Halloween '14

Happy Halloween! 

From the Disco Dancers and their Disco Ball,

a Spider,

and a Knight! 

 

Hope you had a great one too!

Happy First, Eefie!

Today's the day - Eefie is one! He was my first induction, so I feel a sense of strangeness about celebrating his birthday today. I mean, what day was supposed to be his birthday? I'm sure it doesn't really matter. Today's the day one year ago I brought him into the world and forced him out of his warm, watery cocoon.

As a matter of tradition, I have always posted favorites by the ABCs on my sons' first birthdays (here are Collin's & Brennan's - you'll be SHOCKED at how much they each resemble each other), so without further adieu...

The ABCs of Ethan

Active - this kid never stops moving; he's always into something else 
I know this is common (just boys?) but it is still annoying to constantly trip on things and have to pick up so much. He loves the pantry, tupperware drawers, pots & pans, book tubs and shelves, diaper bag, and crayons.

Brothers - he wants to be right with Collin and Brennan at all times 
This really annoys them, and when Mom can't join in and referee and E gets left out, he gets annoyed too.

Car - lots of time taxi-cabbing
E spends most of his days in and out of his car seat as we chauffeur his brothers to their activities. Such is the life of the youngest.

Dishwasher - specifically the knives in the silverware holder :-( 

Eefie - recognizes/turns/responds to this nickname better than his real name

French fries - loves to gnaw on one after another when we eat out

Grass (and mulch and rocks) - anything he can get into his mouth when he's outside

Hot dogs - diced into small pieces 
He can eat more than one at a single meal!

Independence - he's pretty much given up nursing, except for at 6am 

Joyful - he's generally a happy, smiley, fun guy to be around
He's a total flirt with strangers, just like Brennan was. He loves to smile his big, goofy grin. And everyone loves him. It's fun to spend so much time with such a flexible, easy-going little man.

Perfectly comfortable with the neighbor boy

Kitchen - emptying the cupboards and drawers is a favorite activity

Lightning - the time that has passed since he was born ONE YEAR ago today
I know it didn't help that we chose to move cross country and then move again just 2-1/2 months later, but this year has passed so quickly. It took so long for Collin to turn one, then Brennan did it in half the time. Now Ethan has met this milestone like a flash of lightning. Please, little one, cuddle with me longer!

Ma-ma - the only consistent word so far
Ethan has at times used "mu" for more, "ba-ba" for his blankie, "da-da" for Daddy, "du" for duck, and "ba" for bath, but "ma-ma" is his only consistent daily word... It makes me melt every time.

Noise - loves really loud things 
This is a first for me - Eefie actually laughs when it's noisy. He loves yelling, pounding, power tools, vacuums, construction sites (like our back patio), bells at the school, etc. It's strange to me.

Outside - scrambles fast for any door that opens
Ethan only gets to go out if I'm out too, and since I usually have to clean up or make food, that isn't very often. He howls when I pull him back from the threshold and he doesn't get to go. Sorry, Buddy.

Phones - and anything electronic really
He'll go to great lengths to get people to pick him up or crawl under things to get to a phone.


Quick - he is a little speed-demon crawling and really wants to walk on his own
He's gotten really good at walking along things, and he can stand while using his hands for something else if his tummy is resting against the couch or ottoman. He can switch from my knee to a chair, but he can't walk or stand independently... yet. I know that time is just around the corner.

Remote control - and only the one that we actually use
Sometimes we'll give him the BluRay remote while we have the tv on so he doesn't mess anything up. He knows the difference and will have none of it. No substituting allowed.

Splashing - you can't imagine how soaked I get monitoring him in the tub
He absolutely LOVES the bath tub... which almost makes up for the fight it is to get Collin to get in. He doesn't mind his face being wet, and he hates to get out.

Television - he just discovered Sesame Street
He also has been known to laugh at Brennan's Curious George episodes. What a silly monkey.

Uninterested - doesn't like traditional toys
He only wants to get into mischief with everything other than an actually toy. Is this true for EVERY baby!? Just boys? Sigh. What a mess all the time.

