Down in Fraggle Rock

We got a new computer yesterday with a camera built in. So now since I have my own personal photo booth, you can see exactly what I look like when I post my blogs. And that's the exact face I'm making while I'm typing.

I went in for a hair cut on Saturday and wanted something new. Being pregnant, there's not much I can do to add a little spice to my look. Spicy maternity clothes are hard to come by. And with my feet swollen to a size 11 wide, I can't even add a little fashion in my footwear. Except for a great pair of black and white polka dot church shoes...which were a sweet find...I don't leave the house without flip flops or something of the sort. So my hair is all I have. And I don't have a lot to work with. As a dear college room mate once pointed out, I have "low quality" hair. I've been sick of looking ten years older than I am. People who tend to compliment my hair are much closer to my moms age than my own. I needed change. And short hair really isn't the look of twenty-somethings these days, but it's my only option. So since the rest of my family is currently sporting the faux hawk, I thought I'd join the Smith family rage and sport the feminine version myself. The picture is from the side and you don't quite get the whole effect, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'm still trying to figure out how to fix it and get it to stand up just the right amount. I'm a little nervous it won't grow out well. But I think I'm on the right track. And If I'm not, at least it makes my face appear thinner.

Spencer graduated Magna Cum Laude this weekend and is now the proud owner of a master's degree. Graduation was a little long in a small stadium seat not quite big enough for an eight month pregnant wife of a graduate. I had to sit there for nearly four hours and since Parker and I were Spencer's only fans there, I couldn't even leave early or have anyone to save my seat while I stretched my legs. It was a rotten few hours, but worth it for all the work Spencer's put in. I'm proud of him myself. And to graduate with such a fantastic GPA from such a great school is quite an accomplishment.

Does anyone remember Fraggle Rock? Thanks to Columbus Public Library, we have (temporarily) in our possession season 1 on DVD. We've checked it out a few times now. My kids love it. Who knew Fraggle Rock would turn out to be a timeless classic? But with a theme song like theirs, they deserve to be a classic. I think I'd like to adopt it as my new motto in life. So I'll close my blog with words to live by from the Fraggles:

Dance your cares away.
Worries for another day.
Let the music play.
Down in Fraggle Rock.

Notes From the Complaint Department

Now that delivery is less than 5 weeks away, it's once again time for a complaint. Well not A complaint, as in one...I have lots of complaining to do.

First of all, we're having nastier weather than Ohio has seen in decades. Not only is the heat through the roof, but so is the humidity. I break a sweat just getting my mail...and my mail box is just a half an arms length from my front door. I hate to leave my house at all. I was warned that summer pregnancy can get unbearable, but I had no idea what to expect. And humidity is so much worse than dry heat. There's no escaping it. It follows you under the shade and into the house and everywhere. I'm hoping all my extra swelling is a direct result of this awful weather and not extra weight gain. I'm cottage cheese from chipmunk cheeks to my elephant ankles. It's seriously the grossest thing I've ever seen...reason number two for not wanting to leave the house. I hope that after the baby is born and cooler weather starts setting in, I see some drastic changes. If I find out all this fat is regular, everyday fat, I'll have to take drastic measures. Too bad I don't have another gall bladder that needs to be removed. But thank goodness for living far away from friends and family. That gives me a little time to loose some weight before I have to face anyone. And, no one has to see me in this horrifying state.

And if only the heat and swelling were all of it. My Braxton Hicks contractions are really taking off. So much so that we're considering Braxton for our sons first name. Not that they are completely debilitating or anything compared to labor. It's just a lot of serious discomfort. Then there's the acid indigestion and the nausea and vomiting...since when does morning sickness start in the third trimester? And of course the aches and pains in parts of the body you never knew existed pre-pregnancy. I'm living off prescription medication these days to dry to get some of this under control.

I remember being pregnant with Parker and thinking how miserable and exhausting pregnancy was. I had no idea. Being pregnant while having no other kids, or even one other is a cake walk compared to keeping up with two small kids during my eighth month of pregnancy. We'll see if I ever make it past three kids. If pregnancy with two is this bad, how bad must pregnancy with three be? My house is a disaster. The laundry sits in baskets for days before it gets folded. I've resulted to using paper plates...which is stooping pretty low for a dish lover like me. I can clean the bathroom, but not the bottom of the tub because I just can't reach. A lot of cleaning is getting seriously neglected. Yet another reason to live away from family and friends during pregnancy...no one has to see quite how sloppy I live.

