Heaven Help Us

While driving to my mom's this weekend, I overheard the following:

Tanner:  You know, Taylor, we can really do anything we want.
Taylor:  Um, but then we'd be on the "Naughty List".
Tanner:  That's impossible.  Wanna know why?
Taylor:  How is it impossible?!
Tanner:  Because every single year, Santa brings me presents.
Taylor: ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... *thinking*

Heaven help us!  I'm in for it now....they have us figured out.

*sigh*

I must mumble

My mother is constantly telling me to "stop" because I talk too fast, and often mumble.  Guess this proves her point:

We were in the van, with the AC on high.  I was telling (lecturing) the boys that if they wanted to go camping with the ward this weekend, we needed to work together to keep the house picked up.

Tanner asked, "who are we camping with?"

I responded, "the ward".

And we went back and forth with the same question and answer four or five times.

Then Tanner said with frustration, "HOW are we going to go camping with Heavenly Father and Jesus?!  That just doesn't make any sense!!!"

"WHAT?!"  I responded.  "What are you talking about?!"

Tanner said, "HOW are we going to go camping with the Lord?"

.....

I must mumble.

And I'm pretty sure that Somebody listening in had a good laugh.  :)

Rub-a-dub-dub

***Disclaimer:  I've scrubbed the grout in this shower so hard, that I've nearly ruined it....I claim that the nastiness does not reflect my house-cleaning abilities, rather the stupidity of someone that sealed in the nastiness, trying to prevent more nastiness.  After elbow grease, A bleach pen didn't work, and a grout brush didn't work.  Just shy of using the wire-bristled brush we use on our car battery, I think I'll try a grout drill next.  Or the landlord will...because it's. just. gross.  and black.  and nasty.***

Having fun with some silly pictures of the boys in the tub....oh.my.goodness.  They are so silly, and they need haircuts in the worst way.

Life Lessons

This three-day weekend was a welcome get-away....We had a fun and entertaining visit with Mitch & Heidi in Bear Lake (and I am always having too much fun chatting it up to take pictures)...then stopped in Lava at the Hot Pots (we stayed for a record one hour!!  Usually it's more like 20 minutes for me)...then spent Sunday and Monday with my family. 

This morning we went and watched my dad feed the cattle.  He was really brave and put the boys in the truck while Katelyn and I scrambled for our coats and shoes.  It was a beautiful crisp morning!

The kids thought it was funny how the truck rocked back and forth while Grandpa was loading the bales of hay on the flatbed...this morning's load was a double-deck-er.

See?  Gorgeous morning.  Usually there's miles of five foot snow drifts in this field along the road....not this year...yet!

"FINALLY!  We've been waiting since sunup!"  ...so we got a late start...

"Neyummm, ummmmm, ummmm, ummmmm."

At one point, Tanner said to Taylor, "Yup - Taylor!  Those are bulls.  There is steam coming out of their noses!"

I thought Katelyn and I were going to die laughing in the feed pickup.  When we told my dad what Tanner had said, we had to have a little lesson on cattle ranching:  Bulls are boys, and cows are girls.  THE. END.

There were all kinds of questions...like "What are the big poky things for?" and "Why is Grandpa pulling off the string" and "Is Roxy a predator or is she prey?" and "How does she know how to track us in the snow?"  Oy.  These kids need to get out more.  

Kortlen couldn't take his eyes off of the beautiful beasts!  And I must admit - Roxy was pretty entertaining, taking charge of the whole morning.  

See...I told you we scrambled....I was in the middle of a grueling workout when I was hollered at to grab some boots...stylish boots meet worn-out yoga pants.

This is going to sound nerdy, but my favorite part of feeding is pulling off the bailing twine.  Yup.  Nerdy.  It's just so....cool.  Especially when it's frozen to the feed.  Definitely "cool".

Speaking of cows licking...What am I going to do about Taylor's double cow-lick?

