Smiley360 Wonka Randoms Gummy Mix Review

We had a great time with the Smiley 360 mission for Wonka Randoms Gummy Mix.  My husband and I enjoyed them as a snack after the kids went to bed (shhhh!).  Then I created a game with my boys.  They each got a handful and before they could eat them they had to tell a little story.  My 1st grade sons story went something like this (gummy shapes are CAPITALIZED):  One day I went on a BIKE ride in my new SHOES.  I accidentally ran into a BARREL.  Out flew a BUTTERFLY and a SAXOPHONE. When I played the SAXOPHONE it sounded like a WHISTLE. 

Happy Birthday J!

Yesterday (& today) we celebrated J's birthday.  I honestly can't believe my little guy is two.

We had a party with some friends.  It was so cute when J first walked in he was so excited!  "Melmo! Melmo! Melmo! Melmo!"  Yes, the theme was Elmo (and Sesame street) and Elmo decorations were all around.

                                                      First we colored Elmo 2 pictures.

Then we played a Cookie Monster ball toss game.

And then Pin the nose on Elmo.

The cupcakes were delicious.  I didn't take a picture of them though :(

And watched Elmo's World

Then we played with balloons

oh & hide & go seek with Cookie Monster (didn't get a picture of this either)

but the kids would go count in the kitchen area & the person "it" would hide Cookie somewhere in the big room.  J had the most fun "counting" with all the kids.  He is getting so smart - can almost count to ten *but misses 5 & 6.

It was a really fun party (and John & I were exhausted by the time we got home).

Today after nap we opened presents.

the Jeppson family was "there" via google chat

the boys got impatient & started wrestling

I love that my boys get along well.  They play together every day.  Of course it is loud and there are some times tears but for the most part they are VERY good friends.

We also got a new pet - Koda the Triceratops.  

J was freaked out the first couple of minutes (it roars & moves when on).

but now that big brother has shown him that Koda isn't real & how to flip the off switch

Koda is a fun toy

Wonderful days and we are so happy to have such a wonderful boy in our family.  

He is a great blessing to us all.

Quick post about Kimmy's open house

Reason we were missing last week was my sister, Kim's open house in Pocatello.  We had a good time seeing her and Alex again, and my parents.  J was introduced to the word donut again.  At first he was saying he wanted "chocolate bagel".  over & over.  Buddy, of course, wouldn't share even though he didn't end up finishing it.  So J & I shared and I ended up eating 1/2 of J's & 1/2 of Buddys.  Delicious donuts!

"Grandpa & Grandma" were in the line and J was "cookie monster" and snatched a couple of chocolate covered oreos for them and then after he would snatch one for them he would walk back to the refreshment table and get one for himself.  I said "are you cookie monster?" .  He replied "yeah, cookie monster... and Elmo."  "does Elmo like cookies too?"  "yeah.  cookies."
I'm really surprised my kids didn't have a tummy ache that night.
Then we went to Burley for Saturday night and church Sunday.

It's great to see family but I am done traveling for a while.  I just want to stay in my house (since the inversion is so horrible here) but I guess things like grocery shopping & taking Buddy to school have to be done too.

So far so good until....

As far as exercising goes I've been doing pretty good this new year.  The boys go with me to the Power Moms work out group at the church every week day morning from 9-10 and they love running around.  J even survived on the two days that we went & Buddy was in school.  He, of course, loves it when his brother is there to play with him more than just sitting and watching the other kids play.  On Tuesday, when I took a shopping break and didn't go, I kept my resolution to go to the clubhouse that night & run (ok it was more like jogging) on the treadmill.  I didn't really like that because 1) I was the only woman in there,  2) I forgot my ipod & 3) I was lonely & cold.
Friday stopped that resolution in its tracks.  A friend needed me to watch her little boy & he was pretty upset until about 9:15 when I turned on sesame street.  Then this morning J woke up with a rash all over his body and so we can't go tomorrow or the next day (until it clears up).

