Seven Peaks and Brothers

So I'm not so happy with the focus of this photo, but its the only one I have from Ayden's and my Seven Peaks date. We had a lot of fun. We played in the lazy river, he was pretty scared of it, but once he got used to it- he had a lot of fun. We played in the wave pool and that I think was his favorite thing. Mostly because he liked getting knocked back into me when the waves wiped him out. We are currently working on getting him comfortable sliding down a water slide, even if the water slide is only 1 foot long. He is absolutely mortified. I got him to the top of one slide and he nervously told me over and over again, "I dot choo! I dot choo!" (I got you.) But of course he just sat there saying that, so I grabbed the bottom of his foot and pulled.
Ethan is six months old now and is crawling all over the place! This does mean that he plays with Ayden's toys and Ayden does not appreciate this...ever. A few days ago I caught Ayden laying on Ethan's bottom half so the poor guy couldn't move. I can only imagine that Ayden didn't want him to have something of his... either that or he's just being a big brother. :)

Provo Temple

I had the beautiful, amazing, wonderful privilege of going to the Provo Temple today with Meredith thanks to good people in my ward and their kindness. I really just wanted to post this so that if in the future I do choose to share this with my kids they'll know that going to the Temple is and has always been very important to me.

It was nice to have Meredith there with me and for us to experience that together- even though not a word was really spoken between us. I truly do love the spirit that is in the temple. I cannot explain the feelings any better than anyone else who has gone before me. It is a beautiful place and I hope that I can raise my two boys and whomever else comes and joins our family so that they are worthy to participate in the sacred ordinances at the temple.

Simply beautiful day

Ayden has made a new friend. It was love at first sight for the two of them... or maybe more for Ayden than the kitty. :) After this picture was taken the cat hid in that bush behind Ayden.

Ethan is trying to eat the camera... not even joking! He was rocking back and forth like crazy so he could launch himself at the camera.

And the
finale

Ethan can sit up now!! Granted he looks SO weird sitting up- but he can do it!

Budding talent

I think we have a budding Picaso in our future.
If that is the case- I won't be so upset about this masterpiece on my walls and door.

How it must be to be two

I have been 'blessed' *COUGH* to enjoy the summer with my two year old. You must understand before I start this blog- that I do truly truly love my experiences with my boys...all of them! But I knew even BeFoRe starting a family that having kids was no walk in the park. Off track for a sec- I think that saying 'no walk in the park' should be replaced with something more simply- because in the century we live in... a walk in the park can seem extremely taxing to some! Quite pathetic really, but also sadly true. I think I'll go with something else. SO I knew that having kids was no sitting in front of a TV. (much better) Ayden lately has been proving to me, what I've known all along, but the one thing I didn't think about was how hard it must be on the TWO year old.

He seems to be constantly sticking his own foot out in order to trip himself. Oh how I wish I had a picture or a recording of the tantrums he likes to throw! He has developed many new habits- the first of which goes along with the above picture. He has deemed his bed unworthy of sleeping in. The floor is much better suited for his needs. This way he can kick the door at his leisure to make sure I know he's still around. He can- if he chooses, pull the doorstop out and snuggle with it as he naps OR he can pull the stuffing out of his poor bear and shove it under the door. If you look close enough at the picture you can see stuffing behind Ayden's ear. :)

Along with his desired napping arrangements has come a new found power over little brother. Since he's not allowed to hit, shove, pull, drag, or steal from Ethan, he has found new means of
dominating him. Covertly playing peek-a-boo with him when in reality he's trying to suffocate the poor guy. *kidding* Naturally Ethan was not in enough peril based off a Mommy calculation and a picture followed my surprise at what Ayden was doing. Many times I have not been able to find Ethan... only to see a bean bag slightly moving. Big brother? No where in sight.

