What I love most

About Eliza:  When her brother turns everything into a race and then proudly declares "I won!"  she will finish up a bit later and proudly say "I lost!" and she's every bit as happy and excited as he is.  Also, if you tell her a knock knock joke instead of saying "Who's there?"  she sings a long drawn out "Who iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssss it?" as if she's in the other room and someone rang the doorbell.

About Isaiah:  The way he is sometimes so literal about things.  I say "Isaaaaaaiah, stop saying you're going to poo on Eliza's head. I  told you talking about poo isn't polite."  "Okay, mom.....Eliza, I'm going to pee all over your head!" followed by genuine surprise when I still give him the mom look.

About Jerel:  I explained to him the Elf on a Shelf phenomenon, and showed him some Pinterest links to explain the over-the-topness of it all.  I asked if he thought it was something we should do.  "Until someone has done a longitudinal study showing a positive correlation between Elf on a Shelf and future success or increased intelligence levels, no."

Just our regular old life

Sometimes I feel like I have nothing to blog about since our days seem like they're filled with "nothing."  I'll spare everyone my new-found perspective on parenting and just suffice it to say that kids don't need to be doing fancy things, they just need to be with people who love them.

Extravagant birthday surprise aside, this is all Jerel actually got on his birthday.  And he didn't even notice it.  Of course this was another of those ideas where I'd forgotten that my children are not 12 years old--they definitely don't color inside the lines yet, which I realize I should cherish and embrace, but the uptight follow-the-rules rigidness in me doesn't allow that.  Yet.

This picture is called Why I Don't Shower.  It's just not worth it.  10 minutes, 1 lather-rinse-skip the repeat, and my kids have taken EVERY board game and card game we own and put them all in a HUGE pile.  It took me over 2 hours to put it all away.  (I think I was supposed to make them put it away to teach them responsibility or something, but I didn't have it in me to supervise, cajole, and manipulate them for the 14 hours it would have taken.  I'm a regular mom, not a super mom!)  

I still tend to forget Isaiah can read, but then sometimes I find him doing this and I love it!  Of course I find Eliza looking just like that too, but her book is always upside down and her "reading" is not only completely unrelated to what is written on the pages, but also generally unintelligible.  Isaiah is doing super well.  If you're in the learning-to-read phase, he reads Level 1 books just fine, needs help with a handful of words on a level 2, and will only agree to take turns on a Level 3 since they're longer and he needs more help.  I'm interested to see how he does in real preschool this fall.

Cute little Liza a few Sundays ago.  The first picture is her scrunchy nose that she does  when I tell her to smile.  I thought she looked especially lovely that day, and knew I better take a picture before 30 seconds went by, by which time she would have removed the pigtails.  Also, she wore this dress last summer--I'm loving her lack of growth (for wardrobe purposes, real life consequences I feel differently about).  

Here's Isaiah with his new $400 smile (that's how much the non-covered laughing gas cost for his extraction).  If you missed the story, he fell about two years ago, see Remember Back When Zay Had Teeth for a refresher.  So he went in for his regular checkup and the dentist noticed an abscess had formed in the gums above one of his front tooth.  She said so sweetly "If you remember when we talked about all of the possible outcomes at the time of his original injury, this is the one we referred to as the 'Worst Case Scenario.'"  Since it was infected, it had to come out.  Isaiah didn't care much, but I was devastated (in a motherly not-really-devastated kind of way, with just a touch of drama and hysterics).  

The dentist showed him her telephone that connects directly to the tooth fairy, and Zay suggested she tell the tooth fairy he would like a green and blue monster truck left under his pillow.  The dr. looked at me questioningly, and I nodded my assent, and then a minute later realized I'd set the bar way too high.  Enter:  long explanation to Isaiah about how the tooth fairy brings cooler presents when you have to get your tooth pulled, but when you just lose one the regular way it's just a dollar.  Phew, just saved myself hundreds!

Anyway, the extraction appointment went fine.  He was laughing pretty much the whole time, and remembers none of it.  And the tooth fairy came through on her promise of a monster truck.  And now I'm not the only one in my house who has had teeth pulled, although I'm still ahead by 16 teeth...

I made this outfit for Eliza last year and, well, it's my favorite.  I love it!  I love the colors, I love the layers, I love the bordering-on-annoying fabric patterns, I love it all!  Anyway, the modesty police (Jerel, in our family, since I think she looks super cute in short little skirts that are totally inappropriate) said it was time for this one to go.  It looks plenty long here, but it really barely covers her diaper in the back (of course the diaper is covered by an equally adorable diaper cover, but still).  So I took her outside for a farewell photo shoot, let her wear it to church one last time, and will now be parting with it.  I can't wait for tax season to end so I can make her something new!

