Cast Your Votes Folks...

Several years ago when I worked at the Student Systems Office at the University of Utah, Clint {one of my favorite and much missed co-workers} decided that Britney Spears and I were tied for mother of the year. He carefully compared her parenting skills to mine, and determined that if there were a race...it would be a close one. Although I've never driven down a busy highway with an infant on my lap. Or tried to seduce a dentist into zoom teeth whitening for an 18 month old. I have had my own share of mishaps which keep me nipping at Britney's heals for the title.

Exhibit A: A cute little girl in Carter's preschool class gave everyone a whole kiwi as a treat on "Green Day". When do you suppose Green Day was? On Wednesday the 17th, St. Patrick's Day, of course. When did this mother discover the kiwi in her son's bookbag? Sadly, I didn't...It was brought to my attention by Carter's preschool teacher when she found something "squishy" in his bookbag, and had to "scoop" it out....yesterday. That's a 12 day old kiwi my friends!

Exhibit B: Carter was looking for something to bring for show and tell. The assigned object was something that had to do with nursery rhymes or fairy tales. We went through a whole list of possibilities when Carter finally declared, "I'll take a picture of Jesus, Jesus is a fairy tale." Some historians and theologians may agree with this statement, but I don't...and I thought that I had taught my son the reality and importance of Jesus...another minor failure.

Exhibit C: Christian {he gets some points for father of the year on this one, I can't hog all the glory!} didn't get home in time to watch the kids while I taught a kickboxing class last night. I thought the three of them would be fine to sit and play in gym. No sooner had I finished the warm-up than Cali started running onto the floor trying to talk to me. Have you every tried {not} to yell at your child with a microphone on? Then Carter started crying, Caleb started screaming, my class was laughing, I lost count of the beat and the routine was pretty much a waste of every one's time. Luckily my friend Starla was there, and offered to finish the class for me. I took Carter to the bathroom. After he washed his hands he said, "I'm so sorry that I ruined your workout, I will be quiet the rest of the time." Somehow I managed to convey to him that my workout was more important than him. We had to stop right in the bathroom and give each other some hugs for that one. When I went back to the gym Caleb was in full-blown fit. I took him to the locker room to change his diaper. Which, had exploded...he had poop up his back and in his hair. I didn't realize this until I saw the baby poop smeared from my shirt to my shorts...all the way down the front of me. I really needed a do-over!

Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday we participated in our ward's Easter egg hunt. A good old fashioned egg hunt wouldn't be complete without a light dusting of snow. I think this is fairly normal for Wyoming {and Utah for that matter}. These kids are tough, a little snow and a slight frigid breeze didn't stop them. Carter was slightly confused, he thought he had to find the eggs that we had stuffed, so he was a little picky.

Luckily he had Aunt Brittany to help him get after it. Carl, Vicki, Brittany, Melissa, and Parker all joined us for the egg hunt as they were visiting this weekend. Later that same day Brittany picked Carter up to help him get in the car and he yelled, "you are smashin' my balls!" Carter, his hand, and his pants all deserve their own blog post.

Cali didn't need any help finding eggs and quickly filled up her sack. She ran around with friends and cleaned up what the little kids left behind. She was excited to count her eggs and pop each one open when we got home.

We also attempted to take a picture of Cali and Carter with Parker. Cali is the only one who has this look-at-the-camera-and-smile concept down. And does she ever! I just love her smile in this picture. Too bad Carter is adjusting {phewww just his hat this time} and Parker is gawking off. Someday...Maybe several years from now, we will get a perfect cousins picture.

A Koala

I don't post video clips very often. Someday I hope to turn my blog into a book of our many adventures, so I shy away from video clips. However, I thought this one was just cute and funny enough to share. Turn up your speakers, it's a little soft at first!

Please pay no attention to the fact that I may need laser resurfacing on my face. It may also be noted that I went to the gym and ran a few errands looking like this. I will make a mental note to remain in the house unless I've applied a generous coat of foundation to my face.