And if that weren't enough, I'm highly irritable and impatient this time around. Which explains my rants about pregnancy. All my complaining certainly is not making it any easier. I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. Somehow getting out of the house and doing something for myself tends to boost my spirits. Only an hour or so of staring at my fat face may not help this time. There are a lot of cute skinny girls there. Wish me luck.

The last few weeks of pregnancy can never go fast enough.

Tough Questions, Tougher Answers

Memories from Halloweens past:

Is it a little too early to be thinking about Halloween costumes? Maybe for most people, but good costumes are important to me. And besides that, I'm thinking I really ought to start on costumes now. I'll have three to make this year and Halloween is only two months away. And right in the middle of the next two months, I'm having another baby. Considering that the baby will only be a month old by Halloween, will I really have enough time on my hands between delivery and costume time? I doubt it. So for me...it's not too early.

I got this brilliant idea that Parker would be just about the cutest little golfer ever. And what an easy costume. Plus, a little out of the ordinary. And pieces like a polo shirt or argyle socks could be used again. Not to mention he gets some toy golf clubs out of it...brilliant. And while my kids are young, I like to dress them in themed costumes. Like last year...a pirate and parrot. I thought maybe Reid could be a caddy or a golf tee or something and a baby would make a great golf ball. OR I think Parker looks a little like Chicken Little and Reid would be a pretty cute Runt (his pig friend). I can see that turning out pretty cute as well.


But Parker is way too opinionated. At age three, he wants nothing to do with such a plan. He wants only to be a monster (the Frankenstein kind of monster). He'll have nothing to do with anything else. So do I continue with themed costumes? I suppose we could go for the classic spooky Halloween characters. Reid could be a mummy and the baby a vampire or skeleton or something. Truthfully, Reid would make a good mummy. It seems a little too cliche for me. But as classic as these costumes are, my boys would be among the few monsters out there. These days, if it's not a character costume, it's original. So do I go with the classic Halloween theme? or just forgo themed costumes and make them each something different? I do think a baby would make a cute caterpillar...like the fat Bugs Life kind.

While it may seem trivial, these are tough questions for a girl like me. There is no easy answer and Halloween is something I really don't want to screw up. Now if I could just put as much thought into naming our next child as I do into Halloween costumes, I'd be set. That's right. Baby number 3 is only 5 weeks from arrival and we're still playing the name game. What should we name this kid? We have atleast discussed it at this point and a couple of superhero names have actually made the list. Optimus Prime being at the top. Spencer and I have sat down three different nights to discuss it and three times Spencer has been snoring before we were finished narrowing it down. I get so frustrated with his lack of enthusiasm and interest, that I never want to discuss it with him. But slowly, our list is getting shorter. I'm at the point I need to pull the list out every night for the next few weeks and we should be set by the time the baby comes.

I'm not the kind that needs to be settled on a name before the baby is born. Neither of my boys had a name for a couple of days. Reid was decided on as we were leaving the hospital. I just want to narrow it down to a few and decide when we see him. I'd ideally like to have a couple of months to say those few names over and over in my head and out loud a few times to make sure I don't get sick of them. I unfortunately can not afford that luxury this time. Maybe I can settle for a few weeks. Wish us luck.

And speaking of unanswered questions...Why do I keep finding the mustard in unusual places around our house over the past few weeks? I caught the culprit red handed on Sunday. Reid is too little to open the fridge and Parker insisted he didn't do it...and he's good about fessing up when he did something. He's too young to consider lying about it. But on Sunday, I saw it happen. It is Reid. He waits until the fridge is almost closed and my back (or in this case, Spencer's back) is turned. Then he reaches is little hand in the fridge door and snatches the mustard right out of the fridge before it closes then takes off faster than you can notice anything happened. What a nut. And why the mustard?

