. He plays swords with wooden spoons or wisks, jumps and runs as much as possible, and hates it when it is time to come inside.

We love you, C.J. and can't imagine life without you! Happy birthday!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:46:00.001-06:00

For Mother's Day our ward had all of the women meet together in Relief Society, while the Young Women and Priesthood took care of the kids. It was a nice break, and we had a special lesson where we took time to share things we have learned from our mothers. I've learned SO many things from my mom--I thought I'd list a few here!

Biz Bleach is a wonder detergent for getting out stains
The words, "What can I do to help?"
A love of games, and card games in particular
How to make a perfect custard
A fondness of books (but unlike my mom, I don't read the last chapter until I actually get there!)
Manners
An optimistic outlook on life
The importance of laughter
"Point, point, pas de bourree"

And many, many more things. Thanks, Mom, for always being just a phone call away! I don't know what I'd do without you!

And here is C.J. with my dad. It's so fun to see how much he loves his Pop!

April in Review

2009-05-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

Our internet hasn't been working, but we're up and running again. Here are some photos to re-cap our last month.

GO UTES!

EASTER

BEST FRIENDS: AUBREY and C.J.

BUBBLES! No more broken legs with these around!

PE-BO (Peek-a-Boo)

THE WISK DANCE

TWO FAVORITE THINGS

C.J. LOVES to wear his REI bug hat that Grandma Pat bought him last summer. He even takes naps with it on! He also loves to help weed in the garden with his "shovel" (yes, it's really a screwdriver.)

The Biggest Loser Half-Way Point

2009-04-09T20:50:00.000-06:00

Barry is participating in a Biggest Loser contest at his work, and he's doing AWESOME! I couldn't be more proud. He's exercising at least twice a day and eating lots of veggies.

The mid-point weight-in was on Monday, and Barry won $100 for being on top! In just 6 weeks, he had lost 33 lbs! That's over 10% of his starting weight!

Today, the two women who are right behind him in the contest, sent him lunch -- 3 pizzas, cinnamon sticks, Doritos, and Coke. They work in Cincinnati, so they don't know Barry, and don't know about his incredible, new-found will power to avoid junk food. While Barry's office devoured the pizza, he snacked on raw cauliflower.

So keep up the good work, Barry! Just 6 more weeks to go to win it all!

Not-so-lucky St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T21:43:00.001-06:00

I thought we did everything right. We started our St. Patrick's Day off with Lucky Charms and lots of green clothing. (Well, Barry forgot but he pinned some broccoli to his shirt!) Not only did we fail to find a pot of gold that day, but C.J. somehow broke his leg at the sitter's.

We thought it was a sprained ankle or toe, and when he still wouldn't put any weight on his leg the next day, Barry took him to the doctor. Turns out he broke both bones in his lower leg. He was a brave little trooper and is getting used to his cast. He can even crawl around a bit. Hopefully he won't have too many more broken bones in his lifetime!

Curtains at last!

2009-03-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

I bought this material almost a year ago but just barely got around to turning it into curtains for C.J.'s room. While Barry worked on screwing the brackets to the wall, C.J. had his own task of holding the curtain rod. Here Barry is tickling his back with the hammer.

Also of importance in this photo are C.J.'s new "choo-choo" slippers, a gift from a neighbor. He LOVES them. We have officially entered the realm of Thomas the Train.

Saturday Morning Chores and Saturday Night Fun

2009-02-26T21:35:00.001-07:00

One day we'll hire a maid. But in the meantime, I've got a son to train. I vacuumed while C.J. swept. He swept everything from the wood floors to the carpet to the shower door!

While I ironed, C.J. entertained himself with a spray bottle of water and rag in the bathroom. He managed to get the floor very wet. The spray bottle definitely won out over the rag.

We rewarded ourselves with a night out with the Bateman family at Jack and Jill's bowling alley. Don't ask what our scores were--we could certainly use some more practice!

First Haircut

2009-02-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

C.J.'s first real haircut. I don't count the many times I sneaked up behind him to snip off an extra long lock, or the time when I trimmed it while he was sleeping in bed.

We went to Cookie Cutters and paid $14 + a tip to get a great haircut that only took 5 minutes and looks great. C.J. loved the airplane chair with a steering wheel, the Thomas the Train movie in front of him, and especially the helium balloon that he got when he was done. They sure know how to do it there!

The Pig

2009-02-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

I thought we had a few years--like 10, until C.J. would drain us of all of our extra cash. Oh no. It has begun, with the discovery of his musical piggy bank.

Now, when C.J. sees change on the dresser, he yells "Pig!" and it's too cute not to let him have it. Grandpa Tony, here on a ski trip last weekend, happily donated his pocket change to the pig. In this photo, the change is all "gone," as C.J. says.

It's a Boy!

2009-02-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's our baby boy, due to arrive June 28th. We're pretty excited! Everyone asks if C.J. knows that a new baby is coming to our house. No, not really. He knows to point to my tummy when we ask where the baby is, but to tell you the truth, I'm convinced that he thinks my belly-button is called "baby."

Itty-Bitty Living Spaces

2009-02-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

C.J. has always loved climbing into spaces just his size. This tupperware proved to be a little TOO small. But no worries, he found a bigger one.

He found another perfect spot when I was packing for my recent California trip.

He even practiced the traveling.