We had a great weekend despite J being a little under the weather.  My parents braved the snow & roads that were closed then opened then closed again to visit us.  On Saturday night we went to Desert Star Theater.  John & I bought season tickets for this 2013 season again.  It is a fun / cheesy playhouse that does parody plays.  "Kicking the Hobbit" was a spoof on nerds, Lord of the Rings, & Star Wars.  It was really enjoyable.
Other than the play, we enjoyed eachothers company around the house & John & my dad did a couple of honey-dos which included installing a cute mirror on my living room wall.  (it really was an installation because the mirror is like 30 lbs).

it really lightens up the room.  Forgive the forever messiness of my island & home - I used my web cam to take that picture.
And the mirror was a steal on my local facebook yard sale group so I was delighted it worked out to be on my wall (or I would have had to resell it because standing mirrors and my children don't mix).

A Season of Faith - Our tree at the Festival of Trees

I probably should have written this up a month ago but here it is.....
As you know we decided to do a tree this past year for the Festival of Trees.  The Festival of Trees here in Utah is one of the largest and benefits Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake.  We decided to do a faith centered tree - because of our daughter, Faith, and also because faith in Christ is the reason we celebrate Christmas.  

The ornaments that we made had a picture of Christ on one side and a scripture on the opposite side. There were 50 scriptures that I chose (and John helped format).  We purchased 72 different pictures of the Savior.  

My friend also made some ornaments that were silver and had the different names of the Savior (Emmanuel, Christ, the Good Shepherd, etc.)  in red sparkly vinyl.

We also found the word FAITH with Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus under the "F" which we rigged to be the main focus of the tree.  

On the day of set up I was feeling nervous - I'm not a decorator and the task seemed a bit overwhelming.  But the volunteers at the Festival are very organized and we got to our spot, unloaded everything and got to work.  

One of the major problems is that the tree has to be stabilized so that the volunteers can basically lift a bag up from the base and deliver it the day after the Festival ends.  That means that one is required to: purchase this heavy duty tree stand made of metal pipes, secure the stand with pvc pipe in the hollow part of the center, stabilize the tree with rebar fastened hose clamps against the trunk, and screw the parts of the tree together.  Luckily there are "tree doctors" there to help.  I thought I could do it myself- BOY was I wrong.  We couldn't get the tree to be straight, we couldn't get the hose clamps tight enough.  My pvc pipe was too tall (by like a foot).  And I forgot the screws to connect the tree parts together.  Those three men helped us for almost 20 minutes :)  And even helped adjust it so that it would be straight.

After the technical issues, decorating was a breeze thanks to my helpers who made everything look fabulous.  I am so glad that these ladies helped me otherwise I would have been there all day by myself, and it wouldn't look as well as it did.

The next night was the Gala.  One can pay to go to the dinner an auction but I didn't feel like I needed to do that, especially since I wouldn't be bidding on anything (I couldn't afford any of those beautiful trees or quilts).  We arrived at eight with my cousin, Kristi, and her husband.  It was fabulous to be able to walk through without the normal crowds and without children.  We went down EVERY isle.  

When we got to my tree - there was no green tag - so it had been purchased!  I was ecstatic.  I wasn't too worried after I got the donations of the concert tickets and all the pictures underneath, but I was still a little nervous that it wouldn't sell on the first night.  I would say 75% of the trees, quilts, wreaths, and gingerbread houses had been purchased by the time we got to the gala that night.

We received many donations from many loving people in our family and friends circle.  One donor donated enough to purchase the tree itself.  One donor donated the garland that I chose.  One donor donated the items that were included under the tree (artwork, books, and cds).  One donor donated the nativity that was under the tree as well as the "Faith" one that was on the tree.  Some others donated money to help purchase the ornaments and pictures inside.  One donor donated 4 tickets to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert (with Tom Brokaw) - I know that was a HUGE selling point.  Others donated time: the Young Woman group in my ward spent an evening cutting out pictures and scriptures and assembling the 72 ornaments, two wonderful ladies helped me assemble everything to make it look beautiful, and two other ladies helped watch my boys so that I could spend a couple hours setting everything up.  It was a wonderful experience and I feel very blessed to have felt the generosity of these people and the love they showed to me & PCMC.

It was great to see the picture of my little Faith next to my Faith tree and the sold sign all together.

"A Season of Faith:

Eight years ago our daughter, Faith Joan Fitch, was born.  Through her short life of ten months we were blessed many times.  One of the major blessings was the care she received from the sweet doctors and nurses at Primary Childrens.  

The many miracles that kept her with us for those ten months as well as the knowledge that we will see her again all cam from our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

We are most grateful for His gift of the Atonement and wish everyone a season full of love and faith."

