A picture's worth a thousand words...

Home for wayward Scouts...

The International Scout tends to have a sort of cult following. Merril has loved them for years and I think neglected Scouts all over the world can feel that love and want to be near it. It's almost magnetic. But seriously, how many is enough?

Scout #1-

Current status: broken

Current location: my back yard

Reason for being here: going to be fixed up one day

Scout #2-

Current status: running (a rarity at my house)

Current location: parked next to the driveway

Reason for being here: Merril's Uncle McKay didn't want to pay to store it anymore. Merril intends to buy it some day.Scout #3-

Current status: broken

Current location: in front of my house, kind of on the sidewalk

Reason for being here: Not quite sure, it's a long story

Rick, Megan, and Dan-you'll all recognize this Scout. It's bounced around and has arrived back here again. I believe we're storing it until Merril's cousin from Washington state can come get it. I hope. I feel like I could sponser one of those starving children commercials for Scouts.

Just think, for pennies a day...you could sponsor one of these Scouts. Don't let this opportunity slip away. :)

Shaved head...

Merril couldn't stand the long locks of flowing hair so it was mohawk time. *cue the eye rolls and head shakes* Here's the before:

Here's the after (from behind, painted green and orange):

We went to the sand dunes so he could ride his dirt bike and look like a punk. Doesn't he look happy!

Oh well, at least he has a ton of hair.

I knew he was a punk when I married him. At least he keeps things interesting. :)

Oh, and one funny bit about the sand dunes. I drove Merril's red truck around the dunes with the kids. I'm not a super wheeler but I can hold my own. So anyways, we were driving around on this hill and watching others play on the hill. Merril was sitting on his bike and a guy on a 4-wheeler stopped and said, "Is that your Dodge?"

Merril said, "Yeah."

Guy said, "Is that your old lady drivin'?"

Merril said, "Yeah!"

So it's official, I really am old.

My favorite age...

Around 18 months marks my favorite age for my kids. Kids at this age eat whatever you throw at them, are learning and speaking a lot, have an abundance of personality, and small amounts of attitude. Juliet seems to have more faces and personality than my other kids. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly. Anyhoo, kids at this age move from being a service burden to lots of fun. Here are my favorite things about Juliet at this age:

She loves water! If a swimsuit is within a 5 foot radius, she'll either bring it to me and insist upon wearing it (usually over her clothes, it's February for crying out loud!) or she'll say, "Boat!" And 9 times out of 10 I can find her playing in the sink.

She loves to be "up high." This one can have its disadvantages. None of the other kids have been so interested in height. She likes to stand on counters, tables, the couch, whatever. (Maxine's just out of the frame so you don't have to call CPS on me. *wink*)

She also likes to hang. This is a low bar in the closet.

She's just barely discovered that she's tall enough to reach it....and hang from it. She's yet to fall from it.

She's quite the partner in crime as well. She follows Jack and he doesn't seem to mind. I found the two of them having a snack of grapes while sitting in the fridge. (I like how she's almost pointing to Jack like, "It was his idea Mom. I just went along with it.")

Basically, I wish children were somehow born at this age. It's my absolute favorite. I'll enjoy it until the tantrums take over. Se la vie. P.S. Someone asked how Jack was doing with potty training. *indifferent shrug* He pooped in the toilet until he received his reward, now he's back to going in his underoos. Whatever. He'll figure it out eventually. Oh, and Merril shaved his head. *eye roll* Pictures to follow.

Birthday surprise...

I turned 29 yesterday! Instead of taking me out to dinner, Merril got a sitter for Jack and Juliet and took me out to breakfast. After breakfast, we went to the Parade of Homes and looked at a home worth 3 million dollars. I didn't take my camera so it was nice to just wander around and look with my eyes instead of behind a lens. Later that night, I had Young Womens and was surprised with balloons and tulips from the leaders. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who called or sent a gift! THANK YOU!!

I'm still a little weirded out by the age. Women claim they're 29 for the rest of their lives. I don't feel that old and I'm amazed that I'm pushing 30. It's been great so far! I'm looking forward to more!

