Jul 30, 2010

And while we are on the subject...

I find that you really can't talk too much about throwing up.  It simply doesn't seem to be possible.

Richard got sick last weekend.  Usually I am the one who is sick while he points and laughs at my misery.    He probably gets sick 1 out of every 10 times that I get sick.  So last weekend I guess it was finally his turn again. And while it put a damper on the weekend, it brought up lots of fun memories of sicknesses gone by.

When we first moved in to this house we went to Home Depot like we did all the time in those days.  I started feeling oogy, so I made Richard push me around in the shopping cart.  I think he suspected that I was just lazy, so I was really glad when we got home and I ran strait into the house and puked up pizza all over the shower.  That showed him.

Once when I was young my sister Demi got sick.  So she was hanging out in front of the toilet like you do, waiting for the sweet release of up-chucking.  It was late and she was exhausted and all the sudden she ran into the kitchen saying that her hands wouldn't work.  They were in these weird positions and seemed all frozen and she was freaking out and I was FREAKED OUT!   I thought she was dying, cuz what else do frozen hands mean if not certain death?  Turns out she had just fallen alseep on her hands and they were totally numb, but otherwise fine.

And then there was a time on my mission when a lady in the ward told me that taking Mulitvitamins on an empty stomach made her sick.  I thought that was rather silly.  But when I took one a couple days later on an empty stomach I started feeling sick too.  I think she hexed me.  I knew the thing to do was to eat something, so I grabbed the first thing I could find - leftover fish pasta - and ate it as fast as I could.  About 5 minutes later I hurled in the shower.   (By the way, puking in the shower is way better than puking in the toilet.  Though if I have my druthers  I prefer vomiting into a pitcher from the comforts of my bed.)


Anyhoo, as I listened to Richard hurling into the toilet I realized how generous and forgiving he is for still loving me after hearing me barf all those times.  Cuz now, for me, it is over.  How can I kiss someone after hearing them throw up like that?  I know there are some silent pukers out there, but I'm sure not one of them, and now I know my husband isn't either.    So that is it for us.  We had a good run.  But I was also interested to realize that, while the love is gone, listening to him didn't make ME want to throw up.  It always does in the movies, and I have always wondered if it would work that way for me, but it didn't.  So now I know, next time I am stuck in a room full of barfing barfers, I will be the one with my head held high, holding it together while everyone around me falls apart all over the upholstery.  Man, that is going to be awesome!  I can't wait!

As July Draws to a Close

Right now Harrison is in the kitchen yelling "Yeehaw, Cowboy!" over and over.  He found Woody's Hat under the chair in the living room, so he is pretty excited.

Ok, lets try to wrap up July, shall we?

On the 29th I learned that my arms just aren't long enough:



But my boys are oh-so-cute:


On the 30th we went to Chuck E. Cheese with Harrison's birth mother, Jenn.


Harrison's favorite thing to do there was pretend to run over his daddy with a truck.


On the 31st we set up our pool.  We only bought it a couple summers ago, so it seemed like it was time.


The water now comes up to Harrison's waist.  And the plan is to spend pretty much every evening out there. The summer just doesn't seem as hot after a few hours in the water.

And Colin finally learned how to relax:


His eyelashes just keep getting longer and longer and it looks like his eyebrows are actually getting a little color.  When he was born he had nary a hair on his face, but they seems to be coming in now.

It is hard to believe time is passing.  Our little Colin is almost 2 months old.  He is also a little sensitive.  He doesn't like bright lights, loud noises (Richard was holding him last night and suddenly yelled "Yeehaw!" and Colin cried for a good five minutes.), or sudden movements.  Or cold water.  We dipped his little feet in the pool to see if he would like it and it scared him to death.  Poor baby.

