Outtakes- are these really my kids?

"Mmmm. . . that tase good"

Last night Garret was practicing tracing circles. He wanted to show Tyler how well he did. Tyler was taking a nap (he had been up studying the night before and was going to go back to the school last night- so he was pretty tired). Garret walked in and said "look Daddy, tracing" I think Tyler heard something about tasting because he started licking the paper saying "mmm. . . taste good buddy". I was dying laughing saying "Tyler he traced it- don't eat it". Tyler snapped out of it eventually.

Tyler's unusual behavior when sleeping is not a new thing. Here are a few of my favorites-

-When the movie "War of the Worlds" came out I woke up in the middle of night to see Tyler using his hands as guns making shooting noises as he attacked "aliens".

-One night I woke up because I had been punched and Tyler was screaming "no no no no" over and over. I quickly moved out of the way so that his punches would assault the mattress rather than me. He woke up at some point and felt really bad (I am sure he was dreaming about protecting me- not attacking me)

-Fairly recently he got up in the middle of night to check and see if the door was locked and when we woke up in the morning our door was wide open.

-Whenever we stay at my sisters house she gets up to see if her kids are awake in the middle of the night because she hears so much talking- Nope just Tyler (luckily I have learned to sleep through most of his rambling)

Basically when Tyler is sleeping you have no idea what kind of adventure to expect!

Slow but Steady

We reached a big milestone for our family (it may not seem big to other people- but for us it was big). We started reading the Book of Mormon with Garret the day he was born and finished on Sunday- two and a half years later! At first we would read 5 verses a night and then we started reading ten. I don't know that he got a lot out of it (he knows some of the main people in it and knows it talks about Jesus). Most importantly he knows it is important to read the scriptures (he helps us remember if we ever forget) and he will never remember a time in his life that we did not read them (or attempt to read them) every night. It has been a really good experience for him and all of us. We started again last night and are going to try and get through it faster this time.

Sand and a big change for me

Friday we took the kids to the mall and let them play in some sand boxes they had set up there. Garret and his little friends really enjoyed it. Then we went to dinner- it seems like its been a while since we went out with any friends!

A couple more just cause they are cute!

I got a new calling at church- I am the new nursery leader. I am going to miss the young women so much. It is going to be such a big change- I feel like I will never see anyone at church anymore and I finally got Garret going on his own and excited and now I am with him again. Even with all of my worries about it- I do really enjoy the little kids and I will try to do my best with them- I just hope I have the energy to do the job well!

"Best Daddy whole world"

Garret asked me if he could write Daddy a letter yesterday. I got him paper and a pen and he worked very hard on a letter for Tyler. I asked him what he was "writing" and he said "Best Daddy whole world". He was so excited to give it to Tyler. He told Tyler to take it to school with him and read it to his friends. As Tyler was leaving he said "No forget, best daddy whole world".

Spontaneity

There is something thrilling about doing impulsive things. Since having kids I have not been able to be as spontaneous as I would like. I grew up with a Dad that brought me rotten eggs and told me to go have fun (he taught me however not to damage things while having fun), he encouraged toilet papering (my friends and I even did the bishops house on one occasion- he did have a couple rules "don't get caught", "if you do get caught help clean it up", "only pull pranks that don't damage things and to people to that will enjoy that fact that you are thinking about them when you are not with them" his rules went something like that... those are the ones I remember listening too and following); Tyler and I (prekids) loved to just randomly go visit my sister who lived six hours away, random water fights, last minute outings- I just think it is so fun to feel like doing it and do it without necessarily considering the consequences (not immoral things- just fun things and even those seem to have unexpected consequences- it's part of the fun) Well last night I had one of those rare impulsive chances again and stayed at girls night till 4. It was so fun- it may take a day to recover but it was so worth it. I guess I get stir crazy then when I get the chance to stay out I take advantage of it! Although I do always - without fail come home thinking - Did I really disclose that much about myself. . . I also always feel bad because I think I talk too much at girl’s nights but let’s face it talking to a two-year-old all week hardly counts as real conversation (and I like to talk). Thanks Erica for hosting us at your house- So Fun!

