Snow Play

Yesterday afternoon I decided I would force the boys to play outside as we have been cooped up for too long. The amount of snow is crazy and we just got a lot more last night. So I put both boys in their matching snow suits and we headed down to Jaden's house (Mason's 6 year old friend). I pulled Talan in the sleigh which amuzed him for about 2.2 seconds and then he whined and wanted to be held. We ate icicles while waiting for Jaden to get his snow gear on and then we headed back to our cul-de-sac. The snow plows have created a giant pile of snow in the middle of the cul-de-sac and so the boys pretended it was a fortress and jumped off of it. We tried to slide down in on some cardboard but that didn't work too well. Talan was just crying the whole time and just stood there watching Mason and Jaden. Poor BT. Mason, on the other hand, really seems to have fun with the proper gear on. That helps.

Today, the college is closed due to bad weather. The county is considering calling it a state of emergency. There is so much snow it is a hazard as power lines are being pulled down by the weight of the snow, people are without power, roofs are collapsing and fire trucks can't get through the roads as the snow berms and parked cars make it too narrow. Crazy.

I have never tried to push a loaded grocery cart through a slushy icey parking lot. It doesn't work, the wheels can't turn. When I looked around me I saw that no one else was using a cart, people where just carrying the bags. Oh, I get it now. Something new to learn about living in "weather". I'm still a total CA girl at heart!

I got up at 4am to study and I got in two hours before Mason woke up. That is my new plan, per Joe's suggestion, is to get up early to study as I am really struggling to put enough time into my Bio class. I have a heart dissection on Tuesday which I need to be completely prepared for before I go in and I have an exam on Thursday. Nobody said going back to school would be easy but oh my. I am shocked how much outside time this class is taking.

Missing Daddy

Last night Mason begged me to let Baby Talan sleep with us. I knew it wasn't going to work out (the boys sleep together in our bed at nap time) but I gave it a try. I put Talan's favorite blankey down and he was in the middle between me and Mason. I turned the lights out and told the boys to close their eyes. After a few minutes I heard Talan made a strange noise, a noise to get my attention. By then my eyes had adjusted to how dark the room was so when I rolled over to look at him, I could see he was signing "Daddy". I said "Daddy" and he nodded yes. He was missing his Dad and wondering why Daddy wasn't in the bed. So cute and sad. I said Daddy is working but he'll be back. I kissed him and cuddled him and Mason said that is why we are on Daddy's side (of the bed). Poor BT. The boys are so used to Joe being home. I think as they are getting older they are more aware of Joe's absence. But this our reality. It will go by fast. It always does. So I ended up putting Talan in his room as he was not going to lie down (he thinks its a big game). Tonight Mason is not sleeping with me as last night he kept me up all night whining. Maddness.

We are being bombarded with snow. It was crazy driving to church this morning. I don't plan to go anywhere unless it is totally necessary. I expect tomorrow will be a snow day at school for Mason. It hasen't stopped in 24 hours. Granted it is beautiful outside. It is kinda nice to be all cozy.

We did some painting this afternoon. The boys loved it. I am trying to repaint a train bookshelf that I purchased awhile back. Mason painted a small wooden airplane, a car and a door hanger. All the same mucky green. His favorite part is just to squeeze and mix the colors. Talan just painted with water a truck that I had previously painted. Messy but fun. Thankfully I put smocks on the boys as they, of course, got it all over themselves.

We have been playing with a lot of toys that we haven't had access to in awhile. So we are now really into our Kin-ex toy. This is what Mason is holding in one of the photos. He turns everything into a helicopter. :)

Oh, one of the photos is from last night when I put Talan's tattoo on that Aunt B gave him for his birthday. He wouldn't let me take a picture. He kept pulling his sleeve down. Mason wanted one too and whined when I told him Aunt B had only sent one. You can imagine the drama! This is the photo of Talan in the green onesy next to the stack of plastic cheese.

Tights

I just got off the phone with my sister and she expressed some disbelief and then alarm that Mason was wearing just tights. No undies, not another stich of clothing. He dressed himself this was. I was innocently folding laundry and he found his tights and put them on. We are having very cold weather so I put the boys in tights to keep them warm. Their pants ride up all the time, like when I carry them, and I don't want them to have bare skin in 16 degree weather. So I snapped some photos of Mason donning his tights. He is very happy in them. He sees no reason to be inhibited. God bless him.

