First Day of School

Jack getting on the bus.
Jack's friends (left to right) Kai and Will. Jack plays with Will almost everyday.



School is going well for both boys. Tristan is still struggling to make friends, but I think it's getting better.

I will get caught up.

I promise to get caught up on pics. These are from the Kennecott/ Bingham Copper Mine.

Catch up

I'm super tired today. Hudson got shots yesterday and now has a fever. All my kids have had that reaction, fortunately it's short lived. He was up most of the night and now I'm tired. I LOVE the new baby advice that says, "Sleep when the baby sleeps." HA HA HA. "OK, now Jack, I'm going to take a nap, because the baby is taking a nap. Please don't use your pocket knife, destroy anything, ride your bike off into the nether-reaches of the neighborhood, etc." Yeah... that would work.

We are adjusting. School starts for Tristan on Thursday and for Jack, 1 week later. They both already know a couple of kids in their school classes. We know several families in the neighborhood and are making friends. While I was in California visiting we had 4 messages from different people to have playdates. I also got a call this morning from two different people for playdates and a different call to see if Jack wants to be on a soccer team.

I got invited to be in a book club.. my first... we'll see how that goes. We're reading Prayers for Sale.

We had Amy and Family and Mom visit last week. We had a lot of fun and wore ourselves out sight-seeing. Brian's grandma is coming to stay for a week. She is having some tests done at the Huntsman Cancer Center to see if they can offer her anything more than she is currently getting from her Oncologist.

Dad and Jeri are coming for a visit this weekend and we're looking forward to seeing them. We also have a ward BBQ on Friday night. Brian is flying home a day early so we can go to that.

The kids have done so many funny things, but I think with my extreme fatigue I can't think of any. They are fascinated by speaking Spanish and want to learn. They have been making up their own Spanish words by adding "ita" on the ends of words. It's pretty funny.

Day 4 or something

So I didn't "Shred" yesterday. I was grouchy and sleep deprived. I thought I would give Amanda a day to catch up to me. Thoughtful of me, I know. I did it today though, so I'm back on.

Two nights ago I reached the end of my rope with Hudson. I need more sleep. Last night we moved him out of our room and he slept all night! I didn't, because I kept getting up and checking to see if he was still breathing. I also swaddled him, I think that helped. I went out today and bought a swaddling blanket to put him in tonight.

He's also slept almost all day. It's 2:45 and he's only been awake for about 1 1/2 hours total today. It's a little disturbing. I had to wake him to feed him.

Day 3

I woke up this morning thinking that a 30-day shred is stupid. Why can't it just be a 2-day shred? I am motivated though because I know Amanda is doing it and I'll feel guilty if I don't do it too. I did it with 5lb weights. It's harder, but the workout is actually kind of getting easier. Our bodies have an amazing ability to adapt.

Chantel

I feel bad even writing about mundane things when my sister-in-law, Chantel, is dealing with the loss of her mother. I just want her to know that my heart is with her. I pray for her and her family every night in my prayers. The burial is today and I will be thinking of them.

Day 2

I woke up yesterday and thought, "I'm not that sore." I was just a bit stiff, but as the day wore on I got progressively more sore. Not unbearable, but stairs were not my friends. Brian made the comment that I wasn't going to transform myself lifting cans of corn. Jeri has 5 lb weights I can use, but I was sore enough that I think I'll use the cans of corn for a few more days.

I didn't eat before working out this time. Much better. I did most of my workout talking to Hudson about not crying. "Oh, look at you in the swing... You're a good boy. Oh.. don't cry. It's ok you have the hiccups, etc." He made it until the end and I did the last couple of moves with him in my arms.

Day 1

OK... I'm really sweaty. Note to myself, don't eat 2 bowls of frosted mini wheats and a handful of wheat thins prior to workout. I might be sick... I think I might throw up.

Also, I'm going to buy a tape measure today so I can take "before" measurements. Oh I'm serious about this.

I would also like to mention that I had to do the first day with Brian as my audience.

Me: "Don't you have something else to do?"

Brian: "Nope."

You also need hand weights. I didn't have any, I used two cans of corn. That didn't help me look good or professional.