A side note about my Dad- he was not always willing to support our escapades but I think there came a point in time that he knew we were going to go out looking for "adventure" so why not make sure it was at least safe- plus he scored a lot of "cool" points for assisting. (I'm not really sure Mom knew about the eggs- I think I remember Dad saying, "just don't tell your mom"- whoops)

Spencer update

My little Spencer is definitely growing but is not a big mover. It has worried me some just because I don't want him to get too far behind and even though I have always believed there is nothing wrong mentally - there was still a part of me that was never positive. My doctor recommended just getting him evaluated by early intervention. Wednesday they finally came (Spencer had made so much progress since the time the doctor referred me and when I met with them I almost cancelled- I’m glad I didn't). After their evaluation they eased my mind of any mental delay. In fact he was above average in a couple areas and up to speed in all the rest accept gross motor skills (big movements). To make a long story short the evaluators explained to me that even though odds are he will just catch up when he gets motivated there are chances that if he stays behind it could affect other things (he could have more social anxiety because of his lack of independence or things like that). So little Spencer gets his very own in home physical therapist once a week until he is caught up. They have it scheduled for six months but said it could easily take just a couple weeks. I really feel like once he gets the desire (this kid is pretty chiller) then he will go for it. He can run in his walker so I don't think he has any strength problems. I just don't to risk further delay.

He really just brightens my day!

I am not ready for this!

It's official- Garret rolls his eyes and does stall tactics (at dinner I said he needed to eat his food and he said "Mommy I need a hug first" etc.) I thought I had a good couple years before I had to deal with this.

On a day like today. . .there's just one thing to do. . .

Play in the puddles. . .

then run back in because it was not as warm as it looked. . .

Drink some hot cocoa and stay inside!

Oh Garret

Garret- "Me marry. . .Allison. . .Ella. . .Abygail. . .someday"

Garret- "Me night-night right now please"
Me- "No you have to wait, it’s not nap time yet"
Garret- "Me night-night two minutes on couch please"
Me- "No not even for two minutes, you have to stay awake"
Garret- "pleeeease"

Me- "Does mommy get hugs and kisses?"
Garret- "No"
Me- "why not?"
Garret- "They still in my tummy"

Garret- "Daddy best buddy"
Me- "and what is mommy"
Garret- "you Mommy. .silly"

Garret does not like the vacuum, he stays on the couch the entire time it is out and will not get off- no matter what. . .then last time Spencer, who was in his walker, dropped his toy and Garret went and saved it for him. I was so proud of him for overcoming his fear to help his brother. It was so cute too becuase it was a mad dash there and back (probably the fastest I've seen him run).

Garret is so fun; he is always saying funny things, playing pretend (usually we are dinosaurs, baseball players or going for airplane rides). He loves his friends and begs for them to come over. He loves to be our little helper and never ceases to entertain us.

On a side note- I hate folding socks and they are never all there- where do they go? When kids get older are they better about putting both socks in the laundry?

Valentine's day part 2

Today we went to lunch together (no kids!!!- Thanks Amber). We went to a little Italian sub shop on Hertal. I love Hertal (parts of it at least); I love the cute antique shops and the little restaurants with their awnings. I love that they are independent business's no chains (It's just so cute). The restaurant was one of those places where the owner works there and asks you if you are enjoying your food and you know he cares because it is his business and your satisfaction means more than a tip- it means his livelihood. I think chains have lost that personal touch that exists when there is hands on contact buy the owner with his guests and his employees. (I could go off on this but we will save that for another time) The bottom line -Lunch was great- Tyler even got his capocola, which he loves.

Then we headed off and got our massages. This was only my second professional massage (third if you count Christy's house). I felt awkward at first because the guy said just take off as much as you are comfortable with- then I started wondering if at this spa people normally leave every thing on (because come on who is really comfortable practically naked). I finally got over that and really enjoyed it; so much I could probably do it everyday and never get sick of it. I think Tyler enjoyed it as well- pretty sure he fell asleep although he denies it!

I completely, one-hundred precent LOVE Tyler

My Tyler

Our Valentine's Day has just begun and it is already perfect. We do not always do a lot for Valentine's day but this year when I got up there was a pile of envelopes and there was supposed to be a CD (Tyler fell and his CD burner is not working) so there was music set up on my computer. Each envelope tells me when to open it and then inside there is a note telling me which song to listen to and why it makes him think of me. It is so fun! (I love the sappy romantic stuff). I can't wait till I get to open the next one!!! Thank you Tyler for making sure I always feel your love- I love you!