I'm grateful for 9 am church

I know - it's almost been a year since my last post.  Life gets busy but we will see about using this blog as a family journal this year.

We got moved to the 9 am slot this year for church because the other ward (that was supposed to be in that slot) is so huge that they need every room to meet in so they HAVE to meet at 1.  I guess they have 80 kids in their junior primary and need every chair in that room set up.  SAD day!  I bet they change the ward boundaries soon but are just waiting to form a new stake (our stake has 9 wards already).

It's hard to get up (well for me to sleep because I know I have to get up) that early & get the kids fed & out the door but it's good practice for school days (Buddy says already that he "doesn't like early church" because he likes to have time to doddle & play in the morning.  I"m hoping for afternoon kindergarten next year.).

John & I got switched to teach the 7 turning 8 yr olds.  I'm so excited to be able to share this special year with these kids (8 is the typical age of baptism for children in our church).

Buddy had a hard time in the beginning with his new teacher but J is a champ at nursery (when John drops him off).

I feel like today is new years - with new possibilites and new goals.  I'm excited.  Now if I could only express the importance of goals to my two kids. "Mommy has a goal - let's try to be more quiet & not run around so much."  Yeah right :)

J didn't have a very good new year so far - new years day he ran into a door and got a black eye which got bigger when Buddy pushed him down on a toy on the 2nd.  On the 3rd he was chasing after Buddy upstairs and tripped, fell & got a split lip.  Poor guy. After a minute or two he is up and running again with a smile along with his shiner (or other injuries).  I just hope we don't have any MAJOR incidences that involve the ER.

I still need to do some Christmas gifts - yeah I know I"m WAY late.  I'm going to do a bottle (for Buddy's preschool teachers) or can (for my old Primary class kids) of Soda & say "we SODA got busy around the holidays but we still want you to know that we care about you" or something like that.

I love my boys & their smiles & try to look for them each day.  They just love each other (which is a huge blessing) and their Daddy.

Buddy

He is too smart for my own good. Today we drove to Africa, fought fires, & rescued animals (all outside our own door @ the playground). For quiet time & bedtime he's been listening to the Choose the Right CD (songs for the Primary program this year). He already knows more than I do (I've never even heard the first song on the cd & he was singing along the whole first verse).

Now if we could only get him to the toilet (he's had a serious regression since our vacation and we can't figure out why or what to do to help him).

J (no longer Baby J because he's 1 now) is also very smart. I was putting him down for nap just now & he was just looking at me & talking. So I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds then opened them & he would squint his eyes for a second then open them & laugh @ me.

Both boys are now singing or talking upstairs. I guess afternoon naps will soon be a thing of the past -- sad :( .

Festival of Trees

Every year we try to go to the local Festival of Trees. We are living back in Utah again so we had the wonderful opportunity to go to the BIG one down at the Expo Center. This Festival of Trees is a huge fundraiser for Primary Children's Hospital. It is always very busy and a little overwhelming but in a good way.



As most of you know, Primary Children's has a very special place in our hearts. It is where our dear Faith spent many days and where we were able to meet many living angels who helped her (and us) live for the 10 months that she did.

Going to the Festival of Trees (especially this one) helps me feel her sweet spirit and remember those who helped us so much those 10 months of her life.
Every year I say to myself: "we are going to do a tree one of these years". A Faith- filled tree. I decided this year that 2012 is the year our tree will be there! It will be a big project and we will appreciate any help that is given.

I would like the tree to be centered around Faith in the Savior, as it is His birth and life that we celebrate especially at this time of year.
Some ornaments I will be making with clear bulbs and transparent pictures of the Savior.

Some will just be pictures tied with ribbon:


I would also like some larger pictures/prints that are nicely framed, either to go under the tree or beside it.

Then the garland I would like to be red beads. Similar to this:


The tree will be the major expense because I would like a pre-lit tree.

My mom, the talented lady that she is, will be making the tree skirt or a quilt to go at the base of the tree.

All of these things will be a part of our Faith-filled tree and it will be set up at next years Festival of Trees.
Every penny (100%) raised at Festival of Trees goes to help children at Primary Children's Medical Center.
Last year, more than $14.3 million charity care dollars were used to cover over 14,057 hospital visits at Primary Children's Medical Center. (read more)

If you would like to help or donate an item, please email me.