One Question

Which one of God's creatures made these tracks? Your guess is as good as mine. I looked out the window this morning, and could not figure it out. Maybe there really are jackalopes in Wyoming?

The Cali-ness of Life

My one and only daughter is so much like me, and so much not like me at all. It is so interesting and divine to see how these children come to this earth with their personality and agenda. I've had so much Cali-ness the last few days, I thought I would share...There is definitely enough to go around!

It all started with this picture. As if I haven't displayed enough moderate quality photography lately, right? Well, several weeks ago Cali brought home a paper with the dates for Spring pictures. I already bought Fall pictures, so I didn't send it back. Some time later she told me that she had her picture taken, I guess the took everyone's pictures...Then yesterday before she went out the door to school she told me that she had her pictures in her back back and I needed to see the note and pick which ones to buy. I kindly explained that we weren't going to buy this time, be she assured me that they were really really really really cute. So I took a look. They were {as you can see} Ok. Cali and I have to pick our battles, so a few times a week I let her do her own hair...this was one such day. I tried to put all the pictures back in the return envelope when a whole bunch of cut-out pictures fell out. I asked her if she cut them out, to which she replied:

"Yes, on accident {how do you accidentally cut something out?} When they passed the pictures out I thought that you gave me a surprise by buying them anyway, so I cut them out." Seems logical, right? So we now have some more Cali pictures, and if nothing else a really memorable story to go with how we came by them.

Same day, different time...I picked her up from school where she informed me that she forgot her p.e. shoes and had to sit out for the entire p.e. class. She was mad! She had to miss out on her favorite activity, tag. No sooner had she recovered from this injustice she gave Carter an entire dissertation on the difference between playing a game that is on your computer and playing a game that is on the internet. Complete with details about downloading software vs. connecting to the internet. All of this happened on the way to gymnastics, and when I finally dropped her off she jumped out and ran up to my window a performed a very similar dance number in the parking lot.

A Project

Right before Carter was born I made this bedspread for Cali. I found the fabric on sale for $4.00/yard. And although it wasn't my all time favorite, I thought I could make it into something cute. It's the bedspread that I made for her signalling her transition from a crib to a big girl bed, it was the blanket that symbolized her big girlness. Through several bedroom changes and one major move, it has been on her bed. Her love for this bedspread has made it a favorite, not because the fabric is awesome, or because the craftsmanship is top notch {it's not}, but because I've seen her sleeping under it every night since she was a sassy two year old.

Last month we got the wild idea to clean out her drawers {I know...really fun!}. I set one of the drawers on her bed as we dug through piles of {wadded up} shirts. Like most of my projects...I had to put it on hold to nurse a baby or do school work or clean up a mess...Needless to say, at the end of the day the drawer was still on her bed. When Cali tried to move the drawer to the floor the fabric caught on the wheels of the drawer and ripped two large holes. She cried, and was inconsolable for nearly an hour. I assured her that I could fix it, but also suggested that maybe it was time to update the bedspread...I offered to let her pick new fabric and we could make one together. That didn't help, it just caused MORE crying. So, on Friday I finally got around to "fixing" this family heirloom.

I made patches from extra fabric and iron-on adhesive. I ironed them over the holes, and then added some buttons for fun. I patched both holes and then tried to strategically place other patches so they looked like they belonged... It's not my best or most artistic work ever, and I guess if nothing else the holes are patched and bedtime has been restored. I still look forward to making a new quilt or bedspread in the future. My skills and ideas, and even fabric in general, has improved since I made this one. But for now, Cali is content and that's all that really matters in this house!

Finally...He Caught His Toes

Last Wednesday we spent the evening with some friends having a St. Patrick's pot luck dinner. My friend Jesika let me borrow her Bumbo seat. Her son has out grown it, and didn't like it all that well when he was little, so she borrowed it me for Caleb to try. That very night I put him in the Bumbo in the tub, and it was magical. Those pesky toes that had been taunting him, wiggling at him, and calling to him, were finally within reach. I think his face says it all.

