Character confusion

Jax is not a fan of many things that may not seem so scary. For instance, when we went to Carter's school Halloween Parade Jax saw the mascot, a 5-foot tall Eagle. He was terrified and was worried the whole time we were at the school that he would see the Eagle again. He survived that day but for the next few weeks when we would take and pick up Carter from school he would worry that the Eagle was going to be there. I'm not sure if this fear of characters started at Disneyland when he saw Goofy for the first time and about passed out, but nevertheless he has a fear of such things. We have been trying to explain to him that it is just people dressed up in costumes. Well tonight I think the concept finally sunk in.

We were driving around delivering Christmas goodies and we were having the boys take the treats to the doors. When we told the kids that we were going to the bishop's house, Carter got a little nervous (not quite sure why) and said he didn't want to go. We kept encouraging him that he could do it. Then Jax pipes in, "Carter, it's just a costume!" Just had to share.

Carter is getting Smarter!

Just puttin' around!

Carter loves Smore's and would have them for every dessert if possible. He always asks for dessert after dinner. If we end up having something, he usually takes a few bites and then he is done. He doesn't have a huge sweet tooth.

LOL! That title made me laugh as I was reading it, but it is so very true! I am amazed at how much Carter has learned in his first quarter of school. He is doing some very basic reading and has learned how to sound out many different words. He loves to rhyme and this has even gotten him in trouble a couple of times as he has tried to rhyme words that rhyme with other words. At the same time, sometimes he thinks that if a word has the same number of syllables then it rhymes, so we are still working on this. He can almost read "Go Dog, Go! all by himself. He loves school so much that the minute he gets in the car after I pick him up, he immediately pulls out his binder and shows me all his papers. It still cracks me up though when I ask him what he learns his reply is always, "I don't remember" or "I don't know." I think to myself, it was only 10 minutes ago, how could you forget already. :) Also, the minute he gets home from school he asks if he can start his homework. If it is a Friday and he doesn't have homework, he usually complains about it!

Carter on his first day of school. This happens to be his favorite shirt too. He loves Mustangs!

Carter also just finished his first season of soccer. It was only 6 weeks long, but he had a blast nonetheless. He tends to hang back and follow the other kids kicking the ball, but he did make 2 goals. He also play goalie/defender and he can pretty much boot it from one end of the field to the others so I think he might end up being a good defender! He loved every minute of it, although he told me in the beginning he didn't want to play soccer, only golf. The same coach will be forming a tee ball team in February and he couldn't be more excited. He tells me several times a week that he can't wait for tee ball. I'm glad he is giving them a try and having fun.

Carter and Jax being "Shirt Heads!"

Carter is still very particular and likes things a certain way. He is very good with details and can almost explain instructions from his teacher exactly. (I wonder why he can't remember what he did). He has memorized his address and phone number and is working toward tying his shoes. He gets to go on his first kindergarten field trip tomorrow to a farm and he is super excited.

Carter is really excited to have a little sister. He loves to feel her kick, even though he makes mommy feels bad when he says things like, "Mommy, your tummy is really fat." I think to myself, Just wait, I'm only 5-1/2 months along, you ain't seen nothing yet! He wasn't always so excited as he was shooting for a boy in the beginning. In fact, during the ultrasound after the tech had told us it was a girl, he looks at me and sticks out his tongue because he wanted a boy. I thought it was funny. The idea has grown on him and I'm sure he will be a great big, protective brother.

Carter and Daddy at IHOP before our ultrasound and trip to Utah. After eating there, he said to me, "Mom, can we eat here every time we go somewhere for breakfast?"

Jax's Birthday Bash

Jax turned 3 this week and the festivities seemed to be ongoing all weekend. I didn't initially have a "theme" for the party but as I was buying all the party decorations it soon turned out to be a BLUE party. I asked Jax what he wanted to do for his birthday and he gave me a list: 1) Go to Sonic and get a drink, 2) Go to McDonald's and play, 3) Go to Chuck E Cheese.Jax woke up to a breakfast of Blue Mickey Mouse pancakes, peaches, and sausage. He got to open one present before daddy went to work which was a truck pulling a trailer with a speed boat attached (definitely his favorite).

