Smart Kid

Today Lindy said she wanted to write us a note:

Zombie

I've mentioned/complained a few times before that my adorable little baby boy is not the best sleeper. He never has been but this last month has seen an increase in awake time, an increase in screaming, and a serious decrease in the number of hours available for me to get some decent rest. Typically I love the night life. I like to boogie. But it's getting to the point that I'm losing the ability to function at a normal level. This was made abundantly clear to me on two separate occasions.

During the night when Curtis gets up I try to "wake up" as little as possible, thereby making it easier for me to get back to sleep after he's calmed down. I tend to keep my eyes slightly shut as I go from my room to his and back. One night I suddenly woke up to find myself "stuck" in the corner behind my bedroom door. I don't know if I was coming or going, but I was suddenly wide awake wondering how (or why) I'd gotten there.

A few nights later, after a particularly rough week with little sleep, I went in to feed Curtis at 5am. As I sat in the rocking chair I started to wonder why I could smell tanning lotion. Suddenly I realized that the smell was coming from ME. I put the baby down and went into my bathroom to find my self-tanning lotion open on the counter. At some point in the night I apparently got up and put it on my face and hands and went back to sleep. That was the only time I've been grateful that he didn't sleep in until later in the morning.

I'm still having moments where my dreams and reality collide. It's a disconcerting thing to feel like I'm not in complete control of myself. I'm hoping we're just in a phase and he'll start to settle down soon. In the meantime, please try to hold in your laughter if I show up somewhere with an orange face. It is NOT intentional.

"My Top Ten" Tag

My Top Ten Reasons I Haven't Thrown in the Towel

10. My husband is home for the first time this month.

9. Last night Curtis slept for a 3-hour period rather than his usual 2.

8. Tonight my children actually ate dinner AND said "thank you".

7. I didn't have to drive my kids anywhere today and listen to screaming.

6. I finished one load of laundry. Not a huge accomplishment but an accomplishment nonetheless.

5. My counter tops are clean. For now.

4. I haven't unknowingly put self-tanning lotion on in the middle of the night this week.

3. My sister likes my spaghetti...even if no one else does. 

2. I'm not allergic to chocolate.

1. Can you say "Molten Lava Chocolate Cake"? (Thanks, Holly)

Whew! I don't know who to tag. It's late and I need to get some sleep before I end up doing some other weird sleep-walking thing. Wish me luck.

Any Bit Helps

In September, Rochelle and her family will be walking in the "Walk a Mile In Her Shoes" march to raise awareness for victims of sexual violence. 

The statistics say that "one in six American women are victims of sexual assault. That means someone you know, someone you care about, has been or may become the victim of sexual violence. It may be your mother, your sister, your friend, your girlfriend, your wife, your co-worker, or your daughter." 60% of sexual assaults are NOT reported to police. This needs to change! The way to begin change is by talking about it. The march literally asks men to walk in women's high heels for one mile. This will get conversation started, don't you think?

Rochelle is working on raising funds for the walk. If you have the ability to make a donation, of any amount, and sponsor her in her walk, please help. "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" strives to educate communities and raise money for local rape crisis centers.

http://www.firstgiving.com/rochellelyman

After all, a friend of a friend is still a friend, right? Good luck, Rochelle. Thank you for being strong for all of us!

Uncle Steve

Monday afternoon the girls and I were enjoying a little down-time following our hectic weekend and I asked them both what they liked most about the family reunion weekend. Lindy, without hesitation said, "Uncle Steve!" Ellie said, "Hiking up a mountain!"...but a few minutes later asked when uncle Steve was going to come back and pouted for a while when I told her we wouldn't see him for a long time. 

He made quite an impression on our two little girls. We are glad that he was able to spend some time at our house and that we were able to get to know one another a little better. Thank heavens for iChat...the girls will be glad to be able to talk with, and see, their favorite uncle again soon. 

First Day Of School

Lindy's first day of kindergarten has finally arrived. We've been prepping her for this moment for the last couple of weeks and each time we mentioned it she would suddenly put on weepy little pout and say, "I'm too nervous to go." We've coaxed and cajoled all this last week to try and draw out a slight bit of excitement...to no avail.

So, this morning I was nervous myself. I wasn't sure what I would do if the only way to get her there was to drag her, kicking and screaming. She was reluctant, but she went ahead into the school to begin her day. Whew!