Valentine's Day in Colorado Springs 2006
The kids woke up to a couple little gifts on the table and Garret was so excited (last night I found a couple stocking things from Christmas I forgot to put out and I had picked them each up something from the dollar store) I love how easy it is to make them excited. Garret keeps telling me "Happy Valentine's day" and giving me kisses. I dyed their oatmeal red (always a hit).

It is only 9:00 but it is already a great day!

Busy, Busy Boy

LOOK AT HIM GO!

It's so hard for a little guy to be stuck inside all day long (it's hard for me too!)

Spencer update- Spencer now has 6 teeth- two on top but not next two each other and four on the bottom. I think he will be up to 8 within the next week. He is sitting up really well and making all kinds of noises. He loves his big brother and gets so excited when he sees him. He already tries to copy him. If Garret hits the ground Spencer will do- little things like that- and he chases Garret in his walker.

Revenge

Tyler thinks it is funny to interupt the few minutes of peace I get in the shower by sneaking in and turning the water to cold. He is even low enough to get Garret involved in his schemes. I caught him last time but the fact that he persist in teasing me ALL the time (I won't even list the offenses) means its time for retaliation. Me on the other hand, treat him with nothing but kindness and dignity-until now. To keep a long post short- It's time for some payback- I need ideas. . .

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

Garret went to his first movie last night! He was so excited to be going on a "date" with Daddy that he drove me crazy all day. All day it was "open window, watch daddy", "me ready movie, mommy" or "Momma Mia (I think Tyler taught him to call me this) please movie right now". He loved it though! (Richard and Ella and John and Allison were there too) Tyler said he was in zombie mode the whole time. When he came home he said the TV was this big (with his arms spread as far as they would go).

We watched Allison and Christian for a little while. Spencer just watched Christian the whole time. The other night Garret called my Mom to ask her to sing her tuna fish songs (My Mom still remembers these random old commercial songs- Garret thought they were hillarious). He has been walking around going "bumbumbumbumblebeetuna".

Here are Spencer and Garret playing on the bed. I think they look cute all snuggled up.

Me and Spencer spent the evening together since we didn't go to the movie. Here are a couple quick pictures I took of him. It was nice having time to spend with just him. I feel guilty sometimes because I don't get to just sit and read him books and sing to him as often as I would like.

We also had book club last night. It was fun getting together and discussing. We read "Silent partner". It was by the wife of Senator McGrevey. I don't think it ended up being what anyone thought it would be. It was not written that well and it was kind of a traveloge (like my blog- but I'm not trying to sell it!). At least it did lead to some discussion- and its good to try new types of books so that was another positive. Basically I just thought the author and her husband were in it for the wrong reasons, I dont think there was a lot of love there on either side. I think even if he had not been having an affair it was still a bad marriage. They didn't communicate, they didn't have common interests (aside from politics) and they cared to much about what other people thought of them.

We also threw a little mini-shower for Kashann. Kashann is having her fifth baby- her first boy! Congratulations! So of course we had good food and the company was good, so overall it was a good night out!

Valentine's Tag

I got tagged again (Thanks Steph)- This time it's a list of questions about Me and Tyler (I love to talk about me and Tyler so this one will be fun!) Here goes-

How long have you been together? We started dating 5 years ago and the end of April we will have been married 4 years

How old is he? 26

How old are you? 24

Who eats more? Hmmmm. . .probably Tyler. . .Although I did eat the double big jud (if you ever lived in Rexburg you know what I am talking about 2 pounds of meat plus toppings and a bun- nasty)

Who said "I love you" first? Tyler was the first one to say it-mean it and never take it back. I was unsure of what I wanted at the time- I would say "I love you" one day - then say "but just as a friend" the next.

Who is taller? Tyler

Who sings better? That would be Tyler- definently Tyler- I sing like my Dad (no offense Dad, but I can still hear you singing your camp granada song!- love it)

Who is smarter? This questions not fair because there is no way to compare. I had a better GPA in undergrad but I had a different major. He will be a doctor when he is done so I guess he will have a better degree. But Garret calls me Doctor Mom when he has an owie so I guess we are even.

Who does the laundry? Usually me, but if Tyler is around he helps. He folds the clothes neater (is that a word) than me so I like it when he does it.

Who does the dishes? Once again me, unless Tyler is around. I have this habit of washing dishes but leaving the ones that have caked on food to "soak" which is code word for "Tyler will you please do them"- amazingly he understands the code and does them- he is the best!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I think Tyler has been lately but who knows who will tonight, we don't have set sides.