We all learned to drive at the ripe ole age of about 7.  (But I'd NEVER let Tanner do that....he's a city boy.  LOL!)  Katelyn had the pleasure of driving us over frozen ruts down the road to the pasture this morning....lucky we didn't lose a load!  Though we did swap stories of the loads we DID lose growing up.  Talk about hilarious!  I so glad our dad survived us.  :)

Needless to say, we learned some life lessons today that I've taken for granted.  And then we played hard....in the snow.   Because you know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  

Common Sense First Aid

...and I quote:

1.  "Tale signs of a heart attack include drooling, paralysis, and heavy sweating, even if the room is cold, the individual suffering such symptoms are lightly dressed, and it is NOT hot outside."

2.  "Only use a tourniquet in a life or death situation, because ANY appendage you apply it to will fall off, no matter how long it is used for.  If you have to choose between life or limb, lose the limb and use a tourniquet.  But only in a life or death situation. "

3.  "If you should get a bloody nose, there are many remedies, including putting your head between your knees, putting something in your nose (never specified what KIND of things...so go for something that will stop the blood flow, like a big rock or something!), or leaning your head way back.  If you should choose the last option, don't lean it TOO far back, because the blood will go to your brain you you'll get brain poisoning."

4.  "When bitten by a rattle snake or any other poisonous snake, make sure to mark a large "X" over the bite with a pocket knife, and then proceed to suck out the venom."  

5.  "Should you come across someone who is having a seizure, and they are unresponsive, be sure to put a tongue depressor in their mouth so they don't accidentally bite off, swallow, or choke on their tongue."


6. "If you experience frost-bite and the body part affected has turned black, scrape off the frozen flesh with a pocket knife, then smash the bone in with a rock to prevent further damage to your body."

Dead Serious.  If you don't believe me, find someone else who attended THAT class (yes, it was all thrown at us at the same first aid class!  ROFL!)

Today I attended some very informative classes (as you can see above) at a Webelos Day Camp at Little Lemhi, just below the Palisade's Dam.  I learned so much!!! 

For example:  

-Never clean your car the day before taking a couple of ten year old's into the muddy mess of a scout camp. 

-Don't stay up till midnight the night before worrying about the weather...there's nothing you can do about it.

-Make sure you take a barrel of hot chocolate, because come rain or shine, you're going to need it.

-Despite a dozen hand warmers (really, I took 6 pair!) always take that many PER PERSON so your entire body can remain warm and comfortable.  Including those with you.  It's important to keep the boys happy and to BE PREPARED!

-Bringing a baby to keep you warm is a wonderful idea.  Especially if he is the most perfect and quiet and lovable and charming baby on the planet.  (Kortlen really was a trooper...and a GREAT heater!!!)

-Take dry shoes. 

-Better yet, wear fly fishing waders, because you'll be neck deep in cold mud when you slide down the mountain getting to the flag ceremony.

-and last but not least, don't believe everything a staff member tells you.  Despite their title, and extensive training till 3 am, the teens/tweens may or may not have been misinformed about some pretty crucial first aid procedures and may or may not know that what they are telling you is a complete myth and caused me to RE-TEACH what I paid $30 for THEM to teach right the first time.  LOL! (That 'useful information' above really had us rolling!!!)

Some things I did right:

-Left the camera in the car.  It was all I could do to keep my balance with a baby in a front-pack, a loaded diaper bag and a cooler all under a tiny umbrella.

-Made a delicious lunch that was so cold in my cooler, I almost couldn't stomach it...it really was good, just really, really cold next to that ice in the cooler!

-Remembered to bring lots of coats and blankets so I'd have fun doing muddy laundry when I returned home.

-Took a bunch of frozen Otter-Pop's to put on my aching back for the way home, despite them melting in my cooler. (How they melted, I don't know, because it couldn't have been more than 40* F in all that rain and snow...yes, it snowed for a bit there!!!)

-Left plenty early, so we'd be the first ones there to get the 'coveted' parking spots CLEAR UP ON THE HILL...but hey...it was fun 'muddin'!  

-Stopped afterward at the Rainy Creek Store and splurged on some Square Ice Cream from Farr's.

-Didn't worry about Kortlen's diaper all day long, not because there was nowhere to change him, but because I knew he'd be fine till we got home and he'd have a massive blowout just as I got out of a steaming hot shower to warm my bones.