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

When Jerel got to his car to leave for work Thursday morning, he was greeted with this sign.  He later said he almost ignored it and just went to work anyway, which is precisely why I added "Not kidding." to the sign.  I could just picture him rolling his eyes wondering what annoying thing I was doing that was going to make him late for work.

Surprise #1:  Doesn't this look like a guy who just received exciting news?!  When Jerel went to his car, I ran in and woke up Isaiah and told him the plan (I hadn't told the kids ahead of time because I didn't fully trust in their secret-keeping abilities).  Anyway, so I told Isaiah that when daddy came in to tell him what was up.  So here's Jerel while Isaiah tells him that we're going to get on an airplane and go see Grandma and Grandpa.  Today.  Jerel responded by jumping in the air, fist-pumping....oh wait....he stood there and said things like "for real?"  and "huh."

Here they are at the airport.  Isaiah got off every moving walkway and escalator with a huge both-feet jump.  Eliza was a little more timid, but still enjoyed it.

Daddy and his little ones watching airplanes while we wait to board our flight.

Our motto for the flight was Divide and Conquer.  But soon after take-off both kids decided they wanted to sit with daddy.  So while Jerel entertained the two of them, I sat stretched out on my empty row reading a book.

 

Surprise #2:  Here's Jerel at his surprise birthday lunch at Olive Garden.  I had to make sure we didn't get there too early, so I told him we better stop to buy diaper wipes.  I went in by myself and he stayed in the car with the kids.  I got the wipes and then started texting everyone to see if they were all at the restaurant yet.  It took forever!  I paced the cookie aisle, and texted Jerel out in the car to tell him I was really sick in the bathroom and sorry it was taking me so long....I finally got word that everyone was there so I had a miraculous healing take place and we headed over.  Jerel thought we were just eating with his parents, and he was annoyed that we were going to Olive Garden at 11am (still breakfast time in his mind), and he was annoyed that we were going to Olive Garden when we had just eaten there on Thursday (I had tried to talk him out of going on Thursday, to no avail).  When he was greeted with a huge bouquet of black balloons, and 35 or so family members all clad in black, I think he understood why I insisted on going.  (Although he didn't notice everyone was in all black until it was pointed out to him...)

Surprise #3:  Birthday Party....The original plan was to have dinner at Olive Garden at 5:30, followed by a surprise party at Jeff's at 7:00.  After I had sent out invitations to the surprise party, I found at that Olive Garden wouldn't take a group of our size at dinner time; in fact 11am was the only time they would do it.  So we had a weird lag in between festivities, but that's okay.  Jeff & Nicole did an awesome job decorating their place!

Jeff made this awesome tombstone cake for the party.  It took him 15 hours, and it turned out just perfect!  I was quite impressed!  Plus, it actually tasted good, unlike some of those cool-looking ones you buy that are really only good to look at. 

 

 

 

 

Here's the family-only photo from his surprise party.  His 4 siblings and their spouses, his parents, his gorgeous wife & children, and all 17 1/2 nieces and nephews were there.  They even hid and then all jumped out and yelled "Surprise!"  It was perfect!  (Jerel thought we were just going to hang out with Jeff and watch a movie).

Karee and Dave put together an awesome video for the party.  It started with a slideshow of photos from Jerel's childhood, including his teenage years and his infamous Depeche Mode hybrid hairdo (he liked several different band members' haircuts, so he just incorporated them all into one.)  After the photos was video of his siblings and parents sharing memories from his childhood.  Highlighted memories:  Jerel pushing (or not pushing, depending on who you ask) his brother from the back of a moving pick-up truck; Jerel filling the fence post hole (his dad had just dug) with water and then jumping in with Ryan; and my least favorite, Jerel consulting with Jake's wife (also named Mandy Atkinson) to see if he should break up with me since if we got married it would make two Mandy's in one family....Fortunately Mandy told him "the more Mandy's the merrier!" and so here we are coming up on our 7-year anniversary.  (This brings up another question for me:  I was referred to during the visit as "the other Mandy."  Mandy says it's because she joined the family first; I say I'm the original Mandy because I'm older than her (if only by 16 days).)