We appreciate the love and friendship we have been blessed with by each of you. And we wish you a very blessed Christmas season.

Adventures in the Airport are not Allowed

On our way home from a great vacation in Norfolk VA we had a three hour layover @ McCarren National Airport in Vegas. The first thing Buddy said was "I want to play that game" pointing to the slot machine. John responded with "No Buddy, that game isn't for kids." Then Buddy said "I want YOU to play that game." - LOL.
After about an hour it was getting tedious. We had just finished a 4 hour flight from Norfolk & everyone was pretty tired of sitting. My brother Mike called to tell me that there is a giant turtle in the airport. So.. being the awesome mom that I am I said "Buddy! Diego said there is a turtle in the airport that needs rescuing." Off we went - Buddy, "J" & I. No stroller, no diaper bag, no tickets, no drivers license. Figuring we just missed it & it was around the next corner.
We asked a worker & he said "Oh yeah, it's in concourse D" & pointed the direction to go. Kept walking & found a map of the airport & turns out concourse D is separate from all the other concourses in a completely different building. Buddy was sad.
Then we found the moving sidewalks and Buddy created a game. Run on the moving sidewalks then turn around & go back using the other moving sidewalks going the opposite direction. Repeat. I was thinking "hey he's a kid." I'll walk quickly after him (holding 'J') & he's not hurting anyone. Just being kind of annoying to the other passengers.
After about 10 mintues I saw a PSA worker & figured I would ask him if going to concourse D was a possibility without a ticket to one of those airlines. "Sure" he said "as long as you are past the security point you can go where ever you want. Just have someone open the door for you."
So I did. Boys in tow. Arms are starting to ache a little from "J" but not too bad & hey we get to ride the tram/train to the other concourse.
Concourse D was made for kids. There are giant statues of a Lizard, a Bunny, & the infamous Turtle. There is a kids play area. Plus you get to ride the tram to get there.
Well "J" is starting to get tired & I figured it's about an hour before we leave - we need to head back. Buddy doesn't want to. So I hold his hand & he does the dead body drop. So I'm pulling a 3 yr old by his arm (who is going between laughing at how fun this is & whining because he doesn't want to leave) & in my other (now aching) arm a 20 lb, hungry, infant.
Ride the tram back but then get to the other side of security & I don't want to cross that line because I have no ticket or id with me. I check with a PSA officer & going past "the point of no return" through security again is the only way to get to the other concourses. (now all these people I've had to explain that we had a layover & wanted to go to D to see the turtle & they definetly think I'm crazy).
So... I go past the point of no return & talk to a different PSA officer on the other side & she explains that even if John comes he can't hand me anything over the red line. So he is going to have to come past the point & go through security again.
By now Buddy is whining "I'm hungry" J is screaming the same & my arms feel like they are going to fall off & I'm sweaty & tired.
John brought me my ticket & they examined the ticket (while I was waiting 50 ft away) & id to make sure it indeed was tickets & not a form of terrorism, another TSA officer brought me the tickets & my id. I go through security with 2 screaming kids (yes shoes off, pockets emptied, all the joys of that as well). & then we rush to get back to the gate because John says it is boarding any minute (which he was wrong - we still had 15 minutes until boarding).
Needless to say -6 TSA agents spoken to (and story explained), two aching arms, two hungry kids, and one tired - now wiser mom later - we had an adventure & saw (or saved - in our Diego make believe story world) the turtle!



What should we learn from this lesson boys & girls?
1. Always keep your ticket on you in the airport
2. If you have a child - bring a diaper bag with you wherever you go
(with a change of infant clothes - but that is another story about the flight TO Norfolk)
3. Strollers are worth their weight in gold
4. Becky is going crazy trying to keep her children entertained.
5. Airports are NOT for Adventures

Amazing Amici Club

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to try some new food coming out of the kitchen at Carrabba's restaurants. It was a fun evening. Jen & Stevie watched the little guys while we had some much needed time off. When we arrived we were ushered to the "Amici Club Table" - two tables with about thirty people on each. We enjoyed their bread with oil, vinegar, and pesto. They gave us drinks (sodas, water & juice were free - wine & alcohol cost) then we were presented with a plate of skirt steak with a side of grilled Bruschette topped with roasted tomatoes and spinach. At first I thought that we were expected to share since this was a "tasting" event. But they brought plate after plate. After the skirt steak we got to try a chicken dish.
Sorry I'm not to detailing on the dishes. It's been a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I recommend that you join the Amici club if you have a Carrabba's near you. I got a free meal coupon for my birthday - which is coming up by the way.

