Mad Men Yourself

So, it appears I have NOTHING better to blog about lately. I am stealing yet another fun find from Mindi's blog this time! It's a game centered around one of our ALL TIME favoritist T.V. shows, Mad Men. We are HUGE fans of this show over here. We just finished watching season two via Netflix and could NOT believe all that went on in those 12 short episodes. This show is just so brilliant and so well written and just captivating! It is definitely not for everyone, but I am just so intrigued with the whole idea of the 1960's being reinvented on the small screen. It is awesome! I enjoyed watching the episodes with the audio commentary of some of the creators talking about how they get their ideas and how they put the sets together etc. It is real intriguing stuff!
Anyway, I am so excited about the 3rd season starting up here in a few weeks. Can't wait to see how it is "all gonna go down" as they say! Since we are still in the thick of Mad Men, Steve and I could not resist messing around with this fun "promotional game" Mindi had linked on her blog. It's called, Mad Men Yourself, or in other words, create the perfect 1960's version of yourself. Here is my creation: (gotta love the donut)!

And here is Steve's: (he's got the donut too, seeings how neither of us drinks or smokes)! I think he is a little under dressed for Sterling Cooper, but that would explain why everyone is staring at him (and his 5:00 shadow)! Good stuff:)


Now it's your turn! Click here to play! It is way quick and fun and it beats trying to play "catch up" with all the stuff you really SHOULD be blogging!

If I had to do it over again. . .

I saw this on Tib's blog a couple of days ago and seeings how my boys have asked to watch it multiple times, I figure it is worth sharing. I can't remember how to post a You Tube video on my blog and I have no time to remember, so just click HERE. You will be glad you did! She titled her post, "If I had to do it over again. . ." I concur!

Two Months Already!?!

Brayden had his 2 month doctor appointment on Thursday. Here's how it all went down.

Eating well?

Check!


Sleeping good?

Check!

Social smiles?

Check!

At the appointment, Lewis, Conner and I wagered what we thought our baby weighs now. I guessed he would be at least 12 pounds, Conner guessed 13 and Lewis thought maybe 15! He weighed in at 12 pounds 10 ounces this time, so I guess Conner might be the winner there. He is in the 75th percentile for weight. He measured 23 inches long this time and that put him in the 95th percentile for height (he has grown three inches since birth!). His head circumference only put him in the 25th percentile (I don't recall the measurement) but his big, chubby cheeks round him out to perfect proportions!

I couldn't ask for a healthier, sweeter boy! He is finally coming into his own and getting used to this big, mean world. He is a CHAMPION sleeper and eater. I have been LOVING his nighttime routine. I'm usually able to get him in bed for the night by 9:00-9:30. Then, like clockwork, he wakes up around 2 a.m. for his nighttime meal. He is able to down the goods in less than 20 minutes and is back in bed before his eyes even open. He used to wake up again around 5 a.m., but the past couple of weeks, he has been stretching that out until around 6 or 6:30. He eats with his eyes closed again and keeps sleeping until around 8 or 8:30. I gotta say, I haven't been hating this routine!

His days are a little more haphazard still. I can't pin point a definite nap pattern yet. He IS calming down though, not fussing as much and doesn't seem so ANXIOUS to get out the door and GO somewhere like he was doing last month. He is more content to relax around the house and let us all stare at him and ooh and ahh at all the cute smiles and funny sounds he makes. I have to admit, last month, I was still totally exhausted from the round-the-clock feedings and trying to calm the fussies, that I sometimes panicked at the sound of his cry when he would wake from his twenty minute naps. It would throw me because I wasn't sure what he needed since he had just eaten twenty minutes prior! It was always such a guessing game and a little taxing. Now, he is able to nap for at least two hours at a time and he doesn't usually wake up crying. He lets us know he is awake with some cute little cooing sounds and when he sees one of us go in to get him, he seems content and calm and ready to play or whatever! It is so nice. I look forward to the times he will wake up now and sometimes while he is napping, I legitimately miss him!