He loves the Bumbo and the access it gives him to his toes. I have never seen a kid with this kind of toe love before. All he has to do is catch a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, and it's game over.... He can focus on nothing else until he gets them into his mouth. Thanks to Jesika and her Bumbo, he finally caught his toes!

Carter Update

For as long as Carter has been able to talk he's had a hard time with the "TH" sound in the middle of words. He says mudder{mother}, fadder{father}, udder{other}, brudder{brother}, anudder{another}. You get the idea. The other day, out of nowhere, he began saying, "mother". It was so exciting, we've been practicing all the other hard to say words. He is very proud of himself, and still has to think about it to get it just right. I'm a little sad, that his little boy speech is turning into big boy speech, but am glad that he's developing new skills.

He thinks it's so fun and funny to say mother, that he calls me "mother" all the time instead of the regular old, "mom". I've asked him to please say "beautiful mother" instead, and so far it's really boosting my ego!

Cali Update

The past few weeks have been pretty eventful for our Miss Cali. She went ice skating for the first time with her Girl Scout troop. I think her face says it all. Hockey and figure skating are a big deal out here, so we're a little behind. But, she had a great time and luckily there were parents and friends for her to grab onto!

Her pinewood derby car also won Best in Show at the Girl Scout pinewood derby race. While we were stuck in SLC with Caleb and his RSV, Christian finished the paint job. She picked a hi-gloss purple and was helping Christian spray it everyday. Christian added the silver stripes, the pink hearts, and her name to the back of the car. It wasn't the fastest, but according to everyone who voted, it was the best looking.

On Monday Cali called me from school to tell me that she passed off all 100 first grade sight words, and 98 of the second grade sight words. She was thrilled, and as a prize she was able to call home to share her good news.

This little girl won't be a little girl for much longer, but I am trying to enjoy the process and journey!

Caleb Update

Nothing like a blurry photo of the inside of a baby mouth. On March 7th Caleb sprouted some ferocious bottom teeth. I tried with all my might to get a picture of them, but they were too small, and as you can see, the lighting was just not quite right. But the picture makes me laugh.

I also finally got around to picking up Caleb's wonderful {3 month old} Walmart photos. Thankfully they were able to crop my arm out of at least one photo. It still isn't the best picture ever, but this kid can make even $5.25 Walmart photography look good.

Slaving Over a Hot Stove

Last weekend Christian's little brother Dustin stayed for a couple of days. He and Christian had a fun time playing a boxing game on the Wii and cooking dinner. Christian taught him how to make meatballs. Dustin worked hard frying while Christian was rolling. They made a good team, and some good meatballs!

They even managed to give me a get-out-of-my-face-with-that-camera smile.

The finished product!

A Drive, A Backseat Full of Girl Scout Cookies, A Juicy Cough, Impromptu Sleepover{s}, and No Pictures to Prove It...

Oh my. I need to recover from the past few days. It doesn't help that "Spring-ing Forward" really messes me up. Tired.

However, I must share the random wild adventure that was the end of last week. On Thursday I had an appointment in SLC for Caleb's four month old check up and Cali's 6 week post-op ear check. It worked out just perfect that I had 100+ boxes of Girls Scout cookies to deliver to Utah too. About a week ago Caleb had a very runny nose. I kept him in the house and snuggled him to death, then out of no where...he grew two very sharp very ferocious bottom teeth. Yes, I have a four month old with teeth and hair...

Anyway, I thought once the teeth popped up he would be feeling much better. I was wrong, my "mother's intuition" is a bit off at times. Wednesday night he coughed all night, and couldn't catch his breath very well. I was worried that he had RSV, so Christian and I stayed up with him all night. On Thursday morning we loaded up early and headed to SLC. Thankfully we were already going to the doctor. I had Cali pack a book bag with some p.j.'s because we were planning on returning home late and I wanted them to be cozy for the ride.

We arrived in SLC, delivered some cookies, and headed to the doctor's office. The doctor took one listen to him and determined that he did have RSV. She also did a swab test, that came back negative, but later that day turned positive. She told us that RSV usually peaks within the first four days of the virus, and if we could, we should stick around the SLC area....just in case. So we did...

