Ty is currently taking his final bar exam. When I say final...I mean never again will he ever take a bar exam. This is his third and definitely his last. It has taken a lot out of him working, being a dad, and studying and we will be so glad when it is over. While he has been studying the past couple months, I have been reading up a storm. I don't think I have ever read quite this much and the books have been pretty heavy too. Mostly historical with a little bit of fiction, but all of them have really made me think a lot more than the lighter fiction I have read in the past. So here is my list of the past few months:
The Ladies' Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis
I loved how this book made me think about our LDS culture and the traps we fall into being so closely knit in so many ways. It is so easy to become judgmental and rigid in what our view of acceptable is.
1000 White Women by Jim Fergus
This was probably my least favorite because it was so far fetched, but it was still an interesting read and again made me think about prejudices and the sad decisions Americans have made throughout the years in the name of progress.
Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara
This was a hard book to get into, but I was glad that I made it all the way through. It was frustrating to know the eventual outcome of the Civil War and to read about the ignorant decisions and careless mistakes that cost so many lives.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
I loved this book. It is remarkable what one man can do even though it is overwhelming to think of what we are facing in the Middle East. It is also overwhelming to think of more costly mistakes we as Americans are continuing to make at the expense of our own citizen's lives.
The Heretic's Daughterby Kathleen Kent
I thought this book was very interesting and well written. It once again shed light on a disturbing time in our nation's past (though the United States wasn't exactly a nation yet) and made me think more about how we need to question authority when we know justice is being ignored.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
I enjoyed this book much more than its prequel and loved learning more about the men who fought for what they believe in and the pivotal moment in the war when things started to make sense again.
Gifts from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
This was a very sweet little book and very applicable to my life right now. I loved reading the thoughts and insights a mother was having over 50 years ago and realizing that the two of us are not that different.
Fire in the Bones by Michael Wilcox
Still working on this one. It is a slower read, but still fascinating learning about the life of William Tyndale and the conviction he had in translating a bible that English speaking people could read for themselves.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Brownie
Brownie is Josh's class pet and Josh was responsible for taking care of Brownie the weekend we were in Salt Lake. It ended up being the perfect thing for the boys. Both boys would hang out by the cage and talk to Brownie and pet him when we took him out of the cage. Thatcher's crazy fear of animals lessened quite a bit over the weekend and it was comforting to see that all he needs is more interaction with animals.
Thatcher's baby Krew
Thatcher is in love with his new baby cousing, Krew. I have never seen a toddler more enamored with a baby. He talked about Krew all the time (referring to him as "my baby"), would sit perfectly for super long stretches of time just to hold him, and was just so sweet. He loved looking at his hands and toes and showing him cars. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen and was almost enough to make me want to give him the 'baby gril' he has been asking for. He is going to be the best big brother to another sibling someday.
Monster Truck
On Friday night we were hanging out at the Martins and Seth was about to leave to take Redding to a monster truck show. Darrell decided to take Thatcher as well. The four headed off for a fun-filled night. Darrell brought noise-canceling headphones so the boys' ears were protected and they had a great time eating tons of popcorn, drinking way too much diet coke, watching the trucks, and spending time together.
Discovery Gateway
...and discover we did. It was pretty crowded, but I think we all had a pretty good time. And I know Thatcher did. He loved working hard in the ball play area, shopping, driving cars, riding horses, pretending he was a cow, and probably his favorite activity was the water play area where he got completely soaked.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
interests include eating
I love James.
I love that he crawls over to his high chair all throughout the day and begs to be put in it.
I love that his first real word (if you don't count uh-oh) was cheese. He loves that word. Whenever he sees cheese he bounces up and down and repeats the word over and over.
I love that he insists on feeding himself ALL THE TIME. He is getting pretty good. But I definitely feel like all I do is clean him, change his clothes (bibs don't even begin to cover the damage he creates), and clean his high chair and the kitchen floor...3 times a day.
But man, he is cute.
I love that he crawls over to his high chair all throughout the day and begs to be put in it.
I love that his first real word (if you don't count uh-oh) was cheese. He loves that word. Whenever he sees cheese he bounces up and down and repeats the word over and over.
I love that he insists on feeding himself ALL THE TIME. He is getting pretty good. But I definitely feel like all I do is clean him, change his clothes (bibs don't even begin to cover the damage he creates), and clean his high chair and the kitchen floor...3 times a day.
But man, he is cute.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Valentine's Day
I hadn't been in the mood for Valentine's Day much this year, but I started to feel bad I wasn't making a big enough deal of it so I tried to make up for it in the week before the holiday of love. We have been busy eating heart shaped strawberry marshmallows, doing V-day crafts: making handprint hearts and animal heart puppets and valentines for our favorite friends and nursery teachers (Thatcher also got to do a valentine craft last Saturday at home depot that he is planning on giving to Kelly and Josh). Mom did some crafts of her own and made a sign and some hearts to hang from her tree. Then we made sugar cookies and had a blast using our cookie cutters to cut out heart shapes. On Valentines we finished our celebrations with pink heart-shaped pancakes and strawberries and pink milk.
