Sin City Spuds

pics?

2011-12-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

And an Autobot in a Fir Tree

2009-12-18T23:54:00.000-08:00

We decorated our tree before Thanksgiving (yes, I know, anarchy and chaos!) but one of our favorite traditions is buying a new ornament each year for each family member. Tonight our Christmas Stocking activity (we do one each day in December) was to give the kids their ornaments and hang them on the tree. Here are this year's picks:

For Dave: Santa and the Showgirl!

Though we've lived in Vegas before, we didn't have an ornament to commemorate it.

And here's mine:

For Gavin - of course:

And London's, which required a little DIY for the cast.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Pictures

2009-11-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

The malls were scoured, the perfect Christmas clothing found. The darlings were up early, dressed and pressed, combed, gelled, with new shoes and the first zipper tie. Then came the photo shoot. We got this:

Constructicon Devestator!!!!

Suzie Sweetheart and Cheezy McGee

Cheezy McGee and The Crier

The Crier, Take Two

Sillies

Hey Look! Ducks!

But, with much begging and bribing we also got this:

and this:

Merry Christmas!

Tiny Little Fractures on Tiny Little Girls

2009-11-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Oh my big 200th post was about London breaking her leg! How sad! I need to post a picture of the new cast, but in the meantime, here's the super-lame story:

Sunday night we were playing on the floor. London jumped up from my lap to run away, tripped over my foot, and landed with a scream. A long, long, awful scream that came back every time we touched her leg or tried to get her to stand on it. Luckily my father- and brother-in law were in town, so we left Gavin with them and took her to the hospital. Four hours later we were home with a little pink splint, inconclusive x-rays, and an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. The next day we saw the surgeon and she traded the splint in for a candy-cane striped cast all the way up her thigh. It's an occipital fracture, which means it's tiny, but will get worse if it's not in a cast. We're hoping the cast will come off at her appointment in two weeks. She's hobbling around like a peg-legged pirate on it, and thinks it's an awesome new cowgirl boot!

I was just looking through old posts looking for my Christmas stocking list, and I was laughing at some of the silly things Gavin used to say. I'm so glad I've recorded those! London is talking a lot now, too, and every word just cracks me up. A few days ago she was in her high chair begging for lunch. When I set down the peanut butter sandwich, she got so excited. "Oh, wow! Thanks, mom! That's amazing!" And people say motherhood is thankless! I made a peanut butter sandwich. And I'm amazing.

Things That Need Blogged About...

2009-11-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Halloween Costumes...

Merry Christmas To Me!

First Broken Bone :(

Some Funny Stuff

2009-09-23T01:29:00.000-07:00

"Hey, Gavin, how was nursery today?" "It was great! I just kissed this girl the whole time." "Really?" "Yeah. And hugged her. Just gently. Because I love her." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. But I don't know what color shirt she was wearing."...?

Recently Gavin informed me that "We are having a baby." "No, we're not." "Yes, we are! Your belly is getting bigger and bigger!" "No, it's getting smaller and smaller!" "Nope, sorry mom. It's bigger. It's a baby."

I think Gavin has been spending too much time with my mom lately. When I told him Daddy was on his way home from work, he said, "Mom, maybe you should go put on some makeup so you'll look pretty." When I told him I already put a little makeup on this morning, he said, "Maybe you need a little more."

Also, London has a new game she plays. If she asks for something and I say no, she'll ask again a few times, then switch to something else she knows I'll say no to. It usually goes something like this, "Cookie?" "No cookie." "Cookie?" "No cookie" "Gum?" "No gum." "Gum?" "No gum." "Shower?" "No shower." "Binky?" "No binky." "Ice cream?" "No ice cream."...and on and on, until she is laughing too hard to keep it up. Pudding? Well, OK then.

If You Go To The Zoo...

2009-09-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you ever go to the San Diego Zoo, don't ever, ever kiss a gorilla.

It might bite off your hand.

Fourth of July, Part II

2009-09-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

So Mudgy the Moose was the highlight of our Coeur d'Alene trip, but he had a lot of competition. I mentioned the parade- here's a bit more of it. There were also a LOT of horses and giant trucks and Shriners guys and prom queens in convertibles. The only thing missing was candy. When I was a kid there were buckets and buckets full of candy thrown at every parade! What happened to that???

I mentioned the park last post, too. Here's a peek:

It's all wooden, has slides (not wood), swings (also not wood), and all the usual climbing things, balance beams, etc., but also some cute houses, this boat, and a hog for mom. Oh yeah. Gonna bust out my leather chaps next time!

We were excited to see all our old favorites in Coeur d'Alene, but there was something new this time, too! We finally convinced Terry to let us meet his "friend" Cheryl, and she was a big hit. Gavin wants her to "live with Grandpa so we can see her all the time". He also said "I just really love Cheryl." And she helped Terry watch the kids one night so we could go on a date, so we just really love Cheryl, too!

And then there's the fireworks on the beach. It just doesn't get any better than that - especially when Dad digs a custom-fit lounger for you.

Can I eat this dirt? Mmm...gritty!

Mudgy the Moose

2009-09-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Every year we try to visit Dave's dad in Coeur d'Alene for the Fourth of July. Coeur d'Alene is gorgeous this time of year, and Vegas can't compete with a small-town Independence Day. As far as I know, Vegas occasionally does fireworks on the Fourth, but that's about it. In Coeur d'Alene the Fourth begins at dawn, staking out your spot for the hours-long parade. They have food and fun booths in the park, and the best fireworks show ever over the lake. The highlight of the parade this year was Coeur d'Alene's newest celebrity, Mudgy the Moose. Author and Wee Sing creator Susan Nipp and illustrator Chuck Reasoner teamed up to write this adorable book about a moose and a mouse who play hide-and-seek all over Coeur d'Alene. The book is super-cute, but the best part of all is that Terry, aka Grandpa Beardo, was commissioned to create five huge Mudgy and Millie sculptures to go along with the book, so you can read the book and follow the trail all around Coeur d'Alene's greatest spots! London was really enthusiastic about finding "Muggee Moose" everywhere we went.

Here's Mudgy in the parade:

At the lake

the playground

on Sherman street (a great little downtown street with shops and galleries and Mudgy Moose Ice Cream)

at the library (which has the cutest, cutest children's library ever!)

and on Tubbs Hill, where the story begins.

We also happened to be there for a special Mudgy book signing. We're hoping Grandpa Beardo will hook us up with one of these little Mugdgy sculptures!

End of the Blog-cation

2009-09-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm sure you gave up checking on us long ago, since I haven't posted all summer, but we did have a good one. I'll catch you up over the next few posts. To start with, we've had a great time exploring the great outdoors, starting with Red Rock Canyon. We went hiking a few times before it got too hot. Gavin is quite the climber, and London really wants to keep up.

We also learned that even though Daddy is strong, he's not really that strong. Even with Gavin's help. That rock just won't budge!

We also went back to the beach! Snow angels are fun, but you can't make a snow angel in your underwear!

London learned how to collect shells...

Waves, undies and your favorite cousin. A perfect summer day!

The Lees Get a Manny

2009-06-04T16:40:00.001-07:00

I read "The Nanny Diaries" before having kids and thought, "How ridiculous! Why would a stay-at-home mom ever need a nanny?" Now I've come to my senses and realized that I would love to have a nanny, a personal chef, and a maid who would stop by every evening to do a load of laundry and scrub the ketchup off the ceiling. Mary Poppins hasn't appeared yet, but I think the kids like this model just as well:

Uncle Mikey is doing an internship with Dave's company and has moved in with us for the summer. In addition to his duties at WT (which may or may not include wandering around looking lost) Mike will be reading bedtime stories, taking the kids to the pool, and babysitting for free. Of course, the Brothers Lee also plan on spending every Saturday golfing, so instead of having two parents nights and weekends the kids will have three parents in the evening and only one on Saturdays. Mathematically I'm not entirely sure this works out in my favor, but we're still excited to have him around.

First Makeover

2009-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

The other day Gavin and London disappeared into my bathroom for a while. A few minutes later Gavin wandered out again with a thing of creamy purple eyeshadow.

"Uh, what are you doing with that, buddy?" I asked.

"Ummm, I just realized that only girls wear makeup, so I didn't put on your makeup, Mom." Whew!

"But London is a girl..." (If only I had taken a picture...)

Shacking Up Together

2009-05-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Let's move in together. All of us. Wouldn't that be great? Here's the thing - I love to move. I like packing up and going somewhere new and meeting new people and falling in love with new places. There's way too much world to stay in one place. But every time we pack up again I feel like I'm leaving a piece of my soul behind. I'd love to just gather up all these pieces and keep them together in one little box where I can pull them out any time I want and be right back in any of the places I'd call home.

I want to live in Idaho. Not somewhere a few hours from home, where I can have some "distance" from family, but right next door to all of them. I want to live with my mom on one side and my mother-in-law on the other and my sister next door, and I want my brother to visit more than once in a blue moon. I want us to go to the gym together in the morning and eat dinner together every night and my kids to get fat from Grandpa's famous "Farmer's Breakfast". I want all my high school friends to be there, too. I want to know what they've been up to the past eleven years. I want to know them as well as we knew each other then.

I want to live in Provo. I want us to take the kids to visit all the places where we fell in love, and we can live in an apartment complex full of all our college friends. Dan and Tish will live next door, Brian and Lindsey will be down the hall. Melissa and Brian will be there, too, and Heidi and Dannis and Lisa and Brandon and Susan. Especially Susan. There will be room for my favorite roommates and all of their families, and all the friends Dave never met. I'll even invite some U of U people and Dave's construction buddies and all our favorite professors. Our kids can run up and down the halls with their kids and we can pop in on each other and say hi every time we leave the building. We can have movie nights together and play Guitar Hero and raise our kids together like in some crazy hippie commune.

I want to live in Las Vegas. I want to have barbecues after dark because it's finally cool enough to go outside, and I want to invite all the amazing mom's club ladies who helped me through those first intimidating years. I want Gavin's nursery friends to be his friends through elementary school and high school and his whole long life. We could all live on the same street, with a big park at one end and a swimming pool at the other. I can't believe how many people moved away in the year we've been gone! And even those who are here I don't see often enough. I want you all to live next door and come over for some hot gossip and cold drinks every single day.

I want to live in San Diego. I want to walk out my back door onto the beach. I want to spend afternoons at Legoland and SeaWorld. I want to go to the puppet show at the library every Thursday morning and to book club every Thursday night. I know it's only once a month now, but if we all lived together we could have it once a week, right? I want every single person I met there to live with me because I wanted to know everything about you and I never got the chance. I want to spend Thursdays scrapbooking with Darcy and I want Rina to stop by any time she wants to.

I want to live in Mexico, Spain and Peru. I want to go back to San Sebastian in Spain and become best friends with the woman who runs the little Basque inn. I don't want to live in Aberdeen, but I'd like to gather up my favorites there and transplant them like a garden to my new friend-filled home. I'd start with my grandparents. I want to bake and garden and fold laundry and chat with them every single day before it's too late.

So what do you think? I'm a bit messy, but we'd have fun. You could build forts with us and we'd all stay up late together watching Scrubs reruns. Whaddayasay? Do you want to move in together?

April In Review

2009-04-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's funny how the times when you have a lot to blog about are the times when you also have no time to blog. Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks.

We had a tricky April Fool's Day Dinner (meatloaf and mashed potato cupcakes, fruit snacks packs filled with veggies, cookie "fish sticks", jelly instead of catsup, and taffy "peas")

We had a visit from a favorite friend:
And we got fancied up for Easter:

Londo spent the whole day twirling around saying, "pretty, pretty pretty!". Yes, indeed! And Gavin just looks like he's auditioning for Bond, or the cover of GQ. We spent the holiday in Idaho, where I lost my camera for most of the week. If you really want to see what a blast we had, head over to Chef Messy's blog. As usual, she is the camera queen, and the master blogger, even while pregnant and exhausted. Also, note the adorable birthday present she made for London. You rock, Chef Messy!

Funny Kid Stuff I Want To Remember, Part ?

2009-04-20T20:26:00.001-07:00

A Conversation With Gavin:

Jen: So, Gavin, did you have fun at the park today?
Gavin: Yeah. I made a friend. That girl was there and I liked her but she didn't like me. I threw water at her.
Jen: You what? Why?
Gavin: I throwed water at her. Because I liked her. But she didn't like me, so she didn't throw water at me.

I know that boys torment girls they like, but I didn't realize it started this early! He's not always so clumsy in his wooing, though. He actually has some pretty smooth pickup lines. My favorite: "Hey, what kind of undies are you wearing? I'm wearing Optimus Prime. Wanna see?"

London is getting funnier, too. We went to the park last night and they had the fountain that you run through turned on. She kept trying to run to it, but I wouldn't let her. I finally got on eye level and said, "London, no. No water." She rubbed her hair and said, "Wash wash wash?" "No! You can't wash your hair in there!" Then she rubbed her hands together. "Wash wash wash?" "Nope, no hand washing either. Nice try." Then she yelled and tried to bite me. I think I've raised this kid once before...

Also, she has a transformer voice. I'll try to get a video of this, because it's awesome.

Rockin' Robin and a New Toy

2009-03-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hey! Dave just got me a new Flip Video. It's so cute and tiny! Here's a shot of the kids dancing at the library during storytime. Yes, that's my voice in the background sounding like a peppy aerobics instructor. Grandma Birdie, this one's for you!

Big Ideas

2009-03-19T15:38:00.001-07:00

So next time there's a big meeting to decide how the universe should work I want to be invited because I have a couple of great ideas.

1. The Pause Button. Do you ever feel like your life consists of tasks that just need to be done, then redone, then done over again? AAAAGGHHH!!! No matter how clean the house gets, how great your hair and makeup look, or how skinny your buns get, you're going to have to go through all that work again tomorrow and the next day and the next day just to maintain the same thing. I think we need a pause button. You just get whatever it is to the state that you like it, then hit pause. No more work!

