H o M e F o R t H e H o L i D a Y s
and going non-stop...

Guitar Hero

Hank

Pingtop. 

Grandma Sheila's Christmas Party

We had 18's company party at the Grand America. 

Eating mommy's birthday cheesecake!

"Oh. My. Gosh. I. Can't. Be. Lieve. It."

Is what CJ said when he woke up to find the train table he wanted for Christmas sitting in the living room. Then, with a whisper he said, "Santas reindeer did it. They used their big feet to throw my train table in our house. Whoooaaa."

Mommy needs groceries...

We played grocery store today. I sat on my bedroom floor and C.J. "shopped" for my groceries. I was told just to sit and keep sitting while he transferred every toy (a.k.a grocery item) from the loft into my bedroom. And if you look closely, he also "bought" some dog food kernels.

There's just a trace of snow in the "shadowy" side of our yard.

It's been four years and I still miss Grandma LaPreal terribly and every single day, especially at this time of the year. When emailing back and forth today with my sweet grandpa (her widower), he said the following which I thought was so sweet:

The pain of LaPreal's absence never leaves me either, but neither does the surity of living with her eternally ever leave either.

A reason I love you Jamie, is your being so much like her.

I look ahead to to your holiday visit very much .

I love you,

Grandpa

I thought his reminder of eternal life was so sweet, especially at this time of the year and that is the best compliment anyone could ever give me.   I'm far from the incredible person my grandma was, but I'll try every day to be more like her.  She was the most Christ-like person I know.

My Dearest Lucy,


I'm "penning" this letter to remind you of how much I do love you. And since you're perched on my bed, sighing heavily over my shoulder implying that it's time to go to bed (heaven forbid you go all by yourself), I know you're reading this. So I'll proceed to tell you how sweet I think it is that you've started to carry one of my new slippers around with you. I love putting them on only to find one of them all wet and slobbery from the licks you give it while laying in your patch of sunshine over by the kitchen table.


I'm also going to tell you how sweet you are to wait outside C.J.'s door for him while he naps, yet how foolish I really think it is as you haven't figured out yet that it's a good 1-1/2 to 2 hours you could be spending enjoying all by yourself. As in away from the boy who colors on you with markers and puts fake berries from our Christmas tree in your water bowl. As in, away from the boy who drives you nuts for the other 10 hours he's awake and laying on you, hoping one day you'll finally "wrestle Lucy!" with him. That's why when you whine and get all snarly with him.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2005 brought mommy to tears as all I wanted was a picture of C.J. with Mr. Vintage Santa. All C.J. wanted was to run around outside in the snow.

2006 brought a trip to the mall whereupon C.J. noticed Santa (we weren't even going to attempt this year) and cheerfully helped himself to the line.

CJ: "I need a train table, where's your elves?"
Santa: "Well, okay then, come up here on my lap and tell me more about this table."
CJ: "I want the one your elves are busy making me but sometimes I yell and hit mommy and say bad words."
Santa: "Well, if you be really nice to your mommy and daddy, I'll have my elves bring a table to you."
CJ: "Okay, well, thank you Santa for sitting on my lap and for your busy elves. See ya."
Santa: "Thank you for sitting on my lap. HO HO HO, Merry Christmas!"
C.J. "Ho, ho, ho, Happy Holidays I'm getting my train table!"

After two weeks with family in Utah, we are now home and bored. CJ keeps asking me when we're leaving again for Christmas. He even told me he'd like to "throw his Idaho bed in the trash." A few of the Thanksgiving highlights:

Celebrating Maddie's 3rd birthday AND finally getting to meet our new cousin/nephew Baby Jack.Eating Maddie's birthday cake. Visiting the new Childrens' Discovery Center at the Gateway.

Four-wheeling with his favorite cousin, Josh.

All the grandkids (and Lucy) with Grammy and Grandpa on Thanksgiving.

And finally, this was C.J. last night with his very own Christmas tree that he decorated all by himself for display in his bedroom. Complete with four trucks, one pair of Crocs, three socks, one tube of toothpaste and a stuffed animal underneath.