But...the Valentine highlights of this year were definitely the package that Thatcher and James got from their nanny and pop (they went all out and spoiled the boys with fun treats) and the Valentines party Thatcher got invited to where he made a Love Bug hat, decorated cookies, played games and made Valentines with his friends.
I love holidays with my boys. I never knew I would be the kind of mom that gets so excited, but it is easy when you have kids who make it fun.
But...the Valentine highlights of this year were definitely the package that Thatcher and James got from their nanny and pop (they went all out and spoiled the boys with fun treats) and the Valentines party Thatcher got invited to where he made a Love Bug hat, decorated cookies, played games and made Valentines with his friends.
I love holidays with my boys. I never knew I would be the kind of mom that gets so excited, but it is easy when you have kids who make it fun.
My Dash
Thatcher is so funny. He loves to make us laugh. Yesterday we walked into his bedroom right before bed with our hamper over his head. He just plopped down in the middle of the room and sat there until we started to laugh. He and his dad also entertained me last night with crazy dancing thanks to some funny strobe lights that Cathy sent the boys for Valentine's day.
Thatcher constantly tells me, "I have an idea! Buzz lightyear goes flies" and he has started to say, "No way" when he wants to be funny. He always asks me, "What did you say?" if he doesn't hear me just right and I feel like sometimes he just talks like an adult.
He loves his uncle Logan and every time the doorbell rings he yells out, "Logan's here!" in hopes that it really is him.
His obsession with Dash from 'The Incredibles' reached a new level today when I threw together a little costume for him to run around in. He was running around all day as a crazy Dash and thinks he is pretty cool. Everything is now "incredible" and Thatcher told me he wanted to "squeeze mom's incredible bum." I love my boy, my comedian, my Dash. He is the best blessing in my life.
Thatcher constantly tells me, "I have an idea! Buzz lightyear goes flies" and he has started to say, "No way" when he wants to be funny. He always asks me, "What did you say?" if he doesn't hear me just right and I feel like sometimes he just talks like an adult.
He loves his uncle Logan and every time the doorbell rings he yells out, "Logan's here!" in hopes that it really is him.
His obsession with Dash from 'The Incredibles' reached a new level today when I threw together a little costume for him to run around in. He was running around all day as a crazy Dash and thinks he is pretty cool. Everything is now "incredible" and Thatcher told me he wanted to "squeeze mom's incredible bum." I love my boy, my comedian, my Dash. He is the best blessing in my life.
my mischief makers
The other day I went to check on James after hearing them giggling upstairs for a while. I got a terrible pit in my stomach when I go to the top of the stairs and realized they hadn't been playing in their room which meant they had been in my room...and that usually means trouble. Sure enough, both boys were in the bathroom. Thatcher was sitting in one of the sinks with an eye shadow brush in hand and eye shadow all over his face and lips. James had successfully emptied out all drawers within reach and both were laughing hysterically at each other. Yep, real funny.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
kiss my my bum
That was the request Thatcher made of me today and I almost did it. The poor kid has been a wreck with coughing, fever, runny nose, rashes on his face from wiping snot all over, continued tummy problems, and the saddest eyes I have ever seen. We have been watching a lot of "The Incredibles" and he has been a sweetheart, though it is obvious he is feeling terribly. Poor kid. Maybe if I had kissed his bum he would be feeling better by now.
Friday, February 4, 2011
my boys
I feel like this entire month has been full of sickness and freezing temperatures. January was actually really nice and pretty warm, but this last week of crazy cold temperatures has made it feel like the cold has been here for forever. And the sickness...well it really has been a month of throwing up, then diarrhea, then a fever for James, then colds for me and Ty, then colds for the boys, then a fever for Thatcher. Nothing has been bad enough to go to the doctor for, but it has kept us in a lot which has made for a boring month and one filled with a lot of baking and eating (I need to learn to channel my energy into something that is not going to make me fat)!
Even with all the time cooped up and together just the three of us I never seem to tire of my boys. Ok, so maybe I am ready for them to go to bed or take a nap, but I am surprised by how much I love being around them and their infectious personalities. They are so happy and fun and mischievous.... ironic that after writing those last few sentences I just got to forcefully place a screaming, kicking Thatcher into timeout.
Anyway...most of the time they are the easiest sweetest boys. Thatcher (though bossy) is very sweet with James, loves to make believe that he is Dash from 'The Incredibles', loves to do puzzles (he is shockingly good for a 2 year old), talks about going to school, loves playing with his friends even when they are more than twice his age, is obsessed with his new Buzz car (whenever I ask him if we wants to eat lunch or take a nap or go potty he without fail answers, "no mom, ride Buzz car"), and is just the best most obedient boy. He is super skinny and thinks it is funny now to call himself skinny. When I suggest that we get dressed in the mornings, he usually tells me, "No, I'm naked." He has been much better about staying in his bed at nights, thanks to his newest best friend Chunk, and he continues to be the greatest little eater. The other night we had Logan over for dinner and Thatcher stayed at the table asking for helping after helping of soup until it was past his bedtime. Thatcher loves taking baths and I think his favorite part is waiting until all the water has drained out of the tub and then getting picked up in his hooded towel and snuggled. He is the greatest. I hope his stomach can get back to normal soon and we can be rid of all the sickness!
