missing the cabin

Ty and I agree that Flagstaff's number one redeeming quality is that the cabin is so close. We went down on Saturday to enjoy slightly warmer weather. We ate a nice little lunch on the deck, threw rocks and sticks in the creek, played a little baseball, blew bubbles, went on a "hike" according to the boys, and had some really nice outside time.

Thatcher and his "T" stick. He loves making "T"s out of anything he can find and he really likes finding "T" shapes that already exist.

Sick day

A few weeks ago our family passed around a very unpleasant stomach bug. James threw up a few times the morning that Ty and I both spoke in church, then a few days later Thatcher was up throughout the night doing the same thing. Then a couple days later Ty stayed home from work because he was also not feeling great. In our time quarantined at home I tried to entertain the boys with something more than puppet shows, playing with cars, books, and movies (all good things, but what we spend our days doing during the winter anyway). We painted in the bathtub, baked lots of treats, played ping pong with paper plate paddles and balloons and did some other fun things, ideas courtesy of pinterest.

We went fishing:

The boys gave all their cars a thorough car wash and James first made sure his belly got a good scrubbing too:

We made a marble run out of paper towel holders and magnets. The boys loved this one.

And we still did watch a movie or two with dad (Ty needs an excuse to watch Backyardigans and Veggie Tales):

Disneyland

A couple weeks ago we spent a very long anticipated weekend in California. I have wanted to take the boys to Disneyland for over a year and got Thatcher on board. Thatcher's excitement about the idea was all Ty needed to commit. We spent a month (at least) counting down the days, watching video clips of rides, and basically being consumed with the idea of going to Disneyland. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. There was no possible way that any boy has been more excited to go to Disneyland than Thatcher.

Let's just say maybe I had my hopes up a little too high. We still had a memorable and fabulous day, but it definitely didn't go as I anticipated. While waiting to get in the park, Thatcher fell flat on his face and busted his lip open. He was bleeding everywhere, but he was a good sport about getting hurt.

Then we got in the park and the very first thing Thatcher wanted to do was pull the sword out of the stone (this had been his plan for weeks, the sword had to be first). That was a little anitclimactic because of course the sword didn't come out and Thatcher said (after being so super excited to do it), that it was just a pretend sword.

Then...we decided to jump on the Pinnocchio ride because there was no line at all. BAD IDEA. It was dark and scary and loud that it ruined Thatcher the rest of the day. Any enclosed space he would get in he would totally freak out and have a little panic attack. As long as we were outside, he was fine. He loved going fast, he loved trying new things, he was super happy the entire day...EXCEPT for when he started screaming and crying while in line for the Buzz ride (so I took James by myself) and when he was freaking out so much on the Little Mermaid ride that they stopped it so we could get off (Ty and James still got to go on that one). We didin't go on Toy Story or Peter Pan or Pirates. And the few others we tried (like Monster's Inc., and Winnie the Pooh) were kind of traumatizing. Thatcher was also too short to do the bigger rides I thought he was tall enough for. Ty and Thatcher still tried to do Splash Mountain, but the guy stopped Thatcher and measured him and told him he was too short. I think Thatcher would have done great with that ride (except for the animatronics). He really is gutsy when it comes to going fast. He loved Dumbo, the train, the carousel, Autopia, the Nemo submarine ride, Jungle Cruise, the bumper cars and spinning ladybugs and flying ride at A Bug's Land. He even loved the Mickey Mouse ferris wheel that totally scared me half to death. He loved anything outside and I wish there had been more fast little rollercoasters he could have gone on that were outside and didn't involve any characters. Funny that I say that because everything character related is what I was so excited about when planning the trip.

Oh, and I remember saying I didn't have high expectations but the cost would be worth it to me just to get to see Thatcher give Buzz Lightyear a hug. Well...that didn't happen either. Thatcher was pretty scared of the characters too. We saw an Incredibles show which he liked, but he wouldn't go up to them afterward to get a picture with Mr. Incredible. He had a chance to get a picture with Sully who was being super cute with the kids and with Buzz too. After waiting in a line to get a picture with Buzz, when it was our turn, both James and Thatcher ran away crying...not what I was expecting. We did have some success, however, with Mickey Mouse. He was so cute with the kids and ticked James on the belly which made James very happy. The boys were also super excited to see Lightning and Mater who didn't move or talk, but were very real looking and big.

Thatcher got a second wind of something when I was winding down. It was chilly pretty early on and I was tired, but he wanted to keep going on rides. We decided to get dinner at Disneyland after snacking on the stuff I had packed all day, then we stayed for the parade. I got out some of the glow sticks I had brought and the boys loved them. The parade was pretty spectcular and worth waiting for. The boys loved it and we just went straight back to the shuttle after that.

Besides my disappointment about Thatcher being terrified about a lot of the rides, we had a really nice day. The lines were so minimal and I can't imagine having lines with James. We got to do so much. James fell asleep for a little bit in the stroller, and he was happy the rest of the day and Thatcher never napped, but was fabulous the whole day (except for his very real fear of being on a dark loud enclosed ride). The day after and every day since Thatcher has talked about everything he did (and didn't do) and how he wants to go back. He includes his trip to Disneyland and California in his prayers every night and I think he definitely had a day to remember even if it wasn't what I expected it to be.