The Care Bear Stare

So we checked out a Care Bear movie from the library last week (a little girly, I know, but I wasn't doing the picking and there's no use arguing with a 3 year old). So Parker has become Grumpy Bear and Reid FunShine Bear the past couple of days. Parker even included mom and dad in this one and I am now Too Loud Bear and Spencer is Messy Bear. I know those sound like made-up Care Bear names, but they are on the movie. Parker seems to have completely forgotten that I am Mom and calls me Too-Loud Bear all the time, even though he is Superman again.

This is not the point of my post. A couple days ago, I got a brilliant idea to get out the washable markers and draw their Care Bear tummy symbols on their cute little bellies. They thought that was the most awesome thing ever. So score a point for Mom. But now that it's two days and two baths later and there is still a hint of marker on their bellies, I'm not so sure I'm deserving of scoring that point. Not that it really matters and it is washing off, but they had doctor's appointments today. And it's a little embarassing that it was me and not them drawing on their bellies. I thought maybe I could just pretend it was them, but these perfect little pictures tatooed across their abs could never pass for a three year olds art work.

Aside from the unusual markings on their bellies, the appointment went well. Parker and Reid measured in respectively at 39in and 36in tall. Reid is catching up fast. Now that he's upright and the trauma of loosing a foot is over, he's really growing and loosing some of that baby fat. Reid is in the 95 % for height and 75% for weight, while Parker is 75% for height and 95% for weight. Which is a little hard for me to grasp. I think Reid is short and fat and Parker is tall and skinny. I guess that's not quite the case, but all in all, it's a pretty good report card.

Out Past Curfew

On Monday night, I experienced my first "girls night out" since I moved to Columbus over 4 years ago (no, Young Women activities don't count). It's not that I haven't done anything with other women, it just usually revolves around our children. I did have a visit from a fantastic college roommate, Heidi. And there's always the occasional visit from mom. As fun as those times are, they are few and far between. They don't make up for real life, accessible friends. An old friend I had served with in Young Women for three years moved away and was back for a visit. She got a group of women together. So it wasn't the women I assocciate most with. In fact, I was the only one in my twenties and still bearing children. But it didn't matter. I haven't laughed and enjoyed myself in that way...they way you do with all women and no children...for way too long. We went to dinner and sat there until the restaurant closed. Since we certainly weren't finished enjoying our time, we went out for ice cream and sat there until after the doors were locked and they kicked us out. And we got back to the house were we all met and stood by our cars for a few more hours. By that time it was really late and everything was funny and we just laughed. By the time I got home, I had to tip-toe in the house. I felt like I was sneaking in and had to have and excuse for being home past "curfew." It was nearly 1:30am, but well worth it. Heaven knows I don't get any sleep these days anyway.

There's no therapy like a girls night out.

Alter Egos

Parker has taken on a few alter egos this week. Actually, it started a little over a week ago when he insisted he was no longer Parker, he is now Superman. He doesn't just have moments where he's pretending to be Superman. He's Superman all the time. When we're out and someone asks him his name, he replies in complete seriousness, "Superman." When I ask him to do something, he won't do it until I ask Superman to do it. It's like he's completely tuned out to 'Parker.' It's as if he doesn't know who Parker is. When I say "I love you Parker" or "Thanks Parker" or anything to that effect, he gets mad and tells me he's Superman. So that went on for week, and then he started branching out. He's still Superman most of the time. A couple of times he's been Curious George. But my favorite and by far the most unusual, is Al Roker. He's been Al Roker the past two days. Yesterday I called to Parker at the top of the indoor playground and he announced that it was not him, but Al Roker driving the spaceship. The rest of the parents there got a kick out of that one. He found an atlas this morning and has been carrying it around the house telling me where it's going to be a "hot and rainy day." He also repeats regular phrases of Al Rokers. He's such a nut. I always hoped I would have a kid who did funny things like this. And I'm glad I do, but it is a little difficult keeping his alter egos straight.

While Parker has been busy personifying these characters, Reid has taken on an alter ego of his own. Maybe not an alter ego, but he's playing a serious game of "Do As I'm Doing" with Parker. Since they've been in the same room, Reid has followed Parker around mimicing his every move. If Parker gets out of bed, Reid does. If Parker wants chocolate milk, Reid does. If Parker sets his blanket somewhere, Reid puts his right next to Parkers. If Parker sets his sippie on a shelf, Reid will put his there, too, even if it means climbing to reach that shelf. If Parker is playing with his bear, Reid has to get his. Reid inevitably wants every toy Parker has. So I guess if Parker is busy being someone else, at least we have Reid here to be Parker. Now we just have to find someone to be Reid.