Along kind of the same lines...

2. The Insta-Bod. You know, I think the thing that kills most people about getting into shape is that you have to eat carrot sticks and do step aerobics every single day for months and months before you have anything to show for it! I don't mind being a little squidgy most days, but every once in a while I'd like my old bod back, just for the day. So I think body maintenance should be more like housecleaning. No matter how big of a wreck it is, you can probably get your house looking pretty great in a day or two, right? And sure, it won't last long, but at least for that weekend when your mother-in-law is in town you can pretend that this is the way it always looks. I want a body that does the same thing! On regular days I can skip the gym and eat dessert and be a bit chubby. Then when I really want to look good I'll spend a couple of hours at the gym and throw some extra veggies in my salad, and voila! I get a super-bod for the day.

Of course, the most awesome thing would be if both these ideas were incorporated together. Then you could spend one day getting your bod looking super-hot, then hit that pause button! Now if I could just get an invite to that universe-planning party....

But Where Did You Move To?

2009-03-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

So I was going to wait until I had a few pictures to post with this, but I've had half a dozen people remind me that while I've mentioned several times that we're moving, I've never mentioned where we were moving to. We're sad to have left Carlsbad, but really happy to be back in....

Sin City!

Yes, we did move back to Las Vegas. We're just getting moved in and haven't seen any of the old crowd, but we will soon!

To California: A Tribute In Verse

2009-03-01T23:26:00.000-08:00

In the Carlsbad hills there was a family...

with some friends, and a life, and a home...

With a fierce pirate captain, a ship for a bed,

And a nice, cozy corner with books to be read.

With a great place to paint...

And a nice place to play...

And a spot to relax on a warm summer day.

Here a sister was born, learned to crawl, learned to walk,

And a big brother learned how to swim (like a rock).

Daddy raced with his friends, hoping to be the winner,

Mommy's friends liked to read and go out to dinner.

Gavin made friends, too,

and found Legoland,

loved puppet shows

and digging holes in the sand.

Good-bye, Beach.

Good-bye, house.

Good-bye, sweet neighbors.

Good-bye, mouse!

Good-bye bunnies, birds, and snails.

Good-bye, Pandas.

Good-bye, Whales.

Good-bye, green grass, sunny lawn.

Good-bye, music class. We'll soon be gone.

Good-bye, friends, we'll miss you so!

Good-bye, California. It's time to go.

Toddler Logic

2009-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

My brother Logan is in town, and spent the afternoon entertaining Gavin. I guess Gavin is getting a bit conniving - here's what he suggested to Logan:

"Let's put the toys in the dirt and then we'll wipe it off with our shirts and then my shirt will be really dirty and mom will wash it so I can wear it again tomorrow!"

Because if it's only a little dirty, then you have to wait till Mom does the rest of the laundry, right?

Wow, Dude. You Must Work Out!

2009-02-22T14:46:00.001-08:00

Since I've started going to the gym every morning Gavin has become very interested in exercising, especially yoga and weight lifting. Every day when I pick him up from the kids club we have to spend a few minutes checking out the machines and explaining what each one is for. And bench pressing is awesome. It makes you so strong. Especially when done with a rolling pin.

Someday We'll Show This To Her Prom Dates

2009-02-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

On The Move

2009-02-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

I've been packing all day. The kiddos are with Grandpa Tractor at Chuckie Cheese. There are boxes everywhere. Moving makes me sad, but packing is strangely enjoyable. People keep offering to help, but I'm not sure how to let anyone else go through all my stuff. It's such a great opportunity to reorganize, dejunk, all that. I always swear I'm going to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Like that wok. I'd forgotten we had a wok! I put it above the fridge when we moved in and haven't seen it since. I should definitely get rid of that, since we've had it since we got married and it hasn't been used yet. OK, into the Salvation Army pile it goes. Someone will be so excited to find such a nice wok. It really is nice, after all. Brand new, even. Kind of a shame to get rid of. It would be fun to cook with a wok. I could try all those recipes from the Thai cooking class I took in college. OK, the wok stays. But the electric griddle has to go. Except that it might be great for making pancakes...

Hula Hoops and Bum Bums

2009-01-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Carlsbad area and are looking for something really great to sign your kids up for, Prelude Music School is it. It is run by Miss Kristen, who is the poster-lady for that preschool teacher your kid will have a crush on for the rest of their life. She's cute, she's sweet, she's fun, and she totally gets kids. Look how much fun they're having! Gavin asked every day if it was time for music class, and after a few weeks even London knew what to expect enough to start her crazy-excited wiggle-shrieking every time we walked through the door.

London loved the peekaboo. Gavin loved the hula hoops and singing "bum bum bum". Also, it's not just the kids who are getting an education. Miss Kristen sprinkles in mini-lessons for parents on how to incorporate music at home, and more importantly why. She's great.

P.S. This ad was not paid for by the Miss Kristen campaign. We just liked music class that much.

Historical Occasions

2009-01-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Wasn't yesterday awesome? I hope you were celebrating. You should have been celebrating. It was really a great day. Jan. 20th is a day that will live in history, I'm sure. It was, by far, the most important day of the year. That's right, folks, that day we've all come to love and cherish....

Happy Birthday To Me!!! (What? Did something else important happen yesterday?)

Here's me. I'm twenty-eight. In a few years I'll be thirty, and wondering, like one 30+ friend of mine, whether I've accomplished everything I thought I would by that time in my life. But that's two years away, so I've still got plenty of time to learn Italian, read all of the 100 Best Books Ever Written, move to a foreign country, be hot like a swimsuit model, and live in an upside-down house like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Actually, I once was hot like a swimsuit model,(ok, maybe not as hot as THOSE swimsuit models) so I think I get to cross that off my list, even if it's not so true anymore.

I recently read The Last Lecture, which talks about realizing your childhood dreams, and I realized that I can't even remember what my childhood dreams were, other than the upside-down Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle house thing. I definitely have things I hope to accomplish at some point in my life, if not by thirty. But I'm pretty happy with the past twenty-eight years. I earned a few degrees, had a few kids, and nabbed a super-hot husband. We've lived fun places, we've travelled fun places, I've read some great books, and I even lived long enough to see our first African-American president, which happened a lot earlier in my life than I expected. (Oh, yeah. I knew something else important must have happened yesterday!)

To celebrate we went out to dinner, then picked up dessert to go and came home for an evening of hugely cheating on my diet. (BUT - the night before that I went out for a baby shower and EVERYONE ordered dessert and I had a plate of roasted veggies instead.)

As you can see, London loves berry pie.

And here are my presents - lots of gorgeous flowers, a huge balloon, way too many desserts (That's an eclair in the middle. Yeah, the one the size of a loaf of bread.) and the very, very coolest - my parents bought me a set of the Harvard Classics, which I've been lusting after for ages and ages. You guys are awesome. You have no idea how excited I am.

A Month's Worth Of Blogs

2009-01-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hello! We're back! And once again, my mom's been harrassing me for PICTURES, so here they are. (For real this time.) (Scroll down. The pictures are in the blogs. )

A Homemade Little Christmas

2009-01-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not the crafty one in my family. Actually, I think I'm the only one who isn't crafty! But around Christmas time I always get ambitious. This year's project was advent stockings. I started them last year, but found that making twenty-four individual stockings takes a bit more time than you'd think. But here they are!

One for each day of December. Then every day we get to peek inside and find a treat and an activity for the day. Here are this year's activities, in no particular order:

Set Up Daddy’s Race Cars!

Drink Hot Chocolate With A Candy Cane

Tell The Nativity Story (With Little People!)

Make Christmas Cookies. Save Some For Santa!

Shopping Day – Buy Gifts, Window Shop, Write Letters To Santa

Make A Christmas Decoration

Dance Party To Christmas Music

Watch A Christmas Movie – With Popcorn

Drive Around And Look At Christmas Lights

Wrap Christmas Presents

Read Christmas Stories Under The Tree

Make Ornaments. Decorate Gavin’s Tree & London’s Crib

Make A Treat. Share It With A Friend.

Visit Santa Claus

Sing Christmas Carols – Call Grandma & Grandpa!

Do Something Nice For Someone

Give A Toy To Charity

Make It A White Christmas

Read A Story About Baby Jesus

Christmas Eve At Grannie Jannie’s – Don’t Forget To Hang Your Stocking!

Make A Gift For Someone

Go To A Christmas Party. Don’t Forget To Dress Up!

Color A Christmas Picture

See A Christmas Parade

I know a lot of people don't decorate until the week before Christmas and take it all down the day after, but I like to think of Christmas as more of a season than just a holiday. We buy a real tree the first day the lots open and keep it up as long as we can keep it alive, usually the first week or two of January. And I love doing Christmas things every day, so this was a fun month for me and the kids. Gavin got into the spirit of things, too. His first project was making Aunt Kimmi a homemade gift. He was really excited about making this sugar scrub all by himself with very little supervision. He even decorated the labels himself. As you can see, he takes his sugar scrubs very seriously.

A few days later as I was doing the dishes I noticed him wandering around collecting things from various drawers and cupboards. He then disappeared into the next room and was very quiet - a sure sign of trouble, right? But before I got around to investigating he came out with this:

"Mom, I made this for you! It's a centerpiece. You can put it on the table and look at it while you eat and say, 'Wow. This is such a nice centerpiece.'" So cute! That's green electrical tape, in case you're wondering. I just love that he came up with this completely on his own.

I also fell in love with Shutterfly this year and spent several all-nighters making a calendar for my mom and photo books for my in-laws. Merry Christmas - brought to you by Shutterfly and caffeine!

*AMMENDMENT* ChefMessy is an awesome photographer, now doing business in Idaho. Without her excellent photography I would have nothing to put in my Shutterfly things. Thanks a million, ChefMessy!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2009-01-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

We spent this Christmas with Grannie Jannie, Grandpa Bill and Uncle Mikey. We got all dressed up:

Then had a fancy dinner. They say you can't trust a skinny cook, but Grannie Jannie definitely knows her way around the kitchen (and has a flair for decorating as well!)

After dinner we acted out the nativity scene:Then sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer" - also with costumes!

The kids opened their Christmas PJs and got a new Christmas book. By then London was about partied out, so I put her to bed while Gavin and Grannie Jannie made cookies for Santa. Gavin wrote him a nice letter and even drew a picture of Rudolph. His first picture that actually looks like something!

Then we played the Wii until Gavin was worn out enough to sleep. It was a really fun Christmas Eve. As you can see, Janet really goes out of her way to make everything nice and to have a lot of fun things planned. Thanks again, Grannie Jannie!

Christmas Traditions and Cloning Dreams

2009-01-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wish you could clone yourself? (Have you seen Multiplicity?) I'm constantly wishing I could split myself into several me's - one for housework, one to play with the kids all day, one to exercise and eat right, one to read, blog, see movies, have fun, etc. Life's just to full for just one me. Now that I'm married with kiddos and we're splitting our holidays between families I wish I could split myself as well. I love Christmas Eve at my in-laws, but I also love my family's traditions. Christmas Eve is our big night. When we were kids my parents started this tradition of having an old-fashioned Christmas Eve. We eat a simple dinner of beef stew, bread, and cheese by candlelight. Before the meal is served we sit down together to light the candles, one for each person there. From youngest to oldest we take turns lighting a candle and expressing the things we're grateful for over the past year and the things we hope for in the year to come. I love it. It's a great chance to reflect on the year and the things we really care about, and I love hearing what different family members have to say, too. I was sad to miss out on it this year. So I'm taking a minute to light a virtual candle and give thanks for a hard-working husband who still comes home and helps with the dishes, plays with the kids, and listens while his wife talks way too much. I'm grateful for kids who are healthy and smart and make me laugh every day. I'm grateful to have spent a year in paradise with friends who will be even harder to leave behind than the sunshine, the beach, and even Legoland. I'm so grateful for my friends this year. I'm grateful for my siblings and my parents and my friendship with them. I'm even going to take a leaf from my Grandpa Kendell's book and give thanks for our country and the freedoms we have here. As I think about my hopes for the next year I realize that I already have everything I could hope for. That's all.

On Christmas Day in the Morning

2009-01-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning started out well - the kids slept until eight o'clock! And then we had a special treat. It seems Santa was running late, and was just enjoying his last cookie as we peeked around the corner.

And then we had many long hours of unwrapping fun.

Gavin's big gift was a Disney Ultimotion, which is kind of like a Wii, with games that follow the Playhouse Disney shows. The controller turns into a rocket for Little Einsteins, some tools for Handy Manny, etc. If you are considering buying one you should know that the graphics/dialogue are not as cool as the TV show, and it doesn't inspire motion the way a Wii does, but it is a fun game.

Santa brought London a piano so she can join Gavin's band, but for her the real highlight of Christmas was Uncle Mikey. For the past few months London has been wary of anyone who isn't Mom or Dad. She warms up to people eventually, but it usually takes a while, and she's still a little leery of Grandpa Tractor and Uncle Logo. But she and Mike must have been buddies in the pre-existence, because she spent the whole Christmas holiday snuggling, patting, and "oooh-ing" over him.

Dave and I had a great Christmas, too. Dave got a Wii, which he's been insisting for months he didn't really want. Fortunately I've learned to ignore him, and he was glad. Janet and my dad also bought Wii's over the holiday, so we had Wii fun at both houses. We found that Grandpa Bill is quite the bowler. He's very graceful. (Though I should mention that Grannie Jannie beat him in the tournament.)

But I think the biggest win of the night was Gavin kicking Mike's trash in boxing several times in a row. He also learned to sing, "Momma said knock you out, so I'm gonna knock you out!" We're working on unlearning this now.