Jillian Michaels 30 day shred

So, today is my birthday. For my birthday I'm going to officially commit to doing the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred. I'm opening this up to anyone who wants to do it too. I know Amanda is on board. I think you're supposed to do it everyday for 30 days. I'm going to skip Sundays, so it will be the 34 day shred. You need light hand weights and I think that's all. I bought the DVD for $7 on Amazon, or it's $15 at Borders and there's a coupon for $5 off in my email if someone wants it.

Who's in?

Little Boy's Creativity

We were at Ikea and found this mobile thingy. I bought it for Jack thinking that he could hang his artwork or toys from it. He had other ideas.



There are exactly 16 clips on the mobile. Turns out... Jack has exactly 16 pairs of underwear.

Cascade Springs- a calamity of errors

So, it's Sunday and Jack doesn't want to go to church. I mean REALLY doesn't want to go. Full tantrum and crying. I told him if he went we would go somewhere he would like after church. (bargaining) He said that he wanted to go back to the waterfall (Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon) and this time ride bikes by the waterfall. I said, "ok."

After church I was thinking that Provo canyon was a bit far. We live very close to American Fork Canyon. Surely there is something we could see there. So I went online, on my phone, and looked it up. Sure enough, Cascade Springs. Just go up AF Canyon and follow the signs. Sounds easy. Done.

We load up both the kids' bikes. Now there's no room for the stroller. No prob I'll just carry the baby in the front pack. We head out and it starts to thunderstorm. I've noticed, since living here, that the storms don't last long, so we persevere. We start up the canyon and the storm is already petering out. Every sign we see, we check for Cascade Springs. Nope... not yet. Keep going. Oh, now we're at the Alpine Loop, a one car road that goes from American Fork Canyon to Provo Canyon. "Should we go back kids?" "NO! Keep going" I have to mention that it's kind of sketchy on that road. Especially when you meet someone coming down, like a truck. Like the part where you're driving next to a cliff with no guardrail. I loved that. So... we drive for another 20 minutes and then see a sign "Cascade Springs 7 miles." Do we turn back? NO! We've come this far, what's another 7 miles?

We finally get there and the first thing we see??? A sign that says "No Bikes." Great-- now Jack's upset. I also realized that I didn't bring the camera, so all of the pictures are taken with my cell phone. Arrgh.


Cascade Springs is an Artisan Spring. It is where the groundwater meets up with the ground. It's crazy. There is so much water and it doesn't appear to come from anywhere.





We walked all over. The kids really liked it and it was very beautiful. Totally worth the hour drive. Just next time, I'll ditch the bikes and bring the stroller. My arms and back were killing me.



I asked a couple of people if there was a faster way to go home... Like maybe just continue on to Heber and drive from there. Uh... no. The way we came was fastest they said. Lucky I brought a bottle just for the ride home so Hudson wouldn't scream. As it was he didn't start screaming until we were about 2 miles from home. We hurried.

We are here.... we are here... we are here

We are finally here and trying to establish some semblance of a routine. We arrived late on a Saturday, much thanks to Anne, Andrew and Danielle who helped us get here. The Elder's Quorum helped us unload and the bishop brought us dinner. We appreciated all of that because we were really tired. We unpacked for a few days and then headed to Idaho to spend 4th of July with Brian's family. It was nice to see everyone. The boys rode their motorcycles everyday. They can just ride around Brian's mom's house, pretty much unattended.

Amanda and Tyler made the very long trek from Tucson to spend the holiday with us. It was great to spend time with them. Tyler went shooting with the boys the first night they were there. Brian and his brother weren't expecting much from the city boy. There was none of the requisite bragging out of Tyler, so they were shocked when he not only shot better than anyone there, he was one of the best they'd seen. I asked if there was some sort of contest we could enter Tyler into and make some money off of him.

All the boys rode their motorcycles in the parade. I'll post a picture later. Lillian caught all the candy that the parade participants threw. She took her job very seriously.

Brian blessed the baby on Sunday. It was really nice. Tyler and Brian's cousin's husband, also named Brian, were able to participate.

