Boys will be boys!

This week I've got a taste of what I'm in for as a mother of 2 boys, but I have to say I am grateful that my 2 boys are not twins. Let me explain. This week I thought it would be really fun for Carter to play with his cousin Darrin (Brooke's son). Brooke came up last weekend and she is coming up this weekend for the baby blessing, so she left Darrin for the week. Darrin is the cutest, sweetest little thing and so I figured things would be fine. Carter has been very good and easy going, so I figured they would just play. It turns out I was a little bit wrong. I've come to the conclucsion that Boy #1 (Darrin) + Boy #2 (Carter) = TROUBLE! As I've told others about what went on, I think you could put any boy in this equation and you would get the same result! No matter how sweet each boy is or how well behaved, when two boys get together you are in for it! Here is just a short list of some of our "mishaps" this past week:

1. Popcorn spread all over the basement floor.
2. Berries from Grandma's garland thrown all over the foyer floor.
3. The craft room trash spread all over the floor.
4. Berries from Grandma's garland thrown all over the floor AGAIN.
5. Kaylee's hamster let free to roam the house.
6. Beads spread all over the craft room floor.

Despite these few "mishaps," we had a great time with Darrin and I'm glad he came to stay. On the other hand I've realized that I'm not ready for that third child yet!!

Now I'm just curious what the answer for this equation would be: Girl #1 + Girl #2 = ??? (Britt maybe you have a good answer for this one!)

family pictures

Our good friend Andrea Wardle took these adorable family pictures that I've tatooed all over my blog now. She did a fantastic job and for the most part everyone in the family cooperated! She took over 150 pictures and I would say by the 100th picture Carter was done and we have a whole bunch of shots where Carter is trying to run out of the picture...it's pretty funny! Jaxon stayed happy almost the entire time. The weather even cooperated with us and it was not too cold. I'm glad we did them when we did because it looks like the cold weather is here to stay!

Our Leper Baby

I can't believe how big Jaxon is getting. My parents went out of town for a week and when they came back they said he looked so much bigger and older. I guess I don't notice it as much because I'm with him 24/7, but I can tell he starting to creep out of his "newborn look". To our dismay, the other day Jaxon woke up with really bad baby rash. I've joked that he is our little leper baby, but it sometimes makes me sad to even look at him. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, although he does rub his face in my shirt from time to time, so maybe it does. He continues to be happy and we were even able to capture a picture of him smiling the other day. This picture even demonstrates his baby rash really well, but I'm glad he is smiling nonetheless. My aunt who is a nurse practitioner says you have to just leave it alone, but if anyone has any suggestions I'm up for the advice!

Daddy's Day Off

Matt had an unexpected day off on Tuesday, so we decided to take advantage of it. We went to Kneader's for breakfast and got their famous All-You-Can-Eat Chunky French Toast (my mouth still waters when I think about it) and of course "choc motts" or in other words chocolate milk. Matt then took Carter golfing for the first time! He was so excited. We told him before breakfast that daddy was going to take him golfing and so he he kept telling grandma and grandpa that he was going golfing. He was really disappointed when we drove up to Kneader's and said "golf" with a sad look on his face. We told him that golf was after breakfast and I don't think he has ever eaten so fast before! (Maybe I should tell him that every day!) After 9 holes of golf and fun riding in the golf cart, Carter took his usual afternoon nap and then we went house hunting. We had found a great new development super close to Matt's work but unfortunately the price of homes was double what we thought, so for now we will just dream and continue to "hunt."

We all think that daddy needs to have more unexpected days off!

Husband vs Wife

My friend, Talai, recently entitled a post "Swanky Saturday." She explained how she is emerging from the poor student phase of her life. As Matt and I are in a similar situation, it got me to thinking. Matt and I look at many things very differently, but the way we would choose to spend our money is very different (that is if we both had separate bank accounts and the money wasn't "ours"). The best way to describe me is "cheap." I'm always looking for a bargain and I get really excited when I find one. For example, if I find a shirt for $4, sometimes I'll buy it just to say I got it for $4. Most of the times this is great, but there are many times when I have found that I never use or wear it. I get really excited to tell Matt about it, but he doesn't get too excited over things like that because on the other hand, he is more about quality than quantity. He would rather spend a little more money on something that he really likes or wants than something he might use once or twice. It seems whenever we are looking at similar items, Matt tends to want to buy the more expensive item that is of better quality than one that is half the price. I think this is true for some things, but on the other hand sometimes you might as well buy the cheaper item, especially if you could buy 5 of them before spending as much as the more expensive item.

