Too Cute

I took these pictures of Wyatt last night during and after his bath. (He's almost too big for his tub, though. He makes a heckufa mess kicking water everywhere.)




Now is that a cute kid or what?

He's especially in my good graces today because he did a one wake-up night last night (2:00, then through to 6:20 . . . and Forrest got him so I slept till 7!) and I took him to my Rock and Stroll aerobics class and he stayed awake the entire time, and I didn't have to leave. I did have to give him his binki 17 times and take him out while we were doing biceps and curl him instead of the hand weight . . . but I'll take it.

We've had quite a weekend. The quick rundown is:

1. We had Darrin Wilkey stay with us for a couple of nights while he continued looking for a house for his family. (They live in West Virginia and are hoping to move here in July). The poor Wilkeys have looked at 60 something houses, but they have finally found two that might work and they put in offers, so we'll see which one takes. It will be fun to have them living here, for sure.

2. Forrest started working on our "Forest Corner" in our yard, aptly named as it refers both to my hardworking landscaper husband and the fact that we're trying to replicate what it might feel like to be in the mountains. We put in a bunch of red sandstone rocks to sit on and even fashoined some benches, and we planted some Quakies (yes, I know some people hate them, but I love them--the way they look, the way the sun shines through the leaves--and I forgive them for sending out shoots and being otherwise disagreeable) and some funky evergreens. We're going to have a firepit on a flagstone patio and it's going to be glorious. As soon as it's done I'll take a picture and post it. But Forrest worked like a dog, and watching him dump a 900 pound rock out of Grandpa Ranquist's beater druck with a crowbar was an exciting event.

3. We had Forrest's family over for a barbeque to celebrate his Dad's birthday and had some delicious kabobs on the grill. Mmmm. . . .

4. The pool opened! The kids had fun swimming and their cousins came over to join in on the good times.

5. We visited Grandpa Ranquist's grave on Sunday and went to Heber with Grandma Ranquist and Tony & Cindy and my mom and dad yesterday to visit Grandpa Sweat's grave. We used to go to Heber every year when I was a kid with the Hjorths and have a picnic and play softball, and it was so fun to go up again as a grown up and see my own kids playing bocce ball at the same park I played at when I was their age. It was cool to visit the Heber Cemetary, too--so many old headstones. Some were 140 years old or so. Here are some cool pics:






I love that picture of Grandma Sweat and all the kids looking down at the headstone. And the one with Great Grandma Ranquist is a scream--that's the best I could do with 8 antsy kids. Is anyone looking at the camera???

5. Last but not least we had an inagural marshmallow roast last night in our new firepit. (It's freestanding, so we just put it on the dirt where our flagstone patio will someday be.) Although Forrest went the cheap route and bought the Western Family marshmallows . . . and he will be the first to admit that it was a mistake and that t he marshmallows lacked the proper crunchy/gooey consistency . . . the kids still had a great time, and I survived even though I was totally paranoid that my neice Ayva was going to toddle into the fire. And Wyatt loved the fire. Mesmerized. Finally we got the kids in bed, exhausted and smelling like smoke, and our long holiday weekend was complete.

It's Now Been Four Months Since . . .

1. I slept through the night
2. I read the whole Sunday paper
3. I sat through church
4. I went anywhere without needing 15 minutes lead time for bag packing, diaper changing, etc.
5. I've gone to bed without a bra on (TMI??)
6. I've had Diet Coke without feeling a bit guilty. (Well, that's been for 13 months, really).
7. I haven't been spit up on, at least a little
8. My family room hasn't been full of baby paraphenalia. (Seriously, not counting the blankets and quilts and diapers behind the couch, and the two wicker baskets full of diaper supplies and nasal syringes and binkis and rattles and little tiny socks, I also have a swing, a baby bjorn, a baby gym and a bumbo seat in my family room. So much for aesthetics.)
9. I've been able to blog/watch tv/read/talk on the phone/edit manuscripts/write/sit in the tub without keeping one ear attuned to the possibility of hearing this sound: "aack." Or "waat." ( It's the sleeping-baby-is-awakening sound, for those of you who don't know or have forgotten.)
10. I had a life without Wyatt Dean Hallstrom in it . . . and I wouldn't change what I have now for the world. Although I would love to get eight hours of sleep, let me tell you.