Wow, time flies...

I feel like we didn't do anything last week and then I looked at the pictures on my camera. The pictures tell a different story. First off, it snowed on Monday. And not the little flakes but serious, huge cotton-ball-size-flakes falling from the sky. It melted by the afternoon.
On Tuesday, we went to a pond to skip rocks. I say "skip" rocks but rocks were just thrown. Maxine had one that was almost a skip but it smooshed across the surface more than anything. Maxine's trying to master the perfect throw. Juliet just looked at the ducks. (She was happy, just not in this picture.) Then I remembered I had some animal crackers in the truck so I ran to get them. After reading all the signs by the pond and ascertaining that it was okay to feed the ducks, I ran back. We fed the ducks and Juliet thought that was hysterical! The ducks were pretty tame. "Hello ducks! Quack, quack, quack." She said this until we left and then said, "Bye ducks. Quack, quack quack."

And lastly, Maxine lost another top tooth so she has a gaping hole in the front of her face.

She wanted to get it super clean so as she was cleaning it, it slipped out of her hand and down the drain. She was unconsolable but we assured her the tooth fairy was small enough to slip down the drain. Rest assured, she received her dollar.

Time out...

Okay, they're not really in time out. I'd finished folding clothes in the dryer and they climbed in, blankets and all. It reminds me of something my sisters and I used to do. We'd load one of us in the dryer, add pillows, close the door and turn the dryer on. It was like one of those rides at an amusement park that spins you upside down over and over. (I don't think it was very safe and I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you had mean siblings. The person on the outside is responsible for stopping the dryer when you're finished with the "ride.") I even think our little dog might have taken a ride with one of us, maybe Jeannie. It was probably hard on the dryer as well.
Anyhoo, we didn't turn it on this time around. Jack and Juliet just wanted to play house.

It's about time!!

CAUTION: Toilet story follows...
(It's a happy toilet story but I just wanted you to be forewarned if you're not in the mood.)

We had a little break through at our house!! Jack has been peeing in the toilet for around 2 weeks and doing well. We've still had an accident here and there but essentially on an upward path. However, he had yet to do his #2 business in the toilet. I've been trying not to pressure him or make him feel bad because it's just one of those things that kids will do when they are ready. No amount of coaxing, bribing, and yelling ever made Maxine get it done any quicker. My whole theme this potty training go round was, "Encourage and back off." Every time he soiled his drawers, I'd say, "It's okay, you'll get it next time. Good practice though!" I'd wash the underoos and not say anymore about it.

But today he said he needed to pee and I sat him on the toilet. He made sounds that indicated that he might need to do a #2 as well. I said, "If you need to poo, you could do it now. But if you don't want to, it's no big deal." Merril called and needed some info for work so I left Jack on the john. After a minute or two, Jack starts squealing, "Mom, I did it! I went poo in the toilet!!" So I go running in there and we cheered and celebrated! Merril was still on the phone and congratulated Jack and told him what a big boy he was. Then Jack took off to find Maxine, his biggest toilet achievement fan! She's full of happy faces and great encouragement for him. She's great.

I've felt so much better potty training Jack than I did Maxine. I tried to keep the frustration down and the encouragement up and it seems to have made a huge difference. Too bad for Maxine, she was the guinea pig.

Trampoline!

Snapped this with my phone the other day. I know it's overexposed but I just wanted to capture the crazy hair! We love the trampoline at our house.

Why I love the internet...

Merril's Dad, Mark, is a truck driver. Mark called Merril yesterday evening and said he needed to wake up at 5:00 a.m. but he forgot his alarm clock this trip.

Merril asked, " Do you have an alarm clock on your cell phone??"

Mark said, "I've never been able to find one. Can you wake up at 5:00 a.m. and give me a call?"

Merril stutters, "Ummmm....Uhhhh...let me call you back in a second."

Now just so you know, Merril has a really hard time falling back asleep once an alarm goes off. So seeking an alternative solution, we turned to the Internet. Overhearing the conversation, I Googled "wake up call to cell phone."