Pancake Breakfast

Truck and Trailer

After breakfast I was scheduled to help in Carter's class in school, so Jax got to go to his friend's Reese's house and her mom took them swimming. He had a blast. I felt guilty leaving him for 3 hours on his birthday but when I picked him up and learned he had had so much fun, it made me not feel so bad.

We went and did the Sonic run right after this. Jax wanted a Blue Coconut Slush. After we got out of the drive-through I looked back and asked him if he liked his drink and he was fast asleep. I guess all the partying got to him. Needless to say, Carter and I enjoyed the rewards of this even though Jax didn't get to enjoy it.

Next, we went to a friend's house and made cupcakes. Then we all sat around the table and sang Happy Birthday to him. (I even caught him throughout various times of the day singing the song to himself).

Cupcakes with friends!

Once daddy got home from work we headed to Chuck E Cheese. This was definitely the highlight of the day. We loved watching him run (literally) from game to game. Our booth that we had picked out was right by a wave runner video game where he got to sit on the wave runner and drive. I think he did that one about 10 times before we talked him into trying another one. Some of his other favorites were shooting the water gun at the target, basketball, and the rocket ride (seen below).

The night was not done yet. Our last and final stop for Jax's birthday celebration was Krispy Kreme. The boys love watching the donuts be made, plus did you know that Krispy Kreme will give you a free dozen for your birthday! Can't beat FREE!

Krispy Kreme fun!

Because we were beat after all the fun of the night, we decided to hold off on cake until the next day. I guess it was fun to drag the fun out for another day as well. Jax got a huge cupcake with gumballs garnishing the top(his favorite)! We are so grateful for the fun, laughter and spontaneity Jax brings to our family! Love you bud!

Jaxisms

Jax has been saying some pretty funny things lately:

Yesterday I asked Jaxon to help unload the dishwasher and he says, "Mom, I don't want to." I said, "Well, this is your job, you have to." Jax, "But, I don't want to." Needless to say, I won that battle. Ever since he says that every time I ask him to stop doing something. "But, I like to."

It has been so hot lately that I've been wearing my hair up most of the time. Jax comes up to me the other day and says, "Mom, put you hair down." Yesterday it was the first thing he said to me when he woke up. I always explain to him that I will put it down after a shower. So now when he asks he follows it up with, "You put your hair down after a shower?" Funny kid.

Jax, like me, is not a big fan of the heat wave here in AZ. He has a hard time getting in his "hot" booster seat and says he's hot almost every time we walk outside. Then if we are eating some warm food, he asks "Mom, Do you like hot?" I say, "Yes, sometimes." He says, "Me like cold." Sooooo cute!

Today Carter and Jax were eating breakfast and Carter was being naughty. Jax turns to Carter and says, "Carter, you are going to make Jesus really sad!"

Jax loves playing with the Geotrax train and uses all of the trains to make one big, huge, long train. He is really serious about it and I will try to catch a video of him being the engineer!

Jaxon has the cutest disposition and sometimes it makes it hard for me to get mad at him (even though there are plenty of times I want to). Most of the time he makes me laugh and I just couldn't love him more!

Utah and Carter's Birthday...finally!

These pics are from the D-Backs Game for the Fourth of July! I love the huge bobble head guy. Jaxon was deathly afraid of him (of course)!

We had so much fun in Utah and we have been back for a few weeks and to no ones surprise I'm finally getting to blogging about it!

Ragnar was amazing and I had such a blast! The girls on our team were so much fun and I seriously had probably the easiest legs out of anyone (I don't know how I lucked out on that one, maybe they know my secret that I'm a wussy runner)! I was definitely grateful that my last leg was only 3.2 miles too because I was beat after having only 4 hours of sleep on a hardwood, nursing room floor. I was grateful for shelter, a place to sleep, and a real bathroom though so I really can't complain!

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty the whole day on Saturday knowing I was missing Carter's birthday. To my relief though, when I got to my parents' on Saturday night I learned that Carter had been spoiled from the moment he woke up with a pancake breakfast, presents, Sonic for lunch, bowling, and Toy Story 3. Then I was just sad I missed all the fun! What would I do without grandma, grandpa, and Aunt Debbie, Janice, Kaylee, and Katie! You guys saved me... XOXO!!

We had a great time visiting Utah and I think it was harder to come back to AZ then actually moving and coming down the first time. I guess I knew that we would be coming back in a month for Ragnar when we moved, and now I don't know when I will be back next. Guess I better get something planned.