Who pays the bills? The loans pay the bills (Someday Tyler will be paying the bills- but I am the one who actually signs the checks)

Who mows the lawn? Tyler most of the time but I do whenever I can - I actually enjoy mowing the lawn.

Who cooks dinner? I cook most nights. I have to cook becuase Tyler likes to make these amazing dinners- that taste incredible but we would have to take out way more loans if he cooked every night.

Who is more stubborn? First instinct says me but Tyler can be stubborn when he wants to be. I think that we are both pretty laid back and easy going though.

Who kissed who first? It depends. We have two first kisses. The one we don't normally admit to and the we like to think of as our first kiss. The not so good one, I kissed him first. The much better one He kissed me first. I guess thats what I get for being a little to forward.

Who asked who out? Tyler asked me out.

Who proposed? This one is fun to because there were a couple times when Tyler asked me to marry him becuase he was caught up in the moment then said (no, don't answer me- I'm not really asking you yet). But when he really asked me it was so sweet. He was so nervous and shaking.

Who is more sensitive? We are both sensitive. Not the type of sensitive that gets bent out of shape easy but we are sentimental. We like cheesy romantic things, we cry when our kids do new things, we love romantic movies, reminiscing, and all the mushy I love you stuff.

Who has more friends? I feel like we are both blessed to have a lot of friends. I'm not sure who has more. I am better at keeping in touch with people than he is.

Who has more siblings? I have 3 sisters and a brother. Everyone is married now so it's a pretty big group. Tyler has a sister and brother. His sister is married.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? It depends on the issue. We balance each other well.

Who are you tagging? Cliff and Courtney and Mark and Jenni

Since this was about my Valentine I will include a little about our first valentines together.

These are the only pics I could find from our first valentines day- See the hearts on my wall and Tyler's rose!
Our first Valentines Tyler went a little overboard for only knowing me for a month- I loved that he cared so much though- so it was perfect. I came home from school and he had decorated my room with hearts and each heart said something he liked about me on it. Then on my bed were gerber daisies, a book (love books), a box of muffin mix (I think I had made these for him) and I think I am forgeting something. Anyway it was cute. (I gave him a rose I welded- I think that might have been it). Then we went on a double date with Mark and Jenni and I think if I remember right Cliff was in on setting up the date (that is why I tagged you guys). The guys took us to the river and they had this romantic dinner set up for us. It was so refreshing dating someone that liked to make things special and who was not afraid to make a big deal out of being together. I also remember this date becuase Mark told Jenni in a card that he loved her and Jenni was so excited. It was so cute! (But then I got nervous because I was afraid Tyler might say he loved me- I was not ready for that yet!)

This picture is from "Sweetharts Ball" I think this was around Valentine's day. My little sister came to visit so we set her up and we went with Mark and Jenni. We went to Jackson hole first for dinner then went dancing.


Around that same time we spent the night at Tia's (Tyler's sisters house). We decided to tie the guys in their apartment. So we tied ropes from the door to the railing. Then we called asking them to help us with something (Can't remember what). We tied ourselves in as well so they wouldn't know who did it. Finally they got out came to help us but we had someone on the balcony above ready to sabotage them. To make a long story short a war started- The Girls Won! This is our victory breakfast!Like I said earlier I am sentimental (I am trying to gradually record all the memories I can so they will be my next blog book)

Blanket Fort

We made a blanket fort last night. Garret loved it- he thought it was so fun. We read books in the fort and sang songs and he thought it was great to just get in and out - over and over. I love that when you have kids you get to experience the fun little things again (seriously, I think Tyler was having as much fun as Garret).

These last couple days have been fun. Thursday night Christy threw a spa night. It was fun to get together with the girls and she taught us some skin rubs and massage things (she is a massage therapist). I think Tyler is starting to wonder when he is going to get a massage- now that I supposedly know how. Saturday morning some of us girls went to a movie. It's so fun to get out without the kids.

Last night unfortunently was a break from the fun. Garret was up coughing all night. He would cough, then cry for me to come help him. He was so loud that Spencer was waking up (they don't usually ever wake each other up). I would go calm him but then he would wake up again. I ended up holding him most of the night. I could not sleep and he was so miserable. He seems better this morning but it was a long night.

This is Spencer's new trick- So cute (the only problem is- it inspires Garret to imitate it)