We spent the rest of the weekend in Burbank with my brother, Mel, their new baby Hunter, and my dad and his kids. We got to see Ryan's new house, ate a lot of take out food, flew remote control helicopters, built elaborate Thomas the train tracks, jumped on the trampoline, rode go-carts, took family pictures, visited the horses near my dad's house, and had a nice relaxing time just being with family and enjoying the sunshine. I am so sad this is the only shot I got of baby Hunter. He really is the cutest little baby and it is so fun to be an aunt on my side of the family.

Catch up

Sometimes the days seem to drag, but the weeks and even months always seem to pass so quickly. The last month has been busy with life. We have taken advantage of every chance we have had to be outside and enjoy the super mild winter we have had. We have been busy with a trip to California, a trip to Phoenix, and little things each day that not only keep life fun, but are continually added to Thatcher's list of things he is thankful for in his prayers each night.

Here are cute James, Thatcher, and Crew trying to find an animal that was hiding at the Phoenix zoo. We got to go together to the zoo when we were down in Phoenix for a doctor's appointment.

Thatcher has had a lot of fun learning new things and going on field trips with his preschool (the fire station and the ice cream cone factory are two recent field trips that he has loved).

Thatcher has loved celebrating Valentine's day. Here are some heart apple pie tarts that Thatcher and I made and Thatcher showing off his Valentines for his preschool class. He had fun making Valentines for his grandparents and dad too, and had even more fun receiving Valentines from all his friends.

Thatcher:

Has the most impressive imagination. He is a very good story teller and comes up with some pretty funny ideas. He is excited about everything which makes even the most mundane things more fun. He is still super obedient, though we have had a higher number of emotional breakdowns and disciplining needs than normal. Thatcher loves to read. He always has a plan in his head about the proper order in which we should do things and even though he is willing to compromise, what we end up doing usually is his version of a plan.

Thatcher was sick a few weeks ago and he is the best sick kid ever. After throwing up all over his room, we brought him in our room to sleep with us. I gave him a bowl just in case he felt sick again and a few hours later in the pitch black he was at it again. I turned on the lights and ran over to him and he had thrown up right in the bowl I had left for him. He was such a sweet heart through all of it.

He has such a funny personality and always makes me laugh whether he puts his bug net on his head and says, "I caught a Thatcher" or tells me stories about, "When I was a little boy...". Thatcher has gotten really good at saying his own prayers and he is very thankful each night to his Heavenly Father about all the fun things he gets to do. Lastly, Thatcher has started a little soccer class that is once a week for an hour and he is loving it. I love seeing him start to do little things that are his own. He won a game the first week and was very excited.

James:

James is still James. He always wants to be held, touched or tickled. He always wants to be naked and holding his blankets and pit. He is so snuggly and sweet and so naughty on a consistent basis. Things that he is saying lately that crack me up are: "My try", "excuse me, I burp", "I did it!", "I caught you", "Don't catch me!", "Wait me!", "Bless you" (when I sneeze), and "Yes." The 'yes' is the funniest of them all because of the intonation he uses and it is always a very perfect and emphatic 'yes.' He loves to play hiding games with anything. He loves to hide himself or just hide his hands or his feet and say, "Where'd they go?" and then say, "Peekaboo." He is still a hoarder and I have been finding funny surprises in funny places like a toy from Kristi's house in his big raisin box.

Yesterday he had a number of successful trips to the bathroom. He is so stubborn and naughty I knew I probably wouldn't try until well after the baby and the move and that he would probably close to 3 before anything happened, but yesterday he was naked all afternoon and initiated climbing on the potty three times and went by himself. He peed 3 times and pooped as well one of the times. He ended up wearing underpants all afternoon and seemed pretty excited about all of it too.

Me and Ty:

A few weeks ago I was feeling like I wanted nothing more than to jump ahead three months in time so I wouldn't have to face the end of my pregnancy, moving, finding a new place to live, potentially finding a new job for Ty, and studying for and taking this certification exam for aerobics. I am still kind of wishing the time away, but I feel like I am in better spirits. My back has been hurting a little less and even though I am uncomfortable and tired the majority of the time, I am proud of myself for continuing to teach and exercise. I am hoping it helps once the baby is born like I believe it did with the boys. Things with the house are coming along and even though we still don't know when we will be moving, Ty and I both feel like it is going to be a good thing and that things will work out. I am still dreading my test and have spent much more time thinking about how I should study for it than doing studying of any kind. Ty has decided to look for another job, but choosing a place to start applying has been a hard thing for us. We need to be more prayerful and rely more on the spirit to make a decision, but we both feel like the time is right to be somewhere else. Hopefully we are right and we will have all these big changes sorted out sooner than later!

Ty and I went out on a very nice Valentine's date which was a lot of fun and something we don't really make a point to do every year.