Two hours later I picked up a very exuberant girl. She was practically hopping with excitement. She immediately told me that kindergarten was "so much fun" and that she couldn't wait to go back tomorrow! Big whew! 

Stickin' It To The Man

Some days are better than others. At the close of each I go through the same cleanup process as the night before. It gets a little tedious at times. So every once in a while I try to mix things up a bit to make the tasks of motherhood seem a little less burdensome. 

For example, each time I clean up Ellie's dollhouse I begin by putting all the furniture back in the appropriate rooms. I then put the little baby in the crib, the sister in her bed, and the dog out on the porch. Then the dad finds his place resting comfortably in front of the TV or asleep in his bed. Now, here's where I make my statement to the world: I give the mom her place of honor...standing tiredly, haggardly, and slave-driven, in front of the kitchen sink. For some reason it makes me feel a little bit better. 

Who knew Fisher Price could be therapeutic? 

Family

It has been a crazy weekend at our house. Since Steve was going to be in the country for perhaps the last time for two years we decided to use this opportunity to gather the Jones clan together for a little reunion. We had 9 adults and 9 children in all. It was a loud, but enjoyable weekend. 

We spent a day at Seven Peaks in Provo. It was our first time there, but the kids had a BLAST... 

getting knocked over by the wave pool,

trying to drown uncle Steve,

and trying out new fashionable eyewear.

After five hours most of us were exhausted, some of us were sunburned, but all of us were happy. We met back at our house for a barbeque where Ian grilled up some chicken (which was delicious, hon) and we ate ourselves silly.

The next day we headed up American Fork Canyon and grabbed a beautiful picnic spot where we had a yummy lunch, were dive-bombed by hordes of wasps, and threw rocks in the river. 

After a stocking up on sandwiches, juice boxes, and ice cream cones (thanks, Steve) we got ready to hike up to Timpanogas Caves. 

Ian, Abby, and Lindy map out the route.

Ready to hit the trail!

Some people enjoyed the hike....

a little more than others.

Having a brood of kids made the hike a little more difficult and time-consuming than I think it would otherwise have been. By the end we no longer wondered why the lady selling the tickets raised her eyebrows when we said we had nine kids. 

Curtis chose to have a MELT-DOWN the second we got in the caves (can you say "echo"?) and I ended up escorting myself and a screaming infant out of the caves before we even got anywhere. He was fine as soon as he saw daylight and was happy the entire time we waited for the rest to be done the tour. 

The girls drank their weight in water and ended up taking MULTIPLE bathroom breaks (and no, there aren't multiple bathrooms available. Lindy learned to use the side of a trail for her convenience. She didn't like it.) The girls did GREAT hiking and we were so proud of them.

We were grateful to haul our tired selves back to our house once more and we spent the evening talking and simply enjoying one another's company. We had such a great time together as a family and look forward to when we can do it again. 

Rob & Stacey, we missed you. Hugs and kisses to you all and hope to see you soon!

Alaska

Each summer Ian tries to take some time off to go fishing in Alaska with his dad. This year was a special year because all but one of Ian's brothers were going to be there. Steve even travelled from England to make the trip. Even though it rained every day they had a great time and enjoyed spending time together. 

Steve, Rich, Ian & Ed (dad)

Driving uncle Denny's fishing boat.

Rich's catch of the day.

Ian's catch of the day.

I Dont' Wanna Grow Up!

When in the world did I become an old lady? I wasn't aware of age sneaking up on me but suddenly I find myself in the very awkward position of being a grown up! This fact was hit home quite indelicately this evening by an encounter with a group of teens in the neighborhood. Since my house is host to one of the only street lights in the known world (what's up with that, by the way) we seem to attract a well-meaning, but loud group of kids once the sun goes down each night. 

This evening I was struggling to get my three little ones to sleep. They were NOT cooperating. This endeavor became more difficult as my girls caught wind of the not-so-quiet congregation out front. I waited a few minutes hoping that they would move on. But they didn't. Because I'm seriously sleep-deprived and would do almost anything under the sun for a few minutes of peace and quiet from the screaming nightmare I live through each night...I made the decision to go outside and ask them, kindly, to quiet down a little. Oh...that's right, folks...apparently I'm one of those people. 

I found out that no matter how nice, chummy, or friendly you approach a crowd of adolescents YOU ARE THE ENEMY. I could read it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. At first I couldn't figure out who they were acting like that about...then it hit me! These kids actually think I'm an adult! And, oh my gosh, I'm even acting like one! Oh, the humiliation. 

