Saturday Activities

With no preschool or swimming lessons to get us out of the house, Saturdays get a little long... and boring. Especially, when Dad's working! (Which feels like most Saturdays.) And even though Farmington is only home to about 50,000, it's a shopping hub for about 250,000 on the weekends. (Thank you reservations.) Which means you only brave Wal-Mart or the mall if want to get smushed. 

Hence.... a Pinterest idea to the rescue! 

(Not that pasta art wasn't around before Pinterest. I'm not totally stupid.)

I really never do stuff like this. 

And you'll see why in a minute.

We divided up the rotini, added some vinegar and food coloring and got our SHaKe on!

 Then I got a call that I had to take. Had to.

With Collin screaming questions in my ear and demanding more glue, I escaped to my room and locked the door. 

For seriously 3 minutes.

Why didn't I take the glue??!!

When I returned, Collin was happily sploshing Mod Podge everywhere, with the entire contents of the jar poured onto his plate. Argggg!!

See, as I type this, I'm thinking, what's the big deal? But in that moment, I had already used up ALL of what little patience I had, putting on an art project for my little ones. (When I truly hate art projects and all the mess that ensues. I know, I'm a great Mom.) 

Relax, right?

I really do try.

Can you see the plate full of glue, next to the jar?

And how about Weston, happily munching on a piece of raw, colored pasta? 

I did take a moment of frivolity, to revisit my childhood, and sneak a piece of macaroni in my mouth, then playfully tell Collin, "Hey, look, *twist nose, while crunching down* I broke my nose!!!" hahahah. He was pretty intrigued. He can thank Grandma Sharon for that one. 

 I discovered that next time (if there is a next time), skip the whole gluing mess and just go straight for stringing pasta necklaces. WAY easier!

I believe it was 2 Saturday's ago, that Trav was actually home and did me a BIG favor. He let ME out of the house, ALONE, for a few hours!!

I partied at Zumba first, then headed to the post office to send my first international package!

The first one David's gotten in 1 1/2 years on the mish. And probably the only one he'll get. I was there at least 20 min. filling out the customs form and very grateful to be kid free! Hope he gets it unopened and not looted. I didn't have any Virgin Mary stickers to put all over it. :( 

Just a lot of pictures, candy bars, Cheetos, cookies, $1 store toys, Christmas decorations and vitamins and Crest White strips, the last two, per his request. 

After running some more errands and getting home, I found out my boys had gone to the park and had some adventures "hiking"! Collin was SO excited about it. We basically live a midst a lot of bluffs and rocky landscape. Their "hiking" was going to the park and running up the hills. Perfect for a 3 and 1 year old.

So after Weston's nap, we were off to do it again.

We traversed all this terrain (say that 5x fast!), and by the time we got to the "top", I turned around and took a picture of our neighborhood. Not a bad place for boys to go adventurin'!

This might have been the same Saturday afternoon, that we went on a {hunt} for Hostess Twinkies. I had seen on Facebook that they were going out of business, and even though it's been 10 years since I've had one, I decided my child would be bereft to not have a Twinkie in his lifetime. So while Weston slept, I loaded up Collin and braved the crazy weekend stores for some artificially enhanced, yellow #5 treat. 

Fives stores later, no Twinkies. We were a little late on the {Hostess craze buyout}.

So, Monday morning, I felt a little bad that Collin never got to taste it's nasty goodness, and bough a box of the Little Debbie knock off brand. 

They quite enjoyed them.

 Then Tuesday morning I woke up to find out that Hostess was getting bailed out.

Awesome.

So much for our last hurrah Twinkie efforts.

Anyone want a box of yellow Cloud Puffs?

Since we're talkin' weekend activities, I'll throw one on we've been doing a few different Sunday nights. It's mighty lonely Sunday evenings on the Farm. (Should I just start calling it that, since Buffalo was "The Buff"?)

So we usually make some sort of sugary concoction to ease our woes. (I'm too lazy to always be inviting people over. I know, I know, I should really get on that.) So instead, we stuff our faces, then go on a walk to anonymously leave a plate of goodies for a family in our ward. I try to get Collin excited about doing something nice for someone, and not get credit for it. He's a little slow on the uptake. Usually, I'm being told, "MOM! I don't WANNA just run away! I wanna TALK TO THEM!" (Our social child.) 

Only once, did he talk a plunge off someone's doorstep, fall on his face and falter. I swear I almost left him. 

Alas, this has mostly been a good experience. But with the weather falling, we're looking a lot more like this lately! Come back sun!

