Time with the Cheney's

One of the main reasons that I'm sad we don't live in Idaho anymore is that we don't get to spend weekends with our best friend The Cheney's. Trent Cheney was Cory's best friend in high school, and he married one of the coolest girls I've ever met - Melissa - and they have a 4 year old sweetie - Naia. We miss the fun we have when we are together.

So it was great to spend parts of Friday and Saturday when we went up to Idaho with their family. Friday Gabe and Naia played - (really well I might add) and we chatted. Then we had a tasty dinner at Chuck-a-Rama (which I have always heard called "up-chuck"-a-rama and had never eaten there. Guess what? It's actually VERY tasty, and I can't wait to go back and try more of the yummy buffet. The scones and honey-butter were tasty, the salads yummy, and desserts - scrumptious). Then Saturday morning they all came over to our hotel and we went swimming with the kids for what felt like HOURS and HOURS. Afterwards we headed back to their house, and a big tasty breakfast (or brunch....) and the kids played. Gabe and Naia did really well together, and it made me just that much more sad that they couldn't be regular play-mates. We have tried and tried to convince the Cheney's to move down to Southern Utah, and they have begged us to move back to Idaho....but I have a feeling we'll probably both stay where we are.

The great thing I think is that they are the kind of friends who we pick up right where we left off when we get together. None of the awkwardness that happens sometimes, and it's like we've never been apart.

Love you guys!

(P.S. Yes - that is a boogery nose on Hunter's face....his poor nose has just run like a faucet the last week or so. It seems to get yuckier every day. But yesterday we noticed that there is at least one tooth popping through, and possibly as many as 4 - he won't open his mouth enough for us to see. So that explains why he's been a bit under the weather, and explains the messes on his face.)

Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to send a BIG shout out to all of the mothers in my life. The mom who raised me, the mother-in-law who accepted me, and the grandmothers that love me. But even more than that - the moms who inspire me. The women and mothers who love my children. The women in the world who are compassionate towards others, who show service towards our family. Happy Mother's Day to the women who long to have children, who are mothers simply because they have the desire to be, and because *someday* they will get to mother children and share that immense love. And a happy mothers day to mothers who I look up to because of their patience, their creativity, their testimonies. Happy Mother's Day to women who have taught me how to be a mother - young women leaders I watched as a youth who were such amazing examples. Women who I silently watch at the grocery store, or the park who are spending precious teaching time with their children. Women who have time, love, and energy left over after mothering their own children to also take in other children to love. You all inspire me to be a better woman and mother.

Happy Mother's Day to all who mother, who want to mother, and who are blessed by a women or mother's love. It's a pretty awesome day to pay tribute to those women in our lives.

new do

I meant to take a picture of my new haircut last week, but hadn't gotten around to it. This morning it's really "big" - but it does calm down through the day :) It feels great to have it short again, but I do have to admit that there have been a few days when I've been bummed that I can't just pull it all up in a ponytail. Anyway - there you have it.

American Idol chatter

I've been sucked in this season, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Funny thing though - Hunter loves it too - or so he expressed to me tonight when I was trying to get him to sleep. We were watching the performances for tonight as I *tried* to get him to sleep (check the last post) and he had the hardest time concentrating, or falling asleep. During a couple of the performances he got really excited, started *singing* along, and when the audience cheered - Hunter clapped along and yelled out his support. It was a riot! (but then he calmed down and fell asleep)

And know what - Hunter has good taste. He LOVED David Archuleta - and I do too! I think week after week David Archuleta brings such amazing talent! And combine his talent with the fact that he is only 17 years old (and from UTAH!) - that makes him even more of an amazing contestant. So VOTE for him!!! (1-866-436-5704 OR 1-866-436-5708) I'm trying to figure out how I could somehow attend his party at his high school this weekend....(check out this story)

I am also a HUGE fan of David Cook. I haven't really been into rock music for quite a few years now (I laugh to think of some of my favorite music from 1994-1996...Nirvana? Live?) But I really dig his voice. And I LOVED his performance on the week with Andrew Loyd Weber when he sang "Music of the Night".

I've been listening to that, as well as a bunch of other great performances from iTunes this week.