A Package

Aunt B's birthday package arrived today. Very exciting. The photos show the boys in their new PJs. They went hog wild on the chocolate covered macadamian nuts (you can see chocolate on Talan's face in the photos). Talan took his first photo, its the one of just me. I had to crop it as there was a lot of the room in the photo. If you look closely into Talan's mouth in the photo of him with Spike kitty you can see the white scabs from where his tonsils were cauterized off. Mason is wearing his new rocket PJs and rallied to take the last photo which is of Talan and me (again cropped for obvious reasons).

We had a great time at mom's group playdate today. Unfortunately we had to leave early for our Dr.'s appt. Good news, the boys are healing well and Talan's ears look great. We will do a hearing test in 3 weeks. Cross fingers.

Joe left this morning and the boys have been missing him already. :( Mason signed "where is Daddy" and then Talan signed "Daddy" and then shrugged like I don't know. Very cute. Guess who is sleeping on Daddy's side tonight??????

Talan's 2nd Birthday!!!!!!!

I spent the better part of the day telling everyone I ran into that it was Talan's birthday and by lunchtime he was signing "no" and was over it already. :) I think he was told "happy birthday" a dozen times. Enough is enough for this little guy.

After nap this afternoon we took the boys to Triple Play in Hayden which we had never been to before (and now I know why). It was fun but the boys need to be a little older to appreciate it. We did enjoy a few of the rides and games. We redemed enough tickets to get a small slinky and a "baby" skateboard. Joe and I both braved climbing up and into the kids structure which delighted Talan as he was unable to get up there on his own.

We then took the boys to the mall to play on its very modest indoor playground. They had fun and we ate a bit of Chinese food there (the boys like the lo mein). This was followed by a quick trip through Safeway to pick up cupcakes.

At home we sang "Happy Birthday" a couple of times and relight the candles multiple times. Talan got the hang of it after watching Mason demonstrate. Mason needed to have his own candle to blow out while Talan practiced on his.

Overall, I think Talan got a lot of good Mom and Dad time today which is really what it is all about. Enjoy the photos and video. We certainly had fun. :)

Last Day Being One

I am feeling melancholy that Talan will be two tomorrow. He has changed so much just even over the last week. He is feisty, unabashed and defiant. Mason is a bit shocked as well that Talan is no longer this easy going little guy. We are definitely entering the "terrible twos". Lord have mercy!

The kids have had a rough week since their surgeries. Joe and I have had it rough too. Lots of whining and clinging going on here. The pain medicine tastes terrible which only exacerbates the situation. I will be glad when we have made it through day 10 which is supposed to be the end of the storm. Our follow up appointment is Thursday.

My biology class is kicking my butt. Lots of homework for the labs. I am enjoying the material though and feel that my enthusiasm is what will carry me through the course. I alternate between feeling anxious and scared with calm and assurance I'll do fine. I'd like to stay in the calm more often. I am going to hit up the tutoring center today to get myself more prepared for today's lab.

Joe and I had a great Birthday date night last Friday. We saw the movie Juno which was really sweet and had great dialogue. We were both pleasantly surprised. We had a nice dinner at Bardenay and then shopped at Costco for new bedside lamps. We just upgraded our bedding to match our new curtains my mom made and so we needed to upgrade our lamps too. The bedding is so soft and silky. Yesterday I found Misty under the covers in the middle of the bed. Clearly she likes it too. I've never seen her do that before in the ten years I've had her. :)

It was zero degrees last night so we let Spike Kitty in. He has been hanging around a lot lately and the boys love him so. He is such a lap kitty. And he purrs so loud! He is so sweet! The picture of me, Spike and Talan is one Mason took. He loves taking photos. Bless his heart.

Peekaboo and "Stop"

I gave the boys a bath this morning as it had been a few days. Talan has become so attached to his blue blankey (thanks Baba) that he had it the entire time he was in hospital and he wanted it immediately after the bath (somehow I need to sneak it into the laundry). So in the photos you'll see that Talan is playing peekaboo but when he was under his blankey he was saying and signing something. As I couldn't understand what he was saying or signing I lifted the blanket and saw that he was signing "stop". He loves this sign and he does it a lot. So funny! He thoroughly enjoyed me photographing him signing "stop". When I started snapping some shots of Mason, I saw out of the corner of my eye Talan signing "more". So I took more pictures of him signing "stop" which is what he wanted. Funny boy. As I write this Talan is hiding under his blanket waiting for me to say "where is Talan". It is so fun being one.

