One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Penny Fish

Self Protrait of a Boy

New Additions & Thought Of You

I would like to think that I am pretty happy with our house.
I like the stuff that we have.
There are times that I want new stuff, but that is normally overlooked because I don't want to spend the money.
But my friends, there are exceptions to this rule.
Pillows that look like grass?
Where do I sign up?

Mushrooms?

Yes please. White gnome?
Where have you been all of my life?Two owls?
Top notch.On a totally unrelated note.
I have got a few emails lately from friends. Most of them say something along the lines of
"Saw this and thought of you"
Consider me tickled pink.

Exhibit 1 from Natalie:
Que Bueno. The best cheese sauce ever. I love it, especially by the flat bed full.

Exhibit 2 from Carolyn:
Mushroom containers while spotted out Thrifting.
Very retro.

Exhibit 3 from Meghann:

Edible Mushrooms. Courtesy of this Etsy site.

Exhibit 4 from Julie S.:

My friend Julie went above and beyond with this one.
Not only did she think of me when she saw it, she also bought it and gave it to me.
Above and beyond I tell ya.

Thanks for thinking of me.
It makes me happy.

A Hair Cut

Hair cuts are like torture at our house.
Granted the boys are getting better but originally it was like you were shoving sticks under their nails not cutting their hair.
Canon normally says "Mom. Your hurting me." or "Ow, ow, ow, ow" a lot.
I never hurt him he just figures by saying that maybe I will stop.
I don't.
I don't want a kid that looks like he has a mullet or should be an orphan.
Or could blend in seamlessly with the Gogans.

Look at his eyes when I am holding his head.
That is some stink eye if I've ever seen it.
Granted I didn't see it so...no love lost.

He is defeated and knows there is no way out.

Are we done yet?
Or as Canon would say...
"I take bath now?"Go for it.

What I Wore

It should come as no surprise to a lot of people that I love clothes.

I love how a cute outfit makes me feel.

Granted this may seem superficial to a lot of people but who doesn't like to look cute?
Another blog that I read has a feature where she shows what she wears during the week.
My clothes during the week aren't that exciting...
My favorite clothes, hands down, are my Sunday clothes.
so....
Here is what I have worn the last 3 Sundays.

Dress: Vintage via Etsy
Sweater under dress: American Eagle

Shoes: Anthropologie

Dress, Shoes, and Sweater: AnthropologieCardigan: Forever 21
Shirt: Loft
Skirt: Anthropologie
Socks: Target
Shoes: Endless


What did you wear?

Dear Gavin

You were born first into this little family of ours. There are things that I don't understand about you and there are also things that are just like me. Perhaps it is those things that have me stumped. I know that you are so smart and perhaps that is why I expect you to understand things that you are probably too little to understand. I know I am hard on you. I try not to be. You are the oldest and our first kid so unfortunately for you it is trial and error most of the time.
I want you to grow up to be all of the things I know you can be: smart, funny, caring, considerate, and loving. I see all of those things in you. I know that I come across as the bad guy a lot of the time. I know that some of the things we do make you unhappy. That is never my intention. I only want what is gonna be the best for you. I want you to grow, and develop and mature.
I know that Heavenly Father gave you to me for a reason. I know that we are both suppose to learn something from each other. I know that everyday that I live I live to love you. I know it may sound silly but I hope that you love me too. I pray I don't mess this whole mothering thing up. So while you may have deemed me "worst Mom ever" for today, I hope that you know that I am a work in progress. Mothering is still pretty new to me and I am trying to work out the kinks. But I will continue to try because I love you.

Mom.

Big Scare

It has been about a week.

I couldn't blog about it when it had first happened because the wound was too fresh.

I still feel horrible when I think about it. It makes me want to throw up.

But Penny is good and that is what is important.

Last week I was getting ready to go to Zumba and Blake was making the kids spaghetti for dinner. At the last minute I decided that I wasn't going to go and I was just going to stay home.

Penny was in the kitchen on the counter in her Bumbo and Gavin and Laney was sitting at the counter coloring.

Blake and I were talking and then we heard a thud. I think we both knew right away what it was. We went in to find Penny laying on the floor. She has fallen off of the counter top onto the floor. (I think we assumed that because she was in her Bumbo she would be fine...we were wrong.) We picked her up and it took a couple of seconds for her to cry. Then she screamed for just a couple of seconds and then stopped.

Blake handed her to me and she got pale and went limp. I freaked out!