We seriously had a blast, but will seriously have to re-teach some of those classes....The rain was a bit much, but if my ancestors had to endure months of cold, wet, freezing conditions, I can at least endure nine hours of pouring rain with a baby under an umbrella.  In a scout uniform, with wet hair, and a dripping nose. 

Yup.  I can do THAT for the rising generation!

Thanks Dawnyel, for being my sidekick today.  You totally rocked that mud and I love you for it!!! And THANK YOU for the fun pictures!!!

two inches of mud quickly turned into
three, then four!

Me and my babe...he's sound asleep.  LOVE HIM!

Dawnyel, the trooper.  THANK YOU
for coming with me!!!

Cam and Connor, during THE moment
of sunshine during lunch.

Playing Peekaboo

Hoolagan, the Raccoon, whose family abandoned him
during a kitchen raid at the camp earlier in the week.

randomness

This morning I got the giant 10 inch long bird's nest out of my dryer vent.  Not a Sunday activity, by any means, but their scritchity-scratchity little feet on that aluminum tubing down to the bottom of the dryer (yes, the little birdies, three to be exact, were getting clear to the back of 5 feet of dryer vent...shudder) was driving me nuts and giving me the heebie-jeebies.  I also had to wash and dry crib bedding and blankets from a cheap leaky diaper.  I didn't think "cause of fire: bird's nest in the dryer" would be a viable statement on our Renter's Insurance claim to burning down the apartment building.  Maybe I should take pictures next time...then they'd believe me.

.  .  .    

Tanner prayed over breakfast this morning that Kortlen could be a big brother.  *bwahahaha!*

.  .  .

Taylor asked me yesterday "how many more minutes till we have a baby sister?" and I laughed hysterically.  Then I cried.

.  .  .

Tanner is also saving his money to buy a house.  I think somebody has big ears.  

.  .  .

I have three of my four pillows finished.  I'm trying to get up the guts to embellish one with doilies.  Do I?  Don't I?  I've got a 20' solid blue pillow that I was going to do rosettes on...but a doily sounds easier...LOL!  Which would look better?

.  .  .

Staying home from church because my sunbeam now has croup.  I think I'll listen to some of my favorite Conference Talks and read the Sunday School lesson...

.  .  .

As part of our "Family Committment Fee" on the swim team, I went and timed at a swim meet last night.  It was a blast.  Super fun to re-live the glory days.

.  .  .

Making cherry cream pie...or apple...if it doesn't warm up here, I'm thinking hot apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

.  .  .

My hair is long enough to French braid...which kinda-sorta makes me look homely, but it was easier than trying to get it to curl this morning.  Getting it cut on Tuesday...trim?  or CUT?

Gluten Free Bread

Bought a "Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix" for Ryan, 

and while it doesn't taste bad, it just looks so sad!

When Bob says to pour batter into a 9x5" bread pan, don't fool him with an 8x4".  It won't turn out so pretty.

***note to self:  Go ahead and use an 8x4" pan...just use TWO of them.  :)  

Needless to say, it's a good thing Ryan takes his lunch to work in a brown paper bag.  I'd wear one, too, if I looked like this.

{8 months} and little boy funnies (picture heavy!)

Besides forgetting that he turned 8 months old on the 15th, things didn't start out so well for Kortlen's 8 months pictures...Instead of taking pictures, I should have laid him down for a nap.

He did NOT want to look at me!  He's a very curious baby, and rolls EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE to explore.  And I'm just fine with that!  He can sit pretty well, finally, but I know what comes next....CRAWLING!

After a quick feeding he was a little more compliant.  Granted, I had to give him the 'dummy tit' (thank you dad, for the terminology), but if it saves me mine, then he can have it whenever he wants!  LOL!

♥♥♥

***FUNNY:  Tanner and Taylor are playing on the floor right now, and Tanner asks me, "Mom, how do mommy tittys (kittys) and daddy tittys make baby tittys???"  me: *eye-roll* "Maybe when daddy gets home we can talk about that!"  Tanner: "Well, maybe we need to go to grampa Crandall's and watch the tittys at the barn".  me:  BWAHAHAHA! 

♥♥♥

Okay.  Back to baby Kort'w'en.