This is Thatcher as Dash.
And here is my James. He is the smartest little boy. He has started to wave hello and goodbye. He talks more and more every day and it is hilarious to listen to him. He is such a little comedian and will do things over and over again if he gets any kind of reaction out of us. He is getting better at feeding himself which he insists on doing (usually resulting in a complete strip down after dinner). He can now stand for long periods of time, but has yet to take his first step. He has a particular fondness for Logan who has been around a number of times the last few weeks. James crawls right over to Logan and is perfectly content to sit on his lap and play quietly (which is not in his nature). Today while Thatcher slept we read books and James would dance every time a song came on with Thatcher's Tag Jr. He is so cute....and as I am typing this he is throwing a complete fit over me giving him more of a chocolate dessert I made. I love the irony of trying to record tender feelings about my boys when they are acting like nightmares.
He loved the time we spent outside the last couple weeks (before it got frigid this week) and thinks he is pretty cool when riding on Thatcher's tricycle. This morning when I was taking the garbage out I turned around to find James on the tricycle with no diaper on (the little game we play numerous times a day is that I pin him down to just get his diaper off and then he crawls away from me laughing at impressive speed...I have finally given in and usually let him crawl around diaperless for a minute because I don't have the energy to fight taking the diaper off and putting a fresh one on all at one time).
This week when it got super cold we brought the slide that usually sits on our little deck inside. James learned how to climb up it and go down, but after a while he decided that he preferred to just climb up and hang out at the top. He was on the slide constantly until we put it back outside again.
January has been survived. Let's hope that February is healthier and warmer. It will certainly be more entertaining with a trip to Salt Lake and the end of the bar in sight! Oh...and my kids do wear clothes and my house is usually clean...sometimes.
Even with all the time cooped up and together just the three of us I never seem to tire of my boys. Ok, so maybe I am ready for them to go to bed or take a nap, but I am surprised by how much I love being around them and their infectious personalities. They are so happy and fun and mischievous.... ironic that after writing those last few sentences I just got to forcefully place a screaming, kicking Thatcher into timeout.
Anyway...most of the time they are the easiest sweetest boys. Thatcher (though bossy) is very sweet with James, loves to make believe that he is Dash from 'The Incredibles', loves to do puzzles (he is shockingly good for a 2 year old), talks about going to school, loves playing with his friends even when they are more than twice his age, is obsessed with his new Buzz car (whenever I ask him if we wants to eat lunch or take a nap or go potty he without fail answers, "no mom, ride Buzz car"), and is just the best most obedient boy. He is super skinny and thinks it is funny now to call himself skinny. When I suggest that we get dressed in the mornings, he usually tells me, "No, I'm naked." He has been much better about staying in his bed at nights, thanks to his newest best friend Chunk, and he continues to be the greatest little eater. The other night we had Logan over for dinner and Thatcher stayed at the table asking for helping after helping of soup until it was past his bedtime. Thatcher loves taking baths and I think his favorite part is waiting until all the water has drained out of the tub and then getting picked up in his hooded towel and snuggled. He is the greatest. I hope his stomach can get back to normal soon and we can be rid of all the sickness!
This is Thatcher as Dash.
And here is my James. He is the smartest little boy. He has started to wave hello and goodbye. He talks more and more every day and it is hilarious to listen to him. He is such a little comedian and will do things over and over again if he gets any kind of reaction out of us. He is getting better at feeding himself which he insists on doing (usually resulting in a complete strip down after dinner). He can now stand for long periods of time, but has yet to take his first step. He has a particular fondness for Logan who has been around a number of times the last few weeks. James crawls right over to Logan and is perfectly content to sit on his lap and play quietly (which is not in his nature). Today while Thatcher slept we read books and James would dance every time a song came on with Thatcher's Tag Jr. He is so cute....and as I am typing this he is throwing a complete fit over me giving him more of a chocolate dessert I made. I love the irony of trying to record tender feelings about my boys when they are acting like nightmares.
He loved the time we spent outside the last couple weeks (before it got frigid this week) and thinks he is pretty cool when riding on Thatcher's tricycle. This morning when I was taking the garbage out I turned around to find James on the tricycle with no diaper on (the little game we play numerous times a day is that I pin him down to just get his diaper off and then he crawls away from me laughing at impressive speed...I have finally given in and usually let him crawl around diaperless for a minute because I don't have the energy to fight taking the diaper off and putting a fresh one on all at one time).
This week when it got super cold we brought the slide that usually sits on our little deck inside. James learned how to climb up it and go down, but after a while he decided that he preferred to just climb up and hang out at the top. He was on the slide constantly until we put it back outside again.
January has been survived. Let's hope that February is healthier and warmer. It will certainly be more entertaining with a trip to Salt Lake and the end of the bar in sight! Oh...and my kids do wear clothes and my house is usually clean...sometimes.
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