Sweet Weston

I am still plugging along at re-uploading all the blog pictures that were lost over a year ago. And while I was doing that, I ran across a post I did of Collin when he was 18 months old. Oh yeah.... I used to do "updates" on my kids at significant age milestones. Whoops.

Well, Weston had his 18 month check up, a little late... more around 20 months. He barely weighed in over 20lbs. Like 21 or 22lbs. Such a little guy! Most of his clothes are still 12 months, but some shirts are 18 months. I just bought 3 pairs of 12 month jeans for him at JCPenny and they still slip down and have to be rolled up. :/

He is such a sweet, sweet boy. Really, I just want to snuggle him all the time. I love "eating" his neck and making him giggle. He is so mild mannered and happy.

He still loves his bottle. He makes the "milk" sign after his bath and can't wait to get his hands on that bottle. Same thing when he wakes up in the morning. 

He's gotten to be a bit pickier of an eater. He like gogurts, string cheese, crackers, chicken nuggets, all fruits that I can think of. He's just not always a big fan of dinner... whatever that may be. 

When he's really hungry, and can't use a spoon fast enough, he'll dump his bowl out and just shovel it in with his fingers. Sounds like me with chop sticks.

He's just starting to say some words better. He used to open and close his mouth and make an "omm" sound when he wanted a bite of your food. Now he just says, "biiiite!" He says bike really clearly. If you ask him to copy a word, he'll make a go at it, but it's not always really clear. 

He's not a big TV watcher, but will sit for a while if Dora or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on.

He LOVES his bunny, bear and blankie that he sleeps with. He wants to take them everywhere! That bunny is getting so dirty, but it's so hard to find a time to snatch it and throw it in the washer. For bed, he lays on his back and holds the bunny under one arm, the bear under the other, then likes the blankie over his stomach.

 Bad picture, but this is how I found him once in the middle of the night. Just loves that thing!

Looking back on pictures of Collin at this age, I realized how much more {smiley} Collin was. Every picture, he was cheesin' it big time. Weston is much more conservative with his smiles when the camera comes out, but they melt my heart when he gives them. Collin actually took this picture with my phone once when they were by themselves. So blurry, but it really captures an uninhibited {Weston} smile. So sweet. 

They don't spend as much time outside anymore with the temperatures getting colder, but he's gotten really fast on this little trike we have. His feet push him along on the ground so fast it reminds me of that kid on the Incredibles. 

He is totally over holding my hand when we cross a parking lot or street. He doesn't want to be held either. Mr. Do it Myself! 

He likes books and is especially fond of a nursery rhyme one we have. 

His dance moves are KILLER. He holds his arms like he's pretending to be a chicken and moves his elbows up and down, twisting his little body. Then he crouches down real low... wait for it, wait for it... then springs up in a hop, to complete the dance number. Biggest grin while he's doing it. He is the first one to start grooving when a song, jingle or any type of music can be heard. Seriously, my favorite thing in the world.

His finger is up his nose 40% of the time. (I did the math.) I chastise him for it, but I can only blame myself. It's almost his "awkward moment" habit. If he's in an uncomfortable situation, his finger slowly rises to his nose.

We are in the middle of the "fascination with the toilet" stage. At my mom's house, he threw an unopened can of soda in the toilet while Collin was peeing. Collin was kind enough to let me fish it out before he pooped.

He is so sensitive. If we ever get mad at him, he dissolves into tears.  I've just barely started putting him into time out too. OK, I've done it maybe 4 times. But I know he knows better! 

He is a bit of a Momma's boy. If Trav is giving them their baths, the second he is out and dried off, I can hear him whining, "Momma! Momma!" and once he's free, he's bolting naked across the house to tackle me. Like spending 20 min. away from me in the bath was just too long! :)

I really cannot get enough of him. What a blessing and joy he is in our family! 

It takes two

I knew it would come. The day when Collin had an accomplice in crime.

Weston is now to the age where he understands just about everything. 

And with that, it is even more apparent how much he loves and adores his older brother. He'll do anything he tells him to. *despondent sigh*

Now, Collin is learning that he's in trouble even if he's not the "doer of the deed". Coaching Weston to do something wrong, will in fact, still land him in time out. 

It really is sweet to watch Weston dote on his brother. He follows in his footsteps. Weston, by nature, is much more shy than Collin, and won't approach strangers. However, last week at the post office, I stood in line and watched as Collin led the way, walking toward a bench against the back wall. He stopped to touch a display case. Weston, 3 steps behind, stopped to touch it too. Now Collin has moved on and while passing a stranger sitting down, pauses to look at him, smile and wave. Weston, now clearly hesitant to do something outside his comfort zone, watches Collin, then moves forward to face the stranger. He tentatively looks at him, with his head still ducked slightly down, then gives a shy smile and little wave, hurrying to catch up with his brother. 

