(1) Thu Feb 01 2007 09:22 Lily's anecdotes: The other day while on a walk in our neighborhood, a black poodle came walking up beside us. Lily loves doggies and was very happy to see the dog, but when I crossed the street Lily looked up at me and said, "uh spankings". I was a little confused and wondered why she was telling me spankings, so I said "what do you mean spankings?" She said, "Doggie es spankings." She said it like that too, like she was speaking Spanish. I swear she always says "es un..." or "es en..."I guess they are just her filler words I suppose. I had to laugh though because what she was telling me was that the dog was going to get a spanking because the dog followed us into the street, and she knows the rule: If you go into the street without mama or papa, you get a spanking. Therefore, the doggie broke the rule and was going to get spanked.

Sometimes when we are driving she will just randomly say, "'member ah rule? Street? Es spankings?" and then she will say "'member ah deer?" because every time she says remember, she remembers the first time I asked her if she remembered something which was when we were reading a book and there was a deer in it and I asked her if she remembered the time when we were on a walk and we saw a deer. So that is why she says "'member ah deer?"

Also, on the same walk as the doggie incident she started to tell me when we were passing stop signs. I remembered a week earlier I told her about stop signs but since we were moving and I didn't really stop and show it to her, I just said look there's a stop sign, and I didn't think she really understood what they were. But that day she all the sudden was interested in them and kept telling me where they were and she said they were red and white, so she surprised me that she remembered because I didn't even think she was listening.

On Sunday we went to mom's house to celebrate Joe's birthday, and on the way we were telling Lily it was Joe's birthday. She said "yay, birthday cake". Aaron and I told her she could have birthday cake, but that we had to eat dinner first. She said, "uh want it dinner, no" and then she does this thing with her hand that looks like a rapper flashing gang signs. That is her way of saying I don't want it. Sounds a lot like I want it, so we have been trying to teach her I don't want it. She has used it a couple times. Lily loves birthdays though. She loves to sing happy birthday and eat birthday cake.

The battle of pulling out her hair and chewing on it is still a losing one. This morning I came in and she showed me the ball of hair in her mouth. She said, "look mama, no pulling hair” and showed me her hair. Nice. If you run your hand from forehead to crown you can feel all these little spiky hairs. Pretty sad. I really want to take her to get her hair cut this weekend. We have been meaning to and hopefully once it is shorter she won't want to pull on it as much.

Thu Feb 01 2007 22:07: I forgot. This belongs in the last entry. Another funny thing that happened with Lily was she was being a little pill and I said jokingly, "you are a monster!" and she said, "no! I no Elmo." like duh, mom do I looked like a furry thing to you?

She is also very good with names. She always asks my friends at church where their children are by name. I don't even know all my friends' kids' names, but Lily does.

(4) Wed Feb 07 2007 15:26 American Idol: in San Antonio. Last night's show was boring and forgettable...sounds like something Simon would say. And I didn't recognize anyone. I wasn't thinking I would but it would have been cool if I did. I think the show didn't do us justice. It isn't boring and forgettable here if you ask me.

(2) Wed Feb 07 2007 15:35 50 is the new 40: My mom turned 50 yesterday! We had a big party at her house with some of her friends that were turning 50 in Feb as well. Her friends from HS (the McColms) came into town to surprise her as well. Ben had El Chaparral cater it and the cake was from Nadler's. It was lots of fun and lots of good food.

My mom doesn't seem 50 to me yet. I think she has aged pretty well. This is one of the reasons why I love living near family. Getting together for birthdays and holidays are so fun and a privilege.

Aaron told me of something Lily did last night. She grabbed Cynthia Prestige (a friend of mom's) by the hand and told her "Come on, come in here" and took her into Lorna's room and held Cynthia's hands and jumped on Lorna's bed and squealed "hands! jumpers!". I am amazed but not surprised at her gumption to take the hands of strangers and make them apart of her life. What a crazy spirit.

(1) Thu Feb 08 2007 21:09 Mama's boy: My baby is 10 weeks old today. Time flies, it really does. The days are long and the weeks are short. Gunnar is such a sweet little baby. Good thing he is easy going because Lily's energy and high pitched "Hi, Gunna, ahh Gunna, hugs...uhhh (tight squeeze)" while I am trying to feed him, he takes in stride. He has finally caught on to a routine. He is on the Babywise routine, which is such a relief because now he is eating about every 3 hours instead of every 2. He is also eating for about 10-15 minutes instead of 20-30 now too. It is pretty nice to get my life back instead of being tied to the couch every hour and a half.

