Pockets

This little Noni of ours HATES clothes.
I get them on if we are going outside and then that is about it.
He will only sleep in a diaper and that proves to be his preference when just relaxing around the house as well.
This does, however, pose a problem when one is trying to carry things around in his pockets.
Noni seems to have found a remedy for that.

Here he is with his wand in his pocket.  I mean one never knows when the need for a naked magician will arise.  He frequently carries around fake cell phones in his 'pocket' and has been known to even put his marshmallow potty candy in there for safe keeping- though was quickly stopped, as we prefer to practice safe food handling in this house.
One day he will like clothes again- right?

Horton Sure Knew How To Hatch An Egg

We like the book Horton Hatches the Egg- a lot.
It is a definite family favorite.
We have been reading it at night since Ruby was very small and have video of her 'reading' it when she was about 2.  (She obviously couldn't read- but she did have it memorized.)  I've said it before and I will say it again- child prodigy.
Anyway, recently we were watching some old video and there was my sweet little two year old Ruby reciting Horton in her sweet little 2 year old 'accent'.
I could not believe that she was now 4 and a half and 'reading' that same book to Myers- who could now recite all the important parts himself.  Where did the time go?
I made the comment to Justin that I feel like I didn't enjoy our time enough- that I feel like it goes too fast and I wish I could go back and do it all over again- I would be way better at it now.  (I think)
And then Justin said something that was wise beyond his years.
He said, 'You are going to say the same thing in a few years about this time that we are in right now.'
It really got me thinking.
I mean who would have thought Horton could cause such deep thinking.
Is enjoying the moment an unattainable goal?
Is it possible to really grasp the fleeting moments and savor them?
I feel like no matter how hard I try there is no possible way to actually feel like you have done your best and enjoyed every moment like it was meant to be enjoyed.  But I feel like I really WANT to enjoy every moment, yet I go to bed and I feel like the day has just gone- and there was no time to savor it.
Memories are made and forgotten.  Magical moments are swept aside because there is just too much to do, there is always the next thing to check off the to-do list.
So for the one hundred millionth time I vow to enjoy the moment.
To enjoy where my kids are now and not to wish that they were at a different stage.  Things pass by too quickly and apparently there are no do-overs and no time machines.  (who knew?)
I know I can't enjoy every single moment and that there will still be regrets, but I can do better.
Thanks Horton.  (And Dr. Seuss- that man was a genius.)

Because, I mean seriously, who wants to take any moment for granted when you have these cute little faces to enjoy....

And some random wonderful quotes- thank you Pinterest...

“Give your child a compliment and a hug; say, ‘I love you’ more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of ‘what if’ and ‘if only.’ … “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important.  Pres. Monson

“You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old, when your hair turns white and your body grows weary, when you are prone to sit in a rocker and meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question of how your children have turned out ... Do not trade your birthright as a mother for some bauble of passing value ... The baby you hold in your arms will grow quickly as the sunrise and the sunset of the rushing days.”

~Gordon B. Hinckley~

found here

You Know How We Feel About Cleveland...

We have been taking quite a few trips to Costco lately.  Really is there any place that is more magical than that place?  It even rivals Disney World.  It is an hour away so it means that we get to explore more of Cleveland (to make sure that our trip is worth it).  And with our limited budget it means we are always searching for things that are free.
Luckily it isn't too hard.
Lately we have visited The Great Lakes Science Center.

It was really fun.  They have a planetarium and a few animals to see.  It was fun.  The kids loved it.
Ruby honed her puppeteering skills.

While Myers honed his insect skills.

We had a good time.

On another trip we headed to a great park that Justin found online.  It was called Preston's Hope.

They had a little city and a great teeter totter and some great equipment to climb.
Myers and Ruby were pros.




Justin on the other hand needed some help.


Look at that cute little bum...


- and of course we made sure to use the swings.

It took a lot of coaxing but we finally got Myers off the swing and got to Costco.

Did I mention that I love Costco?
But not as much as I love Cleveland....
And maybe I was being a little bit hasty when I said it rivaled Disney...

And I made Ruby a new outfit-

I love it and she loves it!
I used this tutorial for the skirt.

Noni's New Uniform

This is how you will find Myers these days.

Well- the fake mustache tattoo is optional... (but I think it looks awesome- don't tell him this when he is older and can grow a real mustache- I don't think those are awesome.)  He has decided that he likes to play in his diaper.  I have decided that this is not ideal.  Hence the onesie and overalls.  It seems to keep him out, for now.  Hopefully he will be able to go back to regular clothes soon- we are working on potty training and with any luck it will happen soon.  That would be a small miracle.  A wonderful small miracle.  Here's hoping....  At least he makes a great fashion statement, and who can deny the cuteness factor?