The wake up service http://www.mysnoozester.com/, offers 10 free wake-up or reminder calls with sign up. In under 5 minutes, we had Mark's phone verified and ready to go. Before bed, we tested the service on Merril's phone. You can also choose the type of voice that wakes you up including, American lady, Indian guy, Drill Sergeant, Pirate Captain, and Irish leprechaun. We chose Pirate for the test. Worked famously. The Internet is a wonderful thing, properly utilized. :)

Ummm...is that safe??

We went out to the sand dunes and visited with some friends. Merril and Jack brought the Scout to take to the dunes afterward and the girls went home for dinner. When Merril came back, he pulled these pictures off his phone:

Do you ever feel like you want to run over your kids??

The lack of articulation created a gap under the tire. But kids, don't try this at home.

It still makes me wonder, "Do you think that's really safe??"

Merril still has all fingers and appendages so he must be doing something right. (And with the stories from high school, I'm really surprised someone didn't lose a pinkie at least!!)

Not my baby...

Around 12 to 18 months, I've done a black and white session of my kids in a diaper and their blankie. I've been a slacker with Juliet because she's pushing 19 1/2 months and I barely did her session yesterday. She's very much a toddler and not a baby anymore but here are some of the highlights. I blurred some of the areas that should've been covered by a shirt because I didn't want to post pictures of my half-clothed daughter on the internet. :)

If I have another kid, I need to remember to do the session when they're closer to 12 months because Juliet was a pain.

She was all over the place and pulled funny faces. Actually, I think this face is just cute.

We still got some good ones.

Oh, look. She's sitting still for a second.

Half way through the session, she decided she was done and took off her diaper. Then proceeded to put on some boots. She was running so fast that I never got another good shot in front of the backdrop. And now I'm done! Wahoo!

Progress...

I just wanted to mention how grown up Maxine seems lately. She and I have not always seen eye to eye because we are very similar. But now when I'm getting frustrated with her, she knows when to back off. If Juliet is tugging on my pants while I'm trying to make dinner, she'll grab a book and read to her. She's not perfect but I can tell she wants to be a good kid and she tries hard. Some days, it's just what I need to gain some composure. She's a good kid and I'm lucky she's turning out so well.

Turning point...

15 days ago, I embarked on a journey to potty train Jack. I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight but we had quite the unsuccessful week. One unsuccessful week turned into two. I was starting to doubt whether Jack was ready and possibly considered giving up. On the second week. He went to the bathroom twice. A glimmer of hope sparked. Today, however, was a glorious day!!

Day 15 Score: Read it and weep!

Number of soiled underoos: 0

Number of times gone in the toilet: 4!

We had zero accidents and Jack told me twice that he needed to go sit on the toilet!! Once there, he immediately did his business. Maxine would like me to mention that his overall score is 7 in the toilet. WOW! Jack's playing with his new Gordon from Thomas the Tank Engine: his reward.

To celebrate the triumph, I made Jack's favorite dinner: chicken and corn. We also had ice cream for dessert. Wahoo! Good day!

I also did some painting last night and the new paint matches great!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

El Presidente...

I didn't vote for Barack Obama but felt I should tune to the inauguration this morning. I sat there and felt proud as an American citizen; proud that we elected our first African-American President. He seems like a good father and husband and those are good marks in my book. I felt good that we, as a nation, are this progressive. I remembered learning about the Civil Rights Movement in school and the thought of an African-American President seemed a long way off at the time. I even cried a bit during the ceremonies. So good job America!!

So excited...

Forever ago, I fixed some spots on my interior walls, textured, and primed and pulled out my bucket of touch-up paint to finish the job. As it turns out, the bottom of the can had a crack and the bucket has been leaking dye and thinner in my laundry room cabinet. This was around Thanksgiving. So I kind of let the project slide because I didn't know where to get more paint (the house was painted when I moved in) and it was Christmas time.

So in a fit of ambition, I finally called the design store where we picked out the paint for the walls when our house was being built. She said they only use Kwal or Sherwin-Williams paint. So I called the Kwal store first. Luckily, I knew the paint color name from the lid of the leaky paint can. The guy said it was their color and I could pick up the mixed paint in an hour.