What I am really liking most about his routine is he has consistently been able to sleep a good 5 hour stretch at night then 3 hours, finally waking up around 8:00ish. I am so glad neither Lily nor Gunnar has made me wake up before 7:00AM on a daily basis. I am lucky there.

I took Gunnar to his 2 month appt last week. He was 22 1/2 inches long which is 75th percentile for boys. The nurse weighed him at 10# 12oz which is so false. That is part of the reason why I am switching him to Lily's pediatrician as soon as he is 3 months old. I know for a fact that two weeks ago Gunnar weighed 13 pounds on the electric scale at Lily's pedia's office. I didn't want to make a big deal about the nurse being wrong but I will be glad when I don't have to go to the office anymore. Gunnar got 3 shots too. I have never heard him cry like that. He was soo sad.

Gunnar is a mama's boy in the making I'm afraid. He loves in the wee hours of the morning to snuggle up to me and "nurse" until I wake up numb from lying in the same position to find out that an hour and a half has passed. Gunnar will sleep a lot longer in the morning too when he is in my bed rather than his crib. He is such a teddy bear though, and I love having him around to kiss his chubby cheeks and smell his sweet baby skin.

(5) Fri Feb 09 2007 15:27 The embarrassment ensues: Today on our walk, Lily hollers to me, "Is that a black man, mama?" as we walk by our African American neighbor who is getting in his car. And just in case he didn't hear the first time, Lily repeats herself again and again and again. I am sure he wasn't offended, but Lily knows her colors too well for her own good.

Mon Feb 12 2007 15:42 Problem solved: We got Lily a haircut on Sat, finally. So she no longer has a mullet. It is pretty cute...you can check it out on my picture blog. When they were done with it, she looked like a boy Aaron and I both thought. But after I put it up in pigtails, it was cute. And people keep telling me they like it, maybe just to be nice but since a lot of people have commented on it, I think they like it too.

(1) Mon Feb 12 2007 15:55: After uploading Lily's haircut pictures I got a little crazy and uploaded more...I'm having way too much fun with that thing.

(4) Wed Feb 14 2007 20:03 Sweethearts: I got the best Valentine gift from Aaron. I was even surprised and didn't see it coming. He got me an iPod Shuffle. It is perfect for what I am going to use it for. I wouldn't want a Nano because they are too expensive and I wouldn't really use all that space and I don't need a display screen. So I am so happy and excited to use it. Aaron had a message engraved too on the back. He also got me lilies and picked out and bought a vase separately-pretty impressive if you ask me. The vase is really cute. He also got me chocolates, and made me a special dinner tonight (since we couldn't go out with the kids) of lobster tails, stuffed chicken, twice baked potatoes, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, and magic cake. I feel pretty spoiled.

I surprised Aaron with tickets to the Montgomery Gentry concert this weekend at the Stock Show and Rodeo, and a Halo 3 fleece. He also got a new suit and 4 new ties for V-day (not a surprise). I always love a bargain so I have to brag we got a $700 suit for $150. I guess you could say he needed a new suit and so we called it a V-day gift even though we bought it two weeks ago.

Lily had her first trip to the dentist today. She was so good; they were shocked at how cooperative she was. She was very nice and obedient and didn't cry. They couldn't believe a two year old was that pleasant. I knew she would be, she loves people and is so trusting. She got a little goodie bag with stickers and toys in it for being so good. It is crazy; I waited for 40 minutes in the waiting room so they could do a 5 minute check-up. My biggest pet peeve with Dr.'s. They always think their time is more valuable than ours. It is so rude. Anyway, they checked her teeth with the mirror for cavities, and brushed her teeth with a fluoride treatment, and I got a lecture about how I am supposed to brush her teeth everyday, blah blah blah, and that's it. I guess it is no wonder she was so good, there was no time to really be bad.

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day!!

(8) Thu Feb 15 2007 09:54 Playgroup discussion: I fully intend on letting Gunnar play with dolls if he wants to, and I hope he does.

(2) Tue Feb 20 2007 15:12 Pillow Talk: Often times at night Aaron and I will repeat things Lily says or say things the way Lily would have said them to each other. We laugh and crack each other up. Who would have thought Lily would be so hilarious.

(3) Thu Feb 22 2007 09:04 And so it begins: My hair is falling out. It took longer with Lily for it to do that, but alas...goodbye to my thicker hair. It was great while it lasted. Of course my hair falling out sooner might have something to do with me dying it recently, but that's ok. Let's just get it over with already.