And now to the baby... he cries.... A LOT. I'm pretty sure he has colic. You can even ask Amanda, she was a witness to this. He fusses and wants to eat, but then spits up because he's overfed. It's mostly in the afternoons, but can spill over into the morning, or night. He is an ok sleeper. He usually goes for about 3-4 hours and then is up every 2 hours from when he last woke. Meaning, if he's up at 2 and goes back to sleep at 2:30... he's up at 4, not 4:30. I'm still trying to nurse him, but it's frustrating with him crying so much. When Brian's gone, and I'm here alone... I may have to put him down and go outside. The crying can really been overwhelming.

We haven't yet been able to go to church. The kids are still desperate for friends. There is a primary activity this Sat. that they're going to go to. Hopefully it will result in friends.

I have met some of my neighbors. I was invited to go to the movies with a group of 10 women that go every month. Brian let me go and I had a good time. We saw The Proposal. I thought it was super funny. It was nice to get out. I wish it was to dinner instead of the movies because I didn't get to talk to very many of the women. The movies aren't conducive to talking.

The house is nice. The view is unbelieveable. We are trying to unpack one box a day. We're babystepping. We miss everyone. We have not found replacement friends or family yet. Please come and visit.

Hudson

Born 06/01/2009 9 lb. 9 oz, 21 in long

We're having a baby!

In case you haven't heard, I am being induced tomorrow morning at 8:30 at St. Joseph's hospital. Hopefully it will going fairly quickly, though, not too quickly.

Most of the house is packed up already. If you're not sitting on it, or wearing it, Brian is trying to pack it up. We closed on the house and are getting all ready.

It seems crazy that by this time tomorrow, I'll have a crying baby. I mean, a sweet little baby.

Baby and house update:

1. Hudson is already in trouble. He's grounded to his crib as soon as we bring him home. None of that, "Look at me. I'm a cute baby." is going to get him out of his punishment. He's in no hurry to get here. So we wait. We had him measured by ultrasound. They measured his head size, torso, femur and according to the computer model, he weighs 8lbs. 9ozs. Every day he stays in he gains 1 oz. Oh good.

2. WE GOT THE HOUSE! Finally! The many months long drama is almost at it's conclusion. Our loan went through and now all we have to do is sign the papers. They're trying to work it out so we can sign them down here, in CA, instead of going to Utah. It's going to cost a couple of hundred dollars, but so would making a trip to Utah and if you haven't noticed.... I'm very pregnant.

3. Moving: We are most likely moving on the 26th of June. This is subject to change, but it's MY plan for right now. Brian just nods his head and makes agreeing noises. (I think they're agreeing. Maybe not.)

I quit cub scouts. I got them through their badge for this month and then told them I was too miserable to do it anymore.

I know, I'm boring because I don't post any pictures anymore. What can I say? It's true. I am boring.

There IS a baby... it's just still inside me.

I went to the doctor on Monday because I've been having migraine headaches. It's weird, because I don't get migraines and to get 3 in 3 days seemed odd. I asked him if it could be pregnancy related. He sent me to labor and delivery for some blood tests and to monitor the baby. As soon as I got to L & D my body sensed the baby pheromones in the air and started contracting. I really think Brian thought I was faking it. Good thing there was a machine showing the contractions up on a monitor. I had contractions every 3 minutes for 6 hours, but I didn't progress fast enough and they sent me home. Darn... I was so close. Since then, nothing. I've had a few random contractions, but nothing really. EVERYONE keeps calling. My phone rang all day. "Am I going to have a baby tonight?" How would I know? If I knew when the baby was going to come, I'd be a much happier woman. Tell you what-- I'll let everyone know the minute something changes. But for now, nothing is happening. I've walked around the block, walked around the school, helped glue art for the school art fair, packed 3 boxes by going up and down a step ladder. Nothing. So everyone just hold your horses.

I went to the doctor this morning. No baby this week or anytime soon. I am measuring 42 weeks, so next week he'll do an ultrasound to check how big the baby is. Apparently you can't just induce a woman because she's tired of bring pregnant. I guess you need a reason. Sheesh. If the baby gets too big, that will be a justifiable reason. Stay tuned until next Thursday. I'll just keep cooking the baby.

There is nothing exciting to report.

No, we don't know about the house yet. Maybe we'll know by this Friday, the 15th. Yes, it's dragging on forever and killing us with stress and we're in a state of limbo.