Rainbow Rice

We are at our wits end- we are tired of winter here.  It isn't too cold and there isn't any snow but it is still too cold to spend all day every day outside.  Which is what I would do if I had my choice.  Not because I'm an outdoorsy person- because let's face it- I'm not.  I guess it depends on your definition.  I like the outdoors but I would never be able to survive if I was left in the wilderness alone- even if they did give me a knife.  Though I did spend a whole summer outside selling cherries from a truck- I got the best tan EVER- I have never looked so good.  (I do not condone tanning and if you saw the state of my almost translucent legs you would know that was true)    I just like the sun on my face, I like the fresh air, I like walking or biking places instead of driving, I like the TV to be off and the breeze blowing in my face (not the lethbridge breeze mind you),  I like smelling like the fresh outdoors, I like being active and most of all I like to see my kids being active.
Life is better when we can be outside.  That being said- I hate the cold and I won't hang out outside if it is cold.  So we have been coming up with fun things to do inside and taking advantage of the warmer weather when we can.  Sometimes it is a true test of my imagination and lets face it- the imagination of pinterest.

We recently found an activity that has captured the attention of my children like nothing else does these days.  I like to call it Rainbow Rice- or miracle rice.  They will play with this stuff nicely for an hour- after that it gets a little crazy and rice ends up everywhere.  But an hour of attention keeping fun play time- that is a miracle.  I am a firm believer in rainbow rice.  Super easy to make and super results!

Just take a couple of cups of rice (no need to be exact) a few drops of food coloring and a tablespoon or two of rubbing alcohol- mix it around in a bag and shake it up.  Lay it out on a cookie sheet with some waxed paper underneath- put your stove on the lowest setting pop it in until it is completely dry (don't forget about it and go out for a girl's night like I did...  Though nothing bad happened...  Justin ended up turning the oven off) and play with it.  A warning though- your house will smell like rubbing alcohol- just open the windows....

 Ruby and Myers mixing up the colors.

 All the colors waiting to be dried....

 And the end result.  We just layed out a blanket and when we were done we just gathered up the blanket and dumped it back in the container.  There were some rice casualties and I am still finding rice everywhere but- it is pretty minimal.

And they loved it so a little leftover rice is fine by me...

Falling asleep on the job

Sundays are hard days for us.  Justin has to be at church 2 hours early for meetings and has to stay for about 2 hours after so that leaves the kids and I to get ready and come home and get lunch- that is enough to make any day hard....  But Myers also ends up missing his nap.  It is always a toss up trying to decide if I should get him to sleep or just stay up until bed time.  If I get him to nap too late then he won't go to bed at night but if I don't put him down for a nap normally he takes matters into his own hands and he ends up like this.

Sleeping on the job.  It always amazes me when he falls asleep like this.  Isn't he just so cute?

Monster Shirts

I love Target.  I don't think I can say that enough.  I love Target.  I especially love it when they are having their crazy clearance.

This time I snagged some Monster shirt decals for $1.00.  You iron them on in any design you want anywhere you want.  Just what Ruby loves.  It is quick and easy and really fun!  Just what I love!

Ruby picked out the fairy monster.  Though she really hates it when i call it a monster. 

Here are the pieces she chose to add to her shirt.  (there are LOTS of different options)

I let her decide where to put them and I did the ironing.

Here is her perfect placement....

 I love it.

I got to make Myers shirt.  We went with the pirate monster.  I think it is so cute!

 There was a little broken heart that came with it.  For some reason Ruby was really disturbed by it.  She did NOT like the broken heart- so I got out my fabric paint and covered up the heart and added Mom into the center.  Every pirate should have an 'I heart mom' tatoo, right?  It seems necessary.

 Myers loved it.  He has never been one to care too much about what he wears (the opposite of Ruby) but he will hunt down this shirt and ask me to put it on him.  I love it.

After many washes the iron on has cracked and come off in a few places- but it doesn't matter- it was only $1 and I am pretty sure we got our money's worth!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes.

These children of mine are obsessed with shoes.

Obsessed.
Right now Ruby will not go one minute without a pair of shoes on.
She has her indoor and her outdoor shoes.
She is reminding me of a younger more feminine version of Mr. Rogers.
I can see her now with her indoor sweater, her soft voice, and her messages about the environment.
It IS a wonderful day in the neighborhood!
It's coming- I'm seeing the trend.
Right now she is obsessed with a pair of Cinderella shoes that we got from a garage sale.
We have confined her to only wearing them in the house.  She obeys but she also sleeps with them beside her.
It is a shoe fetish started at an early age.  Sadly I don't think there is a less comfortable shoe on the market.  Stylish, Yes, Comfy, No.

Then there is Noni.
If he doesn't have his crocs with him then you will constantly hear him yelling- 'CROC!'
Until you find it and put it on him.
***(As a side note- isn't it interesting the words that our kids know at a young age that we didn't even know existed when we were their age (or that simply DIDN'T exist when we were young kids)  For example- croc, WiFi, Ipod, and yes even internet (it may have existed but who knew?)....  And yet other words they may NEVER use in their vocabulary- VHS, cassette player, walkman....)***
He also enjoys sleeping with his shoes on.  And some nights that is the only thing we can do to get him to go to bed.
They are his constant companion.
I don't think there is a comfier shoe to love.  Stylish, No, Comfy, Yes.