Yesterday was trash day and as we all know, CJ loves the trash truck. Which is why he decided to turn my bed into his trash truck, complete with a gigantic pile of floor rugs, trash cans, toys, books, magazines, lamps, scriptures, cordless phones, dog toys, and even an empty bottle of Clorox toilet bowl cleaner (which wasn't quite empty and bleached his shirt and my bedspread). He made me sit by him, put on my seatbelt and pretend like I was the garbage man picking up the cans. That was until he said that my trash was stinky and to get out.

As I'm in my room/office this morning doing some work, I hear CJ saying, "Okay, nobody go pee-pee in the bathtub."

Halloween

Lucy stayed in this frozen pose for 20 minutes after I put her in costume. C.J. The Lion tells me that , "Boy his pumpkin was heavy with all that delicious candy in it." Trick-or-Treating took twice as long because Mr. Social would say to EVERY neighbor, "Trick-or-Treat, do you have a dog?" And yes, everyone on my block has a dog who CJ would have to pet and talk to and introduce to Lucy who was finally happy about her costume after seeing how much warmer she was with it on. C.J. also held a few kitties and was taken on one tour to see a fish tank in somebody's living room. We came home, changed into pajamas and drank daddy's awesome chocolate-bananna shakes. C.J. made cookies for Nana and Papa who are here for the weekend.

CJ

Last week at a quaint little boutique:
CJ and I enter the store, the two ladies and guy working there greet us. CJ says, "Hi!" back and then, stops suddenly in front of the vintage Christmas display they were arranging. He utters, "Oh. My. Gosh. THERE. IS. SANTA. What is going on?!" 

Scene #2 (today) at story time at the library:
Sweet little librarian tells the 20 kids on the rug that she's going to read a book about a tree that loses his leaves in the fall and that it's not easy for this little tree. Funny little boy (not mine) says, "Yea, it's just like being naked!" Followed by my funny (and very loud) little boy saying, "Naked! Yes, with boobies all over!"

Monday...
means the garbage truck comes. And Idaho garbage trucks still have guys that ride on the back and physically THROW your trash into the back! So exciting is that, that CJ sat on the porch waiting for said truck and trash throwers for 45 minutes.

When that excitement had come and gone, we went back outside to plant some bulbs. CJ was a great help digging and planting and then watering. Boy did he water.

After his nap he came downstairs and declared that his "flowers had growed" while he was asleep and then proceeded to freak out when he realized they hadn't. When asked what would make him feel better he said, "Running errands" (which means he gets a trip to target and the $1.06 popcorn/drink combo at the Target cafe).

Instead, we went to the bank and to FedEx Kinkos to make some copies, whereupon CJ told me he "loves the coffee store!" Then he told me all about riding to the coffee store with Aunt La  in Barney's (uncle Brian) car because La's truck (suburban) was broken and La had to make coffees (copies) at the copy store (for PTA, I'm sure).

...is a lovely trail called the Boise Riverwalk. The family headed down this morning after stopping at the ol' Maverick for a Diet Pepsi, some Funyuns and chocolate Twizzlers. CJ threw rocks into the water for a very long time. Lucy chased ducks. We watched a squirrel run up a tree and shake down some acorns. I had to restrain Lucy from chasing the squirrel and CJ thought it was funny when an acorn fell on daddy's head while taking this picture.

Then we came home to give the little ones naps. This includes Lucy, who now stands in the corner of the kitchen where the best sun is and sighs heavily until I pull her pillow over and she can then lay down.

Just another day...

So I've finally realized that I'm no longer a working mom (well, technically a full-time working mom, just 20 hours/month from home). And it's wierd. CJ and I find ourselves staring at each other several times during the day like, okay, now what?

Don't get me wrong... since he was born I've had a very stressfull job that kept me on call 24 hours a day. It was a lot of responsibility and I don't miss that at all. But being at home full-time in a new place has been a much bigger adjustment than I thought it would be.

It's weird to wake up each day to completely new responsibilities. How many times can I wipe down my appliances with those little stainless steel wipes? Or dust the new furniture? Or organize pantry goods on those lazy susan thingies I keep buying at Bed Bath and Beyond?