No, I haven't had a baby yet. Yes, I'm still pregnant. I have already heard, I'm pretty sure, every folk remedy for getting labor started. I am constantly bombarded with suggestions... even from the refrigerator salesman at Pacific Sales who suggested I eat a pepperoni pizza and walk around the block. I've also been told: eat balsamic vinegar, walk up the stairs backwards, eat spicy food, etc. I'm just trying not to think about it.

I have a Dr. appointment on Thursday. I'll try tears, but my OB has been an OB for 30 years. He's pretty much unmoved by weeping and begging.

Tristan

So... Tristan lost another tooth on Saturday. It's one of the teeth on top, right next to the two front teeth (that he's also missing). The boys were wrestling on the couch and I had repeatedly told them to stop. Tristan was mostly the instigator, being as he was the one on top of Jack's back. I left the room and then heard Tristan yelling that Jack had hit him in the mouth. There is some confusion as to whether it was Jack's fist or head that connected. Of course I gave him the old, "I don't feel sorry for you at all. I told you to stop wrestling... blah blah blah." Then he cough up blood and a tooth. My next response was, "Wow... he really did hit you hard."

On Sunday during church, Tristan leans over to me and says, "Mom, I read in the bible (pause... you were reading the bible?) that Heavenly Father created space and the earth, and the plants and the animals in 6 days." I answer, "Uh huh..." He continues, "But mom, we know that space is infinite and everlasting. So if that's the case, he would STILL be working on space and never have had time to make earth and everything else." I looked at Tristan and thought several things... 1) How do you come up with these things? 2) How long has this been bothering you? 3) How can I explain all of this while trying to whisper and not incur the wrath of the church whispering monitor (Brian)?

Speaking of church, we've established a nice routine. Tristan draws and Jack promptly falls asleep during the whole first hour.

These are random pictures from the Discovery Science Center.

We're having a garage sale right now. I hate garage sales... I'm so uncomfortable with people coming and looking and then haggling with me. I just say something cheap so they buy it and leave. Currently I'm hiding in the house. Shhh... don't tell Brian he's out there alone.

Jack's Answer

Jack goes to a born-again Christian pre-school. I'm very happy with the teachers and the curriculum. There are a few side effects from the school though. One is Jack's answer to EVERY question is: Jesus. Here are two examples:

We're driving to the desert a few weeks ago and Jack wants to know how they make clothes. We talk about how cotton is grown and picked, but that it's full of little seeds. Then I said, "A man invented a machine that combed through the cotton and picked out the seeds so they didn't have to do it by hand anymore. Brian, do you know who invented the cotton gin?" Before Brian can answer Jack pipes up from the back, "Jesus!" Close... Eli Whitney.

The other day we were going to the library. Tristan asked who pays for the library and the other city buildings. Before I can answer... once again Jack interjects, "Jesus!" Again.. close... this time it's taxes.

It's become a running joke, although, Jack isn't in on the joke. Yesterday at church, in primary they asked a question and the answer really was Jesus. Tristan answered it instead. Amy looks over to me and says, "Where was Jack on THAT one?"

Pregnancy

Ah... the joys of being pregnant. ick. Brian pointed out the other night that I was making everyone miserable by being grumpy. Helloooo... why should only I be miserable??? He should at least have to share in that burden.

So I'm to the point that everyone asks if I'm 10 months pregnant. Uh.. no.
I am huge. My skin hurts on my stomach because it's being ripped apart from the inside. I also have trouble sleeping at night. A lot of trouble. See... when you're pregnant... towards the end, your body releases a hormone called relaxin. I'm not kidding... I'd like to personally punch whomever named it. RELAXIN? I'd have called it Annoyin. Anyway, it relaxes the ligaments in your hip joints in preparation for the glorious event. It also causes an extreme amount of pain while you're trying to sleep on your side. I can't sleep on my stomach, obviously and I can't sleep on my back because I can't breathe... there is a large elephant pushing upwards into my lung cavity. Fortunately, or unfortunately I get some measure of relief by sleeping on the couch. Full of hope I start out every night in my bed, and about 2 hours after going to sleep, end up having to sleep on the couch. Somehow Brian's not all that sad about this. Apparently sleeping next to me has lost some of it's magic when I have to flop around like a beached whale to turn over. So... I sleep on the couch... by Quick who sometimes decides that he needs to lick every part of his body during the night. Last night Anne's cat dropped the ping pong ball she was playing with off of the landing... then she meowed and came down to get it, but I was afraid it was going to be all Wild Kingdom with Quick attacking the cat, so I jumped up and chased the cat back upstairs... probably saved her life.