Ayden has also decided that it will surely be worth his time to cry every time I mention "breakfast", "lunch" or "dinner" and then once I have the meal ready he has also found it necessary to push the plate or bowl away in disgust. I have yet to not react to this. It lately has been the single-most annoying thing he has done. We had spaghetti tonight and since he has already pushed the plate away, I have decided I am going to feed the little bugger if its the last thing I do. I get the fork and noodles nice and intertwined and bring them to his mouth and he has the NERVE to smile and turn his head away as soon as the fork touches his lips... if you didn't know what this would do- it makes you drop the fork or lose the noodles all over the place AND it makes you really, really, ReAlLy impatient. You know Hades off of the Disney movie Hercules? Yeah- if my hair was a blue fireball like his, it would have been flaming red all over the place because I was so irked.

As a result, Ayden ate his dinner crying and I tried to relax. Which once he was done I was calmed down pretty good. BUT then I said the words, 'time to go to bed' and he had one of his famous meltdowns. Just picture *Giant red fireball head* We both managed to get upstairs in one piece. Then- time to brush teeth. We were good, but then I kept asking him to open his mouth, which YES he understands. Remember two year old making my life and his life hard. He closes down on the brush and sucks for all its worth. I was in the motion of brushing his back teeth and stabbed the back of his throat as a result. He cries and is done. I put him on the floor and he wants back up, nope- bed time... and another tantrum. SO- no books or songs tonight, just prayers.

Let's see... what else has he done to just make his little life harder? Ah- he doesn't EVER pay attention to where he's walking. He's ran into walls, corners of tables and counters, fallen off chairs, couches, stairs and beds. He'll ask for milk- I'll bring it and he cries because he wants juice, sometimes I'll appease him and bring juice and he'll cry for the milk. AND the one last thing that I'm certain makes it most hard on his little self is the fact that he truly feels entitled to everything in this house. So when we say no to something its like we're saying no to what he's already deemed his. Poor guy.

One day I will find this comical... I just know it. In my defense for my impatience, I have been "single-parenting" for months now, which would wear on anyone. McKay has liver disease and as a result I am the only one physically capable of caring for the boys.

A Bit of a Scare

I never thought that only 30 seconds of my life could be more frightening...

Today I gave Ayden some dried fruit for his snack. He's eaten these things thousands of times and nothing has happened. But today obviously was different and merits a post because of it.

I was working on the computer and Ayden came to me choking on one of these little dried apricots. And I don't mean coughing sort of choking. Like gurgling and not breathing kind of choking. I panicked and started pounding his back over and over again. It didn't seem to be working and I started to panic more... NOT something you want to do in a situation like this! I thought maybe he's too big to be pounding him on the back, so I started to wrap my arms around him and give him the Heimlich maneuver, but just as I was about to begin, the blasted apricot spilled out of his mouth-yes, spilled, not shot- like they show in the movies. And for some reason they forget to mention or show in the movies that more than just the thing stuck in the throat comes out.

You know when you get training for stuff like that when you're younger and you actually HAVE the time to find the right spot... yeah when it really happens, not so much- I felt like I had NO time to count ribs and properly place my hands where they needed to be. I was definitely having a Mommy heart attack.

When the stupid thing came out Ayden sucked in air- thank gosh! He had tears on his face and I had spit up all over my arm. I was just so glad he was ok. I never want to experience that ever again. The sheer terror of thinking that if I can't get it out I have to call 911 and if they don't come fast enough then I could lose my little boy. 30 seconds lasts a DANG long time when you're in panic mode and it does funky stuff to your adrenaline. (duh) Once he was ok and I was starting to relax... I realized my hands were shaking and felt numb. oi! I never want to go through that again, but if I have to, at least I'll be prepared.

Because yes- yours truly is going to take a first aid class now.

Wishful thinking? Or is it ReAlLy time?!

So I have obviously been wistfully desiring that Ayden was potty trained... but I have been told time and time again that boys take longer- closer to 3 than 2. And Ayden just turned 2 this last month. So with that little nugget of information I have resigned myself to the fact that he probably won't be trained until later... much, much later.

BUT lately I have been watching Ayden and his potty habits and I'm now beginning to wonder if he's ready. My hope lies in a couple of things he does.

