Boring "journal" post

We're looking forward to better times because last week was mostly crummy. It started last Sunday evening when I took Ezra to the "bedtime and weekend" doctor. I got there at 8:30 and didn't get home until just after 11:30 p.m! He had an eye infection and tested positive for influenza B. I wonder if it was a false positive because he was vaccinated for that and had his booster only two days before. I don't know enough about how that works though, so I'll probably never know. I was really having a tough time so thank goodness my mom was willing to drive up and help. Justin has been working around 60 hours per week, so it was nice to have someone around. It was one of those situations where I was already feeling overwhelmed and then throw in a couple sleepless nights and sickness and it was too much. The week was filled with eye drops, Tamiflu, movies, and rocking the baby. Nolan seems to be the only one that hasn't gotten sick (except for the eye infection). My mom did some cooking, cleaning, and it was wonderful to have another adult to talk to. My dad was also up working on the basement. They've gone home now and we're starting to feel better. I have one of those coughs that might hang on a while, but hopefully we'll all be feeling good soon.
Here are some pictures from the last two weeks. Ezra's hair is really getting thick and fuzzy. He might need a trim soon, but for now I'm loving the sweet fuzzy look. And it seems that Ez might love electronics as much as the other boys in the family. It was bound to happen.

Interprative Dancing

On the night of Nolan's third birthday, he somehow managed to start music playing on the computer. He was pleased with himself and started dancing. We got the video camera out and began trying different genres of music to see how his style would change. He can really feel the mood! It's a little long, so this video kind of fits into the category of "for the grandparents."



After a bump on the head and all that dancing, he was sufficiently worn out for bed time.

Three-year-old Baby Boy

That's Nolan. He's 3 today! He's changed just a bit since then. I think Justin and I would both agree that his birthday 3 years ago was the best day of our lives. I sure love Nolan and his larger-than-life personality. We had a little party last night with his cousins, Ryan and Kendyll, Aunt Lacey, and Uncle Rob. He was in heaven with his fire truck cake (that took all afternoon to make), new Legos, a new backpack, and a cool potty seat! Hope you have another great year, Nolan!

Nolan threatened all afternoon to "just have a taste" of his fire truck cake. Ezra simply wanted a taste of his socks..

Did I already mention that my other baby is 8.5 months old? He has officially started scooting and he's generally happier about life nowadays.

Are YOU a Good Wife?

The following (I've typed it up in blue) is taken from a 1950's home economics textbook teaching high school girls how to prepare for married life. It also appeared in Housekeeping Monthly in 1955. It's too bad Justin wasn't born in that era - he might have had a more good-natured wife!

1) Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and car concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Pancakes count, right? I think long and hard about my pancakes.

2)Prepare youself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Make-up? What make-up? He may have spent the day with work-weary people but that's nothing compared to the long evening he'll have with his grouchy wife!

3)Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

I ran out of gay and interesting a long time ago.

4)Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip trough the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

It's gonna take WAY more than a dustcloth, baby!

5)During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Yes, seeing him relaxing comfortably while I cook, clean, and take care of screaming children provides immense personal satisfaction. I'm sure you all feel the same, naturally.

6)Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

"Kids - Daddy is coming! Now you can cry all you want!"

7)Be happy to see him.

Okay, joking aside, it really is good to see him come home. But that might be because it's such a relief to have some help!

8)Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Justin would probably say that my smile probably conveys this message, "I'm not sure we did the right thing having children." (That's sarcasm, people. I love my kids.)

9)Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Yeah, talking about our offspring is of little importance.

10)Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

What, "this house is a disaster!" isn't an appropriate greeting?

11)Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

I do complain when he's late for dinner, but why? He's the one that eats cold food. And staying out all night is totally fine, too. And hey, I won't even ask you about it, either! (see #14)

12)Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Every man's dream: his wife lying him down in the bedroom. Say. no. more.

13)Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing, and pleasant voice.

My voice is always naturally soothing and pleasant. Why would I ever be shrill?

14)Don't ask him questions about his actions or questions his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

I'm not going to touch that one.

15)A good wife always knows her place.

Yep... at Wal-Mart, the stove, the diaper station, the sink, the vacuum, ....

Hope you had as much fun reading that as I did! Sorry, honey, but I'm afraid I've got a long way to go!

The Daily Grind

Lately it seems like I'm surviving the day just so I can make it to bedtime and get some more rest. These kids wear me out! It's amazing how much work it is to care for two boys under the age of three. I'm sure there are people out there thinking, "You have it easy." Well, it many ways I do, but these kids are all that I can handle. Nolan's little brain never stops asking questions all day, and it makes my mind tired just trying to explain everything in this world. Half of the time I don't know the answer and have to make something up. Some day he'll realize that his mom isn't as smart as he thought. But for now, I'm faking it.

Ezra has learned how to shriek. Loud. Not necessarily because he's angry, although much of the time he is. I'm actually excited for him to crawl. I never thought I'd say that, but I think he'd be happier if he could get around. I thought he was starting to scoot two weeks ago... it was a false alarm. He is, hoever, officially sitting up! He is definitely starting to have more and more personality every day. Of course, he still refuses a bottle or sippy cup so the longest I've been away from him is four hours. He's growing up though and I'm trying to enjoy this baby stage. But anyway, I can't believe the time it takes to mother these kiddos. There's spoon feeding Ez 3 to 4 times a day, nursing him 5 to 6 times a day, bathing, diapering, remembering to medicate his eczema (which has really flared up), and making sure to rotate the toys in his immediate vacinity so that he doesn't get bored. And then on top of all of that, I'm supposed to keep a clean house, make healthy food, and be a good Young Women's secretary. And it's always good if I can do these things in a calm, loving way and be a sweet wife. Yeah, not really happening. It's an interesting sort of busy that I am. Not the running around, stressed out kind. It's the kind where I feel like I can't hardly leave the house. It's the kind where I'm taking care of everyone and feel like I've lost myself. Someday I'll take up a hobby again, or at least start a book. For now I'll try to enjoy these sweet boys!