I had to chuckle. It was step for step, exactly what Collin had done. 

I am so grateful they have become little buddies. I'm glad they have each other to grow up with. 

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at the park, on the way home from grocery shopping. 

The slides had an added bonus! Frozen dew, lining the bottom. Nothing like ice, to give you some extra speed!

I really am craving a girl to accessorize. But what's funny about Weston, is he likes to do it himself!

He is forever getting into my bathroom drawers and trying on headbands or slipping hair ties on his wrists like bracelets. 

And heaven forbid, I forget a spritz of hair spray after gelling up his mohawk. He indignantly squeaks out, "pray! pray!", pointing to his hair, until a I "spray" a little.

 Just like Weston copies Collin, Collin is quick to copy Weston if he sees him getting any attention or pictures taken! 

Awww, aren't they pretty? :)

Daisy Dukes

For the past couple of months, my sweet husband has been getting up early with the boys. Before that, we usually just switched off days.

I blame Collin's love of early mornings on my father. That, coupled with his unending energy could only be attributed to Chris Lindblom. Remind me to thank him later.

I HATE mornings. When I wake up in the morning, all I can think is, "Why does God hate me?"

Seriously, they are the worst. It does not matter if I went to bed early the night before. It does not matter if have just gotten 9 hours of sleep! Never ever, do I wake up happy to to be awake.

So you can imagine my boundless gratitude when Trav decides he'll make mornings his exercise and scripture study time. Blessings be upon that man. 

OK, now to get to the picture. Travis was up one morning in the living room, when he heard Collin get up and rummage around in his room. Then out he popped, with a disgruntled face, and what appeared to be Daisy Dukes on, accusing, "DAAAD! Mom got it WRONG!!!"

I had put away laundry the night before, after they had gone to bed. Apparently, I had mistakenly put a pair of Weston's shorts in Collin's drawer. To which, I'm sure, Collin just thought were a new pair of shorts for him! What a disappointment.

Well, he sure made Travis's morning. He could barely tell me the story, he was laughing so much.

Time Out For Women

This past weekend was kind of a big deal.

I drove {by myself}... what I mean is, with no other adults.... and my two kids, from Farmington to Mesa. 

!!!!!!!!

Prior to this, I had never driven longer than 3 hours.

 I gave myself mental pep talks the entire week before.

We pulled out of the driveway at 4pm and got to Mesa at 9pm. With the 1 hr. time change, that means I made the trip in 6 hours!! (Picture me doing all kinds of ugly, victory dancing.) Quite literally, when we reached Payson and I knew I was on the home stretch, I was doing mental cartwheels. 

Turns out, I have a lot more of my father in me, than I knew. I'm generally a pretty nervous driver so I pictured myself to be the car that was always getting passed. 

Kind of the opposite happened. 

It was petal to the metal. 

Don't be alarmed! I never felt I was being reckless. Dolly just makes it a smooth ride. And being the driver is SO much more enjoyable than a passenger. It's nice to be in control. 

The boys did great. Waaaay better than in the past. I just kept a steady stream of movies and snacks on hand. 

At the very beginning, as we pulled out of the driveway, Collin did a little fist pump and said, "Woo! We're TRAVELING!!"

He's had a runny nose, so he also asked if he could have a baby wipe to blow his nose. (I'm bad at keeping Kleenex on hand, but I've always got baby wipes!) But this time, I announced that I actually had a real tissue he could use. Amazed, he excitedly exclaimed, "A REAL tissue?!!! Like one that walks and talks??!!!" Funny boy!! How does he think of this stuff?

Collin threatened to fall asleep 3 different times. I didn't want that to happen, because by 8pm I was hoping both kids could be out for the night. 

The first two attempts, candy kept him awake. On the the third, nothing was cutting it. I turned up the movie ALL THE WAY. Weston was probably concerned. I leaned back and grabbed his foot and started pulling, yelling, "Collin!!!! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" For sure at this point, Weston was leaning forward, checking out the strange scene. Then I grabbed handfuls of popcorn and just started chucking. Full on, kernels hitting his face.

Nothing. ARG!

After 15 min. of that we got to Gallup and pulled into Wendys. After a little stretcheroo, bathroom break and nuggets, the only other stop we had to take was in an empty lot in Holbrook to let Collin water the dirt. 

Only downside was that I didn't realize that I had to download the audio book that I had imported onto my phone. Bummer. Pandora to the rescue!

The next day was the reason for the trip. Time Out For Women!