I swear I didn't see it coming.

Breakfast

I woke up this morning to a wonderful surprise. Lindy (who had been up since 6ish) had "prepared" breakfast for us. She poured some AlphaBits for her and Ellie and some Cheerios for me. All that was needed was mom to pour the milk. She was so proud of herself. She said, "I just wanted to do something to help you out, mom." What a sweet girl!

Gardening

We've actually had a slight bit of success in our pathetic little garden today! This morning I went out to check on the progress of our little vegetable patch and, to my astonishment, was greeted by a bunch of beans ready to pick! Imagine my surprise. The girls were so excited to help me "snap" the beans. Who knows if they'll ever get eaten (they're not big veggie eaters), but this little bit of good news makes me think I might not give up gardening completely. Hooray!

Home Again, Home Again...Jiggidy Jig

It's been a long week. A very long week. Our whirlwind vacation took us to Idaho, Montana, and Alberta, Canada. We saw 1 great-grandma, 3 grandmas, 2 grandpas, 4 uncles, 2 aunts, and 13 cousins. We went to a parade, a national park, and Tim Horton's (more than once), and watched a fair amount of the Olympics. We discovered that Curtis does NOT like his car seat, does NOT like sleeping in his pack n' play, and is mighty angry when he's teething. Although we had a grand time I'm not sure the Jones family will be up for a road trip any time soon. There was just too much screaming.

Here is Curtis visiting with his uncle, Rich. It just happens to be a good non-crying moment. We stopped to see grandpa and grandma Jones in Pocatello. The girls spent a long time playing in their back yard. Apparently their yard is "lots funner" than ours.

We next moved on to grandma Barbara's house where the girls were able to show off their expert bike-riding skills to their "purple-haired" grandma (we're not sure why they call her that).

We next stopped in Polson, Montana to visit with my brother, the optometrist. He bought a practice there last year and seems to be doing well. I got my eyes checked out and picked out a new pair of glasses (thanks, Jeff!) while the kids enjoyed running amuck with their cousins. Kasen taught Lindy how to ride her bike down the long hill in front of their house. Luckily there were no injuries that couldn't be taken care of by a simple band-aid. Kasen also tried to teach us the finer arts of the Wii. Unfortunately, he pretty much schooled me...so I gave up.

We eventually made it to our final destination: grandma's house. My older brother and his family were in town for his 20-year H.S. reunion, so my parents house was filled to capacity! And did we ever have fun! Grandma even showed off some serious headstand skills!

We got to know Liam a little better. He's a little mohawked firecracker. This "yawp" was a precursor to a well-strategized attack on his uncle Ian. 

The Cardston parade was a highlight. It was the epitome of small-town festivities. There were very  few floats...mostly horses and random people who wanted to be in the parade. (I spent a minute or two wondering why Thing 1 and Thing 2 were on a Book of Mormon float.)

The big draw of the parade? Candy. Almost everyone in the parade throws candy. Brandt, was all about the sugar!

We had a blast visiting Canada. Grandpa and grandma sure took the houseful of craziness in stride and made it a great vacation. It's always so much fun to get the family together for a little insanity. We can't wait to see you again! Here's to you! 

Ouch!

Our poor little Curtis is teething all over the place. This kid doesn't seem to be happy unless he's gnawing on someone's knuckles. 

Grandpa's:

Dad's:

His own:

He's been such a sad little boy on our vacation so far. Since our two girls had teeth come in at 4 months I suppose we shouldn't be surprised he's getting them early as well. Boy, I'm going to miss that gummy smile!

On the bright side...my parents actually have internet connection at their house. Unbelievable! Welcome to the 21st century, Mark and Karen. Thanks for making it possible to access my blogging world while in the Great White North!

Is This New to Anyone Else?

Did you know that you can "schedule" posts to your blog ahead of time? That's right...you can type up a post, click on "Post Options", change the date to a future day/time and hit "Publish Post" and it will schedule your post to be published at that future time. 

Cool.

I'm still gone, but you'd never know it cause I wrote this before I left.

Over the River and Through the Woods

If you start to wonder why I'm not rabidly blogging like I normally do, don't worry...I'm just on vacation. I'll miss the blogging connection whilst visiting my hometown and getting back to my roots.

To grandmother's house we go!