Vacuum - crawls on and around it while it's on! 
Okay, so all my other children have literally had to be locked in their rooms as they've cowered and cried at the sight of the vacuum cleaner. I almost never vacuumed when they were little because it was so difficult to hold a large baby while wielding the heavy machine around. I had no idea a child could LIKE a vacuum so much that he would climb on it and into its path, which also makes it slightly difficult to get the cleaning done! From one extreme to the other, for real.

Another shocker - He doesn't seem to be afraid of animals... yet. We'll see how long it takes for him to join his brothers on that one.

Wooly - his blankie he sucks on to sleep
This is one of the most unique things about my little Eefie. I received a blanket at my baby shower that was so soft and fluffy and white that it resembled lamb's wool. Collin named it "Wooly." From time to time last winter, I'd tuck it around him to keep him warm. Last Spring, I took it out of his crib to wash it and put it away (it's really thick), and E stopped sleeping as well. He's never taken a pacifier, so I mentioned to Ryan that I thought he had developed an attachment to his blanket instead. So I put the blanket back in the crib, and he went back to sleeping well. Voila.

One day I went in to wake him up, and - surprise! - he was sucking on the blanket corner. Now the corners of this once white and fluffy blanket are matted and black and smell slightly nasty. I even accidentally gave him a similar blanket in the middle of the night last week (during an uncharacteristic wake-up), and he quickly let me know my mistake. YIKES!

Bottom line - he's super attention to that ratty thing.

Xoxo - totally understands hugs and kisses
I LOVE huge, open-mouthed, wet goos on my cheek... from my one-year-old. (No one get any sick ideas.) A-DOR-ABLE!

Yogurt - the smooth flavors
The happy squeals I get when pulling a little container out of the fridge of yogurt are enough to make my day. He loves any flavor that doesn't have lumps (no pina colada, peach, or strawberry).

Oh my goodness! I just found this picture on Collin's camera. What a face to capture. Good work, Big Brother. This is awesome. 

Zzzz - super tired lately 
This little man is in the middle of a growth spurt. He was only awake 6 hours yesterday! He's been taking two 2-3 hour naps per day and sleeping 12-13 hours per night. This mommy is enjoying every minute of what I know is just a phase. Sleep on.

Happy 1st, Ethan! We love you.

Covered in marshmallow and graham cracker outside by the fire. What I call a perfect Fall night.

"Annual" Birthday Bonfire

We are 33! 

We hosted our annual (Can it still be called that when it's in another state and has none of the same invitees?) smores birthday night. We made the food mostly potluck, and it was perfect. There's was tons to eat and was a really good time.

We hired a contractor in July to build us a cover for our back patio, and despite all the promises that it'd be finished in time for the party  (and a contract!), it was not. They gave us a string of outdoor lights as a consolation prize. Joke was on us. They also took down all the scaffolding and ladders and cleaned up a bit for the evening. Thanks?

We got lots of funny comments about its strange shape... and the holes in the house. ;-)

I'll post full before and after pics when it's finished... if that ever happens.

In a slight change from the past, we did a traditional cake, since my actual birthday was on the day of the party. It was fun to have candles and doing the whole singing thing.

Yikes! Look at all that smoke.

  Let our Family Birthday Season begin!

Back to School

Collin (Kindergarten - August 21, 2014 - Mrs Eddy)

Brothers

Brothers

Walking to school... with a swing in his step

With Mrs Eddy, his teacher

Brennan (3-year-old Preschool - September 4, 2014 - Mrs Fagan)

Brothers

In front of the school

In the hall waiting to go in

Mom? Who's that?

Welcome Tressia!

I had the privilege of going to Utah to help my sister's family while she had her third baby girl the beginning of this month.

It all began with our 8-hour drive. The kids were kept in line with sucker-bribery. You know you've all done the same thing! I snapped this picture while driving, so sorry for the poor aim. Ethan did well with pretzel sticks and his blankie corners to suck on. Collin helped out in the middle, and things really did go miraculously well.

Except for almost getting struck by lightning (seriously, it was nuts), flooded roads and lots of construction, the trip was pretty smooth. The big boys did get into a few kicking and punching fights, but nothing out of the ordinary... unfortunately.