We got him busy with a new toy, that I made from some scraps from another upcoming post.  He LOVES this 'thing'!  He played with it all the way to Boise and back this weekend.  (Katelyn and I felt so bad for him, because when he wasn't sleeping, he was doing crunches in his car seat for most the drive...he wanted to sit up SO badly!  We also discovered he makes the funniest baby Chewbacwa sounds.  LOL!)

He is the most content and happy baby I know.  He was pretty chill in the car for over 10 hours.  He will play with anything.  Even a wrapper left on the floor...but when you take it away, he has a major melt-down.  It's hilarious.  Last week I'd give him something just to take it away so I could see his face get all scrunched up.  It's pretty amusing.

He's *trying* to crawl.  It's a movement that's been in the works for about a week.  And he gets himself stuck in the most awkward and silly places.  He makes us laugh, all day long!

I do wish he'd take a different binki, and that he'd be okay with dropping a feeding or two at night...because I'm tired of being tired, from being up with him every 4 hours...this weekend, it was every 2, and you know how you don't want to disturb the peace you cave and feed 'em anyway?  Yeah.

Other than that, he's a dream baby!

Peach Fuzz

You see it on newborns, you see it on adolescent males.  You even see it on three year olds.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT SHOULD BE SHAVED OFF!!!

This is AFTER I had held a tissue on it for a few minutes...Tanner was screaming from 'all the blood'.  LOL! 

After family home evening, I was a bit frazzled.  To say the least.  I threw the boys in the tub, and thought no harm in letting the big boys play while I fed the baby so he could go to sleep.  No different than any other night.

However, tonight my boys found my shaver, and their dad's.

Taylor took care of the peach fuzz on his upper lip.  See???  Oh wait.  Lips themselves don't HAVE any peach fuzz...ouch.

And now he's gonna pay for it.

Those nicks sting....But you gotta learn some how, some time.

(I remember being 11 and sneaking into my dad's shower to use his shaver on my legs...I had a swim-meet that weekend, and had heard all the older girls talking about their 'shaving party' for this big meet.  I wasn't invited, but that didn't mean I had to have hairy legs for my races!!!  Sorry Dad.)

Needless to say, the shavers will be put even higher than on the caddy hanging on the shower head from now on. 

Our neat bodies

Tanner:  "Oh, my gosh mom!!! *squeal* !!!"

Mom:  "What, Tanner?!" I tried to meet his enthusiasm by the pitch of my voice, but failed miserably.
T:  "I felt Taylor's BONES!  His BACK bones!!! The ones that hold him up!!!"
M:  "Wow!  That's pretty neat, son.  Maybe you two should eat some dinner."

Tanner is obsessed with muscles, bones, skin, eyeballs, teeth, toes, joints, and his CTR ring.  He is one smart little boy, who is curious, intelligent, and loves learning, especially his body and the amazing things it can do...unfortunately he doesn't believe me when I say his body can FLOAT.

He was beyond thrilled when I showed him my patella...

T:  "That's cool, mom!" (wiggling my knee-cap) "So now when we die and our skin falls off and we're cooked like a chicken..."
M:  "WHAT!?  Sweetheart, Heavenly Father has commanded us to not eat other people.  We only eat meat from animals, not people.  That's called Cannibalism."   (A can of worms was unintentionally opened, and a lengthy discussion about cannibalism ensued...for like five whole minutes,  I'm serious.  I was trying so hard not to laugh.)

He got this book for Christmas, and has looked at it every day that I've not had to use it as collateral for bad behavior:

T:  "Well, I don't want to taste like chicken anyways.  I want to taste like mac-haroni and cheese."
M:  "You probably will, since that's all you eat." *sigh*

I pray I make it through his teenage years.  

Grant me

patience

to deal with my

blessings.

Reverence is more than just quietly sitting...

It being Mother's Day, the primary children had a part in the Sacrament Meeting Program:  singing a medly of songs for their mothers.

I quietly whispered to Tanner that after the current speaker was done, he could go up on the stand with all the other primary children to sing some songs.  He seemed indifferent and kept coloring.  Ryan had taken Taylor out into the hall to help him be reverent...

When the time came, I helped him to the end of the bench we were sitting on, where he loudly proclaimed, "Mom!  I can't go up there, my bum needs to go poo!"  Through muffled laughter, I assured him I would take him after he sang, and he could hold it.

