Happy Birthday, Hethe, and GO DUKE!

Hethe always sings "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" when March Madness rolls around.  This year just happened to be more wonderful than most when the Duke Blue Devils won the National Championship on April 5, 2010.  It was an early birthday present for their biggest fan.  Go Duke!

Easter!

Yes, I realize Easter was two months ago.  And yes, I realize Hayden standing on his head doesn't have much to do with Easter.  But he is wearing his Easter shirt...

Bowling for Dragons

        

        

Who knew bowling shoes could look so cute?  I don't know why it never occurred to me that a five- and two-year-old would like bowling, but they were sold from the moment we walked in the door.

Over Easter weekend, my family decided to go see a matinee of the "Dragon" movie.  We'd been waiting for this movie for months.  When we got there, it was freezing cold and the line at the theater was well out into the parking lot.  The manager came out and said it would probably be sold out before we got to the head of the line, so we came up with a plan B.  Noah didn't quite understand why we couldn't see the movie, and was devastated, but as soon as we stepped into the bowling alley his eyes got wide and there were no more tears.

We had a blast, and decided it was so much more fun to spend time that way as a family instead of sitting in a dark theater not talking.  And don't worry, we did eventually see the "Dragon" movie and it was well worth the wait.

 

Things I Know...

I know that two brothers can keep each other entertained for hours.

I know that no matter how much you plan, you can never get everything done on your list in one day.

I know that sleeping in a Star Wars tent is ever so much more exciting than your own bed.

I know that my husband would sell his car for an IPad and gladly walk to work.

I know that laundry can spontaneously generate.

I know that when I was 2 and 5, I couldn't have worked a computer the way these boys do.

I know that potty training is the biggest test of parenting (so far).

I know that church callings are as much for our growth as for the people we serve.

I know that my family is more important to me than anything on earth.

I know that I am loved beyond what I deserve.

And finally, I know that I have been behind on the blog-- so I am going to catch up now!

Pullman Perfection

We made the loooong trek up to Pullman last weekend to visit Seth and Jenn.  Actually, we really like road trips and our boys do amazingly well on long drives.  I thought the town was great, and the campus was pretty.  I can imagine the hilliness gets a little old after awhile (I don't think I've ever felt so lost, thank goodness for iphones and triangulation-mapping), but it definitely made for a unique experience.

We watched Olympics, ate pizza, toured campus, ate WAY too much Old European breakfast, saw the bears, played at the park, and went to the WSU/UW game.  Great game, and Washington State almost pulled out the win.  Hayden slept through most of it, and Noah ate all the Oreos and candy he could cram in his little mouth while yelling, "Go Gougs!" (See above picture for Oreo molester mustache.)  The weekend went too quickly, and Uncle Seth and Aunt Jenn were perfect hosts.  (Their house is beautiful, too.)

Singin' (but not runnin') in the Rain

I woke up this morning at 6:00 AM to the sound of Henry barking at some invisible thing outside the office window.  At first I was annoyed and then I realized this was the perfect opportunity for me to start my resolution to go on a walk/run every morning before the kids are up.  We've had beatiful weather the last few days, spring is in the air, and it just seems like a good time to really crack down and get in shape.  I crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the closet.  Five minutes and five layers later (it's been nice outside, but it's still March in Idaho, and at six in the morning it's not exactly toasty), I was ready.  I opened the front door as quietly as can be, and... rats.  It's raining.  Maybe Henry will wake me up again tomorrow...

Lately I've been lamenting Noah's babyhood going by so quickly.  I don't know if it's because he talks so well, or that he weighs about the same as Hayden, but he just seems so OLD.  He's also a budding Simon Cowell.  While watching American Idol with me the other day, blanket in hand and thumb in mouth, he turned to me and said, "She picked the wrong song."  Amazingly enough, the judges agreed with him.

My Valentines

Valentine's Day is over and that means it's time to concentrate on the next holiday(s).  This is how we count the time.  St. Patrick's Day, Daddy's birthday, Easter, then summer.  Hayden is convinced that summer is just around the corner because there are only a few holidays left before then.  We've had some nice weather lately, which makes me think he may be right.  But this is Idaho, and it's never safe to bet that winter is over.

Noah has a habit of getting out of bed a few (sometimes 10) times at night before he falls asleep.  Hayden is snoring away almost immediately, but not the younger one.  He's the Clark of the family.  Wants to be part of whatever perceived party is going on downstairs.  We've tried to remedy this by putting him back in his crib thinking we may have moved him to the bunk beds too soon.  We've threatened to move him to a different room.  We trudge up those stairs multiple times hoping every time is the last.  He sneaks down the stairs, mostly hiding his face so we can't see him, and usually ends up at the couch before we know he's up.  I'm really reluctant to encourage this trend, and we usually try to rush him back upstairs A.S.A.P.  But how can I say no to snuggling on the couch with him and watching "American Idol"?  He seems to get a big kick out of it, and we have some interesting conversations.  The other night, he looked over at me and said, "Mama, should we have another baby?"  I'm not sure there is any other two-year-old that's quite like this one.

Vader's Funeral Pyre

Something tells me this kid has seen the movie one too many times.

The Sunday Crossword: A Family Affair

One of our favorite weekend activities is the crossword puzzle in the newspaper.  Five-year-olds don't really fill them out properly, but they are careful to fill in every square with a letter, then sit back and say, "some of those clues were really bad."  I'm not sure where he heard that.

Someday I'll look back and wonder what happened to the little guys that used to run around the house in their footsie jammies singing the Star Wars or Indiana Jones theme songs at the tops of their lungs, and making my life miserable with all the Legos strewn about.  So for now, I will try to savor these moments, and the obsession that comes along with them.  This is how a typical morning goes:
   "Are you ready for breakfast?"
   "Have you seen my Darth Vader helmet?"
   "No, did you bring it downstairs?"
   "No."
   "Are you ready for breakfast?"
   "I'm just missing the helmet, I have the lightsaber."
   "Okay, we'll find it later, are you ready for breakfast?"
   "I have to finish my set, I need Darth Vader's helmet."
Somehow I don't think we are having the same conversation.

I finally caved...

...and decided to start a blog. I'm horrible at keeping a journal, and I DON'T scrapbook (a big sorry to my kids, maybe someday I'll get out those boxes of paper and keepsakes and organize them). For now, this seems like the best venue to record our life as a family and hopefully keep our loved ones up-to-date.  This is our family at this point in time.  I know it will change so very quickly.