Nolan Turns Two at Kangaroo Zoo

(Yes, I am far, far behind.  Please be patient while I try to catch up.Better late than never, right?!)

For Nolan's Birthday this year, we decided to take the family to Kangaroo Zoo.  The boys and I got there first, since Dan was coming from work.  I totally expected Nolan to love it.  I was in for a shock when the two big boys took off running and squealing, and Nolan clung to my leg in fear.  He was terrified of the inflatable toys.  He wouldn't let go of me.   He was more than happy to play in the little area for babies, as far from the bounce houses as possible.  

I called Dan, "Uh, this may have been a bad idea.  Nolan isn't having any fun."

But everything changed when Dan arrived.  He scooped Nolan up and headed over to the big, noisy toys.  Nolan looked hesitant at first but with a little coaxing from Dan was soon smiling from ear to ear.  Once he warmed up he had a great time.  And that is another one of the MANY reasons why every child needs a father.

First smile of the night

This ended up being his favorite toy.  He slid down this slide too many times to count.

Nolan's 2nd Year

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Nolan's Letters

Nolan loves letters.  He started several months ago by identifying O's everywhere.  Soon he was obsessed with the letter T.  And one by one he has taught himself the letters of the alphabet.  He doesn't know them all yet, but he is well on his way.  He points letters out everywhere we go.  He even sees letters in everyday shapes.  This morning he tried to tell me what letters were on my alarm clock.  7:43 became TUE to his little mind.

He is also learning his colors.  Orange is his favorite color, which is convenient since blue and green are already taken in this house. 

Piano Lessons

Tyson and Preston have begun taking Music Lessons.  They are starting with the Piano.  Later, if they show interest we may add violin as well.

Their teacher is Dan's aunt, who is quiet possibly the sweetest woman on the planet.  She is so good with the boys, always pouring on the positive reinforcement and praise. 

They've practiced Tucca Tucca Stop Stop so many times in the last two months, even Nolan has learned to say it. 

They are easily motivated with stickers.

and YouTube videos like these:

Tyson's How-To

I attended Parent Teacher Conference recently.  I was sitting in the hall outside Tyson's classroom when I noticed that his teacher had set out some books for us to peruse while we waited.  The book that most caught my attention was a How-To book Tyson's class had published.  I quickly flipped through the book looking for Tyson's contribution.  I was quite curious as to what Tyson would teach me how to do.  I shouldn't have been so surprised.

"How To Draw a Star Wars Charector"

 Instructions:
Step One Draw a head and a neck.  Add a body and arms.  Add legs and a belt then you add a lightsaber.  Then color it.

Wordless Wednesday

Facebook Statuses of 2011

So many funny and memorable things happen in a year. Many of them don't make it to the blog, just Facebook. So I've undertaken the arduous task of copying them all here so they can be saved and printed into my blog book.

Is it bad that I had to check the school website because I forgot what time school starts and ends tomorrow? Normal life, here we come.
January 2, 2011

Nolan is proving that two baby gates aren't enough! I need at least one more.
Friday, January 7, 2011

I've put off shopping as long as I can. But now we're out of toilet paper. Costco, here I come.
January 20, 2011

Nolan has been highly irritable lately. I figured he was teething. Today I realized he is cutting THREE teeth. Yeah, I think I'd be a little moody too. Poor kid.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sometimes you find what you are looking for when you aren't looking." ~ Words of wisdom compliments of my plumber this morning.
Thursday, January 27, 2011

Preston (3) is constantly quoting movies. Today he was quoting Jimmy Neutron. But instead of saying that the parents had been 'abducted' by aliens, he keeps saying that they have been ADOPTED by aliens. I ♥ it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011

Quote of the Day: "Preston you can't parachute naked. If you want to parachute you need to put your clothes back on."
February 4, 2011

