Stuff

We did a lot of stuff today. We stuffed ourselves with food and candy.

We also went to church and learned some stuff. It was interesting that the primary lesson I was supposed to teach wasn't about Easter. I taught a quick lesson and then had a discussion with the girls in my class about the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since there was no sharing time lesson today, this was the only Easter thing they heard in primary today. Hopefully it meant something to them. It was important to me.

 
"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less." -C.S. Lewis

Relax

Relaxing is something I didn't get to do today. It was a really busy day of two Easter egg hunts and then getting ready for Edison's birthday party. I have never noticed my legs being swollen before while pregnant, but they definitely are tonight. Sam gave me a foot massage and now I am ready for bed.

Goodnight

Today's bedtime was light-years better than last night's. I guess I need to back up about five years though.

I used to see toddlers with pacifiers and think it was the most ridiculous thing. Pacifiers are for babies. Only! We took away Alex's pacifier at 14 months, and that was two months later than I thought he should have it. But Edison was really attached to his pacifier. We tried to only let him have it in bed but he would go downstairs and find his pacifier himself and then wander around with it in his mouth. It could soothe him so easily. We just never took it away.

I wanted there to be an end though. A two-year-old with a pacifier? Not in my house. We let him have it on the night of his birthday for the last time, and then last night we confiscated it. We let Alex put a pacifier in his mouth and Edison had one, too. Then we asked who wanted to be a big boy. Alex said, "I do!" And he threw the pacifier in the bin (we save pacifiers for the next kid, don't judge). I asked, "Who else wants to be a big boy?" And Edison put his pacifier in the bin. We put the lid on the bin and then stuck it in the closet, gave kisses, and put the boys in their beds.

Oh, poor Edison. I could see him figuring it out. He felt so tricked. He was sad. He tried to say, "Pacifier" but I pretended not to understand him so he started pointing to his mouth. We kept repeating that he was such a big boy and we were proud of him, but he struggled to fall asleep. We had to go down and comfort him a few times. Eventually he got tired and went to sleep.

Tonight, he asked for it once and we told him that he's a big boy now and then he fell asleep. Alex, on the other hand was yelling for two hours, "I'm all done sleeping!" Nice try. Someone get that kid a pacifier.

In the Mirror

I was not a nice mom today. The boys are so resilient though and were still laughing and giggling well past bedtime. I am going to be nicer tomorrow. They deserve so much better.

Pair

Edison has turned a pair of years old today. Or as he says, "Doo." Sam took the day off work and we spent the day in Minot. The first activity of the day was an indoor waterpark. This picture was taken before we even got in the water and Edison was already shivering! The shivering continued for the duration of our stay which meant we got to cuddle the birthday boy a lot. He is such an adorable and sweet little boy and I am so grateful I have had him with me for two years and I look forward to every day in the future that he is mine.

Oh, sweet Edison. Daddy and I talked about you so much today and then we recorded your birthday video after a 16-hour day of fun. We spent most of the day admiring you and laughing at your funny personality. You survived us for two years! Congratulations!

Something We Did

The days just keep getting busier. I spent the morning making soup to take to our lunch bunch/playgroup. The boys did not want to be there though. It was really strange. First, they refused to eat anything but rolls and cookies.

Then Alex just wanted to drive his cars around while Edison threw balls at the tables to knock over all of the moms' cups.

They started begging to go home and decided to just take naps. But Alex was complaining because he needed "someplace soft to sleep."

We got home a few minutes before naptime so there was time for me to read them a few books.

Edison took a short nap and we got to hang out for over an hour before Alex woke up. Edison made graham cracker crumbs all over Daddy's side of the bed.

He also spent a lot of time playing in the pillows. He left some graham cracker crumbs over there, too.

Alex finally woke up to join the party. He wanted to do a craft.

After dinner, the boys spread toys around while Daddy took a nap.

We spent the night decorating for Edison's birthday. The boys were in bed: Edison fast asleep and Alex yelling that we were making too much noise and keeping him awake. Well, sorry.

In Their Drawers

I went through the boys' drawers today to pull out the clothes that are too small and put in their next sizes. I wish I could have been putting away winter clothes, but the temperature was in the single digits today so we have to keep them out for a little bit longer.

In other news, at the time that Sam usually gets home, he called to tell me he ran out of gas. I picked up a gas can from a friend and then headed out to save him. He was so embarrassed but it totally made my day. I love when he makes it easy for me to make fun of him.



The boys were confused about why we were going to get Daddy and Alex was very concerned that we were leaving the car because he thought someone was going to take it.

