5.30.2010

If you are ever looking for somewhere to live...

We love Boise.  We went there yesterday for a quick trip to the zoo and to see Grandma Great.  If you haven't ever been downtown to the greenbelt, you really should check out The Julia Davis Park.  The city is very bike friendly and we LOVE the big tree-lined streets throughout.  I'm a little biased of course, considering my mom grew up in the area and my grandma still lives there.  :)  One of the best parts of Boise is the Fanci Freeze  - they have an amazing concoction of hand-dipped ice cream cones (so many flavors) and they have what's called a "boston shake" - a shake with a sundae on top.  It's a little place that's been around for YEARS, and always brings a round of nostalgia when I go there.  I can remember getting bubblegum flavored dip cones there when I was tiny.  Yesterday was the first time I took Zane and the kids and it was still so good!  I was really tempted to try a roasted coconut and chocolate shake, but I have a really small limit on how much ice cream I can consume without hating it this pregnancy.  :)  So I "settled" for a small blue raspberry dip cone.  :)  Yum!

So anyway, that is my promo for the day.  We love Boise.  If Zane could find a company to work for out of Boise that would pay the same amount (or close), our lives would be complete - but until then, we'll settle for the 1 1/2 - 2 hr drive visits.  :o)  I looked up how much houses go for in our favorite area in Boise - needless to say, we have expensive taste.  Big surprise!  The least expensive house barely big enough for our family runs about $260 K.  *sigh* Someday, right?  I should add for my readers in more expensive areas of the country - I sigh at the price tag because there are a lot of good areas in Boise that you can get a good size house and yard for under $150K.

Besides, Boise's the home of the BSU Broncos - can you honestly ask for anything more??  hehehe.

Photo credits: resources.jobing.com/ files/2009/02/boise.jpg, http://www.joseandblancaphotography.com/WebPage-ImageGallery-Idaho.html

5.27.2010

Oh Brother Bear

The things that make a mom happy are astounding.  This morning is a prime example.  BB came out of his room with a super stuffy nose and boogs and when I got a tissue - he actually blew his nose.  :)  This is a major feat for a 2 yr old who always sniffs instead.  Makes a mommy proud.  hehe.  Speaking of BB, he was eating his cereal sitting across from me and decided to blow his nose again - w/o the tissue and then promptly wiped it on his sleeve, smearing the goop across his face.  Ahhh...the life of little boys.

He has now taken to carrying a baseball around everywhere.  Never puts it down, with the exception of throwing it - but watch out if anyone but him goes to fetch it.  He sleeps with it, eats with it (although I'm trying to convince him that it's easier to eat if he puts it down), would probably bathe with it at this point and screams uncontrollably if it is ever within anyone else's reach.  At least it's a newer, cleaner ball.  :)

Oh Brother Bear, how you make me laugh.

5.25.2010

New era of life

We have entered into a new era in life that will probably continue until the kids graduate from high school. I sat down and did our calendar for next month and put in all our appointments/activities/etc.  It's the first time (and most certainly not the last) that it's been so full - and we haven't even started the kids into any music lessons yet!  I'm starting to understand a little more my sisters' pain when coordinating their families busy schedules, and I'm grateful for my super easy transition stage.  :)

So what's going on in June?  Well, all 3 kids will start swim lessons M-Thurs (unfortunately for my large preggo self, Brother Bear's lessons are with the parents - eek!).  Since their daddy is such a swimmer, he wants to sign them up for 4 consecutive sessions so they will be totally swimming by the end of the summer.  We went ahead and got a pass for the pool so we could go anytime when Daddy was available too.  Princess is in t-ball and LOVING it!  I'm so glad.  She didn't really like soccer all that much, but I think she can tell that she is improving each week with t-ball and that makes her feel so good.  She has a great coach, so I'm thrilled.  Her coach is the principal at the high school and his wife teaches kindergarten at P's school - it's a great match.  So her practices are M-W evenings, and their games are T-Th evenings.  Cowboy will start his t-ball in July - thankfully!  :)  Zane was called as the assistant scoutmaster to the 11 yr olds in the ward, so he's gone every Wed and they've got their campout things in June as well.  Princess will have her 6th birthday this month, Zane's birthday is at the end of the month, and the kids and I will be headed to UT to see family the first weekend in June while poor Zane has to go to drill in Boise.  :o)  So much for school getting out and settling into summer!  hahaha.

For me, I'm dreading having to go to the doctor more often, even if it means the down hill side of the pregnancy.  Just one more thing to schedule in.  :o)  It really wouldn't be so bad if this office didn't take SOOO long for any check up.  Oh well!  Speaking of doctor's that's the other thing taking up our time in June - everyone has their check ups this first couple of weeks.  Maybe I'll finally get Brother Bear caught up on his immunizations.  Poor kid.

Speaking of BB, he just poured milk all over the kitchen - guess that's my cue to get going!