 

He loves it when we all stand around and sing to him or tickle and kiss his neck.

He has been ENJOYING his baths each day (a nice step up from the screaming he used to do).

He has outgrown a lot of his sweet little newborn clothes. I had to pack away all of his 0-3 month stuff. He now fits into the 3-6 month size and wears size 2 diapers. He is definitely not a little, skinny boy. He is our "Chunky Monkey" and he is growing and changing by the second! Lately, he hasn't been needing to be bundled up quite so much, which is a relief since he is getting bigger and harder to pin down! He likes holding blankets and burp cloths up against his face and chewing on them. He smiles and coos when we give him something to snuggle with.

We love kissing, snuggling and squeezing every inch of this little boy! And, this month, he has given us even MORE JOY as we get to know his personality better. We are having so much fun with him :)

 

Random ?'s

Random ?'s

As of late, I have been putting a bit more energy into my blog and blogging in general. In doing so, I ran across a blog survey on my friend Lindsay's blog. To echo her sentiment, I was "pathetically flattered" that she would be interested in how I would fill out the survey (actually, she knows I am a sucker for peer pressure) AND, because she is such an AMAZING person, I figure the rest of my blogging friends will find it RIVETING reading as well. So, here it is. . .MY RANDOM QUESTIONS:

What is your current obsession? My new little baby is definitely my easy answer. I think about him night and day and day and night and can't seem to get enough of his baby sweetness.

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love? Milk. Especially when people just down a glass. It gives me the willies. I used to could handle a tiny bit of skim on my cereal (just enough to make it wet) but once I discovered soy milk, I wondered how I put up with choking down the cow's milk for so long? I just can't stand the thought of it. It is just very unpleasant to me. I am able to EAT milk when it takes on other forms, like cheese or ice cream, but very minimally. I am not a fan of dairy.

What are you wearing today? One of the only pair of pants that can house my big, cellulite infested bum and a favorite white shirt that covers my even more pathetic, flabby belly (what we put our bodies through for these little babies)!

What's for dinner? I actually cooked a WELL RECEIVED meal tonight (not easy to do with my picky Lewis ). Just a simple barbeque chicken recipe. It was pretty good I must say.

What would you eat for your last meal? Any meal prepared by my mom. She adds the love. Everything she makes is perfection! (I would LOVE for any ONE of my kids to say this about me someday. I have a LOT of work to do to get there.)

What's the last thing you bought? Some address labels from Staples. They ended up being the wrong size (I was dealing with a crying child while I was in there (and NO, it was NOT my baby Brayden crying, it was CONNER) so I was a touch distracted. Kind of a funny story actually: We were in the store all of ONE minute and Lewis took off somewhere. This threw Conner into near histerics. He is TERRIFIED of getting lost or of anyone in our family being seperated. The fact that Lewis wasn't RIGHT there was just too much and he was leaking crocodile tears. Although I think this is a sweet personality trait that he worries so much about his loved ones, this incident was ridiculous and I was SO embarrassed to be dealing with a seven-year-old cryer at the store. Of course, Lewis re-appeared right before I lined up at the check-out counter but by then, the entire store was staring at us. Anyway, I grabbed the wrong, dang labels and now my birth announcements will wait ONE MORE DAY before they get put into the mail! My baby is 2 months old and I am just BARELY sending out his announcement! I am awesome:)

What are you listening to right now? Some new tunes that I added to my playlist. I have neglected the darn playlist on this blog for so long. I finally added some songs and deleted some others yesterday. It is a work in progress though. There are a lot of good songs out there. I have been taking a liking to the Natasha Beddingfield one lately so I put that for #1.

What do you think of the person that tagged you? Lindsay Grantham. . .Love her, miss her. When I read her blog, I am reminded of how much she and I are alike (although, I think she might be a tad bit offended by that staement- we do kind of think the same about a lot of things) but she pulls off life so much better than I! She is way cooler than I'll EVA be. She has got it all figured out, that girl!