I'm attempting to explain the difference between stickers and stamps to my 3 year old while scrapping them off my furniture.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My 3 year old had 7 ball point pens tucked into his shirt pocket and ink scribbles all over his hands and face. My anger and frustration quickly turned to pride when I noticed he had written several perfectly formed letters on his palm.
February 11, 2011

You know it's going to be a good Valentine's Day when you wake up next to the one you love, and then you roll over to see two more.
Monday, February 14, 2011

Today would be a great day for my Fairy Godmother to show up. A Genie with three wishes wouldn't be bad either. Heck, I'd even settle for some woodland creatures to help me clean the house.
February 15, 2011

In and out of the pediatricians office AND the pharmacy in 20 minutes. Now that's efficient!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I'm off to the DMV to renew my driver's license with two kids in tow. With me luck!!
Monday, February 28, 2011

I was supposed to go on a date with my hubby tonight, instead we spent it in the ER with Tyson. He broke his arm. And not a little break. He snapped the two bones right off. Five hours later we are home and the kids are all tucked into bed. Time to eat dinner and go to bed.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Can we go back in time to yesterday afternoon? Pretty ,pretty please.
Thursday, March 3, 2011

My baby isn't walking yet. But today he tried to run. Is anyone surprised by this? I'm not.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Randomly decided to go for a 2 mile run today. I'm a little out of shape.
Friday, March 18, 2011

Making ice cream with the boys. They chose Robin Egg Chocolate Swirl.
Saturday, March 19, 2011

Do you ever have days when you want to run away from home? Before breakfast?
Monday, March 21, 2011

Good news from the Orthopedic Surgeon: The arm is healing perfectly. Only two more weeks with the cast. Then we step down to a splint. There is hope for the soccer season after all!
Friday, March 25, 2011

One of my children removed the Easter Egg Dye tablets from the plastic wrapper without my knowledge. My other child thought the colorful tablets sitting on the counter were Sweethearts. So he ate one. His teeth are now pink.
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Why do stores bother advertising Mother's Day Sales weeks in advance when we all know husbands and fathers wait until the day before to do any shopping?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

True Love: spending hours making Creature Power Disks ala Wild Kratts for your child's birthday party.
May 3, 2011

My little boy is growing up. Today he said, "Mom, I was going to dump out the garbage can, but then I didn't." Thank you, son. I appreciate your newly developed sense of impulse control.
Thursday, May 5, 2011

Will someone please remind me that I am too old to do cartwheels. This is not the first time it has resulted in a migraine.
Monday, May 9, 2011

It's amazing what a little bribery will do.
Saturday, May 14, 2011

You know your child is sick when he is still in bed at noon. You know your child is 3 when he asks for a Peanut Butter, Cheese, and Jelly sandwich for lunch.
Saturday, May 21, 2011

Fifteen years ago, I sat next to a boy at the Hansen Planetarium watching a U2 lightshow. I had butterflies in my stomach as he reached over and held my hand for the very first time. Tonight I am going to see U2 in concert with that same boy. I've still got butterflies. ♥

May 24, 2011

Thanks to The Electric Company, my 1 year old is beat boxing. So funny.
Saturday, June 4, 2011

It's not every day you attend a funeral that turns into a party.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tyson (age 7) just turned our family room into a Natural Science Museum. He just gave me a very informative tour of five natural habitats he recreated on our couch, complete with an explanation of the animals that live in each. He explained why each animal was suited for life in their own habitat. He also gave me a tour of the "children play area" within the museum. He said, "It's just like McDonalds. But instead of serving food, I teach about animals. There was one additional exhibit not included in my personal tour. "The Museum of Weapons and Star Wars" It's a 'boys only' area.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tyson and Preston were fighting this morning. Toys were thrown, tears were shed, screaming and tattling ensued. When I finally sat them down to figure out what happened it all came down to a mis-understanding. Preston admitted through his sobs and tears "Tyson said I was lame, but I'm always cool!"
Friday, July 1, 2011

Keratitis sucks. That is all.
Sunday, July 3, 2011

I think I might try to rock a pirate patch today. Trendy, no?
Monday, July 4, 2011