I dropped the boys off at Paula and Wayne's, then picked up Shelley to start with a little shopping! 

We checked out a really fun furniture store in Scottsdale called the Potato Barn. 

This particular bench was not exactly our taste, but eccentric enough to qualify for a picture!

 My mom found a couple of cute pieces to buy, plus a rug. 
Yay, Sharon!

 Then it was off to Scottsdale mall for some more shopping and eating at the Grand Lux. Marcie and our friend/honorary sister, Alison met us there.

Best quote of the night:

The waitress came to get our orders right when my mom stepped away to take a call. By the time she got back, she was the only one left to order. She looked around and asked if any of us had gotten side salads to start. With a look of bewilderment, Shelley answered for us all with a slight snort of disgust and the almost too serious reply, "No, but we got sides of ranch." I just couldn't take it. I was laughing so hard I had to cross my legs. Dang straight we don't mess with salads! But bring on the ranch!

If lightening struck me, I'd die a happy woman with this in my mouth. 

(As long as it wasn't my first bite.)

That night we enjoyed hearing Michael McLean as well as a few other speakers, including the woman who was asked by the prophet himself to write his biography! Pretty cool. 

Let's be honest, Michael is one strange cat, but once I got past that, I really enjoyed his music.

Here's our whole group! Adele, Sarah, Leah, Shelley, my mom, me, Marcie and Alison! 

 That night we stayed at the DoubleTree hotel in Phoenix. Yummm, DoubleTree cookies.

Oh, I should mention, I had lost my voice that morning. Like, completely lost it. I was all squeaks and whispers. And just trying to talk, strained my throat and gave me a headache. Nice. My night of talking with the girls, and I'm a mute! 

Even still, we talked til almost 2am. Shells and I shared a king bed and I think we were out the second the lights were. Except for the time when she started sleep talking and told me she had a secret crush on Adam Lambert and wished she'd gone to law school.

Juuuust kidding. Did I get ya, Shell?!

The next morning, the continental breakfast knocked all our socks off. It was amazing. All kids of fresh fruit. Fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast, and on and on. The breakfast was worth the hotel room alone. 

 The next day we were serenaded by Jericho Road. My favorite was right after lunch when they got all {boy band}and pop and encouraged everyone to stand up and dance. I was the only one feeling the groove and hopped right up. I think it was my two glasses of Pepsi talking. But it was FUN! Pretty sure I was entertainment for the whole back section.

Now for a fun game... who's hand is whose??!!

 We got lunch at TGIFridays at Bank One Ballpark. So ironic that our Aunt Carla and two cousins were seated right behind us.

 Not a bad view! Too bad there was no game.

The theme for this year was "Seek the Good." So each speaker gave a slightly different spin on that topic. Chris Williams spoke about losing his pregnant wife and two of his kids in a car accident when they were hit by a drunk teenage boy. For sure the tears were flowing then. His story of forgiveness is incredible. 

I really related to the two girls who created Our Best Bites. They were funny and spoke about being moms and how life is not what it seems in the blogging world. They have cookbooks filled with professional pictures of gourmet food but they shared that often they serve cereal for dinner... on a placemat... so the kids think it's really dinner that way. Or they play the {400} game. They tell their kids to go to the freezer and find any foods that say "Bake at 400 degrees" and they can throw it on the pan for dinner. Love that.

Most importantly, one of them, Sara, talked about memories she had growing up with her mom. Her mom now has a debilitating disease that has affected her mentally. It seemed like she wasn't able to be a normal part of her life anymore. But she tearfully described memory after memory that let her know her mom loved her as a child. And most importantly, none of those memories was something her mom could have "blogged" about with cute pictures and tutorials to accompany. What a wonderful reminder! It's so fun to do cute activities with our kids or make creative crafts, but it's the little moments that matter and let them know we love them. 

There were just a few quotes I liked enough to jot down in my phone:

"There is more work than we can do. But the Lord makes us able."

"It's not what you do, it's how you do it."

"Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

"If we said the things we say to ourselves in our minds, to other people, we would have no friends." Be nice to yourself!!

"Make a ta-da list!" I loved this... I make lists like it's nobody's business. Seriously, I've made thousands in my life. I make daily to do lists. Monthly, even yearly lists. I make packing lists, to buy lists, to learn lists, and to do for others lists. (And on this trip I learned that my twin sister has never made a to do list in her life!!!! HOW??!!!) Well, this speaker encouraged us to celebrate the things we have accomplished instead of the things that are always left "to do". Love that idea.

