Naughty

Camden takes me to both extremes, one of those being a lot more than I'd like.

This morning I went upstairs for the third time since breakfast to give Jace a quick bath because...because there was another explosion(we've been fighting the flu around here).

When Camden came running upstairs so excited to show me his "pretty colors" I about had a meltdown. I knew there was no paper downstairs, and quickly remembered where I had left the church bag which contained crayons.

He had drawn all over the back window(luckily only on the window and only with white and yellow), and needed reassurance of how "beautiful" it was.

I saw visions of an abusive mother over something that could easily be fixed. I counted to ten(something my mom always did that I made fun of), told him how beautiful his art would be, if only on paper, gave him a rag and put him to work.

I had to leave the room because he was making more of a mess trying to clean the darn "artwork" up while saying, "I sorry" over and over.

Merry Christmas

Dan's family had the tradition of getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve, so we started it this year.

Not my favorite choice of jammies, but they match and they're new...so I guess they work!

Camden woke me up around 2:45 saying, "Santa Claus is coming to town Mama". I quickly responded with, "only if you go back to sleep". It worked.

Around 7:30am Camden woke up and got to check out his stocking. He was more than satisfied that Santa listened to his request for snacks!

Jace woke up around 9:30am and we made a mad rush to the tree. He too was more than satisfied that his request to play in a mess of wrapping paper and boxes was filled.

Santa, you done good this year!

O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees,

O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our Friend!

He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.

Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Christ is the Lord!

O praise His name forever!

His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Playing Hookie

Last night started like every other night around here. Jace fell right to sleep and Camden cried for an hour before caving. It wasn't until about 3am when Camden came into our bedroom in tears(nothing unusual). I tried calming him down before he told me he needed to throw up! We rushed into the bathroom and the fun began. This only lasted for about 3 hours and we've been pretty good since.

You can imagine his excitement when I told him he could have a popsicle(pedialyte) for breakfast. He thought he had died and gone to heaven.

Now Jace is napping, Camden is laying on the couch watching Monsters Inc, and I'm crossing my fingers nobody else gets hit with the bug!

Calling in sick to work isn't as fun as it used to be.

HO HO HO

We ventured our way to the ward party last night and had a blast. In years past it has been for adults only and we never made it. This year the kids were invited. They served pizza and salad, let the kids decorate sugar cookies, and had a surprise visitor!

I was pleasantly surprised with how well my kids did on the jolly man's lap! Jace was determined to find out if this Santa was a fake or not by pulling at his beard. He never got the beard off, he must have been the real deal!

A Little Trick

Oh to be a fly on the wall.

I made a trip to the doctor's office today. Why is it that the only available appointments fall during naptime, which then turns into lunch time, which ultimately spells disaster.

I needed to be there, so I went with two kids in tow. I arrived to a waiting room full of nasty people(rude I know, but the truth). Luckily Camden only had two meltdowns before they called us back. Back in the next waiting room that is. This is the room where they handed me 8, count them, 8 pages of paperwork. Are you kidding?

And the madness begins. I need to fill out the paperwork but I'm afraid to put Jace on the filthy floor, so I opt to hold him. Well that makes a hungry and tired Camden jealous. And his jealously turns into a flat out rage. I continue filling out the paperwork while Camden is hitting his head against the wall, biting my legs, screaming, growling, hitting Jace, hitting me, tearing the magazines up and throwing them around the room...etc. Trying not to loose my cool, or my children for that matter, I finish 7 pages and have myself meltdown when the doctor comes in asking if I'd finished yet(you know she came in to make sure I wasn't killing my son). She tried hard beating around the bush to see if I had any concerns or questions about how to care for children. So in my crying, sweating, embarrassed rage I said; "Are you asking me if I want to beat my kids?" She shrugged her shoulders a bit in fear and said, "Yes." So I quickly explained if I'm not out of here in the next five minutes I might.

It worked. We were out in a flash. I need to remember that trick for next time.

And in case you're wondering...Dan took Camden to the driving range and Jace is napping. I'm now in a happy place!