Being a mother is like being on house arrest...you can't go anywhere including the bathroom alone, and there's always someone asking what you are doing.
Thursday, July 7, 2011

I spoiled myself today. I took myself out for lunch, did a little splurge shopping, and enjoyed an hour massage. I deserved it.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Preston (3), "Uh oh, Uh oh. Snugglin' glue. You and me baby, we're snugglin' glue."
Thursday, July 28, 2011

Bedtime. So close, yet so far away.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Happy Anniversary to my rock, my better half, my best friend, my soul mate, my eternal companion. Eleven years down, eternity to go. :)
Thursday, August 11, 2011

In an effort to save my sanity we have a new household rule. "No one is allowed to talk to mom about Star Wars."
Friday, August 12, 2011

Nothing says "Good Morning," quite like a kiss from a kid with a bloody nose.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I must love my boys a lot. I just bought Star Wars costumes for Halloween. Boo.
Saturday, September 10, 2011

Some days living with all boys makes me really miss the days when I lived with all girls. Today is one of those days.
Thursday, September 15, 2011

10:00pm Preston's out of bed. "I just need a Lego." 10:35 pm I find Preston playing in the bathroom "Mom, I'm tired of going to sleep." 11:00pm Preston's up again. "I need to get something out of the car." Any guesses on what time he finally falls asleep?
Saturday, September 17, 2011

Hubby has a very serious corneal ulcer (a hole/tear on his eyeball in which either a bacteria or fungus is growing). He can't open his eye without extreme pain. He has to have eye drops every hour, even during the night. It's really difficult to put eye drops in your own eye when you can't even open it. And since these eye drops are more expensive and harder to get than gold, we can't afford to lose one drop. Which means I get to wake up every hour to put them in his eye for him. I also get to drive him anywhere he needs to go, and help him with his business stuff. It will take weeks before he will recover. Long story short: I'm tired and would appreciate your prayers. Thanks.
Friday, September 23, 2011

Tickling a child until they forget why they were throwing a fit is a perfectly acceptable parenting technique.
Saturday, September 24, 2011

It always snows once before Halloween. Yet we are all shocked when it does. Heads up: It will snow again before Thanksgiving. Consider yourself warned. Now where did I put my fuzzy socks and favorite hot cocoa mug?
Thursday, October 6, 2011

I made two phone calls today. The first was to schedule an hour massage. The second was to schedule LASIK. Yes, I am a very lucky girl.
Friday, October 7, 2011

Every time we pray Nolan (20 months) yells, "PRAYER" repeatedly until the prayer is over. And if that wasn't irreverent enough, his version of the word 'prayer' sounds a lot like the word 'beer'.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Grandma is in trouble for sugaring up the boys before bedtime. I finally had to resort to the "I'll give you the nightlight back after you lay quietly in bed for 10 minutes" trick. It works every time. They never make it ten minutes in a dark quiet room without falling asleep.
Sunday, October 23, 2011

"Mom, I accidentally peed on your floor. But don't spank me yet. I need to clean it up first." - Preston
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I really wish all toys underwent rigorous "Mom Testing" before they were sold to children.
Thursday, October 27, 2011

I am grateful for 3 blue winter coats, 3 pairs of blue snow boots, a plethora of hats and mittens, and a husband who is willing to turn a skiff of snow into a snowman.
Saturday, November 19, 2011

Last night Tyson (7) changed his first diaper. Without being asked. And without adult supervision. He also got the baby's pajamas on. This morning he got up before me and helped his little brother get dressed. Then he made breakfast for them both; toast with jam and sprinkles and a bowl of cereal. I think I might be out of a job.
Friday, December 2, 2011

Hey boys, what should we have for lunch today? Nolan: Me! Preston: Breakfast.
Thursday, December 15, 2011

I adore Amazon for all my last minute shopping needs. :) Now if I could just order a clean house with free shipping by Christmas I'd be in Heaven. But we all know I've been spoiled enough this year.
Monday, December 19, 2011

Preston just asked me to put an ice cube in his shirt because he saw it on TV. I obliged. He ran around the house squealing. Nolan, ever the copy cat, is begging for ice in his shirt too. Never a dull moment here.
December 30, 2011

2012, Here I Come!

