Private Skillywidden

Who said T-Rex was a meat eater?

2008-09-18T16:00:00.004-05:00

Fynn is a very picky eater, and even with stuff he does like, he eats very little of it. Just about every meal ends in his plate, over three-quarters full, being thrown on the floor before any of us can do anything about it. It's like he thinks, "I'm done, NOW WATCH!" Today was no exception, and unfortunately the plate had lots of peas left on it. Before I had a chance to clean it up, Bryce looked over and found him gently feeding peas to his dinosaur. I had to fish peas out of its mouth later, and I guess he must have been giving it "sips" of milk, too, because a white liquid trickled out of the corners of the mouth.

Careful selection process

"What? Whatcha starin' at? Dude's hungry."

Twilight spoof

2008-09-17T23:46:00.003-05:00

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet, but we found it tonight on YouTube and thought it was pretty funny. Slow in parts, but worth it.

Hopefully I make it that far, or hopefully not...

2008-09-16T11:49:00.004-05:00

Today I had a doctor's appointment, and we were able to go ahead and schedule my C-section. As of right now, it's for October 30. I think it's possible I could end up in the hospital before that, though, as my due date is November 1, and I already have painful contractions through most nights. With Ewan, I was exactly 37 weeks when labor started, and it wouldn't surprise me if that happened again. I just wanted to update everyone. I'll be in the hospital for Halloween!!! Meep. But that's okay, I bought the baby a newborn hat that is a black owl with littel tufts that stick up on top. He'll be very cute wearing it in the hospital.

Just for fun, all of my boys relaxing together, enjoying some Sesame Street before we had to leave this morning. Note Ewan's stash of Transformers that constantly accompanies him everywhere. Bryce was lamenting the fact that it was a nice, cool, snuggly-type morning and he had to get up and exert himself.

Partying for Corgan

2008-09-15T17:07:00.010-05:00

This weekend, I had dinner with a bunch of friends, including my sister. It was a "non" shower if you will. I'm very self-conscious when it comes to things like showers. The day of my wedding shower, I literally nearly had a panic attack. I don't know why really - just everyone staring at me and how funny it feels for me when people do really nice things or buy something for me. So in order to avoid that a little, I wanted to just get to have dinner with some of my oldest and closest friends. Granted, it was still a "party" that was kind of thrown for me, and yes, people gave me things, but the fact that it was just like going out to dinner made it seem less overwhelming and I was much less self-conscious.

Ashley, Missy, Sarah and Shannon went all out for me, and it overwhelms me the work and love they put into everything. And then at the dinner, friends from every era of my life were there. It was very interesting to have all of them there together. From my earliest hours on this earth, of course my sister Ashley, who is totally awesome. She is the first person to hold my babies when they come into this world and the one who hands them to me. She's been with me through so many dark days. Erica came and I've known her from the time we were knee-high to a grasshopper in church. My first memory of her is both of us yelling at each other during the primary program because one of us sat on the others' dress. It's such a funny thing to remember. Then from my singles days, one of my best friends I've just been reacquainted with, Marianne, was also there. She is a major reason that I was able to stay sane while Bryce was on his mission. And then during my time so far as a wife and mother, Missy, Shannon and Sarah. They have each been such important parts of my life over the last three years and have put up with lots of my insanity.

There were so many wonderful gifts, some owl-themed (thanks, Ashley! The owl that hoots is among the favorites.) I would post some pictures of the cute clothes, but trust me, after the baby comes and is actually wearing them, I probably won't be able to resist posting a new picture of him every time he wears something for the first time. My actual favorite present was from Missy, who got two of the best pictures from Labor Day and had them nicely framed, along with a third frame giving me one free photo session of the baby. Just seeing our beautiful boys in these pictures taken by someone so talented and able to capture them perfectly... Bryce and I each sigh in disbelief every time we look at them. I'm so excited to see the picture that ends up in Corgan's frame! (And thanks to Missy for all the pictures in this post!) I want to post about all the presents, but this is already too long! Although I will say the favors that Shannon, Sarah and Ashley made touched me so much that I did shed some tears in an alone moment. The iris bulbs were such a personal touch, and something I'm very sentimental about. I loved everything and I'll be a good girl and send out proper thank you notes this week. (If I'm not lazy this week, I might actually post a picture every day of each one. For my own entertainment if not anyone else's!)

I've posted just a few, but more pictures and details from the night can be found here. Thanks to everyone involved for all the love and I can't ever tell you how much it all means to me.

I just wanted to post a picture of Marianne because I'm still so thrilled she's back in my life. She came over one night last week while the men were working and we just talked for over five hours. I love her. *Sniffle*

One of the framed pictures.

My friends: Erica, Shannon, Sarah, Ashley, Marianne, (me), Missy
Thanks, everyone! (And a special thanks to Sarah, who covered my dinner.)

You are going to be sick of hearing from me...

2008-09-10T21:14:00.006-05:00

...but this is what happens when your husband is working the night shift and Fall shows haven't started yet. I'm on the computer. A lot. You'd think I'd do something useful, like clean (nah!) or read something uplifting (nothing to read...) Instead - I'm checking out stuff I'll never be able to buy on Etsy. On that note, could you not just squeeze this squishy baby in his hat to pieces? I want to roll him up in my pocket and take him everywhere I go.

Promise not to call him Corgy

2008-09-10T10:37:00.003-05:00

(Wow, I haven't done this many posts in a long time...)

Okay, so I'm a terrible secret keeper. At least with my own secrets - with someone else's secrets I'm good. With my own, I just can't keep it in. As a result, I've whispered the baby's name to enough people here and there that it is really quite pointless to keep it any kind of "secret" any longer. So here goes: Corgan Kelly. That is his name. Now if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. :)

Part Deux: To inspire magical dreams

2008-09-09T21:34:00.004-05:00

This can be filed more along the lines of "Dear Donald Trump," but it never hurts to look. Mary Ann found this beautiful site showcasing the jewelry from which sprang the aforementioned perfume.

Dear Santa,

2008-09-09T14:00:00.008-05:00

Do you see the fairy? Do you?!!! I don't even care what it smells like. Although it sounds very promising and Kelli-ish. From the website: "Faerie - A sparkling fragrance with a blend of violets, blackcurrant, Bulgarian Rose, Egyptian Jasmine, and Iris Butter that whirl with whimsy within the spectacular flacon to reveal the timeless spirit of Van Cleef & Arpels."

Whatever. Do you see that fairy? Sitting on a tree branch? See her? Bring her to me. Please.

Love,
Kelli

Beats cursing

2008-09-08T18:54:00.002-05:00

Ewan's favorite movie all last week was "The Last Mimsy." Tonight while he was walking with a plateful of fish sticks, they all slid right off of the plate and onto the floor. Looking down at them in dismay and frustration, suddenly he exclaimed, "THE LAST OF ALL MIMSYS!!!"

Of course, I laughed.

He looked at me very sternly. "I wasn't saying that to be funny."

Happiest Day

2008-09-07T21:30:00.007-05:00

While Bryce was on his mission, I met a girl in the singles ward named Marianne and we became very good friends. We had so much in common - from music to life's experiences and the fact that we both had tattoos. She was someone I could be completely myself around and she never judged. I loved hanging out with her at her house and we'd drive around in my truck and listen to music. We'd often leave church (our singles ward was pretty lame, at least that was our excuse) and go get something to drink or eat (hey, no judging...) I just loved her so much and was very sad when she up and got married and left me to live with her new husband in Canada. The last time we saw each other was during a hurried visit when I was newly pregnant with Ewan. Besides that little visit, it has been six years since we saw each other. She has moved around a lot over these past years - Canada, Georgia, Louisiana - and so we lost each other's phone numbers and I've just thought about her so much and missed her.

Today, after I dismissed my primary class, a loud booming voice filled the room and in walked this tall blond goddess to wrap me in a hug. It was Marianne. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see someone in my life. Her husband is here for some training, and they'll be in our ward for the next two months. She had seen Bryce in the cultural hall and recognized him then went searching for me. I'll be so very sad when she leaves, but for now - I'm so happy that I've been near tears all day. We sat next to each other in sacrament and it was hard to not just sit and talk the entire time. We laughed as we kept hearing each other's stomach growling and played with the boys. We had her and her husband, Blake, over for dinner and it was like no time had passed at all. They do not have children, which is a shame because they were so amazing with the boys and by the time we left, Blake was giving Bryce some serious competition for Fynn's affections.

This just goes down as one of my happiest days in a very long time, and she and I plan on seeing lots of each other before she leaves. They don't really know what they'll be doing after this, or where they will be, but my fingers are crossed he'll find an opportunity here so she can stay close. Here's hopin'.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T08:18:00.011-05:00

I love Labor Day - because it gives us a nice 3-day weekend. On Saturday, at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Bryce and I were suddenly thinking, "Hmmmm, let's hop in the car and drive to Austin." So we did. Ewan had been asking to go to a dinosaur museum, and a few days before I had found this one by the UT campus. It was awesome. They had a skeleton of a pterosaur, specifically Quetzalcoatlus, hanging from the ceiling like it was flying over you. I kid you not when I say it was one of the most amazing, awe-inspiring things I've seen in my whole life. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was so huge, and just... WOW. It was so cool. There were also lots of other skeletons of giant bison and some random little dinosaurs. They had different rocks both from Earth and space - just a lot of really neat things. By the time we hit the 3rd floor, I couldn't really walk anymore and had to sit and whine inside to myself. After, we headed over to Jesse and Amy's to visit. We were able to see the baby's nursery and Amy and I compared pregnancy woes. It stinks because I probably won't get to see her baby for a while. I don't want to burden them right after he's born - she has Ashley coming to help and we don't need too many cooks in the kitchen. And our little guy will be coming right after by a few weeks, so I won't be up to traveling. Hopefully it won't be too long. I'd like to see him before he starts cutting teeth!

For Labor Day, the Saunders came over and Bryce made some steak and pork using one of his odd concoctions and it turned out really good. Ewan, Fynn and Ben ran around the house playing trains and Transformers (Ewan's latest OBSESSION.) Then we let them play outside in our two little kiddie pools. They splashed, blew bubbles, and chased the cats. Missy took lots of wonderful pictures. So we take no credit for the ones I'm going to post. It was all Missy! The guys then went off to do a little golfing while Missy and I put the kids to bed. We ate cookies and talked for a long time, even after the guys got back. There's no telling how long we would have been up talking if not for the fact John had to get up at 4:30 this morning. It was so much fun - the only downside being that I had to switch from chair to couch to floor back to chair or couch to alleviate back pain. But, hey, I'll consider it my exercise!
This was about the best Ewan would let her take until she bribed him with more bubbles...
...then he turned into a male model, giving her different poses and facial expressions. This is one I call, "The Kelli Expression." I never noticed those two dimples until Missy pointed them out.

Cutie Fynn, looking like Daddy.

We were out of swim diapers. This thing was bursting at the seams,
until it finally start to fall off.

I post this only because my blog is private. His swimming shorts didn't stay on much better, and I had to run after him at one point to pull them up to a level of decency.

Fynn sat at the edge of the yard and stared at the wind blowing the trees.

BUBBLES!

Cute, hilarious Ben.

This is the face he makes when he says "Juice," "Cheese," or "Shoes."

Such a cool friggin' kid.