Blogging Hiatus

It's been over a month since I've posted to this blog. Why?

* I don't really feel like we've done much. House is still for sale in Idaho. I'm still struggling with motherhood (will this ever not be a struggle). We still feel "new" here in this area (even though we've been here for 4 months.
*Being the mother of two boys is exhaustingly nonproductive. If I get one thing cleaned, its been a successful day.
* I'm lazy and spend my free time watching LOST with John (we stopped somewhere after season 3 so we are watching it all over again) or at the pool with the family (which Turtle - aka Baby J - doesn't like cause most times he is stuck watching) or mindlessly searching the internet for the next coupon (or contest or freebie).

What has gone on in the last 2 months?
*Turtle is growing. He is eating food & loves it :). He will surpass Buddy - no problem. He still won't take the bottle or binky at all - so I have to stay close (which some days is fine to let him tag along - other days it drives me nuts).
*I'm looking into preschool for Buddy. Even though he's only 3, he needs some more interaction with kids & I'm sick of him asking "what are we going to do today mom?" he will hopefully go part time in the fall
* I work at home for a pest control company taking calls. Which is nice cause I get to stay home with the kids. Annoying because I have some customers who act like kids. And I get paid like a kid ($2/call). But it's nice to have some splurge money.
*Buddy & I have been on garage sale adventures almost every Saturday. Hey - if the kids wake me up I might as well score some cheap clothes or something.
*Because of the garage saling - John has accused me of being a hoarder. To which I was a little upset. Then he said "ok you're not a hoarder - just no more furniture in the garage or house ok?" (I have a dresser, desk, mirror & bulletin board in the garage awaiting inspiration (and some kind of paint).

So that is why. In case you care. Which, of course you do - because you are reading this. :)

My Name is Becky & I'm a coupon addict....

I'll write more about my blogging hiatus later.
For now it's sufficient to say that couponing has become a major distraction in my life.

You know if you're a coupon addict if you experience the following:
1. You have more coupon blogs on your reader than you do blogs by friends/relatives (this goes the same for if you "like" more companies than you have "friends" on facebook).
2. Your toddler says to you "I want that coupon" and yells at you if he finds one of his coupons in the trash.
3. You have a coupon binder or mini-accordian file that is more than 1 inch thick.
4. You experience a type of high when you grab your Sunday paper
5. You don't even read your Sunday paper 50% of the time - you just grab the coupon inserts & add them to your pile
6. You've contemplated or you have more than one subscription to the paper- just for those coupons
7. You learn to recognize cashiers & know some of their names
8. You have more tubes of toothpaste (or multipacks of toothbrushes or packs of disposable razors) in your stockpile than you do members of your family.
9. You feel sad any time you have to pay full price for an item - and rethink that purchase at least twice before buying.
10. Your printer always has a coupon printed out every time you pick up something else from it.
11. You've started to look past the glares you receive in check out lines and realize they are just jealous.
12. You're jealous of the Extreme Couponing chicks you see on TLC or read about on the internet.

Remember - acceptance is the first step to recovery.
I have a problem with at least half of these (yes Buddy likes coupons for anything to do with Cars).

Kraft First Tastes

I recently have become obsessed with couponing. My RSS feed has about four couponing sites that help me cheat. Basically they tell me the store, the product, and the coupons I need to get a great price. I know it's becoming pretty common and it seems like it's a mom thing too. I think I'm even going to subscribe to the Sunday paper (I found a deal where it's $1 a paper & I'll get more than that out of the coupons I think) even though John reads the news online & I use my time to read blogs and books (news can be depressing and maybe it's ignorant to keep myself in the dark but the dark is my happy place - LOL).
I've also joined a site/community called Kraft First Tastes. My first sample was for Jello Temptations. Instead of mailing out actual samples, Kraft send you a coupon for a free one (plus another coupon for a certain dollar amount off your second purchase).. So I got the Harvest Chocolate kind & it was really yummy. It is a custard like pudding on top of a creamy, more pie-filling type pudding. Yummy treat for me!
Today I got a coupon for Kraft shredded cheese with a touch of philadelphia which looks really good too.
Since this is my blog, here is where I'll be reviewing the products I get to try. I recommend you sign up, then you can get free food too.

