Baseball-Mania

Thank you, Aunt Erica, for sharing your Rangers tickets while we were in Texas!! Baseball has now been in almost every conversation since. I saw a t-ball set at Wal-Mart and had to get it. The first words out of Jay's mouth in the morning now are, "Lets go play BASEBALL!!" He's actually pretty good for a 2 year old! Karah has even started saying something that resembles baseball!! (Ba-BAW) Yesterday after dinner, the whole family went outside to play baseball. Mommy and Daddy even took turns batting! It was hilarious. Dan pitched the ball to me, and I hit quite a few. I pitched the ball to him, and it was apparent that baseball isn't his favorite sport to play. I started making fun of him, yelling "STEEERIIIIKE!!" Karah was sitting in the wagon nearby. One time after I yelled, she imitated my voice ("EEEEEE-UUUUUUH)!! It is kind of hard to describe in writing, but it was high pitched first, then slid down to low, just like I did. Dan and I were rolling with laughter. She has also learned how to play catch. We are working on getting a video of that. It is hilarious!! Jayden has been such a good big brother. He loves to play catch with her. When he saw Daddy and I hitting the ball without the Tee, he had to try. He hit one by himself, then needed some help afterwards. The neighborhood kids have been so great with the kids. They were great outfielders and coaches to Jayden. We had so much fun! I think that baseball is here to stay!!

My son is afraid of a bread stick....

Dan brought home pizza and bread sticks for dinner tonight. Jayden pulled a bread stick out that was long, skinny, and kind of squiggly. It had two brown spots on the end and Jay dropped it, saying, "SNAKE!! Scary! Scary snake!!." I tried to show him that it was a bread stick, but he wanted nothing to do with the "snake". He would run away if I came towards him holding it!! He is such a cutie!!

I Survived!!!

Driving down to Texas with the kids was no big deal. It was actually a lot of fun! The DVD player was not turned on the entire first day, and only once on day two. I got down there just in time...I got sick! I was coughing, sneezing, and had some stomach issues. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck! The kids LOVED "Ma-Ma's house in KE-KAS!!!" Jay had so much fun with "Pa-Pa" and their nature hikes. Karah will not go to sleep unless she is walked around the house (we don't have a rocking chair.) She misses her Grandma at bed times. We do, too. Jayden asked for Aggie to sleep with him last night. I told him that Aggie had to stay at Grandma's house, and he said, "Aw...I miss Agsa. (Agatha) I want Ma-Ma's house in Ke-Kas." The trip back wasn't as pleasant as coming down. The first day was okay, but we got a late start. We only made it to Tucumcari. That meant a LONG trip the next day. The kids were a little fussy starting out on the second day, but I had woken them up at 5:00 am. That's understandable. After they each had a nap, the day was quite enjoyable. That is, until we reached Farmington, New Mexico. In popped Toy Story 2. Then Cinderella. Toy Story 2 was played 2 more times, and then nothing helped either of them. The last hour and a half of the trip, both kids had finally had enough, and they were letting me know it. I pulled into Dan's parent's driveway (it was closer than my house, and it was Kelsi's birthday, so Dan said he would meet me there.) He was waiting outside for me with Randy, and Jay was so excited. He was sobbing and laughing at the same time when he saw his Daddy. Karah snuggled up to Randy and shot me angry looks between sniffles. Neither child wanted anything to do with me, and honestly, the feeling was mutual. We went in, I ate, then Dan took me home so I could sleep. He took both kids all night and let me sleep until I felt like waking up. 11 hours of wonderful sleep! The kids forgave me, and I them, and we have been enjoying our time with Daddy! We miss Grandma and Grandpa in "Ke-Kas", and we look forward to seeing them at Rylee's birthday!

Pampered Chef

For those of you who didn't know, I'm selling Pampered Chef products. I now have a website for those of you that are not local. It is www.pamperedchef.biz/karlieskitchen. Feel free to check it out!!

Poor Kids!!