(1) Thu Feb 22 2007 22:30 Let's Rodeo: We went to the Rodeo Saturday night for the Montgomery Gentry concert. After having our babysitter fall through, one of Aaron's nice classmates volunteered to watch the chid-rens. We were running late because we were trying to make the job as easy as possible for Crystal the babysitter, holding out till closer to bedtime. I was happy when she reported it was one of the easiest babysitting jobs she had ever had. Then again she said she used to baby-sit a family of 4 kids, 2 of them being twins.

It is a good thing we got to the "concert" late because someone forgot to tell us it wasn't a concert but indeed a Rodeo. In my defense, I have never been to the "Stock Show and Rodeo" held here every year even though I have lived about 20 years of my life here, but still. The music didn't start until 10:20ish and we left around 10:40 because we didn't want to leave Crystal too long since she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart. Plus the band wasn’t that great anyway. Don't get me wrong though, the rodeo was fun to see. There is something thrilling about watching grown men throw themselves off their horse onto a calf while in a full sprint to tackle and lay the calf down, or the guys ride bare back on a bucking bronco or bull, but in a I shouldn't be watching this because I'm married sort of way. It was just pure raw manliness. Plus I felt sorry for the calves. I think everyone should go to a rodeo at least once in your life though to understand why kickers are kickers. The skills they show really would be and are useful if you are raised on a farm and have to care for livestock. You don't realize how gutsy these guys are until you see it in person.

I am really glad this week is coming to a close. Aaron had an Oral Path test today so all this week he has been gone till after I put the kids to bed. It is the hardest part of the day and when Aaron is not there it makes it all the harder. It is just so busy having to get dinner ready and the kids getting tired so they are more grumpy not to mention Gunnar is being a boob lately and wants to be held all the time. I don’t know what his deal is, maybe it hurts to go through a growth spurt which I feel the 3-month one is coming on since he has been wanting to eat every 2 hours again lately. Plus I am officially moving him onto 3-6 month clothes. He doesn’t really fit into his 0-3 sleepers anymore, and that is on my list of things to do tomorrow is take out the old and put in the new stuff.

The child literally screams bloody murder when I bathe him. It sounds like I am killing him slowly the minute he hears the water running...it is like he knows. He turns red from the upset all the way until 5 minutes after he is dried and his clothes are on. It is actually comical how much he loathes his baths. Poor guy. Then there is Lily who strips anytime she hears the water running and likes to sit in Gunnar’s baby tub with him and "help" me with the soap and water. It's sad because I don't know what's worse: to get upset with Lily for wanting to help and making her feel bad telling her to leave, or to let Gunnar endure her so that Lily doesn't feel left out or that I like Gunnar more than her. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

(4) Tue Feb 27 2007 23:08 Questionaire: We all get these all the time, so I thought instead of emailing it out I would post it on my blog. Feel free to post your answers on your blog too. I am interested to see everyone's answers.

Also, sorry about having no spaces. I was not about to put a "< p >" in between them all.