Jul 28, 2010

We All Scream, Just Because We Feel Like It

In the movies you can always tell when a woman has had a bad day.  Well, first of all you can tell because she actually did have a bad day - maybe she lost the big account her boss was counting on, or she got left at the alter, or fell off a building, or maybe got chased by zombies.  But there are other signs, for those of you not too quick on the uptake.  She'll come home at the end of that crappy, zombie-filled day and head for the fridge. Her roommate will say "How was your day?"  and she will answer by pulling a container of icecream out of the freezer.  To which her roommate will respond, "Ooh, that bad?"

I never really understood that.  Are you telling me she only ate the icecream when she was upset?  Did she only keep it on hand in the eventuality that she might someday have a bad day?  For months it would sit neglected in her freezer while she ate grapefruit and spinach until the day her dog died? Or was it the fact that she was eating icecream before dinner that alarmed her roommate so?  Somehow I doubt it.  I think this is one of those myths perpetuated by the media, like the idea that bank robbers are good at heart, or that monkeys can fly space shuttles.  Cuz if I have icecream in my freezer, I'll eat it, day or night, before dinner,  after dinner, in place of dinner, for breakfast, whatever.  I'll just keep eating it until it is gone.  Which is exactly why I don't keep it in the house.  If it is here, I will eat it until it is not here anymore. No occasion required.

So if I have a bad day, I don't have the luxury of just going to the freezer to eat that whole quart of Ben and Jerry's that has just been sitting in there.  I either have to MAKE something, which takes more time than I am willing to spend in that moment, or go out and BUY something, which is a bad idea all on its own.  I have a tendency to run over people when I drive angry.  Which means I have to resort to other sources of sugar, and I will use just about whatever I can find: Chocolate chips usually, or all the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms box,  maybe Candy Canes from 3 Christmases ago,or if worst comes to worst, spoonfuls of sugar.

Have you ever tried to seek solace in a spoonful of sugar?  It doesn't have much to offer. I doubt it even really helps the medicine go down.  It only takes about a spoonful to make you wish you were dead.  3 or 4 spoonfuls later the barfing starts, which incidentally makes you forget about the zombies and sort of puts things in perspective.  At least I have a toilet to barf into, you know?

And that my friends, is why.... I don't know.  I really don't know how to wrap this up.  I just like to call you my friends.  But at least now we know that movies aren't real.  Yes, bad things happen to good people, but the odds of a person actually having icecream in the freezer on the day they find out that the perfect guy they just met has amnesia and doesn't even remember them is just too great to fool any one anymore.  You're gonna have to try harder, movies!  We are onto you!

Jul 26, 2010

Moab Camping in May

After posting about camping this weekend, I realized I never posted about our campout with MY family.  How embarrassing. So lets see.......


Yep, there you have it.  My sister's husband Lance and his manly umbrella.  That about sums up the whole weekend.

The first night it POURED rain on us for several hours.  We huddled underneath things and still managed to cook a delicious meal.  I should say RICHARD managed to cook a delicious meal.  I didn't help at all.  One of the very best things about camping is that I don't have to cook.  We went to bed with it pouring on us and when Harrison woke up at about 6:00 am the next morning the first thing he said, loudly, was "It stopped Raining!"  And woke everybody up.

The next day was sunny and warm with lots of great mud puddles for little kids to play in.


So the kids ran around playing in the mud and being silly


and taking turns driving this thing:


Not Harrison though.  He was mostly contented just to sit in it, which was good because he still hasn't quite figured out how to steer.

The adults spent as much time as possible riding around in dune buggies:



Ha.  I love this picture of Boydell.

And this picture cracks me up.  Our faces look like we are going for a pleasant Sunday drive in the horse and carriage.



 I love Moab in the Springtime! And Harrison loves a trunk full of bedding!

Jul 25, 2010

Pioneer Day

This weekend was our annual campout with Richard's Family.  We had reserved several spots up by Payson Lakes, but the day before the event the campground people called and said there was an angry bear at the campground running around and scaring people on purpose.  And they wanted to know if that bothered us at all.   Just kidding, they said they were closing the campground until they caught it.  So with 24 hours to go, we scrambled to find somewhere else for to go.  And somehow we did.  Someone knew someone who knew someone who knew a guy who had a bunch of extra places at their campground for the weekend.  So we ended up at the Camelot Resort at the Strawberry Pinnacles.