I just read Erica's blog, and I'm wondering what the heck is going on with the kids this week!! Jay has a double ear infection and a cough, and Karah has an ear infection, a double eye infection, and a cough. Rylee was sick, and Megan is, too!! All four kids! To top it off, I've started to feel under the weather. No ear or eye infection, but I'm wondering if my kids have a bit of nausea going on. Neither one has been eating as much as usual. Hopefully this is all over before tomorrow, when we set off for Texas!!

Pigtails!!

I have been wanting to do Karah's hair in pigtails since she was born, but the girl didn't have much hair!! When Grandma Kathi was in town last week, she bought Karah some little hair elastics. I decided to try them out this week. This was my first attempt to do pigtails, and yes, they are a little close together, but who cares? She is so darn cute!! I've done them twice since then and have gotten better at it. She is such a trooper. She wiggles a lot when I do her hair, but she doesn't cry one bit. She didn't get that from her Mommy!!

Zoo Pix

Too Big For The Swing!!

Yes, my first thought when I saw this was to run and get the camera, but that was before I saw that her foot was stuck! I put Karah in the swing, BUCKLED her in, and went to go to the bathroom. I was gone for about 2 minutes when I heard her start to cry but didn't think anything of it because she always cries when I leave the room. Besides, I was kind of occupied with helping Jay. I come into the living room to this. She THREW herself out of the swing!! She was buckled in tight! The lining of the swing came out with her! I could not believe it! She loves that thing, and so do we, but it looks like it will have to retire until the next kid...

Sibling Rivalry...

Jayden found Mommy's marker stash, and luckily Mommy found out before too much damage was done. I came in to Karah screaming bloody murder, and Jay holding her head while he drew on her. Karah, though innocent, wasn't...apparently he let her hold the open marker, trying to teach her how to color on paper, and she waved it around and got him in the face. He took the marker from her and was getting her back. Gotta love washables!!

Impersonating Aggie...

This is Jayden on Trash Day. The boy LOVES cars, trucks, airplanes, trains...you name it... so, on Wednesday mornings this is what happens. Daddy leaves for work, and Jay waits for the 3 different trucks that come by. He commentates on what each truck is doing, what color bin they are picking up, and he counts the bins, too. I was watching him one day and it reminded me of Aggie, and her self-designation of the Neighborhood Squirrel Watch, only Jayden is the Trash Commentator.

Places To Go, People To See!!!

We broke out the "Wee-car" the other day, and as you can see, it was a hit with both kids. It was cold outside, but Jay had been BEGGING to go outside. We warned him it was cold, but he did not care. So, we bundled up the kids and out we went. We stuck Karah in as a joke to Jay, but he loved sharing the car with her and driving her places. He was actually kind of upset when we tried to take her out. He loves that little car. We have to "dwive" everywhere. He even begs us to let him drive to Isaac's house when we go! (He lives next door!!)

Home-girl...

She is getting so big!! And funny!! She loves music, hanging out in her swing, and trying to walk. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, she is getting there. She moves along the couch, and has even let go a few times. She will sometimes keep a hold with one hand and bend down to pick up a toy. She is a mover-and-a-groover! Grandma, be prepared for her to take to the stairs when you get here...she's been eyeing them for a while and finally tried it last night! She has a bedtime now, too!! WHOO-HOO!! No more staying up till 3 am with her! We put her down at 8, and she cries a little until 8:10, and then nothing. I can so handle that! I thought that it would be a nightmare trying to get her on a schedule, but nope! All is well!

His Mommy's Son...

Does this look familiar, Double-G? I know that Jay is not sporting a diaper-only wardrobe, and he has an actual toy vacuum instead of a push-popper, but this little guy LOVES to vacuum just the same! Any time he sees the slightest speck on the carpet, it is time to "baboom da foor." We pick up the toys so that they won't be "baboomed," he points to the offending specks while I "baboom", and then he makes sure that I got the speck by going over it again. After we are done, I put my vacuum away, and he makes sure his is put away right next to mine. This is his favorite job, and I love his help!!

Late Easter Pics...

