We celebrated Jenni's birthday at Joe's Farm Grill. I got some ridiculously delicious burger and their freshly squeezed lemonade. No regrets.
He'll do this thing where he pushes his pacifier to the side and sticks his tongue out. What a goof ball.
Collin and mini Collin.
I attempted to make the creme brulee French toast that we had in California and it was a bust. The broiler would not caramelize the sugar. I even got ghetto and tried a lighter but that didn't work either, haha. Guess I need to invest in a torch!
He took his FHE coloring page seriously. It's still hanging on the wall next to his bed which makes me smile.
I did the GM diet! You know... the eat only fruits the first day, veggies the second day and on and on. I was SUPER proud of myself for not cheating and getting through the whole week. Boo-ya. I "lost" 7lbs.
Such smart thinking right before the holidays. I've definitely gained it all back. :(
Trying to transition out of the swaddle.... one arm at a time.
I feel like I could write pages about this experience but I don't have time, so here's the shortened version. Tanner had a severe tongue tie. I wasn't worried about it. He nursed great so I figured all was well. Then Marcie told me about how Landon had one and the doctors said it almost always leads to a speech impediment. Then Travis sent me an article about the dangers of tongue ties that seemed extreme, but got me paranoid anyway. So I scheduled an appointment at Agave Pediatrics, where a doctor specializes in cutting tongue ties with a laser. The consultation was with a RN who said that he has a class one tongue tie (the worst you can have) and that even though he didn't qualify, per se, based on his health history (nurses well, no gas or colic) she said they tolerate the procedure better as infants than older children or adults. She said she couldn't guarantee he would have speech issues but was pretty sure he would. So I scheduled the procedure, feeling like I was making the best decision for him.
But when it came time for that appointment I was a wreck. They wheeled him out in a bassinet and I could hear him screaming. I wanted to bawl! I called Travis and just cried on the phone, trying to distract myself from his screaming. They brought him back in calm and said he did amazing and it went textbook. But the second he was back in my arms he was screaming again and wouldn't nurse or latch on at all. I was beside myself. My poor baby was hurting and I couldn't comfort him. I got him to take a bottle, and stopped at Walgreens for Tylenol, but I could tell he was hurting all day. He just cried and whined and seemed to be in pain. The worst part was that I was supposed to put my fingers under his tongue and do these stretching exercises SIX times a day!! For SIX weeks!!! Arrrghhh!! I tried to be so gentle but he would still cry. Misery! If you didn't do them, the tie would heal and close back up again. What broke my heart the most was that before this, whenever he was happy, he would stick out his tongue. I felt like it was his little trademark. But after this procedure he stopped sticking his tongue out. It was like he was scarred and didn't dare move his tongue. Such mom guilt. It gets worse... at his next WCE I talked to our regular pediatrician about it all and he basically said he wouldn't have recommended it. That usually they WON'T have speech issues. All you need to be able to do is touch your tongue to the top of your mouth and you'll be fine. He said this office makes so much money doing this procedure and naturally they're going to recommend doing it. Ugh. Major mom fail. I wish I hadn't done it. Poor baby!!! I guess he's too young to remember it. Please forgive me, Tanner!
Someone had heard that lunch was amazing here, so we had to try it out! It's a little restaurant inside Merchant Square and it really was bomb. They have a smoker and their pastrami sandwich was the best I've ever tasted. The owner is Colby Lindblom's dad and he was there that day so we started visiting. Well, he gave us the red carpet treatment and started bringing out food from the kitchen for us to try and different specialty sodas too. They have huge cookies that seem like they would be dry, but they were amazing. The iced orange was my favorite. We shopped a little before lunch, then the owner took us to the back to show us around the area that is only open one weekend a month for a massive boutique. It was Christmas on crack and we were drooling over all of it! Ohh to have $$$$ to spend on decorating!
Speaking of decorating... on a much smaller scale, I updated our pillows and they make me happy!
I saw this quote at my SIL's house and fell in love with it. Had to get one for my house. And how cute is that little cactus I found at TJMaxx!
Camilla gave me these succulents for my birthday and I love them. Not something I would have thought to buy myself, but they've really grown on me.
Well, GM diet, Shee Emm diet.
How about these ice cream flavors?!! I saw an advertisement at Fry's while I was shopping and had to track them down. They were as tasty as the pictures look. I haven't bought them since for the sake of my cellulite.
I hadn't been to eat lunch with the boys at school yet this year so I finally made it down there. Their lunches overlap times this year, which makes it much more convenient. They requested McDonalds (of course) and I got myself a salad from Salad N Go. After lunch, I checked Weston out and took him to Travis's office to take care of this strange, white bump that has been on the underside of his bottom lip for months. Like months and months. Poor child. We kept putting it off, hoping it would go away, but that hard bump was not going anywhere.
Why does it seem like it's always Weston needing medical attention. He had to get a numbing shot right next to the bump. Ouch. His eyes watered but he was a champ.
Travis used a laser to cut/burn it off, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. That sucker did not want to leave. Lots of pus came out. Here's an "after" picture. It healed for about a week, then seemed like it might come back! Oy! Luckily, it must have been part of the healing process because it finally healed completely and it back to normal again.