Recently, we purchased some new bins from IKEA to store toys. C.J. dumped out the toys to make room for himself.

And then insisted we make a "lid" out of another box. He was a happy clam.

So, if you're ever searching for C.J., check the small spaces in the house. He loves to sit on a shelf in his closet, or hide in the cupboard below the bathroom sink. I guess everyone needs their own space!

Business Trip or Vacation?

2009-01-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time at the CHA tradeshow. Lots of great stuff to see. Lots of new ideas for our own product line. While it was exhausting, it was nice not to worry about teaching Primary, cooking dinner, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and getting the boy to bed on time. Barry got to do all that.

I actually got to see a movie at a movie theater, spend some time shopping, and read a book! We saw Bride Wars. Cute and predictable. I bought a pair of brown pants from the clearance rack at Ann Taylor Loft--only $9.62! And I read Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen. I found it on the Library's website. Who could pass up a book about a Dairy Queen? I guess it's been pretty popular--it has a "Readers Choice" sticker on the back. I'd definitely recommend it. It's a fun, quick read that isn't too depressing. So check it out!

My Little Helper

2009-01-22T22:00:00.001-07:00

When I cook, C.J. pulls a chair over to the counter so he can help. Today he measured his favorite snack food, pretzels. And then he ate them.

Global Cooling

2009-01-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Last summer I was a believer of Global Warming. Now? Surely it's been cold enough to keep those glaciers frozen for another few years. I'm just grateful I don't live in Wisconsin--my mother-in-law, a teacher, had school cancelled due to the cold. Brrr.

If you live in Salt Lake City, you may be wondering what I'm talking about! The Salt Lake Valley seems to be hovering around average temperatures for January. Highs in the mid-30's. Not bad. But every day as I drive to Utah County, I watch my car thermometer drop. This morning it was 22 degrees when I left for work. 25 minutes later in Pleasant Grove it was 12! I left work a little after 5:00. Temperature: 20 degrees. I watched the sun set and the temperature rise to 37 by the time I got home. Crazy!

This photo is of the farm across the street from Close To My Heart. The grass and the trees have thick ice on them every morning. Though this photo doesn't do it justice, it really is a beautiful sight.

I could blame the cold on Utah County in general. But I won't. Though I don't prefer to live there, I received an excellent education there as well as employment for almost 7 years. I prefer to chalk the cold up to the "Utah Lake Effect." Lakes can be pretty mysterious, you know. In SLC, we have "lake stink" every so often. And I've heard Bear Lake has a monster.

And I'm sure the pollution and inversion don't help either. We should all park our cars and walk. Oh wait--the air is so bad there's a health advisory out. Plus it's cold. No walking. Just stay home.

Or better yet: Go to Disneyland! That's where I'm heading this weekend! Well, not exactly to Disneyland--that would be torture for a pregnant woman who loves Space Mountain and the Indiana Jones ride. But to Anaheim, to the Craft & Hobby Association tradeshow. I can't wait. And if you live or work in Utah County, you can be happy that my car won't be polluting the air for a few days. Maybe that will help warm things up!

Bath Time Fun, by C.J.

2009-01-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

C.J.'s Six Tips for Great Bath Time Entertainment

Tip #1: Have plenty of bath toys. (Thanks Grammy!) I call the wind-up Ernie Boat "Elmo" because Ernie is in my Elmo book.

Tip #2: Multipurpose toys are the best. This boat can zoom around the tub, store my washcloth when I'm not using it, or catch water from the faucet to drink. A washcloth is prettycool, too. My dad can even get it to stick on the wall!

Tip #3: Keep the faucet running just a bit. Fresh water tastes better.

Tip #4: Stay hydrated. This silly cup has holes in the bottom so it's hard to get much water, but I sure try!

Tip #5: Don't sling cups of water all over the bathroom. Your mom may get soaked and then take the cups away.

Tip #6: Splash, splash, splash!

Evidence

2009-01-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, this picture proves that our 20-month old has us totally wrapped around his little fingers. Allow me to explain.

C.J. has a cute little toddler toothbrush that is yellow and green and shaped like a dolphin. But he refuses to use it. He will only use his mom or dad's toothbrush, preferably one that just came out of our mouth! We say "aahh" and he opens his mouth briefly. We have about five seconds to do a quick brush of all of his teeth. And then he is ready to brush his teeth by himself. Really, it's more sucking the water from the toothbrush and chewing on it. And then running away with the toothbrush in hand.

Needless to say, we go through a lot of toothbrushes. By they time they turn up in the dirty clothes hamper or under the bed, we've moved on to new toothbrushes. The hard part is keeping track of which toothbrush belongs to which person.

Back to the photo. This is my (Margaret's) toothbrush. I know because I've been keeping very close track of it. And it has only only been used in my mouth. Until today. I found it on the sink next to the soap. This is where Barry puts his toothbrush when he's finished using it. Yup, he used MY toothbrush.

So now it is his. I've moved on to an electric toothbrush. One that totally freaks C.J. out if it goes near his mouth. So I think I'm safe. I guess I'll have to keep buying toothbrushes for Barry and C.J. though. But that's okay. At least they brush their teeth!

Christmas in January

2009-01-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

The Amazon.com Santa (dressed as a brown UPS man) finally made a visit to our home and delivered a new camera! Now we can capture C.J.'s smiles WHEN he smiles.