These boys keep me busy.

One Foot Advantage

I was bathing the boys the other day and they were sticking the plastic cups they play with in the bath tub on their feet. When Reid put the cup on his stump, it went all the way up to his knee. And we all thought that was pretty awesome. So then I started to think about all the other advantages of having only one foot and a prosthetic leg (which goes clear up to his knee).

• When he wears a cup on his foot it goes all the way up to his knee


• If ever he wants to be a pirate for Halloween, he'll make a great peg-leg


• At play group this afternoon an older kid referred to it as a robot leg


• He can only get a sunburn on one leg


• He has 5 less toenails to clip (and it's not an easy task clipping a 1 year olds toenails)


• He has one less foot to wash and dry at bathtime


• If he steps in a puddle with shoes and socks on, he only has to experience that sloshy discomfort with one foot


• When he plays in the snow, only one foot will be unbearably cold


• If he steps on something sharp with his prosthetic, he won't bleed


• His foot sits on a stand when he sleeps


• It won't hurt when he stubs his toe


• If ever he gets in a fight, as boys do, he has a secret weapon (it hurts pretty bad to get kicked by that thing...so far he hasn't done it on purpose, but he'll soon learn)


• People freak out when you pull his leg off to go through airport security


• He'll be able to play awesome tricks on people

• He only has half the chance of developing foot problems (ingrown toenails, athletes foot, corns, planters warts, and all the other gross diseases of the foot)
  

• When he's been wearing shoes with no socks, only one foot stinks


• He's the only kid in nursery who has one


• According to the latest Olympic debate, he'll have the "advantage" in athletics


• If you ever get paired with him in a three legged race, it will be more like a two legged race.

• He'll win any standing or hopping on one leg contest


• His legs are two different colors


• If (heaven forbid) he decides to wrestle in high school, it will be easy for him to "drop weight" - He can just take his foot off

• He can't sprain or break his ankle
  

These are all the advantages I could think of in just 5 minutes. Given more time, I 'm sure there are many more to list. It's pretty awesome. He's doing so well.

Water Works

I took the boys to play in the water fountain at the mall this morning.

It was enjoyable as always.

By the way, the boys went down for bed a few minutes before 8:00pm last night without a peep and didn't get up until 6:30 this morning. Between night time and naps, Reid is getting a little less sleep than normal, but not bad to have a routine down by night 3 of sharing a room.

And, thanks everyone for superhero name input. We've had a lot of laughs reading the lists. Keep the names coming.
We still haven't made a decision.

In Utero

I had another ultrasound this afternoon. I considered posting a picture, but someone else's ultrasound pictures never really mean anything to anyone else. Plus, who really wants to see a picture of the inside of my uterus anyway? The whole pregnancy thing really isn't as awesome and beautiful to me as it should be. Not that I don't think it's miraculous. I'm amazed that you can plant a seed and get a tomato, let alone a person. It's just that I think it's a little disturbing to have a little person living inside of me. I'm at the point where the baby moves all the time and every kick just reminds me that there is a human in my abdomen.

So as to not sound ungrateful, I am so blessed to have had two and 2/3 healthy pregnancies so far. I am so glad that struggling to get pregnant or carrying a child to term are not trials I've had to bear. Even though it weirds me out, it is a miracle and I love motherhood - post-pregnancy. Or maybe more like post 12 months or maybe 18. Sometimes I think I'd be willing to deliver a 32 pound baby if he came out as old as Reid...walking, sleeping, communicating, feeding himself and attending nursery. Although, my babies tend to be pretty near that big anyway. This baby weighs 1.2 pounds more than a normal baby at 31 weeks. He looks like a baby a full two weeks older than he is. You'd think that'd be good news and maybe I'll deliver early, but judging by past experience, it means nothing.