He agreed, and walked up to the podium with our huge primary, and found a place on the front row...

...the singing began...

...I was nervous as all get-out because we attended a different ward for Ryan's niece's daughter's (that make sense?)  baby blessing last week, and Tanner didn't get to practice the songs...

...then his hand reached for the microphone...

...I shook my head and folded my arms in a large enough motion so he could see me on the back row...

...and a miracle happened:  He folded his arms and quietly stood there, with the biggest smile in the world.

After the first song, I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.  He returned the thumbs up...I was starting to cry happy tears.  My baby is growing up!

...Then the singing began for the second song...and Tanner left the podium and ran back to me, exclaiming even louder than his parting comment, "Mom!  I didn't brush my teeth before lunch!  I need to brush my teeth!"  and I busted a gut laughing with the people around us.

Tanner quickly replied, "Sorry mom, I didn't know the words."  My reply amidst happy tears and more laughter, "It's okay Tanner.  It really made me happy to see you reverent and smiling.  I love your big smile."

__________

For the past three years, our ward has given the mothers giant (like the size of a 8" plate) cinnamon rolls with the most delicious frosting from Geraldine's Bakery for Mother's Day, instead of a potted flower...and I was SO looking forward to it today...

This year, however, the money they would  have spent on such a delicacy, went instead to a chocolate kiss and a beautiful poem for the mothers, and the remainder to purchase humanitarian aid supplies for the church.  What a wonderful gift.  It made my heart happy, and I forgot that my tummy was hungry from a lack of proper breakfast.  :) 

I spent quite a while today counting my blessings...and could probably spend more time doing so.  I am blessed with a wonderful family, a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and many, many more things.

__________

Taylor's nursery teacher had prepared marigolds in darling pots for the children to give their mothers today...and Taylor was ecstatic to give me mine.  She even let them finger-paint on the pot.  He was so excited I thought he was going to drop it as he handed/tossed it up into my hands after church.  

We tried to get a picture of Taylor holding his pretty flower...but Tanner wanted to instead...

Do you think I could get either son of mine to look at the camera and smile at the same time?  Yeah...but they're still cuties.  

__________

While I fixed cheese samwiches for lunch (in Ryan's defense, he's prepared nearly every meal for the last year and a half) he and the boys tried flying a newspaper airplane off the porch...

...it didn't go too well, combined with the brisk wind we've had for the past three weeks...

...I love my boys...my hubby included.  My heart is happy.  My heart is full. 

♥ Happy Mother's Day! ♥

{A quick trip}

This weekend, my cousin, Heather, was married in the Manti LDS temple.  Her reception was Saturday evening, and because I think the world of her, I wanted to make sure we at least made it to the reception. I knew I wouldn't be able to convince Ryan to go all the way from Idaho Falls to Provo (a short 4 hr drive, one way) just for a 30 minute visit, so I threw in some bonus activities for the weekend.  And lets be honest:  He needed a break from his thesis as it HAS TO BE FINISHED by the 18th...yeah...he moved his defense date back two weeks, but that's another story for another post.

Okay, one, really.

We went to the Hogle Zoo, which I had read was fabulous to attend in the winter because the animals were more active and the grounds were less crowded.  I've been numerous times, particularly on Elementary School field trips, and when Tanner was just 6 months old, but I thought the boys were the perfect age to take right now.

Keith and Tricia were kind enough to provide a bed and food for us from Friday night through Sunday morning.  Thanks guys!!!

Saturday morning, after fixing a picnic, we headed out.  After actually finding the zoo (the exit is TOTALLY not marked!) these are some of the animals we got to see.

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

  

(Sorry, Keith.  I just couldn't resist.)

A quick recap of our zoo experience:  Tanner hated to go into the buildings, where all the animals were (why would they want to be outside in six inches of snow again?) because they were a bit stinky...clean, but animal smelley.  I didn't blame him, but he was a stinker about it.  Keith and Tricia were troopers.  Ryan was 'hummm-haw' about the whole thing, and I was just expecting more...like it was when I was a kid. Tanner and Taylor (and I) were pretty disappointed that there were no penguins, hippos, or kangaroos, but we did get to see a lot of wild life...being it winter or not. 