And sadly - I think that Simon had it right when he told Jason Castro to pack his bags - I think his time is up. I really liked him in the beginning. I liked that he was different, and had that Jack Johnson feel to him - but I think he's been pretty lousy the last few weeks. And tonight - HORRIBLE.

So there you have it - my opinions - give or take them. And we'll see where it all ends up. If you're following the show I'd love to hear your opinions!

one of my favorite mommy times

Ok - so I have a little routine with Hunter that at times I curse, and at times I treasure. I nurse him to sleep every night (GASP!) It's a horrible habit, and if I had the energy I'd break him from it - I would. Most of the time I get so frustrated with myself that I created this 'monster' (the habit - not the baby) because he won't go to sleep for anyone but me. But then I also treasure every minute I have with him (and I did with Gabe too - the 'monster' started when Gabe was a baby).

Every night we do the bath, stories, and prayers with both of the boys. Then I go into Hunter's room and feed him for one last time. In his room I have a small television and a large, comfy leather recliner - both are for me. That tv is never used for the boys, and is only on when I am feeding Hunter (we first put it in there when Gabe was a newborn and it felt like all I did all day long was nurse him...those first weeks that really is almost all that happens!) Anyway - I'll turn on a tv show, kick up my feet, feed Hunter and then comes my favorite part - Hunter falls asleep. Now this whole process could take a matter of 15-30 minutes (depending on the night) - but most of the time it lasts closer to an hour (or sometimes even longer!) Why? I thought it was because an average television show is about an hour....and this is my time to unwind, decompress, and relax.

But tonight I realized that the whole process has some to do with me relaxing, and enjoying a tv show that doesn't involve the words DISNEY or PBS - but for the most part it's because for close to an hour I get to spend an uninterrupted block of time with my sleeping baby. When else in my life will I get to hold my sleeping baby, snuggle with him, and just enjoy the peace that comes with a sleeping child? I am positive that at 17 I don't get to rock my sleeping teenager, and even at 8 or 9 it's pretty unlikely. So most evenings you'll find me curled up in my chair with sweet baby Hunter. And I guess for now I'm going to treasure the 'monster' I've created.

(Oh, and my second favorite part of the night is when I kiss his sweet sleeping cheek and whisper "I love you" so quietly I'm not sure anyone else could hear it...ahhhhh - heaven!)

layouts

For the record...

Just wanted to jot down a few things so I didn't forget:

• Hunter has found his voice! At our well-baby visit with the dr last week she asked if Hunter makes babbling sounds like ma-ma and da-da (though not necessarily directed towards us - just the sounds). I said, "Yeah...I think..." Then I came home and asked Cory if he thought Hunter was making those sounds. He said, "Yeah....I think..." Well yesterday and today Hunter decided to prove to us that he IS talking. WOW! He hasn't stopped singing, talking, and cheering. Last night we told Gabe to teach Hunter how to say his name. Hunter kept saying, "Ga-Ga-Ga!" It looks like Gabe might be one of Hunter's first words. He also said many other combinations of sounds and sounded like he was singing several times today.
• Hunter has also started clapping. He had been clapping his legs up to this point, but yesterday and today he's been clapping and cheering. I'll say "YAY Hunter!" And he'll squeal with delight and clap his hands together. He looks so proud of himself when he does it - and I don't blame him - I'm proud of him too!
• Tonight when we were having family home evening we read a story about Abinidi and Alma. Gabe got really upset and yelled at us that it wasn't "ALMA" - but "ELMO". Anytime I would say anything about Alma he would correct me and tell me it was "ELMO!" We've been watching a little too much public television....
• Gabe has been on-one today - getting into trouble. He spent a good part of the day getting in trouble - throwing spaghettio's, yelling, pushing his brother, hitting me, throwing food, etc, etc, etc. That little kid has pushed all of my buttons today.
• The other day we were playing with a sticker book, and the page we were working on was putting things in Elmo's backpack. Afterwards I said to Gabe, "So when you go to school - what are you going to put in your backpack?" He didn't even hesitate and said, "My guns!" Luckily he was talking about foam-dart guns and water-guns, but it was a little scary to think those were the first things he wanted to take to school. I'm praying we don't have a similar discussion at any point in his school career!