Boat Parade

Christmas in Arizona is different. But good. Instead of making snowmen and drinking hot cocoa, we head down to the lake.

They have an annual boat parade and we decided to be festive this year and check it out. Really the only lights we saw were the awesome light up swords these two had.

The set up wasn't the greatest, and it was our first year so we didn't know the tricks. Dan held Camden on his shoulders for a while but Camden was more interested in his own sword than the lights on the boats.

Next year I think we'll find ourselves up on the bridge to enjoy the view!

Blink Of An Eye

It's crazy to me how quickly life unfolds before your eyes. It feels like just yesterday when I carried you home from the hospital.

and today you are clapping your hands....

slow down please.

The Kick Off

To kick off this holiday season we headed down to Mill Avenue for the annual "Parade of Lights".

We got there a little early to grab a good seat and a bite to eat. Which was a good thing because it got crazy crowded. It worked out perfect going with friends so the kids could run around and entertain each other and the adults could sit and chat.

How fun to go to a Christmas parade in just a jacket, no scarf or beanie!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

Dan's favorite holiday is thanksgiving. He loves it because there is no pressure to give or receive any gifts. He says this is the one holiday you can just enjoy. When he first told me it was his favorite holiday I thought he was weird. But after the reasoning behind it, I was sorta embarrassed I didn't think of that myself. Although mashed potatoes and gravy are top on his list of things to eat, I doubt that has anything to do with it. He's just sweet, right?

I was scheduled to work that morning, but surprisingly got put on call and was able to attend dinner at our friends house. While driving to dinner we asked Camden what he was thankful for. I was positive he'd say, "the best parents in the world", but was just as happy with "dinosaurs...T-Rex dinosaurs".

Both Dan and I feel so blessed to have such great friends that take us in during the holidays. But there is something special about spending Thanksgiving with your family. I missed that! I'm hopeful that someday we will live closer to our family, and our kids can enjoy the mass chaos like I did growing up.

Say What?

Q: Hey Camden, what animal is that?

A: HippoDApotamus

Q:Hey Camden, what show do you wanna watch?

A: Mickey DA Mouse

Q: Hey Camden, what's Jace's favorite game?

A: Peek aDA boo

It's Magic

Last week this big guy went to bed with 3 teeth and woke up doubling that amount.

He now sports his 4 top front teeth and 2 front bottom. I may or may not have shed a tear or two because this makes him look grown up. He melts my heart.

Happy Birthday Old Man

Old age is like everything else, to make a success of it you've got to start young.

WWYD

What do you say to your new-ish neighbor whose innocent daughter leaves things like this on your house?
Yes, the same daughter who has walked into your house uninvited multiple times, and asked why you're yelling. Or why your son made a mess in YOUR house.

The same daughter who runs around unsupervised all day, everyday.

The same daughter who yelled, "We're not home" as you knocked on their door for the 5th time that night.

The same daughter whose mom pretends to be on her phone EVERY time she is outside the same time as you.

The same daughter whose mom you uncomfortably saw in the car with her boyfriend...kissing.

The same daughter and mom who won't answer the door when you knock!

Tell me...what would you do?

FHE

Last week as I was leaving with my Young Women, Camden asked where I was going. I told him we were going to the temple and he quickly responded with, "I go to temple. See Prophet".

I don't remember sitting down with Camden and talking about the temple. I recently told him about the prophet during General Conference. I guess it's just hitting me that he retains more than I think he does. Sometimes I forget how smart he is and then he says something like that. I guess you could say I had an "ah ha" moment and realized the importance of teaching him, especially while he is young. He gets it.

So tonight we had FHE. We learned about and went to see the temple. While driving over to see it we sang, "I Love To See The Temple". One of the lines in that song says, "... For the temple is a HOLY PLACE..." and after he heard that he kept saying, "holy place" over and over.

Thanks for reminding mom of the importance of FHE and learning good things!

6 Months

I finally got around to taking Jace Man in for his 6 month check up. He weighed in at a whopping 20lbs 1oz and is 28 3/4in tall. His head is the perfect size measuring 44cm around.