Here's a quick list of some of the things we've been doing:

1) Making progress on the basement. Two new walls are framed and we moved our load-bearing wall successfully. That was frightening because at one point my Dad said, "Well, maybe we should have moved the piano in case the floor gives way." And at another point he said, "If something happens, I'm running to get Ezra out of his crib safely." It was nice that none of those things happened.

2) We saw Avatar in 3-D at the IMAX. I was skeptical about all the hype, but it really was something! That was the longest I had been away from the kids in 8 months. Thanks to Grandma K for watching the boys.

3) We attended a friend's wedding where they had a small ice skating rink. The skates were too big for Nolan so he slid around on his shoes. Justin and I acted out all the great pairs skating moves from the Olympics, including grabbing onto our skates to get extra points. Okay, we weren't actually wearing skates either. Fun time.

4) Spent several hours at the Living Planet Aquarium. Turns out Ezra really loves fish. We'll spending more time there since we invested in memberships.

5) Nolan has discovered a love for painting. He sat for over an hour painting a boat, and the next day begged to paint a wooden snake. I love Michaels craft store for selling these cheap kits.

6) Nolan removes the couch cushions to make a crude fort. He loves it when I get blankets out to make a deluxe fort, that usually falls over in 15 minutes. Maybe it's not that deluxe.

I love...

In honor of Valentine's Day (okay, a little late) I thought I'd share some of Nolan's recent thoughts. Last night, at dinner, he started listing what he loves. He came up with this on his own. Here is what he said, "I love beans, cheese, hot cocoa, candy sticks, and lemonade. And mommy, and daddy, shoulders, faces, and silly faces, valves, computers, and some books and some scriptures. And eyes. I love those things every day." That's a lot to love, Nolan.

We went to see Dear John for Valentine's Day. My parents were in town so they watched the boys. It was really good to see a movie... we hardly ever make it to the theater. I really enjoyed the show, too. For President's Day, Justin took Nolan to see The Princess and the Frog at the dollar movie. It was his first time. It went well except about 3/4 through he turned to Justin and said, "We can go now. We can." They made it through and I enjoyed shopping at Target with Ezra.

Speaking of Ez, he is 8 months old tomorrow. He's been pretty difficult and downright cranky. When he's not fussying, he is pretty serious, reserving his smiles mostly for Nolan. When he does smile though, it lights up the whole room! He is just starting to scoot, but it is slow going. I've been glad that he was a late bloomer compared to Nolan, but I think he'll be happier when he can get around better. He gets pretty bored just laying and rolling to and fro. I managed to get a few grins... he really is a little charmer!

Today we spent some time at the Children's Museum at The Gateway. It's always nice when friends invite us using their season pass. Thank you! Nolan loves the whole place, and Ezra's happiest moment was when Nolan sat down on him. He sure loves his big brother! It was fun to have lunch afterward. We all had corndogs or pizza... I guess we're all kids, really!

Winter is starting to feel long. We haven't had snow since December so we don't even have that to play in! Bummer. But the sun has been out, so that's nice. And the Vancouver Winter Olympics have been fun to watch. Every time I get feeling cooped up or bored with the daily grind, I think about the people and children who survived the earthquake in Haiti. I wish there was more I could do to help. We have so much to be grateful for!

"I'm a worker now!"

Justin and Nolan had a great time at their first Home Depot Kid's Workshop. Nolan got his own apron and when the project was complete, he received a pin with a picture of what he had made and a certificate. The pictures tell it all. What joy! Justin said that he captured that expression of surprise as he turned the project around and saw what it was. It was like he was thinking, "Whoa, I made that?!" After they were done, they went to Wal-Mart where Nolan stored fruits and vegetables in his new apron. I only wish it had taken longer!

If any of you are interested, there's a sign-up sheet at Home Depot for the 1st Saturday of every month. Next month's project is a rain guage that looks like a birdhouse. It's totally free; you can go any time between 9 and noon. It took about 45 minutes. Justin said there were lots of girls and moms, too. I told Justin that I'd like to take Nolan some time and he said, "Uh, no. It's a daddy thing." ;-)

If you aren't watching Modern Family and The Middle you are really missing out! I soooo look forward to Wednesday nights. It might be the hardest I laugh all week. This clip is when their daughter brings her first boyfriend to the house for the first time. I'm not sure why some of the video on the right side is cut off, but you won't miss anything.

Fire Station

We had a great Playgroup at the fire station. Nolan was in heaven! Before going, he kept saying, "I'm going to ask to push the dangerous buttons." I think he was talking about the siren. Sure enough, he did ask. We didn't get to hear the siren (too loud for the garage) but plenty of lights and climbing around in the engine made him so happy. The firemen were so sweet with the kids. Nolan loved seeing the pumps, valves, and the jaws of life. He was so happy that he even got to touch them all! At home we put his "tattoo" on his tummy (then we don't have to see it!). What a great time with his friends.

Good news: Ezra is happy again. For the past 3 nights he has slept 7 to 9 hours in a row. Heaven! It's nice that his teething caused him to completely wean himself from the binky. One less thing for me to worry about down the road.