Sam's sleeping solved

I've struggled Sam's whole life getting him to go to sleep; I finally just read something that brought it all home for me...

"Different kids require different amounts of sleep. Recent research has shown that brighter children, particularly gifted children, may not need as much sleep as others. Too bad. They are bright enough that they may be more of a problem when they're awake. In reality, God has deteremined how much sleep kids need- and it varies from child to child." (Parenting with Love and Logic, p. 115)

Take it or leave it.... I'm going to take it! :)

Brotherly Love

I sure hope this lasts. Sam loves Will so much, and Will loves him.

motherhood and make-up

Ever wonder what a two-year old looks like when he does his mascara himself? Check Sam out if you were wondering. He's so cute....
I've read so many tender quotes lately that are such a reminder to me of how to be a good mother. Sometimes I get so caught up in cleaning, cooking, and unimportant things that I forget how simple motherhood should be. Children just need us more than they a "perfect" life.

"Enjoy your toddler! Although it may seem at times that they will never grow up, they always do. The long, seemingly endless days will gradually be replaced by days with not enough hours in them. Children who once needed you for everything will need you less and less, and the days of leisurely walks, playdough and afternoon naps will be a warm and fuzzy memory. My hope is that both you and your child will have many happy hours of playing, growing, and learning together."

"If I had to raise my child over again,
I'd fingerpaint more and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting and connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and serious play.
I'd run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love."

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear."

The things Will loves

Will is such a lovable baby, and he is starting to have a few loves of his own...
*he loves laying on his back and grabbing his toes; he is so fascinated by it and soooo cute.
*he loves sucking on Sam's fingers, and you know Sam loves sticking his fingers in Will's mouth. I guess it's ok for brothers to share germs!
*he loves being held; he loves for anyone to hold him but he especially loves Mom and Dad
*he loves being held in the air by Pete; I just hold my breath and remind myself that Dad's play differently with their children than moms do!
*he loves his cousin Jade; they met for the first time this week.
*most of all, he still loves smiling, and he's doing it all the time. We are so happy that he finally is smiling and responding so much.

it's great to be 2

I definately have a 2 year old!! He is growing so quickly I can't believe it!! He is saying so many cute things, being soooo smart, and getting into all kinds of mischief. Just to recall a few things this week...
*he colored the closet doors in Will's room with crayons. Any tips on how to remove crayons from closet doors???
*he told me today that "I love blue." ok, thank you, Sam
*he desperately wants to be potty trained. Every time he dirtied his diaper this week he would take it off and try to dump it down the toilet. That has been fun!! We are really going to give this potty training thing a try. I have no idea what I'm doing. Help please.
*he's so smart. I have no idea who told him this... He has a shirt that says "Trouble is my middle name" Grandpa Dennis asked him yesterday when he was wearing the shirt what it said. Sam responded "it says I naughty." Whoever out there is telling him he's naughty please stop because he's understanding too much.
*he thinks everything is funny. He's constantly asking me if things are funny. Today he was watching Ice Age, and he was laughing his head off. He kept saying "animals funny!!" It's weird to see him have a sense of humor. He doesn't think Pete is funny though. He was on his funny kick, so Pete asked him if he thought he was funny and he looked at him squarely and said "NO" Don't feel bad Pete, Sam is always telling me to stop singing and dancing!!!
*my favorite thing of all was what he said to Will. Yesterday I was making dinner and Will was in his swing in the kitchen fussing a little. I asked Sam to go tell him everything would be ok, so Sam went to him and told him it was ok and mumbled some other things. Then he said "Hey, do you want to go run around?" It was so cute!! I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

I sure do love Sam; I cherish every moment and I'm enjoying him so much again.

our family's week in review

We had somewhat of an eventful week.
*We got our first real snow, and Sam loved it. All he wanted to do was be outside running in it and eating it. Will enjoyed it, too, but he enjoyed it from in the house.