We still have no ideas for a baby name. Well I can't say no ideas. We did read over lists of names last night but before we were finished going through lists, Spencer was snoring. Not because I made him read over lists at three in the morning since I'm awake all night anyway. It was only 9:00, but it's just that boring and we just don't agree. It's been drawn to our attention that both of our boys have names of superheros secret identities. (Peter PARKER - Spiderman and REID Richards - Mr. Fantastic) So if anyone knows any good superhero names, maybe you could send them our way to keep up this theme. Otherwise, we'll have to stick with Bruce Wayne (AKA Batman).

So probably contributing to Spencer's early night last night, we put the bunk beds up and moved Reid into Parker's room this weekend. Reid has discovered a new found freedom being able to get out of bed on his own. The two of them just feed off each other. I can't tell you how many times the two of them came tearing down the hall in boisterous laughter. Reid tends to be a heavy sleeper, but Parker is quite the opposite. So when Parker got up 3:30 early Sunday morning, he flipped the lights on and made sure Reid knew he was up. And that started another hour of repeatedly returning two boys to their beds. Last night they made it through the night, but Reid, who usually sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 was up with Parker at 6:00. I'm hoping they get over this quickly.

I don't know how it is that I have so much to write when I write a few times a week. I'm a wordy person. But I still have one more story. I think I may have spoken too soon when I said how proud I was of Parker for getting something from family scripture study. A few days ago I saw Parker going back and forth across the hall into my room with all his covers and pillows and just about ever spare blanket we own. I just let him do what he was doing. I didn't want to disrupt his creativity, plus he was entertaining himself which gave me a little break. When he seemed to be finished, I finally wandered down the hall to see what he was up to and I found a gigantic mound of all of these blankets and pillows and Parker kneeling on top saying a prayer. When he was finished, I asked him what he was doing and he replied that he had built a Rameumptom, but we're supposed to kneel down to pray which was why he was kneeling, not standing on his Rameumptom. So he's half-way got it. I'm glad he's retaining something.

Sympathy for the Foolish Man

I've known the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand since I was a small child. I thought how foolish could he really be. Who builds on a sandy foundation? But having built a standing structure myself, I now have a little more sympathy for the foolish man.

Last summer, from a large pile of wood, a couple boxes of nails, two hammers and our own four hands, Spencer and I built a shed. I suppose we did invest in a couple of power tools along the way, as well. And to give credit where credit is due, the missionaries stopped by a few times to assist us in our efforts. Our intentions certainly weren't to build on a sandy foundation. This is Ohio. There's not sand for hundreds of miles. We certainly made our efforts to prepare a sturdy foundation for our shed. But after it has sat for a whole year now, the front right corner seemed to settle a little lower than the rest of the shed. I was hoping to get a good picture of our tilted shed, but it doesn't appear too bad in the picture. (The main fault seen in the picture is the weed trim bordering the shed. Living in Ohio has brought a clear understanding of the cliche "Growing like a weed.")

A tilted shed isn't all that bad. The foolish mans house was completely washed away. And with all the rain we get around here, I guess it's ok that I'm still proud of our shed. It has been well used and I learned a lot of new skills last summer including the use of several power tools of which I've had to use a few times since then. There are certain aspects of building (few though they may be) I am even better at than Spencer. He couldn't have done it without me. And now that he knows that, I unfortunately have to help with more home improvement projects around the house than I would like.

So maybe the foolish man isn't quite as foolish as I once thought. Foundations can be deceiving. And besides, who passes up beach front property anyway? That doesn't sound so foolish to me.

Sunday Disruptions

Church doesn't get much worse than when you have to take a 17 month old to all your meetings. (Except maybe when you show up with two completely different shoes, but that's a story for another time.) Seriously. A 17 month old is WAY too old for sunday school. I can hardly sit still for the hour, so how can I expect my toddler to. So there is nothing like the relief and the joy of dropping your toddler off at nursery for the first time. Reid doesn't actually turn 18 months until friday, but it pays to have friends in high places. The nursery leader used to be one of my counselors in young women, so she snuck him in a month early. I didn't even ask, she just offered. And Reid has adjusted to nursery without a hitch. He's never looked back. Parker is a different story. I think Reid may be over stepping his bounds. The first day Reid attended, Parker insisted on the whole drive home that Reid was not big enough for nursery.