I'm not one to set New Year's Resolutions.  But I do like to make goals.  And I like to copy my friend Nancy and choose a word for the year. 

My word for 2012 is 'Simple'.  I want to focus on the simple things in life.  It's the simple things that can bring us the most joy.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple.  Life can be simple.  If we let it be.  This word and it's meaning is reflected in the following goals I have for the year:

1. Build strong habits and routines with myself and my family in scripture study and prayer that will last a lifetime.

2. Spend more time in the temple.
3. Be more deliberate in the way I spend my time creating more quality time with those I love.

4. De-clutter my house, ridding my life of a lot of unnecessary stuff. I will purge my house one drawer/closet/cupboard/shelf at a time.

In an effort to document my efforts, motivate me, and hold me accountable for these goals, I'm going to keep a record on this blog.  I don't want to bog down my main page with these posts, so I'm creating a second page.  If you want to follow my progress you can, if not you can just ignore it. Simple!

Lego Advent

At the end of November one of my Facebook friends posted a link to this:

Not only did I learn that Lego puts out an Advent Calendar each year, but this year they released a special edition STAR WARS Advent Calendar.  I bought it for the boys right away.

On November 30th we received a visit from the boys' Aunt and cousins. They came bearing a gift. 

That's right, my spoiled boys ended up with BOTH Lego Advent Calendars for the year. 

These ended up being a great gift to me as well.  Every morning, all month long, the boys woke up, got dressed and ran downstairs to open their next little compartment of Lego's.  Without bugging me.  Which means I got to sleep in a little every day.  It was lovely. 

 The calendars ended December 24th with these two little guys. 

This picture pretty much sums up our month.

Christmas Day 2011

I didn't take many pictures of Christmas Day.  I did video the boys opening their gifts.  I just didn't pick up the regular camera much.

The morning can be summarized by these two pictures.

Before:

After: 

The boys were up at 6:30am.  They were so eager to see if Santa had come that Preston burst into tears when I said he had to wait until after I used the bathroom.

Tyson's favorite gifts were Star Wars guys (General Grivous, Ahsoka, Anakin, Mace Windu, Yoda, and a bunch of Clone Troopers) an art book, and a stuffed Phineas (from Phineas & Ferb).

Preston's favorite gifts were Star Wars guys (Han Solo & Chewy), Ferb, Super Hero bed sheets, and Super Hero school supplies.

Nolan's favorite gifts were a football, a soccer ball and goal, a Little People tractor, a stuffed Big Bird, a yoda doll, and Perry the Platypus.

Dan's favorite gifts were an XBOX 360 with Kinect (which he says is for the whole family), some new clothes, a Flip camera and a BYU snuggie:

My favorite gifts were a Kindle Touch, and snow pants and boots (still waiting on the snow so I can break them in).

After opening gifts we went to church.  Dan sang in the choir, and I attempted, unsuccessfully, to contain the boys.  The two big boys were fine with paper and a pen to keep them occupied.  Nolan however was a terror.  He kept yelling "Daddy Hug!"  I don't think he stopped moving the entire meeting.  I ended up with a broken necklace and crayon all over my skirt.

Afterward we went home and played with our new toys and napped.  In the evening we visited Grandparents. 

Overall it was a lovely, relaxing day. 

Merry Christmas 2011

I'm kind of in love with this card.  I designed it myself.   

 My photographer is pretty amazing too.

