Flipping the Switch

Teancum had his first dentist appointment today. I sure was amazed. It made me laugh because he was so excited to have his own dentist appointment. He was happy and cheerful while we drove there. Smiling and curious while mom gave the secretaries his information. Skipping while we went to the room. Almost bouncing when he got into the giant chair. And then they flipped the swith on the T.V. and turned it to cartoons. My knowledge hungry child immedietly transformed into a zombie. The only times his eyes came off the screen was a quick glance at the tools the hygenist uses and when the Hygenist was showing him how the chair leaned back. It startled him and he kept trying to sit up while the back of the chair reclined. He looked back to make sure that it was alright to lie down and then it was back to the T.V. Even when he got the goodie bag he was only half interested. Forget sedating just put on the T.V. and my boy is calm as the eye of a tornado...of course as soon as the T.V. went off he was up and active following the hygenist to the toy box where he got not one but two toy prizes, and a goodie bag for being so cooperative.

I have no doubt my boy likes to go to the dentist.

Outside the Dentist's...Ready to go

Looking at the tools

T.V. Zombie

Still trying to watch the T.V.

Look, I got a toothbrush

A Baby's laugh

Jacob has finally hit the laughing and smiling stage, so naturally we had to share a video for all the grandparents. Maybe seeing how cute he is will inspire a visit soon.

Easter Accident

Yesterday was our Ward Easter egg hunt. Teancum was eggs-cited all day long. He kept saying "Egg hunt" every time we went somewhere. So we went to playgroup (and there was an egg hunt there, but not for us), back home, the store, the hospital (to drop dinner off for Jana), and finally to the park for dinner and "the egg hunt." I wish I had gotten some pictures of Teancum picking up the eggs. He was so excited that he just kept picking them up and putting them in his basket...I had to take some back out because we would have ended up with way past his allotted 12 eggs. Anyways here is my excuse for not getting any pictures and an explanation for anyone who saw me cry at the dinner (I know I'm emotional).
Normally I would have taken Jacob in the carseat to the picnic, but we had to park pretty far away and Ryan got off work late and was picking up the missionaries for dinner (we killed two birds with one dinner...poor birds). So I put him in the umbrella stroller that I had in the van. Teancum loves to push the stroller, so I'll let him push it with his easter basket and my purse on the handles and I'll steer it a little while I carry our cooler of food. That lasted about three feet because Teancum kept steering the stroller straight to the cars or grass and stopping to grab the eggs out of the basket. So the cooler went back in the van and I took the boys to the picnic, found someone to watch the kids and went back to get the cooler. Needless to say Jacob was still in the umbrella stroller and my purse, and Teancum's easter basket were still on the handles ten minutes later when I was talking to Leah and Stephanie. What should you expect to happen but Teancum went to pull the basket off the stroller and I had to watch in horror as the whole stroller tipped over sideways. My motherly reactions were just too darned slow. Jacob hit the concrete and got a pretty little goosegg on his 3 month old head. He cried hard, I cried hard. Ryan showed up about then...and the poor missionaries were served dinner by an emotionally distraut women. Jacob was grumpy for most of the party and we left quickly after Teancum got his eggs. I forgot completly about taking pictures.
Jacob is doing better. He got a blessing before we left the park and was cooing and happy most of the evening and all morning today. He still has a bruise on his head that is a little tender, but is a good sport. Mom has learned a lesson and will never put anything on the handles of an umbrella stroller...if she even uses the stroller anytime soon.

Happy Birthday Mom

The last couple days have been exausting yet fun. Teancum and I went to the zoo, I started running again, Ryan came home from SC late Friday night (11:15) and we went to a movie last night as a family. I totally recommend Enchanted to anyone who hasn't seen it and would like to feel like a kid in love again. As I was putting some laundry away last night, I have to admit I was feeling a little sorry for myself. It was late, I was exausted, and I had a huge pile of clothes to put away while Ryan was getting Teancum in bed and checking his sports. I still hadn't found the right gift for my mom for her birthday. "How do you tell her that you love her," kept going through my mind. Allow me to take you through my thoughts for a while...

"Oh good, Jacob's finally sleeping. I guess I should attack the laundry now. I'm so tired I wish I could just go to bed."


Song in head " how do you tell them that you love them"


" I guess that's why we do this (laundry) because we love them. Funny all growing up I thought my mom was obsessed with keeping the house clean and always doing laundry. There were always more cloths to fold. I thought she enjoyed this. Really its because she loved us and wanted us to have clean cloths to wear. hmmm... She spent lots of time cleaning and doing other things for us. In fact thats what she was always doing, cleaning, cooking, finances, driving us places. I wonder why I never realized why she did it. I wonder how many times she was tired at night but stayed up to fold cloths. I can picture her in the laundry room at the end of a family vaction, putting all our dirty cloths in the wash." (pause with the mental image and trying to feel what she felt, mainly tired)

"She did more stuff too. I wonder how much time she spent making family home evening packets, and planning Joy School lessons. So much time and we didn't ever appreciate it. I remember coloring pictures for the lessons and going to do the laminating...but I didn't understand why we were doing it, I thought she did it 'cause it was fun, never imagined it was because she loved us." (pause with the overwhelming love for my mom)

"what if Jacob turns out like Teancum, sure he loves his mom, but whenever Dad is around he doesn't want anything to do with mom...its only dad that can put his shoes on, take him out of the car, put him to bed..etc. Jacob is MY baby what if he ends up only wanting dad too." :(


Here I have to explain that since Teancum always wants Ryan to do everything we have sorta adopted an attitude of Teancum is Ryan's and Jacob is mine, I remember my parents doing this with Michael and Joey when they were little and I wonder how many parents do it. Of course this His and Hers routine does not mean that I love Teancum any less or more than Jacob and I naturally try to spend time and do things with Teancum that show him that I love him...alright back to my head....