So instead of this...

this...

FINALLY, I'm going to have walls that look like any other walls, hopefully. I'm always a little nervous about paint being mixed later and having it match exactly.

Jack update: Merril promised Jack that if he peed in the toilet 3 times, he would buy him a Gordon train from Thomas the tank engine. Jack completed his mission this afternoon and is playing with Gordon now.

A hint of success...

Well, I took Jack to the store and told him that I hoped he didn't pee on the floor. He was holding it really well and dancing all around. We stopped at a bathroom but nothing happened. We finished at the store and left. We drove home and tried again. Nothing. He played for another 45 minutes and was holding himself. I asked him to try again and he did. He sat for a minute and I poured some warm water on him. Bingo! I've been trying the water thing for a while but I guess he just couldn't hold it today. So I guess I won't give up just yet.

Possibly throwing in the towel...

Well, it's been one week and 5 days. No real signs of improvement as far as potty training Jack. I've noticed he's gotten a lot better at holding it, but still won't go in the toilet. I'm debating putting it off for a couple months and trying again later. We'll probably keep giving it a go through the weekend. I still haven't decided yet.

Do you ever have vertigo?? I'm so dizzy today. When I woke up, the bed was swirling around. It's gotten a little better but I'm still woozy.

On a happier note, it's a beautiful, sunny day outside and we're going to go out and play!

I NEED to go to the grocery store...

This morning Jack asked if he could have some strawberries. I replied, "We don't have any bud."

Jack, "Well how about an apple??"

Me, "We're out of apples too."

Jack, "Can I have a yogurt?"

Me, "Sorry, dude, no yogurts either."

I've neglected going to the store because Jack's still not going to the bathroom in a designated place. I figured I'd just throw a pull-up on him and go. So as I was hurrying to get ready to head to the store this morning, my friend down the street called and asked to borrow the Tahoe. She runs a day care and her Suburban had broken down. I agreed and figured we could make it one more day on a half a block of cheese and a gallon of milk. That's why we have food storage right?? I could try and go this afternoon but Juliet and Jack both take afternoon naps. Like I'm gonna poke that bear. *snicker*

Day 6 Score...

Number of soiled underoos: 5 (Some at Shauna's house. Sorry Shauna.)
Number of times gone in the toilet: 0

After this I'm just going to post when he makes any achievement in the toilet. Posting the scores has lost its comedy for me and has just made potty training depressing. However, we're not giving up just yet.

Day 5 Score...

Number of soiled underoos: 4
Number of times gone in the toilet: 0

At what point do I give up?? 2 weeks?? A month?

Day 4 Score...

Number of soiled underoos: 5
Number of times gone in the toilet: 0

Urg.

Lost tooth and Day 3 Score...

Maxine finally lost her wiggly top tooth. It's been wiggly for over a month and I thought, for sure, it would come out over Christmas vacation. She looks SO OLD missing that top tooth. I can't believe she's old enough. So the tooth fairy visited our house last night.

Day 3 Score:

Number of soiled underoos: 4
Number of times gone in the toilet: 1

Wahoo!! We have one successful attempt!!!!!! Hopefully more to come!

Epiphany and Day Two Score...

The holiday, Epiphany, was yesterday. Epiphany is the twelfth night after Christmas and was (supposedly) the day the 3 kings found the baby Jesus. It kicks off carnival and ends with Mardi Gras. (I think.) Anyhoo, every year I make a King Cake to celebrate. It's basically a large, wreath-shaped cinnamon roll with a plastic baby doll (to represent baby Jesus) hidden inside. The roll is cut into pieces and whoever finds the plastic baby Jesus will have good luck for a year and, per tradition, is supposed to bring the next King Cake the following year. Also, if you host a party with a King Cake, the person who finds the baby Jesus is King or Queen of the party. Maxine got the baby Jesus this year. Epiphany just gives me a holiday to celebrate in January and it helps /Christmas last a little longer around my house.