Pimp my ride

2008-08-27T23:21:00.003-05:00

I'm lucky when pregnant in the sense that I don't get morning sickness at all. Ever. Maybe a little gaggy, but that's about it. But my body makes up for it in other ways, and I don't get a respite for the entire nine months. First, exhaustion. Now, I know everyone is exhausted when they are pregnant, so nothing new, but I swear sometimes I can't even lift my arms. The worst part for me is back pain. BAD back pain. In fact, a shooting, spiking pain that starts on my left hip and goes all the way down my leg is usually my first indication that I'm pregnant. I'll have days where I wake up okay, but as I'm walking, it will literally feel like I've been shot - the pain is that sudden and severe. Sometimes my leg will buckle beneath me. I had this with Ewan, but only at night. With Fynn, it was so bad there were days I literally couldn't take care of Ewan and had to call someone to come get him because I couldn't even walk through the kitchen to make him food. This pregnancy I've had it as well, but there have been good days interspersed. Until this past Friday. It has been so very, very bad. And no respite. And I'm so frustrated. The pain really is so awful, and I consider myself to have a pretty good tolerance for pain. The problem is that I also have a high tolerance for medicine, and mere Tylenol does absolutely NOTHING to help this pain. I don't even bother taking it anymore, because it's pointless. Nights like tonight, where even laying down doesn't help, but merely makes my leg throb as if reminding me, "Hey, at least you didn't throw up like some people," I feel like I just can't do it anymore. I just want one normal day, pain free, where I can walk around my house without stumbling or shrieking. I am a pretty melodramatic person by nature, but I really try to hold it in with this. I try so hard not to react - it throbs constantly - but then the shooting pain comes so suddenly, so sharp that it completely takes me by surprise. There's no real point to this post, just to express my frustration and tears and MAKE IT STOP!

I told Bryce I'm going to buy a wheelchair (only half-joking.) I'll need help from my friends and family to "pimp it out" for me. I want a 20 oz. Coke holder and a compartment that keeps my chocolate chip cookies warm while also keeping my milk cold. A guacamole and chip dispenser would be nice, an outlet for my iPod to charge, and some nice rims would be good, too, 20 or more inches please. An arm that pops up with a water-misting fan will be absolutely necessary as well. I'm sure I'll think of more later. I'll accept blueprints and prototypes by mail. Hurry, I have two months left.

TWO MONTHS! Waaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!

(Disclaimer: I am so excited to be having this baby. I've accepted this is my lot when bringing a new little guy into the world. I'm grateful for this pregnancy- it just doesn't make it any easier.)

My personal leech

2008-08-24T21:59:00.006-05:00

Back in May, what was once very cute and sweet...

Now, not so much...

Lovely Things

2008-08-23T21:44:00.006-05:00

My little sister, Amy, had a baby shower for her first baby last Saturday. Her baby boy will be coming at the end of September, and we're very excited. (Pictures of the shower will be coming in the next week, which I'm excited about because I don't have many pictures of my two sisters and I together as bona-fide grown-ups.) Anyway, as I was leaving the shower, Amy ran out after me saying she had something for me. She is a very talented jewelry maker, clothes-sewer, creative type person (which I envy enormously) and she has been working on embroidery. She had embroidered a bag for me using a Black Apple pattern. Voila:
Very cute, sorry I couldn't get a better picture. Thanks, Amy.

On another note, I am with music the way I am with friends. I am very much a loyalist to a select few bands/friends, and I very rarely let a new person/song/band into my life. For example, I am very much a loyalist to The Cure and Better than Ezra, as well as the good ol' 80s guys like Erasure and Pet Shop Boys. It takes forever before I accept something new. A few weeks ago, Bryce and I each allowed ourselves to buy one album off of iTunes, and it took me over a week before I could pick something. I've always heard of Death Cab for Cutie, but never tried to listen. But, oh, when I did... I have a new favorite. It joins the ranks and status of The Cure and BTE. I bought their album Plans and then later Transatlanticism. And my new favorite song, you know, in addition to all my favorite Cure songs, is "I Will Follow You into the Dark." I love the simple guitar, I love the words, I love his voice. It makes me sigh in happiness. The addition of this song to my limited music obsessions must be documented.

You try coming up with a title on three hours of sleep...

2008-08-23T06:16:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's because I went to bed at nearly 2 am, woke up at 5 am in pain and feeling weird, spent one hour in the bath, and am now sitting at the computer at 6:17 am eating RitzBitz Cheese Sandwich crackers (sooooo good) and drinking a Coke, but I think this story is awesome. Except for the stupid mother, but you know, hey, be inspired where you can...

My son the pole dancer

2008-08-20T12:07:00.001-05:00

Love when the stuff I love gets trendy...

2008-08-19T13:36:00.003-05:00

...then I can stock up on pointless odds and ends. I went to Target looking for a three-ring binder, and in the school supply section I found this owl folder:
It's so cute I want to pinch its cheeks and squeeze its legs.

Four Tag

2008-08-17T21:22:00.004-05:00

Four random things I love about my husband :
1. Not really random, but he is an AMAZING father
2. Very blue eyes
3. He likes cats
4. He looks at me like I'm Angelina Jolie no matter what I look like

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Salesperson at Victoria's Secret
2. Assistant teacher at multiple daycares
3. Waitress (for five days)
4. Telemarketer for Olan Mills

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. 13 Going on 30
2. Out of Africa
3. Lonesome Dove (weird coincidence, a commercial for this movie just came on...)
4. Quigley Down Under

Four TV shows I watch:
1. 30 Rock
2. The Office
3. Lost
4. Scrubs

Four random places I have been:
1. Tillamook Cheese Factory (just like Shannon)
2. Um.... your house
3. The Goonies house
4. Um... your mom's house

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pasta (the cheesier the better)
2. Avocados in any form
3. Coke (yeah, that's a food!)
4. Taquitos

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Ireland
2. Egyptian pyramids
3. New York City
4. Fairyland

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. New babies, mine and Amy's. Especially mine.
2. Fynn's second birthday, which is going to be a blowout because his first birthday blew.
3. Hopefully, toward the end of 12 months, a new house
4. Christmas

Four people I tag:
1. Ashley
2. Erica
3. Cristina
4. Grace

5. Oh, and I'm adding an extra: Missy.

So much to catch up on...

2008-08-09T22:35:00.007-05:00

... and I'll probably forget most of it. Last weekend, we made a last minute plan to drive down to Glen Rose and see the wild animal safari. Afterward, we planned on checking out the dinosaur prints at the river. The safari was a huge success with the boys. We had taken Ewan once when he was very little, and he didn't care, but he loved it this time. Fynn was also very excited and grinned and giggled the entire time.

Random deer. LOTS of deer there.

Ignoring the warning to not feed them by hand. He was pretty.

Ignoring the warning again for Ewan.
Not the best picture, in fact Bryce looks a little like a serial killer. But he was the photographer for the trip and Fynn practically needs to be surgically removed from him, so a self-portrait it was.

I almost kidnapped this one. Seriously. If he'd only come a step closer...

What's up, Giraffe?

And the crowning glory of the day, letting Ewan drive for part of the safari.

After this, we went to the river, where we soaked for a little while. And where I totally bit the dust on one particularly slimy rock. A couple of women there were pretty sure I was going to go into labor, but I was totally fine. I was more impressed with myself because I was carrying Fynn and was able to completely shield him from getting hurt at all. I actually think those women were disgusted with me for even doing anything like that while pregnant, but one of their husbands shushed them by yelling out, "That baby's fine in the embryotic sac!" Indeed. Then we couldn't find the path back up the river wall to the parking ground, and ended up doing some serious hiking. Like, for real hiking. The best part was when I had to climb up over a rock that was almost taller than me.

Anyway, that's all for now. Although I did get my hair done, with Missy - which she posted about here. I loved the girl who did my hair, she was awesome. I knew I was looking pretty blah before the haircut, but I didn't realize how bad until I saw how good it looked after. The day before my C-section is scheduled, I am so going back to her to trim and fix my hair so I'll look good in the hospital. You know, at least until the trauma wears me into looking awful. I'm just going to post one of my after pics. Check out Missy's blog for the rest of the pictures, because hers was totally cute, too.
First on the agenda after Baby comes - get rid of that face fat!

Dumbest Parents EVER Award Goes To...

2008-08-05T07:54:00.001-05:00

... these folks. I honestly think they should also be charged with... with... something!

The newest addition to the Taylor family

2008-08-03T13:24:00.002-05:00

Does anyone hear angels singing? Because I do.

Lots to blog about

2008-08-02T22:54:00.003-05:00

I swear I have lots to write about, but the last thing I have wanted to do is get on here and spout my mouth and post pictures. I've gotten so lazy. But hopefully tomorrow I will feel up to it. Sad, I know, it's just sitting at a desk and typing and using a mouse. But it's more than I can bear. *Sigh* Just tired.

Looking like his daddy

2008-07-30T20:08:00.002-05:00

Name suggestions

2008-07-26T23:15:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to thank everyone for their name suggestions. Bryce and I both looked at all of them, and come to the same general consensus on each one. I do now have what I think is a perfect, wonderful name for the new baby, but it's possible I may change my mind once I look into his wee little eyes. For that reason, and also to avoid any rude reactions we may get - which always irritate me - we are keeping it secret until he comes. I'm not flattering myself that everyone is just dying to know the baby's name, but I wanted to acknowledge the suggestions and thanks for the help!

Update

2008-07-22T22:02:00.002-05:00

1. Bryce was not home early from work yesterday. In fact he was quite late. But he's going to go in late tomorrow. Because...
2. ...while Fynn is better, Ewan is not. He's already sicker than Fynn was.

*Sigh*

Good things

2008-07-21T16:04:00.007-05:00

To make up for my earlier rant, and to put myself in a better mood after Fynn threw up again all over his crib and bedding, and Ewan had an accident on the floor, I'll now post some things that are good right now and that I am grateful for.

1. John showing up to pick Ben up a little early, bearing an ice-cold 20 oz. Coke. And he didn't even take me up on my offer of $1,000,000.

2. My new table and chairs, which I plan on posting about soon. Too long I endured a peeling table from Goodwill. No more. Ikea to the rescue. My kitchen looks so nice.

3. The dogs are staying in the yard. For now.

4. The littlest baby is moving more and more every day and making his presence known.

5. We are getting a brand-new, FREE double stroller from some incentive program at Bryce's work. YAY!

6. Fynn is napping. Hopefully to wake up puke-free this time.

7. No one else is sick (crossing fingers).

8. I think I figured out what happened to the fish. Pretty sure it swam way up into the shell in the bowl and got stuck. Which, you know, is sad, but at least I know. Whether it was suicide or not, I can't be sure.

9. On my table are several good fashion magazines just waiting for me to peruse.

10. Bryce promises to not be late from work.

11. I dreamt I had adopted another rabbit. Woke up to find it wasn't true. Always a bonus.

*** Updated to add one more great thing - Just now, I flipped on the TV to see if Oprah had anything good on, and Ewan, sitting on the couch coloring next to me, randomly said, "Yeah, Oprah's a fake." He swears he never heard anyone else say it, that he made it up himself.

Boring, I know, but that's all I had for now, without getting totally sappy. Which I don't like to do. So there you go.

Grievances

2008-07-21T10:35:00.005-05:00

1. I can't sleep at night due to pregnancy insomnia, an overly affectionate cat, and vigorous coughing up of my lungs. Very tired.

2. The two dogs I had previously taken to Mary Ann's had to come back due to serious over-crowding at her house. I'm making them stay in the backyard. But they keep escaping.

3. So very tired.

4. Fynn threw up on me this morning. All down inside my shirt. Yum.

5. No energy to clean. Much cleaning to be done.

6. A vase full of colored rocks fell off of the fridge and all over the floor. Great fun.

7. Ewan's fish disappeared. Into thin air. Cat not responsible. Weird.

8. Some animal pooped on Ewan's bed last night. Complete mystery as to which creature or when. Due to this and the fish incident, beginning to think a raccoon lives in there. Only partly joking.

9. Sleepy.

10. I'd pay someone $1,000,000 to bring me a Coke. Not that I have a million dollars. But still.

To make up for my horrible pessimism and negativity, I'll publish a list of good things later. Much later. After sleep.