I have not attended sunday school without a kid in tote for three years now. Reid was born right when Parker turned 18 months. I actually kind of thought I didn't even like sunday school. But the last couple weeks, I've found I got more out of sunday school than any of my other meetings. So here's to about 10 more weeks of sunday school bliss before I have another child to bring.

While I'm on the subject of church, I've never been more proud of Parker disrupting sacrament meeting than I was a couple weeks ago. Some one was speaking and mentioned Abinadi. Parker blurts out in full volume, "Abinadi? Parker likes him. But not King Noah. He is not nice." And then in not so full volume, but loud enough for people in surrounding pews to hear, Parker proceeded to tell the story about Abinadi and King Noah and Alma who became a "prophet and a missionary." So score a point for family scripture study. Amid all the somersaults and dance moves and wwf matches, the kid actually learned something.

All About Parker

Taking the kids to get pictures is a rareity in our house. So many parents are in the studio every three months for pictures to show off their adorable kids. And with prices at places like Target and great coupons from Kiddie Kandids, why not? I have no good answer, but we tend only to get pictures of our kids on their birthdays. I wasn't even good at getting baby pictures taken. So this is Parkers third annual picture. And while I continue to think he's the cutest three year old I've ever seen, I think he looks a little like a towel boy at a yuppie country club.

I'm glad we atleast had one picture turn out well. Getting that kid to hold still for a picture is next to impossible. And when you tell my three year old to "smile," he tends to give you this over-sized cheesey grin with his eyes so squinty they're practically closed.

And since this picture doesn't include Reid, I might as well make this a post all about Parker. Lately he's decided he wants to be a Rock Star when he grows up...the singing kind of rock star he says. He walks, or rather dances, around the house (or the grocery store, or church, or where ever) singing "Party Like a Rock Star," which he says he learned from the big boys at the water fountain at the mall we take them to play in sometimes. And his other favorite song of the moment is MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This," which he learned from his Dad. And he has the most awesome dance that goes with that song, which he made up himself.

Don't worry, he says he wants to be a missionary first, and then a rock star. A logical career path. Actually, he's always said he wants to be a missionary when he grows up, no matter what else he wants to be at the moment. Parker doesn't really have a long list of what he wants to be, but the other consistent career choice is a "bone doctor." He practices cutting his animals legs off and giving them new ones all the time. In fact, bear is in the process of getting a new leg as I write.

Of all the three year olds in the world, I'm really glad that Parker is mine. He is a constant ball of fire and non-stop laughs. He's great.

Farmer Tan

No, my boys are not wearing t-shirts, they're just that pale. Having such fair skinned boys, I find it easier (and cuter) to squeeze them into rash guards rather than slathering them in sun block when we play outside in the water. So their pudgy bellies never see the light of day. On this particular evening, the sun was setting, casting shadows over Aunt Debbie's pool. So I let them go bare skinned and free. (Spencer took a different route...no that's not his farmer tan.) They turned into fish in Arizona, although Parker insists he's a jellyfish, not a regular fish. Debbie just sent me these pictures so I thought I'd post them. (Thanks Jeanine for teaching me how to collage my pictures!)

Tonka Mania

I have grand ideas when it comes to cake decorating, but I always seem to have a little problem with the carry-out, especially in the frosting department. So although it's not what I envisioned, Parker got the truck cake he asked for.



We let the monkeys out early on Parker's birthday...which explains the PJ's. We're on a bug hunt here. We caught a cricket, a roley poley (aka "holy poley") and a beetle.



Reid, also in his PJ's, is a little bike theif, enjoying a ride while Parker is on a bug hunt. And of course he's enjoying his cake in the first picture.



Birthdays are always fun to the max at our house and we just got to celebrate Parkers this weekend. He turned three and it shows. I think he's grown up quite a bit lately. I've noticed him catch himself before throwing a tantrum and deciding otherwise. I've even caught him being nice to Reid out of his own free will. I think he's getting old enough to occasionally recognize that there are consequences for his actions. And he's spent a lot less time on "time-out" lately. I don't know what it is about being two that makes it so terrible. But it's not just one of those catchy phrases with great alliteration. Parker really hit terrible two's just before his second birthday and grew out of them just before his third. Now I can't wait to see what my three year old has to offer.