He eats like a champ downing 1-2 jars of baby food 3 times a day, followed by 6-8oz of formula to wash it down. He was taking 2 naps a day, but lately finds himself napping for 1-2 hours only once a day. Which leads to one exhausted baby come bedtime. But seeing how he sleeps from 7pm to 7 or 8am, I'm totally fine with that.

He's very even tempered and entertains himself really well. His latest obsession is hearing himself happy scream for the heck of it. He and Camden(ok I might join in every now and again) take turns yelling back and forth to see who is louder. It's pretty funny!

His hair gets a fair amount of comments, and has since day one. He has had several snips around the ears where his hair grows into wings, but other than that I'm just not ready to cut it.

I love how interactive he has become. He looks when you walk in or out of the room, his eyes light up when he sees you(especially his brother). He laughs all the time and smiles even more. He has been such an easy baby.

He loves this new sense of freedom which comes from sitting up. He moves all over the places by rolling around and I often find him doing "push-ups". Okay maybe not push-ups, but he holds his entire body above the ground by pushing himself up using just his hands and toes. It's incredible, I'm dying to get it on camera. He loves his bouncer and standing up while you hold his hands. He is one tough cookie.

He has several teeth wanting to break through, but most recently acquired his third on the top right. It just might be the cutest darn snaggle tooth I've ever seen.

He is getting so big, so fast!

Unanswered

Back in July we were told Camden had sleep apnea. In August we had his tonsils removed to clear up the obstructive part. In October we went back for his follow up sleep study. These results showed he still has central sleep apnea, which is basically were the brain forgets to tell the body to breath.

After following the advise of two different doctors, I drove two tired boys(and a mom for that matter) 35 minutes to see the only "sleep specialist" in Arizona. Before the doctor even sat down, or shook my hand, or introduced himself, he told me there was nothing he could do for Camden. It took everything I had inside of me to stay sitting in his office and not walk away right then demanding my money back. After a grueling 10 minutes I left even more frustrated than before stepping foot in that office.

The specialist took my money and far too much of my time, just to tell me Camden's sleep study results were abnormal. The results clearly stated Camden had 12 central events and 132 spontaneous arousal's in 8 hours of sleep. I didn't need him to tell me that was abnormal, I'm aware. Afterall, I'm the one getting up with him 5+ times every night for the last year and a half! That's what they taught you in school? You definitely got your money's worth, you should be proud.

After leaving his office almost in tears because of my frustration, I called my pediatrician. I asked him if I was pushing an issue that didn't need pushing. My son is a normal, healthy 2 year old, and I never would have taken him to a specialist had I not had this sleep study in the first place. But because he needed his tonsils out, and the insurance needed a sleep study to prove that, here we are. My pediatrician was just as frustrated as I was. He was at a loss for words. He told me he would talk with a few neurologists and pulmonologist and together with our ENT figure something out.

This is one of the many parts of parenting that was in fine print when I signed up.

I'm not looking for a grim diagnosis. I'm looking for an answer other than "your son is a pain", as to why his study was abnormal. If I drove a car with a problem I could fix, I would. If Camden has a problem that can be fixed, I want to know how. If it can't be fixed, why not? Will it go away on it's own? Is it something neurological?

I have a few questions that need answering and then I'll be fine. I'm anxious to hear from the pediatrician.

YWIE

This past month has flown by as I've been busy with different things for my calling in Young Women's. We just recently had our Evening of Excellence.

Seeing how I'm pretty good about stalking other YW leaders blogs for ideas, I thought I'd be nice and share what we came up with(it is a compilation of a few different ideas).

The theme was "Seeds of Excellence". About a month before the event we gave each of the girls their own terracotta pot with a letter describing how they were to present what they worked on this past year. We asked that they come up with one project or value experience they had completed and decorate their pot to represent that.

At one point during the program they each came up to present their finished pots. They all planted seeds in different YW values and it was evident they were proud of their accomplishments.

I'm all about simplifying! The girls pots were the decorations, I asked other people to speak, and Basha's made these awesome sugar cookies to go milk for refreshments. I think it was a success!