For the most part, I think Matt and I for the most part really compliment each other when it comes to spending money. A good example of this is a picture from Costco that I wanted to buy the other day. The one I had picked out was 11 x 14 and was $57 dollars. As I mentioned before, $57 for a starving student is like food for a whole week, so I almost cringed even thinking of buying it. I decided to take Matt later in the week to help me decide which one to buy, and to make a long story short, we ended up getting a panoramic picture that was 5 times the size for $199. It retailed for $440 so it was still a good deal but I've never spent that much for a picture. Now that it is all said and done, I'm really glad we got the really big one, even though it was a little more money. It will really look nice over a fireplace or couch and will stand out a lot more than the little one I wanted to buy initially.

How do you and your mate fare when it comes to spending money?

Dear Friends and Family,

So this will not be one of my most exciting posts to read, but it is actually a cry out for help and I would appreciate any pointers or ideas any of you out there might have. Ever since transitioning Carter to a "big boy bed," we have had huge issues about him waking up in th middle of the night. It started out as being once a night, but lately it has been 3 or 4 times a night. To make things worse, Jaxon is still up once or twice a night, so you might as well call me Mrs. Owl because I feel like I hardly get any sleep. Does anyone have any suggestions on the Carter matter? I hope Jaxon will grow out of his nightime awakenings soon, but if anyone has suggestions on that too it would be helpful!

Thanks,

A tired, sleepless mother

October in Review!

It seems like October just flew by. Nevertheless, we were able to pack a lot in this month! Here is a short recap of a few of the fun events of the month.

First and foremost was my birthday (Matt smirked when he read this)! My mother took my sisters, aunts, and I to get pedicures and wow! I think this is a must for every future birthday to come! Matt took me to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Pizza Factory. Matt also bought me a gift certificate to get a massage, which I haven't used yet but am looking forward to! We finished the night off with Coldstone ice cream, and I do not think there is any better way to end a birthday, or any evening for that matter.

Second was the Murder Mystery Party put on by my friend Breanne Garlick. It was a blast! I was "Sawbones Mcgraw," the doctor of the ship, and Matt was the Governor. It was sort of like Pirates of the Caribbean and I just happened to be the murderer. I was afraid I would give myself away, but I guess I'm more deceptive than I thought. We had great food and the company was even better!

Third was the Corn Maze in West Jordan with Matt's brother and his family. I have never been to a corn maze and I was hesitant to take Jaxon because I thought you literally had to fight your way through corn. We decided to take him anyways and he screamed for the first half of the maze and then finally passed out (that is the little ball that I'm holding). You might have to click on the picture to enlarge it! Carter had a lot of fun and kept picking up ears of corn and throwing the kernals on the paths. Fortunately we didn't get lost in the maze and we were able to visit with Jeff's family. As a reward for finding our way through the maze we got free bowling passes, so I guess that will be our next family adventure.

Last and not least was Halloween. Carter gave some good how-to tips in our previous blog and really enjoyed trick-or-treating. We did take Jaxon at first but then I brought him back to the house when it got dark and cold. Matt said that when people would open their doors, Carter would try to walk right in to find the bowl of candy. Oh, the innocence of children!

What a great month full of so much fun! I'm excited to see what November has in store....

Halloween How-to's....Courtesy of Carter

First, dress your little brother up in a silly pumpkin outfit.

If that wasn't silly enough, then try a monkey costume...There, that is better While in your costume, give mommy your biggest smile and assure her that you will always say please and thanks. Drag your Halloween bag on the ground just to prove to mom that you said it was too big for you. Make daddy take some of the candy out of your bag, so it is not so heavy and there is room for more!Show daddy which houses have the "good candy." I hope this helps! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!