We rushed down to the urgent care where they looked at her and checked her out to make sure nothing was wrong. All the while I am crying hoping that she will be OK.

After checking her out they said that she looked like she would be fine. She had just hit her head really hard and would probably want to take a nap for a little bit.

Sure enough on the way home she fell asleep and then slept in my arms for about 30 minutes.

Then she woke up to Canon screaming...opened her eyes, and started to smile and then laugh at Canon.

I can't tell you how happy her smile made me.

She had a big bump on her head that is gone now and has been replaced with a blue green tinged bruise on the back of her head.

Although it is hard to tell in the pictures it was a nasty bump for such a little head.

(Look at the bottom right) I hope nothing like that happens ever again.

(We also got rid of the Bumbo...it has bad memories now.)

Queen For A Day

*Crown credit goes to Laney and Gavin who colored and constructed such a lovely piece.
*Thunder stealer goes to Canon for, well, stealing thunder.

Did I Mention?

Sometimes life is well...life.
There are things to be done but there is no will to do them.
My Dad pointed out yesterday that I have been a slacker at blogging.
(Thanks Dad.)
I told him I have been sick, and we went to Vegas...
He told me that was a week ago.
Ooops.
If "if's" and "but's" were candy and nuts we would all have a Merry Christmas.
But....I have been sick.
No lie. Right before we went to Vegas I went to the doctor and they told me I had two ear infections and a sinus infection.
In other words, If snot was money...I would be rolling in it.
That actually is a really gross analogy.

Moving on.
This little boy of ours is a menace.

Seriously check out his devious grin.

At Grandma Dana's house she has a gate in her front yard.
It keeps the good things in and the bad things out.
However, Canon found himself on the wrong side of the fence more than once.
He couldn't figure out how to make the handle work.
So "How?" do you ask did he get to the other side of the fence?

Where there is a will there is a way.

The reason that we went to Vegas was to see Blake's sister be sealed to her husband.
(Awesome, by the way.)
Taking pictures at the Temple is customary but, when you ask me to take a picture you may end up with one that looks like this.
That is how we roll.
Top model potential, no?

Alright, alright.

There are other things to do on the Temple grounds too.
Like chuck kids into the air for others amusement.

A lot of playing went on in Vegas.
Some of it was more fun than others.
A doll house that normally would not be any fun for both of these boyish boys somehow turned into the coveted toy.

Rolls and an I-touch go hand in hand,

and lots of kisses and hugs from Grandma.
On the day that we left I finally felt more like myself.
Too little too late?
Perhaps.
But it was great to go, even if I did feel like poo for 3/4 of the trip.

Lots Of Snot and Other Ailments

We have been sick at our house for what seems like a month.
I know that that sounds like I am over exaggerating, and I may be, but only by a little, it has been a long time.
Our kids all got fevers (high ones), then moved onto a cough, and then to runny noses.
I evidently was counting my chickens too early thinking I had dodged a bullet....
No such luck.
I have this nasty cold that has been sticking around for a week and a half with no end in sight.
(FYI: flying with a cold is no fun. My ear took many hours to finally pop.)
I kind of feel like one of those Claritin commercials were the picture is all foggy and then it becomes clear.
That is my life right now. Fuzzy.

When Penny and I were in Seattle her eyes started to get all goopy.
First order of business was to put some breast milk in them.
Breast milk cures pink eye. No lie.
(I am not just trying to get you to put breast milk in your eye although that would be funny.)
Tomorrow we are leaving to make a quick trip to Vegas.
Cold, snot, pink eye and all.
My eye is starting to itch...
because what I need right now is an eye infection too.
Have mercy.

Heavy Heart

This last weekend I was in Seattle attending my Grandpa's funeral.
When we found out that he had passed away I had a conversation with our kids because they wanted to know why I was crying.
After explaining it to the kids Laney and I had the following conversation:
"Mom, do you know that sharks can eat you. They chew you up and then spit you back out...and then you die."
Really?
"Yep. Did Grandpa Jones get eaten by a shark?"
No honey. He was just old.

He was a wonderful Grandpa.
When I turned eight I was baptized. It is normally customary for a child to be baptized by their Dad but I asked my Grandpa to do it.
I don't remember a whole lot about that day. I do remember that my Grandpa gave me a pearl necklace and that I felt really special.
My Grandpa had a way of making me feel special and loved all my life.
I am sure going to miss him.

Although the circumstances are not one that I would pick,
It was great to see all of my family.