On our way home from Utah we stopped by Lake Powell for a few nights with my grandma and grandpa, Kaylee, Brooke and Troy and their family. We had such a great time and that was a great way to end our vacation...

Today we finally celebrated Carter's birthday with all his new friends. He wanted a race car birthday, so I did my best to live up to that request. We played a few games, ate pizza, opened presents, and someone hid the cake so we had to do a treasure hunt to find the cake. That was definitely the highlight of the party, as all the kids were screaming and having a great time searching the house for clues. If anyone wants a good idea that will be a hit at a birthday party I suggest this new favorite!

I finally feel like we are settling in and we are getting used to the hot weather (as much as you can). Carter and Jaxon love the pool and Carter is becoming quite the little swimmer. We went to a friend's house yesterday to swim and Carter took off his floaties and started floating and holding his breath under the water for the first time. I need to get him in lessons.

Utah Baby!!

So after only a month living in AZ I'm headed back to Utah for Ragnar and a visit with family and friends! On the way to St. George yesterday I had a cute conversation with Carter.

Carter: "Mom, Are you excited to see your sister, Brooke?"

Me: "Yes."

Carter: "Cuz you miss her and love her?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Carter: "Good. I miss Darrin and I'm excited to see him too, cuz he is my cousin."

Too cute.

PB&J, Being HOT, Socks at bedtime, and Kids Club!

So Carter is OBSESSED with PB& J. I usually give the boys a few different options for lunch time and lately the answer is always PB&J - even if it happens to not be an option. Lucky for me, it's easy to make, cheap, and semi-healthy (especially if you use Orowheat Double Fiber bread)! I would say in the past week he has had a PB&J sandwich about 10 times. Sometimes he has it in lieu of cereal for breakfast or for a midafternoon snack. He just can't get enough!

Now that we are in the 100 plus degree weather it feels stinkin' hot. I keep saying, "It's hot!" Every time we go outside Carter says, "I love being hot!." Even yesterday when I told him it was too hot to ride his bike (105), he says, "Mom! Remember...I LOVE being hot!" Needless to say he won that battle and rode his bike :) Luckily the sprinklers in the grassy common area down the street turned on and they ran through them to cool down!

Jaxon on the other hand doesn't care for the heat. Every time we walk outside in the middle of the day or get in the car, he moans..."Mom, it's hot!" and detests getting in his car seat (I don't blame him, as those metal buckles can get super hot). Funny how different they are!

One other thing Carter is persistent about is wearing socks to bed. First of all, I can't stand to wear socks anytime of the year, but especially not in the middle of the AZ summer. We have to tried to explain to him night after night that he will get hot, but guess what he says..."I love being HOT mom." Guess that's not gonna work with him. :)

Yesterday we also went to something at the mall called Kids Club and they get to sing and dance, go to a movie and ride the carousel for free! Here are the boys riding the carousel. Carter had to ride on the eagle!

I'm a Big Kid Now!

We have definitely started to settle in and it is amazing how much the boys have grown to love it here in such a short period of time. There are a whole bunch of kids on our street and we love living on a cul-de-sac. It will be hard to live anywhere but a cul-de-sac now that we do. For the first few days here I kept asking the boys if they wanted to go back to Utah (since I really wanted to). To my surprise, they both said, "No." l asked Carter if he wanted to because I did and he said, "Mommy you can go back and I'll stay here with daddy!" I love it! Matt and his boys have been really good buds lately and I love to see that father-son bond grow stronger every day.

Carter met a huge milestone last night: He learned how to ride without training wheels! It was amazing how fast he picked up on it. When we moved we had taken his training wheels off for the ease of packing his bike. I kept telling him we needed to try riding his bike without training wheels and he said, "No mom, we need to put the training wheels back on." Yesterday I decided to have the boys ride their bikes down to the mailbox down the street. I held onto the bike pretty much the entire way from the mailbox back home. When we got back to the cul-de-sac, I was distracted and next thing I know he had figured out how to get on his bike and he kept his balance for about 15 seconds. Then he did it again, and again, staying on longer each time. It was the craziest thing as I was for sure he would have to experience a few bumps and bruises before he learned how.