I didn't even know this place existed. It was really pretty, but as soon as the sun came up it was unbearably hot.  There was a shallow little river running through the middle of the campground but it was so cold I couldn't stand in it for more than about 10 seconds before I had to drag my frost bitten toes out and give them several hours to thaw.  The kids, on the other hand, hardly seemed to feel the cold.


Even Harrison liked it, when last year he wouldn't have even put his feet in.
I don't know how, but by late afternoon this freezing cold glacier water was cool and refreshing, so we spent the rest of the day doing this:


floating down a little stretch of stream running through the campground.  Over and over.  Harrison loved it.  I loved it. I would still be doing it if there was a river near by.  Tubing down a river is one of life's greatest pleasures.

We had a great time.  Between hanging out in the river, and lounging around the shade , we also Tie Dyed some shirts, thanks to Mandy (and thanks to Carissa for this picture),


and ate some delicious food.  Colin loved the whole thing:


This picture was taken right after we arrived.  It was also the last time of the weekend that Colin wasn't being held by someone or other.  He slept great both day and night, so I think camping gets 2 thumbs up from him!

After we got home and showered we went to the local July 24th celebration.  We ate some steak sandwiches, cotton candy and caramel apples and Harrison went on a couple of rides.  We tried to light off some more of our own fireworks at home, but every time we tried to light one Harrison would run into the house.  I guess they are still a little too scary.  We wanted to go to the city's big firework show, but it didn't start till 10:15 and we were all exhausted.  Maybe someday when the kids are bigger and fireworks aren't as scary.

So there you have it!

Jul 22, 2010

Baby Eyelashes

Apparently I sucked at taking pictures this week.  Frankly, I can't even believe the week is over.  The past several days are a blur.  Colin has decided he is missing out on too much by sleeping at night, so he has given it up. So basically, I am tired.  And I have hardly pulled out my camera at all, for which I am very, very sorry.  I will do better next week.

But guess what is new this week?  Eyelashes!  He used to have none, but they just suddenly appeared a couple days ago.  Short and thin and dark.  Where did they come from?

He has also moved up to size 0-3 month clothes.  Pretty exciting.  He's thrilled, see?

Jul 21, 2010

Harrison Loves to Dress Up

Last month he wore this every single day:


which turned him into Bob the Builder.  

This month he is Sheriff Woody:


He likes to take off his hat to say "Howdy".   I'm trying to teach him how to tip his hat and say "Ma'am." or "Afternoon."  but he won't do it.


Yep, he is pretty cute with that big ol' hat of mine on.  He'll come in in whatever costume he's wearing and say "Hi! I'm me!  Superman!"  or "Howdy! I'm me!  Woody!"

Sometimes we get a mix:


which gets tricky because you have to call him the right thing, and it is hard to tell which thing he wants to be.  


Yesterday he was wearing his Bob the Builder belt, his Woody belt, his Superman cape, carrying his doctor's kit, and wearing a Spiderman bandaid.  You gotta admit, that boy sure knows how to accessorize!

And today, for some reason, everytime I asked him to do something he would salute and said "Yes, sir."
How great is this kid?

Jul 17, 2010

I Guess We Aren't Funny

Colin smiled last night.  Not at me.  He was looking right past me at who knows what, and he just kept smiling at it.  And it was awesome.  So cute.  And a little crooked.  Oh, it was adorable.  We have been trying almost non stop to get to him to smile again since then, and only Richard has had any luck, and only once.  I guess he just doesn't get our jokes.  But we won't give up!  He will smile again and one of these times we will catch it on film!

Here is a picture of him thinking we aren't funny.

Jul 15, 2010

Babies Are Boring

They get born and come into this big ol' exciting world, and what is the first thing they do?