*As a side note- while I write this post Justin is trying to unlock the bathroom door from the outside because Ruby locked the bathroom door and closed it with Noni still in there.  So please imagine with me- Justin feverishly trying to unlock the door (it wasn't an easy stick the end of a bobby pin in and push unlock one- he had to take the door off the hinges) and Ruby kneeling beside him singing "Heavenly Father Loves Me" under the door so she can keep Noni calm.  I mean he was in there by himself with the door locked and the lights off.  But at least he had his crocs to keep him company....- It looks like they have things under control- I'll just keep typing.  He is now out (about a minute later).  It was a short incarceration...*

Gotta Bottle Full Of Sunshine

I was once told that freezer jam was like bottled sunshine.
And frankly, I couldn't agree more.
The smell alone is unbelievable and the taste- nothing tops it.
Plus as an upside- it is INSANELY easy to make.
I love it.
It also brings back summer memories with my family- picking raspberries at the Mouly's and making a whole bunch of freezer jam.
That was the best jam I had ever tasted.  Delish.
I decided that this year I would make my own freezer jam- so I did.
Raspberry (my favorite) and Strawberry (which I also love- but is obviously not my favorite).
The kids got as involved as their attention span would allow and then they ended up like this.

Now we have lots of delicious jam to enjoy- all year long....
Our own version of bottled sunshine.
LOVE IT.

It's Growing Up Time...

This little man of mine is growing up.
He is the sweetest, loveliest, toughest, most wonderful boy I have ever had the privilege of raising.
And like every other little guy- he had to grow up.
It happened too soon for me.
And it began on Sunday July 10- when we cut his hair.
He has had a little trim once before but I refused to cut the curls in the back.
They were just too cute and I couldn't do it.
Then we were in Costco and someone called him a girl.
That was where the line was drawn.  Thank you Costco lady for dropping the hint and making this transition a little bit easier- someone had to do the dirty work since our relatives are too far away to clue us in...
This little boy needed to look like a boy even if it would pull at my heart strings and force me to lament the loss of my little baby.
We cut off the curls.
Here is a before-

 Now before you start judging me and saying how uncute this looks- I will agree with you - this picture of his hair is not cute.  It didn't normally look like this- this is post bath and a good combing-
It normally looked like this-

More crazy mad scientist- less- I am in the Italian Mafia at 18 months old.
When pulled straight we cut off a good 3 inches.
We trimmed the top too.
And an after-

(Not the best after- but trust me- its gone)

We are going to get the clippers out and do a full on hair cut- once my heart has healed a little bit.
He does look pretty cute.
Then if that wasn't enough- Myers had his first day of nursery on Sunday as well.
Here he is in all his going to church glory!!

(Once again- not the best picture...  He really needs to work on his posing...)
(He was one day shy of 18 months but they let him in anyway)
He wouldn't let me leave his side- but he seemed to enjoy the toys.
We will see how next sunday goes.
And for those of you who love my children- remember when Ruby went to her first day of nursery??

The Little Guy is Growing Up.

This post is for those of you who haven't seen Myers in a while.

Which is pretty much everyone.

You wouldn't believe how much he has grown up!

He can even get his own food out of the fridge now.  (But only if Ruby opens the door for him)

We are going to start putting him on the 'making supper' schedule.

He can make a mess so large that one could only assume someone much older and larger than him must have made it.

He is amazing at building things...

(He always builds better with his shirt off)

But don't take my word for it take his-

He is 'SO BIG'

Though he is large in stature and mental ability he is still quite humble- and when asked nicely- he will be sure to give you a one-of-a-kind high five...

And isn't he just the cutest thing you ever did see?

Boats

Two things-
1. Ruby loves boats.  She loves to play 'boat'.  It is a fun thing for her and she is always pretending that her bed or the couch or a chair or a random anything is a boat.
2. We have no toys- except for Henry and a few essentials.  When you have no toys you need to get creative.
So we did.

And we made these.

I would be lying if I didn't say that I love my boat design.  And Noni loved it too...

Ruby got a little bit lonely so she went and picked up some friends to take along for the ride.  We had to do some adjusting afterward- since she had so much stuff in there she couldn't even fit in herself...

I was so proud of Ruby- she really did well decorating her own box.  We had a lot of fun!

Even Myers got involved!

Maybe a little too involved.  I found a googly eye in his mouth...  I wonder if I will find one staring at me from somewhere less desirable tomorrow....

 And he may need to hone his 'getting out of the boat skills'.  He just couldn't seem to figure it out today.

 

He may not be able to figure out how to get out of a boat but here is a picture of him STANDING.

I can't believe it.  This kid is crazy.

It was a lot of fun seeing Ruby's creative side.  And as I was laying down with her tonight I asked her what her favorite part of the day was- and after some thought she said 'making the boats.'  And that is saying a lot since we also went swimming in our pool today....

And she loves to swim.

Tomorrow on the agenda- Homemade strawberry freezer jam.

It is going to be awesome!

Oh and locating a cheap, working washer and dryer.