This doctor's visit resulted in the following discoveries:

1. Caleb, even a sick Caleb, can still bat his eyes and flirt with the ladies.
2. Shoving long sticks up a baby's nose will really make them mad.
3. Sick babies DO NOT get their immunizations.
4. Caleb weighs 18 lbs. 12 oz. and is in the 50th %tile....for a NINE MONTH OLD. That's 120th for a four month old.

This impromptu sleep over resulted in several things:

1. The incredible hospitality of my in-laws and their access to a fully furnished apartment.
2. Even though they had baths, my kids wore the same underpants for 24+ hours.
3. Carter just happened to pee the ONLY pair of underpants he had, thankfully the apartment also had a washer and dryer.
4. My mother in-law very generously purchased me some underpants.
5. My sister gave me a travel kit compliments of United Airlines losing her luggage.
6. A random trip to Smiths Marketplace to buy some of the essentials...a tube of mascara and some onesies for Caleb.
7. And last, but not least, a fun trip to see our friends in Herriman...Girl Scout cookie drop off!

We woke up early on Friday morning and had his vitals and oxygen checked again at our doctor's office. His oxygen was holding steady but the rattle in his lungs had gotten worse. She advised us to stay another day and have him checked again. She really didn't want us to get back to RS and have him get worse, but we were nearing day four of the virus.

Another day in SLC resulted in:

1. The delivery of the last of the Girl Scout cookies. If I never see another Samoa it will be way way way too soon.
2. A nice visit with two great friends, Roz and Suzanne.
3. My gracious brother in-law taking my kids back to RS so that Cali didn't miss her pinewood derby {more on that adventure later}
4. Me remembering that I am in school and had a ton of homework piling up.
5. A nice afternoon with my sister and her husband.
6. A scary {you thought the RS Walmart was scary} trip to the Walmart on 1300S to buy a phone charger.

Saturday morning we woke up early to get Caleb back to the doctor at 9am. I packed up my one backpack and some diapers and headed out. I was so glad when the doctor checked him and determined that the worst was behind him. Phewww. One more stop off at Bethany's and we were on the road. We got back home on Saturday afternoon.

It was a strange and stressful day turned weekend, but I am grateful for a doctor who was very prudent and careful with Caleb's health. I am also forever grateful to the kind care my in-laws took of me and my kids. Of course, my sister Bethany, we are always looking for ways to get together anyway. Friends who called, texted, and offered me a change of clothes.

Here's to a less eventful week, and healthy little boy!

Check it Out!

We found out on Wednesday that my mom's MS story was published in one of the MS Walk's advertisements. Complete with a picture of Bethany and Cali. The story was submitted by Bethany at the team kick off meeting this year, and the Walk photographer matched her story up with some pictures he snapped last year.

In the story Bethany mentions that my mom went from being unable to walk to teaching aquisize everyday. The MS Society of Utah has been flooded with calls about where she teaches and if she's available to teach.

Our fundraising efforts have been a little slow this year, but we are still committed to raising money to cure this ridiculous disease. We will be doing give aways in the next month, we would love any support that we can get. Go Team Tootsie Roll! MS SUCKS!

Girl Scout Cookie Extravaganza of 2010

Thank you to everyone who purchased Girl Scout cookies from Cali and Troop 1857. With the money the troop earned they were able to make fleece blankets for the Rock Springs hospital. The blankets will be given to babies and families who don't have a warm blanket to leave the hospital with. The girls will also be able to participate in some fun activities this summer as well. Thank you again.

There was some question as to where the cookies actually were. They were delivered to Rock Springs about a week later than expected. But not to worry, they are here! We've been sorting and bundling and boxing our little hearts out...Well, to be perfectly honest, Christian did pretty much all of the sorting. Cali has had fun delivering them to the people in our neighborhood, and I am on my way to the mail this afternoon to ship them to our far away friends and family. Next stop SLC {on Thursday} to take the remaining boxes to their rightful owners!