• He tells me when he's going 'tootie' and then after he's done the deed he comes and tells me again.
• He pulls on his diaper when its wet or pooed in. Not all the time, but increasingly more frequent.
• Sometimes he'll go get his diapers and wipes for me (without me asking him to!) when he is messy and will lay down on the floor waiting. This is the only one that is really a rarity.
• And lastly, when I DO ask him to get his diaper and go lay down he will for the most part do it.
• Ok- for reals on the last one, Ayden is my little bathroom buddy, he chose this- not me. And when I do go to the bathroom, he is infinitely interested in helping me get it done. He tries to flush the toilet for me and today he told me where the 'wipes' were, which was actually the toilet paper that he was referring to, seeing as he pointed to it.

Anyway! with all this stuff going on with him- I really am beginning to wonder if I should go through the stress of potty training. I am, as of late, pretty busy with a lot of other things- but it does eventually have to get done right? So I might as well just suck it up and do it... especially if he is ready.

Busy as a bee

ok-so it has been...at least by my book... a little while since I've written a post in here about the goings-on in our little house. We have been very very busy and I love it! My Mom came to town to visit while my brothers were gone to OYA (Outdoor Youth Adventure), something like EFY or if you are unfamiliar with both- its a religious week long camp for youth. I had a very fun two days with her and some of her friends from either high school or college. I do not know for sure. Anyway- I'll comment more later when the picture shows up. I still can't figure out how to get these to go on in the order I wish. Anyway- this photo here was a few days after my Mom left for home. On Sunday Ayden found this hat and I could not for the life of me-get it off his head. So I took a picture of him and we walked to church and parked ourselves in the chapel with it still on his head. I distracted him with a coloring book and crayons and snatched the hat. Worked like a charm!

Also after my Mom left, we were surprised with Kami. McKay's sister and her family coming into town to visit the family. They made the rounds to relatives seeing as almost ALL... no wait- I do think it is ALL of McKay's relatives that live here in Utah, and they try to visit all of them if they can. When they came by to visit us we took a couple of pictures. Amelia is almost 1 now and it was fun to see her interact with my boys. Especially the green eyed monster Ayden. :) Poor guy has no idea that he does get to share his toys and since Amelia is 6 months older than Ethan she likes Ayden's toys. Needless to say he was mad and terrified that she would take them.

Sunday evening Ayden and McKay played together. It was very cute to watch them goof around. Their conversation went a little something like this:
McKay: "Ayden,-saaay, 'I love you Daddy'."
Ayden: Looks around mischievously and gets a brilliant idea, looks back at McKay and says through a big grin, "I love you...Mommy!"
McKay: Caught off guard and rather amused starts to tickle Ayden and says in a playful voice, "That's not my name! That's Mommy's name. I'm Daddy! Say- 'I love you Daddy' or I'm going to tickle you again!"
Ayden: Again looks around and says. "I love you Mommy!" and much to his pleasure is instantly tickled and asked to say 'I love you Daddy' again, which he doesn't do, because heck- he's getting tickled if he doesn't. :) It was really cute to watch him tease McKay like that.

And finally- we get to this picture! This was really supposed to be the first one on the blog- I think if I reverse the order I put the photos on here, then I'll get them in the order I want them to be in. I don't really have much to say around this picture- aside from I love having my Mom in town and it makes me sad that she and my dad and siblings do not live closer.

LOVE this house perfume!

If you are like me and wish you could just find that PERFECT perfume for your house, then I have an answer for you! It took me forever to find this scent. I'm really picky about smells- I don't like stuff that's too strong or too weak. It either gives me a headache or just makes me angry that I wasted all that money on a candle or scent port. I mean seriously- I could have spent that $6 on something clearly more valuable! . . . like a sandwich. SO- after much pain and hunting I have finally found the perfect smell for my home. I was so excited that I just had to share it with you all. There are specific instructions on how to disperse this smell-so pay attention.

1. First- place your tabasco bottle in your refrigerator door. It has to be on the outside leaning against the little rail in the door.
2. Now, you must close your fridge and a few minutes later come back and open it quickly to get something out.
3. If you have placed your glass tabasco sauce bottle properly, it will fall out of your fridge, break, and release its beautiful odor!
4. Now you must take care to leave it out as long as you can so that your floor and house can absorb the smell.