Craziest Place On Earth

If you know me at all, you know going to Costco on a Saturday(or any day for that matter) gives me anxiety.  So you can only imagine my feelings when we were asked(if you can call it asking) to go to Disneyland with our pals. But thanks to a little blue "thing" I now call "my friend"(wink wink), I was able to make it through two days off the craziest place on Earth, and actually enjoy myself.

Camden was in heaven! Disneyland was truly magically though his eyes!

Constant entertainment, good food/treats, and even better friends!

Even Jace,teething and cursed with the yucky croup, enjoyed himself!

The highlight of our trip had to be when Camden met Minnie Mouse.  He was ecstatic, and still talks about that hug.  I'm pretty sure he has a crush!

Not only did Ya Ya make this trip possible for us, she hooked us up with tickets to the Trick or Treat party after the park closed. 

We had a blast you guys, thanks for the invite!

Mission Accomplished

I think he's potty trained! He knows when he needs to go and most of the time he does it on his own. Now if only I could teach him how to wipe correctly. The other day I was one the phone and he came up and sat on my lap. When the phone call ended and I stood up, what did I find on my light colored pants? Yup, a smear from you know where. I didn't even know he had just gone potty. Oops!

Each time he had success in the potty we had a mini celebration. Now that he has success all the time(I say that lightly), how do I keep him from celebrating in public restrooms when I go? I'm pretty sure the rest of the world doesn't care if I went poo poo or pee pee. Or as Camden often says in a scary monster voice, "a big big big poo poo".

You're next Jace!

PROP 8

One of the reasons all kids deserve a dad...

Only a dad would blow up an entire package of balloons while their child took a nap...just because!

One of the reasons all kids deserve a mom...

Only a mom would deflate all the balloons while the aforementioned kid took another nap...just to vacuum.

5 Months

Jace is 5 months old today(note to self-only 4 more months to loose baby weight). He is such a joy and such a good baby. He has the appetite of a teenage boy. We recently started feeding him baby food and he has downed it like a champ. He will eat two cans of food and then take a full 6-8 ounces of formula! If he keep this up he will definitely out weigh his brother in no time!

He is happy most all of the time and is easily entertained. He loves having a toy in his hand and will protest if it's taken away. He loves his bouncer and enjoys feeling a part of things while sitting up in the bumbo.

He usually takes two 1-2 hour naps throughout the day with an occasional cat nap here and there. He loves to be snuggled and gets plenty of it. He loves a binky and blanket to put him to sleep and is a champion at night. His hair is a must and always sticking up in the back. He is obsessed with Camden and laughs his hardest for him. He has mastered rolling all over the place and is working on putting his own binky in his mouth(he often settles for his thumb). We are so lucky to have him in our family!

Potty Time

Out of the blue, several weeks ago, Camden decided to pee in a bucket he uses at bath time. I gave him all sorts of applause and so this continued. I deemed it a problem when he started carrying the bucket around the house wanting to pee in it all day, meanwhile splashing the pee all over. With excitement I took Camden to the store and invested in one of those little potty's I swore I'd never buy. I was foolish enough to think he would love it and no longer want diapers.

Obviously it didn't work out the way I had planned because he was terrified of the stupid thing, not to mention even more terrified of the regular toilet. So I decided he wasn't ready. I kept it out just in case he changed his mind. I often found myself holding his baby "Eddie" on it while secretly pouring water in the bottom as if he peed. I wanted Camden to like the potty, and if he saw his baby liked it, why wouldn't he?

That didn't work either. Until...Saturday Camden woke up and asked to sit on the potty. I took off his diaper and sat him down not expecting anything but tears. What I got was so much better...a good amount of pee and a skid mark on the seat. We called Daddy, Nanny, and Uncle Caleb to tell them the good news. I made such a big deal out of it but deep down tried not to get my hopes up. He asked to sit on the potty a few more times that day so I ran with it. I went out and bought underwear and a dinosaur.