5.20.2010

A most unproductive day

A note about cleaning days - I must start cleaning from the time I wake up and before I have a shower, or it just doesn't happen.  The boys had appts at the dentist and I figured since we were already out and about I might as well run a few errands I normally don't get to do.  By the time we got home it was way past lunch, I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was change into grubbies and clean the house.  So I didn't, but I need to - our dishes overfloweth from the sink and we have no more clean plates or bowls, there are 3 loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away, dusting needs to be done, and our kitchen floor is feeling a mite sticky...I'm sure I'll get the dishes done today, but everything else?  NADA.  *sigh* looks like Friday will be at least a half cleaning day and the rest will have to wait until next week.

My lesson of the day: DO NOT GET READY FIRST THING, OR GO ANYWHERE ON DESIGNATED CLEANING DAY.

:)  Just thought I'd share.

5.18.2010

Counting blessings

I had a great reminder today, almost to the point of chastening, of how blessed we are as a family.  Even when things aren't exactly how we want or planned them, I still shouldn't complain.  My husband has a job in a turbulent economy, we live in a safe neighborhood, we are not going hungry like so many others, we are able to have children, we have our health, we live in a free country where I don't have to worry about a daily occurrence of a suicide bomber, and most importantly we have the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I could go on and on, and I think I will tonight in my personal journal.  I just wanted to state for the record, that I know I am incredibly blessed, and maybe if you are having a hard time right now in your life, take a minute and count your blessings and life may seem more bearable, and even downright great!  :)

5.14.2010

Parenting...WOW

How do you instill enough confidence in your children to help them be successful?

I'm getting concerned about my Princess and would love any suggestions or advice you may have.  She has a friend who can be very sweet, giving, and nice.  However this friend can also be extremely manipulative and downright mean and rude.  I keep encouraging Princess to stand up for herself by either telling this friend to "stop" or walk away and not play with her anymore when she is on one of her mean kicks.  But so often I hear Princess pleading for forgiveness from this friend for something she didn't do (ie-I'm so sorry!  Don't stop being my friend.  Or please still invite me to your birthday."  If I tell them it's time to come in, Princess will ask her friend if it's okay that I said to come in - to which her friend will reply, "that's not very fair or nice to me!"  It drives me CRAZY that my daughter is cowering to this girl just to be her friend, and if I say no more playing with so-and-so, it just comes off as punishment to Princess.  What else can I do to help her understand that she cannot stand to be treated this way?  I worry about her tendency to follow someone else and not stick up for herself just to keep being friends.

Yesterday I overheard said friend speaking VERY rudely to Princess and getting in her face and yelling about something.  I went over to see what was going on and this friend was upset about some secret she said her cousin and Princess had and Princess wouldn't tell her the secret.  I asked P and she said she had no idea what her friend was talking about.  Friend kept insisting that a few days ago she knew that her cousin had told P a secret. ????  I explained that I was sorry she felt upset, but Princess didn't know what she was talking about and if she really wanted to know she should ask her cousin if he remembered what it was.  Then I continued and told her that she may not EVER speak to my daughter that way - I wouldn't let P do it to her, and she cannot do it to Princess.  Friend argued about it saying she just wanted to know the secret, to which I again said, "Friend, Princess doesn't know the secret - if you want to ask Cousin fine.  But DO NOT talk to my daughter like that again.  Do you understand?"  I then told Princess in front of her friend that if Friend wanted to be mean again, P should walk away from her.  I thought it may have helped to stand up in front of her, but again today Princess was bending over backwards.  *sigh*  It's not as simple as just saying, "You can't play with Friend again" due to the fact we are neighbors and friends with the other family members.  By the way, in defense of Friend's parents - they are very good people and not uncaring about how she behaves.

I've heard kids in karate build up their confidence and self esteem...

Besides wanting to help the confidence side of Princess, it is also coming out at home quite a bit.  She is lashing out at me and is really becoming this super angry child who screams and throws things at me and talks back like a teenager.  In fact it was SO bad the other morning that I even asked her if she treated and talked to her dad like she did her mom what he would do.  Her reply?  He definitely wouldn't like it and would probably throw her into a wall.  (He really wouldn't hurt her like that, but he's been known to give a solid smack on the buttocks when it's called for).  I don't want to spank her - it doesn't help the situation.  I can't just ignore it because truly, it's unacceptable and there is obviously SOMETHING going on.  I just don't know how to help her deal.  I keep wondering if I should take her into counseling to try and figure out what is going on.  I just really would like that to be a last resort due to $$.

Parenting...WOW.

Princess



Pics of the missing teeth.  They make us laugh whenever we see all the holes.  Good thing she lost her two bottom teeth last summer - she wouldn't be able to bite anything!  :)


5.07.2010

For shame

Anderson Cooper has had some of the only media coverage for the tragic floods in Nashville in areas other than Tennessee. I am truly disappointed. A friend posted this blog link on facebook, and I wanted to share it just in case you haven't seen it yet.


5.05.2010

Celebration!

You melt my heart and make me smile each and every day.
I can't imagine life without my sweet little boys.
It's hard to believe you two graced my life 2 and 4 yrs ago today.
Happy birthday to my cute little Cowboy and Brother Bear!