I am very optimistic that this method will pay dividends in the end. Because I mean come on- who doesn't want that smell in their home. It just screams, we love each other and love to be clean!

First Video!

So my Mother is in town and Ayden of course is loving the extra attention! I mean he gets held all the time, attention all the time and all in all is having a heck of a time playing with everyone. This video isn't the best of quality, but it sure is cute to see him so excited about his 'Sword!' Anyway- it is kind of long, but I hope you enjoy it. And I don't mean like 5 minutes long. Just 1 min and 15 sec.

"Daddy's Sick" -"Yep, he is sick."

So I am sure that many of you are wondering what is going on with Mckay... or if you have no idea then this will be interesting I guess.

For about the past 3 months McKay has been sick almost every weekend. Very sick. Puking, stomach pains, can't really move in the early mornings... and like the totally lazy people that we are- we didn't do anything about it until we actually had to get a prescription filled for him. They drew his blood to check some stuff... don't ask... cause I have no idea! When they drew his blood and tested it, they noticed by the blood that he has a highly functioning liver. hmmm... isn't that a good thing??

Apparently not. . . They gave him some vitamin D pill to take each week to see if it helped. It did not. So they poked him some more and did more tests to see what it was. Mckay asked them what it could be and they responded with, 'Well it could be liver disease or liver cancer.' I'm thinking either one is not so good, but if we have to take one of those- I'll take the liver disease.

McKay and I went to his appointment today to find out the results of all the poking and they told us to go to the hospital to get an ultrasound. Let me tell you- there is nothing exciting about an ultrasound focused on finding what is wrong with organs... especially when the organs only look like shadows on a screen.

(I will have to postpone this for later! Time for work, more to come in a few hours)

Ok- back. So while we're in the room getting his ultrasound. Ayden is sitting... or more like running around destroying things and once in a while he's stop and tell everyone in the room. "Daddy's sick. Daddy's sick." yes thank you Ayden, we had no idea. :)

Anyway- they finished and sent us to the waiting room to await the results. And sadly enough- yes something is wrong. He has liver disease. I do not entirely know what that consists of or what that means. But the basic gist of it is, he has a build up of fat around his liver and it is causing his liver to freak out. Luckily it is a very minor case of liver disease.

In order to reverse this problem we have to completely change how we eat at home and McKay will have to exercise just a tad more. If he does not do these things, it can escalate to something worse. Which, by the way I've seen him acting lately- I could have sworn would have been impossible! I thought he would have to have surgery to remove the fat around his liver and thank gosh he doesn't. Just goes to show how much I don't know about medicine.

It will be nice, I guess to start eating healthier food. I am sad to see my ice cream go... and the pizza... and the fast food- mostly places like Panda Express... and as I'm sure lots of other things will have to go to. :'( I'll have to be super sneaky if I do buy snacks. Kind of like those alcoholics that have booze hidden all over the house. That'll be me with junk food!

I hope you can keep Mckay in your thoughts. Even though we do know what is wrong now- he is far from feeling like his regular self. As soon as we got home today he layed down on the couch and couldn't move, he was in so much pain.

Oh yes- one more thing! IF YOU HAVE ANY REALLY GOOD RECIPES- HEALTHY RECIPES MIND YOU- I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO POST THEM.

4th of July Eve

I hope that when you read this, you take your time and enjoy my words, because it truly was a beautiful night.

Through my eyes:

I'd just rolled out of the Thomson's home at 10:00 at night. Both my boys in tow. Ethan was already asleep and Ayden was oohing and aahing at the illegal fireworks he saw down the road. We'd just had a wonderful day my husband's relatives. It was just one of those nights, the kind worthy of the movies--a good movie mind you. A night worth sleeping outside on your trampoline. A night for star gazing, roasting marshmallows, and in my case, a night I won't soon forget. And this is the reason why.