The next morning I left him in the buff and placed the dinosaur in plain site on top of the fridge. I told him he could have it if he went poop. He whined for a good couple hours about the dinosaur so I knew he REALLY wanted it. It was 5 minutes before I was to be heading out the door for church that he decided to go. And he really did go, a "big big poop in the potty" as he called it. So we had a huge celebration which included candy, dancing, singing, high fives, dinosaurs, running around in circles, and jumping up and down while rushing out the door.

So in all his glory...Meet "Dino"(said in a scary voice).

Needless to say I am all over this. We spent most of our day doing things like this in the nude, all while drinking lots to from a cup(goodbye sippy).

We even braved an outing to the store in underwear. What could be so important you ask? I promised him another dinosaur if he went poop. And lucky for both of us, he delivered. I didn't want to go back on a promise and have him stick it to the man. If buying all the dino's the store had left(at the dollar spot) means no more diapers, bring it on. I'm proud to say we had no catastrophes while strolling through Target. But we did go to the bathroom three times during the twenty minutes we were there.

I guess it's official, we're potty training. I even called the babysitter and she's game. Should I consider myself lucky to be working the next two days? Thank goodness for Dad's and babysitters(wink wink)!

Dear Baby Jace

Tonight as I sat in the rocking chair trying to get you and your brother to fall asleep, I had "one of those moments"! Camden was in bed whispering prayers over and over in an attempt to not fall asleep. I had my head back against the chair resting with my eyes closed and you in my arms. You had just fallen asleep when all of a sudden you decided something was funny. You let out the sweetest laugh all while keeping your eyes closed. Something really got you going because it continued for a while. Even Camden said, "Jace Man funny".

You have brought so much JOY into our home. I am overwhelmed with the amount of LOVE I have for you. Thank you for being such a GOOD and HAPPY baby, you truly make being a mom easy!

I love you Jacers!

Turning A Corner

I've been out of the blogging scene for far too long and have been sick and tired even longer than that. But this week marks a turning point in our sick and tiredness. Camden and Jace both slept through the night!!! This is monumental folks. I honestly don't remember the last time that has happened; this in itself is a miracle.

We have seen such a difference in Camden's sleeping patterns since having his tonsils and adenoids out. He asks to lay down for a nap and for the most part, wakes up happy. And the biggest thing I've noticed is he isn't falling asleep everytime he sits down for more than a couple minutes. A Christmas miracle I tell ya!

Jace is starting to take better naps during the day. He has always been so chill and never needed much attention. Lately he has become a wee bit fussier(really not bad) and so I felt like he needed a better nap. For the past two days he has done just that. He has taken a two hour naps two days in a row. WOW.

Dan and I both took our last pill for the pneumonia yesterday, it feels good to be done. Those pills made my tummy rumble and my face fat. We have both noticed a huge difference in how we feel, less congestion and the cough is almost non-existent. Yeah for a kind and wise doctor.

About two months before I delivered Jace my ears filled with fluid and I couldn't hear. I felt like I was living with my head in a bubble of water. It drove me nuts. To make a long story short I couldn't find an ENT that would treat me, or even see me, because I was pregnant(don't get me started). So after delivering Jace and demanding a referral from my PCP I finally got seen by an ENT. Evidently I had fluid overload from my pregnancy(no duh), and because the fluid never drained I received a fungal and staph infection. I was treated, and went on my way.

Until a couple weeks ago when the same feeling came back, and I was living in a bubble again. Only this time it was coupled with severe vertigo. So to make another long story short, on Monday I went to the ENT and had a hole cut in both eardrums to drain the fluid. My eardrums feel a little numb and ache from time to time, but I can hear things I never knew made noise. Very weird. The vertigo still comes and goes but I'm hopeful that will resolve once my eardrums have healed.

I love this corner we've turned, things look brighter over on this side!

PAPA

This is my Papa. He has always had a white beard for as long as I can remember. Every year he dresses up as Santa and doesn't need a fake beard. His is perfect!

This is Camden wearing a Santa bib. This bib has been hanging around our house this past year on random stuffed animals. Dan pointed at the bib which happened to be on a Monkey at the time and asked Camden what it was. Dan was expecting him to say Santa but he responded with "Papa".

I love that Camden knows his Papa is Santa!