Quest for the Holy Grail

2008-07-15T00:11:00.006-05:00

Ugh, it's late, and I want to be asleep. But I remembered I needed to check Ashley's blog for Chloe's birthday pictures, so I popped up really quickly. While I was looking, I was reminded of something that happened at the party that irritated me. One of the people asked the sex of my baby, and when I told her, she said, completely dismayed, "OH YOUR POOR THING!" And she didn't mean anything by it, and it's not like it's a lone incident. It's just the cherry on top of lots of comments I've gotten, both from strangers and from acquaintances, who I know mean well, and it's not really offensive as much as "IHHH!" (Ashley knows exactly how that should be pronounced.)

Anyway, it boils down to this: when did giving birth to a girl become the Holy Grail of pregnancy? I admit I wanted a girl, but it was more for naming purposes than anything. I have the hardest time naming my boys, and I have the perfect girl's name all ready to go. But I'm thrilled we're having another boy! It's gonna be so fun (hard, but fun). I always knew I would have tons of boys. But people will ask me, "Do you know what it is?" And when I tell them it's a boy, they always look so deflated and disappointed. "Oh, well you'll get your girl next time." Um, what? This is a person who is coming to be a part of our family, and he belongs here! That's totally awesome and exciting and just indescribable! Boys are so cool. One of my favorite sounds in the world is a little boy imitating a race car, or roaring like a tiger. I love their cowlicks and skinny legs. I love their dirt grimy hands when they cover mine. And I love when Ewan, in perfect imitation of me and every member of the Anderson family, grabs my arm or hand, squeezes as hard as he can while gritting his teeth and says, "Squeeze you 'til you pop!" They are just awesome, and in case there was ever a question, once I found out it was a boy for sure, it was like, "Oh, of course, I knew you were coming. We've saved a place for you."

Even if I have to call him "No-name Taylor."

Sonogram pictures

2008-07-13T20:54:00.006-05:00

I've been planning on getting these scanned forever, but every time I got someone to help me do it, I'd completely forget to give them the pictures. So here they are now, and thank you, Missy and John for scanning it when I finally remembered to pass them on!

This one shows his face best, and the next one shows his little hand.
And this next one is how we know it's a boy!

And my heart stopped

2008-07-11T20:58:00.005-05:00

My favorite magazine of all time is Lucky. Love it, love it, love it. I end up marking 75% of the pages and saving them for posterity. Things I love and want someday, or will buy something similar. As much as I love it, it's only occasionally that something on the page is so fabulous that it makes me stop in my place and stare for a long time. Usually I stare for a while, then stare even longer when the price is more than Bryce makes in six months, which happens quite often in that magazine. But then there was this ring:
I just LOVE IT. And seriously, I just stopped and stared. Then I grimaced as I looked for the price. And it was $20. And then I found it on the website. And I called Bryce right then and said, "Be prepared to whip out the debit card when you get home, because I am soooo buying this mother." And it came in the mail today. And I love it. And we are friends. And I'll wear it. And I'll stare at it. *Sigh*

I wonder if I can adopt all of them...?

2008-07-09T20:43:00.002-05:00

Have you ever seen a red panda? Seriously, and I do not say this lightly, one of the cutest things ever. But not as cute as this story.

Help me name the baby!

2008-07-09T08:27:00.004-05:00

Obviously, I love Irish/Gaelic names. I love both of my boys' names so much. Ewan Bryce and Fynn Christian. Both Bryce and Christian are family names, and I kind of wanted to follow that same pattern, but I might have to break it this time. I love the name Liam, but after a little research, I really feel like it's gotten too trendy for me. My whole idea was to name him Liam Kelly. That's just not going to work for me, now, even though here he is constantly referred to as Liam. The other name I found that I like is Cael or Caelan. But I need a middle name!!! I can't think of anything. And obviously I can't do Cael Kelly. So, if you know of any good middle names for that, or if you know of any good Irish names I'm not thinking of (that aren't too popular), shoot me some ideas. With both kids, when I finally "heard" their names in my head (thanks to Ashley for helping me put Ewan and Bryce together. And I fell completely in love with the name Fynn after seeing the Ethan Hawke version of Great Expectations when it first came out.) I swear it was like angels singing, they were so perfect. I want the same experience for this one. It's part of the reason I wanted a girl; I knew I was going to have such a hard time finding another boy's name I love. Mary Ann is on her way this morning to Ireland for a lovely trip. She's also going to keep her eye out for me. Maybe a baby name book right from Ireland...

Bargains for baby

2008-07-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

I always cheat myself out of the big "purchasing" moments in my life. I refused to go to prom. I didn't buy a real wedding dress when we got married, but had someone make one that I really didn't like. Then I didn't buy any kind of a nursery set for either of my two boys when they were born. With Ewan we were strapped for money, and I just bought stuff here and there, super-cheap, not-good quality stuff. Then with Fynn, I think since he was the second, the idea of a fabulous nursery theme wasn't on my radar. But I decided that with this baby, I really did want him to have a nice, matching crib set, especially since he'll be in our room until we move someday. We won't even put him in the crib until he's four or five months old, but Target had some of its cutest stuff on 50% off clearance, so I just *had* to get it. Hopefully it will be around for a little longer so I can keep adding pieces. You can see the things I did buy here and here on Target.com, although it's not on clearance on the website for some reason. It's probably only exciting for me, and the baby couldn't care less, but I'm just excited I finally was able to indulge in the moment and have a matching set for him.

Mean mommy

2008-07-07T20:39:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I fixed a nice dinner, one that was full of things Ewan normally loves to eat. Pork chops, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese. But Ewan has been in this odd habit lately of suddenly saying he "hates" his favorite foods, and refusing to eat. Sometimes he'll have eaten at least 3/4 of a meal, then suddenly put his fork down and say, "This is gross!" So last night at dinner, he pulled this little trick, and as he often claims to be hungry right before bed to get a piece of buttered toast, we told him there was no way he was getting anything. We were also about to go visit my parents, so we told him no cookies or snacks there at all.

Surprisingly, he didn't beg for any snacks there, even when it was discovered they had Oreos. But he suddenly got it into his head that they were going to fix him a "nice dinner." We kept telling him he couldn't eat anything there, but he could have some of our nice dinner when we got home. He kept begging and pleading, "PLEASE!! I want to eat a nice dinner HERE!!!" I repeated my refusal several more times, and he finally stopped asking. Toward the end of our visit, Fynn was getting quite hyper and destructive, Ewan was getting hyper, and at one moment at the end of my rope, I said, "Okay, we're leaving, you two are..." I was planning on saying "driving me crazy" or something like that, when Ewan turned to me.

"Starving?" he suggested.

Recharging batteries

2008-07-01T08:37:00.004-05:00

Ever since this post, I've been very much a homebody and trying to just stay home and enjoy my boys. I think I wore myself out the entire month of May. The combination of me with the boys ended up in at least one doctor's appointment each week, sometimes more, and I was getting in the car every day and either running off to the store, or to a play date, or running errands. All this while suffering some serious pregnancy exhaustion. Then I had a little personal upset at the end of the month, and for about a week, I was just an emotional mess. So without real intention, I basically took the month of June off. I didn't really plan it, but I was just so emotionally and physically worn out, that I had no desire to go anywhere, do anything, have anyone over - nothing. And you know what, it was so nice. I'd gotten so wrapped up in "me," going to the store because I wanted to, running the boys around constantly, and I even think they were a little worn out and frustrated, too. So the past month, we've mostly stayed home and played together, organized some things, and just tried really hard to get on a real routine. I know I feel so much better and happier, and just rested up. I'm watching Ben again for the rest of the summer, and that has really helped me get us back on a routine, and the days are so much smoother - it's been a blessing. I'm sorry if I've put anyone off or seemed like I was being anti-social, but it really was what I needed to charge my batteries, and I'm feeling much better now. So maybe this 4th of July will kick off a little more social me. Although, I will say, I just simply cannot over-schedule myself anymore. I'm still going to be a bit of a homebody, only doing things outside the house a couple of times a week.

Anyway, just wanted to say all that, and now for a couple of cute pictures:

One day in their room, they'd gotten very quiet, which of course made me nervous. But I found them just sitting together, reading books. It was very sweet, and I'm so glad I got the picture.

Something very interesting was going on outside today, and I think it was a cat on our car. Ben and Fynn enjoyed it a lot. Fynn found good use for the Mr. Potato Head bucket.

Feeling bad about getting my way

2008-06-29T23:53:00.006-05:00

I had dogs growing up, but they were mostly confined to the backyard, so it has taken me a while to realize - even though I love animals, I am just NOT a dog person. Unless it's someone else's dog - then maybe - but I'm not promising anything. Anyone who has read my posts knows I really, really don't like my dog. At all. Trust me, I've even said much worse about her in person than I have on here. It started out okay enough, when we first got her nearly three years ago. But she would chew on my stuff, and Ewan's as well. She chewed four pairs of my shoes during one period of time, and they had all been brand new. She would sneak in Ewan's room, take a toy out of his basket, and we'd find it under the kitchen table in shreds. I tried to like her and be kind to her, I really did, but after all the chewing and the hair that literally fills up our vacuum canister every day, I just couldn't pretend anymore. Add to this the fact that about six months ago, (she has gotten so spoiled to being inside), she seemed to decide she was not ever going to go out back again. We can't keep her back there, even for small amounts of time. She jumps the fence immediately, which has been very annoying for me. It came to a head last week when Animal Control came to my door and told me I was lucky he wasn't ticketing me, but that next time he would. You should see how ridiculous our gate looks from all the stuff we have piled there trying to keep her from climbing, and I wanted that man to go look and see! How could he even think of writing me a ticket?! The only thing that has redeemed her presence in my home is that she barks at strangers and anyone suspicious, so we always feel safe and alert when she's around.

Last year, when I was babysitting Ben, we noticed she'd get really odd around him, and sometimes act quite aggressive. So I would keep her out back all day until he left and let her in. Fynn was still a very wee guy during this time, so I never was able to see how she "felt" about him. But as he's gotten older, it has become apparent she DOES NOT like him, although she loves Ewan. I've been a little nervous about this, but Bryce and I both agreed that no matter what, if she EVER, even once, snapped or growled at Fynn, she was gone. No tolerance. On Friday night, Bryce took Ewan to the movies, and Fynn was having fun just following Sugar from room to room, giggling. I never let my kids hurt or bother the animals, and this was no exception. He was doing nothing that even warranted me to fuss at him, or what she eventually did. All he was doing was sitting up against her back, and it would make him laugh when she'd get up. All the sudden, I thought I heard a growl, but wasn't sure. So I watched her closely, Fynn merely walked within one foot of her, and she growled and snapped her teeth at him. I put her outside immediately, and she is now in Craigs List and PetFinder for a new home. We just absolutely won't have that at all. It feels funny here without her (she's staying at Mary Ann's) and I feel like I "got my way," but this isn't how I wanted it.

That's not to say I'm not totally thrilled she's gone.

Tagged

2008-06-29T23:36:00.004-05:00

Shannon tagged me, and it's all about me and Bryce. Try not to fall asleep, now.

Whats his name? Bryce Patrick
How long have you been together? Depends on how you define "together," but I say eight years, married for five.
How long did you date? Three months before he left on his mission, five months after. Wrote letters in-between
How old is he? 29
Who eats more? Me
Who said I love you first? Don't remember, but pretty much at the same time.
Who is taller? Bryce
Who sings better? Me
Who is smarter? Depends on the kind of "smart." I'm smarter with words and reading, he's better with math and organizational things
Who does the laundry? Me
Who pays the bills? Bryce
Who sleeps on the right side? Bryce (does anyone really care?)
Who mows the lawn? Bryce, but I would
Who cooks dinner? Me, when I feel like it.
Who drives? mostly Bryce
Who is more stubborn? I don't know...
Who kissed who first? Kissed each other
Who proposed? Bryce
Who has more friends? He has more long-term, old friends, I have more current, new friends.
Who is more sensitive? Neither
Who has more siblings? Me, 8, Bryce 2
Who wears the pants? Mostly me, but for the really important stuff, like money and budget, he has to or we'd be broke

If so desired, I tag Ashley, Missy, Erica, and Sarah Young.