Oh, and the last two weeks Ty and I have entirely devoted our evenings to watching Downton Abbey. It is a series we have loved and after Sunday night we will have to wait a year for another season which will be a bummer (but a blessing too since I will hopefully have more motivation to study).

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

I just finished a very interesting book that made me think a lot about the mom I am, the mom I want to be, the mom I always thought I would be, and other things I never considered before. I have a lot on my mind, mostly questions, about what it takes to raise successful children.

Is it impossible for your kids to succeed unless you start when they are 3 and have them practice hours and hours a day? Are my kids going to be behind because I am not already drilling them with flashcards and learning activities each day? Will they not be able to live their dreams because I am not forcing them to be great right now?

Am I too permissive? Do I worry too much that my kids love me and not enough that they respect me and understand what authority means?

Am I selfish because I let them watch movies because sometimes I need a break and because I would rather bake cookies with Thatcher and snuggle with James then do structured learning activities?

Where does true confidence come from? I was built up constantly by my mom, but still lacked confidence, while in this book the mom is terribly harsh and mean because she expects perfection but then she feels like it only gives them more confidence because the children know they are capable of perfection.

How much is ok to expect of your kids? Do you tell them when something isn't good enough? Do you expect them to be the best? If they get a less than perfect score on a test, do you drill and drill whatever concept they missed so the next time around they are certain to do it perfectly? Do you make them work hard and make sure that they are good at something before you ever let them quit? I totally agree that things aren't really fun until you are good at them, and it takes a lot of work to become good. At what point to you let kids give up, at what point do you let an extracurricular activity take over your life? At what point do you just admit that your child is doing his/her best and can't get an A in a certain subject?

I think when it comes down to it, these are my three priorities and hopes for my kids.

1- That they grow up to be good people: kind, honest, hard working, etc.

2- That they are happy.

3- That they are successful.

I think Tiger Mother only cares about the success portion and is convinced that happiness and goodness naturally follow a successful life because of the hard work that it takes to get there and the satisfaction it brings. I guess I would rather have my kids be good and happy and less successful as long as the rest of their life fulfilled.

I don't know. Food for thought. I worry so much that I am not doing enough. I know I am not doing enough, but I think my kids are really happy too. Their happiness makes me happy, and I wonder how much forcing them to do certain things would contribute to long term happiness even if they made us temporarily miserable. I guess only time will tell. We'll see how James, Thatcher and the others turn out and how good, happy, and successful they are and if my very western way of parenting can produce children half as successful as the typical Chinese mother.

busy and blessed

The last couple weeks have been fun, but as usual, I overbook my life and it has felt super busy. Add to the typical businness: an hour each nap and bed time fighting with James to stay in his bed plus cleaning the house every time I leave it because more people have been coming to look at it plus random things like a ward temple trip, a CPR training, a new employee orientation for the gym, and a stake training and other evening activities that have been taking me away from my family at night....and I have been one tired (and sometimes grumpy) mom.

We have had fun during the days going to story time, gymnastics, swimming, and playing with friends, with the new puppet theater I made the boys, and dressing up like Finn McMissile (that has been the favorite character of late).

I love that Thatcher always wants me to take pictures of him, that he says please all the time, that he loves cooking with me, that he is obedient, and that he is always so creative. He is the best kid and my heart melts every time we have a little chat and I get to hear his funny ideas. He has been so excited about sunbeams and has done a great job the last two weeks going to primary with all the big kids.

James is my snuggle bug and he makes me laugh every time he says, "hi boys" to me and Thatcher, "thanks man" (where he got that I have no idea), "I did it, I did it!" (even when he has successfully accomplished something naughty), and how every time he is poopy he says, "poopy again". He is getting very good at staying in time out and waiting for the beep (which sadly happens way too often because of his naughtiness). James has peed in the toilet three times int he last week. It is entirely thanks to Ty and very exciting. I know it will be a long time before we are ready, but he is already showing promise at understanding the concept. James has been climbing out of his crib for a few weeks, but we finally had a traumatic fall and decided it was time to be done with the crib. Now James is sleeping in a big boy bed and it is going to be a long process getting him to stay in it. Oh how I love cribs when they work.

This morning the boys were super excited about the snow plow going back and forth and watched it on their stools for a very long time.My boys before church. Thatcher and James are sporting the ties I made them. Thatcher's turned out great and he will wear it a bunch, but after one Sunday James's tie is already ready to be retired.As a special treat we had ribs (and baked beans) the other night. Thatcher ate as many ribs as Ty and me. He can be a pretty impressive eater. Last week Ty told me he ate 3 big pieces of pizza while I was at my CPR training.
My boys eating banana bread. Thatcher and I made a double batch last week and I think it was gone in two days. It is all they would eat...Ty and I had our fair share too.

A girl

We found out a month ago that we are expecting a girl! I had some complications with my pregnancy right when I got home from Switzerland and was on bed rest for a few weeks so I was hesitant to publicize the news any more, but the ultrasound I got showed a healthy, growing, baby girl. We are so excited! I can't wait for the bows, the cute tights, dresses, and everything girly. We need a little bit more sweetness in our home and I think a baby girl is going to be just the trick!