"Home" is where the heart is..mmwwwwaa

Buddy is helping me blog (his contribution was his favorite letters - the m's w's & a's).
So a week over due - here's the post about our new place.
Where to start? I think it was November when John got an email from an old supervisor saying that the company he works for was hiring. It wasn't the best timing in our minds but must be in Heavenly Fathers. John actually interviewed with this company before we got the job in Idaho Falls and it didn't work out back then but it did for the present. So we decided yes (for a number of reasons) if they could wait until our baby was 6 weeks old. I, nievely, thought "oh I'll be fine & fully recovered by then." What I didn't think about was that not only do bodies not recover as quickly as we would like them to but that I would also have TWO boys ruling my life - and thus prohibit me from accomplishing even the littlest of tasks some days.
Time flew by and it was time to move. Luckily John's parents- "D" & "T" - have moved a lot (since D was in the navy) and they had the time to come to Idaho and help us. But it was more like they did everything and John & I occasionally helped them. Seriously. They got everything packed, loaded in the truck, my house cleaned like it was brand new, unloaded from the truck, and even some stuff put away (like my whole kitchen). Definitely life savers! Plus T was a good emotional sounding board, since she had to leave several of her "dream houses" to relocate for her hubbys job - she knew some of what I was going through.
I basically kept the boys out of the way for the week. :) Buddy and I did most of the things we loved to do around Idaho Falls. We went to play gym, to Hastings (to play trains & with the stuffed animals), and to McDonalds. We missed story time (cause I was exhausted that morning) and the zoo (cause it's still closed for the season). Unfortunately we even missed saying "goodbye" to our neighbors (because our life was so crazy & I didn't think about it after 5 when they are home). We did get to say "see you later" to our playdate friends (and scrapbooking & bookclub friends in my case) and to Sam (and his family). We definitely plan on being back- to sign over our house & visit. We did have some sad moments. I can't remember the times I cried or what I cried about (I'm blaming part of the crying on pp hormones, the other part is just who I am: a boob!). Buddy was emotional too (and acting out to show it). Probably one of the saddest cries I heard from him was when we were dropping T off @ the house and Buddy saw his toy box being loaded into the truck. "I want my toybox! I want in that truck!" :( *Sad*
We stayed the night @ Grandma 2's on Friday because John & D had already started driving the truck and I had a meeting in Rexburg Saturday morning. Then after my meeting (and another fabulous lunch from Grandma), we hit the road. T drove until Brigham City (which has the best Mc D's for toddlers) and the boys & I got a nap. After J was fed and Buddy stretched his legs we continued until we arrived @ our new home.
There the truck was unloaded (thanks to a load of John's family pitching in), our beds were up & made (thanks to my father in law & John), and my kitchen was unpacked (thanks to my brother in law & sister in law)!
My life here is crazy - or it feels crazy. I feel like I get nothing done (because there is so much to do). We took over a lease so the lady didn't feel like she needed to clean before she left (ewww) and the carpets are especially gross but we didn't really notice until all the furniture was in. Boxes are everywhere. We moved into a 1300 sq ft townhome so our single car garage is filled with stuff & there is still stuff everywhere in boxes (that I haven' t been able to unpack). With the boys & still trying to get a nap in (so I"m not totally exhausted and witchy by 6 pm),
I drive John to work (about 5 min away) since we only have the one car. But I told him this morning he needs to find the bus schedule or get another car because loading & unloading the boys is ridiculous in the morning.
I'm about 40 minutes away from my sister & brother in law, so they came over for dinner on Sunday. Other than that I've met my neighbor & their Huge boxer dog (named moose) and that's it.
Other than the cleanliness issue the other thing that is driving me nuts is going up & down these stairs. It makes me realize that I want a ranch style house when we purchase again. :)The new place is nice, small but nice. I don't like the stairs. I've already tripped & got a huge bruise on my arm (and Buddy was holding my hand, so he went head first down a couple of stairs). I don't like the dog poop on every yard (including our front & back patches of grass). Buddy has learned not to walk on grass & every time we pass this one house, on our way to the park, he says "I don't like dog poop. those are bad dogs." LOL - I guess I might be complaining about that too much.
We went to Salt Lake today & stopped by an old friends house. That is nice that we already have friends here - even if they are 30 minutes away. Plus we are spoiled with lots of family around - even if my parents are farther away now.
Trying to look on / stay positive. Some days work more than others. Now it is time to go play with Buddy. :)

What did you say?