As I drove home with my children, I rolled down the back windows. The smell of 4th of July fireworks in the air. I couldn't help but smile at how perfect this day was. Ayden was matter-of-factually telling me he saw the "Moon Mommy! Der it is, der it is." Each word a little lower in tone than the first.

I started to get close to BYU and the traffic thickened. The parade is tomorrow morning and the people in Utah like to sleep overnight on the side of the road. Normally this bothers me because it significantly slows traffic, but tonight I found it fascinating.

I stopped at a light and heard music in the background, Ayden was curiously watching the goings on, Ethan--still sound asleep. We crawled forward with the rest of the cars and I saw blankets with children laying on them, chairs roped off, tents with people out front playing games or talking. One little girl was getting her hair combed by her older sister while they chattered happily. Many officers walked through the crowd or engaged themselves in conversation with pleasant adults. Kids and adults riding bikes on the sidewalk and some even barbecuing what smelled like chicken.

I had to get through two more lights before I turned toward home. I'm glad each turned red. My white car pulled to a stop next to ten motorcycles. The children along the road waved as they stopped. They randomly revved their engines, much to the glee of the waving kids. The light opposite ours turned yellow and every motorcyclist jumped up and ran to another bike. Scrambling every which way, bumping into each other and laughing. I, along with everyone camped on the sidewalk were thoroughly amused. Many clapped and cheered- I just smiled. Our light turned green and they roared off. I was stopped again at the next light, once again, next to the bikers. They again began to rev their engines. It was then that I noticed five blonde little heads poke out of the back of a silver SUV. It had the window in back that pops up, and each one all under the age of ten had their little fingers and heads poking out watching the bikers. I couldn't help but grin. The light soon turned green and the bikers roared away again as I turned right to head home; disappointed that I was missing out on the fun.

Ethan's Spotlight

Ethan doesn't really have many photos of just him and when I started watching him learn to crawl I couldn't help not taking photos!! It's certainly reminding me that I need to take more pictures of his... uh... babyhood? He's been getting pretty good at flirting with the camera or looking cute for me so I'll stick around longer. Speaking of cameras- he's getting to that stage where when I point it at him, he gets very curious and stops what he's doing to look at it. It's definitely not as easy to get candid shots when your subject is curious!

These next photos were taken almost right after one another. I was so excited to watch him start crawling! He's doing so good at getting both his legs up and supporting his weight!

Its one of those times when I want to do Ayden's happy dance, that I have yet to post on here!

I'm just so impressed with our little man. He wants to follow Ayden around so bad. He is so curious of everything. I love it! I can honestly say that the older your children get, the more fun they get. In each stage of their life, you're like, "there's no way it can get better than this!" and then it does and it's wonderful! I got so excited watching Ethan get into this crawling position that I ran behind him and helped him move his legs back and forth so he could get the feel for crawling. He was so thrilled with himself that he plopped back on his belly squealing, laughing and kicking/swinging all of his appendages everywhere! I love my little boys.

Some Randomness

It's really late at night, or really early in the morning- however you want to interpret 1am. . . and I can't sleep! This is what I get for working evenings during the week! So in order to wind myself down, I remembered I had a few photos I wanted to share. This first one is of a butterfly I found while running one day. The poor thing was dying so I chose to take it home and let it die on our plants. . . what an awesome way to get a pretty decoration! yes yes that's horrible, but if it makes you feel better, if I knew how to save its life I would have. Anyway, butterfly came home with us after our run and the boys and I decided it would be a good time to draw on the sidewalk again.

I sure enjoy coloring with Ayden. Perhaps because I'm artistic myself or maybe because I just love playing with my boys. I think the latter has more to do with it than anything!

I mean, look how much fun we got to have together! This will be a memory I will cherish forever. Ayden helping me draw my pictures and Ethan squealing with delight because we're outside in the nice weather. I love it!

Last bit of randomness. Ayden learned today that when you get super excited about your yogurt, it is best to do your happy dance away from the spoon that Mommy is holding or you just might lose your sense of direction and run headlong into your food! He was nice enough to let me get my camera. Thanks Ayden. :)