I have been having a fair amount of contractions, but as we all know, until they come like clockwork, they're just for practice. Whew, good thing I'm getting a lot of practice. Would REALLY hate to get there and do it wrong.

My Jack-O'-Lantern

We did it. We bought house #1. Look while you can because the listing will go down soon.

It all comes down to these two choices. You can check them out through photos and the video property tour.

www.utahrealestate.com/860344

or

www.utahrealestate.com/870869

For various reasons we picked house #1. We actually liked house #2 better, but house #1 had a better location, view and some amenities we decided we liked and we decided the house was a better investment.

Streect diet

So I went to the OB yesterday and he told me I gained too much weight this month. Two pounds too much.... and last month three pounds too much. Hmmm... he's "not happy with the weight gain." Also, my blood sugar is elevated and he told me, "You need to go on streect diet." (He has an accent) Ugh! What does streect diet involve? He told me, "No sugar, no sweets, no dessert, no bread, no pasta, no fruit, no juice, no carbs. Just meat and vegetables." I have to go back to get more blood work done after a week of the streect diet. Let's just say that so far, the streect diet hasn't been very much fun. I haven't even done it a whole day yet.

I went to the Pasta Connection with Brian for lunch yesterday... yeah... I had a tuna salad. Mostly I just feel like I'm hungry (read: grouchy) and I don't know what to eat. A can of green beans? Eggs for breakfast everyday? Maybe I just need to go to the store. Maybe I don't like meat that much.

Are the polka dots camouflaging the bump?

This is possibly an accurate representation of my life.

House update:

We heard from our Realtor that the house is tied up in a bankruptcy. We kind of knew this before, but officially the house can't be sold for 45 more days when the bankruptcy trustee releases the house from the bankruptcy. At that time, the house will be a short sale and we can proceed with the sale. We already put in an offer. We won't know for at least 45 days if our offer is even accepted. We will have to wait for the bank at that point to accept or reject it. Our loan got approved, so at least that one hurdle down.

Pregnancy update:

The baby is good and I'm as big as a house. I'm getting the, "Are you due any day?" Ummm... no... 3 more months. Brian even said, "How big can that thing get?" (referring to my stomach)

Funny stories:

Tristan has this reading log I have to sign for school. I saw it by the computer and he had written, on the parent signature line, M O M in black magic marker in his little kid handwriting. I'm not sure it's going to fool the teacher.

After a lot of phone calls, faxing and much document gathering.... we officially put in an offer on the house we like. The house is a short-sale (read: long sale) and the family is going through a bankruptcy, so we don't expect to hear for a while.

Children of the new millennium:

Tristan was asking where Brian was the other day. I didn't know. Tristan then said, "Can't we just use a GPS tracking device to find him?"

I'm quite sure I never uttered those words as a child.

It's not that Tristan is less funny than Jack... ok... everyone is less funny than Jack. Jack just has a mind and personality all his own. Last night this was our conversation:

Jack: (holding a marker) "Mom can I draw on myself?"

Me: "No."

Jack: "But I want to draw a scarf. I'll make it small."

Me: "No, you can't draw on yourself. What do you want a scarf for anyway? Just find some paper to color on."

So Jack leaves me and goes into the office. He is busy for a while drawing on some paper. Then he proceeds to take off all his clothes, but his underwear.

Me: "What are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes?"

Jack: "So I can tape my scarf on myself. I colored it on paper instead, like you said."

He goes and gets some scotch tape, puts a couple pieces on the paper and tapes it to his back. When I get a good look, I see it's a SCAR... not scarf. He gets the two words confused.
So then, he goes about playing with the scar taped on his back, but... low and behold, scotch tape doesn't hold up that well. He then asks if we can use that other tape to tape it up. Brian volunteers to tape it up "really well, so it won't fall off."