Up

We had to stay after church today until the end of the Linger Longer so we could help clean up. Since we are all dressed up, I figured I would have someone take a picture of us. The boys wouldn't look up at the camera. But here we are: all lined up.

What We Do For Fun

We gave the boys haircuts this morning. I think they were traumatized. They used to love haircuts but not so much anymore. After their daytime baths, they colored and had a second breakfast.

One of my favorite things to do here to get out of the house is to go grocery shopping. The boys love it, too. I think they also loved that we didn't get very many things so they were able to stay in the cart the whole time.

We babysat our little friends tonight. They are the cutest girls and the boys love when they come to play. 

This is a pretty normal Saturday. Sam went to the gym somewhere in there, and I spent a lot of time getting ready for Edison's birthday party. Nothing spectacular but sometimes it is nice to be home together and not have anything important to do or any appointments to get to at a certain time.

About Us

Today I was having a full breakdown for absolutely no reason. I was crying while sitting at the kitchen table and Alex was on the potty. He called out, "Mommy, why are you crying?" I wasn't really sure why I was crying so I fell back on my usual reason: "I don't have friends." Alex sounded confused and responded, "But you do have friends! We're friends!" It is true. Although we don't always get along, these people are my best friends. I love my boys so much that it hurts my heart when I think about it. They are perfect for me and I am amazed that I get to be with them forever.

Working

Being a mom is hard work sometimes. Today was not an easy day. I made it harder for myself today by having a bad attitude. I am not sure what was going on, but I was not getting along with the boys and I was sick of Alex's incessant talking. Seriously, that kid can talk. Most of the time I think it is really cute but today I didn't want to hear it.

We went to the library for story time and there was a craft at the end. Edison was using the markers to write on his hands and then wipe it on his shirt because he didn't like it on his hands. I was not happy.

We had to go to a few stores on Main Street which meant walking from our parking spot that was not very close. There was so much whining and tripping and it was so cold and windy.We went to the dollar store for the first time. It looked more like a garage sale in there and they didn't have what I needed. I let the boys each choose a toy because I felt sorry for the worker sitting in there alone. Then the boys fought over toys. I was not happy.

We went to the grocery store and Alex started crying because I bought the "wrong" straws. He wanted different colors. They were whining in the cart and throwing their heads back and staring at the ceiling like I was torturing them. So then we got home and I ate about two pounds (not an exaggeration) of strawberries. I was not happy.

Sam got home from work and helped Alex construct the car he had picked out at the dollar store. Alex had been asking about that all day and was so happy to finally have it ready so he could play with it.

Tonight, I went to a Relief Society activity and I just didn't feel like I fit there. People were talking about how much they love Relief Society and how great it is here. I am in primary so I don't know about these great things they talk about. I can't even put into words how passionately I hate primary. Ugh. Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow we'll be better.

Clean

I cannot handle having a dirty house. If the kitchen is clean then I can feel okay about the toys being spread around everywhere. Usually the kitchen is cleaned at night after the boys go to bed. So right after dinner, it looks like a food bomb exploded in our kitchen. This week I have been cooking for parties and church functions in addition to our regular meals, planning Edison's birthday party, and prepping for Easter. The kitchen is in quite a situation right now.

A Sign

Edison really looks up to his big brother. They have to have and do everything the same. Alex wears underwear so Edison has to wear it, too. I think this is a sign that I am doing something right. I hope so, at least!

Shoes

We noticed this weekend that Edison's shoes were smashing his little toes. I bought him some new shoes while at the store this morning. They are the same shoes that Alex was wearing at this age! Alex drags his toes when he walks so the shoes didn't survive to become hand-me-downs but now Edison has his very own pair of "Race car shoes." I can't believe how much older he seems just because his shoes are one size bigger. He is growing up, and pretty darn cute!

Boom, Baby!

There is not really very much to update about this pregnancy and Number Three, but my memory and the numbers on the bathroom scale have an inverse relationship so I better write things down before I forget.

I am 35 weeks along. I have gained 35 pounds. That's about where I should be, right?

My official due date is in 31 days (one month from today!) and I have been told that I will be induced if I go more than a week overdue. So this baby will be out in 38 days at the most!

Not all of my maternity shirts fit me. I was standing over Edison one day and he looked up and poked my belly because he could see the skin. It is unfortunate that I don't fit maternity clothes though. I really am as giant as I think I am.

Number Three is not as active as Number Two (Edison) was. Thank goodness because that was painful! Even though it isn't as crazy as spastic Edison, there is still a baby mosh pit going on in there. He likes to throw all twelve of his elbows around. I also get the unexpected, and painful, kicks. That is probably because he is hanging out sideways in my belly. There is a lot of jutting out and awkward bumps off to one side (always the right side) that even strangers have noticed.