"It would break my heart if both my boys wanted only dad and didn't want mom to come near when he's home. Oh, I do hope my mom never felt like that. I hope I didn't break her heart when I felt like I was closer to my dad and he could get me to talk when I felt I couldn't talk to my mom. Funny how they loved me the same and I never realized it." (pause while a series of mental images goes through my head...talking with my dad on the way home from summer volleyball and then a basketball game where I wanted to impress my dad and knew I was playing horrible, talking after the game with dad and knowing it was o.k. My mom doing laundry and bills, the family trips she planned and packed, cleaning homes together to earn money, talking on the way home from work, talking when she came to help when Jacob was born, the exitement of having mom and Holly (only sister) spending the night, mom with all the grandkids and trying to get a picture of Teancum and Ashlee kissing her cheeks, mom's face when Gabe and Becca were married, her laughing while we play games.

"I wish my mom were her now, to share all the fun times again"

And that is as far as we'll go with my thoughts 'cause that's when I started to cry. Emotional me. Anyways I thought for her birthday I would share some of my favorite pictures of my Mom...I know most of you will think she's a sister because she looks so young and beautiful, let's just say I hope I look that good when I get to be her age....Here they are


I love my mom's smile



Trying to get Teancum and Ashlee to kiss Grandma at the same time

This was fun, and I love that my mom laughed through it all




Is there anything better that seeing her with your firstborn?

there are a few other pictures I love of my mom, ones that I don't have here to post. they include her wedding pictures and her missionary picture...especially that last one. I must say, I love my mom. She is one of my models of motherhood. I hope my brothers still at home realize how much our mom loves and cares for them, how much she sacrifices and works to give them all they need and lots of fun family vacations too. Aren't mom's great!
Happy Birthday Mom!

Mother Nature

Last night was Angela's baby shower...Thanks go to everyone who helped with the food, invites, decorating ect...and to my Husband and son for being understanding about my need to have everything clean and tidy. Teancum was great at keeping things under control during the day. If only mother nature had been as cooperative.

My original plan was to have some sign outside advertise our party's location since our apartment is a little out of the way of the main road. When it was raining cats and dogs at noon I knew the cardboard was out of the question. Then came a Martha Stewert moment (I never thought I would have one of those) and I made cute little balloon decorations on the top of mason jars filled with water...Those of you who saw them, don't laugh, I know they would never end up on Martha Stewert. Of course mother nature had her say and blew half the balloons away, so back to the drawing board, my creations ended up with streamers and more balloons. Poor Ryan kept having to run out in the rain and the wind setting them out then bringing them back for the streamers balloons and setting them out again.

Then Ryan informs me that it's supposed to snow, and he wants to bring his tomato plants inside. How can I say no after his willingness to face the rain and the cold and knowing how much he likes to garden and baby his plants. So we put them under the table..the table cloth will hide them I think...ooops I forgot to iron the table cloth and there's no time. Tomato plants under the table...oh well.

By this time the rain water is seeping in under our doors in the living room, so a towel goes on the floor to keep people dry. No such luck, it gets moved and Robyn gets wet...sorry!

All in all the party was a success.

I made up for my obsessive cleaning today by spending quality time with Teancum, and this time mother nature cooperates. We get snow, a first since our move here in june..and it's march now. After a breakfast of cake and veggies (leftover from the party), we run around and make snow angels. Teancum was amazed at the waterfall coming off our roof from the melted snow. After the snow fun, we have hot chocolate complete with marshmellows. Teancum of course had to have his in one of his sippy cups making it impossible to eat his marshmellows. So he stole mine. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did in the snow.

little baby ryan

Here are some pics that I think look a LOT like Ryan's baby pictures...I just need to scan some pictures of Ryan to add to these.

Bath Time

So, Jacob's favorite person these days is Teancum...and his favorite time is bathtime. Checkout these cute pictures of our favorite time of the day.

Baby Blessing

Jacob was given a name and a blessing at the end of December. It was a beautiful reminder to me of how special he is. He was blessed that he would be a mediator/peacemaker and that he would have patience. How true these blessing already have become. The other day Ryan and I were running low on the patience and were soon bitter and having raised voices (yup, it happens to the best of us). I had to go change Jacob and just seeing how innocent he is reminded me of the big picture, within minutes harmony was restored. Check out how cute he is in his blessing outfit...thanks mom.


Our little angel... Doesn't he look precious. I love his little profile
Proud Parents