And what about me? Did I get a great Christmas present? Of course! Dave joked all week that he had gone over budget, buying me a "Three Million Dollar Christmas Present". And here it is!

I mentioned long ago that I'd love to learn to play the violin. My grandma is a beautiful violinist, and used to play for BYU's symphony, so I've always loved the instrument. Dave found this in his mom's storage and remembered my comment and asked if he could buy it from her and get it fixed up. It's the violin Janet played when she was a kid, and her parents bought it a pawn shop. Well, when Dave took it to the music shop to get it cleaned up the guy looked surprised and asked, "Ummm, is this...a Stradivarius?" Odds are it's a copy, but he said we should take some pictures and send them in to an expert, because the inscription inside says it is. Either way, it's a really nice violin, and I can't wait to learn to play it!

After Christmasing with Bill and Janet we went to my parents' house, where we all got spoiled a little more. Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

We had a hilarious New Year's Eve party, which I took a lot of video of and no pictures. So instead of telling you about it, I'll just say it was lots of fun and if you want to hear more you'll have to ask Chef Messy.

A Thousand Days of Gavin (and more!)

2009-01-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Gavin,

Happy Birthday! It's been a big year for you. At two you were chatty, curious, mischievous and sweet, and over the last year you've become even more so. You've also grown more aware of yourself, more contemplative and purposeful. You have your own agenda, and have learned to reason your way into getting what you want. This is the year you've discovered puzzles, board games, Dora, Diego, transformers and friends. You've learned to use the potty, hold your breath under water, and drum like a pro. You're big enough to go to the movies with Dad, and I can't tell you how excited he is about that. You want to be just like Dad. I hope you will be. You love the beach and the color green. You want to grow up to be a pirate or the drummer in a band. As I look back at pictures of you a year ago it makes me a little sad to see that my toddler is completely gone now! You're a boy, through and through. I'm so proud of you, especially as you've become a big brother. I love how you take care of London, trying your best to calm her when she's upset and to make her laugh with your silly faces and dances. She's a lucky girl to have such a friend already. I'm a lucky mom to have you.

How Pirates Wake Their Babies

2008-12-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

This morning Gavin wanted to come with me to get London out of bed. I reminded him that we need to be quiet and calm with her when she first wakes up. He nodded, then did an exaggerated tiptoe to her bed, peeked through the bars, and whispered, "Argh! Good morning, ye scurvy baby!" He then turned to me and said, "That's how pirates wake up their babies." Oh. Ok.

Big Brother

2008-12-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

I've always thought that every girl needs a big brother. I didn't have one, and I wouldn't trade my older sister for anything. She's always been a close friend, and she's more of an inspiration to me every passing year. But growing up I imagined that an older brother would make me cooler, protect me, teach me about boys and sports, and maybe even provide a few friends to date. Of course, I didn't realize that an older brother also spends a lot of time sitting on you. Luckily, this seems to be pretty fun, too.

How do you like your cereal?

2008-12-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

I think you can guess what happened next.

Gavinisms

2008-12-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

On Jello:

"Hey, mom! I want some more of that shivering stuff!"

On Jet Planes:

"Hey, mom! What's that foamy track in the sky?"

On Missions:

"Mom, what's a mission?"
"That's when you go somewhere far away and tell people about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ."
"Oh. Because they don't know about Heavenly Father?"
"Yep."
"And they're trying to take away his rights, huh?"
"Uh....."

On Death (and Transformers):

"Mom, I'm trying to tell you something bad. Paul died. Optimus Prime killed him. He killed him with his gun and with his foot. First he shooted him, then he kicked him in the face, and now he's dead. And when all the Transformers are died, Paul will come back alive again. Because Transformers are bad. Except Bumblebee. He's in the middle."

On Trick-Or-Treating:

(This is after I explained that "Trick or Treat" means if you don't give us a treat, we'll play a trick on you.)

Mom: Gavin, we can't eat this candy until Halloween.
Gavin: But mom, if we don't have a treat, Daddy might play a trick on us.

Thanks

2008-12-01T01:22:00.000-08:00

My family spent the week with us. They're gone now. I'm still eating turkey leftovers, but I miss them already. I have so much to be thankful for!

Grandpa's Girl

2008-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Some people think my dad is like the Marlboro Man. It's not because he smokes (he doesn't), but because he seems like a really manly man. He's a true oldschool cowboy. He did his last cattle drive on horseback the year my parents got married, and he's still happiest when he's in the saddle. He's also a farmer. He drives a big truck, knows how to fix a tractor, and comes home dirty.

The thing is, deep down my dad is not the Marlboro Man at all. If anything, he's more like Hannah Montana. Riding a horse might be his favorite activity, but having tea parties with his daughters is a close second. He reads Nicholas Sparks novels, and he loved "What A Girl Wants". And he loves to shop. Not for himself, but for his girls. It's been a while since any of his daughters let him pick out their clothes, so he's as excited as any grandmother to have a little princess to play dress up with. London, Grandpa Tractor wants you to know that he picked this outfit out "all by himself, without any help". Thanks, Grandpa!

Boo!

2008-10-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Warning: WAY too many pictures in this post!

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I hate scary movies and I don't need the candy. It's really a kids only holiday. But now that I have a kid or two I can get away with enjoying a lot of juvenile things, so this Halloween we did it all!

We went to the Bates Nut Farm with some friends:

We decorated (pumpkins and ghosts by Gavin):

We caught some pixies (inspired by Second Sister):

We went to the special library Halloween puppet show (and a couple of neighborhood parties!):

We cooked a spooky dinner:

We dressed up:
We trunk-or-treated and trick-or-treated (with a piratey friend):
We ran into the Flinstones!

And we visited the absolute coolest house you've ever, ever seen.

This house was so cool, AND lit by tiki torches at night, AND handed out rum to all the adults, AND anyone dressed as a pirate got to go back into the "Captain's Lounge", which was Disney-worthy all on its own, and got a special VIP ticket and a big candy bar. And a picture with the Captain. But don't forget to follow the rules - especially "No Beard Shall Be Longer Than The Captains" and "No Feather Shall Be More Delightful Than The Captains"! Happy Halloween, everyone. We're full of candy and off to bed.

In Which Jen Leaves Her Family To Become a Truck Driver

2008-10-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest things about growing up on a potato farm is harvest time. Every year we got two whole weeks off of school to work in potato harvest, which is a great way to make a load of cash just before Christmas when you're eight years old. (Apparently child labor laws don't apply to agriculture?)

I didn't get my drivers license until we moved to Pocatello, where school doesn't stop for potatoes, so the only harvest-time job I've ever held was picking clods. If you've never done this, just picture the most boring, monotonous job in the world, then think about doing it for twelve to fourteen hours a day, starting early in the morning when it's freezing, working through the afternoon when it's boiling hot, then into the cold, cold evening until after dark. You stand next to a conveyor belt watching thousands of pounds of potatoes roll by and pull out all the rocks, weeds, and big clods of dirt. Yeah, it's pretty exciting.

As a kid I loved the money from harvest but hated the monotony. But now that I have two insane kids who never sleep and don't like to entertain themselves I just dream about having moments (hours? DAYS?) to myself. So I got all nostalgic and decided that I need a harvest break again. The kids and I flew to Idaho, they hung out with my mom all day every day for a week or so, and I got a promotion from clod picker to truck driver. With the help of my iPod I finished seven books in six days of driving. Someday I'll tell you about them on my book blog.

I wouldn't want to be a truck driver forever, but a few days of it really was fun, and at the end of it I was really excited to be with the kids again. I was also glad that none of these things happened to me:

I hope my next farm promotion will be designing these warning stickers!

Grannie Jannie Knows How To Party

2008-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Living in California is sort of like being on vacation all the time. There's sunshine, beaches, and plenty of fun places to go. We had a lot of visitors in Vegas, but here our house is practically a B&B for friends and family. We love it! Our latest guest almost killed us off, though. After a summer of way too much work, Grannie Jannie decided she needed a vacation. She might have planned on relaxing, but Gavin had other ideas. He's our in-house tour guide and events planner, and he sets a pretty rigorous schedule. In the five days Grannie Jannie spent here we went to:

Sea World

Disney Land

The New Children's Museum in San Diego

and also the beach, the Wild Animal Park, the Carlsbad Outlet Mall, and a few restaurants, and...

had a backyard barbecue in the sunshine and...

a great game of Candy Land, some sword fights, and a "jam session" led by Gavin, our lead singer/drummer. London even played her own maraca!

Gavin also discovered one of Dave's old loves, the climbing wall.

And at the end of our trip we went back to Idaho with Grannie Jannie and visited Grandpa Bill, who missed out on the week of fun-o-rama.

We also visited the Discovery Children's Center in Salt Lake. Gavin was really excited to "fly" the rescue helicopter!

Whew! Well, Grannie Jannie, I'm sure you probably need a vacation now to recover from your vacation, but we're sure glad you came and hope to see you down here again soon. We might even let you sleep this time!

Why You Shouldn't Sue Us

2008-09-12T20:53:00.001-07:00

We have a lawyer in the family! Woohoo! My bro-in-law just passed the bar, so this post is for him. Congratulations, Law School Dude. Way to go! In your honor, I'm posting a few good jokes that you'll probably only hear half a dozen times a week for the rest of your life. Enjoy!

Q. What's the difference between a lawyer and a vampire?
A. A vampire only sucks blood at night.

Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a catfish?
A: One is a slimy, bottom dwelling, scum sucker. The other is a fish.

Q: How many personal injury attorneys does it take to change a light bulb?A: Three--one to turn the bulb, one to shake him off the ladder, and the third to sue the ladder company.

An airliner was having engine trouble, and the pilot instructed the cabin crew to have the passengers take their seats and get prepared for an emergency landing.A few minutes later, the pilot asked the flight attendants if everyone was buckled in and ready."All set back here, Captain," came the reply, "except the lawyers are still going around passing out business cards."

Hey, Gavin, tell me about our baby...

2008-08-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is our baby. Her name is Baby London. She's really funny and really cute. She just wiggles all around and laughs and smiles at me. I sing her silly songs. I sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the giant meatball..." She likes tickles and she likes playing with her toys and she doesn't like riding in the car and church. She tastes like a jellyfish.

We shouldn't throw her and we shouldn't pinch her. We shouldn't pop over her with the popper. We shouldn't jump over her and run over her with the beemer and we shouldn't sit on her or squish her or tickle her with these messy hands. We can't do nothing fun with this baby.

The Moments You Want To Remember Most

2008-08-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we had one of those days where Mom was sleep deprived and grouchy and it seemed that Gavin just spent the morning pushing buttons. In my rational mind I realized that while he was being annoying I was probably over-reacting, so I finally walked off and came downstairs to do dishes rather than yell something I'd regret later. He must have picked up on my totally-out-of-proportion rage, though, because a few minutes later he stomped into the kitchen in a huff and shouted,

"Mom, I didn't do NOTHING naughty to you!"

Great. Can't wait till this one's a teenager!

Kids

2008-08-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

London Angelina Lee

4 months old

Likes:

swaddling
smiling
sitting up
tickles
the cold produce section of Costco
licking her blankie (and everything else)
grabbing Mom's hair
sleeping on Dad's chest
getting harassed by big brother

Dislikes:

"rockets"
tummy time
church (the only time she's fussy!)
riding in the car (ok, the only other time she's fussy)

Gavin Isaiah Lee

2 1/2 years old

Likes:

"fishing" at Grandpa Tractor's
the color green
building things with dad
swimming lessons
tomatoes and string cheese
chicken tikka masala
Dora the Explorer
Legos (and Legoland)
roller coasters
singing silly songs

Dislikes:

crying babies
amplified voices
riding in the car
shopping

My dad once told me that he thinks kids are ninety percent who they're going to be the minute their born, and watching these two I believe it. They're both so much fun, but it's amazing how different they are already.

Gavin loves action, loud noises, roller coasters, crazy tricks, break dancing, and roughhousing. He wants to try everything, the wilder the better. Even as a baby he loved being tossed around and surprised. London likes to sit quietly, licking a toy, studying the world from afar. She's not shy - she loves attention, and lights up like crazy when anyone is near. But she cringes at strange noises, surprises, unexpected movements - all the wild stimulation Gavin thrives on. She hates being tossed around, but won't cry, just gives a disturbed look that says clearly, "Why on earth would you do that to me?"

Gavin is intense. His moods are mercurial. Most of the time he's deliriously, rambunctiously excited, but in a split second his enthusiasm can become a rage so consuming that his every muscle shakes in fury. Lucky for us the storms turn to sunshine as quickly as they started, and his enthusiasm more than makes up for the tantrums. London is even-keel, consistently pleasant. She rarely cries and is easily soothed, but I wonder if she might acquire more of her brother's intensity as she grows older and more vocal.

Gavin jumps into things head first. He'll try anything. He figures things out by doing. London's approach to new challenges is thoughtful and deliberate. If you don't have kids that probably sounds like a silly thing to say about a three month old, but it's true. She'll look at a toy for a long time before reaching for it, then moves cautiously. She watches people's faces attentively, trying so hard to mimic them! Once in a while something will make her chuckle, and she's so surprised that she jumps at the sound of her own voice. Then she spends the next few minutes trying to figure out how she did that! I guess Gavin is thoughtful in his own way, too. He asks a million questions about everything around him, and often brings things up again hours or even days later to learn more. He seems to remember everything!

Gavin entertains me every day. It's amazing to hear what goes on in his mind and realize just how much he is his own person, and not just a reflection of Dave and me. I can't wait to see London at his age, and to watch both of them as they continue to grow.

Penguins on Parade

2008-08-08T09:17:00.001-07:00

Kim's crafty cupcakes inspired me to try my own hand at making something cute. I think it went alright for a first attempt, but it's so hot and humid here that they were melting before I even finished! Anyway, I promised her I'd post a pic, so here it is:

The Towers of Las Vegas

2008-08-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

Gavin's Semi-Coherent Ramblings on Daddy's Job

I'm building the towers of Las Vegas. Daddy does that. He builds them all the time. People can climb up them. If they get stuck on top, someone can come with a ladder and help them down.