Overdue picture upload

2008-06-22T22:28:00.007-05:00

There have been several pictures I've wanted to post, but right now I am the laziest person on the planet, so I'm just getting around to it. Some of these are a couple of months old.

Ewan concentrating very hard on constructing a "crash" with his trains. He loves the crashes, they are his favorite thing ever.

The finished project. Billy, the orange train, was done in by a parachuter. There was also some damage to vegetation in the area.

This is my floor after Fynn ate lunch one day. Seriously, after one meal.

This is from Bryce's birthday when me and the boys stayed up late to make his cake. I didn't think the pictures had really turned out, but I found this one tonight. The way the dog is posing, and Ewan is concentrating so hard on stirring, I just think it is so cute. Of course, that dog lives with Mary Ann, now...

Swimming in the kiddie pool.

Just a good shot.

I have to pull Ruby off of the blinds half a dozen times a day. What you can't see is how they have broken off at the bottom, just this side of white trash territory. I still love her, though. You can see through the window how our dear tree is trying to grow again.

We planted some sunflowers around our mailbox, and the first bloom is particularly spectacular, I think.

A fine-looking young man

2008-06-22T16:38:00.003-05:00

Ewan's physical self-image is pretty healthy, I think. Today, getting ready for church, after we'd fixed his hair and put on the finishing touch of his shoes and socks, he stopped in the hallway and looked at himself in the full-length mirror for a moment. Finally he said, just very simply, as if remarking on the weather, "I look good." Then I guess he decided to pass the good feelings onto me. After I put on my dress, he looked at me, very impressed, and smiled. "You look cool. I want a hug."

Free money and stuff that comes with it

2008-06-20T22:22:00.002-05:00

Bryce and I will be signing a gas lease on our house early next month. If all goes the way it is supposed to, we'll be coming into a sizable (for us) chunk of money. The majority of it (like, almost all) is going to pay off some bills and buy some baby gear, but we are reserving one lovely little snippet for us to get Wii Fitness. Some of Bryce's old pants don't button anymore, and I'm about to have some SERIOUS baby weight to work off, so we're very excited about it. I've never been a work out at the gym girl, or a person who works out at all, really. So my hope is that with our competitive spirits and the whole "game" aspect to it, it will make the working out fun and do some good for us. I know that may not be exciting, but I have absolutely NOTHING else to post about.

Etsy, I love you

2008-06-10T20:40:00.017-05:00

Bryce took Ewan out of the house for a little while, and Fynn is asleep, so I found myself with - gasp! - nothing to do. So since I know what the baby is now, I decided to do a little Internet window shopping. All I have to say, and I say it in a wail, is: why didn't I know about Etsy when I had the first two boys?!?!?! I have a feeling I'll be browsing Etsy a lot in the future. So much cute stuff, and this wasn't even the tip of the iceberg.

This owl onesie. It's killin' me, it really is.

And this cowboy burp cloth.

Why do I love pirates so much?

And owls, again? I want this in my size.

I'm totally happy that it's a boy, because that's who he's supposed to be, but oh, man, if it were a girl... I would never let her take this off.

Why can't I sew????

Can't forget the big brothers.

I'm learning to love bugs since I had boys.

And I'm sorry, but this is just cool. Really really cool.

Cute Etsy print

2008-06-10T12:38:00.005-05:00

I saw this on Etsy and thought it was so cute for a little boy's room. I can't help thinking of someday when we have a different house and I can redo the theme in there, as neither one of them cares one whit about pirates, really.But maybe, just maybe their new little brother will. Because, yeah, it's a boy! I didn't tell one living soul I had my sonogram today, besides Bryce, because I wanted FOR ONCE to actually maintain a surprise. So there you go, the Taylor Dynasty will continue, due November 1st.

Just a little survey-thingy

2008-06-09T22:11:00.005-05:00

A little while back, Sarah from Georgia, posted this little survey thing and I decided to steal it. I'm really trying to find something to post about every day, so this is part of that effort. Feel free to steal, too.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was working as a reservations agent at Alamo-Rent-a-Car in Salt Lake, from which I would be fired in one month. And I was a very sad person ten years ago.

5 things on my to do list...
1. Clean bathroom
2. Vacuum
3. Plan to cut out half of my sugar
4. Move my room around
5. Update pictures on my blog

5 Snacks...
1. Cheezits & Coke
2. Crackers & cheese with grape juice
3. Chocolate chip cookies with COLD milk
4. Gummy bears
5. Dry Cookie Crisp

If I were suddenly a millionaire...
First a major cross-country vacation: New York City where I'd also buy an entirely new wardrobe, Salt Lake to visit family, a beach in Florida, L.A., etc. Then we'd move somewhere cooler, perhaps Oregon, right on the coast, buy a cute cottage-style home with a porch swing, huge garden, many windows and trees and buy new (fuel-efficient) cars. Hire a nutritionist and personal trainer to get me skinny.

3 bad habits...
1. Cussing
2. Consuming WAY TOO MUCH sugar
3. Gossiping

5 places I have lived...
1. Grand Prairie, TX
2. Salt Lake City, UT
3. Dallas, TX
4. Irving, TX
5. Arlington, TX

5 jobs I have had...
(only five? No fair...)
1. Telemarketer for Olan Mills
2. Multiple positions as Assistant teacher at SEVERAL daycares
3. Waitress (for five days)
4. Medical receptionist
5. Apartment Leasing Agent
and many, many more...

5 things people don't know about me...
1. I ate an entire bottle of Rolaids when I was a little girl.
2. Never went to the dentist until I was 24.
3. Once flashed my panties to an entire auditorium full of people during a play, NOT on purpose.
4. I have a particular order for how I bathe, which is different if I'm showering from when I'm in the bath. And there are very particular reasons for this order.
5. I was once asked to leave the Joseph Smith Memorial Building because my boyfriend was giving me a (very innocent) backrub.

Daddy's shadow

2008-06-08T20:30:00.004-05:00

Fynn followed Bryce the entire time as he mowed our yard, and our neighbor's yard. Gotta love Bryce's mowing attire...

Public thank you!

2008-06-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

In relation to the post below, I have to thank Missy and John for coming to our house and watching the boys for us! It was so nice of them, and we were out so late. We so owe them babysitting! Thanks, guys!

Robert Smith Will Save Us All

2008-06-07T08:05:00.013-05:00

I have the most awesome husband ever. Yesterday, totally randomly, he surprised me with tickets the The Cure concert. Oh, man. I love the Cure. You've heard me wax poetic about Coke? If Robert Smith asked me to give it up, I would. I really would. Just to thank him for his brilliance. I love his music so much, and by extension, oh, how I love him! I've loved him for so long, ever since I pulled my head out of my butt long enough to listen to his lyrics when I was 12 and Ashley listened to him all the time. I love him for making up words like "angelicate," which just hearing you know EXACTLY what he means. I love the little eyeroll he does when he sings. I love that when he's actually speaking, I can't understand even one word that comes out of his mouth. I love him for turning phrases like these:

"and when i see you kitten as a cat
yeah as smitten as that
i can't get that small
the way you fur
the how you purr
it makes me want to paw you all
and when i see you happy as a girl
that lives in a world of make-believe
it makes me pull my hair all out
to think i could've let you leave"

I could go on and on forever, but, oh man, I just LOVE him. So last night was TOTALLY AWESOME! I swear for the first ten songs, it was like he knew I was coming. It was all the songs that just make my soul melt right out of my pores. If it isn't his amazingly perceptive, poetic, beautiful lyrics, it's the way he plays that dang guitar! Remember my desire to play guitar? Thank him. (You know, if you care to thank anyone for MY desire to play guitar...) And then, beyond those first ten songs, I must have turned to Bryce at least fifty times and said, "This is in my top ten favorite of all songs EVER." Which, yeah, despite the discrepancy, it's pretty much accurate anyway.

We didn't bring a camera, because I thought we'd be too far. But actually, we weren't that far. I was close enough to see the eyeroll! (The layers of black liner he was wearing helped a little, too.) But the lovely girl next to me didn't think me weird when I asked her to e-mail her pictures to me. First thing this morning, the link to her Flickr account was waiting for me, and here are a few of the decent ones.

My bardThe band

This was a fairly new guitarist, to my knowledge. He reminded Bryce and I of one of the Guitar Hero characters. He had this black shape inked around his eye, bald as a pool cue, and a spider-webby shirt thing that looked like a skin of tattoos. But the icing on the cake were his SHOES. Patent leather boots, and I bet they were probably four-inch long platform heels.

Bryce also came back from a bathroom break with a t-shirt of Boys Don't Cry, the best song ever. Or one of the best songs, ever. Seriously, in the top ten. I think this has all earned Bryce at least six months of nightly foot and back rubs and me feeding him grapes. Next time, though, Ashley SOOO has to come with me. Side note: The title was something I saw on a girl's t-shirt last night and I loved it. Side note 2: Bryce said that phrase is from South Park, which I don't know, I don't watch it, but there you go.

Consumerism - 2, Taylors - 0

2008-06-05T23:27:00.005-05:00

(Don't let my title fool you; I'm not one who gets all riled up about "rampant consumerism" or whatever it is people get riled up about...)

Up until very recently, like two weeks ago, we didn't have cable or satellite or anything like it.It's not that we don't enjoy the shows that are on there, but rather we enjoy them far too much, and by not having it, we've been trying to save ourselves a life of couch potatoism and brain rot. (Not that people with satellite have a life of those, just that we know WE would.) We're giving it a trial run, and really so far it's not that impressive. Every time we turn it on, something good has just ended and the current run is all junk. But who knows, we may keep it, just because it records stuff for us! But mainly because of the daily fresh episode of the Backyardigans. THAT IT RECORDS FOR US!

As a result of never having had satellite, Ewan's T.V. experience has been mostly commercial free due to PBS Kids and DVDs, and also our family's tendency (passed down lovingly from the Taylor side) to mute commercials. But lately, while Fynn is napping, I know I need to take advantage of that opportunity, so I let Ewan catch up on his Backyardigans while I get some rest. So I can't decide if this is a bad thing, or just a terribly funny thing. Ewan lately is pimping out all sorts of products to me. He was absolutely insistent that we make sure we get some Clorox in our cabinet. I assured him we had some, and he would not rest until I actually showed him the bottle, to which he said, "So that's where you keep the Clorox, now where do you keep the Clorox wipes?" He then proceeded to tell me all the things Clorox was good for. Same day, later, he drops his applesauce all over the floor. As I crawl under the table armed with paper towels and some random cleaner, he chastises me, "Mommy! You need Clorox for that mess!"

But today was the best nugget of all. We went out back to play, and out of the clear blue, he exclaimed, "OH NO! We don't have any Claritin." Assuming he was referring to Bryce's allergy attacks every time he steps in our backyard, I said nothing. After a few minutes of reflection, Ewan told me some long thing about Claritin which ended in, "So I need Claritin so I can ride a skateboard." Which, I haven't seen the commercial he must be referring to, but I can only assume it involves some poor allergy-ridden boy who can't enjoy the outdoors until he has his Claritin, which magically makes him a whiz on the skateboard.

Amateur photographer, mud pies, and crazy people

2008-06-02T22:55:00.017-05:00

*Note* I'll have you know that I am this close to throwing my computer through the window because it will not properly publish my font. Everything is all squinched together. Pardon the strain on your eyes, and also my cussing, which maybe you didn't hear, but trust me, it happened.