Wyatt had his four month check up yesterday and he's right on track. He's a bit on the skinny side for a Hallstrom baby boy (he's 14 lbs. 4 oz and 25 1/2 in--the 24% and 59% respectively--a good pound less chub than either of his brothers at their age) but he's hitting all his milestones (does pulling my hair out count as a milestone?) and is healthy as can be. Jonas also had his six year checkup--I know, a little late, but he IS six--and he's even smaller than Wyatt, percentage wise. He's in the 29% for weight and the 16% for height! I don't get how a 6'2" dad and an almost 5'9" mom can produce such short boys. Maybe they'll pull an Andrew and mutate in Jr. High??? Elise is the only one with the tall genes, it seems, which I am sure she will use to her advantage in ways that her father and I won't like when she's sixteen.

I was a little nervous about Wyatt's immunizations because he had a bit of a reaction last time, but this time was better. I thought we were totally in the clear--no fussiness, no fever--but then when I got up with him at 1:00 this morning he was a little warm. So I've Tylenoled him up and he seems okay. We also fed Wyatt his first solid food yesterday, too: the classic rice cereal. Here's a shot of Dad doing the honors, and another shot of Wyatt's reaction;




Any other big news? Oh! I cut my hair kinda short. I'll take a picture right now and show you:



Gotta love the do-it-yourself arm's length pictures. This isn't the best representation of the hairstyle, since I went to the gym at 1:30 this afternoon and now I have workout hair--but you get the idea on the length. It had gotten quite long and I cut off quite a bit. It's hard to get used to a cut, but it's nice to not have this ginormous mound of heavy hair to haul around. And Forrest likes it. And Jonas. Ethan said I looked like Dora the Explorer (insulting, but creative!), and Elise said it was okay, but did this mean that she needed to get her hair cut for the summer too? Because she will NOT.

Now I have heard the aack. Wyatt is awake . . . gotta go.

A Father and Son Heart to Heart

Wyatt has been talking up a storm lately--and it's hilarious. Here's a little video of Wyatt and his Dad having a pretty engaging conversation the other night:



I can't believe he's almost four months old. He's getting so big so fast. Here's another cute shot of him in his newest piece of baby paraphenalia, (e.g. Baby Bjorn, papsan baby swing with rotating musical toys, bouncy chair with dangly toys, floor pad with mirrors and balls and more dangly toys, bouncy exersaucer with squeaky and squishy toys, etc etc . . . none of which I owned when Ethan was a baby. I'm sure our pioneer ancestors think we are hilarious.)



This newest innovation is called a "Bumbo Seat." I'm sure moms who've had kids in the last couple of years have heard of it, but I hadn't until recently. But Wyatt has been so insistent on being upright (he's no fan of his bouncy chair anymore!) that I thought I'd give it a try. He really likes it--and it's a scream to see him sitting in it. He looks even more like a little man, albeit one who likes to sit in a recliner.

Also, just got back from seeing Shrek the Third. Took Wyatt--and he did well. A little wiggly at first (and our seats were in the middle of the row) but them I wrapped him up in his blankie and patted him on the bum and he fell asleep. The older three liked the movie--don't they always? if it's in the theater especially, with popcorn and rootbeer??--but Forrest and I thought it was a little stale and scattered. Kids' movies. There are so many of them anymore that it's hard to get excited about any of them. Remember how cool Lion King was once upon a time? And Toy Story?

We also just got the "Singstar Pop" edition--I can hear Elise upstairs singing "The Reason" by Hoobastank--and it should be fun. I know a lot more of the songs than on the rock edition. So Andi and Drew, we're going to have to have a Singstar showdown next time you're in town! And this time I won't be nine months pregnant and lose my breath support.

I Am Eating a Bagel With Peanut Butter

and it is 10:02 at night. Both halves. Bad choice. I am really tired of the ferocious nursing hunger. I don't get so hungry when I'm prengnant, but nursing? Watch out.

I had a nice Mother's Day on Sunday. As Forrest always does, he treated me to lots of good food (french toast and yogurt with berries for breakfast, a light lunch of assorted cheeses like Gouda and Havarti and cut up peaches and crackers and little squares of chocolate arranged prettily on a tray, and a delicioso red snapper with pasta for dinner. Yum.) as well as some flowers and raspberry sticks. And of course the adorable cards made by the kids. And I got to sleep in. And read the whole paper. Nice day. It was interesting, though, to sit in the mothers' room during church feeding Wyatt and listen to the wonderfully nice and sincere man extol the virtues of womanhood and motherhood and find myself stereotypically feeling a little bit worse rather than a little bit better. I even had this running commentary in my head about how it's so *typical* to feel kind of down on yourself on mother's day and that it's silly to give in to those feelings and that when really nice men talk about their angel mothers they are doing it with the best of intentions--but I couldn't help thinking about how, right before exiting to the mothers' room, Jonas and Elise were both sitting really really close to me while I was trying to deal with wiggly Wyatt and the whole family was squished on the bench and it was hot and I felt entirely pinned down and space invaded and said kind of grumpily, "Guys. Please move!"