Happy NSD!

So after my post earlier this week about funny holidays I thought I'd wish you all a very happy NSD. Some of you won't think it's a funny holiday, and may have even done some celebrating today. Others have NO idea what NSD is...

NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY!

In my previous life, when I taught scrapbook classes, and was a full-fledged crazy scrapbooker this weekend was a fun and stressful one for me. We'd have weekend long classes, crops, sales, etc. But now that I'm a closet scrapbooker - or at least not involved in the scrapbook industry like I used to be - this is a holiday celebrated in quiet at my house. Today it meant loading up on some fun deals on-line for digital stuff, and putting together a few pages.

I have found that over time my scrapbooking really hasn't changed much. Even though I create my pages digitally, I still feel like I do the same thing, like the same looks, and I'm really not into all of the artsy stuff that can be done in digital scrapbooking. I still like simplicity, clean lines, organization, straight photos for the most part, stitching and buttons. I feel like I must include journaling on every page - and I still have a harder time creating pages about EVENTS than I do feelings and emotions (I really struggle with holiday and birthday pages - but give me some pictures of the boys being cute - and I have no problem.) So that's me.

So if you're a scrapbooker, or if you're not - hope you have a great weekend, and have some fun either creating, or documenting memories!

Yup - my baby's growing up!!!

Well, it's the 2nd of the month once again - and that means our monthly installment of "oh my goodness - my babies are growing up way too fast". Hunter turns 9 months old today, and it blows my mind. I mean 9 months is 3/4 of a year old! WOW! So some info about Hunter right now:

Weight: 17 lbs (5%)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (25%)
Head circumference: 45 1/2 cm (50% I think...maybe more)

The dr said he was a shrimp, but considering how small Gabe is, she wasn't concerned. I went to a different dr today for our well-check (or normal dr wasn't in) and I was very happy. Our normal pediatrician is very good, and popular - but he's also super busy. So most of the time I feel rushed when we have our visits, and the wait alone is frustrating. So when they asked if we were willing to meet with the other dr in the office I said sure - and I was really happy with her. So we might meet with her from now on. We'll see. Anyway, she said he looked great, and gave me some suggestions for helping him sleep better (most which involved letting him cry it out a bit...) So that went well.

At 9 months Hunter....

• ...is a great baby food eater. He LOVES veggies - especially green ones like beans and peas, or mixed veggies. He's not a big fan of fruits - unless they have bananas mixed in them. He doesn't really like apricots, peaches, or apple-sauces - tart and tangy friuts. He eats Cheerios, or baby puffs like crazy and is getting antsy to feed himself. He's also nursing well, and at this rate, will probably still be nursing till he's ready for kindergarten (not because I want him to - but because he's not interested in sippy cups or bottles at all!)
  
• ...has been putting more weight on his legs, and has even stood up on the couch (after I placed him there) for a few minutes without help. I'm not pushing him to stand or walk yet - but it's neat to see him doing new things. He also LOVES bouncing and jumping in the jump-er-roo we borrowed from
  
• ...plays peek-a-boo. He pulls a towel/bib/blanket over his face and doesn't pull it off until you say "PEEK-A-BOO!" It's so cute!
  
• ...isn't quite crawling yet - but is getting the army-crawl down. He does this thing that reminds me of swimming the breast-stroke - but it gets him around, and fast. Today I found him in his closet playing in a pile of clothes. And that's NOT where Cory left him :).
  
• ...is quite a mommy's boy. He can go from screaming to completely content when I pick him up. I feel bad for those who he cries for - but I do kind of like it when he snuggles on my shoulder.
  
• ...loves to fall asleep in the car. He almost always falls asleep by the time we get into town. However, he is getting better about actually taking naps in his bed some too.
  
• ...is surviving being hugged to death by his older brother (so far). Gabe LOVES to squeeze his baby brother and this week I have had to pry Gabe off of Hunter more than once. Gabe likes to play a little rough - but Cory keeps trying to tell me that it's normal for little boys. Let's hope Hunter makes it to being a 'little-boy'.
  