Parker was quite insistant on having a "Truck Party" so we truck-partied from dusk til dawn and we all had the time of our lives. To stick with the theme, all he wanted for his birthday were trucks...and hot rods. And thanks to a Tonka Truck sale at K-Mart, thats exactly what he got. Plus a bug collecting kit from Grandma Benson and a tricycle because I feel every three year old needs one. It's so easy for me to shop for Parker. He gets excited about everything. So, naturally, I want him to have just that...but at the same time remembering how much I hate toys in my house. That's my one link to reality in the toy store. It's the only thing that keeps him from getting one of everything. Plus, with him being the oldest, we don't "already have one." We had no Tonka trucks before this weekend. But when Reid turns 3, we'll already have some. Plus a tricycle and all the other important three year old toys. It's a lot easier to over shop for Parker. I feel bad for Reid, but even worse for Smith Boy #3 (which is what we've decided on for his name by the way). I suppose we can just re-wrap the Tonka trucks every time a kid turns three around here.

It's been one of those days where Parker, while going down, or fighting to go down, for a nap woke Reid up 45 minutes into his nap. And in turn, Reid woke Parker up about 45 minutes into his nap by trying to get into his room. (Now that Reid is upright, it's opened up a whole new world of trouble making...including doorknobs.) So my boys both had short naps that didn't over lap and it's high time I get off the computer and end the WWF match going on in my family room.

The Grand Canyon State

"The Grand Canyon State" is not much of a state nickname for a place where temperatures flirt with 120 degrees daily. After spending a week there I'd call it the "Hotter than Hades State." Or the "Hotter than Three Rats in a Wool Sock State." "The Grand Canyon State" makes Arizona sound like a nice place to visit. Give us a little warning!

Besides the heat, our trip really was pleasant. Topping the trips highlights...Reid learned to walk. Watching a toddler walk with a plastic leg is quite entertaining. He learned to walk so differently than Parker did at nine months and different than any other two legged kid learning to walk. He clomps around with both arms facing forward and his back leaning backwards in sort of a Frankenstein manor. It is really amazing how well he's doing. He seems to be quite pleased with himself.

Also nearing the top of the trips highlights was Parker's discovery of Mountains. We don't have mountains in Ohio. He was fascinated by mountains last year in Utah, too. And we've talked about mountains since then. I don't know if he forgot what mountains actually looked like or if Arizona mountains are just different. Driving on the freeway to Great Grandma Bensons house Parker asked in reference to the mountains...What is that big dirt?

Being the only two grandkids on my side of the family, Parker and Reid got a lot of attention from everyone, but especially spoiled by Grandma Benson. Mom took them the circus, the science museum, out to lunch and swimming everyday. Not to mention baking cookies, playing with toys, giving them toys, giving them an endless supply of Fruit Loops, fruit snacks, Goldfish, and popsicles, and pushing them around on her computer chair with wheels. Thank You, Thank You Grandma Benson! Parker has been reinacting the circus all week. He'll stand on anything he can find to represent a stage and announce "Ladies and Gentlemen..." Only it's more like "Lamies and Gentlemen." I know he knows how to say ladies so I'm not quite sure how to take that.

We celebrated mom's 50th birthday. Mike and Jeff and I figured zero has no value anyway so we gave her a 5 year old birthday party complete with streamers, balloons, party hats, and a trip to Makutu's Island...the most awesome indoor playground ever. The best part is adults can climb on the equipment, too. So my husband and my super tall brothers chased Parker around for an hour and a half on three stories worth of ladders, slides, zip lines, rope bridges and tunnels. Thanks Guys! It was so fun to have our whole family together. Those times are few and far between. I forget what I'm missing. It was really great have that time. Mom visits often, but my kids don't know my brothers at all. I was glad they got to know them and vice versa. Thanks Mike and Jeff for entertaining them.


This is the fam at Makutu's Island. Don't worry, the pink purse that looks like it belongs to Jeff is not his...it's Mikes. He had no where else to set it. (ok it's mom's) I anticipated having lots of pictures to post, but I didn't get my camera out once the entire week. All I have are a few random pictures my mom took mostly just hanging out at her house. So that's all I've got.

I enjoyed visits with so many family members and friends. Even though I didn't grow up in Arizona, It was good to be home. Thanks Everyone!