Jimmy-isms

Grandma left some gum here--the boys' most favorite thing! Jimmy was supposed to distribute pieces, but lets be real--he's two! He dutifully gave Ty a piece, and with the remaining pieces, he ignored Robbie's begging hand and shoved the rest in his mouth! Mind you, Robbie and I were very sweetly asking him to "share"--he's got to learn somehow, right! Failed! Robbie broke into tears (he's quite emotional these days) and Jimmy went to his room for timeout.

What happened next is one of my sweetest and proudest memories of motherhood! A few minutes later, Jimmy came down stairs, his face full of remorse. "Sorry, Robbie," he said (but it sounded more like "Solly, Wobbie,"--he rolls his Rs when he says sorry--it's totally hilarious!) and then he grabbed the prized, precious gum out of his mouth, and handed it to Robbie. Robbie winced at first, but finally mustered a, "No thank you," and that was it. Isn't that so tender? Gross, yes, but without being asked, my little barely two-year-old figured out how to make someone happy after hurting them. What a moment!

Jimmy has the most annoying habit EVER!!! He's a terrible sleeper. Honestly, I don't even notice anymore when he comes into my bed at night until I feel his finger rubbing my neck! Oh my gosh, it is so awful!  He can only find comfort, but taking his baby pointer finger, and gently caress the front of my neck! He's half asleep or even asleep when he does it! If I get mad at him, he just turns over and does it to Rob! Really!?

Ty is completely his own person--he's obsessed with dinosaurs right now and still asks random questions like, "What's stronger . . . Lightness, or Darkness?" But right now he's also my little flatterer. "Mom, you're more beautiful than a sparkly, pink, glitter dress!" Totally over-the-top! Totally saturated with everything  "girly" in that little boy's repertoire of words. Totally Ty!  Mind you, these statements always come at random moments: while being loaded in the car; when he walks by me in the kitchen . . . just when he feels like it.  But the other day, we were in the car, and Ty had another one of his urges to compliment.  "Mom," he said, "You're prettier than a princess!" I always brighten and give a very excited thank you. Then Jimmy piped in. "Mom!" (it sounded more like a demand) "you pittier dan a orse!" (translated: You're prettier than a horse--or at least that's what I think. Hopefully my little honest child wasn't saying "You're more pitiful than a horse," or "You're more pitied than a horse"). It made me laugh so hard, and he was so proud of his very thoughtful "compliment."

Everyday

Life is busy here--like really busy! Here's a sample of my week (and I have to say, poor Robbie has the brunt of it!)

Sunday: Early morning meetings at 9 am. Rob gets the kids ready and is at church 30 minutes early to print the bulletin. We wrestle the boys through sacrament, Rob stays with Jimmy in nursery (or else he cries and pounds on the door like he's being tortured from within)--maybe slips into Primary to watch the boys give a talk or scripture--or he'll sub classes (like Robbie's the last two weeks). I teach every week since I don't have an adviser for the Laurels. Get home. Eat. Play. Have Family Movie Night. (I may have to attend a Bishop's Youth Discussion or fireside.) Bed.

Monday: Rob always leaves around 5:30 a.m. and we see him around 6-7pm. Robbie has school from 9:10-4:10, so he hurries home, eats and then Robbie and Ty head to their soccer game --again, Rob's the coach and they are undefeated! Game days are the highlight of our week! We love watching them! I have Book Club once a month on Mondays.

Tuesday: Ty has preschool so this is my errand day. I have a short window between naps and picking up kids (like 1 1/2 hours) to get everything done. Tuesday night Robbie has baseball practice.

Wednesday: Ty has playgroup (it rotates, so I have 6 4-year-olds at my house every few weeks). Robbie has Spanish after school. I have mutual that night, which now overlaps with Robbie's baseball games (yes, he has baseball sometimes on Wednesday nights, sometimes on Saturday, sometimes both!)

Thursday: Ty has preschool. Robbie and Ty have soccer practice after school.

Friday: Robbie has baseball after school. I love Fridays since I only have one commitment!

Saturday: Soccer games. Baseball games. Yes, just this week, poor Robbie has 4 games!!! Two baseball, two soccer! Soccer ends in two weeks, though, so then things will lighten up! Saturdays are crazy. Last week, Rob went hunting in the morning, came home only to go to soccer . . . came home and mowed the lawn, planted some bushes and roses, and laid a fire pit. I had to go chaperone a youth dance over an hour away. Got home late . . . it was crazy!

And then we start over. Throw in a few appointments and shopping trips--let's not even get started with the cleaning and laundry--things are crazy! But, I'd rather be doing something than nothing! Here's a few pictures of this weeks' moments:

              A little snack of Triscuts and Craisens on the stairs. Yes, Jimmy can open the fridge and pantry. He's quite self-sufficient!

He has quite the imagination. Here is playing "Baby Lion" trapped in his cage. He'll play the role to a T--making animal noises and only eating from the ground using his tongue. Awesome!

Spiffied up for church.

Ty understands only once concept in "matching"-- clothes must be the exact same color!

I never get good pictures of my kids' eyes. Robbie's are so dark. Ty's are so blue. Jimmy's are so . . . indescribable (blue, green, with swirls of gold and grey!) Here's one attempt at Ty's, but it didn't really work. Oh well. For the record, Ty, your eyes are gorgeous! He and Jimmy got the crazy long, beautiful lashes! So lucky!

