Shootin’ Some Hoops

On six Saturdays in January and February, Nathan participated in a basketball for beginners class at the local rec center. He had a great time and Kev and I found that having an outlet for all his energy helped prevent explosions of temper throughout the entire week. Nathan is now officially better at basketball than I am (which isn’t even remotely hard to do) and was tickled pink that on his last day of class he actually made a basket. And let me just say that whoever plans these classes really knows how to boost a kid’s self esteem. I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t feel like a million bucks after being presented with a certificate and a trophy. Guess what Nathan took to school when it was his turn for the show-and-tell bag?



He informs us that he would like to try soccer next. And I’m inclined to let him try whatever sport he wants. It seems to really help the middle-child-syndrome.

Mad Scientist

Today was the Science Fair and like last year, when everything was all over there was ice cream to be had. However, instead of eating in consolation we were feasting in celebration! Daniel was one of the winners in the lower grades! He was so surprised when they called his name that he literally jumped. He learned a lot last year and was able to translate all that knowledge into this year's project. He was so nervous last night that he didn't sleep much, but all the work and nerves paid off.

And like any good mom (at least the ones who are total crybabies), I was so proud I cried.

Lord of the . . . Hobbits?

Matthew is feeling better and appears to be attempting to make up for all the eating he missed last week. Today he had first breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, dessert, and an evening top off. Pretty much the only time he stopped eating was during the hour he spent playing outside and while he was sleeping. But as long as he doesn't start growing copious amounts of hair on his feet and take up pipe smoking, I don't mind if he spends some time catching up on his nutrients.

Remind Me Of This Later . . .

Matthew is finally acting like his regular self again, which I'm happy to see. And yes, I did in fact just say that my 2-year-old acting exactly like a 2-year-old makes me happy. So later on, when I'm exasperated by his latest escapade, remind me that there are worse things.

Go Ahead, Kick Him While He's Down!

Last night I discovered that in addition to all his other woes, the first of Matthew's two-year molars is beginning to cut through. Poor Little Dude has had a really lousy week. End result? A two-year-old that stands in the middle of the kitchen and screams, non-stop, until someone 1) picks him up and 2) correctly guesses exactly what he wants by interpreting his thoughts based on the pitch of his shrieking.

Mommy needs a break . . . and some earplugs.

The Lovely Side of Mold

Seven hours after his first dose of antibiotics Matthew's fever suddenly broke, a fact for which I am incredibly grateful because 105 is never a number you want to see on your child's thermometer. Today is he acting like himself, albeit a very tired and cranky little self. Let me just say that I'm really glad that someone took the time to discover that mold can in fact be helpful. Had that task been left in my hands, I probably would have just pulled out the clorox and called it good. And then of course we would all be dying of the plague right now. So kudos to the scientists!

P.S. The best friends are the ones that are willing to share their TP with you. Thanks, Tiff!

Guess What Matthew Got For His Birthday?

Pneumonia! Just about the worst birthday present ever! But it could definitely be worse. He isn't sick enough to be hospitalized and hopefully will begin to feel better in the next couple of days now that we have the antibiotics to fight the pneumonia and the steroids to calm the asthma attack that was triggered by the pneumonia. But on the bright side, he got to use the funnest nebulizer ever at the doctor's office today. (Esther will realize the immense value of this discovery!)

Retail Woes

I hate when I go to the store to buy an item that was listed for sale in the ad only to have it ring up at full price and after arguing with the cashier and the manager (including showing them the ad six times) and finally getting it at the sale price, walk out of the store feeling guilty because my doormat gene tells me that if there is conflict I must be wrong and in order for all to be right with the world I must be stompled on at least a little bit.

This is just one of 500,000 reasons why I hardly ever shop at Kmart and if I didn't get such kickin' deals on boys' pants in the clearance section, I would just blacklist the entire chain.

And maybe all those researchers out there should forget about developing new and fabulous ways to look 50 years younger and focus in on phasing out the aforementioned doormat gene!

Unkind Thoughts About Microorganisms

Dear Mr. Germ,

I am writing to inform you that you are being evicted. You have long overstayed your welcome and I'm very kindly inviting you to get the heck out of my house. We are all very weary and in need of a good night's sleep uninterrupted by sneezing, coughing, vomiting, mouth breathing, shivering, sweating, wheezing, etc. So please, pack up your little duds and vacate the premises at your earliest convenience. Although I know you will be back in the future, your cooperation in this matter at this current time would be greatly appreciated.

Warmest (Feverishly So) Regards,
The Management

P.S. Please take all your little friends with you. We are running low on toilet paper and at some point one of us must escape this insanity long enough to run to the store.

I Got Jewelry For Valentine's Day

Seriously.
It is absolutely lovely.
And what thought went into the giving!

Nathan made it all by himself, just for me!
Best bracelet in the world.
Seriously.

Murphy’s Law of Vomiting

The chances of your child vomiting on any given day are directly proportional to the number of obligations you have scheduled for that day. Therefore, on a day that all you have to do is sit in front of the tv and watch chick flicks the chances of your child throwing up are practically nill, while on the day when you have multiple obligations and your husband is scheduled to work two jobs your child will almost certainly toss his or her cookies.

And to Rachael, it would appear that sometimes oatmeal just does that as well. Gross but true.