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? Not far from where I am right now! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE St. George and never want to leave, no matter HOW stinkin' hot it gets!

What is one of your hobbies? I'd have to say ORGANIZING. I feel like that is all I have been doing for the past few months. I had to completely re-organize my house to make room for our new little one and now I have to re-organize all of my teaching supplies in my preschool (to make room for all the CRAP I bought in the past two years for kindergarten). I know that "outside folk" must think the school districts supply all the classrooms, but really, honestly- we teachers end up forking over some big bucks to keep those classrooms ticking. I had NO idea how much I really bought until I had to bring it all home! Anyway, ORGANIZING- I love it! It's challenging to try to to make a small space function. I hate clutter. I am not a lover of junk lying around that is not being used. I love getting rid of stuff just as much (if not MORE than) as buying stuff, and organizing it all in the end makes me happy and content. I know, soooooo weird!

What are 3 things that annoy you most? I am still pretty hormonal right now, so the list of annoyances is longer than usual, but to narrow it down to the top three: 1) the never ending dust and debri that piles up day in and day out! 2) Sleep deprivation 3) Annoying sounds, like nose whistles or snoring (anything that would ADD to the sleep deprivation).

What is your favorite color? Love green, all shades!

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
I don't know if I even have one. I guess I would have to say the stretchy, comfy pants I am currently wearing.

What is your dream job? I would love to get paid to do something I love like scrapbooking, or organizing or something creative like that. I really love teaching and I love being a stay at home mom too, but I love the idea of being able to do FUN stuff and get paid to do it.

Describe your personal style. Cheap and Easy. I swear I have no style. HELP...personal shopper anyone, anyone!?

What are you going to do after this? Make myself a snack and cozy up with my current book (all the while, praying my baby stays fast asleep)!

What is your favorite "happy hour" at Sonic? I like their strawberry slushie drink. I haven't done happy hour in a long time, but I do like the drinks that have the real, fresh fruit and ice.

What inspires you? Amazing women who I can relate to but who are soooo much better than me. I think, "If they can do it, so can I!" Luckily, I have had great role models my whole life. Most of them are good friends. I can sit and chat with a group of them or just one of them and walk away ready to do better and try harder! I also love visiting blogs of more famous inspiring women. I am inspired by their lives and dedication to family.

Who was the last person you kissed? My sweet, delicious Brayden boy! Right on his neck, his favorite kissing spot (I even got giggles this time:)!

What are you currently reading? I'm in the middle of three different books. The Hunger Games (which I am not really loving yet), Enjoying the Journey, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

What delighted you most today? Each time my baby boy drifted off to dreamland in my arms.

By what criteria do you judge a person? Speaking skills. I have a hard time with poor English. Sometimes it is hard to see past a thick southern drawl. I appreciate people who can speak well (I understand that I am not one of these people, but I ADMIRE them)!

What is on your agenda for tomorrow? More of the same, playing and organizing and loving every second of being HOME. I am hoping to take my Conner to a movie. He earned a date with is mom (lucky kid:)) and I am stoked for a dose of him plus some buttered popcorn (since I am in no hurry to rid my bum of all that cellulite)!

The rules: Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
Tag eight other people!

Laura, Jaime., Erika, Kari, Jill, Sarah S., Sarah K., Aunt Colleen

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Conner's Creations

Conner: "Mom, can I have a blog, please?"
Me: "What for? You are seven."
Conner: "'Cause I want to show everyone my Lego creations. I can call them, Conner's Creations!"
Me: "Great idea. I can see you've really thought this through. I think you might be too young to keep up on a blog though."
Conner: "No I'm not. It is easy."
Me: "Conner, I can barely keep our family blog updated. I can't imagine trying to help you with yours. Why not let me just put your "creations" on my blog?"
Conner: "Okay!"