Number Three gets hiccups all the time. I don't remember Thing One and Thing Two having hiccups so much. Number Three will get them for hours each time.

I have had a lot of groin pain. It has gotten to the point where I have to sit up and use my hands to move my legs when I want to roll over at night.

I am so hot all the time. If it is above 70 degrees in our house, I am trying to open a window.

We are getting super excited to meet him. I have noticed myself talking to him which is something I never did with Alex or Edison. The days are flying by and he is going to be here before I know it. Getting fat and feeling like I can't walk will totally be worth it. I am having a baby!

Green

That sneaky leprechaun visited the boys again!

Green milk, green scribbles on their faces, green toilet water, and furniture everywhere. They woke up and were very confused. I made green mint chocolate chip cookies today for a church activity. They were gone really fast so I hope that means they were good!

Sam got pinched right at midnight for not wearing green. The emeralds in my wedding ring make it so I never have to worry about that happening to me! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2 Sisters and 4 Sons

I am always trying to convince people to come visit me. Unfortunately, not very succesfully. One day, I got this text from my sister:

I thought she had sent the text to me accidentally. I just couldn't believe she would want to come! But she did come. Sheldon wasn't able to take off work but Keaton and Everett were up for the long drive from Utah. They chose the perfect time to visit. The weather was (relatively) amazing the whole week they were here.

Michelle and crew arrived in the middle of the night so the boys were thrilled to see their cousins when they woke up on Monday morning. There was a lot of running and yelling. We also went on a walk around the neighborhood.

On Tuesday, we went to Toddler Time at the library. We had never been before and it was pretty fun. We haven't been back because of my little sickies, but I plan to go back a lot more. I also took Michelle to Wal-Mart but she didn't think it was anything special. That night was our ward's Blue and Gold Banquet. There was a cake auction and they were going for hundreds of dollars each.

On Wednesday, we went to open gymnastics to play for an hour. The boys knew just what to do even though we had never done it before. We walked in, they took off their shoes and coats, and started sprinting around.

In the afternoon, we went bowling. Keaton chased after Michelle when she was going to bowl and he totally got whacked by the ball on her back swing. He recovered eventually, but it was pretty sad at the time.

The boys were so cute and asked for ice cream cones so we granted their wish.

This was also the day I started losing my voice. It is a cruel joke that there was someone around for me to talk to and I got laryngitis and wasn't able to talk to her. I was truly suffering mentally because of this.

That night, Michelle and I went to the comedy night at a nearby hotel. It was pretty funny and we got to see some crazy people. Including one really drunk guy who kept asking Michelle if she could hook him up. The comedy wasn't raunchy and we enjoyed our time there.

On Thursday, we drove to the train station and then walked down Main Street. It was really fun to see the little shops up close instead of just driving by them. A highlight was when we went by a small Statue of Liberty and Keaton thought it was Jesus.

It was a little chilly outside though and the boys got tired.

Michelle put the boys to bed and Sam and I went on our first Williston date. We went to a Williston State College hockey game. They were playing University of Arizona. The cold air was a little rough for my throat but it was fun to spend time out with Sam.

On Friday, we went to visit Sam at work. He was pretty busy so we didn't stay for long but it was fun to show Michelle a little bit of SLB.

We went to a park and the playground was covered in ice. Alex and Keaton didn't seem to mind but Edison could not stay on his feet. It was like he was ice skating and he face planted three times.

We went and got frozen yogurt at the new place that just opened. I am so happy about it. I have been there four times already. Good "food" is coming to Williston!

The boys had so much fun bowling the first time so we went again. We had the whole alley to ourselves and the boys wanted to run around instead of push the balls down the ramp.

I took a four hour nap and woke up to the boys playing outside in the snow. I am glad Michelle was around to play with the boys because I was really exhausted.

On Saturday, we went to Minot. The boys entertained each other for the two hour drive.

We went to the Railroad Museum of Minot. The boys were having an awesome time but we got there an hour before closing so their fun was limited. It is not very big so we were able to see everything.

We went to eat a really late lunch at Ebenezzer's. It was delicious and sometimes I imagine driving to Minot just to eat there again.

After lunch, we went to the mall to play and shop. Mostly play.

We tried to go to a restaurant for dinner but it had a 90 minute wait and it was already past 6pm. We had a two hour drive ahead of us so we went to Jimmy John's instead and then headed home.

Keaton and Alex had to say goodbye on Sunday morning. It was so nice to have visitors for a week and I want them to come back again soon. Preferably at a time when I am able to talk!