Ewan is currently ground from any video or computer games. Today, as a substitute, he decided to take some pictures. Usually he takes pictures of the wall or a box of crackers, but today he actually got some good shots of Fynn. Later in the day, he wanted to dig for worms, but our neighbors lovely pit bulls were trying to climb the fence to eat our dog, so we decided to go play in our side yard instead. And it was a total MUD PIT! So naturally we took our shoes off and had a grand old time. Well, except for Fynn, he didn't like the feeling of the mud so much, so he steered clear.

Taken by Ewan while playing Door Peekaboo

Those big, soulful eyes are full of tears because I was on an important phone call and had put him down because he was screaming in my ear. Also taken by Ewan.

Sitting in the mud pit.

Standing in the mud pit.

He got much dirtier after this one.

Tonight we went to the ball game with the Saunders, Bowers, Kirchmanns, Grimmetts and Grundbergs. That was a lot of fun, and the kids did really well. (Again, I'll be stealing pictures from the other people present, so those will come later.) The only dark spot on the whole evening was the bat*%$! crazy woman who sat next to us. All the kids were pretty much communal property among all of us families, the whole "it takes a village" thing, and Ewan and Natalie were sitting in two chairs next to me. Some young couple wandered over the the seats next to them, and at first I thought this lady was just overly friendly as she started chitchatting with the kids. A little annoying, but nothing compared to when I looked over and she was giving them cotton candy! Now, I don't care if my child has cotton candy, we were going to buy some for him, but where on Earth did this lady hear it was okay to offer someone else's children, that you don't know, candy? I was very aggravated, but was trying to be nice, so I just thanked her. And she continued with the questions, working her way to asking them their names. Bryce and I were both getting very uncomfortable, but nothing prepared me for when she started TICKLING MY SON. Seriously. Tickling him. Um, yeah, don't touch my kid. So I start figuring out in my head how I'm going to lure him away, when that woman pulled out a camera and was taking pictures of both of them. That was the final straw, and I had to work up my courage to get them away NOW. Luckily, Natalie saw Bella and wanted to be with her, so that worked out. But I had to physically pick Ewan up and put him in my lap to get him away from her. She and her companion apparently got the hint, because they immediately left and went back to whatever hole they came from. But seriously, how many grossly inappropriate things was she going to work into a ten minute period? So we had to have the talk with Ewan that even though strangers may seem nice, we just don't know, and that all the things she was doing were not appropriate. I am mad at myself, though, because I should have immediately said, "Please don't tickle him." The cotton candy thing I could have overlooked, because we were right there, and she was eating it as well, but the rest was so far over the line, and I hate that I even hesitated to offend her. But I finally did, and I know Natalie also got a good lecture from her mother about it once I told her what happened. It's a lesson to be learned by me to stop caring about offending other people.

Pity party

2008-05-31T22:24:00.004-05:00

I've been very blue. I've been weeping. A lot. I wept when Bryce told me I looked beautiful. I wept when I was talking to Ewan before he went to bed tonight. I wept when I saw my beautiful new kitty playing. I'm weepy now because I'm thinking of how much I love my sister Ashley and how beautiful she looked today. I'm weepy now because my little sister is having a baby, and we never talk, and I miss her because we used to be close, and I don't think she cares. I know I'll be weeping later because we're going to watch a movie with Tommy Lee Jones in it, and I love him so much, and he reminds me of my dad. I've been weeping because I feel like I've wasted so much of myself and my time and my talents, to the point where I feel like I have not much to offer. I want to weep because I'm SO. TIRED. ALL. THE. TIME. and I can barely function. I even wept when I thought about how much time I spent alone in the hospital when I had Fynn because Bryce was with Ewan. I'll be weeping in frustration over the next few months because I cannot figure out where on earth we are going to put a crib. And I'm weepy because I want to enjoy my blog the way I used to, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

So forgive me. I needed to do a therapeutic post. It's my pity party, and I'll cry if I want to.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRYCE!!!

2008-05-28T11:56:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this is technically two days late, but I've been busy, and tired, and busy and tired at the same time, so I'm just getting around to it. Bryce's birthday was Monday, and it was especially nice because he had both Friday and Monday off, so we had the best four day weekend. We tried not to "schedule" anything, just hang out, lay low, and if we felt like getting stuff done, we'd do it, if not, we didn't. We're trying to be good with money, and Bryce always insists he doesn't need anything. I know he wants Guitar Hero, but it's too expensive, and I don't really want it in the house because I know he'll never do anything else ever again if it is. So I found this nice compromise for his birthday. His second birthday present is giving the new dog back to Mary Ann since he hates it, and since it chewed through one of his computer cords!

Very sad thing and very good thing

2008-05-23T23:01:00.007-05:00

Bryce and I were very distressed yesterday as we drove by this, literally minutes after it happened. They had not yet even covered the victim, and luckily Ewan was asleep because it was right on his side of the car. We weren't even trying to see, at first we thought the traffic holdup was a fender bender, and were irritated at the slowdown. But as horrible as seeing the man lying there was, and the trauma to the body, the saddest thing for me was seeing the three young girls that had been in the other car, sitting huddled against the divider, clinging to each other and sobbing. Both visuals have stayed with me and Bryce ever since, and I don't know when I'll be able to shake the images.

In an effort to do just that, I want to post the pictures of Ewan's preschool program. (Thanks again, Shannon.)

Shannon and I were sitting on opposite sides of the gym, and I kept seeing Ewan looking for me, just searching all around, but he never looked right at me. He obviously found Shannon and her family taking pictures of him.

Making music.

Preschooler Bowling.

Mmmmm, cake for lunch.

Buddies. Pardon the lovely look on Ewan's face, he was mid-chew.

Garden of Children

2008-05-22T22:06:00.003-05:00

I'll have to post pictures of this later, since I couldn't find my camera and have to mooch pictures off of Shannon again. (Thanks, Shannon!) But today Ewan had his preschool program, as well as Natalie, and it was cheesy and goofy and the cutest thing I've ever seen. I just couldn't believe I had a KID up there, singing songs and performing. I mean, what happened to Ewan the baby? And all the kids lined up were so stinkin' cute that I wanted to get a giant ball and do some Preschooler Bowling.

Night happenings

2008-05-20T20:31:00.007-05:00

Bryce got home at 2:00 this morning, and didn't have a house key with him. I forgot this fact, and was brutally awakened by the dog barking her head off, of course right outside the kids' door. I finally realized Bryce must be home, and I stumbled up to let him in, right as Ewan stumbles out of his room telling me he's had a nightmare. He likes to sleep on the couch when this happens, so I snuck into his room to get his pillow and bear. There was Fynn, laying on his side, staring at his Gloworm, which he has recently rediscovered. It was laying right next to him, and the glow was shining on his face as he listened to the music. He saw me, gave me a small grin, and just continued listening and staring. I am not even kidding when I tell you that since I had Ewan four years ago, nothing has melted my heart as much as seeing Fynn laying there with that Gloworm.

After the house had finally settled back down, I was having a bit of a hard time going back to sleep, when my beloved new kitty Ruby climbed up on my pillow, and for twenty minutes proceeded to search through my hair, like she was looking for somewhere to nurse. But it was like the nicest head massage as her paws just kneaded my scalp. She finally gave up, realized I don't have cat nipples on my head, and wrapped herself in my hair, where she slept for six hours straight. Ahhh, I love that kitty.

(And do you see how you can tell I'm really a cat person? When I talk about the dog, which is almost never, I only refer to her as "the dog." I haven't even mentioned the new dog once since he came here. But get me a kitty, and I'll talk about almost nothing else, and I even refer to her by name. They are like my family, cats. It's a good thing I got married, because I would seriously be crazy cat lady.)

Nothing to say but in pictures

2008-05-19T20:25:00.008-05:00

This is Fynn's "Where?" pose. Ask him where something is and he does this while he looks all around. Every time he does it I have to refrain from kicking him. His appointment for that awful rash is finally coming on Wednesday.
Bryce caught the kitty sleeping on my head the other day. On a side note, it is a girl, and we named her Ruby. I love her. A lot. And you'll be seeing a lot of her, I'm sure.
I love this picture, she's asleep amid the chaos she inflicted on the flowers. Oh, how I love her.
It was so hot today, I took the boys to get a fun little sprinkler thing for them to play in. Fun was had.
Although Fynn wasn't always so sure about it when it was spraying his face. He'd start to fuss and look at me like "Get me out of here!" That is a serious belly there.

Coca-Cola, take me away...

2008-05-16T14:28:00.005-05:00

Well, it has been one whopper of a day. I woke up exhausted, because let me tell you, this schedule of Bryce's SUCKS. There's no other way to say it, sorry. He hasn't been getting home until 4:30 am, and last night it was 5:00 am. So he has to sleep half of the day away, which is difficult because our house is very tiny, and our doorknobs have become very easy for Fynn to open, so it's impossible to keep him out. Bryce may as well be trying to sleep on the couch in the middle of the living room for all the good it does. Plus, when he's not here, I just can't sleep as good.

So I woke up a little cranky today, and my dog keeps escaping the backyard, and Fynn WILL.NOT.STOP.CLIMBING.ON.THE.TABLE. I have to keep all the chairs across the room from the kitchen table and move them back and forth constantly for meal times or coloring or whatever. Today, I forgot to move Ewan's chair, and I dozed off on the couch. For like two minutes. I popped awake and asked Ewan what Fynn was doing, and he said, "Standing on the table." Yes, indeed, he was, and he had poured an entire glass of milk on the floor, which the dog was enjoying licking up. After Fynn had woken Bryce up a dozen times, I decided to go get groceries and added to my list "new doorknob" and only half jokingly "child leash."

I needed to get gas, so I stop on the way to the store, and their pump won't turn on. I swiped my card twice, it was accepted, but then it just didn't do anything. So I unload the kids, traipse inside where the pimply faced, awkward ugly teenager basically told me I was stupid and that I needed to swipe my card. Ummmm, I did, jerk. I decide to go to another gas station, and seriously, for like five seconds, my foot was lead because I was so worked up, and in the ONE BLOCK that my foot was heavy, a cop nabbed me. I was going 54 in a 35. OOPS! But the kicker was that I couldn't find our insurance card anywhere, and he decided to try to track our insurance down FOR HALF AN HOUR. He told me he was supposed to tow my car away, but I think since I had the two kids and was so nice, he just gave me a nice $900 ticket instead. (So expensive because I was nabbed in my parent's car in 2001 with no insurance.) Luckily, we do actually have insurance, so we'll get out of that. Although not for the $200 speeding ticket. Yippee.

You can tell I was upset when I shopped because items on the grocery bill included: one Coke, one candy bar, break and bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, ricotta cheese tortellini, Boston Market lasagna (cheesy) and lots of macaroni and cheese. Will I eat all of that today? That's for me to know and you to find out.

Serial adopters

2008-05-15T18:34:00.006-05:00

Just call us the Angelina and Brad of the animal world. Here is the newest - and I swear the last addition - being mauled, I mean stroked, by Fynn.
Ewan had a playdate with the Grimmett twins the other day (where, by the way, he had a total blast and came home with the sweetest note from Shannon that said, "I love you." He's talked about them nonstop since). While I was there, Julie mentioned kittens her sister was trying to find homes for. Like I was going to just let that go! I've been wanting a kitten forever, and I promise that three cats is my limit. Julie said it was a boy (but are you sure, Julie? I think it might be a girl...) so we're trying to pick a name. Ewan wants to name him Tarantula for some reason, or Mark after a kid in his class. I told him that if it is for sure a boy, I'll let him be called Spider rather than Tarantula. At any rate, he's so darn cute and now I feel complete. Really. I just love being surrounded by animals, especially cats, and I always have. I think it's such an important part of a kid's childhood, too, to have at least one pet around. So the count is now (and final) two dogs, three cats, three fish. Hopefully my house doesn't stink like "PET!" Please tell me if it ever does, I won't be offended, I swear.