When he's all done building the tower, someone gets locked there because someone don't wants to go in their tower. Their needs to go in their tower. Someone locks them in no one can go in their tower. Daddy and Matthew can go in there. Nobody else. Somebody gets locked in then nobody can go in their tower. They just play and play in their tower until it gets late. Then they sleep in their tower. That's where people sleep - in their tower.

I builded a tower! It has people standing on it. I'm gonna go build that tower some more so Daddy can go in it. I'm gonna build a door. I'm gonna put it on so someone can get out and in so I can shut the door and lock them in with 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 keys and no one can get in their tower.

When daddy is all done building a tower, they just tear it down and build another one. Then someone's the king of the mountain. It's daddy. He turns everything into different kinds of flowers. Like fire flowers. They're really hot. Everything like that.

Should We Burn Babar?

2008-08-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I read this book, which talks about the underlying messages we get from the books we read. Babar, by the way, should be burned because it promotes ethnocentric, imperialistic colonization practices which demean native cultures. Supposedly. (Nice picture, though, huh?)

Anyway, I still like Babar, but I do think a lot about the values promoted by the books I read and movies I see - probably a little too much, especially now that I have kids and worry about everything a little too much.

Like the underlying messages in "The Giving Tree", for example. I used to love this book. It's so sweet! What an enduring love! OK, I haven't read it for a really long time, but today Gavin found it on the shelf and wanted to read it and - surprise! This book isn't sweet at all! It's morbid, creepy, and disturbing!

I never get rid of books, but I'll be passing this one on to Goodwill. What are kids supposed to learn from it? That really loving someone means you'll give them everything you have, leaving you nothing but an ugly old stump, even though they never give you anything in return, and don't even visit except to ask for more? Or should kids learn that it's okay for them to be the one taking all the time and expecting others to make unlimited sacrifices for them? Either way, disturbing.

Which reminds me of another popular series whose morals I don't agree with: The Twilight books.

This was not our bookclub topic last night but it came up anyway, and I was glad to hear I'm not the only one who is disturbed by Bella and Edward's relationship which, as Kiersten pointed out, has all the markings of abuse. (Manipulation, control, obsession, loss of self, distancing from family and friends, etc.) Don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed these books (yes, it's bad writing, but a good story nonetheless), and will probably be finished with Breaking Dawn by noon tomorrow, but it bugs me that teenage girls everywhere swoon over Edward when this is so clearly not a healthy relationship. It reminds me of "The Notebook". Don't even get me started on that one! If a guy acts like Edward (or Noah, or The Tree, or The Boy) you should run the other way, not throw yourself at him! That is all. I'll go put my soapbox away now. And my copy of "The Giving Tree". (But not Twilight. I love Jacob.)

Happy Birthday To Gavin Part Two: Sharks!

2008-07-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Just after Gavin's birthday I took the kids to Idaho for a week. Now you'll see what a slacker mom I am. While I bought a Costco cake for my own son's birthday, my sister spent all day making the cutest cupcakes you've ever seen:I know I've gushed before about how amazingly talented and Martha-Stuart-y she is, but honestly! Why didn't I inherit any of these talents? (What? You mean you have to actually work at obtaining these talents? Dang it!) Anyway, the cupcakes were a big hit and delicious to boot. Gavin loved them. Especially the frosting.

And then there was the mountain of presents:

And the best part of all, hanging out with his two favorite people in the entire world; Grandpa Tractor and Matthew.

These boys are hilarious. Matthew is a little older, but really patient and helpful, and they really have a blast. They spent most of the week "fishing" off the deck and making mud cakes and talking about transformers. I didn't get any shots of London, but Kim did - once again, amazing. If you're in Idaho and looking for a family photographer, she's in business! London spent most of the week practicing her latest skill - bestowing her silliest grin on everyone in sight. The grandparents almost confiscated our plane tickets home. Good times had by all!

Happy Birthday To Gavin: Part One: A Plethora of Pirates

2008-07-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated Gavin's first ever birthday party with friends. What? Wasn't Gavin born in January? Well, yes, but I think having a birthday one week after Christmas is a bit anticlimactic, so we just sort of ignore that one and celebrate his half-birthday instead. It's kind of weird to explain to people, but my birthday is in January, too, and I always envied my siblings for their fun summer birthdays. I hoped our kids would just be born in the summer, but since things didn't work out on the conception end of things the half-birthday party is the next best thing.

Captain No Beard chose to host a Pirate Party at Pirate Ship Park. We ate piratey pizza, played Pin the Patch on the Pirate, passed out pirate dress-up kits, ate some pirate cake, and opened presents, which included an authentic Captain Jack Sparrow costume and pirate parts for Mr. Potato Head. Yes, it was one heck of a day, ye scurvy dogs! Arg!

As you can see, this cake is deliciously heavy on the frosting. Gavin barely touched it at the party, but when we got home I found him like this:

After systematically licking the frosting off all that was left of the cake (and there was A LOT left!) he demolished the cakey part with a spatula and some measuring spoons. I'm pretty sure he's still feeling the sugar high.

The pirate stuff was fun and the cake oh-so-tasty, but here's the biggest hit: Legos from dad! Hooray! Gavin loves Legos almost as much as I do. Did you know that a box of Legos will entertain a two year old for hours on end? Oh, yes! I loooove Legos!

Tune in next time for Part Two of the Happy Birthday post, including an ode to my birthday boy and the most amazing cupcakes you've ever seen. Adios!

Happy Independence Day! (With Dependants)

2008-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Since Dave and I hooked up we've spend nearly every July 4th with his dad up in Coeur d'Alene. They know how to do things right - a huge parade in the morning, junk food in the park next to the lake all afternoon, a little jet skiing, then fireworks on the beach at night. It's always a blast. This year we decided to try something new and stayed here in Carlsbad.

The day started early - as part of the activities committee we had to show up early for the ward party (7:30 am), instead of our usual fashionably-late (8:45). The pancake breakfast was a lot of fun, even though we did have to cheat on our South Beach diet a bit!

After the ward party we reported straight to the neighborhood party. I probably mentioned this at Easter, but this neighborhood rocks. When they plan a friendly get-together, they go all-out. Our little pot-luck get together in the park featured a bounce house, a water slide, and half a dozen games set up all over the park. Gavin's favorite was the water table - lots of fun AND a great place to pick up chicks! I don't know who plans these, but they do an awesome job.

We had heard that everyone goes to the beach for the fourth, so we chose to stay far, far, far away from there. After partying all morning we stayed home, took naps, and watched "So You Think You Can Dance" on DVR. Good times! We were hoping to catch some good fireworks, though. We'd heard from several sources that the Costco parking lot is the perfect place to watch Legoland's show, so we scouted out a good spot, set up camping chairs, and waited.

Finally the show began. It was probably a really good show. There was tons of noise. Unfortunately, there was also a ton of fog, and we couldn't see a single firework. Here's a small part of the line of cars that left Costco the minute the show began. Oh well! So the Carlsbad 4th was pretty fun, but nothing beats Coeur d'Alene. Meet us there next year!

Mom's Turn!

2008-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Don't run away!
2. What makes mom happy?
Cleaning up my toys. And picking books makes mom happy.
3. What makes mom sad?
Making messes.
4. How does mom make you laugh?
Tickling me!
5. What was mom like as a child?
Pee in the potty and poop in the potty.
6. How old is your mom?
Three. And I'm two and a half.
7. How tall is your mom?
She's just short because she can't reach books way up high.
8. What is your mommy's favorite thing to do?
Help me clean up toys! And she likes to give me popsicles.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Wait for daddy to come home.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Making flowers.
11. What is your mom really good at?
Bouncing on a ball.
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Being really, really loud.
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Building gates. And giving me hamburgers.
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Salad and sandwiches.
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Cleaning up my toys by herself.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
A hero or a captain who flies a helicopter or a captain who flies an airplane. Any captain mom wants to be. And you can fly anything in the sky!
17. What do you and your dad do together?
Ride on the pirate ship! (At Legoland)
18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same bums.
19. How are you and your mom different?
Umm, my hair is blond.
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
She gives me popsicles!

Bonus Question: What does London like to do?
She likes to wiggle!

The Happiest Place On Earth

2008-06-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm late blogging about this (as usual) but last weekend we had such a blast! It all started here, at the Happiest Place On Earth!

It was hot. It was crowded. But I will always, always love Disneyland. (Though, to be honest DisneyWorld is my favorite!) We met up with old friends Josh and Angela, who we only get to see a few times a year. We haven't kept in touch with many of our friends from college, but I'm glad these two are still in the picture! We've been trying to take a trip with them for years - first to Europe, then to Peru. I'm glad this one didn't fall through, even if it was only for a day!

Gavin is finally tall enough for roller coasters, and he's now the king of the arms-raised "Woohoo!!!!!". It's hilarious! Kids twice his age are clinging to the safety bars looking like they might cry, but Gavin's motto is The Wilder The Better! He rode the teacups, the kiddy-coaster, and even the Matterhorn, but his all-time favorite was the Buzz Lightyear ride where you get to "shoot the bad aliens".

The next phase of our fun began that night. (Don't worry - this is totally G-rated!) I've mentioned before our tendency to luck out. Here's the story. We meant to leave Disneyland early (yeah, right!) but wound up staying until eleven at night for the fireworks. Then we headed on our merry way to Las Vegas for Dave's annual company picnic! We were really kicking ourselves when we pulled in to Mandalay Bay at three in the morning, thinking that with so little time there we should have just booked something at the cheapest hotel in town. I checked us in and joked that maybe we could get the room for half price since we'd only be there half the night. The manager laughed and offered us a free upgrade instead, which is how we came to stay in THIS ROOM . No, seriously - click on the link. It's awesome. Here's the view - not just from the window, but from the wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor glass wall of the apartment-sized room. So cool!

The fun continued that afternoon at the company picnic, where we got to visit with all our WT friends. Can you tell it was hot (and dirty) that day?

But where was little London in all this? Mostly hanging out in her carseat, looking like this:

After the picnic and several diaper and wardrobe changes we headed back to San Diego. (That's right - SEVERAL - BOTH kids decided to explode just after we got them into fresh dipes for the trip). Hooray for a really fun weekend!

Conversations With Gavin

2008-06-25T11:31:00.001-07:00

Last Christmas Grannie Jannie and Grandpa Bill bought me this book, and now that Gavin is talking a ton I thought I'd give it a try. Since this blog is sort of our scrapbook/journal, I'm going to post our conversations here, so just skip this if toddler talk bores you! Here's today's conversation:

Jen: Hey, Gavin - What does Grandpa Tractor like to do?

Gavin: Farming. He just likes to drive combines and tractors.

Jen: Yeah, he does. How about Grandma Birdie? What does she like do to?

Gavin: She just likes to tear up kitchens. Because she's silly. Then Bob the Builder has to come and fix it.

Jen: Really?

Gavin: Yup. It's naughty to tear up kitchens. But Grandma Birdie isn't naughty. She's sweet. I like her.

I tried to ask him about the other grandparents, but he loses interest in these conversations quickly, so you'll have to read about them later. The Grandma Birdie comment is especially funny if you follow her blog and Chef Messy's. Grandma Birdie has torn up three kitchens in the past six months, and if she lived down here I'm sure ours wouldn't be safe either!

Happy Fathers Day!

2008-06-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of Fathers Day I asked Gavin to answer a few questions about Dad (courtesy of Chef Messy).

1. What is something dad always says to you?

Don't go upstairs! Because he don't want me to touch anything upstairs or to throw.

2. What makes dad happy?

Cleaning up my toys.

3. What makes dad sad?

Throwing things. And when maracas are loud. And they make daddy feel naughty.

4. How does dad make you laugh?

Tickles my feet.

5. What was dad like as a child?

Ummm.....Ummm...... (I don't think he understood the question)

6. How old is your dad?

Two.

7. How tall is your dad?

Way, way, way tall!

8. What is your daddy's favorite thing to do?

Go to work. Go outside and drive his car.

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?

Clean up my toys.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

Wearing my T-Shirt! (?)

11. What is your dad really good at?

Go to the park.

12. What is your dad not very good at?

Just nothing.

13. What does your dad do for her job?

Build things. Like castles.

14. What is your dad's favorite food?

Lemons.

15. What makes you proud of your dad?

Maracas.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

Dora. He rescues mean animals.

17. What do you and your dad do together?

Go to LegoLand! We ride rides. Those yellow submarines and go on that turning ride.

18. How are you and your dad the same?

He likes lemons.

19. How are you and your dad different?

Maracas make me different.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?

He hugs mommy! And he read me stories. We read giraffes .

OK, so I think he was just riffing on a few of those, but pretty funny anyway! I'd also like to say a few words about this amazing man. I had plenty of good reasons for marrying Dave, and one of the best was that I knew he'd make a great Dad. He's totally proven me right. From Day One he's jumped right in, changing diapers, giving baths, and teaching critical lessons like, "Lefty-Loosey, Righty-Tighty" and "Mommies are always pretty." Gavin adores him and wakes up every day hoping it's Saturday so he can play with Dad, and London already has a special smile she reserves just for Dad. Dave's always been hot - who knew fatherhood could bring out a sexiness of a whole different kind? I'm so grateful to have a guy who is so eager to be a part of his kids lives. Also, I'm grateful that even though it's Fathers Day he decided to get up with them this morning and clean the kitchen while I slept in! Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better man.