The picture of Mason is his attempt to make "bubbles" himself. He loves bubbles but hasn't mastered the technique. I love that I have passed on this tradition to my boys because I have so many memories of really enjoying my dad doing bubbles for Barclay and me.

The boys are home from their surgeries

Talan had to spend the night at the hospital after his tonsillectomy/adnoidectomy and tubes in his ears. Joe was kind enough to stay with him as I had been there from 6:30am to 6pm and was totally burnt out. I had to bring Mason in this morning for his surgery at 6:30am but he was released at 10am (4 year olds handle the surgery very well). Mason and I went up to the pediatrics unit and met up with Joe and Talan. The boys perked up when they saw each other and played for a bit and fought over juice and soda. :) At 11am Joe left with Mason to go pick up the various prescriptions and go home.

My friend Lori visited me for over an hour while I waited for Talan to be discharged. I didn't end up leaving the hospital until 2pm as they lagged on releasing us. I was getting antsy as I have class at 4pm. I got to spend just about an hour at home before turning around for class. I enjoyed lecture today much more than Tuesday. I forgot my clicker though so I missed out on the points at the end of lecture. You use the clicker to send your answer to the sensor and that way the instructor ensures students stay for the entire lecture, supposedly. This seems very high tech to me and I did bring my clicker on Tuesday but she forgot to ask any questions that day.

The boys are both very low key and clingy. Joe is exhausted from a very crappy nights sleep at the hospital. I am just relieved the surgeries are over. I was having such anxiety. I know the next ten days will be trying but fortunately Joe is here for the next 6 days so that will be great to have both of us available to care for the boys.

Mason just came out to ask for more ice cream. He is wearing his new Sponge Bob PJs (thank you Aunt B). Mason asked me to do it just like Daddy did, which I learned is mixing Neapolitan ice cream with Cool Whip. Yum. We are dieting, so this is especially torturous.

We have received lots of calls inquiring about the boys which just shows me how much everyone cares. Thank you everyone for worrying for my boys. I would be so devastated if anything ever happened to them. They are such sweet and wicked things!

I am off to bed. I am so tired. Emotionally drained by the past two days. Adios!

Blogging just to post photos

Baby Talan loved his Thomas the Train bedding. He and Mason were jumping up and down in his crib in pure delight. I caught some of it on film. I wish I could have captured Talan's initial reaction when he saw his crib all decked out in Thomas print. His expression and giant smile were priceless. It's moments like these that make being a mom an absolute amazing experience. My boys are such a gift. Even in all their craziness, I just adore them.

Regarding the photos, you will be able to see where I didn't have enough fabric to completely cover the old bumper. But considering haven't sewn in ages, I think I did ok.

Joe taught the boys how to make a sandwich

I caught the entire thing on film. It was so cute. The boys actually listened for the most part. Of course, there was lots of licking and nibbling throughout the entire process. We also made and spilled a lot of yellow Jello. :) Thank goodness this is a rental! haha

I cut Mason and Joe's hair today. We were trying to grow Mason's hair out but it was driving up nuts. It is just too unruly.

I also did some sewing. Its the first time I have used my sewing machine in 4 years, since I bought it. I just had so much energy today I couldn't stop myself. We had purchased some Thomas the Train bedding for Talan's crib but then the bumper didn't match. I used the flat sheet, cut into three sections, and made sleeves to go over the old bumper. It isn't perfect by a long shot but it does the trick. Talan will be thrilled when he goes to bed tonight!

I also did some Al-Anon work. I have volunteered for so many things it is crazy overwhelming. But, I did a great job on the flyer I made for an event we are having in September. I feel great about that.

Joe continues to make awesome food for us to ear while we are dieting. I am down .4 pounds! Whew hoo. Slow but steady wins the race, right?

Oh, we got a call this morning at 6:59am from Mason's teacher saying there was no school today due to the weather. We are being pummeled by snow. But we have had a great time indoors today and it feels very cozy in here. The snow is beautiful and the boys love for me to pick off icicles for them to play with.