Realization

So, after looking over the last few photos of the boys compared to Brayden, I realized it isn't one of them that I think he resembles. It is me! I looked through some photos and found one of me that reminds me of Brayden. Poor Brayden boy has a lot of the same features as his ol' mom! The big cheeks, the nose, the lips. See for yourself. I am a bit older in my picture and I think I'll have to do some comparing again when Brayden gets older, but I think I am on to something. I added a picture of Steve, the youngest one I could find of him on our computer, to see if ANY of our kids can be found within those features. I don't think any of our kids looks much like Steve, not in that picture anyway. I wish he had more baby pictures. Kind of fun to do the comparisons!

Bouncing Baby Boys!

I still haven't decided who Brayden resembles more; Lewis or Conner? When people weigh in, it is usually a split 50/50 ratio of opinions. Obviously, this new babe of ours is a little pork chop with the big cheeks like Lewis. But he has something about him that makes me think of Conner as well. A lot of times I have caught myself calling him "Conner." Steve says he has had the same problem from time to time. So, I dug up some similar baby pictures of all three of them around the same age (about 2 months). What do you think? I still can't decide.

This is Brayden

This is Conner

This is Lewis

So Blessed!

Brayden's blessing day was such a special event. He has brought so much joy to us and it was fun to celebrate that on a day just for him. A lot of fun things to remember about this day. One, the blessing Steve gave was so great. It is amazing to hear words spoken through the power of the priesthood. It was so touching and such a blueprint for our baby's life. Some things that were mentioned were that he would be blessed with the spirit to guide him in his life. That he would always have the desire to follow the prophets that will head the church throughout his life. That he will be an example to others and that also, he will look to the examples of his brothers and other stalwart men and women in his life. It was a wonderful blessing and so telling for what is to come in this day and age. I wasn't quick enough to get a good picture of Brayden with just his dad in a picture, so the closest we have is this one of Steve's hand carrying him through the halls of the church on the way to have his blessing.

Some other memorable moments were when our baby decided to have a "blow-out" seconds before he was to go up in front of the congregation for his blessing. Isn't this Murphy's law or something? The same thing happened when Lewis was to be blessed. This was Brayden's first MAJOR blowout. He has had a couple of small ones that have leaked out a tiny bit on the sides, completely unnoticeable, but this one (probably because he was wearing all white, vintage {Steve's baby outfit}) was right out there in front!

He only fussed a little bit for his blessing but quickly let me know when it was over that he was ready for his power nursing session! I was trapped in the mother's lounge for the rest of the meeting. I had pictured myself going up and bearing my testimony and leaving my words as a part of this day, but I had no clock in the mother's lounge and before I was done feeding him and putting him to sleep, the meeting was over. I was so relieved to hear sweet Lewis' voice over the intercom in the mother's lounge. He was able to go up and say a few words on behalf of our whole family I guess. It was very sweet.

After the meeting, we did a small little lunch to feed those family members who needed to get back on the road for travel and it was fun to have them in our house. Brayden cooperated for a bit and I was able to snap at least one photo while running around. A sweet picture of Grandpa with his newest, 26th, grandchild!

After Brayden woke up later, Steve snapped a few more photos of him in his outfit before I took it off to wash it. We actually were able to get him to smile for the camera! He has been smiling for a good week or two now, but I could never get him to do it while the camera was pointing toward him. Finally, today was the day! It was a good day and we feel very blessed!

Brother's Day 2009

This year we had a NEW brother to add to the fun! The boys wanted to celebrate their made up holiday at Pirate Island Pizza. It wasn't too hard for them to twist our arms. We had fun and Brayden slept almost the whole time, well, long enough for Conner (the Greed Monster) to rack up enough tickets to buy plenty of junk. Lewis, being the super sweet brother that he is, chipped in his stash of tickets to help Conner in his quest for pirate treasure! He scored quite the loot and fun times were had by all. Happy Brother's Day!

