The Nitty Gritty

It seems like yesterday that I did a post about Van turning 4 months and now he is almost 5 1/2 months old. He has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. He can: sit up for quite a while, turn in a circle while on his tummy and hands, eat from a spoon, stick out his tongue, suck his toes, chews on his fingers, picks up his binky and puts it in his mouth (achieved this three times, hooray!) bends & eats books, grasps mommy's finger when he's tired, laughs, smiles, coos, poops through 2-3 outfits a day. Van adds so much cheer to our home. This morning when he was taking a morning nap Will asked two times "Where's Van?" Another morning Will said "I wuv you Van you slobber kid." Will loves to shower Van's head with smooches and put the binky in his mouth. I love to dress Van because he loves the changing table & does his cutest tricks there like suck on his toes, kicks his feet, puts his teeny hands together and taps his chin. I love to play pee...

Today Will was in the mood to take a three hour nap and I was in the mood to do some organizing during that nap. I decided to tackle my nightstand which was getting harder and harder to close because it was so full and since it was so stuffed I had to start piling crap on top of it. I began by emptying the top drawer on my bed and began two piles: The Keep pile and the Throw Away pile. As I started sorting, I came across these priceless treasures. Fyi they did make the keep pile: 1) My pregnancy journal when I was pregnant with Van. It's not anything fancy--just a book that was in the goody bag from my first appt. I flipped through and noticed I hadn't recorded the last appointment or my labor and delivery experience. I jotted down enough lines to fit in the pages and promised myself I would give a more detailed account in my real journal. Giving birth is an unforgettable experience and Van's was especially memorable because of the work I went through to get him here. I...

Since our family has recovered from illness, Will and Van have become the best playmates. Will loves to "wrestle" Van and Van loves it too. Will says to Van "You roll over?" and pushes Van from side to side. He also cracks up when Van sits up and falls to the side. "I want to hold Van" is something we hear often these days. I laughed so hard when I saw Van wearing Will's favorite hat--a helmet made from a popcorn bucket. What a nice brother to share! Wrestling on the floor Van LOVES his big brother. A great thing. And a great photo.

Of all the holidays, Halloween maintains to be Will's favorite. He was not into the hearts and sweets that Valentine's Day brings. In fact when I said "Let's make Valentines!" Will put out his hand and said "No! I don't want to make Valentines!" or when I would say "See all the hearts? It's for Valentine's Day!" He would respond with "I want spooky ghost." I volunteered to organize the Valentine's Party for the play group. We had three stations: decorating heart cookies, making a valentine, and playing a heart race game. When it was Will's turn to decorate the cookie, I started helping him spread frosting and he began to cry because he didn't want frosting. The kid with the mountain of frosting and sprinkles was giving Will a crazy look. It was so funny. When I told him he gets to eat the cookie, he did not want to. Remember when he didn't want his birthday cake? What a weirdo! When we made the valenti...

We did our taxes on Sunday night and after the preparer informed us of what our tax return would be we had this exciting conversation on the way home: I: What should we do with it? L: I don't know. Save it? I: Ya. We probably should. We could use x amount to spend and save the rest. L: Good idea! I need a completely new wardrobe. I've been wearing the same clothes for like 8 years. I: I need new levi's. Maybe we could fly to Louisiana to see Dad and Dana. L: Ya! But maybe we should wait until next year when Van is a little older. But we could go this year too. I: We could get an ipad! It could be a for the family. L: Ya that would be fun. I feel like an elderly person trying to set up an email account whenever I play with an ipad at the Apple store. Maybe I should invest in the newest technology so I don't fall behind the times. Long pause I: Maybe we shouldn't get an ipad. L: Ya I can't really picture myself sitting on the couch playing with it. We ...

Will is growing up! I find myself wishing lately that he would do more things independently like using the big boy potty so I don't have to change poopy diapers. Yuck! I wish he could just climb into his car seat so I don't have to lift him into it every time. Stuff like that. Then today I was thinking about the future and thought "I'll probably be wishing Will was a little boy again when he was dependent on his mommy for things." I remind myself that even though this is a tough stage of motherhood--two kids dependent on ME the mom--it's also a sweet time because Will won't always say "Mommy hold you" with his arms open wide or "You wipe my nose?" in the middle of a tantrum. So instead of feeling this urge to make him grow up too fast, I'm going to enjoy the journey as my toddler becomes a preschooler.

Feb. 4th is a special day for us. It was one year ago today that we said goodbye to my Dad. It's been a good week minus the few days earlier in the week that we were all sick. I read the account in my journal about my Dad's passing, watched some videos of him, and listened to his Memorial service. On Wednesday I saw the movie about Joseph Smith with the youth and remembered watching it with my parents for my Dad's birthday two years ago. It's been weird not having him here for some exciting things in 2010 like Van's birth, but overall 2010 was an awesome year for my little family unit. I'm happy my Dad is in a better place and look forward to the day when I can give him a hug and see his big bright smile. Thank you Dad for your life and legacy! You were and are the best Dad a girl could ever ask for. I love you and miss you!