Life is good. Can't complain at all. I feel great. I have so much more energy now that I am exercising daily and eating right. All good stuff.

Back Home Yippee

We made it back on Friday the 4th after a truly treacherous drive home over the hwy 84 pass. It is so great to be home.
Today I have spent most of the day uploading, editing and fixing the 200 plus photos I took while we were in California. Joe's laptop couldn't read my camera so I needed to do it on mine. I have added photos to previous entries where appropriate.
Joe is out shoveling the driveway and I have just put the boys down for their naps. We have had a very low key day so far which is exactly what we all need.
We are dieting again, what fun. :) We are all a little grumpy because of it. Detoxing from sugar I imagine. My new mantra is salads. One a day at least. I need to visualize more vegetables in my life!
Joe and I sorted through all our mail yesterday. I am now able to register for the biology class I need to take but I am still trying to figure out who will be watching the boys. I trust it will all work out. It is happening quickly, school starts next week. The boys both have their operations next week as well. Ack!!!
It looks like I am going to be teaching some baby sign classes at the PF Rec Center. I am nailing down the details this week but the schedule will be mailed out the first week in February. The classes would start at the end of February. I will need to find help caring for the boys while I do that as well.
My plate is full but it all feels like good stuff. Nothing I can't manage and great opportunities for me to ask for help.

Tahoe and Family

Hanging out with the Murray family in Tahoe is wonderful. I had a lot of great conversations with Peggy today while Joe went skiing with his Uncle and Cousins at Homewood. The cabin is great, the beds are comfy. We had a delicious lamb dinner last night. The boys got to go sledding yesterday and today we went on a walk and ate icicles. Yummy.
I like taking the New Year slowly. I love the pace of our lives right now. Last night I had the luxury of re-reading my entire journal which had the last four years in it. I so enjoyed re-reading old entries. It really motivated me to journal. I think I wrote about five pages yesterday. While I bemoan not writing too frequently I hit a lot of the major things that were going on especially the times of anguish (miscarriage, moving, motherhood). I'd like to figure out a way to permanently capture this blog as this is an important type of journaling. I am sure there is a way I just don't know it yet.
We played eight rounds of Scatagories tonight after a wonderful dinner of lasagna, garlic bread and salad. What a treat. I love playing games. We laughed and argued. It was a nice evening. There is nothing like good old fashioned fun.
Tomorrow we hit the road and will drive to just outside of Boise. We should be home by Friday the 4th. I miss Misty and our house and our bed. Joe will have been away from home almost a month total. I am looking forward to getting back into our routine. Vacations are fun but there is nothing like home.

New Years Day

Wow, 2008 already. Well bring it on, I say! So even though I tend to find new years resolutions a bit nasty since when you "fail" you feel like you've done yourself another disservice I am going to give them a try again this year. So, I am giving up sugar for the many obvious reasons and because I want to have health, something the last few days have taught me not to take for granted. I am also going to journal more. I know it beneficial to my mental health and I love looking over old entries so why do I keep putting it off? Because I don't prioritize it and I am a little scared to go into my own head! I am keeping it to two. Both will lead to other positive changes so I am happy with focusing on these. Life is too short to be unhealthy and I want to remember it all because my memory is terrible and when I want to recall something I can't remember I love looking it up in my journals.
We had a very low key New Years Eve. We left Anaheim at 11:15. It was bittersweet to leave Curt. We booked a hotel in Stockton. Very modest but roomy and fits our needs perfect. We went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory which was OK and the boys behaved well. We stayed up until 10:45 as I was determined to finish my book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by the guy who wrote "Kite Runner" which I also loved. The boys jumped on all the beds and just goofed off. It was good for them to let go of pent up steam as it had been a long day in the car.
We are headed to Tahoe to stay with John and Peggy and their kids for two nights. A little fun family time is in tall order. Mason adores Johnny so he will have a blast. If Mason is happy. Talan is happy. I just love this side of Joe's family so the more time we spend with them the better.
BTW, I did go to the Mass with the boys and they were wonderful. Very much a God thing. I am glad I got to go. It was absolutely the right thing and it makes me feel good that I could be there for Susie.