Of course, I couldn't complete a blog about Fathers Day without a nod to my other favorite pop star - my own dad. I remember a church lesson we had when I was in college where all the other girls were talking about how even though they weren't really close to their dads and never spent much time with them they knew their dads loved them. I was so surprised to find out that other girls' dads didn't take them on dates, spring them out of class to take them skiing, or offer to go to the movies with them if they didn't have a date. I always felt close to my dad growing up. Even though farming is tough work that often starts before dawn and ends long after dark, my dad always made it to all the important events in our lives. He more than made up for the long hours he worked by really being there for us when he wasn't working. He didn't come home and hide behind a newspaper or tune us out while he watched a game, even though I'm sure he was exhausted. I'm so grateful to have a dad that I've always been able to talk to about anything. They say all girls want to marry someone like their dad. I'm grateful to have a dad who set the bar pretty high, and a guy who meets the challenge anyway. I love you both - Happy Fathers Day!

Potty Talk

2008-06-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

So we have a rule here that "potty words" can only be used in the bathroom. (See this month's Wondertime for a great article on why potty jokes are so funny.) Yesterday at Target I got surprised with a massive blowout Gavin diaper that wound up on him, his clothes, the shopping cart, and London's feet and carseat. Yuck. Definitely time for another attempt at potty training. But as I scrubbed him top to bottom in the bathroom we got to have this fun conversation:

Gavin: "Hey, mom - OK talk about bums in the bathroom?"
Mom: "Sure. You can talk about bums in the bathroom."
Gavin: (Grinning slyly at being able to use "potty words") "I wish I had a toy bum."
Mom: "A toy bum? What for? You have a real bum!"
Gavin: "I wish I had a toy bum that you push a button and it poops."(Cue insane laughter)
Mom: "Yeah. That's just what we need around here. Another bum that poops."

Blessing(s)

2008-06-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

We love California. We love the weather. We love the beach. We love our house. We love LegoLand, SeaWorld, and the zoo. There's only one thing California doesn't have:

OK, just kidding. The cows are fun, but what we really miss down here in the sunny sunshine is our families. Every time we go home we spend the return trip having the same conversation. The title of this conversation is "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Move Back Home?"

A couple of weeks ago we went home to bless London in my dad's ward. Gavin was in heaven - at Granny Jannie's there were several little girl cousins in town and at Grandma Birdie's he had Matthew. His cousin Lily is from Germany and they had a blast together despite the language barrier. Actually, I don't think he noticed it - she plopped down next to him and started jabberring in German and he just looked at her, laughed, at spouted out some jibberish of his own! He thought she was just having fun talking nonsense. It was pretty funny. The rest of the week he and Matthew ran around and played with their new fishing poles from Grandpa Tractor (ever the spoiler, that one. He knows how to be the favorite!). I hardly saw him all week! Several times a day we'd realize no one had seen them in a while and someone would go and check on them. I was surprised to find that he actually got into a lot less trouble than usual! And of course we got to see cows and ride four-wheelers and all that. Kim and Ryan just moved back to Pocatello, too, so by the end of the week we were all pretty tempted to just stay there with them. (But don't get your hopes up, mom!)

The blessing was really nice. My Grandma Kendell bought her a gorgeous little dress, and she was sweet and quiet the whole way through and Dave did a great job. I'm big on rites of passage, and I think a baby blessing is a particularly neat one. It's your official welcome to the world, the community, and the church. If you're not familiar with this tradition, you bring the baby to church and all the men in the family hold her and the dad says a prayer for her and gives her a name. It's nice. I just watched a Dharma and Greg where they have a big naming ceremony for their baby, incorporating all the naming traditions of every religion, culture, and ethnic group you can imagine. It was pretty fun. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'd like to change the ceremony to be a bit more like that, with all the friends and family taking turns blessing the baby with something. Kind of like Sleeping Beauty.

And here's our Sleeping (Screaming?) Beauty! Welcome to the world, little girl. You're such a blessing.

Running Away To Mexico VS...

2008-05-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom. I have an adorable, sweet two year old, a snoozy little baby, and a hubby who does dishes while wearing a flower-print baby sling. What more could a girl ask for? And yet, every so often, I seriously consider packing a small bag, hopping in the car, and driving far, far, far away. When does this happen? Usually after a night and day like this:

9:00-9:30 pm - Put Gavin to bed (stories, songs, tuck in, repeat). Run downstairs to feed wailing baby, who was sleeping soundly until the second I left to put Gavin down. Listen to Gav yell for half an hour, trying to pry one more story out of me.

9:30-11:00 pm - Attempt to feed baby, who falls asleep the second the milk bags are out and wakes up crying the second I give up and put them away. Latch baby on, tickle feet, wiggle arms, relatch, tickle, wiggle, relatch, tickle, wiggle, give up, snap up bra, unsnap quickly so wailing won't wake Gavin, latch, wiggle, tickle, snap, unsnap, repeat, repeat, repeat... Finally relent and give her the bottle she really wants, then go upstairs to pump. ("No!" says the lactation consultant. "Babies always prefer their mothers!" Yeah, and breastfeeding burns off the calories...I've heard your lies before!)

11:30-2:00 am - Sleep. Like the dead.

2:00-3:30 am - Attempt to feed baby. See above.

3:30-5:00 am - Listen to snoring husband and grunting baby's "Noisiest Sleeper Contest". Hooray - it's a tie! Everybody wins! Except mom...

5:00-5:20 am - Sleep.

5:20-6:30 am - Attempt to feed baby. Change diaper.

6:30 am - Get up with Gavin. Change diaper. Ignore pleas of "Mom I want to watch Dora...It's my favorite...Dora, Dora, Dora...Let's watch Dora...PLEASE can we watch Dora...Mom I want to watch Dora..." for seven minutes, then give in when he comes up with "Mom, lets go watch Dora and you lay on the couch and take a nap so you won't be grouchy." OK, sold.

6:45-7:45 am - Lie comatose on the couch listning to "I'm the map...I'm the map...I'm the map...I'm the map...." while Gavin pulls out every toy, puzzle, book, and truck he owns. If I ever have a psychotic episode, you can bet I'll be singing this song.

7:45-8:30 am - Attempt to feed baby while begging, pleading, and threatening Gavin not to wop us with a sword, stick, inflatable bat, pillow, truck, stuffed fish, feathered hat, shoe, etc., etc. Chage diaper.

8:30-9:00 am - Breakfast. Ten minutes to prepare (while listening to sweet tot chant "Mom I want fruit snacks!" at the top of his lungs), two for Gavin to eat three bites and smear the rest over his high chair, clothes, hair, and the floor, Fifteen to clean up. Stop proceedings seventeen times to give baby her binkie back as Gavin screams, "MOM, SHE'S CRYING!!!!!"

9:00-whenever... - Bathe Gavin one handed while bouncing baby and telling a story about Gavin, Dora, and Mickey Mouse rescuing a crocodile in outer space. Clean up poop from tub, wash tub with clorox, bathe Gavin again. Refold clothes dumped out while I was cleaning the tub. Clean up dumped water and shampoo from floor. Collect and resort pieces from seven different board games, scattered while I was mopping the floor. Find Cranium Clay mashed in carpet. Hear baby crying to eat, Gavin begging to go to LegoLand, wonder why he is naked again...Look around at laundry piles, dirty dishes, unmade beds, empty fridge, jiggly belly, dust buffalo, toy tornados....slip into daydream of hammocks, virgin margueritas and mindless chic lit...

And we haven't even made it to the grocery store yet. I'd continue, but I think you get the idea.

The moms at play group assure me that this is perfectly normal, as is my occasional running-away-to-Mexico fantasy. This is good to know, since I always imagine every mom I know sitting in their pristine house with their well-behaved kids buffing perfectly manicured nails while a nutritious, creative dinner bubbles on the stove. I hope my friends are telling the truth when they say this isn't so, because knowing other people's houses are crazy, too, makes me feel better about my own, and convinces me that maybe I don't need to run away to Mexico after all.

Of course, there might be a few other reasons to stay...

First Bath

2008-05-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, the belly-button is off and London finally had her first real bath. As you can see, she liked it just about as much as she liked coming home from the hospital! She's such a great baby - sleeps, eats, looks around, and almost never cries - so it was kind of funny to see her get really worked up about something.

Captain No-Beard!!!

2008-05-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago I posted about a pirate bed we found at Costco.com. It was awesome, but way too much to even consider. I should probably mention here that Dave and I seem to have an unnatural amount of good luck, and once again it's come through for us. Introducing....

Captain No-Beard and The Green Pearl!

Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, we went to Costco for blueberries and happened upon this beauty (the only one left) at way less than half-price because they're closing them out. Hooray! Still a little more than an Ikea cheapy, but definitely worth it. When Gavin outgrows it we might turn it into the children's section of our library. Now I just need to do some major redecorating of the room to match it! I should mention, though, that Dave almost killed himself getting all the pieces up the stairs, and that once we got it in the room we realized that maybe we should have measured first. You can't see it, but the bed is just half an inch too long for the closet doors to function properly. Still, it's a small price to pay to have such a cool bed - especially since Captain No-Beard will spend half the day playing around on it and sword-fighting with Dave. Argh!

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Late as usual, but I didn't want to pass up the chance to post an ode to my wonderful mom!This amazing, gorgeous woman looks as good at forty-seven as she did at seventeen. (Even without the Charlie's Angels hairdo!) Mom and I have always been close, but becoming a mom myself has made me appreciate her so much more. She's one of those moms who does everything well and makes it look easy. Even though we never went through the usual teenage mother-daughter tension, I never fully realized growing up how amazingly talented she is.

I thought being home with kids would be a breeze after being a full-time student with a full-time job, but the skills required to be a good wife, mother, and homemaker are completely different, and in this area I'm a real novice. Keeping up with the basics like cooking, cleaning, and keeping the kids alive keeps me hopping every waking minute, but my mom did all this with ease. She also decorated our home, did amazing crafty things, and kept herself young, beautiful, thin and sexy.

But the thing I admire most about my mom is how she isn't afraid to tackle a new challenge. She's never shied away from anything just because she didn't know how to do it. When I complain about not knowing how to decorate, sew, scrapbook, or any other thing, she just reminds me that I could learn, and that's exactly what she does. She's not one to sigh and wish she had a particular skill - if she sees something interesting, she jumps in and learns how to do it. I've seen her learn to paint, make jewelry, use power tools, play the piano, speak Spanish (un poco!) and even get certified as a dental tech. Mom, thanks for showing me that there's nothing out of reach. Happy Mothers Day - I love you!

Makeovers - Virtual and Otherwise

2008-05-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

So first of all, my blog needs a makeover! All my friends have very cute, scrapbooky-looking blogs. Alright, girls - fess up. How do you do this? Please email me (jenniferleelee at gmail dot com) and tell me how to become a part of this secret society!

Although I'm technologically challenged, I have a feeling that making over my blog will be much easier than the other makeover I'm in need of. It's no wonder men leave their wives for perky, busty blondes after they have kids! It's not lack of sleep and hormone changes that causes post-partum depression, it's the realization that the only way your husband could possibly still find you sexy after seeing you through all the lovely stages of pregnancy, labor, recuperation, nursing, pumping, etc., etc., especially now that you are flabby, leaky, saggy-boobed, poochy-tummied, chubby, frumpy, etc., etc., is if he is completely insane. Ugh! But luckily, all my friends who have kids are also thin, well-dressed and adorable, (see all the same links as before) so someone must have some good advice for me! And please don't say that breastfeeding just melts the pounds right off. Breastfeeding makes me sore and cranky and feel (and look) like a moo-cow.

Spill the beans, cute moms! What are your postpartum tricks for losing the weight and looking cute again?

Caption Contest

2008-04-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

This picture is too hilarious not to have a cute caption, but I'm too new-mom-fuzzy-brained to come up with one, so why don't you give it a try? I'll even give a prize to whoever comes up with my favorite!

Yeah for Grandparents!

2008-04-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about having a baby is that everyone comes to visit you! Dave's mom and brother came to take care of Gavin while we were in the hospital, and now that we're home my mom is here taking care of me for two whole weeks! This weekend my dad showed up, too, so we're having a real grandparent party.

My mom and dad were both surprised at how small London really is in real life. Her newborn pictures really make her look huge! So here are a few more recent shots that aren't so misleading. I think she's got Gavin's looks and his personality!

The Gavin Update

2008-04-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Before London was born I worried about how Gavin would handle not being the center of attention any more. Maybe this will be more of a problem once all our company goes home, but for now he's getting plenty of attention! He's also picked up a few new hobbies. London gave him these puzzles at the hospital so he could do something quiet with Mom, and he's done them about seven hundred times a day since. I don't think he's ever had a toy that's engaged him for so long! Hooray for puzzles!

Also, we got him a T-Ball set so he'd have something to do in our awesome backyard (besides pick all the flowers, of course). It's a big hit, too, especially when Grandma Birdie and Daddy get in on the action!

You're Out, Grandma!

"Dad, show me how to hit it REALLY far!"

What a cute bunch! I love this little family!

What? You say there's someone missing from this family picture? Don't worry - I'll post some of all of us when I lose another, oh, eighty-seven pounds and Gavin stops saying "Wow mom - you're SOOOOO BIG!" every time I step on the scale! Maybe that'll happen in time for Gavin's wedding pictures. Wish me luck!

Slideshow!

2008-04-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't get enough pics last time, here are a few (dozen) more! Come on, that's what you're here for anyway.

It was really strange to get ready Wednesday morning and take a leisurely drive to the hospital to pick up our baby - none of the frantic rushing around like you see in movies. Before going in my two major worries were that the C-section would be much worse than last time, and that nursing would be just as bad. On the plus side this C has actually been easier, which is surprising since Gavin's wasn't bad at all and everyone says Cs are so horrible. I guess I've lucked out on that one. Sadly nursing is not going any better than last time, which is a serious bummer. But at least we've been through it before and know what to do now! Also, every nurse in our hospital was trained as a lactation consultant, which was AWESOME and should be a requirement everywhere. So helpful!

