Fiddler on the roof

So my mother showed me yesterday a news clipping from Fiddler on the Roof. I guess they are doing a farewell tour for Tevye and I really wanted to see it!

I went online to see when they would be on tour in Salt Lake City and they didn't even get close to SLC. I was totally bummed. Especially seeing that the last show they are doing is in Portland and I'm going to miss it by one stinking week!

Ugh. But now that she's gotten me on a musical show fix. I'm going to frequent the Broadway website and see what is in town to watch. So if any of you are bored and want to enjoy a night in SLC watching a play, you're more than welcome to come with me. Once I actually find a decent play worth watching that is.

Oregon vacation photos

I don't really have time to comment on all of these, but enjoy looking at them!! If I could show you the personality that my little family has- then it would be through these photos here. McKay is not in these because we don't like him- we're just on vacation and he's at home still. We miss him very MUCH!

(All smiles)

(Gramma, Grampa and Ethan laying out)

(Sandy baby toes, in case for some reason you really didn't know)
(yes- he IS playing in the ocean water)


(wipeout... almost)

(Ayden's juice)
(Read the sigh behind him.)



(yes I am 2- how did you know?)

Beach Videos

I really ought to take more photos of myself. I figure that my boys are infinitely more interesting than I am... but If I am honest with myself about this blog and it being a type of 'journal' then I need to get some photos of McKay and I in here as well! Perhaps not for your guys' sake but for our kids to see what we looked like when we or they were young! Anyway- this video is of Ethan first time with sand.  This is one of Ayden with his Uncle Nathan and Daniel in this ocean. He was very thrilled with the waves.

Planes and Babies don't mix... no really... they don't.

I was always under the impression that flying was fairly easy. And at some times could be considered rather relaxing. You get a good book, maybe your iPod and you're set. But this all changes when you have children. It doesn't matter how many, it is ALWAYS difficult. One is not so hard as two. Two is not as hard as three... and it just gets worse I can only imagine! I had two children under the age of 2 yrs and 2 months. Saying under the age of three years just doesn't sound right because that would imply that A is actually close to the age of three and he is no where near the mental capacity or the age of a three year old. He is still my cute little two year old; busy, distracted, jealous of little brother, and very, very stubborn!

So I decided that with my two year old and 6 month we would fly to Oregon and it would be cake. Busy sure, but not that bad. And I was right, extremely BUSY! We arrived early enough thanks to my wonderful ride, Summer. I had two suitcases and two car seats... two kids...a double stroller, myself and two carry ons. You know that one movie- Home Alone- I felt like that woman, running around all over the airport in a hurry with a load of stuff going on... and there was only three of us total! We got to the x-ray/check through spot and my IDs didn't match and they had to pull me aside to find more proof that I was who I said I was. I appreciate that they are so thorough, but the guy wasn't all that thrilled with "dealing" with me. Thank gosh they let me through after about 10 minutes! I finally got in line to go through the censor bars or whatever they're called, my stroller is huge, so I asked the guy what to do with it and he wanted me to try to fold it up and put it through the x-ray machine. *Really man!? Do you see how BIG this thing is??* I did it anyway and once he discovered that it can't go through their machine, he called someone to come by and pat it down. So here I am, waiting with a 6 month old that I do NOT dare put on the airport ground and A who's running around without shoes on, while they make sure I haven't stashed drugs or knives inside my stroller. If I really wanted to sneak that crap in I would have been more clever than that. Maybe I just look TOO innocent to be believed. Or perhaps I just have a "I'm trying to get away with something bad" face. Whatever the case may be- I AlWaYs get stopped.

Once they realize that I wasn't hiding knives or fingernail clippers anywhere I was allowed my stroller back. And of course- Southwest's gate is the furthest one away. Once we get there we have about 1/2 hour before the plane takes off, but I have to stand in a stupid line so they can mark the stroller. They have 3 or 4 people up front and only ONE computer open. The guy behind me huffed and puffed about how stupid it was that they didn't open more computers so the line could go faster, and as soon as they started boarding our plane I was starting to feel the same way. There was no way I wanted to get on last and no way I wanted to sit separate from A.
Fast forward. We got on the plane, found a seat together. Window seat thank gosh. Sat next to the one child hating passenger there was. And I tried to relax as best I could. I observed a dead bug on the wall... wondered if it was older than me. Most likely. Then focused on my kids. A wanted to eat and so did little E. Not such an easy feat when the man next to me doesn't want to be touched and E wants to flail all over place. A finally got his A sized cheetos and E got his bottle.... now I just had to survive the 1 1/2 flight:

• 3 tantrums thrown over... 1.E was touching A   2.A had to have his seatbelt on  3.I wasn't drawing or holding or touching his coloring book the way A wanted me to. 
  