You Get What You Get And You Don't Throw A Fit!

I just visited one of my sister-in-law's blog and found an instant way to bring a bit of fun into my dreary day. How, you ask? The funnest tag ever! Here's how it works: The first five people to leave me a comment get something made by me just for them. It can be anything I want, I get to choose. It can be silly or serious, edible or not, but don't plan on anything alive. There are a few rules involved (aren't there always?):

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done sometime this year (Don't expect grand things if it takes a long time. I'm just lazy!).
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. (The choice is mine! --insert evil laugh here--)
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange and/or silly.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they've posted on their blog win a hand made, super creative, possibly lovely whatever in the heck I decide! Be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Thinking of things to give other people always makes me happy. Seriously, I'm already planning for next Christmas . . .

Gasmaster 5000

We are going to have a little discussion about gas, and I don't meant the ridiculously overpriced kind you put into your car. For those of you who are squeemish about potty talk, you might just want to skip on over this particular post. For those of you who have small children, read on, it just might make you laugh.

Matthew is a pro at the whole gas thing. Seriously, he can clear a room in no time. He creates smells that suggest to everyone within 100 yards that he has the most appalling diaper of all time on his rear. But when we crack open the diaper, more often than not he is completely clean and dry. It happens all the time. It is so bad in fact, that we've started asking him if he has a poopy diaper and the conversation usually goes something like this:

The Gift of the Gospel

Matthew has recently decided that when we read scriptures each night, he needs his own. So we gave him one of those $2 hardback copies of The Book of Mormon which he dutifully opens at scripture time. He is more inclined to look at the pictures than the words since he can't read yet (Yes, he's bright, but thankfully not that smart. If he were I would have been locked up in the loony bin long ago.), but that is fine by me.

When he first discovered there were pictures in the book, he looked at this picture and said, "Jesus!" (Dedus)

He turned the page, saw the next pictured and said, "Smith!" (Muss)

He turned again, found this picture, pointed at Lehi and very excitedly exclaimed, "Santa!" (Danta)

I guess it is true that Lehi had a big hand in bringing us one of the greatest gifts of all time. Nevertheless, we laughed.

If This Is One, What Is Two Going To Be Like?!

Matthew is my shopping companion. We have a tendency to do all the shopping in the morning while both the big boys are at school. As a result, he knows exactly which grocery stores have those cool shopping carts that look like cars or rockets. When I pull into the parking lot of Harmons, Ream's, or Macey's he will start asking for a "car" before I even get the car parked. This morning Ream's was on our list of places to stop and as usual, the "car" chorus began before we ever got out of the car. So you can imagine my dismay when we stepped into the store and discovered that there were no fancy shopping carts available. I told Matthew there weren't any car carts, and then the screaming started. I've shopped with a screamer before, so my plan was just to stick him in a regular cart and get started. But he had other ideas. As he continued to scream, he held his body so rigid that I literally could not get him into the seat of the cart. And there was no way I was sticking him in the back of the cart. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had tried, he would have jumped right back out. Anyway, there I was, standing in the front of the store holding a screaming and flailing one year old. An older gentleman that works at the store passed with a look of concern ("No, I'm not beating my child. There's no need to call Child Protection Services.") and when I briefly explained my dilemma, he promptly disappeared. I continued to wrestle with Matthew (WWF would be proud) until I finally got him to bend just enough to shove his legs into the seat of the shopping cart. And just that moment, the aforementioned gentleman reappeared with a super fancy rocketship cart in hand. He had gone out to the parking lot and found one just for us. The screaming stopped immediately, although it took a few more minutes for the tears to stop.

That man gets double points in heaven. And a smile from Matthew. And that is just one more reason why I will drive a bit further to shop at Ream's.

I Love To See The Temple

Last night we took Daniel and Nathan to the open house of the new temple. Although the wait was longer than any of us wanted, at least we were waiting inside a nice warm church building instead of outside like I remember doing when I was a child. It was nice to be able to take the boys inside a temple and show them all the special rooms and talk a bit about what happens there. Daniel was especially intrigued by the baptismal font and the twelve oxen. Nathan took special note of the stained glass. He thought it was very pretty. As we walked out of the sealing room at the end of our tour, Nathan said, "I felt the Holy Spirit so strong it made me sad." At times the Spirit brought tears to my eyes as well. I think it's wonderful that he can identify what he is feeling at such a young age (Way to go, Primary Presidency! You guys rock!).

A Tidbit of Good News

Yesterday was Nathan's latest appointment with the eye doctor. He has been patching since September with no improvement, so we were desperately hoping for good news. The vision in his lazy eye has been 20/100 with his glasses on and yesterday he finally showed some improvement. His eye is starting to "wake up" (as Nathan describes it) and has vision of about 20/70. I was relieved beyond words and all the doctors and techs were very excited. I was a bit confused about why they were so happy (surely he is not the first lazy eye patient to start to get better) until I was told that if there had been no improvement, he was at the point where there was nothing else to be done and he would become one of the small percentage for whom treatment didn't work. I'm so grateful they didn't tell me that at our last appointment. From here we soldier on for two more months and then check back with the doctor to see where he is. Thankfully our prayers have been heard and at last he is headed in the right direction.

(Big sigh of relief)