Gavin had a great time hanging out with Uncle Mikey and Grannie Jannie. He even talked them into going to his favorite place ever - Sea World! No trip to Carlsbad is complete without a little "Shamu Splash".

As you can see, Gavin was having too much fun to miss us very much. He really handled the whole thing pretty well. He visited us in the hospital every day and we'd play Candy Land and do puzzles, then Dave went home every night to put him to bed. But by Friday he was asking when mom was coming home, so we were really glad to be released on Saturday. Well, most of us were glad!

Maybe I'm mean, but I love sad baby pictures. And you should hear the wail that goes with that sad face - this girl has some real lungs! Also, check out the amazing quilt Grannie Jannie made for her. Thanks again, Grandma!

Gavin was excited to haul all our stuff to the car in the official hospital wagon, and all the way home he patted London and sang "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" to her. Her crying freaks him out, but so far he's such a sweet big brother!

London's still a pretty sleepy little thing - I have to wake her up to eat, and even then we have to strip her down to her diaper and tickle her feet the whole time so she'll stay awake long enough to accomplish anything. But I did catch her awake for a few minutes today- just long enough for a photo shoot! Notice the little curl in her hair - all natural! She's a cute little snuggler. We're so glad she's finally here!

SHE'S HERE!!!!!

2008-04-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

London Angelina Lee a lovely 19", 8 pound 5 ounce "little" bundle was born April 16, 2008.

After a leisurely morning preparing to go to the hospital. We were able to get Gav to sitdown for a couple of pictures. This is Gavin's "hurry and take the picture so Granny Janny and I can go to the park" smile. We hugged and said goodbye and off he ran to play on the slides.

Isn't she HOT!

We checked into the hospital at 10:30, suited up, and they rolled us into the the OR at 12 o'clock.

And FYI- this awesome suit goes over your clothes. Apparently some Dads have gone totally commando under there.

After all of that Jen still remembered my birthday!
Gavin picked out all the pirate decorations.

And helped me eat my cake.

Well folks, she is an amazing woman and she sure does cook up some good kids. Now for the Thank you's- Thanks to Granny Janny and Uncle Mikey for coming down to entertain Gavin. Thanks to Grandma Birdie for coming in a few days. And thank you Lynn and Tammy for raising such a wonderful woman. We sure do love her!

Hopefully they will let us out of the hospital soon so the quality of blogging can improve.

SEE YOU SOON!

Book Tag

2008-04-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

A good follow-up to my library post. Lisa tagged me so here goes:

The Rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (with at least 123 pages)
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag 3 people.

The nearest book was actually the Quran. It's a lovely leatherbound edition that I keep with some other decorative books above the desk.

5th Sentence: "And whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good."

Next three sentences: "And none mind but men of understanding. And whatever alms you give or (whatever) vow you vow, Allah surely knows it. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers."

So there you go. I don't understand most of it, but I like that first (fifth) sentence! And now... Chef Messy, Laticia, and Emily...tag! You're it!

Library Love

2008-04-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

When most people fantasize about their dream house they talk about gourmet kitchens, enormous walk-in closets, swimming pools, and gorgeous views. For me there's really only been one thing I fantasize about - my own library. Not a little office with shelves and a reading chair, but a huge, open, cathedral-ceilinged affair with ladders and a loft and miles and miles of leather-bound beauty. I'd do it in the style of Antoni Gaudi, with winding shelves and a treehouse in the corner for the kids reading room. I'd commission my favorite artists to do paintings and sculptures of my favorite authors and characters. And when I married Dave I granted him a special spot in my library for his art studio so we could spend our evenings together, him at his easel and me curled up in a chair reading a book.

Well, I haven't got my dream library yet, but we decided to turn the front room of our new place into a sort of starter library. Nothing fancy, no ladders or sculptures, but we did buy some pretty neat Ikea shelves and found a space for Dave's easel so we can spend our evenings enjoying our hobbies together like we've dreamed. In Vegas we kept most of our books in boxes in the garage, so I've been in heaven all day, pulling out one book after another saying, "Oh, I love this one!" "Oh, this one's so good!" "Oh, I really need to read this one again!" We've only run into one problem so far. Check out the work in progress and see if you can spot it:

Look at all those gorgeous books! I'm in heaven, surrounded by all those I love most dearly. Oh, wait, maybe not all. You see, there are only two shelves left to fill, but several boxes and stacks of books still laying around. What's that, dear hubby? There are still six boxes left in the garage? Oh, and we haven't started on Gavin's boxes yet? Well, that's alright, because his four boxes will be spread out between his room and the play room. But still! What's a girl to do? I still have over a hundred books at my mom's house, too! OK, so maybe our new little library won't fit every single one of our books, but it's a nice start! Dave, by the way, thinks that no matter how big our house is we'll never have enough room for all of my books because as soon as there's space I'll just buy more. He's right, of course! Especially once I get the money for these....and these and all of these... :)

Attack of the Moose!

2008-04-04T08:54:00.001-07:00

Apparently, we have a moose in our house. I didn't know they were native to California, but ever since we moved Gavin has warned me several times a day about the moose. In the morning as I get him out of bed he'll suddenly shout, "Watch out, mom! There's a moose coming!" And we have to hide under the blankets until the moose goes away. This goes on randomly throughout the day. Usually we just hide from the moose, but every once in a while Gavin will get out his shooter guns and shoot the moose away. I asked him to tell me about the moose, and here's what I got:

"A moose is coming because he's coming to get us. He's going to mash us into a ball. We'll say, 'got off, moose, get off moose,' and the moose will say 'I want to stay on you' and I'll say 'Get off, moose', and the moose will say ok, 'get in your cave'. And in the cave we'll see a scary crocodile trying to bite us. We'll just hide hide hide in the bed. I don't like the moose."

Well, if I stop posting for a very long time, you might have to send someone over to be sure I haven't been eaten by an imaginary moose. Or a crocodile.

Super Grandma To The Rescue!!!

2008-04-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed a visit from YaYa Birdie, who was on Spring Break. It's always nice to have her around, but doubly so last week, as Gavin and I both had colds, and I spent two days on the couch with the stomach flu. Not much of a vacation for Grandma, but we were sure glad to have someone here to take care of us! Thanks again and again, mom.

Luckily we all perked up enough by the end of the week to have some fun. Gavin and Grandma had fun at LegoLand, and we all went down to Seaport Village to see Shanda's show choir perform.

Besides being adorable, Shanda is super-talented and involved in just about everything. I'm forbidden to have the baby until after Jr. Miss, which is this weekend, and the ballet, which is the week after. Good luck to Shanda in both of these!

We were expecting company this week as well, but sadly had to change plans when Dan and Tish's baby Jade came down with the chicken pox last week! We were really excited to have them come, but three different doctors told us that it was definitely not a good idea for me to be exposed to the chicken pox two weeks before having a baby. We're glad Jade is recovering quickly, though, and hope we'll see them before too long!

We have had one other bunch of visitors since we moved. We have two humming birds that visit every morning, but they're too quick for me to catch a picture of! I was sneaky enough to get a shot of these Easter visitors, though. We haven't seen them since, but that afternoon there were four bunnies in our backyard! Gavin wanted to catch them, but they weren't very cooperative. We hope they'll come again, though!

2008-04-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Chef Messy tagged me for a meme, so here goes!

If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here’s how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that’s playing
5. new question — press the next button
6. don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

Opening Credits: "Et in Spiritum Sanctum" - African Sanctus
Waking Up: "Children in Bloom" - Counting Crows
First Day At School: "Rhapsody in Blue" - The 5 Browns
Falling In Love: "Lecture 9 Plato and Aristotle" - Plato's Symposium (Well that's romantic!)
Breaking Up: "We Are A Happy Family" - LDS Primary Songs
Prom: "Labios De Cetim" - Glaucia Nasser, Acoustic Brazil
Life's Okay: "Saramaya" -Habib Koite and Bamada, Mali
Mental Breakdown: "Fantillusion 7 - The Enchanted Fairy Garden" - Disney Favorites Collection 4 (Now that's a good one)
Driving: "Hanal Weech" - Lila Downs, Latin Playground
Flashback: "Bubble On My Snuffle" - Sesame Street Splish Splash Bathtime Fun
Getting Back Together: "O Little Town Of Bethlehem/Joy To The World/White Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
Wedding: "Corazon Espinado" - Santana (That means Thorny Heart, in case you didn't know. Do you think that means his or mine?)
Birth of Child: "Oblivion" - Lucia Micarelli (Fitting. I was pretty drugged up.)
Final Battle: "Mr. Brown" -Bob Marley and the Wailers
Death Scene: "Shadow Stabbing" - Cake
End Credits: "Desdemona's Building a Rocket Ship" - Jimmy Buffett

OK, mostly just weird. Now it's your turn!

The Coolest Thing Ever

2008-03-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

Since moving I've spent most of Gavin's naptimes online looking for furniture. For one thing, he's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor since a year ago when he started launching himself headfirst out of his crib. We decided he's probably ready for a normal bed now, and I had just about decided on getting an Ikea cheapy. Then I saw this.

Is that not the coolest, most amazing bed you've ever seen????!!!!! SO COOL!!!! I immediately called Captain Logan, who turned a Volkswagen Beetle into a pirate ship last year. Dave has been campaigning for the Pottery Barn Yacht collection, even though it costs a fortune, but even he agreed that this is much cooler. Oh, and more expensive, too, which is why I'll add it to my list of things to indulge in when I'm rich and famous. But if you happen to be rich and famous and into pirate ships, or want to spend a couple thousand dollars on a housewarming gift for us, this awesome bedroom set can be found at Costco.com. Just thought I'd let you know.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! Did the big bunny find your house? I love how one day holidays can take over a whole week or more. The fun never stops! Last weekend was our ward Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic In The Park. We're starting to get to know a few people, and it was really fun to get to know them outside of Church. Gavin had a blast finding the eggs, then hiding them again. I was surprised he wasn't possessive about them, even after finding out they had candy inside. He opened a few and ate the treats, but most of them he just wanted to hide again in a new spot.

Yesterday we had a neighborhood egg hunt. We hadn't actually met any of our neighbors yet, but they all seemed to know who we were. I'm amazed at how many little kids live in our area! We've seen a few at the park, but I think every house on our block has a kid close to Gavin's age. Several people let me know that even though the HOA often plans community events, this neighborhood likes to get together a lot more often, so they plan their own things, too, like watching movies on the side of someone's house, holiday parties, and a monthly mom's night out. I'm excited about that because even though we got to know our ward in Vegas really well we didn't know a single one of our neighbors. It sounds like that won't be the case here! In fact, just now one of the neighbors we met yesterday stopped by to invite us to another egg hunt at their house this afternoon!

We also had an egg hunt at our house this morning: (just Gavin)

And then spent some time decorating eggs - mostly to look like cars and fire trucks and rockets.

Later this afternoon I'll make a real Easter dinner with ham and funeral potatoes and jello. And chocolate. Is anyone else completely addicted to Cadbury's Mini Eggs?

As I thought about all our Easter activities I realized that not a one of them has anything to do with the real "meaning of Easter". I guess we'll have to work on that! Dave's mom has a set of eggs that each holds a scripture and an object that is symbolic of something related to Easter. The boys always grumble about it, but I think it's such a great addition to all the Easter Bunny/candy/egg hunt stuff, especially since we've all pretty much outgrown that. How about you? Does your family have any special Easter traditions - religious or otherwise?

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We're here! We survived the move and got our internet hooked up, so I can finally show you a few pictures of our new place. Mostly just the outside, though, since the inside still looks kind of like this:

My mom drove down with me and helped me unpack a lot of it, but since she went home I haven't accomplished much. I've hit that stage of pregnancy where you just kind of want to lay around and try to remember what it was like to feel comfortable. Also, we now have cable and DVR. That doesn't help. But I did find time to build a spaceship!

So some day in the distant future I might finally finish decorating and unpacking our house and then I'll post a full photo tour, but until then this will have to do. Also, check out YaYa Birdie's blog for some fun pics of the beach, which is about ten minutes from here. Then get online and buy some plane tickets so you can come and visit us! (Or if you're a Vegas friend, hop in the car! We love company!)

Home Sweet Home
Side Patio
Backyard

Kitchen/Office/Breakfast Nook

(We're going to restain our table. Any suggestions?)

As you can see, it's a bit greener than our Vegas place. The funny thing is our HOA provides a gardener, which is lucky as I have a very black thumb and I'd probably have it looking like Vegas in no time at all. It just cracks me up to say, "Oh, yes, and we have a gardener" because it sounds so very snooty Californian, but really every place we looked at included a gardener service, so it's not nearly as posh as it sounds.

So we are loving our new house, even though I'm really kind of terrified that I'm going to ruin its cuteness with my lack of decorating ability. We also love our new ward. They are as friendly and fun as the ward we left, and just as busy. Also, one of the RS presidency is actually the mother of one of our Vegas friends!

So that's our new place. Email me at jenniferleelee(at)gmail.com if you want our address or phone number, or just to say hey and tell me what you're up to!

Leaving Las Vegas

2008-03-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Moving to Las Vegas was a little scary because we didn't know anyone there and I was going from being a full time teacher and full time student to being a full time stay-at-home mom. What would I do all day with no TV and no company besides my barely babbling babe? I needn't have worried, as we moved into the absolute best ward in Las Vegas, and possibly the whole world. I've had so much fun with these ladies over the last two years. I can't believe how welcoming everyone was right from the start. And aren't they a foxy bunch, too?

By the way: Congrats to Melinda (far left) who is having her baby boy TODAY!!!!

This is a shot from my baby shower/good-bye party, which Rachel was sweet enough to throw just before we left (She's the cute blonde in the turquoise shirt). Thanks, Rachel! And thanks to everyone for the cute things, and most especially for your friendship. I'm so glad most of you have blogs so we can stay in touch!