At this point, it's taped so tightly that he can hardly breathe and moving is painful. Brian did say it wouldn't fall off this time.

Our Trip To Utah

The boys are excited at this stage to be on a car trip. Don't worry, all the joy wore off after a few hours.


The drive was ok, except for right before Beaver. We hit snow and saw, on the southbound side of the freeway, a really bad 30 car accident that had just happened.


This picture is from our 3rd floor hotel room looking south at the mountain. See those little houses on top of the mountain? That's where we're looking to move.

These pictures are in front of the house we like. I just wanted to show how tall the snow is.



We went to breakfast at a friend's house. The kids played in his backyard. They found a snowboard, and with some help, made a ramp off the deck to slide on the snowboard. They tried to get the little dog to do it alone. They tried forcing him... no go. They tried coaxing him with a toy... nope. So Tristan was going and the dog just jumped on. Once the dog did it one time he never wanted to be left out.


Tristan is on the bottom, then the dog, then Jack.

Here is the web address to the house we like. Check out the photos and property tour.

http://www.utahrealestate.com/819639

This is what I found after I got out of the shower. He's watching TV.

Then we went to the bank. Here he is posing for me. He said, "I'm posing like a rock star mom." great.

After we got out of the bank he says, "Pssst... mom... look what I had this whole time." Yeah... it's a plastic knife.

I'm not an expert, but should you go to the bank in a disguise.... with a knife in your belt loops??

Overheard this morning:

Brian: "Let me fix your tie."

Jack: "Dad it's too tight. Dad... the top button hurts. It's all itchy now. I can't breathe."

Brian: "That's how a tie is supposed to feel."

Update...

I'm bad about updating the blog. I think it's because I don't take that many pictures. Funny things will happen and I think, "Oh, I should blog that," but then I forget.

Yesterday we had a mini-miracle at our house. Jack had a friend over, they were playing with the train set and making tracks all over the floor. I was in the other room and I heard the friend say, "I don't want to play this anymore. I want to play Candyland." Then I heard Jack say, "OK, but in our house we have a rule that we have to pick up what we're playing with before we get something else out." I couldn't believe my ears. You mean it sank in? Wow.

I'm sure most of you know by now that we're having another boy. [insert enthusiasm here]. Brian's excited about that. I asked him if he feels that he's the height of studliness because he just can't make a girl. He said, "Hmm... Maybe."

Jack continues to "ride" his (pretend) motorcycle around the house. Sometimes it's so noisy and distracting I have to ban riding in the house. Last night he was "riding" while we were watching TV. I told him to be quieter and he said, "Ok mom, I'll just shift into 2nd gear to be quieter." Good idea Jack. Jack's pretend riding consists of him running around making a motorcycle noise with his mouth. He also holds his hands out as if he were holding the handlbars.

Tristan is still an old soul in a young body. He's quietly funny. Except for the knock-knock jokes which really aren't funny. We got in the car yesterday and we were waiting for Jack to put on his seatbelt. This can take some time because he has to settle himself down and focus on the task. Usually I say repeatedly, "Jack, sit down. Jack, put on your seat belt. Quit horsing around." etc. Yesterday I was seeing how long it would take if I just looked at him and didn't say anything. Jack was screwing around and Tristan says, "Ah... and the world of Jack just keeps going 'round and 'round." So true.. so funny.

Christmas Morning



Notice the super awesome motocross pajamas that a family in our ward brought over Christmas eve.




The big hit of the morning was a mustache kit that Jack got from Santa. There were several different styles. The "Inspector", the "policeman", etc. I think Tristan is wearing the policeman in the above picture.

This was Jack's Christmas program. Forgive the filming. Partly I was laughing and we definitely need to invest in a better video camera. The other problem was I was holding it away from me to get as close as possible and my arms were getting tired. This was not the first song I filmed. Jack is especially proud of his saxophone playing.

Jack goes to the Evangelical Free Church preschool. The song just prior to this one was, "Wake up Baby Jesus! It's your birthday."

Oh wait.. Jack's in the front row with a green striped polo on.

My boys think this video is HILARIOUS!