Also, Arizona is on a modified year-round school too, so Carter actually starts school on July 20 and I just found out that it is full-day kindergarten. I'm not sure how I feel about all-day kindergarten but I guess we will soon find out. Last school year I had a friend whose little girl was going to kindergarten and she was so sad. I thought to myself that she was crazy and I thought I would just be excited for this new adventure for him. I am excited for him, but I am very sad that he will be gone ALL day long. I know he is ready for it though and it is the next big step for him. I just can't believe he is my son as it seems like just yesterday I was rocking him to sleep.

P.S. Unfortunately we left our camera in Utah, so I will post pictures as soon as I can retrieve it! :)

The Whole Story...

So a few of you wanted to hear the "whole story" of why we are making this move to AZ. Have you ever known with all your heart that you needed to do something but you knew it would be really hard and so you were totally resistant against it? This is how I feel in this situation and this is how it all started.

Matt's current (well past now) employer had been talking about expanding his business to a bigger facility. When Matt did his rotations for PT School he worked in Queen Creek, AZ for a PT who had a therapy pool. Matt saw how beneficial pool therapy was in treatment and thought that maybe they could implement that into this new facility. He decided to call this PT with a pool to get some details on cost and the benefits so he could present it to his boss. He called him up, and he gave him a little information but then said, "Hey, why don't you just come work for me?" He flew Matt down there and gave him more details about the job, which were amazing. From the get-go I had a feeling it was something that we needed to do, but I was SO resistant because it would be hard. Hard because I was so comfortable in my beautiful new house with my amazing neighborhood and my amazing ward and friends.

Matt liked his job, but they hadn't lived up to their end of the bargain and now that Matt saw what he could have, we realized that he had to jump on it. I tried to come up with different options. Maybe he could just get a new job somewhere else in Utah and we could just stay here. It wasn't that easy though because this had fallen into our laps and we believe it wasn't just by chance.

We contemplated, prayed, and stressed long and hard over the decision, but I think we knew from the start that this was something we just had to do. Really in my head it all doesn't make any sense. Why would we sell this house that we barely built? Why would we leave this place where I finally feel like I fit in and have grown to love so many people?

So where do we go from here? We make the big move to Arizona because we know for some reason we are supposed to be there. We remember our friends and try not to cry every time we think about them. We put ourselves out there and make new friends. We make our new house a home. We love our neighborhood and all our new neighbors even if they drive us nuts and we can't stand them. We remember that we are supposed to be there and this was the right decision even though it was the hardest thing to do and remember that we will be stronger for doing it.

It's Official! Back to the AZ heat we go!

So for those who haven't heard our big news, its official! The Shane family is headed back down to the heat of AZ. It is quite the interesting story how all of this came to be and anybody who wants to hear the story can let me know. It has been a super hard transition for me but I'm getting okay with the idea and things are all falling into place nicely.

We will miss all of our great friends and neighbors and I start crying every time I realize this is actually happening and we are leaving all these wonderful people we have come to love! :(

Matt actually left for AZ last Sunday and I will be joining him on May 15-16.

New adventure here we come! :) and :(

More to come...

Cereal Suicide

This might just be one of the most random posts ever, but its something I need to remember. When younger, I used to get soda fountain drinks called "suicides." This consisted of many various types of soda. Sometimes it would be grape, orange, and root beer (why did I ever think that tasted good?) or root beer, Coke, and Dr. Pepper. Carter's new thing lately has been what we like to call "cereal suicide." He wants various types of cereal mixed together. The combination is different every morning but this morning's combination put me over the top. He has been mixing Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks together, which to me makes sense as they are essentially the same thing. Then he added Pops, which seemed a little strange to me. Today he wanted all 4 boxes of cereal in our pantry mixed together: Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Pops, and Frosted Flakes. Hmm...interesting but he ate it and didn't complain!

Pee Pee is coming! Pee Pee is coming!

"Pee Pee is coming! Pee pee is coming," Jaxon exclaims as he circles around the kitchen island. That kids seriously kills me!

I'm happy to say that Jaxon is about 99% potty trained! I'm sorry to say that we can't take much credit because Jaxon pretty much just decided he was going to do it.