I arrived about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, and Kim left for the hospital before midnight that night. Though I'll admit Wednesday morning was a rough introduction to life with five kids (7, 5, 3-year-old "twins," and 9 months), we all survived and it only got easier after the rough start. My brother-in-law popped in and out a few times, but I was basically on my own until Kim was discharged Saturday morning. Good thing Kim left the fridge stocked!

Tressia was born at 9am on Wednesday morning. She is beautiful and perfect. I got to go and visit her on Thursday afternoon when Rich came home for "quiet time."

While I was there, I took all the kiddos on just a few outings. Here were all are piled into my van. Comical huh?

I can't believe people really have this many of their own kids. (My mom is one of them!)

On Friday morning we went to Bridal Veil Falls. It was beautiful, and much nicer than it was eight years ago when I used to bike the trail from Orem. There's a fish pond for feeding next to the nice trail. The water was cool and nice to soak our feet in. The kids enjoyed a little rock climbing too. Doesn't it look like we had fun? 

In all honesty, it was pretty much a total disaster. Collin ran away screaming and crying twice because dogs were walking along the paths, on leashes of course. And Brennan screamed part way up the Falls for about ten minutes because he wanted me to carry him up higher. I got lots of awful looks from other parents. It wasn't very fun, but the pictures tell a different story. Brennan is actually shrieking in this one. 

On Saturday morning we went to the local splash pad. It was AMAZING! They have a playground right next to a nice concrete "stream" and lots of fountains. I was super impressed.

See, looks like a lot of fun, right?  Unfortunately, there was a dog asleep with its owner under a tree (homeless?), on a leash of course, and Collin stayed at the top of the play structure more than half the time we were there. After an hour, I finally had to climb to the top, grab him, sit at the top of the slide, literally force him on my lap, and down we came. Yep, lots of onlookers thought I was abusing him as he screamed and screamed. After forcing him down, he ate his lunch and joined the fun. Sigh.

Other than those outings, we spent a lot of time at the house - jumping on the trampoline, riding different wheels, swinging, drawing and playing play dough. The kids really got into playing pet store and pizza delivery which was cute to watch.

In case you think Eefie didn't come along (as his absence is evident in all the previous photos), here he is enjoying his favorite activity: getting bounced on the trampoline.

Of course, this picture doesn't tell the real story either. Ethan decided to wake up about every two hours every night. Collin, Ethan and I were all sharing a room, so Brennan could sleep with all the lights on in his room (says he's afraid of the dark). One night Ethan was screaming at 10pm (when I managed to ignore him), 12midnight (when I changed his poopy diaper), 1am (when I changed his poopy diaper AGAIN and nursed him), and 4am (when I nursed him again). And in case you are wondering, he hasn't had a poopy nighttime diaper in probably seven months, and never wakes more than once during the night. It was AWFUL. I've never been so tired. This particular night was not the exception either. It just kept happening night after night. 

Another fun thing we did while being in town were have all my parents' grandchildren Skype with my parents in the Philippines. Here they all are (minus brand-new Tressia) singing Primary songs on the webcam.

Yep, there's seven now! Morello progeny.

I also managed to run to Provo on my last day to hang with my old friend from Madison. My kids and hers are all about the same age (within a few months).

Cute huh? Think this picture tells the whole story? Nope. Collin had just finished freaking out. I don't even remember what we did, but I had to put him into time out for something, and he yelled and screamed and called me names for several minutes. Oh yeah.

So, this post is dedicated to my friend Jennifer, who has requested to know what "really is going on." And this blog post is definitely about "keepin' it real." Did we have a good trip? Definitely.

Were the kids angels? No way. Did they behave about as I'd expect? Yep. 

I'm a real mom now. I guess three (or maybe five, lol) really is the hump to for-real motherhood.

Flashback Friday

A long time ago,

(11 years)

in a faraway place,

(Arches National Park, Windows lookout)

Two almost-strangers intercepted.

And the rest is history.

