TIME OUT

The boy is just like any other little boy... he gets into trouble from time to time.  I used to do a 1-2-3 count to give him some time to stop being naughty, but since he has learned to count that has lost all effectiveness as he counts along with me.  I'm kind of doing a trial and error approach now, but not sure what exactly is sticking yet.  Time out has always been my last resort, putting the boy in his room to chill out and reset from whatever raging tantrum he has going on.  His door handle has a child proof cover on it to keep him in, and he usually gets the message within 2 minutes that it's time to cut the crap and behave so we can play and have fun again.

Today started out rough for the kid getting up wanting cookies for breakfast, but finally settling for a protein drink instead.  It was rough trying to change the diaper, and after that anything I needed him to do or to eat was met with a big screaming "NO!".  I had it with the grumpiness and I wanted to reset his day by giving him a bath - usually works after some wrestling to get his clothes and diaper off and throwing him in the tub.  Today he was NOT having it.  Fastest bath that boy has ever had - in and out (scrubbed) in I think 3 minutes.  Getting dressed was a fight as well - my reset plan had been foiled.  I tried almost everything to get him to chill out and nothing was working.  So, I decided to just walk away - let him have his freak-out over whatever was bothering him and I go do the things I needed to do.  I go up to the bathroom to clean up the mess and water from the bath experience of the day when he comes upstairs and says "mommy come here, this way" and proceeds to push me into his room and into the reading chair and says "time out" and shuts the door.  As I laughed and laughed that I was his problem, the thought "I am in serious trouble with this one" went through my mind.

And oh, I am....

Moving on...

Yes, the title of this blog is correctly written - we are moving AGAIN.  But this time, it will be far more permanent than any of our other moves because we are actually PURCHASING a house of our very own!  Oh it is about dang time we did this, too!

For the last year, we have known that Rock Springs wasn't our forever home (hell, we knew that coming here), and with our last move in March 2012, we started talking about where we would want to live and researching employment and housing in different areas.  This was not an easy feat for us to agree on, as we both wanted very different things in WHERE we would live.  I grew up in a CITY - a large metropolis area with multiple options of things to do, eat, experience... Brandon grew up in Rexburg - the antithesis of where I grew up.  We both wanted to live somewhere that was similar to where we grew up.

So we talked about Texas, Colorado, Idaho (shudder), and Utah...

never underestimate how smart your kid is...

I underestimated if Jack could figure out how to open the baby powder...

the white shoe in this pic isn't a white shoe...

Pumpkins!!!

'Tis the season for pumpkins!

I love the fall!  Just a little cold, enough for a light jacket and a sweater with some comfy boots, leaves falling all around, and cold nights to cuddle up under a big blanket.  (as I write this, it's snowing outside - enough to cover everything... goodbye fall)

And of course, it's pumpkin hunting time!

Daddy's truck

SO MUCH FUN

For the past week, Jack has had the sniffles with a cough... we were stuck inside Monday and Tuesday snuggling and watching Toy Story over and over and over again.  So Wednesday I couldn't take it anymore - after nap time, we headed out.  He still was acting a bit sick, so I hunted out a park where there were no kids (turns out to be not so hard with school in session) so I wouldn't feel bad about thinking that Jack was probably getting some other kid sick.  We found one that he could manage, so I could cheer him on from the shady grass.  While we were there, Brandon gave me a call to let me know he would be loading his truck up near by and we should come say hi.

Jack was so excited to see his daddy and see all the trucks and railroad cars (frac sand is brought in by rail car and then loaded onto trucks that haul it out to the fracing sights).  And Brandon got Jack into the truck and he had SO MUCH FUN.  So much fun that he crashed on the way home for a SECOND nap!  I want to do this EVERY DAY.

while Brandon was loading the truck, Jack could see him in the side mirrors.

A non-update post...

I know that I usually post about all things Jack, and sometimes things that are going on with the hubs and I... But this post is going to be different - this is mostly going to be some of somethings knocking around my head as of late... and I need to put it OUT there, not just written in my personal journal.  I haven't been sleeping well lately.  Actually, I never really have a good nights rest, but it's been particularly restless as of late.  I really wish I could be zonked out in my bed right now, but the mind will not be silent even with a dose of Tylenol PM (which makes me REALLY hope this will all make sense in the end).

To start off with, I'm politically aware during this awesome election year (please note the sarcasm), and I've tried to keep to myself the things that I differ with many who I am acquainted with, because well... I'm a little lazy about it to tell you the truth.  If those who differ with me have the energy to post things on Facebook or a blog that are against my views, belittling to my beliefs, or most of all mean, how likely are they to be swayed by a comment by me that they decipher (no matter how eloquently it might be put) as saying that I don't know what I'm talking about.  I've got better things to focus my energy on that I really have a day-to-day effect on... like raising my kid, being a good wife to my husband, a good daughter/in-law and sister/in-law to my family, and being a good friend.  With Mitt Romney being the same faith as I am, a LOT of attention has been brought to the LDS religion.  It's been awesome at times - when people find out that I'm Mormon I don't have to correct them from thinking I said moron, or that I have to go into a lengthy discussion about what my religion is about ALL the time (I get winded... there's a lot to it).  It has been HORRIBLE in the fact that the things that I hold most sacred to me - the things that I treat with the utmost respect, reverence, and approach with complete humility - are being ridiculed, belittled, and trampled on.  It hurts my heart.  Literally.

I was born and raised in the San Francisco bay area on the south side of San Jose.  An area that is not predominately LDS, nor was there a dominant religion during the 80s and 90s when I lived there.  I was raised by parents who converted to the religion in their late 20's, and both researched the LDS faith thoroughly before joining.  I grew up learning about different faiths and had many friends who I don't think even knew (or cared) what religion I was, and I reciprocated not knowing (or caring) what theirs was (having too much fun doing ANYTHING else).  I was taught to live with acceptance of others - my parents were (and still are) wonderful examples of this. I am always taken aback when someone who I know and consider a friend or acquaintance doesn't have the same respect of me.  I have friends where we have agreed to disagree, and value and respect each other more than being "right" about something.  And not to sound like I'm TOO perfect in this area, I have made flippant remarks, been uniformed about something I talked about, and I've offended people.... many times. (I'm very lucky to know people who recognize that I am a human being and make mistakes, and forgive me of them when I apologize.)

I'm having a hard time sitting here tolerating what others are saying so mean spiritedly and hurtful.

Birfdays and....

 

This handsome boy has officially turned TWO!

It is crazy - I'm having a hard time believing that it's been two years since this little guy stole my heart.  He hasn't gone into full "terrible two" syndrome that I can tell... Sure we have our occasional melt down in the middle of the grocery store, park, church, mall, play date, side walk, parking lot, nap time, and bedtime...but lucky for me they are (SO FAR) short bursts and easily extinguished by showing him something cool or shiny or more interesting than throwing a fit.  So far, it's been working and I'm not looking forward to the day that it doesn't.  'Cause really - he is his mother's son... it will NOT last :)