Run like the wind

2008-05-13T19:03:00.008-05:00

For Ewan's preschool the other day, as a wrap-up party for the Alphabet, they were to go dressed as a letter of the alphabet. Now, I'm not creative, not even a little bit when it comes to things like costumes and such. My brilliant idea was to get an old white t-shirt and write W words all over it. He originally wanted to be the letter Z, but Mr. Z supposedly is covered in zippers. If I sewed, and if I wasn't a procrastinator, I would have gone and bought a jillion zippers and covered an outfit with them. As it stands, I ended up having to call Ashley for a lightning bolt idea. And in under 30 seconds, she had one. (She's so good at that!) She said, brown pants, blue shirt, blue "cape" (i.e. baby blanket) and he would be Mr. W as The Wind. He loved the idea and even managed to keep his cape on throughout all of preschool.
Last night's baseball game was a raging success, although the immediate aftermath was a little dramatic. I had told Bryce to bring me back one of those awesoem ballpark hotdogs, so he did. I guess at some point in the car, Ewan squished it a little, and Bryce told him that it was mine, and that wasn't nice. Ewan began to worry a little. When I opened the door, he looked fine, and told me, "I accidentally squished your hot dog." He looked so worried, which prompted me to exclaim a little too loudly, "Oh, honey, that's OK!" Well, he started wailing. And wailing. I've never heard anything like it, it sounded like Marley's ghost moaning through a megaphone. He told me, "I don't like squishing other people's food!" It was so bad it took us thirty minutes to get him calmed down and into bed. He was just so tired. But I laid down with him before he fell asleep, and he told me about all these people he met. He was especially excited that he met a Canadian. For months, Bryce has told him about how Canadians talk funny, especially how they say "soory." One day he even talked for an hour describing to us different ways Canadians say various words. It was hilarious. Truck was something "trubaskado." Bryce had painted such a funny picture in his head that Ewan didn't realize Canadians are people. He has referred to them as Canadian aliens, or some sort of animal. So for him to meet a Canadian and see he was actually a human being, well, it was a big moment.

Uncle Troy, Ewan, Bryce

T-ball

Uncle Troy

Mmmm... Coke.

Peanuts, Cracker Jack and Man's Best Friend

2008-05-12T22:25:00.003-05:00

Bryce has taken Ewan to his first baseball game tonight. He was so excited, but we quickly realized he thought HE was going to be playing, not just watching. We had a mini-drama over that, but Bryce just sent me a message saying Ewan is having a blast. I made Bryce take the camera, so hopefully there will be some cute pictures to post. While they were gone, Fynn and I had some fun throwing a ball all around the living room, until he began to melt down and I put him in bed. Having this time to myself has been nice, although the movie I had set aside to watch turned out to be kind of boring. But I gave myself a pedicure, read some gloriously stupid yet fun websites, and watched stupid TV. It was refreshing.

I'm a little distressed because some new neighbors have moved in behind us, and let me tell you... I feel like they might be related to the people that camped by us this weekend. I actually remember from the park ranger reading out their IDs that one of them lived in Arlington. I'm pretty sure that's him behind us. They are yelling at each other constantly, using many expletives, and even as we speak their music is blaring through my backyard. They also have three very aggressive pit bulls. Today I was outside with the kids when Fynn wandered to that corner of the fence. Before I could get to him, those dogs had started barking at him so furiously that our two dogs rushed over in defense. So there is my Fynn, in the middle of five very angry, loud dogs, and he was shaking so violently I could see it from far away. But he was paralyzed and wouldn't walk away. Our backyard is big, and I've been having my lovely pregnancy sciatica that I can't ever seem to escape, so it took me a minute to get to him. He just clung to me so hard and cried his little heart out. It was sad for Fynn, but I also was glad our dogs had that instinct to protect him. I guess I can put up with some shedding and invasion of personal space after all.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2008-05-11T22:06:00.006-05:00

We have had a really good weekend, starting with a camping trip that has been previously documented here, here and here. There were a few little bumps and odd experiences, but overall it was completely fun, and I can't wait to do it again. I will, however, be waiting until probably October when the lovely state of Texas starts to think about getting cooler. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, but other people smarter and better organized than us remembered theirs, and we were able to get some cute shots. These were some of my favorites:

Next time we'll just cross our fingers that we can avoid the drunken idiots one campsite over. I'm so glad we have met such wonderful people that have become our good friends. Bryce and I spent the first few years of our marriage virtually friendless, and it's so nice to have had our circle of supporters and confidants expand so much since we moved into this house. Hopefully it's a trend that will continue throughout our life.

Bryce is going to be on a very odd schedule for a few weeks. He'll be home during the day, but will be working the graveyard shift for a week or two, leaving around 5:30 pm and working until 2:00 or 3:00 am. It will be interesting, that's for sure. But it might actually help with my desire to step up my blogging again. With so many hours in the evening to myself, I'm sure I'll be on here quite a bit more.

I just want to wish everyone a very happy Mother's Day! You are all so awesome and we love you.

Look what Missy did!

2008-05-06T16:08:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, if only.

Some may disagree...

2008-05-06T13:18:00.002-05:00

... but I think this is one of the most fabulous dresses I have ever seen.
I just can't stop staring. Someone photoshop my head on her body.

Report Card

2008-05-05T21:58:00.004-05:00

Ewan had his four year check-up today. Aside from a serious panic-attack on his part regarding shots, in which he screamed at the top of his lungs and it took me and two nurses to hold him down, it went really well. The nurse was very impressed because she couldn't trick him on his hearing test, his eyes were perfect, and he's in the 95th percentile for his height. The only drawback is that he is slightly anemic, which isn't that big of a surprise, because ever since his long bought of fevers a few months ago, his appetite has been very poor. He barely picks at his meals and declares himself full after eating less than half. But I had a good talk with him today about it, and he ate all of his dinner tonight and was asking for more. The doctor also said anemia is fairly common when they are big like him. It's like he's growing faster than he can keep up with.

Fynn is finally trying out some words. He says mommy, daddy, cracker, diaper, dog, and cookie. There's something else in there I'm forgetting... Everything with him is so good right now, and he's growing so fast. The only problem right now is that his rash has spread over his entire body. Bryce and I had the idea that maybe he was allergic to milk, so we only gave him soy milk for a couple of days, but then we got lazy. The two days he was off of the milk, his nose stopped running (which it has done chronically for several months), and the rash on his face wasn't nearly as bad. But we didn't really notice how much until the third day when we gave him milk again. Within hours, his face looked like hamburger meat and his nose was running like a faucet again. So, we're pretty sure it's a milk allergy. It makes since, since he's had the rash for nearly three months, starting when he was 13 months old, which was around the time I weaned him and put him on cow's milk. Now we're experimenting again, two days off milk and his face looks much better. I'm keeping his appointment with the dermatologist for now, though, and we'll see what happens. If this is 100% a milk allergy, my entire manner of cooking and eating has to change. And I'm so lazy about that stuff, it's going to be very hard. Milk is in EVERYTHING.

As I'm sure you can tell, I just haven't been into the blogging lately. I feel like any humor I had in it is gone, motivation is kaput, and I don't even enjoy being on the computer as much lately. Those of you with blogs may have noticed I don't comment as much, or as often. I'm just not on very much anymore. I'm contemplating deleting this blog, but I am not sure. I won't do it before I've printed everything out. I'll keep you posted, if you are interested.

Meet Thomas

2008-05-01T21:28:00.004-05:00

I give you one guess who named him.

And let's not even get into how crazy I must be. Or how much I need to clean under that dresser.

Adventures in dog-napping

2008-04-29T21:57:00.004-05:00

Mary Ann was dog-sitting for us for a few days, and today I had to go pick Sugar up. I called Mary Ann ahead of time to let her know I was coming, and while on the phone she mentioned two Cocker Spaniels that had been seen roaming her neighborhood. They looked like someone's pets, she said, but obviously needed help. After a search around the neighborhood, however, they had disappeared.

But when I turned the corner into her neighborhood, there in the middle of the street, was this sweet little dog, just sitting there, staring off into the distance. I pulled up slowly next to him and shooed him off of the road so he wouldn't get hit. When I told Mary Ann about it, we decided to go and get him. He wouldn't go to her, and climbed up into a little patch of woods near her house. I took the leash from her, and crawled up after him. He had gotten into a very tight patch full of thorns. He let me pet him and get the lease around him, but getting him out was an exercise in ripping up my arms and legs with thorns. Seeing him up close, I realize he's probably been abandoned a lot longer than we had thought. He was quite timid and scared until we got him into Mary Ann's backyard, where he began to get very happy and excited, and he really loved the boys.

Now, I gripe about dogs a lot, I know. But it's really just because my dog is so annoying. Seriously, I can't even tell you. And I fell in love with this other little dog in the ten minutes I was in his company. We are going to try to see if someone has advertised a lost dog that matches him, but if not... Mary Ann and I just might be squabbling over him.

For a very annoying cat, he's quite debonair

2008-04-27T21:38:00.002-05:00

Ewan reads Thomas

2008-04-27T21:18:00.002-05:00

Bryce and I could listen to this for hours.

Random, I know

2008-04-25T16:58:00.004-05:00

I was going through some of our pictures today, and came across this one from our bluebonnet excursion. Bryce was trying to get some individual shots of Fynn, and suddenly something white flashed by. I think it's hilarious.
More to post later - I have lots to gripe about.

Maybe next time...

2008-04-23T08:32:00.002-05:00

Now I find out I was supposed to starve myself all this time in order to have a girl!

Finders, Keepers

2008-04-21T21:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I stole it. Here goes:

Maybe I should exercise.
I love queso.
People would say that I’m a mooch.
I don’t understand why I hate to exercise.
When I wake up in the morning I groan.
I lost my wallet in the 10th grade, and I’ve never gotten over it.
Life is full of confusion.
My past is full of impetuous, bad choices.
I get annoyed when people shove objects in my face.
Parties are fun if the right people are there.
I wish I had more square feet.
Dogs are shedders.
Cats are the awesomest bit of awesome in all the awesome land.
Tomorrow I'm catching up on laundry and housework.
I have low tolerance for whining, or repetitious sounds.
I’m totally terrified of losing a loved one, or dying myself.
I wonder why I'm so tired all the time (pregnancy not withstanding)
Never in my life have I eaten a worm.
High school was a time I didn’t live up to my potential - except in drama. I rocked in drama.
When I’m nervous I talk fast, and ramble.
One time at a family gathering my uncle insulted my sister, and my brother got in a fistfight to defend her honor.
Take my advice: Don’t take my advice.
Making my bed is the first step to me having an okay day. When I do it.
I'm almost always wanting a Coke.
I’m addicted to freakin’ food!
I want someone to tell me what’s up.

Gee, pessimist much, Kelli?

A rash of bad luck...

2008-04-21T21:20:00.007-05:00

About two months ago, Fynn sprouted a tiny little rash next to his nose. I didn't think much of it, maybe some dry skin, so I wasn't too bothered. But then it started to spread, and get angrier. We held off until his 15 month checkup, where we were told it was impetigo. The doctor prescribed a very mild oral antibiotic, and said to call her in ten days if it didn't improve. Well, it did improve, for about four days, when it came back even worse. The doctor then gave him a much stronger antibiotic, one that smelled like a dirty pair of underwear and gave him the worst diaper rash he's ever had. It did, however, make his rash a bit better. For about five days. So now I have to take him to a pediatric dermatologist, one that doesn't have an open appointment for another month. I'm so frustrated, and need to try to figure something out. Today was Fynn's first day in a month that he has been off of any antibiotic, and in just 24 hours, the rash has gotten twice as bad. What's he going to look like in a month?! If you have a strong stomach, check out these image results of impetigo. While Fynn's isn't anywhere near as bad as most of these, that's also because he's been under some treatment. I'm nervous about what will develop after a month of no treatment. This may be a bit of a rambling post, but I'm so sad for Fynn, who seems to have been born under an unlucky star. He has had more extremely high fevers in his 15 months that Ewan has had in four years, he's had his leg broken, a pressure sore developed, bad reactions to vaccines... The list goes on. When is the poor boy going to get a break? And me, too?