Christmas Eve

The Evening of the 23rd is always spent with Dan's side of the family.  We have a huge Christmas party.  The family is so big now that our Christmas party is the only time during the whole year that the whole family is together.  The family is so big that we can no longer have this party at Grandma's house.  We have to reserve a church.  This year's party featured a nice dinner, presents for all the grand kids, a talent show, and a massive game a dodge ball.  With 51 grandchildren and 20 adults, it's controlled chaos.

The following night, the 24th, is always spent with my side of the family.  A huge dinner was interrupted by a surprise visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. We ended the evening with a massive present exchange.  It could also be described as controlled chaos.  We have a much smaller group, but also smaller quarters.  We had 10 little kids and 18 adults.

After the party we brought our little group home where they opened their new Christmas pajamas.  The big boys were ecstatic about their Lego Star Wars jammies.  Nolan thought his reindeer jammies were pretty cool too.

Before we tucked them into bed we read a few Christmas stories and watched the Christmas videos found HERE.

The boys threw some reindeer food on the lawn and scampered off to bed.

They woke up three hours later convinced that it was Christmas morning.  They were very disappointed to discover that Santa hadn't come yet.  He didn't make it to our house until about 2:30am.

Edible Christmas Trees

I stole another idea from Pinterest. (Original link HERE) 

Creating these cute little trees were much easier than a Gingerbread house. 

They were also cheaper, faster, and tastier. 

All you need are sugar cones, frosting and round candy (I chose mini M&M's)

 The boys had fun frosting their trees and adding the candy.

 Even Dan got in on the action.

 Here's my finished tree

 Dan's

 Tyson's

 And Preston's

 We made a cute little forest.

 And they were fun to eat too.

It turned out to be a quick easy treat for boys.  They loved it! 

(Nolan was taking a much needed nap, so he missed out on the fun. But don't worry. I have a feeling we'll be doing this again next year.)

The Minivan Express

Last night we surprised the kids with a new Christmas tradition.  After dinner we had bath time and all the boys got in their pajamas.  While we were busy with this Dan warmed up the car and I secretly made hot chocolate (I was going to make popcorn too, but decided to forgo the mess at the last minute).

Just as the boys were about to climb into bed I handed them their jackets and told them to put on their shoes.  They were really excited and kept asking me where we were going.  As soon as they were ready I asked them if they had their tickets. 

What tickets, Mom?!

Well you can't go on the Polar Express without a ticket!

They squealed with joy as I handed them their ticket.

Then they rushed out to the car where Dan, playing the part of the conductor, punched their tickets with Polar Express music playing on his phone (a nice touch that was his idea!)

At this point we had to talk the boys down, because they hoped we were going to ride a real train.  I quickly explained that we were going to drive around looking at Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate on our own Minivan Express.



Enjoying their hot chocolate in sippy cups.




Nolan with his ticket




Our favorite house of the night


I can't take credit for this idea. I found it HERE via Pinterest.

O Christmas Tree

I've been hinting, not so subtly, for several years that I want a new, pre-lit Christmas Tree.  The one we have is from our first Christmas back in 2000.  And I have terrible luck with Christmas lights.

Dan had an idea.  He suggested we wait until after Christmas this year to buy a new pre-lit tree on Clearance.  And in the meantime he wanted to get a real tree this year.

We did something this year that we've never done before.  (And likely will never do again.)

We found a Christmas Tree farm near our home and picked out our own tree. 



The boys with our Tree



 And then we strapped it to the top of our minivan and drove it home.

We made a couple of mistakes.  First, we picked out a tree that hated us.  That stupid tree is so sharp.  It is painful to the touch.  The needles are so sharp they draw blood.  Decorating it was torture!  The only good thing about this is that I don't have to worry about the boys bugging it.  They know better.

Second, I have seen too many Christmas movies where the family brings their tree home only to discover it is WAY too big.  So I made them cut it down.  A little too much.  Now it's too short.  It's a dinky little thing.  Oops. 

With any luck we will never have to do this again.  Next year I hope to be setting up a nice fake pre-lit tree. 

A Visit to Santa

Nolan thinks Santa is pretty cool.  He knows that Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho."