You put them in the car, and


You get them dressed for church, and



You can poke them in the foot,


strip them down naked,


or kiss them in the face,


but they'll sleep through it all.
On this couch,


in the bath


on  a lap


or a shoulder


You name it, they can sleep through it, on it or over it.  Seriously, wake up already!  What are the rest of us supposed to do while you are asleep?  Clean the house?  Cook dinner?  Pay the bills?  Sleep ourselves???  Don't be ridiculous!  It is high time you did your share!  I demand payment for services rendered.  I only accept smiles as payment, so I would get working on that.


Jul 13, 2010

One Month Old



Time is weird and, as is often the case, it both feels like Colin JUST got here, and like he has been here forever. That is why it is so nice to have calendars. Relying on memories to keep track of time would be madness! I know that he is just one month old because my calendar tells me so, and I believe it.   I have to.  The last month has passed in a blur and the only proof I have that time is passing at all is how fat Colin is getting.  Everyone still says he looks so tiny, but to me he looks huge.  He is getting so cute and chubby!

So here are the stats:

Height:   21 inches

Weight:  9.8 lbs

Can that possibly be right?  That's what our scale here at home says.  So it could totally be wrong, but I weighed him the morning of his doctors appt and I got the same weight they did, so maybe it is right?  He does seem a lot bigger to me, so maybe he really is.


I figured we were probably due to let Colin spend a little time on his tummy.  I fully expected him to object loudly.  Instead he fell asleep.


Harrison always wants in on the action when I am taking pictures of Colin, and the number one thing on his mind is making sure everyone has been properly introduced to Woody.


Once we were all on a first name basis I asked him to lay next to Colin so I could take a picture of them together.  He is so obliging!

but that is not exactly what I had in mind.

On Monday Colin broke out in a horrible case of baby acne.  So sad.  The other babies wouldn't stop teasing him.  But it is already clearing up.  Yea!
Colin still loves his bath:


Which is good because he also loves to eat.  He drinks so fast that half the liquid runs out his mouth, down his chin and puddles up inside all his little neck wrinkles.  Yum.  And his favorite activity by far?


Making cute faces while he sleeps.  He loves it!  He would marry it if he could!

Jul 11, 2010

My Very Own Star Wars Kid

So Richard made these very cool light sabers for Harrison for Christmas out of pex pipe and old flashlights. I would show you a picture, but then I would have to take one. And it is hot in my house. We don't have air conditioning, but our house is made of brick so it stays pretty cool for the most part. So if I keep very still, I can keep from raising my body temperature in any way. If I have to get up to take a picture, it might cause me to expire. Plus, I am super lazy.

Oh, look at that!  A picture magically appeared in my camera and transferred itself onto my hard drive.  Fairys sure are nice to have around. Here ya go:

Because of these light sabers, Harrison and I have a lot of light saber fights. Lots of them. Long ones. Epic ones. And I always feel a little silly. Until it finally occurred to me that my problem is that I was holding my light saber wrong! I was holding it one handed, like a foil, which is so embarrassing because everyone knows the light saber is a two handed weapon.  Duh.

Having realized my mistake, I grabbed my light saber with both hands and started whipping it around, perfecting my form and increasing my skill until I suddenly realized that I looked just like this guy:


And I was just so happy. I've finally made it, you know?

Jul 10, 2010

A Typical Conversation with Harrison

Hi Harrison.  How are you?
Hi! I'm me! Boy!
Come and eat lunch.
Find my Woody doll.  Where my Woody doll? Woody! Where are you? Find my Woody doll.
Harrison, its right here.  Sit down and eat.
Play packy doh.  Play packy doh.
Oh really?
No! Play packy doh!
I don't know what that means.
Play packy doh Right Now!
Don't climb on the table, just sit down and eat your sandwich. What do you want to drink?
Ummmm... Boo Nay House!
That's silly.  Here is your napkin.
Yeah. Yeah.  Yeah. Yeah.  Boo Nay house.  Boo Nay house.  Boo Nay house.  
Maybe tomorrow.  Here, use your napkin.  No!  Don't wipe your hands in your hair!
Mommy!  Play packy doh!
Ok.  Sit down and eat please.  
Yes.  Superman.