We also went to a few last mom's group outings before we took off. The Outlet Mall on Charleston does a great storytime, followed by free rides on the carousel. Gavin looks pretty serious, but had a great time once we got moving. Once again I'd just like to say that this is the neatest, most fun, talented, amazing, and gorgeous group of girls you'll ever meet, and as excited as I am to be moving to California I'm also really, really sad to be leaving them.

More Goofiness From Gavin

2008-03-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

(Unrelated picture of Gavin at gymnastics)

A few recent conversations:

Jen (telling the story of the little red hen): So the hen asked, "Who will help me plant the seeds?"

Gavin: The tractor! The tractor help her plant the seeds!

Jen: Uh, ok, I guess the tractor will help her...Then the hen asked, "Who will help me harvest the grain?"

Gavin: The combine! The combine help her harvest the grain!

Jen: Yeah, that would work, too! So then the hen needed to grind the grain...

You can guess how the story went from there. I guess the new moral of the story is who needs friends when you have farm equipment!

Also, Gavin got his first salon haircut this week. We went to a really cute place called Snips and Clips for Kids where they have movies and video games and let little ones sit in a flying car for their haircut. They're awesome. This was probably Gavin's 27th haircut (literally) and the first one where I didn't have to just put him in a death grip, hold his face, and have someone else just buzz and quick as the can while he screams his guts out like he's being murdered. I hate to pay $15 for a kids haircut, but he had so much fun he actually asks if he can go back! On the way there he wasn't quite so enthusiastic, though.

Jen: "OK, Gavin, we're going to get a haircut today. Can you handle that?"
Gavin: (Grabbing his hair) But I just want to keep my hair!"
Jen: "Well, they won't take all of it, but it's too long and you need to look nice for Baby Ava's blessing."
Gavin: "Well, I just tie it up with a ribbon!"
Jen: "Ummm, ribbons are for girls, buddy. I think you'll just need a haircut."
Gavin: "I just tie it up with a string?"
Jen: "Nice try. You're getting the haircut."

I guess he's been paying more attention to the girls in nursery than I thought. I'm just glad he hasn't asked to wear a dress! And the new haircut looks a lot better than a ribbon or string would have, anyway. I'll try and post a pic soon!

Lots To Blog About, No Time To Blog!

2008-02-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how the more you have to blog about, the less time there is to blog? We've been so busy this month I haven't posted much at all, or taken pictures or anything! So boring. I'm sorry. But things have been a little crazy around here. As most of you know Dave's company told us in August last year that he would probably be sent to San Diego soon for a project they're doing there, but they weren't sure when. So after months and months of waiting around, we're finally on our way! They actually wanted us to move in April, but we thought that might just be a little too close to another major event we're getting ready for.

So now it's official - we're moving to Carlsbad, California NEXT WEEK! Luckily this has coincided well with an early-first-trimester burst of energy (or, at least, a brief absence of the complete exhaustion bordering on narcolepsy I've been dealing with!). I've been packing all month, we found a house last week, I have a new doctor, and a wonderful friend of mine even found time to throw me a really fun baby shower/going away party (more on this to come).

We're all really excited about this move, even though it's taking us away from a lot of really wonderful friends, and even further from our families. We've really enjoyed Vegas, but we're wanderers at heart, and California will be a fun new adventure. Plus, who doesn't want to live by the beach? Even Gavin is on board. He oohed and aaahed over the beach and all the trees, and as we walked around our new neighborhood he took Dave's hand and said, "Dad, this a good place. It's boofiful!" He even got excited about house shopping, making sure we checked out the back yard and his room in every house we looked at. I can't wait to post pictures of our new place. It's so cute!

As soon as we found out the move was for sure we booked a quick trip down there to look around. My dad has been ansy to get out of the Idaho cold, so he played Nanny for the week and hung out with Gavin while we drove all over the San Diego area trying to decide which neighborhood would be the most fun and offer the best commute. The two of them went to the beach, watched cartoons, and went to Sea World and Lego Land, and now Gavin is convinced that "Grandpa Tractor" should just move in with us, because he's a lot more fun than mom. If you haven't been to Lego Land you'll have to come stay with us and check it out. Here are a few highlights:

Bumper Boats!

A Lego version of Vegas! (Nudie billboards not included)

A helicopter ride!

This one requires a bit of explanation. At Sea World Gavin wanted to see the sharks, so we headed in that general direction. We got a little lost and were just debating which way we should go when Gavin started pulling at my bag. I set it on the ground to see what he wanted, and he unzipped it, pulled out the map, laid it on the ground, and crouched down to find the sharks. "Hey, mom. I want to look at the map. It tell us where find the sharks. Hmmmm.... here they are! We go that way." So, Gavin is smarter than mom and dad put together, and used his Dora the Explorer map reading skills to lead us right to the sharks. Of course.

And Everyone Says He Looks Like Dave!

2008-02-13T20:27:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Free genealogy search

Gavin sleepS around (the house, that is!)

2008-02-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Gavin's been out of the crib for over six months now, and from the beginning he's done pretty well at sleeping in his bed. But occasionally he decides that he needs a change of scene for naptime:

(living room)

(chair in his room)

He's also fallen asleep on the LoveSac, curled up in the space between his bed and the ottoman, in the carseat, and in the office chair. He often drags his pillow, blanket, and bunny out of his room and plops it onto the floor in some random spot saying, "Hey, mom! Come sleep next to me!" And every once in a while, hours before naptime, he'll wander into his room, crawl in his own bed, and just go to sleep. He's usually pretty good about going to bed, but this one really cracks me up. I love the independence.

I don't mind a bit that Gavin naps all over the house, but I just know that all this bed-swapping means when the baby comes he'll be begging to be back in a crib. He found a bottle the other day while I was reorganizing and talked me into filling it up with water for him, then carried around the rest of the day sipping out of it.

Those of you with more than one kid - did they want to go back to baby things when a new little one arrived? How did you handle that? If you don't have more than one kid, (or even if you do), where's the weirdest place they've fallen asleep?

Pizza Party!

2008-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

The other night we got crazy and made our own pizzas. Gavin had a blast, but we had a hard time convincing him that the cheese and pineapple were supposed to be put ON the pizzas, not directly into his mouth! Anyway, just thought we'd post a few pics for YaYa Birdie's benefit.

Also, today it is very windy in Vegas. I told Gavin I might blow away, and his response was, "Oh! Mommy blow away. Buy new mommy! New mommy have wings. Big wings. She can fly. Then Gavin have little wings, fly next to mommy. Daddy have big wings, too. Daddy fly next to Gavin. Fly to Grandpa Tractor's house!" His creativity cracks me up. He's always making up silly songs now and telling me funny stories about his toys.

Last night we had a pretend picnic with Daddy and Grannie Jannie, and we talked about who likes what kind of food. This morning I found him picnicking with his bunny, asking "Bunny like mushrooms? No thank-you! Bunny like carrot!"

Also, in the grocery store he said completely out of the blue, "Uh-oh, mommy! You butt fell off! Now you can't walk!" What??? My butt fell off? And where did he hear the word "butt", anyway? Pretty funny, though!

Yeah Mom!

2008-01-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Today was ward conference, and I got to (had to) sing in sacrament with a friend of mine. It must have gone pretty well, because when I got back to our row Gavin jumped up clapping and SHOUTED, "Yeah, Mom! You did it!" Luckily we were in the back, so only three quarters of the ward heard it. It was pretty darn cute, though!

Tapping In To The Crafty Gene

2008-01-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

OK, if you've ever read the blogs of anyone else in my family (Chef Messy, YaYa Birdie, Dancing Queen, even Captain Logan!) you might wonder...these people are all so creative and crafty - what happened to Jen? OK, I'll admit it, I just may be adopted. But at least once a year I get a wild hair and decide to try and tap into some of that Kendell creativity. Here's a photo to prove it: My one completed project of 2007:

Curtains AND a matching pillow! With no pattern! Does that count as two separate projects? Double my annual average! I'm constantly stuck in a decorating dilemma because we rent, and I'd really love to paint the walls and go all out in creating our dream home, but it just doesn't seem worth it in a house that's not ours. So it kind of looks like a bachelor pad around here. I've finally decided that I don't care where we wind up next (San Diego????!!!) or for how long (six months to two years?), I'm going to decorate as if we're going to live there forever. My dream project for this year is to sew a slip cover or two for our rocking chair...maybe in cranberry red! What are your favorite decorating trends and tips?

Naked Time in Sin City

2008-01-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

We've often wondered whether we really want to raise our children in "Sin City". Sure, people who grew up here insist that off the strip it's "just like any other city", and that you don't even realize the trashy stuff is there. (Mom, if you are reading this, just stop now. You don't want to hear this story. It will only confirm your worst fears for us.)

Today we drove to Dave's office to take him out to lunch. We took the freeway and drove down Flamingo, and I had my first taste of what raising a boy in Las Vegas will be like as he pointed out all the interesting billboards to me.

"Hey mom! This lady forgot her clothes!"

"Look, mom, look! This lady is naked! Why she naked?"

"Uh-oh. No pants! Where her pants go?"

"Look mom! 'Nother one! This girl forgotted her shirt, too!"

"Wow, mom! LOTS of girls forgot their clothes!"

You don't realize just how many naked ladies there are out there until you've driven with a two year old! Of course, for now the biggest problem this presents is explaining why, when all the billboard people are naked, Gavin can't run around the house naked, too. We've had a bit of a problem with this lately! I wouldn't mind, except that the potty training hasn't exactly taken yet... Anyway, by the time we got to Dave's office I had decided that we need to move to a nice, small town with no advertising. Preferably in Amish country.

Rock-a-Bye Baby?

2008-01-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

OK, I need some advice. We're looking for a glider and of course I'm torn between getting something more expensive but really comfy and getting something cheap but, well, cheap. I've checked Babies R Us, Walmart, Target, and RC Willey, and of course all the ones I really like are on the much more expensive side. Is it worth the cost? Any other stores you suggest I look at? Any recommendations as far as brand names, etc? I've also looked at CraigsList, so if you know someone with a nice glider they'd like to sell, that would be an option. Any ideas?

Also, in case anyone else has the same dilemma, here's my input on rockers: Dave splurged and surprised me with the oh-so-adorable Pottery Barn Dream Rocker when Gavin was born. It is really cute and extremely comfortable and everything you'd want in a nursery rocker except for one thing - it's a rocker, so it doesn't rock on carpet! And even on wooden floors, a rocker doesn't move as easily as a glider. We went for the rocker because gliders make Dave sick (yeah, my big tough construction man's kind of a weakling that way). I feel really dumb buying a new chair when we have such a nice one already, but every time I try a glider I remember the long, long, long, many, many, many hours I spent with Gavin in the rocker and imagine that those hours (weeks, months, etc.) would be sooo much more comfortable in a chair that moves easily! OK. That's all. Any advice or suggestions for places to look?

Happy Birthday To Me!

2008-01-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm not posting this to fish for Birthday congrats, I just wanted to mark that I am now 27, or "Officially Old", as my sis calls it. It's been a good weekend! We Kendell's are famous for milking a birthday for everything it's worth, extending the celebration over at least a week. We spent Saturday out shopping, with Dave chasing Gavin all over the mall and me picking out my own birthday gifts. Normally I'm very against this, but I wanted some brown boots, and that's just not the sort of thing you can send hubby out to surprise you with. JCPennies is having a great sale right now and I wound up getting three pair of shoes for myself and one for Gavin for the same price as one pair of boots cost everywhere else. Gavin fell in love with these Lightening McQueen shoes that look like real cars, and now refuses to part with them. Ever.

Yes, he sleeps with them. Here's one more shot so you can see the super-cute quilt Grannie Jannie made him for Christmas. I can't even imagine the work that must have gone into this! She's also making one in pink and chocolate for Little Sis. I can't wait to see it!

Also, I found these: Our first girlie baby stuff! Actually, we got several really cute things for Christmas, but these are the first we've bought ourselves. Dave thinks the red one is way too cheesy eighties looking, and really it's not my usual style, either, but for some reason I thought it was so cute! (Maybe it was the three dollar price tag?)

We'll definitely be spending too much on clothes now. Girl stuff is just so much cuter than boy things! Here's one of our Christmas gifts. Soooo cute! Thanks Grandpa Beardo!

After a day of shopping we met Dave's boss at The Melting Pot for dinner. We've never been there before, and it was pretty fun! We were brave and brought Gavin along. It's probably not really the place to bring a kid, but he did really well, especially considering the whole dinner took two and a half hours! The cheese pot was so-so, but my salad was delicious, the main dinner was amazing, and the chocolate fondue dessert was obviously the highlight of the night. Then yesterday on my actual birthday I got this:

Tonight we're finishing off the birthday festivities at the bowling alley with some friends. Then I'm going to come home and curl up with one of these:

These arrived from Easton Press last week, courtesy of my mom (and dad, presumably!) I loooove books, and these are gorgeous and leather-bound and smell like book glue, so I'm in heaven. Thanks to all my family and friends for a great birthday!

Feliz Navidad! Part B

2008-01-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

OK, mom! Here's the rest of the Christmas stuff! The best part of Christmas vacation was of course Christmas Day, when the boys woke up early enough to see Santa sneaking away! (This is definitely the hottest Santa ever, I might add!)

Of course once the fun got started I forgot that I own a camera and got pictures of virtually nothing. But someone snapped one of Gavin having his first Christmas shave:

If he inherited anything from my family, this is a skill he'll be needing by, oh, third grade! Of course we realized quickly that between us, Grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., Gavin got waaaaaaay too spoiled. And he really just wanted to play with the first present he opened, anyway. But it was a really fun morning, we all got cool stuff, and by nine am both father and son had had enough. Gavin had the biggest meltdown of his life, then climbed up on Dave's lap and was out.