It all started when Matt and I were with the boys at Costco about 2 weeks ago. I looked at that huge, almost 4o-dollar box of diapers and said to Matt, "I really don't want to buy another box of diapers." That was when we decided to really try and potty train him. We bought him his special "potty treats" and we were on our way. So the next day the potty training began. He did really well the first day and only had 1 or 2 accidents. The second day I thought to myself that this was too easy. If I let him out of my sight he would have an accident. We changed his clothes about 5 times that day and this made for a very frustrated mother. The third day it was like he woke up and was ready to go because he only had one accident. It has been about 5 days now that he has woken up with dry diapers in the morning and has had no accidents! Horray!

I feel like he was a lot easier to train than Carter, and like I said before when Jaxon decides to do something he will do it!

We're Back and We Had a Blast!

I always have "vacation let down" when I get home from a vacation, so I had to wait a few days to post or else it could have been kind of gloomy. I always hate getting back into "real life." Maybe I'll just have to work on making every day a vacation! :)

So we headed out on Wednesday and we were going to stop in St. George for the night as we didn't leave until about 6:30/7:00. By the time we got to St. George, the boys were both asleep so we decided to keep on driving. We made it all the way to Primm, Nevada and got a room for $25. We woke up the next morning, grabbed some quick breakfast, and headed to Anaheim. Matt got a little sidetracked and started heading towards San Diego, so we ended up going about 45 minutes out of our way. We got back on track and arrived at the Disneyland Hotel. We checked in and our room wasn't ready so we browsed the gift shop, checked out the pools, drove the motorized boats, and ran into Goofy. Jaxon was not happy about this and was deathly afraid of him (and all of the characters for that matter). We got some pictures with Goofy and they texted us that our room was ready. (What did we ever do without cell phones?)

We dropped off our luggage in the room, grabbed the strollers and some waterbottles, and started our Disneyland Adventure. I loved seeing the boys eyes light up when they walked into the park. It really is magical there. We got to ride the Monorail over and the boys were ecstatic to ride on the "fast train." We went on the Finding Nemo ride first and only waited in line for about 15 minutes. It was great and was pretty much like that the entire rest of the day. We pretty much walked on Small World (Grandma Jo's favorite ride and I think Jaxon's too). We took Carter on Space Mountain and he wasn't a huge fan. After he said, "I don't like that fast, dark ride." Needless to say we didn't take him on that ride again, but he was a trooper and very trusting of us to go on pretty much any ride we took him on. Jaxon loved riding the train around the park and I think he would have rode that all day if he could.

The next morning we woke up and headed to California Adventure. The lines once again weren't very long and our first ride was The Grizzly Adventure. There was NO line for this ride and after we hopped off the ride soaking wet we realized why! :) California Screaming was one of Matt and my favorites. Carter was just a hair too short to go on it and was bummed. Carter, Jaxon, and Grandma were at the start of it counting down and that was fun to see them before we took off. The Toy Story Ride was a hit where you get shoot "virtual" balls at targets, even though that was the longest wait at a whopping 45 minutes! It seemed like FOREVER as the other lines were so short. We were truly spoiled. Carter really liked Soarin' over California and the Tower of Terror (surprisingly). We got to see and take pictures with Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Goofy. We ate yummy sour dough bread bowls. One of the highlights for me was the Pixar Parade. We saw, Lightning, Mater, Monsters, Nemo, After all our fun, we headed back to the hotel to watch the fireworks. What a great idea that was, as it started to rain. The boys were beat and feel asleep quickly that night.

The next morning we had Magic Morning from 7 to 8 a.m. (crazy what we wake up early for). This was a great time to take advantage of NO lines, especially in Fantasy Land where most of the kid rides are. We did teacups, carousel, Dumbo, Toad's Wild Ride (the boys did not like that one), Dumbo again, and the Blasters in Tomorrowland. Carter, Matt, and I went on Indiana Jones, Spalsh Mountain, and Big Thunder Railroad all in a few hours. On Splash Mountain we got done and there were no lines so the attendant asked if we wanted to go again. Carter looks at him and says "NO" really loudly. Guess he didn't like that one too much. We ate at Rainforest Cafe which was a fun experience and then we headed home.

It was a quick trip and went by way too fast, but we had such a blast. I think I'm already planning a trip back for next year!

Funny stuff

So I mentioned that we have been trying to potty train Jaxon and it hasn't been going very well. However, we can occasionally get Jaxon to try, especially if Carter is going. So this morning Carter invited Jaxon to go pee with him and he accepted. After Carter had done his business and Jaxon was still "trying," Carter said, "What the..." Then Jaxon chimes in, "Heck?" It was pretty funny. they went on like that for a while with Jaxon completing his sentences. I'm sure they got that from me and it just reminds me that I need to continue to be careful what I say around them. They don't miss a beat!