Burrito Baby

Well, this has been a new experience for me. I have never had a TRUE burrito baby before! Lewis and Conner enjoyed the "swaddle" for the first couple weeks of life if I recall correctly, but after that, I never really thought about it much. Brayden has been a whole different story! He definitely knows how to fuss a little and we realized from the get go, that we needed to do something to help the little guy out! I read the book, "The Happiest Baby on the Block", by Harvey Karp, because I remember watching him on Oprah a few years back. I thought to myself, "I am going to buy that book the next time I have a baby." And I am so glad I did! It ended up having the "secret" to Brayden's happiness. The author talks about swaddling and why it is so comforting and beneficial for babies ages 0-3 months old. We noticed a difference right away. When Brayden isn't completely bundled like a little burrito, he is "Mr. Fussy Gussy." He immediately pipes down as soon as we swaddle him and just seems so much more comfortable that way. We have had some issues with this funny little fetish of his. HE is EXTREMELY strong, has been since before birth actually (he moved and flipped so much he tied three strong knots in his umbilical cord)! His arms kept coming out of the swaddle and he kept scratching himself or hitting himself in the face and waking up from his naps. No matter how tight or precise we would wrap him, he would break free and he never was happy about it (like you would assume he would be!)! The fact is, he loves to be wrapped up tight! So, one night out of desperation, I found a terry cloth headband in a drawer and it held the swaddle together perfectly! Now, we use the headband every night and before his long naps. I also found some commercial swaddling blankets with built in Velcro straps, but he is growing SOOOOOOOO fast, he has already outgrown them! My favorite was the brown one with the feet sewn into it so he could be strapped into his car seat appropriately. I am sad that he is too big for that one now. I might have to break out the sewing machine and make a few of my own! I keep trying to "ween" him from this swaddling business, but he doesn't seem quite ready to let it go altogether. He is getting longer stretches of time between needing to be swaddled, so I am sure he will not go off to kindergarten swaddled up, but it has crossed my mind! He really does LOVE being my burrito baby!

50 Book Challenge

So, I am stoked that I am finally on the book bandwagon. I was getting nervous there as the months rolled along and I was getting NOTHING read and I wouldn't be able to read 50 books by the end of the year. I am convinced it will be doable now. It is soooo enjoyable to have time to READ for fun these days! Working full time REALLY puts a damper on the reading of books. Somehow my mom manages to do it though? I just had too many things to juggle and could NOT get into a book no matter how hard I tried! I did read my fair share of educational materials and text books for teaching! I am glad to set all those aside now and get back into some good old fashioned novels!

So far, I have been able to check a few books off of the book list I posted back in the day (click here).

I think I need to keep a running tab on the books I have read for this year, so I am going to make a list in my Good Reads box on my side bar. I know some of you are doing the challenge and have read some of the books from the list. Let me know which ones are worth reading and which ones to skip. I got the list from the Shelfari Website a while back.. I also want to know which books to add if you've read something awesome lately.

I have had a hard time getting into some of the books from the list. I think I am still in a "non-fiction" or biography kind of mood right now. I have tried to start "The Hunger Games" but it is not jiving with me. I have a hard time with Sci Fi type stuff. Steve just finished it and said it was so good but isn't sure I am even going to like it. I will keep trying though 'cause everyone says it's amazing!

A "Repeat" Birthday

Well, just a few short weeks ago my Conner officially gave up his title as "my baby" and became what he has so long wanted to be, a BIG BROTHER. Now, his second dream has come true, to be done with age six and be officially SEVEN-YEARS-OLD!!! I have never seen my Conner boy so content with life. He is so eager to grow up and BE all that he envisions himself to be. It is really endearing. He has longed to be a big brother for so long and it suits him so well. He really has surprised me with his skills as a loving big brother and on top of that, magically his temperament has come down a few octaves (not as much drama and sassy-ness) leaving us with a very mature, responsible and adorable young man! He is as much at peace with his new brother as I am with having a new son. It has definitely been something we've both needed. Usually I lament these milestones, I can't stand how fast these kids are growing, but this time, I am truly happy for Conner. He is awesome!