Here's my day:
12 am-ish : fed Baby J
4-ish: fed Baby J, Baby J woke up Buddy, gave Buddy a drink & he went back to bed
7-ish: fed Baby J in a tired stupor (why this feeding is always the hardest for me in the morning, I have no clue)
8:00 Buddy wakes up says "I'm grumpy. Bad baby woke me up."

Then we had a picnic breakfast (placemats on the kitchen floor is considered a picnic) of granola bars and milk (I wasn't in the mood to fight Buddy on eating today, which you will see by his food choices).

Got ready for the day and Buddy continued to be grumpy and whine. All day long. Sure it's sweet that he says "I want to snuggle". But when he thinks snuggling is laying on my bed & messing with our clock radio on the headboard (and turning the volume up so that I'm sure we are damaging Baby J's new little ears) - it gets old. Quick.
"I want to snuggle" in whiny voice x20= let's play with mommy's ipod touch so she can get something accomplished today.

Then it was "I want my phone." I was confused.
"Your phone?" I ask.
"Yeah. The black thing with games and music."
"Oh, you mean MY Ipod."
"Silly Mommy, it's not an Ipod. It doesn't have eyes."
....Yeah that was cute.

Lunch for Buddy consisted of a graham cracker, two bites of string cheese, and a couple sips of generic V8 fusion juice (it's worth the money because we can get veggies in his diet that way).

Fast forward to my pointless doctors appointment. They thought my scar was infected a week or so ago so they put me on antibiotics and had me come in again today, well I was / am upset @ the way the Dr. sewed/stapled me up (it doesn't look nice/like a clean job) so I asked to see the Dr. instead of the NP. Basically he blew me off saying it will heal fine in 3-4 months. But I did get my note to my gym excusing me from November until April. The only thing that disturbed me about that was that my doctor asked me to spell "athletic" twice (the gym I go to is Apple Athletic). At first I thought "is this a test to see if I am abusing my drugs?" (like I felt his nurse accused me of doing when I called to get refills last week). But no, I guess he reallly just didn't know how to spell "athletic".
What?! I'm really glad I had a genius like that perform surgery on me! NOT!

Come home, we are all tired but Buddy refuses a nap and Baby J has started to get in on the crankiness (crying whenever I put him down).

The rest went ok. Watched Jeopardy (Ken is getting whopped up on by Watson the computer). My friend & her son came over (and brought dinner) so we were entertained for a couple hours (and the whining lessened). Bed time for Buddy (not sleep, just in bed crying off & on - why won't this kid GO TO SLEEP?). Sold my gym contract (bought on craigslist, sold on craigslist - awesome possum), now just need to sell the house & we are done (sad to leave my friends & wonderful house but glad John will be happier @ this job and we will have opportunities to meet new people).

Now to wake up Baby J, top his stomach off, and get some sleep!

The Staycation is over....

Grandma came and took care of all of us for a couple of days when Baby J was born. Then on Tuesday she took Buddy so that Mommy & Baby J could have a Baby Staycation and get used to each other. It was really really quiet. And some points I felt pretty lonely. But other than those things, I loved it. The house was clean, John and I could watch TV at night (and not worry about waking up Buddy), and Baby J and I were able to enjoy each other without me worrying that Buddy was jealous. He was so busy having fun that he could only talk for a few seconds when we Skyped together at night. I really appreciate my mom, my dad, and Aunt Ali for taking care of my Buddy.

Last night Buddy came home. I didn't realize until this morning (when I was getting him dressed) how big he is. WOW, I really do have a Big Boy living in my house. Even though he rawrs like a dinosaur (to the point where he is losing his voice a little) and wakes up early - we are all glad to have him home. (John especially missed his boy - I didn't think I would get the two of them settled down to go to bed last night- they were having so much fun chasing and wrestling eachother).

Tomorrow is the first official day - where I go solo with the two boys (at least until 5:30- when John gets home). Wish me luck!
:)

Here are some cute pics of "Big Brother" and "Little Brother". (My friend Kenzie made these shirts - aren't they just adorable?)