Now is that what an angel mother would say? On MOTHER'S DAY?!?!?!

Sigh.

I did forgive myself, because apparently the kids still love me. They told me so lots of times on Sunday, which is the whole point of mother's day, and I appreciate having such patient and forgiving children. :-)

I also spent a lot of time on Sunday putting together a Mother's Day present for my mom and Forrest's mom: a video DVD of the kids. I just started figuring out the video editing program on my Mac and it was a little frustrating at times, but I think I've finally started getting the kinks worked out. And I think the Grandmas liked their present. I also scanned some cute non-digital photos of Ethan and Elise and Jonas. Wanna see 'em?





I know I'm their mother and everything, but these kids were (are) so cute it hurts my heart.

Here's another cute picture (so Wyatt won't be excluded in the cuteness) of Wyatt and his big brother:



I also went to Monte Vista Elementary today to watch the Kindergarten Mother's Day program. SO CUTE! Nothing better than a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds singing their hearts out to their moms. Jonas did a great job, and afterward we got to go eat hot lunch together. It was pizza and mandarin oranges and chocolate milk and a rice krispie treat, miraculously all foods that Jonas likes. So it was a fun morning. Wyatt even cooperated and listened attentively to the program, then konked out in his car seat during lunch. Hooray for Wyatt!

Here's a picture of Jonas at the program, holding up his "Thank You Mom" card:



Momhood is sweet.

The Dangers of Cosmetology

They say that firefighters and deep sea crab fisherman have dangerous jobs, but I have one that rivals them: the cosmetologist. Yesterday Elise's 3rd grade had a "Marketplace" where the kids were assigned jobs and salaries, then had the chance to go around to different booths and spend their money on things like rent, bills, entertainement, etc. Elise was given a career in cosmetology (salary: $200 a week) and got to come to school all dressed up. We put her in a cute skirt, chunky heels, pasted sparlky jewels on her fingernails and did her hair in a bun form with faux curls that we had from her dance costume when she was seven. I even let her wear my lipstick. She was quite thrilled with her look:



Now comes the dangerous part.

The marketplace was scheduled to last until lunchtime, so I didn't think the kids would be running the track (they usually do that in the morning). I could have sent Elise with a change of clothes, but she liked her outfit and wanted to wear it all day. Can you see where this is headed? Jonas came home off the bus from kindergarten with tears in his eyes (cute little empathetic kid) saying that he had seen a "girl in a pink skirt with puffy hair on her head who was crying like Elise" who'd had an accident on the track right before he got on the bus and he wanted me to call the school and check on her. So I called the school . . . but they said she'd never been brought in. So I figured that maybe she took a little tumble but wasn't too banged up.

Wrong!

She came home all skinned up on her face, shoulder, the palms of her hands, and on both knees. (And she had been taken care of in the nurses office, so the lady at school gave me faulty info.) She was running the track and her heel wobbled and she biffed it spectacularly. Although I'm sure she had quite a howl out on the track (she's not one to shy away from letting her pain be known) she said she got it together and was fine the rest of the day, although it hurt to write. Poor kid. Here's her skinned face:



At least she was able to do the marketplace before the high heeled tragedy. It's dangerous work being a pretty girl.

Two other comments:

--I've been watching the last 10 minutes of the last few Jazz games and boy, have they been fun. I'm an excellent "last 10 minutes of a close important game" sports fan. I even let the kids stay up last night until the end of regulation play, but made them go to bed before overtime. When Elise woke up, the first thing she said (groggily) was "Did the Jazz win?" It was fun to tell her yes.

--Marie Osmond was on The View today and talked a little about Mormonism. I swear, we're everywhere these days. Watch out if Mitt gets the nomination, even for V.P. He's so much better looking than Dick Cheney, though, I think people would be happy to have such a photogenic second in command. He's got to watch the man-tan, though. Bordering on Hestonesque.

Blog Envy

I'm wondering if fiddling with the appearance of your blog is kind of like rearranging furniture. Something to do when you're itching for change. Also, I've been having blog envy lately. I go to other blogs and they look cooler and read cooler and just all together are cooler than mine. Is that prideful, having blog envy? I love clicking on the links from other people's blogs and eavesdropping on their cooler than mine lives, though. Fun times.