• ...puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. He has gotten better about pulling my hair, and putting that in his mouth - but he does put everything else right in for a taste-test. His favorite is anything paper - grocery lists (his favorites), junk mail, books, toys, goobers from the floor, drawers/walls/mouldings - anything he can fit his gums around. It makes reading to him difficult - he can't handle me reading to him - he just wants to put the book in his mouth. I guess this is 'normal' for kids - but Gabe didn't do it, so it's a new realm for us.
  
• ...is such a smiley little guy! It's so fun to coax the grins out of him - it's so great to see his big gummy grins. Everybody comments on how smiley he is, and we love it!
  

So there you have it - 9 things for 9 months. He's a joy to have in our lives and we feel so blessed to have our little Hunter.

Calling all moms

Ok - I'm coming to all of you moms (and dad, aunts, grandmas, friends) for some help.

We are knee deep in the "terrible twos", and the last few weeks more than ever! My sister-in-law Ashley said when Gabe came and stayed at her house he only threw one fit the whole week he was there. Well, apparently he was just saving them up, because ever since we got back from picking him up 2 weeks ago he has been in full fit mode. You name it - Gabe can throw a fit or whine about it. Wanting cookies, having a sore throat, wanting to go somewhere, Cory leaving for work before Gabe has said, "Bye-love-you" 110 times, Hunter taking his toy, you name it.

I have tried a lot of different methods, and have not really felt like I am having success with much of anything. I've tried giving him choices with consequences (from "Love and Logic" guidelines), timeout, ignoring him, taking deep breaths, going in the other room and having my OWN time outs, and I'll even admit - I've yelled more than I would like. (Oh - and don't forget the occasional time I break down in tears myself).

So all of you with parenting experience - any advice? I know I can't give in to everything, and ignoring it doesn't seem to do much. He is such a smart little kid, that sometimes he outsmarts me with punishments - even at this age (scary for 13 years down the road when he's almost 16 huh?).

But I'd love any suggestions, books to read, things to do or NOT to do - any advice.

Our little friend

The other night when Cory was mowing the lawn he found a little friend for Gabe - a horny toad. Cory brought it in the house and I quickly escorted them outside so Gabe could see it. We all pet it, and Gabe even held it. At first he was freaked out by holding it, but then as you can see in the last picture - he warmed up to it and eventually he was sad to know we had to put the little friend back 'with it's family'. I know we'll have lots of experiences like this with my 2 boys, and I really don't mind things like that as long as it's outside....

bathtime

Funny Holidays

So after I posted my last post I got to wondering if there was a "national get all of your toys out and make a mess day" - or something of the sort. I haven't found a specific holiday for that occasion, but I did find a website that had a bunch of off-the-wall holidays listed.

Check out this site: BIZARRE AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Apparently April is . . . . International Guitar Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, National Anxiety Month, National Humor Month, National Welding Month, National Garden Month, and Uh-Huh Month

And just for a laugh I looked to see what my birthday was (June 18th) - It's International Panic Day. I thought that was funny since I've been known to have a bit of anxiety in my life.

So start celebrating darn it!

Happy National Grumpiest Day of the Year!

Apparently somewhere in the world it must be "National Grumpiest Day of the Year" - because we are certainly celebrating at our house!

This morning Gabe woke up giving us the definition of "Terrible Twos" - screaming, yelling, throwing fits - you name it. He was supposed to have a friend over to play, and I almost cancelled because he was such a wreck....I should have....They played ok, but Gabe kept yelling at me, throwing fits, and bossing poor little Noah around. And during all this Hunter was exhausted and screaming too. And either he has allergies, is teething, or has a cold (it's anybody's guess which) - and his nose was running like a faucet.

BUT - the silver lining to the day was that BOTH boys took a nap this afternoon, and it seems that we're now only celebrating, "National (pretty) Grumpy Day".