Also, Carter has been "sneaking" down to the bottom bunk to sleep with Jaxon. Today he says to his friend Tyler, "I sleep on the top bunk when my mom is here and then when she leaves I sleep on the bottom with my brother." What a little sneak!!

Jaxon's must-haves

Carter has always been very particular about things and so I thought surely Jaxon would have to be better and more easy going. Much to my dismay...Jaxon is very, very particular and maybe even worse. I wonder where he gets it from? :) Lately he has been very insistent on picking out his own clothes. He has 2 Nike sweatsuits and if he is so lucky to pick out his outfit for the day, it is usually between one of those. I think he likes to be comfy, but more than that both outfits have pockets in the front which he loads up with cars, random toys, and the sort. Oh yeah...and don't forget his "phone." It is hilarious to watch him. He walks around the house, pulls out his phone, and "talks" to someone (usually grandma or grandpa) and is on his way again. Another thing he is insistent on is sitting on the bathroom counter when he brushes his teeth. He has to get up all by himself and uses the toilet as a stepstool. If the toilet seat and cover are not down, I have to close it while he plugs his ears. He also likes to have his blanket on his lap when he eats breakfast or watches Mickey Mouse in the morning. He has to pick out his spoon for his cereal. He loves to wear his "Run shoes." He loves his "sippy cups," gummies, cheese, and yogurt. He is also getting really good at riding his Razor scooter, which really impresses me as I can barely keep my balance on those things. One other cute thing he did was when I was making a cake for dinner group the other night, Jaxon looks at it and says excitedly, "Happy Birthday to me!" I tried to explain that it wasn't his birthday, but he wouldn't have it by repeating, "Happy Birthday to me." I love this kid!

Oh yeah, and he loves to wears Daddy's shoes around the house (or boots).

So Amazed

Our kids are growing in leaps and bounds and we are really trying to savor every memory and moment. I saw a picture of Carter the other day when he was 2 and I can't believe he is almost 5 and will be going to kindergarten this year. I never thought I would be sad, but as it gets closer and closer, I do get sad. Sad because I no longer have control of all that goes on in his day. Sad because we can't play the "Snake game" any more. Sad because I can't protect him from so-called "bullies." Sad because he can't be the DJ for our cleaning parties. I am excited for him to progress and even more excited because he is ready. I'm amazed at how he has progressed this year so far in preschool. I recently saw how well he wrote his name on a bag from a birthday party he attended and it made me smile.

He also got to be the "spotlight" for preschool and loved every minute of it. He got a sticker, bookmark, necklace and best of all got to bring "Timmy the Tiger" home. We had so much fun showing Timmy all our toys and he even helped shovel some snow. You always year the cliche that kids grow up to fast and I never thought I would think that, but I think I do.

Fro No Mo!

So Matt always jokes that he is the last one to get his haircut. This time it is really true and this is the result of about 3 months with out a haircut! I swear for the past month I would ask him every day if I could cut it. He finally broke down last night and said, "I'm done with long hair."

I wish I could give you a better perspective of how much hair it actually was.

End result...

Picture to come soon!

I walked out of our bedroom to see him on the computer after his butch job and had to do a double take cause it was such change. Glad to have my clean-cut husband back. :)

Soccer fun!

It is about time to post some pictures of the boys, so I will work on that tomorrow. Just a few things for the day....I started out the day in a good way...A trip to the temple and then a run after that. I was feeling great by the time 10:30 rolled around. I then made breakfast for Matt and his biking buddies and snuck a piece or two of the Kneaders French Toast with home made buttermilk syrup. This is really the most amazing entree you could ever have for breakfast (or any meal for that matter).

We went to Matt's indoor soccer game and I was glad that the boys were able to expend some energy as they don't get the chance to run around outside. As we were walking into the building, Jaxon looks at me and starts clapping, "Clap?" he says. "Oh, are you going to clap?" He answers, "Yeah." and "Yay, yay, yay!" Me, "Oh, you're going to cheer and say, Yay! "Yeah Mommy!" Too cute. I love that he is figuring it all out. Jaxon also always says, "Cuz." Jaxon, why did you do that? "Cuz." Why do you want to wear that? "Cuz." Why? "Cuz." He cracks me up. I've got to remember this.