On a lighter note, here are some cute pictures of the man in question:
Ewan told me, "Fynn's thinks he's eating spaghetti!" When I went into the room, he had a mouthful of yellow yarn. Unfortunately, once I had the camera, he refused to look at me, but he was very proud of himself, and I thought it was funny that Ewan thought of spaghetti.

"I can eat yogurt by myself, thank you very much."

Thanks to Grace for these cute pictures she took at lunch last week. I love this coy look of Fynn's.

And, as mentioned before, this is Ewan's current signature look.

"See! He's her lobster!"

2008-04-19T13:52:00.008-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was making a quick Target trip, trying to fit in some last shopping before Bryce and I seriously buckle down and go on a strict budget. We passed Red Lobster, and Ewan said, "Someday, I want to go to Red Lobster." I said, "Oh, sure someday we will." I thought it was funny, so I texted it to Bryce, and he calls back mere minutes later saying he's already called his mother, and that we would be having dinner there.

Now, we eat at Red Lobster, like, never, because let's face it... It can be yummy, but it can also be... um... gross. But you can never go wrong with cheddar biscuits, for sure, so off we went. While waiting, we observed the live lobsters, of course, and I became a little more than mildly distressed when they came to take one out right in front of us to take it to be cooked. It was moving around, and struggling, and I couldn't help thinking, "Do you know what's about to happen? Say your prayers, my lobster friend. Say them well." (I mean, really, would we go to steak joint and watch the cows frolicking in the pasture, then see them be led away to the slaughter?) I can't help thinking of that poor lobster, and I wonder if that Friends episode is true where Phoebe talks about lobsters holding claws in the tank, and that they are monogamous for life. (The best Friends episode ever, by the way.) Is there a little lobster funeral going on somewhere? Is the widow wearing a black veil, carting her two children by the claws in a tank funeral? It's a lobster concentration camp, for Pete's sake!

Then Ewan insisted he was going to eat lobster. We'd never normally get lobster, too darn expensive, but Bryce decided if he and Ewan shared the platter, it would even out. (Kind of.) When they brought it out, Ewan was quite freaked out by the antennae thingies, and insisted Bryce remove them before he'd go anywhere near it. But once that was done, the boy completely pigged out and loved him some lobster. Although now he says it was gross and will never eat it again. And that's fine by me, I'm not fond of seeing my food kicking right before I eat it. But I know the truth, I saw him relishing every bite. I suppose it's the experience that counts.

But that poor orphaned lobster family.

Baby Blues

2008-04-16T21:38:00.004-05:00

Before it's too late, I wanted to get the boys in the bluebonnets for pictures. The last time Bryce and I did this was a couple of months after we were married. It's long overdue; as pure-blood Texans, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Checking out the landscape.

He has been so feisty lately, and this picture just about perfectly sums up his attitude.

At least Fynn is amused.

Afterwards, we went out for ice-cream, and Ewan really enjoyed his. This is him "clean."

Fynn was very happy to use his own spoon.

These are blooming outside of my house right now. They are lilies that came from a single bulb that grew in my grandmother's yard. After she died, I pried the bulb out of the frozen ground with my bare hands the night before her house sold. She would be very pleased to see this display.

Lessons from Elmo

2008-04-15T20:36:00.005-05:00

Today, Ewan had to change shirts due to a spill, and before he had put on a new one, I noticed his back was quite red where he'd been trying to scratch it. He then told me, "My back itches so much!" I told him to come to me so I could look at it, but before the sentence was out of my mouth, he'd put on a new shirt and was heading out to the backyard. I heard him say something about a tree, so I watched him out the window and witnessed this:
There my son was, moving his back up and down against the tree to scratch it. I just asked him where he learned it, and he said from a little girl on Elmo's World who likes to scratch her back on trees. This is what my son takes away from an episode of Sesame Street. I thought he was going to tell me he learned it from watching the dog or an animal from TV. He repeated this again later in the evening, and Bryce was able to witness it that time. There we were, hiding behind the curtains, laughing hysterically, and then we ran and sat down as he headed back in, pretending we'd been sitting in the living room the whole time.

Ho Hum

2008-04-14T12:49:00.006-05:00

Well, I really wish I had something exciting to tell you. I just don't. I know this blog has been very non-exciting, and extremely NOT updated in far too long. I just got kind of blogged out there for a while, and am just waiting for the juices to start flowing again. Perhaps with the return of our favorite shows, 30 Rock, The Office, Scrubs and Lost, I'll have something to say. Perhaps not.

The boys are doing pretty darn good. Fynn looks more and more like a boy (rather than just a baby) every day and he is so feisty, I worry for the future! If you put something on his high-chair tray that he does not want, he will not hesitate to throw it in your face, with a look of sheer disdain. He also loathes any attention that is paid to Ewan, and will strike both the attention-giver and Ewan in anger at such a display. That being said, he also loves Ewan very much and lights up whenever he's around. Now I'm just hoping for a stretch with NO FEVERS. Ewan is enjoying preschool, although he has taken to wrapping his entire body around my legs when I go drop him off, begging me to not leave him there. But when I come to pick him up, he cannot stop talking about all the things he did that day and he does love it so much. Right now he's really into counting "restaurants with 's' in the name." He's up to eleven, and as we drive down the street, he is constantly pointing out more. Also in the car, every sign we pass, he reads to us and asks if we saw it. It gets quite funny.
Just to have something to share, I'll tell you something reeeeeeally gross. Bryce and I went to my parent's house this Sunday, and he was helping take down their satellite dish. As he walked around the side of the house, he noticed a trashcan full of stagnant water, full of breeding mosquitos. He dumped it, and out spilled the corpse of some large rodent-thing, long dead and badly decomposed. He took it out to the curb, and as we left, I looked at it. It was so big, and its skin was literally shiny - silver looking. It was so disgusting. My dad decided it was a squirrel. And as gross as it was, last night laying in bed, I thought of this poor squirrel, trying to get a drink, and falling in, unable to scramble out, and drowning. And that made me very sad. Meep, Squirrel. Rest in peace. May you frolic in a land of acorn orchards where the bird seed flows like a beer river, and the drinking bowls are shallow.

UPDATED Let's just put it this way...

2008-04-09T21:05:00.004-05:00

... I can see these emergency lights from my driveway. And I turn onto one of the said streets to get home. And I can post this only because my blog is private. I can't believe Ashley had to call me and tell me about it. Apparently I've been in Lala Land all night.

*Concerns about my neighborhood or us needing to move are not necessary. That's not what I was implying or suggesting with this post. This type of thing can happen anywhere. I mean, Darlie Routier slaughtered her own children in a giant, expensive home in a giant, expensive neighborhood. Crazies are everywhere.

Enjoying randomness

2008-04-08T22:50:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been watching the news, and towards the end, they include a story that you just can't believe made the cut? Sometimes they come up with the most ridiculous, nonsensical, or just plain ordinary stories to include on the news. Tonight, after a piece about how a sheikh paid $2.7 million for a female camel, because females run faster in big races, my mouth was hanging open in disbelief. I mean, why do I need to know this? But then the newscaster made up for it by looking deathly serious into the camera and saying, "We just thought you should know." I want to take him out for lunch and buy him a steak for that.

See what you do to us?

2008-04-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

I dedicate this article to the Man Bloggers. That's why I do not provide snacks on Wii night. Deal with it.

Simple Pleasures

2008-04-04T19:01:00.003-05:00

Today in the grocery store, a box of Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch started calling my name. I can't remember the last time I bought Cap'n Crunch. Until today, that is. I can't wait until breakfast tomorrow.

"What a week I'm having!"

2008-04-04T14:17:00.006-05:00

That line is from Splash, when Eugene Levy has been through a week of broken limbs, being hosed down in the street, and falling down stairs. He says it with the best whine, I can totally hear it now, and it perfectly captures how I'm feeling. I love that movie. Have I ever told you about my love affair for Tom Hanks? Another time, then.

Let's start with the fact that for three weeks, one of my kids has been sick. Two weeks ago, Fynn spent nearly five days with a fever up in the 103s. I finally got him all better, in time for Ewan's birthday party, when Ewan popped up with a high fever the following Tuesday. As of this Monday, his fever hadn't even started to get better, so off to the doctor we went, and she determined he did actually need antibiotics. But it took three days before they started to show effectiveness, three days of Ewan having screaming, crying panic attacks because he couldn't breathe and because his fever was so high. Fynn's well-baby checkup was on Wednesday, and he was vaccinated. I've never had trouble with their vaccinations before, but last night, Fynn had a 104.2 fever. Now, I'm usually pretty cool and collected about illness, but fevers make me completely panic. Not to mention one that is 104.2. So while he was getting love and cold water from Daddy, I was doing some research online (not a good idea in this case) and I the first website I found had hundred of accounts from parents whose children had received the very shot Fynn received. Accounts of very high fevers. Seizures. Autism. Death. I went into the bedroom and said, "You will give that baby a blessing RIGHT NOW." He did, and I was completely astonished at how quickly that fever cleared up. It was like a magic wand had been waved. I've never had such a faith reaffirming experience in my entire life. He still has a fever today, but not nearly as high, and hopefully it will clear soon. So after having spent three days this week at Target pharmacy, hopefully we'll all finally be well at the same time.

I have to interject here to say that in the middle of typing this, Fynn was done with his lunch, so I walked over to him to take him out of the highchair, bumped into one of my very pretty plates hanging on my wall and it broke (one with sentimental value that I've had for ten years.) Just thought you should know.

Last night, we received some extremely distressing news about members of our family, which I won't go into, but it's not good, so there's that. Besides the illness, family problems and broken plates - on Wednesday I got into the car to go pay for Ewan's preschool, and the battery was dead. Bryce hasn't gotten home early enough to fix it yet this week, so I've been driving his car. After discovering this morning we were out of bread, I decided to do the weekly grocery trip. Kids all strapped in, halfway down the street, I realize I'm driving on a completely flat tire. In fact, driving on the rim. (But I have an awesome mother-in-law, who immediately came and sat with the kids so I could take her car. Thanks, Mary Ann!) Thursday Ewan threw a royal fit and refused to go into preschool, which resulted in us sitting in the parking lot for nearly half an hour because neither one of us would back down. I did finally win, after several times threatening to dismantle all electronic fun-ness out of the house.

Yucky sidenotes: my dog peed on the rug, 3/4 of the way into the book I've been reading all week, I realized it actually stinks and can't finish it, and the news about the pregnant man was all over everything. Ensuring that if I don't have morning sickness, I'll still be nauseated.

Forgive me for being a downer, because I will end on good notes - we got good news about the pregnancy, Ewan is finally better, the sun is shining, my testimony in blessing was strengthened, Mary Ann rocks, and I have eggrolls and Coke in my fridge. And it's FRIDAY. Things are looking up.

Daddy's got a new tax deduction

2008-04-01T21:18:00.003-05:00

For those of you who have not caught on, I am expecting another baby in November. I haven't made any official announcement until now because I was waiting to see the doctor to make sure all is well. And it is. I had three miscarriages between Ewan and Fynn, so I've been pretty pessimistic and nervous. This morning at the doctor, I was sure I was going to throw up from nervousness. But everything looks beautiful, and Ewan is especially excited. He swears it's going to be a girl, won't accept that it could be the other option. I'm a little more worried about how Fynn will take it, as he gets very upset if I even love on Ewan. It should be interesting!

Ewwwwww...

2008-03-31T17:59:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry, but THIS is NOT attractive. Less time in the gym, more time eating steaks and fries, please.

Grasshoppers!