And join us tomorrow as we celebrate "Get every toy out that you possibly own and make a huge mess of the house DAY". I'm pretty sure celebrations have already begun today, but will be sure to continue through the week :)

layouts, and why I love digital scrapping

So I officially have decided what I love about digital scrapbooking. I love that I can create a duplicate layout for each of my boys, but personalize it for them. For instance - the Easter basket layouts. I wanted to showcase a picture of each boy for their individual layout. It was a simple switch, and took me seconds instead of having to recreate a separate layout for each boy. I love it!

And I've been using some digital templates this week, and REALLY enjoy them. I do feel a little like cheating...but oh well, right now - cheating works for me :)

Trip to see Grandparents & springtime

Last weekend we headed up north to help move my sweet Grandma Marilyn's stuff out of her apartment. She has moved into a care facility, and we were just helping out to get the last things taken care of. We were lucky to spend some time with my Aunt Sandra, Grandma Marilyn, and then went to see Grandma and Grandpa Whisler. Gabe had been spending time with his cousins for the week, so we picked him up so he could see grandparents.

First of all, I was very happy with the place my Grandma is staying. For a nursing home it was one of the cleanest, nicest ones I've been in. I've had a phobia of nursing homes ever since my Great Grandma Snyder lived in one close to us as I was growing up. So I was nervous to see Grandma Marilyn. But you know what? It was very pleasant, and I had a strong feeling of peace with her there. I know she will be very well taken care of, and that she will physically have what she needs.

And on Sunday we went and saw Grandma and Grandpa Whisler too. I love seeing my kids with their grandparents, and their great grandparents. Hunter and Gabe have 8 grandmothers living, and 6 grandfather living. It's so great to see them be loved. And it was fun to hear Grandma Whisler singing the same songs and rhymes to Hunter as I remember her singing to me, and to watch Gabe playing with the toys behind the couch that I played with, and sit in the chair I remember rocking in. Ohh....memories...

I don't have any pictures from Gabe's adventures with his cousins - but check out this post on my sister-in-law's blog. She documented things really well, and you can see what a great time Gabe had. We're so lucky to all be loved by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!

And with the weather being nicer (at least occasionally nicer...it doesn't seem to be able to make up it's mind!) the boys have enjoyed playing outside more. We brought in several loads of playground bark and have it under our swing set now - it's nice. However, our back-yard has NO shade. We really need to get an awning put up (you'd think we could get that done - since Cory sells awnings!), and some trees planted. However, the sunshine has not deterred the boys. They have loved swinging on the swingset, and Gabe has had fun now that he can climb the stairs up to the top of the slide and go down - ALL BY HIMSELF. It's been fun to see Gabe being able to do a bit more this spring than he could do last year. I can hardly wait until Hunter is walking and running after Gabe - they'll have a blast.

And lastly - my point and shoot camera stinks! Especially when I take pictures indoors!!! Any advice anyone? The pictures indoors especially are super grainy! It drives me nuts because I don't have room in my diaper bag to lug around my SLR....and I thought this was a nice point and shoot when I bought it....Oh well, I guess the grainy, crummy pictures are enough to remember what was happening at the time - right?

Oh - one more thing - I just have to give a shout-out to Cory and thank him for being an awesome husband. I am so grateful that he is around most nights to help me out with the boys! He's been gone for several days, and there's nothing like absence to make the heart grow fonder. I am reminded how much he does to lighten my load and I am even more grateful for him!

some random facts

I'm feeling a little in a blogging slump.  I'm tired/lazy, and don't have much exciting to post about.  I do have some pictures I need to play around with and I'll post them when I don't feel quite so tired/lazy.  But here are 5 random things about me.  Nothing thrilling - but I guess since this is my journal, it's good for me to record some of these every-day things.

 