Two arms out of the swaddle! We're getting there!
Can you tell I love sleeping pictures?
My parent's got a dog.
WOOF.
Meet Daisy.
Weston is in heaven. I think he would probably be in better heaven if the dog wasn't so big and jumped all over the kids.
I am SO not a dog person.
I heard that two cast members from the show Studio C were coming to JesterZ. The boys are obsessed. How could I not buy tickets?!
We made it an official date with Matta's beforehand.
Oh sweet enchilada style burrito. I love you so.
It was strangely empty... hmmm.
I guess the other showings were packed though.
I was mostly just excited to surprise the boys and take them to something they loved.
Lane and Rusty had a combined birthday party at Gilbert Rec Center. It was on the last day of soccer games which made for a crazy day.
Miss Bedhead wanted a picture for some reason.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!!! The boy FINALLY lost a tooth!!!! It had been wiggly for quite a while and Travis took a crack at it several times, but it just wasn't ready yet. It makes me laugh to think how I sewed this little tooth pillow a couple years ago thinking that back then I was lucky he hadn't lost one yet! Ha! If only I knew I had years to go!
This tooth fairy is strangely similar to the one I had growing up. She left a $1 and a chip.
Cutest little turkey singing her preschool Thanksgiving Day songs.
Jefferson was in a bad accident at the dunes this month. He was leading a ride and stopped at the top of a dune when the guy behind him didn't see he was stopping and hit him. He flew off a steep dune with his bike, burying him headfirst in the sand. The guys that were there were amazed he didn't break his neck, let alone die. He was completely unconscious and had to be dug out. My dad gave him a blessing and miraculously got him back to the cars then to a hospital. He had a bad concussion and memory loss but no broken bones. Another miracle. It had everyone shaken up pretty bad though. Marcie and I went to sushi with him a few days later, just so grateful we still had our Jeffy here with us.
Apparently, there is a girl in Collin's class with quite the crush on him. Her name is Scarlett and she is not ashamed of letting the world know who her affections are for.
He came home with this love note from her and I about fell off my chair! It COMPLETELY made my day. "Your freckles are just like beautiful bird eggs and your hair is like waves crashing into love?!!"
But the best part by far..,.
"P.S. I want 7 kids"
Bahahahahahaha!
I love this so much I can't even say. I mean, as long as she's not some crazy stalker that eats dirt. The second picture is a story she wrote about them. For a third grader, this chick's word choice is on point.
Sweet Marcie researched and found an organization that throws a Christmas party for Arizona foster kids. They needed books and toys donated to give the children. Big Lots was having a good sale on Thanksgiving, so I drove over early and filled my cart to the top. I have to interject here and mention that Travis is amazing when it comes to stuff like this. I sort of have a bleeding heart and will often give to charities or people that I know are in need. Never once has he said anything about the amount I've spent. On the contrary, there have been times when I've told him the latest sob story about a friend and HE is the one who suggests we give. I'm really grateful for him and the freedom he gives me to give back where I feel we should.
This was our 3rd year running the Gilbert Turkey Trot as a family! And the first year I thought I was going to die doing it, lol. I am SO out of shape! We even stopped a bunch to let Weston walk and I still thought my lungs were going to collapse.
Can you imagine their expressions if it had been actual snow?
Because when I see a donut, I think it's always a good idea. Nooooot this time. One bite and I thought I was going to puke. Time to start exercising again!
It's an "off" year for Thanksgiving which really just meant that the Goodmans didn't come. The Evans always gather in the evening and the Figs always do breakfast together. So normally we'd meet at Grandma's house but she was invited to the Udalls for dinner that night so we decided to just do our own lunch and invite her to that!
Tan Man's first Thanksgiving! The day that we announced his arrival, one year ago!
Trav made the mashed potatoes and I made the sweet potatoes and a cherry and peach pie. It was all to die for!
I was on the BALL this year and had Christmas decorations up in November!! That deserves a dab! It was Weston's turn to put the start on top! Luckily, we have our blog books to remember who did it the year before.
Trav put up half the lights then realized some strands had burned out and he needed to buy more. He remembered that I had said I love icicle lights so instead of getting more of the ones we already had, he took them all down and bought icicle lights for the house! I loved them!! White lights feel classier to me. That was a big project for him and it made me feel loved that he'd go through the extra work to do the ones I liked.
The many faces of Tanner!
Heart explosions!!! OH. He is scrumptious!!!
This was the first time I saw him stick his tongue out since his procedure and it made me SO happy!!!
Collin had this weird, hard bump appear on his forehead that wouldn't go away. I finally took him to the dermatologist who said he didn't think it was a cyst and wasn't sure what it was. So we got an ultrasound done. Looking at the results, the doctor said it is most likely a cyst. But Collin would rather die than get it cut out. No, but seriously. Just knowing he had the ultrasound appointment caused him more anxiety than most people would have before surgery. We've tried to explain the procedure. We've tried telling him that he really won't want a big bump on his forehead forever. He's not budging.
When you're missing the spare phone for a while then spy it hidden behind the recliner.
Kids!