We hope Phil is right

Today Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring. We sure hope so, it has been freezing!
Buddy is spending a couple days at grandmas while I recooperate and J (we don't have an online nickname yet - we are open to suggestions) gets used to this freezing world. He is a great eater and sleeps a lot. It is really really quiet around here without my toddler but I'm doing what I'm supposed to and taking it easy.
Thanks for all the well wishes & prayers. I know they have helped.

My name is Becky and I have an addiction.....

So packing up & dejunking has made me realize a few things:

1. It's easier to do for someone who is not attached to the junk. And I'm a lot more attached than I thought I would be to stuff that really is just junk (probably wouldn't even qualify for a goodwill donation).

2. I really wish that the new company would pack for us like the old company who moved us here did. The only thing I had to pack was our underwear (cause I didn't want them to do that) and liquids/perishables. I was SO spoiled. They wrapped EVERYTHING (including a package of plastic bendy straws that we had in our kitchen) and transported it to our new place. It was AMAZING.

3. I have some addictions.
I am addicted to scrapbook paper. I haven't bought a TON since moving here, knowing how much I have and how long it will take me to use it all. But I have purchased some. It's hard - it's so cute or pretty. I don't even know what I'll use it for, I just see a pretty pattern and have to have it. Utah was bad for me in this aspect because there are a couple scrapbook warehouses that have sales down there. I just have to stay away from those & any craft store.

I am addicted to books. Mostly children's books but literature anthologies as well. Buddy has a closet & a 2 shelf bookshelf full. Plus I have a box half way full with older kids (like first grade and older) books. I blame this addiction on my love for reading, my desire for my children to love to read, goodwill and garage sales, and my dad. When I was young and brought home one of my first book orders (how awesome were those by the way?) my dad said to me "will you read it? Because I will buy you any quality book (probably ruling out smutty romances, which the closest I've got to reading those are Twilight series) that you will read and take care of. This was amazing because he was still in school and my parents didn't have a lot of money. Needless to say I had almost all (minus 3 I think) of the Babysitters Club books (up to #100, then they got old) as well as tons of Sweet Valley Twins, some Boxcar Children.... well you get the point. Later on, when my frugality gene kicked in, I realized "hey you can borrow books & read them for free from the library." Yeah I don't know why I didn't realize this until later, but eventually I did so my parents pocketbook had a break.
Good news is that although I had a brief addiction to swaptree.com & paperbackswap.com, I realized that no one is ever going to want some of the books I was holding on to and so they got sent to goodwill. But that was only one box. We seriously have over six full, waiting to be moved to our next adventure.

I am addicted to frames. Anyone who knows me or who has been to my house knows that I am NO decorator. I probably have three picture frames up in my house now (which we have lived in for over a year). But I'm addicted to frames. They, too, are SO pretty. I realized this addiction years ago and have stopped going down the frame isle at Shopko or any store that I go to because I know I'll find something pretty. Who knows what pictures to place in these beauties? The pressure for the great picture to go with the great frame is too much. So the frames sit. Empty. But beautiful all the same.

I also like bags/purses (have a box of those). The diaper bag thing has fueled this a little for me but I wouldn't say I'm addicted.

Oh well. Some women like shoes, some like jewelry, some just like shopping in general. My name is Becky and I'm addicted to scrapbook paper, books, and frames.

Christmas Eve Snowman

Having a lawnmower is especially important in the process of building a quality snowman.


Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Sayings from Buddy...

He used to say:
"Poo Poo" for purple, "Reese" for red, "Mano" for snowman, and an elephant sound for elephant.
Now he's counting to ten (except he repeats 4 for the number 10), singing his ABCD's (yeah, it's not the ABC song, it's the ABCD song), and speaking in sentences.
For example: I was changing his diaper (which he always fights me on - so why doesn't he want to be potty trained?) and he was crying/screaming. I said "Buddy, you need to be good so Santa will bring you toys." He replied: "I have lots of toys, downstairs. I have balls, kitties, a puppy."
When I was telling my mom over the phone that apparently he didn't need Santa, he copied / replied "No, I don't need Santa." He thinks he doesn't have to be good because he already has toys. I tell him "Buddy, you need to be more obedient." He replies: "No, I not obedient."
By the end of January I'm going to have two of these trouble makers in my house. I'll be lucky if I don't have all gray hair (or if I haven't pulled all my hair out) by age thirty.