Jerel had a reserved seat for the party in this walker.  It was so fun to have everyone together for his party; Karee even made him a book version of the slideshow (sans the interviews, obviously) so he has a fabulous keepsake of the event.  So there you have it, surprise surprise surprise!  I can't believe we pulled it off!  The only one to slip and mention the upcoming trip and parties was.....ME.....I talk in my sleep and a few weeks ago I was talking to him all about how I was planning a surprise trip for someone for their birthday....luckily he didn't get suspicious!  All those months of babysitting for $3 an hour, and giving sewing lessons, were definitely worth it.  (I didn't want to buy the tickets from family budget money; that made it seem like he was buying his own present)  Jerel mentioned that it must've taken a lot of babysitting to get the plane tickets and such; I told him I did it because I love him a lot.  And I do.

Halloween--Curious George & The Man with the Yellow Hat

Last year I took a break from the insanity involved in making Halloween costumes, but this year I was back on duty.  I really wanted them to have costumes that went together and I decided to let Isaiah choose.  I was thinking something classic like Rageddy Ann and Andy.  Instead he chose Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat.  I tried encourage HIM to be the man and letting Eliza be curious george, but to no avail.  I guess either way Eliza would've ended up cross-dressing...

We went to trunk-or-treat at our old ward AND our new ward.  And on Halloween I took the kids over to our friend Elizabeth's house.  She's in our neighborhood and has a six-year-old daughter.  She invites several families over for pizza dinner and lots of desserts followed by trick-or-treating.  So I headed over while Jerel pretended to stay home and hand out candy so that our new neighbors wouldn't think we were lame-o's.  In actuality he sat at home with the lights off playing his computer game...

Eliza liked trick-or-treating this year.  She would knock and even say "chick-a-cheat" and hold her little bucket up for a treat.  Isaiah was good for a couple of blocks and then ripped off his costume and climbed into the stroller.  I would've thought his love for chocolate would've encouraged him to press on, but it didn't.  So Eliza bravely went by herself!  I stayed back at the sidewalk and let her go up--I try to encourage them to be independent.  But after one scary house (decorations, dark music, etc.) she wouldn't go by herself anymore.  So we came home, turned on the lights, and handed out some candy.  Oh, and I should mention that although their costumes are adorable, Isaiah was disappointed that his costume has a tail (Curious George doesn't have one which, curiously, means he is not actually a monkey).  And Eliza didn't like wearing her yellow hat that I so cleverly designed, so people thought she was a banana or a witch or they just weren't quite sure what (especially since Isaiah was hiding in the stroller, thus leaving out the Curious George clue).  All in all a success, just don't ask about pumpkin carving...

The kids love standing on the windowsills in the living room and looking outside.

Here they are with their addiction--the iPad.  Even when Eliza finally gets a turn, Isaiah is always leaning over her pushing buttons and telling her what to do!

Getting ready to move

Here's Eliza and Isaiah on their last day of nursery in our old ward.  This is Lorrie Soelberg, one of their teachers.  Christie Hammer wasn't there that day.  My kids loved both of them, and so did I!  They did wonderful things with the kids and somehow kept them happy while also getting them pretty well trained for a transition into Primary, which happens in January for Isaiah.  Also key to their happiness and success in nursery was their music teacher Sister Turner.  She used to be the Primary President, so I worked with her for a number of years there.  She's pretty much the perfect person to do music with the little ones!  She had all kinds of props and pictures and things.  I knew she was wonderful when my kids started singing songs that I had never sung to them before.  Isaiah will always remember her as the one who taught him that Jesus wears a blue coat...Zay loves blue and he kept telling me that Sister Turner says Jesus wears blue.  After some investigation Joan and I figured out that one of the songs they sing has a picture cue that shows Christ with a blue robe over his shoulder.

 While we were busy packing, the kids were busy making Truck Soup.  They stir it all up and then have Jerel and I taste it "too salty" or "not enough hot wheels" or "too much monster truck" and they'd run off to make a new mixture.  Of course it had to be refrigerated...

I just want to say one more time:  I hate packing.

 Here are the moving trucks arriving.  The second one was pretty much empty, but since they had charged us for it I think they felt obligated to drive it over to the new house.  It was so much better than a ward move!  I just sat down by the garage and told them where things went (the boxes were all labeled, but furniture and other things weren't).

First meal in the new home.

Roommates

It's been a while since I've had roommates, but I learned so many good things from them so that in some ways they are still with me.  Not the least of which is popcorn with m&m's.  I love it!  The m&m's get all warm and melty, and I love the sweet/salty combination.  So thanks Megan Preston-Kellems!