2008-03-28T19:09:00.004-05:00

As if George the Cat's close and personal relationship with the fish weren't enough (he insists on drinking the water out of the bowl. Can you imagine what goes through a fish's head when a cat's huge head looms into its home and starts licking?), he has now taken to bringing large bugs into the house to play with. This is the third large green visitor I've had this week. He tortures them, carrying them in his mouth, then letting them go, batting them with his paw, and they invariably hop wildly and very far, usually towards me. This does not make me happy.

Bragging rights

2008-03-27T20:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I try not to brag. I like to tell about how my sons are growing and learning, and how beautiful I think they are. I mean, everyone thinks their kids are smart and beautiful, and not everyone necessarily wants to hear another parent going on and on and on about said beauty and smarts. But I was actually astonished by something Ewan did today, and I really wanted to share. Technically, I'm bragging on his behalf, because it's certainly not my accomplishment. He has been practicing sounding words out for a while now, and we'll be in the store, and he'll randomly tell me what package says, or the title of a book. Usually pretty easy words. And lately, he's been "reading" some of his Thomas books to me, but it's 99.9% memorization. I've been curious how much he was actually reading, versus memorizing, but he's heard all of his books so much, it was hard to tell. Well, we got five free books off of a cereal box offer, and up until today, he wasn't interested in having them read to him at all. Tonight he picked one of them as part of his usual three bedtime stories. First I was reading to Fynn, while Ewan sat quietly looking at his books. Keep in mind, I have NEVER read this book to him, it's called Things that are Most in the World. I looked over from my perch with Fynn, and Ewan was READING that book. Really reading it. He got stuck on a few of the bigger, strange words (like "teensie-weensiest) but otherwise he read that book all to himself. I almost fell out of my chair. We showed him long ago how to sound things out, almost on a whim, and not expecting him to catch on yet, and haven't worked with him much otherwise. This is something he has largely taught himself. I am so proud of him, and it literally made my day.

Maybe not

2008-03-27T10:56:00.003-05:00

I've been talking so much about how I want a girl, and now I'm just not so sure. I was looking at my niece's MySpace page, and in her "About Me" section, every other sentence is "I'm sexy. I'm still sexy. Look at me, I'm so sexy." Um, no, you aren't. You are fourteen. Why is a fourteen year old so wrapped up in how sexy she is? What is this culture we live in? I want a girl, I really do, but I think I'll have to be sedated in order to raise her without having a heart attack.

For fun

2008-03-26T18:24:00.006-05:00

I saw this in Reader's Digest, and for some reason found it hilarious. It actually made me laugh out loud when no one else was in the room with me.

Spare me

2008-03-25T23:24:00.004-05:00

If my family was on the news or in the paper every time this happened growing up, we would be major celebrities. Talk about your fifteen minutes of fame. How does this stuff make it on the news? All the same, I hope the wee little feline makes it out okay. Then he can come live with me.

What is the world coming to?

2008-03-25T11:29:00.002-05:00

I just had it on PBS KIDS for a few minutes, and they played a Barney commercial. Barney and those brats were singing "I Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode. My ears are bleeding. The desecration!

The anti-happy list

2008-03-24T23:02:00.013-05:00

I've been extremely grumpy and hormonal to the worst degree of my life over the last few weeks. And sure, I could post a happy list to try to look on the bright side of things. But I'm going to take the opposite tack and put down the things that really ticked me off today. Perhaps if I see them in print, I'll realize how ridiculous I am for being ticked, and will feel better...? Or at the very least, try to be amused at what ticks me off.

1. I broke my red cat.
2. I almost killed my fish.
3. Dang it, I broke my red cat instead of killing my fish.
4. Thank goodness my fish is okay.
5. Bryce didn't get me the much needed Coke I asked for on his way home. Grrrr...
6. But Bryce worked until nearly 9:00 tonight, so maybe he has a good excuse. Although, dang it, he worked UNTIL 9:00. And there are no signs of that letting up...
7. I feel like I'm going to barf up a bag of half-digested dog food. Mind you, I didn't eat dog food, but that's what it feels like I am going to throw up.
8. My back hurts. BAD. Carry me.
9. Tomorrow I have to get up and exert myself.
10. And right now, I have to exert myself to get into bed. Carry me.
11. Did you see? The red cat? I broke it.
12. Ewww, dog food.
13. Speaking of dogs, where the heck is mine?

But I'll add one more #14, just to look on the bright side. And trust me, this is a very bright side:
14. A certain crazy I know can never look at my blog again. You don't need the details. Suffice it to say, the figurative sun will never go down with this little reality. See, I feel better already.

P.S. My jeans don't fit, can I have yours?

Very very very clumsy Kelli

2008-03-24T18:08:00.003-05:00

Alas, it was not to be. And it's all my fault. Even Fynn is better around the breakables in this house than I am. Leave it to me to try to move a large piece of baby equipment next to a small table with precious ceramic cats on it.
I am so very sad. Meep. As mentioned before, this belonged to my grandmother. and it was so fabulous. So, which is appropriate to say? "Thank goodness it wasn't the fish?" or "If only it had been the fish?" (To view the kitty in all its former glory, click on the link above.)

Easter eggs and mud pies

2008-03-24T16:42:00.010-05:00

I actually had something good and funny to write about, but as I sit here posting these pictures, my mind has gone blank. So maybe, just maybe, there will be a grand total of TWO posts today! We had a good Easter, Bryce and the boys went to his mom's house for some steak, while I got some much needed rest. Then we all went to my parent's house for fried chicken and saw my brother's family again for the first time since they moved to Arizona. Ashley and gang were all there, and my niece Regan as well. It was a lot of fun, the kids especially had a blast together.
Bryce chose to name our Easter egss some interesting things. Belle is his nickname for me, then there's Fynn, Ewan and even Iris because we're hoping for a baby girl. But, of course, he couldn't forget to name one for the Wii.

Getting down to dirty business.

I had put some cream on his face for a rash he has, and the combo of that cream with the dirt he was getting into made for an interesting paste.

The scientist.

Before I ever had kids, and thought about having them, this is one of the things I always pictured, a little boy squatting in the grass looking at flowers. *Sigh*

Mommy feeds me healthy snacks! (Hint, those aren't carrots.)

This is what he does all day, be it inside or out in the dirt. Squatting or laying down, pushing trains around, making them crash, inventing stories about them...

And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY ANN!!! Thanks for everything you do for us!

I've never loved something so much in all my life.

2008-03-23T15:42:00.003-05:00

A fitting last tribute to Black Apple before I go private. Next time I have money to burn, this will be hanging on my wall:
That quote? That quote is amazing. If you can't read it, it says, "If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world and give it heavy walls."

Birthday party

2008-03-22T21:06:00.008-05:00

Okay, so this totally has nothing to do with this post, but I had to share. I'm sitting here at the desk, on which sit two of our fishbowls. I kept hearing a very light "tap, tap" on glass. I look up to finally see one of my fish, the one we call Stuart, tapping its mouth on the glass in my direction. Over and over again, and loud enough that I'd swear he had teeth. Then it would stop and stare at me. I usually feed them at night, so I suppose he was impatient. Now that's he's fed, he's swimming around happily. Cool. He communicates.

Okay, to get off of that tangent, today was Ewan's birthday party, and he had a really good turnout. He had lots of friends and family over, and received a king's ransom of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff. I kind of feel bad, because Fynn was totally shafted on his birthday - I didn't plan the party well enough among other things. I know he's only one and doesn't know the difference, but it's the principle of the thing. Next birthday for him is gonna be AWESOME. Thanks to everyone who came and showed Ewan so much love. We appreciate all of you and you made it such a wonderful day for him. Anyway, after the party, Ewan and I went on a date to see Horton Hears a Who. We had a lot of fun, and here are some pictures from the party. (I did have some more cute ones of his other friends, but wasn't sure if their mothers would want me publishing their pictures on here. So I'll e-mail some to those moms whose kids were there.)
Playing with his cousins, Hayden and Chloe, whose hair looked totally red in all the pictures by the way. (I'll send them to you, Ashley.)

The cake. Ewan loves when they crash, so I made it crash in the chocolate. The effect was especially genuine seeing as I actually dropped it into the cake.

He was so excited about "Mighty Mac."

Pizza, picnic style. The kids had a blast just running around and being free on this gorgeous day.

Try again?

2008-03-20T23:32:00.002-05:00

I realized that a large amount of my legitimate e-mails have been going to my bulk folder and have been deleted. I'm afraid I may have missed some e-mails from people wanting to be invited to my blog. If not, no biggie. But, if your name is not listed below and you did send an e-mail, please try again and I'll be sure to get it this time.

Erica, Shannon, Sarah, Julie, Amber, Cheree, Ashley, Mubeen, Betsy, Vanessa, Elisa, Amy, Shellie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EWAN!!!

2008-03-20T08:57:00.005-05:00

Holy cow, I can't believe I'm the mother of a FOUR YEAR OLD. Happy birthday to my beautiful, smart, hilarious, and precocious boy.

This is where Bryce was and what he was doing while I was wheeled down the hall for an emergency C-section. He actually is green. Thank goodness for Ashley, or I would have had a total panic attack.

And since Ewan totally can't read this, I'm going to spill that we got him his first bike for his birthday, with a Thomas helmet and knee pads. Too bad he's in such a grumpy mood today...

I'm with the band

2008-03-18T12:44:00.004-05:00

I really am taking a semi-break from blogging. I still love to do it, but right now I'm actually having success at my Internet fast, which is why I've been MIA. And I'm not even trying, it's just a total lack of desire to surf the 'net or blog or anything, really. I'm quite sure that I'll be back in full force at some point. That being said, when something truly "blog-worthy" pops up, I will be posting. Such as this shirt I just found for Fynn at Kid to Kid:
Now, I admit, I don't know The Ramones music. I'm sure I'd recognize a song here or there, maybe more than I realize. (The fact that the bottom of this shirt says, "Hey Ho! Let's Go!" and I know what song it is tells me I'm not as ignorant about it as I think. But I also know that's a much-played song...) But seriously, how was I supposed to pass this up. And the kid has the hair for it. Although something about the black and white stripes with red trim calls to mind mowhawks and men with black eyeliner. Anyway, it's cute, will probably fit for five minutes, and will certainly seal the deal that my kids are hipper than me. I always knew they would be.

Yes, I'm back...

2008-03-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

... but I'm afraid my blog is dying a slow death.

Later, dude.

2008-03-13T10:33:00.001-05:00

We'll be missing in action for two days, heading to Austin.

Mom?

2008-03-13T10:06:00.002-05:00

Things I've been horrified to hear coming out of my mouth since Ewan started preschool:

1. "HOP UP! You don't want to be late for school!"

2. "Tell me what you want for breakfast, I'm not sending you to school without food in your belly."

3. "You are NOT wearing THAT to preschool."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHANMAN!!!

2008-03-13T00:24:00.003-05:00

I totally stole these pictures off of Chandler's MySpace page, but since I technically am the photographer for the first one, I'm entitled. Happy birthday to the boy who changed all of our lives. You are awesome, and I love you more than you know.

Not so way-back Wednesday

2008-03-12T21:31:00.006-05:00

I'm running out of old pictures and need to get some more scanned.
I think this was my sophomore year. The lack of hair-brushing and Clearasil frightens me.

Senior Walk. I think this is a Texas thing. You have a "date" or partner (I barely knew this guy) and join each other on stage and they announce your name and - I can't remember - but maybe what you were involved in as well. In my case, they would have said something like "Kelli _______. Thespians. And attendance. Most of the time. But not happily. And why aren't you wearing a bra?!"

This is about a year after I had a personal crisis and cut all of my hair off to about an inch long. Growing out nicely, hmm? My sister Amy is the one right in front of the door (wearing an odd updo?). Some of you from my ward may recognize Christy to the left of me.