The best part about living in Vegas and spending Christmas in Idaho is you don't have to freeze through the six month winter. You can just stay nice and toasty in Vegas, visit the snow for just long enough to have a little fun, then go back home where you don't need a jacket, let alone a parka, hat, gloves, boots, and face mask to keep warm. I do miss the snow at Christmas, but a week of it is just about right. Gavin was really curious about the snow, since all the Christmas stories and songs and movies talk about it, so he was really excited to experience it firsthand. So we bundled him up and did all the usual stuff - sleds, snowmen, angels, and even a little snowboarding.

Thanks so much to our families for such a great holiday! They even took turns babysitting so Dave and I could spend a few days in Salt Lake ALONE. This was my Christmas present, and I've decided it needs to be a yearly thing. We slept in, ate breakfast in bed, watched movies, read books, and were generally lazy and gluttonous. It was great. And absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that, so we were really excited to get back to our little guy, too. Thanks again, grandparents! This concludes our Christmas posting. Check out Chef Messy's site for a few more cute pics. We hope you're all having a Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad! Part A

2008-01-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

OK, I've finally got our Christmas pictures, so for Grandma's sake we'll post a few. First, some pre-Christmas catch-up:

If you haven't been to the Magical Forest, you should put it on your calendar for next year. They decorate a bunch of trees and make a Christmas village. There's a train ride, carousel, and, of course, Santa Claus. You can also get hot chocolate and scones, so it's the perfect Christmas outing! Also, the had a variety show going with a group of tap dancers who were all over sixty and wearing those bathing suit/tuxedo jacket outfits. I'm still heartbroken I didn't get a picture of this. It's kind of a terrifying sight, actually.

We visited the forest with my old college roommate Maria and her family. We were roommates our freshman year in the Spanish house at BYU, and it's so fun to have such an old friend around! Plus, her kids are adorable. Gavin has a crush on Eliana and has named his dolly after her. (Sorry - did I say dolly? Don't tell Dave! It's not a dolly, it's a snowboarder beanie baby I had in college. Definitely not a dolly.)

Next Post: Christmas Day!

No Christmas Pics Yet...

2008-01-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

But here's Gavin trying out his present from Santa:

For a month he's been reminding us that he is a "nice kid", and "Santa brings presents to nice kids. Brings a red bicycle." So, of course, Santa found the perfect red bicycle with a bell and everything, and when Gavin came down on Christmas morning he was more interested in the bell than the bike. Kids! Also, he did the usual kid thing and was so interested in playing with one toy that he didn't want to open the others, which made us realize that we probably should have just gotten him one or two things and left it at that. But what can I say? I love Christmas, and kids toys are so cheap, and between us and the grandparents he got completely spoiled.

In other news, Dave got a promotion! He's now an Assistant Project Manager, which is especially big news because they won't usually consider that until you've been with the company for three years, and he's only been there a year and a half. Yeah Dave!

Also, I'm feeling good and finally getting my appetite back. Dave woke up last night and thought my attempt to midnight snack without waking him was hilarious.

(In case you can't tell, this is me sitting in bed eating a bowl of cereal with a spelunker's headlight on. Totally normal behavior for a pregnant woman, I assure you!)

Happy Birthday To Gavin!!!!

2008-01-06T20:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday our favorite little guy turned TWO YEARS OLD!!!! Happy Birthday to Gavin! I know it's such a cliche mom thing to say, but I really can't believe how quickly the time has gone. Two years ago I looked like this:

Then came home with this:

Last year he had turned into this:

And now we have this:

And really, I'm starting to look like picture number one again! Gavin has been a sweetheart from day one, and he gets to be more fun and entertaining every day. He was REALLY excited that it was finally HIS birthday. We played with his toys from Christmas all morning, then went out for lunch and he got ice cream and they sang to him. In the evening we had a cake with some friends from Dave's work. It's probably kind of weird, but we don't give him presents on his birthday since it's so close to Christmas. We do a big party in July with family and friends for his half-birthday instead. But our friends brought him presents, so he still got spoiled. All day he was hugging us and saying, "Oh! A fun day! You like a Happy Birthday!" It was so cute! I'm amazed every day at how lucky we are to have such a great kid. Happy Birthday little guy!

One More Thing On My Wish List...

2007-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

I saw this at the park the other day. Great idea - I want one! (The snack tray. In black. For some reason I can't link straight to it.) Or something similar. I wish they had these with steering wheels - Gavin would love that. Anyone seen anything else like this?

Christmas Fun!

2007-12-14T07:59:00.001-08:00

Like everyone else on the planet, I looooooove Christmas! This year is especially fun because Gavin is old enough to get into it, too. We've been trying to do something fun and Christmas-y every day. Unfortunately, our camera is broken. Boo-hoo! So I haven't taken pictures of most of it. But here are a few highlights from earlier in the month:

Picking out a Christmas tree:

Gavin was REALLY excited about this. Then he saw the guy take a chainsaw to the tree bottom and stuff the tree in a mesh bag and he almost lost it. He started turning red and shaking in fury, and we only just barely avoided a serious Gavin tantrum by cheering loudly and saying, "Yeah! He helped us with our tree! Thank you, thank you! Hooray!" Gavin finally got the idea and clapped along a little half-heartedly. When we got home he said, "Yeah! A Christmas tree! Santa come!" So we had to explain that even though we put up a tree so Santa will come, it's still "not yet".

The Live Nativity Scene:

A local LDS church puts this on one weekend a year. I know they do this in Utah, but I think our weather is a little more conducive! We went with some friends from the ward, and it really was neat. Gavin loved seeing the live animals, though he was very concerned when I said that Baby Jesus' Mommy was sad because they didn't have anywhere to sleep and had to sleep with the animals. He's been talking about it ever since, and asking, "Baby Jesus happy now?"

Check out those choirs of angels - on top of the church!

We've also been baking (and painting) cookies, making ornaments, visiting Santa, driving around to see the lights, listening to Christmas music, and watching Rudolph, which is REALLY SCARY! Oh, and we've done LOTS of shopping. Merry Christmas! We hope you're having as much fun as we are!

24 Days Of Christmas Tag

2007-12-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Meme! Courtesy of Purling Sprite.

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Coordinated, if I can manage it.
Real or fake tree? Real, but I might have to convert to fake. Real trees just don't last here!
When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving, though I'd love to do it sooner!
When do you take the tree down? When it dies. Mid-January if you live in Utah. Before going home for Christmas if you live in Las Vegas.
Do you like eggnog? Yes! With Sprite. Gavin loves it, too. Dave thinks we are nasty.
Favorite gift received as a child? One year I asked for a book shelf! I guess I've always been a nerd. There was also a very memorable kitchen set...
Do you have a nativity scene? Yes - two from Peru. One is a real Chulucano set. I'd take a picture, but *sniff* my camera is broken!
Hardest person to buy for? Dave. No, my mom. No, my dad. No, my brother-in-law. No, Dave.
Easiest person to buy for? Gavin.
Worst Christmas gift you ever got? I've had a few memorable sweaters...
Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if I get around to it. But without the brag letter. I don't really send cards to people who I haven't kept up with over the year anyway.
Favorite Christmas Movie? Muppet Family Christmas!
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Mid-November. And finish, oh, Christmas Eve.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, but I'm guilty of wedding and baby present recycling.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pumpkin Rolls!
Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear
Favorite Christmas song? Gavin would vote for "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". He knows every verse!
Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to Idaho, but one of these years I'm going to campaign for a Christmas in Cancun.
Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Of course!
Angel or a star on the tree top? Star from Peru.
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Homemade gifts and PJs on Christmas Eve, the rest Christmas morning. Dave is looking forward to his debut as Santa Claus this year. I bought him a suit and everything!
Where are your favorite places to shop? Barnes and Noble! OK, mostly for myself.
Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowds!
What I love most about Christmas? Traditions. My family does an old-fashioned candlelight Christmas Eve. We eat beef stew (when we were kids we had to "hunt" for the meat ourselves!) and take turns lighting a candle and telling what we are grateful for in the year past and what we hope for in the year to come. We open homemade gifts and read the Christmas story from the Bible and "Twas the Night Before Christmas". I love the whole evening! Dave's family gets "Grocery Store Christmas" in addition to their regular Christmas presents. His mom goes to the store and buys us each a huge bag of anything that looks tasty or fun. It's so funny to see what she comes up with!

Now TAG - you're it! Leave a comment if you do it so I can be sure and check out your answers!

Making Friends

2007-12-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Gavin's been having loads of fun with friends lately. With so many pregnant girls and new moms in the ward we do a lot of kid swapping for doctors visits, which Gavin loves because he's realized that kids are a lot more fun than Mom. Of course they don't actually play together, they just each grab an armload of toys and walk around with them for an hour or so, eyeballing the other kid as if just daring them to try and take their toys. This is great for me because packing toys around makes no messes and leaves me with plenty of time for exciting things like dishes and laundry! Gavin's had such a good time playing that now he starts every day by asking if a friend is coming over. Here he is on an especially good day, when both Brady and Sawyer came to play/hoard toys:

We've also had a lot of fun with friends and family that we don't get to see very often. I'm still waiting to get pics back from some of these people, but here's a great shot of Gavin being indoctrinated in Jedi fighting skills by Uncle Rich:
Rich joined us for Thanksgiving, along with Dave's dad and younger brother Mike. Gavin loves it when Grandpa comes down and the Lee boys get together because they are just as fun as any bunch of two-year-old boys. Rich has been a bachelor for years and seems to really enjoying being able to buy things like $200 light sabers without having to answer to anyone. Of course, all this playing with friends can be exhausting. Gavin's always been pretty good about going to sleep when he's tired. I guess he's decided he can handle reading himself a bedtime story, too. Here's how we found him after one exciting day:

Help!

2007-12-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm just doing some online shopping and realizing that I've got a problem. For Christmas this year Dave and I are leaving Gavin with the grandparents for a couple of days and going somewhere to sleep in, eat breakfast in bed, read books and watch movies all day. We also might do some swimming, or at least some hot tub sitting. (For fifteen minutes or less in a hot tub less than 102 degrees, of course!) But I have no swimsuit! And for some reason they don't seem to be in season at the mall right now. Anybody know any stores or websites where I can pick up something cute? Or at least something that will cover? I really don't think I can or should try to pull this look off:

Pregnant Bikini Goddess, huh? Not me! Any other ideas?

Las Vegas' Best Kept Secret

2007-12-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

We recently visited one of Las Vegas' best kept secrets with our friends the Gublers. This cute little ranch is located just five minutes from our house! For just a few bucks each we got a buggy ride, popcorn and lemonade, a bucket of carrots to feed the animals, and a pumpkin! There are horses, goats and donkeys to feed, a super cute little play yard, and a place for pony rides. They also do birthday parties with games and prizes and food and everything. And Cowboy Max told us that we could stop by any time to feed the horses for free. Of course our camera was almost dead so we didn't get many pictures, but here are a few of my favorites.

Gavin, Annie and Trent check out a tiny little horse -

barely taller than Gavin!

Yeehaw!

Just a little nibble...

Despite the unnecessary use of quotation marks, I love this picture!

Gavin had sooooo much fun! But, of course, with all those live animals and rides and things, his favorite was the little wooden horse. Figures! Anyway, thanks again to the Gublers for introducing us to this great little place!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

2007-11-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

OK, so I've been promising my mom I'd post a Christmas list for a while now. Here you go, mom!

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
Flat iron like Shanda's
HotSlings Reversible Eye Candy size 3
Maternity Clothes! Large and Extra Large. :( I need pants, and shirts, and dresses and skirts - longish and nursery-friendly. So, basically, I need everything!
Old Navy has cute maternity clothes, especially:
Side Shirred V-Neck Top in Coral, size L
Ruched Hoody in Dragonfruit Pink, size L
Roll Panel Leg Pants in Khaki, size short L (check out the outfit it shows with this. It's cute! I'd really like all of it)
And of course, I love books and gift cards to book stores.

I also want a double stroller someday, but I'm not sure what kind yet. If I come up with anything else I'll let you know!

Also, I've been dragging Dave out shopping for weeks trying to get him to come up with a list. I know he wants Bose headphones for his iPod. He also needs clothes, especially button downs and polos for work. And we just got an XBOX 360, so I'm sure he'd like games and things. We already have Guitar Hero III. And you know he likes movies! Maybe some seasons of 24 or something.

Gavin is easy to shop for. He loves everything. We're getting him a bicycle and some tools and a little table and chairs. Have fun shopping! And for everyone else reading this, what's on you Christmas list?

And The Winner Is....

2007-11-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Anyone who guessed GIRL!!! Which was almost everyone, actually. Way to go! We're really excited. It would have been fun for Gavin to have a brother, but we were both secretly hoping for a girl. And just in time to buy cute little Christmas dresses, too! I'll try to post a profile pic later.

We'd also like to congratulate Jeff and Julie on their lovely little girl Eva, who was born early this morning. Congratulations!!!!!

Opening Your Presents Early

2007-11-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

I had a boss who was adamantly against using ultrasound to find out a baby's gender. "It's like opening your Christmas presents early!" he insisted. "You ruin the whole surprise!" I do, in fact, open my Christmas presents early, when permitted, so you can guess where I stand on this issue. Especially when it comes to having kids, I think there are PLENTY of surprises left! Why not spread the fun around? So we're having our what-kind-of-baby-is-it ultrasound on Tuesday. Hooray!

I've already checked some of the more reliable sources for gender prediction, and here's what I've come up with:

Chinese Gender Chart: Boy
Morning Sickness: Girl
Cravings: Boy
Gavin's Guess: Girl

OK, so that doesn't help much. What do you think? Place your bets in the survey to the right!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

OK, I haven't written in a month, but we have had a lot going on! I'll update later, but for now I just want to wish all a Happy Turkey Day! May your meals be delicious and your husbands clean up afterward.