*One random thing with Will was this silly rash. He just woke up one morning with this rash all over and by the end of the day it was covering his whole body. I called my PA friend and she helped me conclude that it was probably just a virus and that he would be fine. It was gone the next day. I thought, here we go again, another kid that's allergic to everything!!

*Pete sprained his ankle at work this week and it got pretty nasty. He's feeling much better now. I wish the picture did justice. He wasn't the only one hobbling around this week. I feel like I broke my toe. I was running into Will's trying to stop Sam from climbing into Will's bed right on top of him; Calvin got in my path, and I tripped and kicked the door. OUCH!!

*Will had his first full day at Amy's house on Thursday while I worked. I hated to leave him, but he did fine. I don't know how Amy handles all the kids, but she does great. We want our kids close, and they are.

*Sam has been trying his hand at hair; he has used almost a whole tub of pomade on his hair. His hair was a sticky mess, and he had it standing straight up. He thought that would be a great time to cut it. He used the clippers to cut out a chunk of hair. Thankfully I caught him before too much damage, and thankfully he had it "styled" like he did because you can't see where he cut when his hair is down. I knew it would just be a matter of time.

We had lots of fun times just hanging out as a family; we find ourselves doing alot of that. However, we did go out with some friends to dinner and the rec center to swim. Don't worry I didn't get in a swimming suit!! That body is long gone!! It was fun watching the kids though.
Just another great week for our family...

recipe sharing

I love to cook, and I love trying new recipes. I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite, creative recipes. Give them a try, let me know what you think, and feel free to share your recipes with me. I get tired of eating the same old things over and over. The recipe I'm posting today is one I've used for awhile. It's different, but it has a great flavor. This time I made it a little spicier than normal, and Sam was practically drinking the sauce and saying "I love it." He loves it spicy just like me. Let me know if you try it.

Enchiladas Negras (A Yucatan recipe)

2 lbs mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilies 1 1/2 c. green salsa verde
1 small onion, finely chopped 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 tsp cumin 1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. vegetable or chicken broth 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp cornstarch 12 corn tortillas (6 1/2- 7 in.)

1. In a 5 qt. pan, combine mushrooms, chilies, onion, cumin, and 1/2 c. broth. Bring to a simmer over med.-high heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are juicy and limp, 12-15 min. Uncover, increase heat, and stir often until vegetables are dry and beginning to brown, about 20 min. BE SURE TO STIR OFTEN OR THEY WILL BURN AND STICK!!
2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch with remaining 1 c. broth. Add sour cream and whisk to blend. Add to mushroom mixture and stir until boiling, 1-3 minutes.
3. In a blender, whirl beans, salsa, and enchilada sauce.
4. Pour 1 1/2 cups bean sauce into 9x13 baking dish. Stack 6 tortillas and cut in half. Lay 6 of the halves in casserole straight edges against casserole sides, then overlap 3 whole tortillas to completely cover bottom. Scrape mushroom mixture onto tortillas and spread level. Fit straight edges of remaining tortilla halves against casserole sides then overlap remaining whole tortillas to cover filling. Pour remaining black bean sauce over tortillas and spread to coat.
5. Bake in 350 oven until sauce is bubbling, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted, 3-5 min.
6. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Serve and enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving in Park City. We spent the weekend in a beautiful condo in Park City with Pete's family. We loved being together, and we had a great time. We watched lots of movies, played games, ate lots of food, sat in the hot tub, a little shopping, and lots of good conversating and hanging out. I can't believe how the weekend seemed to change Sam; it was as if he grew up while we were there. He loved playing with cousins on their level, and he started talking so much in sentences, too. He just doesn't seem like a baby anymore!! Will loved it, too. He's so mild for everyone and loves to be held. Pete and I loved it, too. We got the privelage of having the huge master bedroom and bath all to ourselves; it was quite an improvement from where we normally end up on familly vacations. :)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the time I can spend on this day thinking about all I'm thankful for. I have realized what a wonderul life I've always had. As an adult I'm grateful for the ability to better understand my childhood and the people that were in it. I'm just so thankful for the efforts and concerns that everyone in my life has always had for me. As always, I'm so thankful for my family (parents, grandparents, siblings, husband, children, and in-laws); each one has touched my life in such a valuable way. I came away from this weekend wanting to live with more gratitude. I don't want to be so uptight all the time and try harder to just embrace the wonderful life I have.