I had to take a picture of the deliciousness before it's all gone. This picture represents most of the cookies Cali sold this year. With the exception of the ones which are waiting to be mailed, and the two dozen boxes of Thin Mints that I may or may not have already devoured!

Birds Freak Me Out

It's a strange phobia, I really do not like birds...at all. Especially their feathers. I just gagged a little in my mouth thinking about it. The irony has not escaped me that for the majority of my life I was known as Cammie Peacock. Yes, a person with a bird last name can be terrified of birds...I'm proof.

It's also a little strange that Rock Springs, Wyoming has an over abundance of birds. I asked some of the locals why there are so many birds here. Apparently RS has been scientifically proven to be a stop in the migratory pattern of many different species of birds...Lucky me.

Where could such a phobia stem from? There are several theories, but I am sure that being chased by a ria {smallish ostrich} whilst riding my bike down a normally safe street in Castle Dale, Utah may have something to do with it.

So today when we got out of the car at the rec center I nearly gagged, screamed, and ran all at the same time when Carter came walking toward me with a feather in his hands. His words, "Look mom! It's a bird leaf!" A guess it's pretty logical, leaves fall from trees and land on the ground....So, why wouldn't leaves fall from birds? I get his train of thought. I yelled, "put that down Carter! Birds have diseases!" He promptly dropped his bird leaf.

Four Months Old

Caleb is four months old today. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, time flies by so fast. Caleb has accomplished quite a few things in his first four months including:

Talking: Jabbering all the time, talking to the moon at 2:00 a.m. is pretty fun.
Rolling: Over and over all over.
Shedding: He's lost quite a bit of his Sampson-like hair on the sides, the top is still full and he can sport a pretty cute comb-over.
Travelling: He's a good sport about all the running around we do.
Sleeping: Just kidding
Eating: Mastered the rice cereal and for his four month old birthday he gagged down some green beans.

He shuddered and shivered and gagged and puckered while trying to eat green beans this afternoon. Maybe we'll try sweet potatoes tomorrow?

This is the face he pulled when I released him from his high chair prison and told him that he could nurse instead. What can I say, the boy likes his milk!

The Backseat of the Car

Caleb and I spend quite a bit of time in the backseat of the car.

When we go on trips to SLC that's where I nurse him and change his diaper. When Christian is driving I ride in the back with him {and the rest of the kids!}. When we're waiting for Carter at preschool, I hop back there and talk to him while we're waiting. And most recently, when we went to the park on Saturday I fed him and played with him while the kids were running around outside. Lucky for me, I had my camera with me, so I snapped a few pictures of us in the backseat!

Oh Cali...

This girl has been sassy and silly since the day she arrived on earth. Sometimes it's very endearing and is just one of the many reasons I love her so much. Other times, well...it's the reason my patience runs up in a hurry. Last night when she was getting ready for bed she ran out of my bed room with my bra on. She was pretty proud of herself, and was even more flattered that I offered to snap her picture.

Today after school we had this conversation:
Cali: Mom am I Italian?
Me: Yes, a partly...I guess {making dinner...not paying a lot of attention}
Cali: Well, I told Abby that I was Italian and she said that she was going to ask you if it was true or not....So, am I?
Me: Yes, you're part Italian
Cali: How much?
Me: Well, Grandpa Gus was 100% Italian, Grandpa Carl is half Italian, that would make your dad about a quarter Italian....
Cali: So I'm a dime Italian! And that would make Carter a penny Italian!

She also had this epiphany while she was doing her homework:
The assignment was to think about the things that you can do now, that you couldn't do when you were a baby. After some general observations about being chubby, sitting in a high chair, having brown hair she came up with this gem,
"Now I can read, write, draw, and use my schema."
When I asked her what a schema was she told me that, "a schema is a bank of memories that you can use to remember things you once learned. Like, if you could see inside your head, your schema would be the background of your knowledge."

I can't argue with either of these observations, or the fact that she wears a bra pretty well!