Although it sounds more like, "Nanta.  Ha Ha Ho."

He gets really excited anytime he sees a Santa anywhere.

But when I asked Nolan if he was going to sit on Santa's lap the answer was simple.

"No"

I can't say he didn't warn me.



For the record, Tyson asked for General Grievous and Ahsoka.  Preston asked for Han Solo and Chewy.  Nolan asked for Mommy to please remove him from Santa's lap.



After this picture was taken Santa gave each of the boys a chocolate sucker.

Nolan loves suckers. 

A lot. 

If you ask Nolan about his visit to Santa he will tell you about the sucker Santa gave him.
"Nanta. Sucker. Messy." 

It was messy.  Really messy.  This is what I found when we got home.

And that's why we keep baby wipes in the car.

*Funny side story: There was a cute family in line near us with a little baby.  I commented to my boys how cute their baby was.  Shocked, Preston said, "Hmm, I guess there are two cute babies in the world."

Reverence & Respect

Preston gave his first talk in Primary.  He did a great job. 

His assigned topic was "Reverence for God Helps me Love and Respect Others."

Heavenly Father loves each of us. 

We are all his sons and daughters. 

He has commanded us to love one another, just as He loves us. 

He has asked us to treat each other kindly. 

Reverence is love and respect for God.

We can show Him that we love and respect Him by loving each other. 

When I am Reverent I can feel that He loves me and all His children.

Once There Was a Snowman

We always seem to get one snow storm before Halloween and one before Thanksgiving.  After that it's usually pretty quiet until after Christmas.

When the boys woke up to snow, they threw on their snowsuits over their pajamas. They took advantage of this early snow by building their first snowman.  It took every bit of snow we had, including quite a bit hauled in from the backyard.  The boys loved it.  Frosty lasted several days before he finally melted.



His eyes and mouth are make out of Cheerios.  It was still morning after all.



The Leaves are Leaving

We've had these huge trees in our backyard. 

They have provided us with great shade and a nice privacy wall.  But they have also caused us some damage.  You may remember a couple years ago when one of them was struck by lightning.  The roots are tearing up our yard and our neighbors yard.  And just last week one of the little old ladies in our neighborhood warned me that the wind was going to blow them onto my house.  So after much consideration, we decided it was time for the trees to go. 

The boys (and their cousins) enjoyed playing in the leaves for the last time.





Conner, Vika, and Preston



Tyson 7.5

Preston 4



Nolan 21 months



 I keep telling Cheryl that these two look like brother and sister.  What do you think?



Nolan & Vika



Snug as a Bug in a Rug

After being tucked into bed at night Preston often sneaks out of bed.  When he gets caught he often makes up some excuse as to why he is out of bed.

"I need another drink"

"I need to go potty again."

"I need to tell you something. . . . . I love you Mommy."

"I need a Lego."

And often when he's out of bed he manages to smuggle toys into his bedroom.  He's pretty sneaky about it too.  One night, before I went to sleep, I went into the boys' room to check on them one last time.  Preston's pillow looked a little lumpy. I found this little stash hiding under it:

He cried when he woke up the next morning and his toys weren't there anymore.

Touchdown!

(I'm almost caught up.  Really.)

In a moment of insanity I let Dan sign Tyson up for two sports in the same season.

(actually, Dan signed him up on impulse without even mentioning it to me. . . or Tyson.)

I got mad at Dan for overscheduling my life without even checking with me first. 

Soccer practices, soccer games, football practices, football games every week

"Don't worry!" he said, "I will take him to every practice and every game."

"Yeah right," I said.

"I have to because I'm the coach."

Tyson had fun. 

Dan had fun. 

Preston enjoyed playing on the playground near the field.

Nolan was intensely jealous of Tyson.  He wanted to be on the field too.

I kept Nolan happy by playing catch with him on the sidelines.



Photo by SportsPix Utah




Photo by Sport Pix Utah