> > > >Come on......take a minute to de-stress and do this silly thing! ;) > > > > > > What you are supposed to do with this email... Copy (not forward) the > >entire email, and then paste it into a new email that you'll send. Change > >all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to the people you > >care about, including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you > > >will learn a lot of little things about the respondents, if you did not > >know them already. > > > > 1. What time did you get up this morning? Which time? 5:00, 6:00, then 7:00...Gunnar is being weird > > > > 2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds > > > > 3. What was the last film you saw at the movies? Just saw Ghost Rider with friends. It was cheesy and yet still demonic...strange. Don't recommend it. > > > > 4. What is your favorite TV show? This season Lost. Also enjoy Heroes and 24 > > > > 5. What did you have for breakfast? Scrabbled eggs > > > > 6. What is your middle name? Jewell > > > 7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian but it depends on my mood > > > > 8. What foods do you dislike? Not really a fan of Indian curry foods. (Alyson would know why) I also don't like olives but I love olive oil > > > > 9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Nacho Cheese Doritos or Salt and Vinegar > > > > 10. What is your favorite CD now? A mix CD the Julie made me with her favorite bands...good stuff > > > > 11. What type of car do you drive? Mazda 626 (2000) > > > > 12. What characteristics do you despise? Fake people, disagreeable people, people that always have to be right even when they are wrong > > > > 13. Favorite item of clothing? Since I rarely leave the house these days, t-shirt and sweatpants or pajama bottoms > > > 14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it > >be? Italy...what can I say, the food. Oh, just kidding, the architecture > > > > 15. Favorite brand of clothing? I suppose Gap/Old Navy by default and also because it is the only thing I can afford practically > > > > 16. Where would you like to retire to? Not sure, too early in the game to decide. Hopefully near family > > > > 17. Favorite time of the day? When Aaron gets home. Having two kids is hard! Whaa me. > > > > 18.Your most memorable birthday? I remember my last one most (25th) and it was pretty awesome too. > > > > 19. Where were you born? Provo, UT > > > > 20. Favorite sport to watch? Tennis, but I would rather just do something sporty instead. > > > > 21. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? Not sure, haven't thought about who I am going to send it to yet. > > > > 22. Who do you expect to send it back to you first? Probably no one because they have all done this a thousand times. > > > > 23. Fabric detergent do you use? Liquid Tide for me, Dreft for Gunnar's clothes and they come out smelling so good and so much like a baby. I don't want to switch because it smells so good but it doesn't get stains out well. > > > > 24. Coke or Pepsi? Neither, I think both taste bad > > > > 25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I love the feeling you get when you wake up early and start your day right but I rarely do it because it takes a good 10-15 minutes of feeling miserable before that. But kids wear you in and what used to be early is now sleeping in. I like to stay up at night because it is the only time I get to myself and I can get stuff done. > > > > 26. What is your shoe size? 7 > > > > 27. Do you have any pets? No, thank goodness > > 28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family and > >friends? ditto on the Julie is engaged to be married to Chuck Browne in June. Wedding in >Utah. > > > 29. What did you want to be when you were little? a neonatal nurse, I loved babies and wanted 12 kids when I was little or was it 10? Anyway, a lot. > > > > 30. When is your birthday? Aug 30th, and Gunnar's is the 30th too but of Nov, and Lily's is 3 days before mine. I have something in common with both of my kids’ birthdays besides being there when they were born. > > > > 31. Favorite Shampoo? Halo by Graham Webb. I am a shampoo snob. > > > > 32. Day/Night? Nothing beats a beautiful day > > > > 33. Summer/Winter? Both, but when they are in their lesser extremes (I guess you could say Spring/Fall for me) > > > > 34. Drinking? You mean do I drink? No, but I am drinking a water right by me. I keep my Nalgene bottle close and I measure how much water I drink everyday. > > > > 35. Eating? Not right now, but I like to eat...a little too much. > > > > 36. Thinking about? Getting ready to go on a walk today with the kids. Just waiting till Gunnar gets tired because he goes right to sleep on walks and I want to keep him on his schedule. > > > 37. Listening to? Lily watching Dora. She’s not allowed in the office because she immediately destroys things and so if I am on the computer she is usually watching a show to keep her occupied. Oh, I thought I would never see the day I used TV as a babysitter. What have I been reduced to? > > > > When was the last time you: > > > Cried? Don't remember. It has been awhile. My hormones weren't too bad after the baby. I think I only cried once. I get mad more than upset these days...I need to work on that. > > > > Met someone new? Um, I have met a couple new people at playgroup that are new in the ward. > > > > Cleaned your room? About a week or so ago. It is too hard to keep up on my room with Gunnar still in there, argh! > > > > Drove a car? Saturday...and today is Tues. See, I told you I don't get out much. > > > > How many hours of sleep? about 8ish hours in bed sorta give or take a half hour. Gunnar woke up a lot last night, so I can’t wait to get back to the solid sleep. > > > > Do you believe in ... God? Yes I do > > > > Yourself? I try to > > > > Your friends? Yes, otherwise they aren't really my friends > > > > Santa Claus? Not really > > > > Destiny/Fate? Well, yes and no > > > > > Ghosts? Not scary ones > > > > Who have you known longest of your friends... All my sisters are my friends and I have know them all my life give or take a couple of years. > > > > Who do you go to for advice? My mom, Aaron, Alyson, friends; depends on the issue >When do you cry the most? I really don't cry that much. I want to cry the most when Lily makes huge messes or poops all over the place and smears it on her wall and carpet but I am too mad as well that I don't. I also usually want to cry by the end of the day when Aaron has a long day and I am counting down, but I don't ever get to the crying part. Wow, I have a lot of self-pity don't I? > > > > Now - lets hear about you . . . . .