Special Visitor!

Grandma came!!! So after totally guilt-tripping her ("Mom, you've been to Texas like 4 times! I can't even count your Utah trips! You've come here, oh wait . . . NEVER! Okay, so maybe my kids aren't good enough to warrant a visit. My friends have never met you. Wah wah, boo hoo!) It was cruel, I know, but it worked! She came for a week! Rob was in Chicago pretty much the whole time for some conference, so it was girl time.

Ty and Robbie creamed her in soccer! My mom was laughing so hard, it really wasn't much of a competition.

Then she got to see the real thing! It was totally freezing, but Robbie and Ty took their team to yet another victory! We haven't lost a game in two seasons! Woot! Woot!

 

And then we went to the T-Rex Cafe--amazing ambiance! Jimmy actually wanted to stay in his seat here!--a first for restaurants!

And then we did the whole Church History tour. We went to Liberty Jail.

 

This is at the Independence Visitors' Center.

 

Ahh, and we ran into Sister Ogletree! She's one of my most favorite missionaries ever!

And you can't come to Kansas City without having some BBQ!!! 

But most of the time, we just ate, shopped, and chilled. It was gloomy the whole week, and my mom got sick, but that's okay--at least we were together!

 

She couldn't decide if watching Jimmy drive his "tractor" was terrifying or hilarious! And she completely fell in love with his eyes--I mean, how do you say no to that face!!!?

Thanks MOM!!! Miss you!

Road Trip

A few weekends ago, we headed back to our old stomping grounds! 

Hello Kirksville! Wow, this was a fun place for our family; full of drama too--but wonderful memories! Ty was born at this hospital. We walked down our old street, visited our old Wal-Mart--the town treasure, and the old farm store that we used to take the kids to (to pet the bunnies and chicks).

And then it was to our sweet Nauvoo!!! Oh, the memories! A group from our ward met us there and it was a blast!

The wagon ride was a little chilling, but still fun!

And even with movies going and junk food being thrown at them constantly, the kids lost their patience and were ready to be out of the car!!

Easter!

Rob and I get super excited when it comes to holidays! We love writing clues for the boys to find their baskets (even Jimmy got clues this year!) It was great! This is us preparing the night before!

After church, the boys got to go find their eggs . . . Ty is wearing all his new gear . . . his Royals hat (his favorite team), skinny jeans (hilarious, I know. He's been wanting some forever), and a warm-up shirt (he thinks it makes him look strong!). So cute!

Jimmy was hilarious! The other boys didn't quite grasp the hunt at this age . . . they would find one egg, open it, and be happy. Not Jimmy, he was sprinting all over the grass trying to stock-pile as many eggs as possible. The funniest part was that since he was running so fast, the eggs would just fall out of his basket, leaving a trail behind him; it was a long hunt! :)

Our neighbor, Dylan, had come over right before our hunt, to give the boys some Easter treats. He'd never gone on an Easter Egg Hunt before. (He's from Columbia and says they don't do that there!) So each of the boys gave up some eggs for Rob to hide for Dylan. He got his own hard-core hunt (since he is 12)--it was great.

And then we played baseball!

Birthday Week!

Okay, so the post is almost a month late, but it's been so crazy lately, I just don't have time to post! A few weeks before my big day, one of my dearest and best friends, Casey (her son Roman is in Robbie's Kindergarten class. We met picking up our boys from school last summer and have been close ever since) and her husband Morrie, took Rob and I out to an amazing restaurant downtown called Carmen's! Casey and I are only two weeks apart, so we celebrated together!

That Wednesday for mutual, we put on a full Passover for the girls. It was AMAZING!!! We did it at my friend Heidi's house, who, by the way has the most gorgeous house to begin with and puts on the most over-the-top parties!!! The whole house was candle-lit; the girls were all dressed in traditional garb (they looked so beautiful with their heads covered . . . it was fun!). My mom sent me the full Haggadah, but I ended up just using a Seder script that my visiting teacher (who is a seminary teacher) put together. Pictures are on their way, but this is just the list of blessings (recited in part of the ceremony) that was in front of each of them. I soaked the papers in Pero, roughed them up, and then lightly spray-painted skewer sticks! It was fabulous.

The Ward Talent Show was also that week. We had the "original" American Idol panel; I got to be Paula Abdul! And yes, I still fit into my leather pants from college!

For St. Patrick's Day, the boys finally got to eat Lucky Charms--they always beg and I say NO! Corned Beef and Cabbage was the menu for dinner and the boys ate until they were stuffed! That night we had a green dessert party with some friends--super fun!

The big day was a little nerve-racking for me. I had to go to the hospital to get my legs/stent checked again. But, it ended happy! I had no venostasis and my stent is working great. After two years of check-ups, I am in the clear forever! (Well, unless my legs feel funny! :) I met Rob in the cafeteria for an pomegranate Izzi, headed to Costco, picked up the kids, played outside with neighbors, went to Texas Roadhouse, and that was it! My real treat is on rain-check right now. Rob is going to take me to a fancy restaurant on the Plaza, and then we are going shopping for me! Yes, that's what I really want; him and me with good eats, and his undivided attention while I try on clothes! :)