Will is rolling over

Well, Will is finally starting to do baby things. He started rolling over yesterday. Sam and I put him on the floor and were encouraging him to roll over and he did. Sam and I were clapping and encouraging him so much that he kept doing it again. It's fun to share these moments together. I savor every minute because I'm learning how quickly they pass.

weekend getaway

We took off with our friends The Linfords for a weekend trip to St. George. Their family has a condo there, so we all just stayed there. We had a great time. All we did was hang out, swim, shop, eat, sleep, stay up late talking, and we did venture to Snow Canyon for a picnic and hike. They have 2 girls ages 3 & 4 and a little boy named Will only 33 days younger than our Will. Sam loved the girls; he followed them constantly and by the end of the trip he was trying to pick the girls up. The whole ride home he was asking for "the new house and the girls." Gosh, girl crazy already and already wanting a new house!! Will had a great time with his new friend Will, too. We put them in the floor together, and they both loved it. They were both kicking like crazy, and our Will kept holding their Will's hand. It was cute. Pete & I had a great time, too. We were up until 1:00 every night talking and playing games with our friends. It's easy to forget how wonderful adult company and conversation is; we had to savor every second.We played scrabble one night, and that was fun until Pete kicked all our butts. :)
Just a reminder of how important it is to get away; a break brings so much refreshment to our life that everyday seems so much better after that.




Sam and Will sharing our bed

happy now?

Sam has been asking me the most interesting question that has caused me to think alot. He will do something, anything (eat, change his clothes, bring me a toy, etc.) and then ask me "Mommy, happy now?" I wish I understood his thought process and what he is feeling on the inside everytime he asks me that. I have found myself asking inside if I am really happy and thinking about the things that really do make me happy. I have decided that I need to be a happier person and I need to focus on the things that really do bring happiness. Be sure to take the poll on the left so I can learn about the kinds of things that make people happy. Some of my favorite happiness quotes...

"Happiness is not in things."

"Happiness is not getting what you want, it's wanting what you have."

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

"The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances."

Maybe Sam should ask us all, "happy now?" and hopefully we can all answer that we are.

kids say the funniest things!!

Sam has sure started talking alot; he has said a few things in the last few days that have given us a chuckle. A few days ago Pete was bothering Sam by spinning him around and he wasn't liking it much. He was screaming and yelling "No, Snookie, No!" It was so funny to hear him calling Pete snookie like I do.
Yesterday Sam came and got me when Will woke up from his nap; he said "Mommy, Sugar is awake." That was also funny to hear him call Will "Sugar" just like I do. Just another reminder that children really do learn and repeat everything they hear, so we all need to be careful!!
A sad/cute thing Sam said today was to Pete. He wanted to call Pete on the phone this morning, and he said "Pete, please come back home." I guess he was really missing his dad after not seeing him yesterday (Pete was working at the candy store last night, and Sam was already in bed when he got home.)

Will is 4 months!!

I can't believe how quickly time flies!! Will was 4 months old on Sunday. He had his 4 month appointment yesterday. Everything was great. He's still just a little guy, but the babies grow so quickly normally that I'm grateful to have a little baby for so much longer than normal. He only weighed 11 lb. 8 oz.; that puts him in only the 3rd percentile for weight. He was 25 inches long which was the 50th percentile. He just has a little head and was only in the 6th percentile for head size; now that's quite a change from Sam in the 95th percentile!! Dr. Durham made sure I knew that Will is healthy. He will just spend the first year catching up from being born early. He also kept pointing out what a beautiful baby he is; I would certainly agree, but can you blame a mother?

let's get this started

I guess it's time that I get with this technology world and finally start a blog. Maybe my sister will think I'm cooler!! :)