We had so much fun this Easter, and I know that these pics are late. Sue me. Anyway, these are of Jay and HIS candy hunt. We were on our way to the South Jordan Easter Candy hunt and we had gone to the wrong park first. We weren't running late, just close. We were on the phone with Randy and Lecia, who were already there with their kids. The search was supposed to start with the fire truck turning on its siren. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, kids started pouring out and grabbing the candy 10 minutes before they were supposed to. We were in the parking lot looking for a space, so Dan stopped the van, I jumped out and grabbed Jay, and ran towards the park. In the 30-seconds (literally) it took me to get there, ALL of the candy was gone. Nothing was left, and I heard this little 15 year old brat talking about how she got it all started because she ran out there first. I wanted to smack her. My little boy missed out on his first public candy hunt because some little over-privileged, snot nosed, spoiled little princess thought it would be funny to ruin Easter. Several parents were very angry. We started walking back to the car when we ran into Randy and Lecia and the boys. Jimmy and Josh ran up and asked if Jay was able to find any candy. We told them no. They looked at each other and Jimmy said, "Well, we were able to get some. Let's to somewhere else and we'll hide some of ours so he gets a chance to hunt for it." And that's what we did! What sweet boys!! They picked through their candy for things that Jayden likes and spread it on the ground. It was such a tender moment for me...witnessing the unselfishness of Jimmy and Josh. The other pictures are of egg dyeing and of Lecia helping me hem Jay's suit pants. Matching outfit pictures will be here shortly!

These kids are so smart...

"Mommy, look!!! Water in the sky!!!" (talking about rain clouds...it hadn't started raining yet!)

"No sleepy, Mommy. Watch!" (pointing to the T.V. during the last session of General Conference...Karah was up all night!!)

(pointing to a picture of Christ...) "He's good."

He spills something in the kitchen, and he gets a rag, climbs up to the sink, wets it, then goes and cleans it up. Karah cries, he runs to her, hugs and kisses her, gives her a toy, and says, "You're okay, now play!" At around 5:30 every day, he runs to the window and perches himself there, letting everyone in the neighborhood know that his daddy is coming home from "wook". He knows who is calling me based on my ring tones. He knows the difference between the way to the grocery store and the way to Grandma Richardson's house. He came up to me today and said, "Mommy, (sigh) I tired...nap time?" He loves to brush his teeth (several times a day), and to help cook. He can tell the difference in some spices!! His favorite show (other than Thomas the Train) is Wheel of Fortune, because it is all about letters. He'll sit there and spell out the puzzles as the letters appear, and repeat things that Dan and I spell to each other. He recognizes that J is for Jayden, K is for Karah, D is for Daddy, A is for Apple, and B is for Benji. We've started counting snack foods...yesterday he had two left and he said, "Look, Mommy...One, two stars!!" It amazes me what this two year old can do! Sitting here, I wish I had a video camera recording everything he does so that those of you who are unable to witness for yourselves what he can do. Now to rant on Karah. She is such a little imp!! She'll be walking in no time...she's already pulling herself up on furniture and moving alongside it. She is getting used to a bedtime schedule, and not doing too bad with it. She loves music!! She would be jibber-jabbering along during conference, until the choir started to sing. She would immediately stop and stare at the T.V. until the song was over, then continue her conversation with the toy elephant. She loves a good foot massage, and hates hair bows. I can't keep them on her head anymore!! The same thing goes for socks. She is constantly taking Jayden's sippie cups, much to his dislike. She won't take a bottle anymore. She is much too grown up for that. Dan and I are so blessed with these two!! Not only are they smart, but they are such good friends! Yes, Jay can get rough with her, but she has figured out some things he doesn't like to get him back. I know, I've gone on a lot about my kids...I just wanted to share some of the things that make me smile. Pics will be coming shortly.