Picture Perfect

For the last few months we've been trying to teach Lindy a little something about saving money. In February, she told us she wanted her own digital camera. Instead of grabbing the wallet and forking out a bunch of money to buy it for her we worked out a plan where she could earn money by doing odd jobs around the house. Over the last few months she has voluntarily helped out in many ways. She also learned how to pay tithing on the money she earned.

No one was more amazed than I was when we counted her money last week and found out that she had saved up $69.45...more than enough to buy the camera of her dreams. She is now the proud owner of a pink camera. As of today I think she's taken approximately 450 pictures. 

You did such a great job saving, Lindy! We are proud of you! 

Ellie

There is one thing I just ADORE about my little Ellie. Okay, there are many, many things I adore about her, but this one is especially gratifying:

There are days where she apparently decides she is tired and she will go upstairs and put herself down for a nap. Sometimes she tells me she's going and sometimes I will suddenly realize that my house is quieter than normal, notice that my middle child is missing, and find her passed out, drooling, on her bed. I was certainly blessed with this one!

Four Months!

Look at this handsome little kid! He's growing like a weed. He's starting to show such personality. It's hard to imagine a time when I was worried about a little boy. He's my little cuddlebug. He loves his mom, and I love when he gets so excited just to see me. He is so much fun! 

This month he weighed in at 15 lbs. 1 oz. and has reached 25.5 inches. He's getting pretty good at holding his head up and looking around. He also has discovered his voice and loves to "talk" to us, especially first thing in the morning. It sounds like he's really trying to tell us something sometimes...(I do wish I spoke baby). As you can tell, he often has a serious look for the camera. I think he is simply trying to figure out why I have a big black thing in front of my face all the time.

The girls are still mothering him. It's a daily battle to get them to quit smothering the poor boy. I'm sure at some point we/he will appreciate the attention from his two older sisters. Right now, however, they don't seem to understand that when he starts screaming it means they need to stop what they're doing. But they love him...and that's a good thing, right?

Silliness

Not only do I have a gift for crime solving, I also have an incredible talent for silliness...a knack for enjoying myself for no reason whatsoever. Last night, however, the stars aligned and I was given the perfect reason to let that silliness shine through. It was the midnight release of "Breaking Dawn". Now, some of my friends and family will undoubtedly be shaking their heads at this point-I know this--but it was such a relief to be able to shed my "adult" persona and enjoy a couple hours of hilarity.  

Here we are...sporting our "Team Edward" T-shirts. (Except Jodi who would have been "Team Jacob", given the chance). We thought we'd proclaim our loyalty to our favorite vampire via iron-on transfers. Awesome.

 

If you've got it, flaunt it...right, Teri?

 

We started off the night with a personal fav, Olive Garden. Can you imagine our waitresses horror at finding herself assigned to a table of 16 slightly spastic women? They handled it with finesse, however, and we had a great time unintentionally provoking a group of elderly folks at a nearby table.

Great picture! BTW, Mandi, you can hardly tell! :)

I can't be sure of what happened here. They were at the other end of the table.

Natelli is relishing her tasty meal. Can't you just see the excitement and anticipation as that fork gets closer to her mouth? Yum.

Here is a picture of Bonnie warning us to leave her food alone. She wanted to make sure that she had enough sustenance to get her through the evenings festivities. Alright, I jest...it was the biggest "tour" I've seen in a long time. Thank heavens for those little styrofoam containers.

And what would a girls night out be without a breadstick for a nose picture? A complete failure, that's what. Big thanks to Mandi for providing the much-needed photo opportunity of the evening. Love ya!

I have no pictures of the actual "party" at Barnes and Noble. You'll have to check out someone else's post of the event. I can tell you, however, that I'm pretty sure I never have been, nor ever will be, a fan of that magnitude. I do not fit in, despite my enjoyment of the books, with the very LARGE group of crazies who filed into that bookstore at that particular point in time. Wow.

I should probably go...I've got some reading to do. :)

Go Edward!

As I sit here, waiting for my new book to be delivered by my super-wonderful friend, Teri, I wanted to post my favorite picture from the evening.

Don't worry, girls...there's more to come. :)

The Results Are In

Well, according to my faithful blogging friends (and my traitorous family) my little boy does, in fact, bear an uncanny resemblance to George W. Bush. It was a close race, but those who think he does came in at 52.8% and those who think he doesn't only came in at 47.8%. 

He still is the cutest baby boy in the world in his mother's eyes. Seriously adorable!