I actually have time...

and can't think of a thing to blog about! I think my brain is just too tired. It is Friday after all and I am usually not worth much by the end of the work week. But, at least I will have a February post in here and I updated my template. That has to count for something, right?

Okay so the funniest thing just happened - I am sitting at the computer and I hear Austin get in the fridge. All of a sudden, he rounds the corner of the computer desk and slams his sippy cup down on it, and takes off. A few seconds later he is back with the chocolate syrup, slamming it down with a smile before he heads off again. Then next, you guessed it, he is back with the milk. "Chocolate milk please Mom?" The boy has an addiction....

Let it snow...

Let it snow! I finally got around to my Christmas wrapping today, mostly because we are stuck in the house yet again and it's either that or cleaning... I have been putting off wrapping gifts this year because of Austin the Destroyer. I can't imagine how long they will stay wrapped but at least I have an extra large roll of paper from Costco in case I need to redo anything.

I usually wrap early in the season. It is one of my favorite parts of decorating the tree and it just doesn't seem like it's complete until there are some bright packages with ribbons and bows under it. This year was no exception. It also was a good moment for me to stop and appreciate all that we have. It always seems like things are so tight, especially this time of year. There never seems to be enough time, money, etc., and I never know how I am going to get it all done. But as I hauled the gifts out from my secret hiding place, I stopped and realized how fortunate we truly are. Not only for the gifts we were able to get for people, but for all the people those gifts represent. We are blessed to have a truly amazing family, and I am so grateful for the relationships we have with each and every one of them. My kids have amazing relationships with their cousins, and Brian and I feel like our truest friends are our siblings. We have been blessed with wonderful parents as examples and support systems, and I am thankful to my Heavenly Father every day for the true gifts we have been given!

It's been a year...

since I started blogging and I am not exactly closing the year out with a bang. My sister jokingly calls my blogs my "quarterly posts" because I get to them so seldom, and this one seems to be no exception. I have actually jotted down a few ideas thinking they would be so cute to blog about but I never seem to get a chance to sit down and do it. But this is one that I thought was too cute to pass up:

I was having a conversation with Jacob about driving, mostly clearing up the fact that, no, he doesn't get to drive at 8 when he gets baptized. He then asked me how old you had to be, and the following conversation ensued...

Me: You have to be 16, like Maygen is.

Jake: Do I have to do girl stuff like Maygen does?

Me: What do you mean?

Jake: You know, go in your room, try on shoes, change your clothes, go to dance class, live at Aunt Jens forever. Girl stuff! 'Cause I don't want to do that...



Today I made the boys sit in the car while I ran into Clear Signal to pick up my weekly paperwork, and when I came out, Jacob had a trouble making grin on his face.

Me: What are you two doing?

Jake: Just talking...

Me: What about?

Jake: You know, boy stuff. Big boy and little boy stuff...

I have officially decided that I had children for entertainment purposes!

Crazy.....

Austin! This afternoon, my husband called me to the bathroom to bring him a towel. Jake called out that he would do it, but Brian told him I needed to. Thinking Brian was trying to preserve some modesty, I grabbed a towel from the laundry room and headed in. No, he wanted me to see this! Austin, perched on the bathroom counter, rubbing toothpaste on his Spiderman toothbrush and brushing his teeth twice, before re-loading and starting all over again. As you can see, he was very proud of himself! Apparently he had climbed up there on his own while Brian was in the shower. Let's hear it for good dental hygiene...

Austin is the craziest kid. For the first 9 months of his life, I would tell people he was going to be my thinker, because he was SO mellow. He would just lie there and smile at you, with no real desire to crawl, walk, etc... How foolish was I! He has turned into the biggest ham, with the hugest personality. He is in this new phase where he pulls the strangest faces - kind of reminds me of my brother, who Mom used to call Rubber Face because of the expressions he would come up with. He is stubborn and just sure that if he doesn't want to do something, you can't make him. But he has the brightest smile. He was being so naughty the other night - 9:30 pm and still not in bed. We would put him down and out he came. Brian got really firm with him and told him to go to his room and get in bed or he was getting a spanking, and he just put on this 1000 watt smile, climbed up on his dad and said "Love you Dad, I sit with you"... what a little manipulator! The hardest part is, when he smiles at you like that, it's sooooo hard to stay mad at him. Mom, I finally understand what you went through with Greg!

Fall means...

Beginnings. And changes. To me Fall has always been more of a beginning than January, mostly because of all those years of school. This year was no exception, because Jacob started Kindergarten on the 9th. What an experience. He was definitely far more ready than I. On the first day I took the morning off and took him to school and picked him up. He was so excited! But, he informed that I did not need to take him inside in the morning, and that "Schools need humans to do things on their own". So on day 2, I dropped him at the curb and let him walk in the building all by himself. I should say strut, because it was far more than a walk. I have never seen a little boy so proud and excited to do something on his own! He rides the bus home from school, and that may be his favorite part of the day. I can't believe my little baby is growing up!


And speaking of babies growing, Austin is 2 going on 10. He is pretty much ready to give up naps, because anymore, when he takes one, he is up til 10:00 at night! He also has decided that he is not interested in sleeping in his bed anymore. At first he would migrate from his bed to the floor sometime after I put him down, but now that's where he starts the night out. He has placed his pillow and blanket on the floor between the foot of his bed and Jacob's, and that is where he lays down at night after he has said his prayers. Crazy kid! And call me a too relaxed mother, but if he sleeps through the night and stays out of my bed, I don't care if he sleeps in the bathtub!