I'm a big fan

Not much to report today, but I have failed to mention one of my most favorite things I have started a few months ago. Some ladies in my ward started dinner groups. A lot of them have dissolved, but I started one with two friends Mindi and Tiff and it has been a dream. There is nothing better than only having to cook dinner about 2 or 3 times a week. Actually, I don't mind cooking it, I just hate planning dinners and having to figure out what we are going to have! Drives me crazy! We would have cold cereal every night if it was more healthy! I'm so grateful it has worked out and and I swear food tastes so much better when you don't have to make it!

Another thing I will never understand...Why my boys have 500 toys to play with but would rather be in the kitchen running around the kitchen island and slapping me on the butt when they run by!

Awakening

Our parenting skills were really put to the test today, and I think we got the first taste of a really tough parenting situation. I went to my friend, Mindi's, house to work out this morning. On our way out the door to head home, Carter runs downstairs really fast and comes back up and quickly heads outside. As we got back to our house, he was acting really strange. He had his hands in his pockets and it occurred to me that he was hiding something. I asked him what was in his pocket and he said, "Don't look at me mommy." Something he usually says when he has done something he doesn't want us to know about. Come to find out, he had taken a compass and metal jet from my friend's house. I knew what had to be done, and as I explained to Carter that he needed to take the toys back to his friend's house and apologize, he instantly started crying and working things out in his head. He kept saying, "Mommy, you say it." I explained, of course, that this had to be something he did since he took the toys. I called Matt at work to get his opinion on how we should handle this situation and he talked to Carter for a little bit again explaining that he had to go over and apologize. It took him about an hour and a half to get up the courage to do it, but he eventually did. He took the toys back and said he was sorry. He said a little bit later, "Mommy, I feel better now." "Why?" I asked. "Because, I took the toys back and said I was sorry." Hopefully this is a lesson learned.

Day #2...Check

Here goes the blurb of the day. For some reason, (although the more I talk to other moms it is not so uncommon) Jaxon and Carter have to be in the same room as me at all times. This makes it interesting when I take a shower. I really won't go into it, but today Jaxon was playing around in the bathroom as I was getting ready. As I finished he said, "All done?" I reply, "Yes, I'm all done." Jaxon says back to me, "Mommy, you're pretty." This just made my day.

As we were driving home from Wal-Mart later in the day, Carter started singing the G-Force song? Never heard it? He made it up so you'll have to hear it personally from him if you want to. It was pretty funny! Carter says to Jaxon, "Let's sing the G-Force song." So he starts singing along, "G-Force, da da da da, G-Force." and on and on...

Daily Digest

Matt says to me last night, "You need to post more on the blog." "Okay, I'll try." I replied. "Yeah, like every day," he adds.

Every day might be a little much to ask from me, but I am sure going to try.

I think I fell in love with my boys again today. I took them to the library, which has become a fairly weekly ritual for the past few months. Today we discovered the "backpacks" and it was as if my kids struck gold! (These are plastic backpacks that have a theme and are filled with a book and an activity). Today we got "Astronauts" and Alphabet-P." They wanted to wear them the rest of our outing which included the grocery store and Lehi Roller Mills. Then as we got to the grocery store I told them we were going to get a little basket instead of a huge grocery cart. Carter insisted that he hold it and then Jaxon insisted that he hold one as well. So here's mental picture I want to remember: my two boys with little plastic, book-filled backpacks on their backs lugging around baskets filled with groceries they can hardly carry and they have huge grins from ear-to-ear. This made me smile. That is what I love about them, they find joy in the smallest things. I need to remember this!

As if they couldn't get any cuter, Carter says to me on the way home from the library, "Mom, this earth is so beautiful." Then, when we walked out of Lehi Roller Mills Carter saw a huge tube sticking out of the grain containers and he says, "Mommy, what is that huge thing? I don't want it to suck me up!"

Lately, Carter has also been very curious about how babies come out of mommies tummies. Today he asked how horses come out as well. My answer thus far has been "they just cut them out of the tummies" and we have left it at that. Carter says today, "But mom, we shouldn't do that, that will hurt them." What else can I say?