I also feel like the text was hard to read on my other blog template. So what to you guys think? Do you like this one? Or the one before?? Or the one before that??? I'd love your vote. And who knows--maybe I'll change it AGAIN in 3 months. It's surely not as likely to throw my back out as rearranging the furniture.

Tooth Pain = No typing

I'm wondering if the reason I haven't posted much lately is because I had my wisdom tooth removed last Tuesday and the extraction site STILL HURTS so I haven't been in the mood. Or the pain meds I've been taking because of the pain in the extraction site make me sleepy and less goal oriented. Or I've just been busy. Any of these is a usable explanation! So here's the rundown of what's been missed in the last little while:



1. Mega Babysitting! This is a shot of Tony and Cindy's 4 kids, our 4 kids and Mindy and Peter's 2 kids a week ago last Friday. We decided to do some babysitting switch-offs, a "you watch our kids we'll watch yours" kind of thing. It got a little hairy when there were two dirty diapers and two 4 year olds needing bathroom help almost simultaneously, but they're good kids and we got through it. But 10 kids is a lot! We got "Year at the Museum" (which is what they're all staring at) and that successfully distracted them, at least for a little while.

2. Aforementioned tooth extraction. Can I say how much I hate the dentist? Hate it. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. I hate the medicinal smell of the office, I hate the dentisty tase in my mouth of all their dentisty products, I hate getting shots, I hate being numb, I hate having a sore jaw aferward and not being able to eat or drink, I hate how they make you feel ashamed of yourself for having cavities, and I especially hate still having pain after almost one full week has gone by since the surgery. I've had one other wisdom tooth removed and it wasn't nearly this bad. I go in tomorrow to have the stitches removed and they'll have to take a look at it then and see how things are healing. Until then, I'll continue downing ibuprofin, eating on the right side of my mouth, and squiring a syringe full of salty water into my socket.

3. Up the canyon! On the day of the wisdom tooth, we went up the canyon w/ my family for a little picnic. Amy, Dave and Jack were in town for Dave's brother's wedding (it was so fun to see them, and Jack is getting so big) so we headed up Big Cottonwood for a little family togetherness. We haven't been picnicing up the canyon since we moved back, and I forgot how fun it is. It was a gloriously beautiful day and the kids had a great time scooting around on their scooters (there were paved roads), rock climbing (Ethan about gave me a heart attack. He's so tenative about a lot of things, but he'll scale a rock face anytime. Not a good thing for a Mom afraid of heights.), and roasting marshmallows for what I'm told were extarordinary S'mores. I say I was told they were extraordinary because I was in a crushing amount of pain and couldn't eat anything but a few morsels of well cooked carrot from the tin foil dinner. I finally started feeling better when I held some cold pop cans to my face, but even then it was hard just to talk. But I would have rather been up there w/ everyone than home suffering alone!

4. Wyatt's regression. Yes, Wyatt gave us a couple good weeks of the glorious "one wakeup night." I was starting to believe that sleep was possible when, whamo, he yanks the rug out from under us. (Is "whamo" a good yanking sound? Probably not. But you get the idea.) The last four or five nights he's gone back to his "three wakeup" nights, which are no good. No good, I tell you!!!

5. Movie night. Forrest and I took Mindy and Pete up on the babysitting trade and went out to Rumby Island Grill (pretty good--never been there before ) and saw a movie. Mindy was horrified that we were seeing "Disturbia," but it was a fairly mild, PG-13 thriller. I've always liked a good thriller. I know the more mature and spiritually sentsitive I get, this attribute is supposed to fade away, but it hasn't. Or maybe I'm just not very mature or spiritually sensitive.

6. Extended Wilkey Family Home Evening. The Wilkeys, Forrest's "Family #2," a very large clan of 14 children (and 15 if you count Forrest) have extended Family Home Evening every first Sunday of the month, and any Wilkey in town is invited. We've gone to a number of them over the course of our marriage. Well, we volunteered to host this month and had a gaggle of Wilkeys to the house yesterday. I used it as a good opportunity to spring clean, and Forrest, the kids and I cleaned and polished and vaccummed and scrubbed most of Saturday (and some of Sunday--ox in the mire!!!). We had a great time, and now the house is really clean, too!!

So that's the rundown! Sorry to write so much. Hopefully once my tooth is better, I'll be on top of things!