One speaker focused on how bad things often have unintended positive consequences. Take the Book of Mormon musical, for example. Not exactly created to respect or comment positively on the Mormon church. However, Deseret Book got a call from Barnes and Noble after it started, asking if they could get some of those "Books of Whatzits" that so many people were requesting in their store, since the musical's start. Look for the good!

I certainly have a lot of good surrounding me in this picture. Love my family!

I have no pictures of me and Jeffy, but that night, sweet Aubrey came over while my boys slept, and I was able to go out to dinner with my little brother. We stayed two hours at BJ's, sharing a pizza, pizookie, and life stories. We are 12 years apart and have never really spent a lot of time together. My loss! What a fun night. Once again, so grateful for my family. I have the best brothers. 

By Sunday, I was feeling pretty beat up. I had started a cough and if I had any voice before, it was completely gone now. I could barely whisper. Weston wasn't doing so great either, so my mom took Collin to church and Weston and I got an almost 3 hour nap. What a blessing! Thank you Mom!!

That night, good ol' Steve-a-rino stopped by! He lives in North Dakota now and happened to be in town the same weekend as me. Haven't seen him in ages. He brought some old pictures he found, that I had sent him on his mission. Oh my. Those were the days. Just makes me realize how long we've been friends!

Just when my boys were about to drive me bonkers, the cousins came over!! Yay for Lane and Rusty! Sunday nights at Grandma's are the biggest thing I miss, living far away. 

On Monday, my mom watched the boys all day while I spent some time with Marcie Moo. My mom rearranged a meeting, just to be able to do that for me. She's is so good to me!

That night it was another trip to BJ's to be with my girls! It has been years and years since all 5 of us have been able to get together at once. We caught up a little bit on life, but then spent the majority of time laughing our heads off about the past. Oh the "trouble" we used to get into! All I have to say is, Jenni has an impeccable memory. Names and faces that I could barely recall, seemed fresh in her mind. Throw in "Bruises" and "The Big 5", among others, and for the second time this trip, I was crossing my legs from laughing so hard. We were pretty ridiculous in our day, and had a dang good time at it! Love these girls and all our good times.

 The next day it was time to peace out. I had contemplated leaving in the late evening, like last time, but truth be told, I was pretty anxious to see my honey. We left about 10:30 am, and only made one stop in Holbrook for their A&W root beer. OK, what is in that stuff??! That could border on narcotic. YUM. 

The boys agreed.

 What kind of mother puts root beer in a bottle?! Apparently he was pretty excited about it.

 Minus our 20 min. stop, we made it in 6 hours again. The boys did great. 

And I am dang proud of myself. 

I love accomplishing something that scares me. 

There was something planned for just about every minute of the trip. I'm kind of amazed it all came together and worked out perfectly. How often does that happen?! I could really get used to this {living close to home} thing! :) 

Halloween!

In the order in which they occurred....

Friday night we enjoyed chili and games at the ward Trunk or Treat!

The boys got their first taste of Halloween sugar. Maybe the sucker was sour?? Can't remember what this face is about, but I thought he was funny.

Saturday night we went to an {Adult Halloween Party}. Thrown by a rich couple in another ward (am I allowed to say that?), it was arrayed with Costa Vida, a DJ, real dance floor, and all the decorations that fill the Spirit Halloween store. We didn't really know many people, but still had a good time dancin' Gangnam style on the dance floor!

(Travis was "Mayhem".. from the Allstate commercials, and I was "Flo" from the Progressive commercials. Trav was all ready with responses for when people asked who he was. "I'm a teenage girl jogging down the road. I gotta keep this.. pointing up and down body... a 10. Or, I'm your GPS you haven't updated in 5 years. Turn left, HERE!) :) Too bad, no one really asked. 

Sad you can't see my "I ♥ Insurance" pin! Best part about these costumes was, we spent about $4 total. Sweetness.

The night before Halloween was pumpkin carving time! 

 Collin picked Frankenstein... and acted like him most of the night.

 I've never seen anyone so proud.

Spidy and puppy are ready to bring in the loot!

We started at 6pm and were the first out on the street. Before long, Rio was crawling with kiddos.

 After 1 1/2 hours, they had filled their pails, twice over. Collin was really good at saying "Trick or Treat", then "Thank you". I tried to add in a "hello", but that was just too many lines to remember and got him all tongue tied. 

Lots of good candy, and a few coins. I didn't know people really did that?! 

 Travis's office dressed up too. The theme was "Prom night of the living dead" or something like that. They participate in a contest with all the other offices. I can't believe he worked on kids, looking like this! Poor children!

School Pictures 2012

I believe this was taken in Nov. 2012, but I'm adding it to 2013 so it makes it in the book for that year!