This kind of stuff used to only happen once a week for me as my job would allow for one day of serious house cleaning. Now it's kind of an annoying obsession because I feel like I have to be doing, doing, doing.

We moved in less than two weeks ago. I've unpacked EVERYTHING and everything is as organized as it could possibly be. Except the space under the stairs. That's on tap for tomorrow. I'm actually planning out cleaning tasks.

Idaho homes don't have basements. So we purchased a home with a 3-car garage so we could use that third car space to store all that basement stuff. We've never had a basement so that took me all of one hour yesterday to organize. But boy does it look, um, organized!

So today, I decided not to do anything with the house. No cleaning, organizing, nothing. CJ and I played trucks and legos for hours while I watched a marathon of Project Runway. Then we took Lucy for a walk and met three new dogs: Bumbee, Phoebe and Dusty. Then we took a two hour nap in my bed. Then we went to the playground. Then we picked leaves up in the backyard. Then made dinner to another episode of Project Runway. Then more trucks and legos, and finally two huge bowls of ice cream while we talked to Nana and Papa on the phone. What a day, I tell you.

CJ was an angel today. He loved having my undivided attention. We didn't have any fights. Or tantrums.  I realized he's not used to this from me as he was always competing with my work, phone calls, or he was in the car on the way to the babysitter or other errands I wasn't able to do while working during the week, etc.

So, although it's an adjustment, I know that I have 2-1/2 years I need to make up for with my little man, and it's only a few short months until the baby comes. Until then, I'm not going to worry so much about being on a schedule, and I'm going to STOP FEELING GUILTY that I'm a stay at home mom now. I'm going to enjoy this tremendous blessing and quit worrying if every minute of every day isn't planned out and spent accomplishing something.

On second thought, I accomplished a lot more today than I have in several years. And the result was one happy little boy and a dog who won't keep giving me licks on my feet. That means she loves me, too.

Happy Things

Cody finally got his baby boy - Jack Myles. I'm dying to hold him. He's 5-1/2 lonnng hours away now.
But...

So far I'm happy with Boise. We love our home and our neighborhood. And everyone is so N-I-C-E. They let you merge into their lane when you signal. I think that's happened once or twice in Utah. They wave. They smile and say "hello" on the streets. It's contagious. Who knew Boise was a little slice of heaven on earth?

Speaking of happy things, two little things were VERY happy to be reunited in the same house after 5 long weeks apart.

I'm also happy about:
1. Met my new OBGYN yesterday. She is fantastic.
2. Discovered a long-time family friend is a pediatrician just down the street and will take CJ and the baby as new patients. Super.
3. My sod is getting laid right now. Only a few hours away from a backyard for CJ and Lucy.
4. Boise is starting to take my morning sickness away.

Another busy day...

Playing the piano with Great-Grandma Sheila (or "Freela")... Discovering Freela's multiple trash cans outside her pottery studio...Watching me pose with my sister-in-law who's due any day. I'm 1/2 way there and very jealous.

I'm so busy...

Lately CJ has been saying, "Mommy, I'm so busy" when he really means he's tired. Easy to be confused as his time living with my parents right now is filled with more attention, activities and throwing things in the trash (perfectly good board games, dish towels and toy cars keep finding themselves in those tempting trash cans outside) than his former life in the big city offered. A few examples:
Chad's parents live up the street from my parents. This means one grandma in the car with us to run errands almost always. Grammy + car ride + chocolate chip cookies = fun time USA. My parents have several garden hoses which he's found a new obsession about. He's very BUSY. Still very BUSY. Living with Nana and Papa means weekly trips to La Casita Living down here also afforded me the opportunity to babysit my nephews and niece for the weekend while CJ's babysitter went out of town. He's spoiled by his cousins = hence the bowl of cereal AND the Taquito (or "Paquito" as he calls them) for breakfast. Cousin Josh is a very good cook and lets CJ participate. Notice the flour all over his legs. He's so busy. More attention from his favorite family ever.