By about noon, we were all hungry, cold, tired of walking, and ready for naps.  We drove over and up (across the street) to the "This is the place" State Monument, and Deseret Village.  We didn't want to pay another hefty fee for something the kiddos wouldn't care much about, so we settled on just eating lunch by the monument.  Lets just say we underestimated the coolness of the day, and by the time we had driven up the mountain, the combination of wet snow on the ground and cool wind made for a very short picnic.  It was yummy, with meat samwhiches, carrot sticks, cut strawberries and apples, ice cold water and banana bread (without a knife to cut it) and other goodies.  However, the only thing really eaten was the bag of giant Cheetos I bought for the kids.  And honestly, they were the warmest thing to eat, which is why I suppose they went first!

 

  

  

Do we look cold?  Because we were FREEZING.  

We were all really wishing we had thought to bring a thermos of hot chocolate, or gloves, or hats, or ANYTHING to keep warm!

Our family (on both Ryan's side and mine) has a rich pioneer heritage; meaning we both come from Mormon Pioneer stock...not that they were rich, but there were a lot of them, and they were wonderful people.  I have a special place in my heart for pioneers of any kind, but those who crossed the plains in their various circumstances hold the biggest spot.  I couldn't help but think what they might think of us, with our cooler packed full of food, with saran wrap, ziplock bags, ice blocks to keep food cold, and bottles of water; for one meal.  I have been to the monument numerous times, and have read the plaques, and looked at the statues, so I didn't take the time to actually walk around it again this time, as I was cleaning up after our 'feast' (and I thought of my mom, who always played the role of the clean-up person on trips like these).  I regret not taking at least one walk around the monument to remember and tell stories to my children of those great ancestors.

 

 

While Ryan and I attended my cousin's reception, Keith, Tricia, Reed, and Stephanie watched the boys.  I didn't know it took four adults to watch two children, but whatever works.  I think they had a good time of it...and if not, maybe my parents will only have three grandsons, and that'll be it.  Who knows.  :)

The initial plan was to come home following the reception so we could attend our church meetings on Sunday, but Katelyn and my mom needed help with a dress (oh, the drama of Jr. Miss) so we decided to hit up my parent's house Sunday.  This enabled us to spend time with Reed and Stephanie Saturday night at Keith's which was pretty fun. 

On our way home Sunday morning, I popped in a few Primary Children's Songbook CD's to help us have a pleasant drive to my parent's house.  And you know what?  The only time anybody complained, was when the "Popcorn" song came on...Tanner was tired of it, but it happens to be Taylor's favorite song right now.  We made it through four of the five CD's of music.  It was very calming, and very nice to have minimal outbursts of arguments and complaining from the back seat (and driver's seat, for that matter).

This is what happens at 11am when you are up at the crack of dawn and forced to listen to calming music for three hours:

And this is what you get to do if you're quiet, while Daddy is driving, mommy is sleeping, and little brother is taking his nap:

A little conversation I overheard while 'sleeping' between Tanner and Ryan:

T:  Dad, there's two of us awake, and two of us asleep.
R:  uh, huh.  That's right, Tanner.
T: So, dad, me and you are awake and mom and Tawor are asleep.  Cool, huh!
R:  yup.

Me:  Wow...he has some pretty good deductive reasoning skills...I should give the boy more credit!

My parents graciously fed us a delicious Sunday Dinner and Apple Crisp for dessert.  My mom, Katelyn and I got a lot of decisions made about 'the dress' and Ryan got Katelyn's iTunes working.  Bless my sweet husband, the IT man of the family.

The FINAL ride home was very dark (low clouds and no stars) and very foggy...something that isn't unusual, but we could. not. see. the lines. on the side of the road, it was so thick.  My mind wandered back to my ancestors, in their soggy, wet clothing, sore feet, and frozen extermities.  Tanner was complaining the defrost in the car was too hot and he couldn't breathe.  Yeah.  Wishing I had talked to him a bit more about the sacrifices our families had made back in the 1800's.

All in all, we had a nice little quick trip.  It made my heart happy.