July 2014

April 2003
My parents had come to Utah to celebrate my brother Sean's BYU graduation. As part of their long weekend, they took all their BYU student-children down to Moab and Arches National Park. We did a couple short strolls, including Windows lookout.

The following weekend - my parents were gone by then of course - I was back in Provo and noticed that a boy who I thought was cute had now parked his car across the street from our complex at an old rundown house instead of in his usual spot out my apartment window. (I may have been slightly stalker-ish...) That particular evening, I felt strangely pushed there by a force other than my own. I knocked on his door about 9pm. Luckily, he answered and didn't have a date over.

I said, "I saw your car parked over here. Have you moved?"

And he replied, "Yeah. So what did you think of Arches?"

I was shocked. "How do you know I was at Arches last weekend?"

He invited me into his awful living room, and we talked for a few hours on his awful couch. First, of course, we talked about Arches. The previous weekend this cute boy in my ward, Ryan Williams, had been training for his coming summer job as a tour guide to Japanese visitors. He happened to be headed towards the Windows lookout as my family was headed back to the parking lot.

I did not see him that day at Arches, but he saw me and said nothing.

After we sorted out the Arches "coincidence," we talked about just about everything - growing up, family, majors. We immediately felt comfortable together, and ended up spending much of the rest of the weekend together.

The following Monday, Ryan left to live in Las Vegas for the summer for this tour guide job. Because of my visit that evening and our immediate connection, we spoke frequently all summer and visited each other as often as we could.

By fall when he returned, we were engaged... and the house he now rented had been switched into another ward's boundaries. If I hadn't stopped by that night, we would have missed each other.

And all because we were both at the Windows lookout at Arches National Park at the same moment in April 2003.

***

Of course, during our trip to Arches last week we had to stop by the Windows lookout.

Fun story?

Milestones

COLLIN
This 5-1/2 year-old lost his first tooth!

It has been super wiggly since mid-May, and he quit eating with or brushing it. When we got home from vacation Thursday, I saw a black spot on the tooth and gum, and I freaked out. I was worried it was going to rot the permanent tooth underneath.

Luckily, Super Dad coaxed him into letting him tie a string around it that night, and... YANK! It was out. Thank goodness. We had corn on the cob to celebrate.

BRENNAN
This 3-1/2 year-old is - I say this cautiously - potty trained!

I have been trying and trying for the last four months to get this kid out of diapers, but he is super stubborn. He doesn't do anything that makes Mom happy.

So I read "Potty Training in One Day," and enlisted Super Dad (sensing a theme to this post?) to spend all day Saturday having potty parties. They drank sugar-filled juices and pops all day and ate candy after each success. Part of the book's idea was also that Brennan potty-trained his Curious George, because he is his "daddy." The other idea from the book was that after each accident Brennan had to do five "practice runs" pretending from different parts of the house that he needed to go and running as fast as he could to the toilet, removing his underwear, sitting on the toilet, dressing again and leaving. It was a great logical consequence for my little man.

Obviously, all the sugar consumption was completely against my thinking, but "my thinking" (sticker charts, cleaning up the mess, date rewards) had totally failed numerous times. Anyway, it worked and it's sticking so far, so I'd say with some kids (who are strong-willed and sugar-holics), it works.

ETHAN
This 9-month old can crawl AND has six teeth!

Eefie is 9 months today. Today's the day he's been "out for as long as he was in." He's adorable but certainly has developed an opinion. He knows what he wants, and he does all he can to get it. Since vacation, he screams each time I put him in his car seat, but hopefully that'll wear off at some point. He is barely nursing (3 times per day, just one side for 5 mins), but loves eating baby food and Cheerios. He sleeps 7pm - 5:30am and takes two 2-hour naps. He is probably my most curious baby so far. Yesterday I was trying to vacuum, and he kept crawling into the path trying to touch the light on the front. All my other children have been petrified by the loud noise, but he's not one to let fear get in his way. He grabs at everything and keeping him out of trouble has become my full-time job. He also puts everything into his mouth, which is to be expected at this age, but "everything" at our house (due to having older brothers) includes teeny legos, magnets, and - my worst find yet - a peanut. Man, I hope I can keep this little guy safe.