Day 2 Score:

Number of soiled underoos: 3

Number of times gone in the toilet: 0

Day One Score...

Number of soiled underoos: 6
Number of times gone in the toilet: 0

The dregs of parenting...

Today kicks off my first day of potty training Jack. I despise potty training. I loathe potty training. If there was a boot camp, where I could ship my kid off in diapers and he'd return in 2 weeks with underoos on, I'd totally pay for it! Alas, here I am: up to my ankles in soiled underoos (I know I'm going to call them panties by the end of the day) and Jack has yet to successfully pee or poop in the toilet. I take him to the toilet every hour and have him sit and try. It never happens until I've got him dressed again. He's a good boy, I think he's just totally unaware. He gets an M&M every attempt on the toilet so he's totally game. So this is where I'll be for the next week. Hopefully we'll see some success as the week progresses.

Happy New Year!

Over the last few months, I'd been thinking about parties and how some families throw a party every year around the same time. I know Angie loves to throw Halloween parties and I know a lot of people love to throw parties at Christmas time. I was kind of bummed that Merril and I didn't have a specific party that we liked to throw every year. Then I realized that we've hosted a New Year's Eve party every year for the past 4 years. So I guess that's kind of our party!! And that made me excited. We told friends that they could bring kids, or find a sitter but everyone just brought them because it can be hard to find a sitter on New Year's Eve.

Here's some of the crew.

Here's the kid brigade.

Jack did pretty well until around 10:00 p.m. After that he became unreasonable and by 11:00 p.m., I found him asleep on the office chair like this. He was moved to my bed after that.

Maxine was a trooper and was happy as a lark until midnight. As a reward, she received a fancy glass with sparkling cider.

Merril and I toasted the New Year with sparkling cider as well. (I set the timer on my camera but didn't quite get back to Merril in time. Thus, the goofy look on my face and hunchback.)

Here's the brain trust.

We played pictionary, which was won by the men. Good job men!! We played another little game but mainly just ate food and told stories. Amy Hummel brought a full non-alcoholic bar and made mixed drinks for everyone! THANK YOU AMY!!

NEW YEAR'S DAY:

On New Year's Day, we have a tradition of driving out to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. We stopped by this hill for lunch. Jared Hummel, Merril's BFF, brought 2 of his kids and a sled.

We played with it all day and it was a ton of fun.

Merril's standing in front of his Uncle McKay's green International Scout. Apparently we're "storing" for McKay. Storing translates to driving it while saving enough money to purchase it because Merril really wants it. I keep saying "basement first" but I don't think it's sinking in.

After lunch, we went back to a big hill called Corral Hill, thus named for the old cow and horse corral at the bottom of the hill. Merril also brought his CR500, which was the equivalent of a squirrely snow blower.

But he made it to the top of the hill! And then got stuck for a minute. :)

Merril put chains on the Scout and was able to drive it up the big hill. Maxine climbed all the way up to cheer him on and congratulate him.
The rest of the day was spent messing around on the hill. The rest of the dunes were too snowy to get anywhere. So we tubed, rode the sled, got stuck, got un-stuck, and Jared blew the Wuss Whistle at us. (Jared had a bunch of little plastic whistles in his Jeep and anytime anyone got stuck or did something dumb, Jared would blow the Wuss Whistle. I kept waiting for it to get not funny any more, but I laughed every single time. You might have had to be there.) Anyhoo, here's Jared tubing with Katelyn. The look on her face is one of happiness. She was laughing all the way down.

Maxine and Jack played in the snow the entire time. We hiked up and down the hill with the tube all afternoon. It was fantastic! We usually just drive around on the snowy dunes but we had the best time just playing on the hill! We left tired but with big smiles on our faces. This year at the Coral Pinks marks the 9th annual year for Merril and me. We'd met in December of 1999 so it was one of our first dates and we've done it ever since. I can't believe I've been with him for 9 years. It's been fun, to say the least.

As far as the new year goes, my only resolution so far is to potty train Jack. This commences Monday. Yikes! I would also like to finish part of the basement. Happy New Year!!