1. I am OBSESSED with towels.  I have to use my own towel and it grosses me out when someone else wipes their hands on my towel.  And I am obsessed with how towels smell.  The thing that grosses me out more than anything else on this earth is a towel that smells like mold/mildew.  I have been known to actually make myself sick because of the smell of a towel or washcloth.  I am so picky with the smell of towels that I've been known to take my own towel with me on vacations.  Oh - and I can't use a wet towel either - like if Cory uses a towel to dry off with - I CANNOT use it too - YUCK!
2. I don't really like vanilla ice cream – at least not on it's own.  Sure, with a nice hot piece of my mom's boysenberry pie; or if it's with a bowl full of "Brown Betty" (the BEST Hot-Fudge-Cake – I'll need to post the recipe when I'm not feeling so lazy) – but on it's own – I can totally pass it up. This is not something I can say about most treats…
3. I blow my nose louder than just about anyone on earth.  In fact, in 1st grade I had a cold and I blew my nose - one of the teachers at the school yelled at me and sent me out in the hall because she thought I was doing it to try to get attention.  I remember crying because that was just the way I blew my nose!
4. I really enjoy going to movies by myself.  I love sitting wherever I want, not having to share the popcorn (and being able to put as much salt on it as I want!) - and I just really enjoy the time to myself.  In fact, after a long hard day with the boys the best thing Cory could do for me is to offer to watch the boys while I go to a show by myself.  Sometimes I feel guilty, but for the most part I feel relaxed - like I've gotten to escape for 2 hours.
5. I don't love wearing my wedding band…that sounds horrible – but I just feel claustrophobic with rings on my fingers (especially when I'm not 'skinny').  It's right up there with how sometimes when I'm wearing my hair down I also feel claustrophobic and just have to pull it in a pony-tail…I guess I'm a bit of a freak.

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Oops...

Yesterday morning this is what I found when I got Hunter up. Oops...poor little guy was stuck - but had the BIGGEST smile on his face when he saw me. I love that! I love that he gets excited to see his mommy. I love that he give me hugs and kisses, and I love his gummy smile.

On the other hand - I wasn't so thrilled to be the object of his affection this morning - or middle of the night - however you look at it. He was up at 2:00 am. That would have been fine....but he took FOREVER to fall back asleep and also got up at 4:15 am. He was then basically up for over 3 hours!!! I stayed up with him for the first hour and 1/2 - but he had eaten and I figured Cory could handle things for a bit while I tried to sleep. But Hunter was having none of that. He only wanted me. Luckily Cory helped out and let him cry and played with him. He finally dozed off again around 7:30 am. Then he got up about 9:00 and was back asleep by 10:30. It's now 1:00 and he's still sleeping. WEIRD! So this is the 3rd day in a row he's taken an official nap - in his crib - for longer than 5 minutes.

Pretty miraculous - even if he was up most of the night.

Welcome Baby Lucy!

My little brother Jed and his wife Laura welcomed a sweet new baby into the world last night.

Lucy Marie Rhien

We're excited for Allison to be a big sister, excited to see Lucy grow up, and wish like crazy that we lived closer to family - not getting to hold Lucy is heartbreaking.

It makes me think alot about living close to family, we never really have. When we were first married we did live close to Cory's parents in Rexburg, but that was only for like a year or 2. Other than that - we have lived on our own for the most part.

A friend of mine recently said, "It must be hard to not have family live close by." (She's lived here all of her life, and so has almost all of her family - they're even all in our ward!) It made me realize that some people don't even understand living far away from family. Some people live next door to their parents, down the street, or just across town from their siblings. Lucky....

I wish my kids had cousins to play with, grandparents to babysit when we needed to go out, family to have Sunday dinner with, a sister or sister-in-law to scrapbook with, or just go to lunch with.

Sadly, I don't think we'll probably ever live close to family. At least not in the next few years. Visits to see family will involve packing bags, driving hours and hours, and taking off work.

But we love you family. Whether you're in New Mexico, Utah, Texas, or elsewhere.

template layout and a miracle

So now I'm hooked on these templates - so fun! I found some fun ones - that are right up my alley. Check out this site: Manda Girl. This template is one from her site. And fun part - they're free!

Anyway, if I didn't over-think the templates, I bet I'd be a lot faster at putting together layouts...but alas - I think to much about what papers/elements/etc to use. Hopefully over time I'll get faster.

And for the miracle - HUNTER IS NAPPING! He slept in the car for several hours on Tuesday (don't worry - we were driving, and I was in the car), he took a 4 HOUR nap yesterday (Cory finally woke him up because we were worried he'd slept so long), and he's been asleep over an hour today so far too. YAY! If all goes well, maybe we can develop a napping schedule, and all will be good in the world.