Conner's Birthday is actually June 24th, so I am way late on getting it documented. But we did celebrate on his official birthday and it went very well. This year, he went back and forth with how he wanted to celebrate his big day. Generally, we try to "live it up" for the kids' birthdays. It is their ONE big day they look forward to, so if it's affordable and not too crazy, we usually go along with it. This year, Conner mentioned "Jumping Jacks" the inflatqble bounce house place where he has been a few times before. I called them and it was a pretty steep price tag. $150 for a tne kid party-yikes! So, he played around with some other ideas, but ultimately found his way back to the bowling alley. The SAME exact party we had for him last year. He surprised me when he opted for a "do-over" party but as the old saying goes, "if it aint broke. . ."

The bowling alley party is really a great option. It was like $35 and we were able to invite way more than 10 people. Plus, the employees there are so nice and accommodating and they do a lot of cute little extras to make the birthday kids feel special.

We bowled, ate cake and ice cream (another shocker when Conner opted for a PINK cake this year! Who is this kid?) and opened presents. Of course, we couldn't end the party without first breaking open a pinata! The bowling alley parking lot has the perfect set up for this. All the candy spills into the open area of the car port so all the kids can safely fill their candy bags without getting run over! The manager said he'd never seen anyone do a pinata out in the parking lot before. We said he must not have noticed when we did it last year!

The whole thing came and went so fast. We had a ball (no pun intended) and Conner could not have been more thrilled with the outcome. I wonder if he'll go for this birthday again next year?

Come Back Soon Jen!

My friend Jen came to stay with us for 6 glorious days last week and it could not have been any more enjoyable! Well, it COULD have been, actually, if she would have stayed longer, but I'll take what I can get. Jen and I have been friends since our college days when we were roommates. She moved up north about the time Lewis was born and then moved back east five or so years later. I am so thrilled she is back in Utah, even if it's just for a bit. Her husband had been attending law school and has now accepted a job in Dallas so they will be heading there pretty soon. I am hoping to rope Jen into a few more visits to S.G. before then.

We had such a blast catching up, reminiscing about the 'good ol' days' and chasing after our kids together. She has 3 adorable kids about the age of mine and they all ran around like wild banshees, playing like they've been friends forever too. They are a creative bunch and kept us laughing with their funny antics. Our favorite was when Lauryn (Jen's oldest) and Lewis (my oldest) put together a silly interpreting act. Lewis would say something in a made up language and Lauryn would immediately translate everything he was saying, as if she were the expert on this new language. Blogging about it will never do it justice but oh my heck, I was laughing so hard. I sure don't want to forget how funny they were!

Steve occasionally would take the kids swimming or to tennis and Jen and I would escape for shopping, lunching and or to get a massage (isn't Steve the best?), but most of the time, it was GO, GO, GO with all the kids in tow. Here's a pic of the boys at tennis practice one hot morning. Our goal was to wear those kids out! By night fall, we'd gather them up for a treat of some sort and then Steve would play a rollicking game of Sardines before bed. He was pretty much the hero for entertaining those kids and teaching them that game. They loved it!

After the kids were put to bed, Steve, Jen and I would stay up late chatting and laughing some more. She has a memory like a steel trap and can tell the funniest stories and recall memories so vividly. Our favorite thing to do was put the kids to bed and sit around and chat with Jen into the wee hours. She had Steve and me in stitches with some of her stories and recollections.

Jen has a calming effect on me. She is super down to earth and one of the most logical people I know. She is a genius when it comes to newborns and helped me so much with "figuring out" my little Brayden boy. She also pretty much staged an intervention when she noticed me "flying off the handle" a little bit over minor issues. I reminded her that I always get a little "postpartum" with the birth of all my kids and I thought I was handling it quite well. She was a little therapist for me and helped me find ways to get back on track.

Unfortunately, Jen cannot move in with me on a permanent basis, but having her here for that week really filled my tank and reminded me that good friends can make all the difference in the world! Come back soon Jen! You're always welcome here:)