• 2 bottles drank by E equaling in about 4 formula spills
• 6+ bumps to the neighbor. He tried to read, gave that up, he tried to listen to his iPod and sleep... don't know how well that went.
• 1 little busy E refusing to sleep. He wanted to bounce up and down in my lap. Meaning if you were behind me you would have seen his little head poking up and down over the seat.
• 1 A, *Mine!*   *NOOOO*   *My colors!*   *NOO!*   *No E!*   *more snack?*   *more water* *plane...plane...plane*   *sky Mommy, the sky*
• 1 adoring flight attendant.
• 3 pilot pins for A.
• AND 1 epic headache for me!

Boy do I ever love being a Mom. I better get oober kudos for this kind of stuff when I die. Because frankly both of them are lucky to be alive. But really, I loved it once I just accepted my fate and stopped trying to put E to sleep and keep A seated.

Ted Nugent on the Right to Life

Man I just love this guy. If any of you are confused about why I posted this.... its because I AGREE to the FULL extent!! I am so SO passionate about what he says. Especially about the lame excuse that 'we feel sorry for him because he had a hard childhood' crap. Anyway- I hope you enjoy and I don't mind if you comment because you disagree, just expect me to rebuttal. :)

Love it when I find photos I didn't even know I had!

I found these cute photos in my computer database and thought I'd share them with you all. These are photos from when my beautiful cousin Krystal was married. You'd think it would have been much warmer. I think she was married in April or May? I could be totally wrong. I just remember it being freezing outside!
Why on all of the days in April or May did the weather choose to be crappy on her day.

I love my Mom- a picture without her eyes closed just wouldn't be a picture. :)

So I did these two photos backwards. :/ It supposed to be showing my Dad and I trying to get Ayden dressed first and then the after shot of him actually happy and enjoying himself.

While my parents were here they went to Cabelas and played around for a bit. We also walked around the BYU campus smelling flowers.

...and trying clothes on in the dressing room. Or in this case hiding in the dressing room.

And last of all, I found this cute video that my Mom took while she was in the car with Ayden. Don't mind the wobbling, I think it was hard for her to hold it still while the car moved.

One thing or another

We have been pretty busy around here with such and such and I realized I had a few photos sitting in my camera waiting to be shared. Today I was vacuuming one of our rugs and Ethan scooted himself over and had a look. The only words I can come up with for his look toward the vacuum is utter fascination and curiosity! Their first introduction was not the most pleasant and ever since they have avoided each other.
There is something rather terrifying about the sudden roar of a vacuum that Ayden was not so keen on. So today at a safe distance from each other, I turned it on and Ethan decided it was as good a time as any to figure out what the heck this machine was.
My boys also seem to have this love of baby powder. I'll poof it onto their little bottoms and each seems to really enjoy it. Ayden will laugh usually and make a goofy face and Ethan will give me a big smile while...yes.... Ayden watches me powder his tooshie. What a blessing it will be for these boys to never remember such intimate moments of their young life.
A few days ago I bought a little $10 swimming pool and set it up right outside my front door. And then brought everyone and a book out with me to enjoy the weather and water. Ethan was very content to just sit in his lambie chair.
I caught him several times licking his chops or sucking on his upper lip OR playing with the new appendages that he has discovered he has. I sure love my little guy!
Ayden on the other hand has a lot more freedom than Ethan and had a great time running around mostly outside of the pool. Leaving me to wonder 'why the heck did I buy this thing again? The kid on the box looks happy to be in the water? Why won't my kid just sit in the water and play?'





He was more interested in sitting next to me while I read.










Or he was more interested in grabbing the huge beach ball and throwing it at me and then throwing it back in the water. Repeating this over and over again until I told him to stop. The photos I did manage to get of him in the water were when I stuck him in there and said "don't move." All in all we did have a nice time, even if it lasted only a 1/2 hour at most!