A Tale of Two Thomas'

Last weekend, we watched General Conference. Well...we had it on the T.V. and Dan and I caught snippets here and there while the kids were running around and making noise. It was a neat experience to witness the sustaining of President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Christofferson. Anyway, afterwards, Dan and I decided that our FHE lesson on Monday night would be on Prophets. We explained to Jay what a prophet was, talked about Joseph Smith, and Gordon B. Hinkley, and how we now had a new prophet, Thomas S. Monson. His eyes lit up, and a huge smile crept on his face. Dan and I looked at each other with pride in our eyes. "CHOO-CHOO profee???" Jayden exclaimed. It dawned. He thought we were talking about Thomas the Train! He was ecstatic to learn that Thomas the Train was now the leader of our church! We pulled up a picture of the Prophet and explained to him that this man was Thomas S. Monson. He thought for a second, then said, "Profee not choo-choo....Tommy Mosee no train...profee." A sweet, sure testimony!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I don't get it. What is it about pretending that a spoon or fork full of food is a plane, train, or car that makes a two year old magically want to eat it? Before the "Chugga-chugga Toot! Toot!" : "No, yucky, no!!!" After: (open mouth) "Toot-toot!! (crashing noises as he chews) Yummy!!" It does not matter what the food is...meat, veggies, fruit...If it is not coming in the form of transportation, it does not pass his lips. He used to like us to play "basketball" with his food, by making it bounce all the way into his mouth, but although he still loves sports, planes and trains have taken over his brain!!!

Ouch....

I know, I've been MIA...the culprit? Wisdom teeth! I had the two on my right side taken out three years ago, and the two on my left had been giving me some grief for a few months. I'd decided that I'd finally had enough, and went to our friend, Dr. Hicks. He was surprised I waited to long when he looked at the x-rays and my mouth. What can I say? I would rather not deliberately put myself in a lot of pain. Had I known what I would go through after having them taken out, I might not have done it! Anyway, I went in thinking he was just going to check on it to make sure it wasn't infected. Next thing I know, I'm watching The Sound of Music on the ceiling (and humming along...its a good thing they didn't have Hello, Dolly!) to him giving me the numbing medicine. (I know what it is called, but would rather not think of the spelling at this time.) While I'm waiting for the medicine to completely numb the left side of my face, he cleans my teeth. How do you solve a problem like Maria? He takes out my bottom tooth, which had come in, with ease. My top tooth, however, I felt...so I got more numbing crud. It took him a while to dig that one out. After the procedure, to my horror, I remembered that I was still nursing, and could not take the good pain stuff!! I was not pleased, but they proscribed me some tylenol 3 and ibuprofen. Wa-hoo. While I was sitting there, feeling everything and waiting for the bleeding to stop, or at least slow down, I realized it had been over 5 hours...not good? I called Dr. Hicks and he told me to bite down on a tea bag, put ice on the cheek, and a few other things and to call him back if I was still bleeding. At 11:30 that night, I was back in the chair getting more shots of the numb stuff. I got some sutures, and strict instructions to lay on the couch eating bon bons, watching soaps, and drinking gatorade and water for the next few days. To be on my feet was not an option. So, the last few days I've been immobile until I stopped feeling shaky! I'm still feeling quite a bit of pain, so I'm going to call back to make sure I'm ok.

Karlie finally talked me into working on this a bit more today...it still has a lot of work to go, but I think it is coming along alright. If you want to see the progress from the beginning go to the old post called "Mural"

Still not done, but it is looking a lot better.

Sightseeing

The first picture is from the roof of the Conference Center. Last Saturday, we went tot Temple Square and did the tours and such. Uncle Andrew went with us, too. We had so much fun! We saw the temple, obviously, the Christus statue, and both Visitor's Centers. We went inside the Joseph Smith History Building, and I showed Caity the prophet's chapel. That place will always hold a very dear place in my heart. It was pretty chilly that day, and the kids were cranky, so we headed out a little earlier than planned. I guess Caity will just have to come back!! The second picture is in front of the Jordan River Temple. If you squint, or zoom in close enough, you'll see Caity and Kelsi. This was taken after we did baptisms!! Caity wanted to see what went on as far as that went, and when Kelsi learned that we were going, she asked to come, too. It was a really neat experience. I haven't done them since before I got married! Thank you, Caity for wanting to go to the temple! It is such a wonderful, peaceful place, and it made the trip complete!