Thomas Time

Self Esteem Plummeting

2011-04-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wow. My self esteem is spiralling downward drastically today.....:) First of all.....while on our walk this morning, Sean and Jake are urging me to jog uphill. I absolutely positively could not even attempt to do it because I was already exhausted so I just had to tell them, through my panting, that mom can NOT run up hill today!! Then, I was singing, "Hey, Soul Sister" to Jake today and you know the part where it goes....."hey eh hey eh eh eh eh......" I was doing that and actually not feeling like it was the worst singing job I've ever done when Sean yells out, "You sound like George of the Jungle!" AND just now, I pulled my hair up to straighten it. Sean says, "you look like a monster!" Wow. Last week while shopping and trying on clothes, Jake called me fat and told me all the clothes were too "wittle." Oh well........I guess I can use this to my advantage. When they're older, I will just have them read this poor pitiful post and let out the tears .....right before my birthday:)

Haha.

I say Spring, you say Time....Spring.....

2011-03-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

I love when Jakey says, "memomade" for Lemonade! I also love when he says, "doih mysef" in his stubborn little voice!

Sean also cracked me up tonight. I made him try shrimp. He actually ate it. When I asked how he liked it he said, "It's not my favorite." Pretty polite boy. Then, he immediately asked for water (a sure sign he didn't like it!)

They are obsessed with the Ipad, slept for over 13 hours last night, and is excited to see their friends Rylee and Carter this week!

Things we often hear:

"I want a picture to color." (Sean)
"I WANT A PICTURE TOO" (Jake.)

"Mom, it's my turn"(Sean)
NO, MY TURN (Jake while throwing himself on the floor crying)
(Sean crying)

"Jake's not sharing!!!" (Sean)
"MOOOOOMMMMM, JAKE HIT ME" (Sean)

(crying, both of them!)

"MOOOOOMMMMMM, JAKE HIT ME AGAIN" (Sean)

(both kids growling and crying)

.................................Fun wintery times! BUT....good news....spring is here:)

I'm Old!

2011-03-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

Each night I spend a few minutes doing, you know, girly things in the bathroom before bed. Last night, I asked Mike, "Do you wonder what I do in here?" He replies, "No." .....of course...typical guy:)

If roles were reversed, I would totally wonder what the heck was taking him so long.

By the way, you know its time to dye your hair if you pluck more than 10 gray hair a night:)

GG

2011-02-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to a birthday party for GG (Great Grandma Thomas). She lives in an assisted living center. We walked through the parking lot and Sean said, "GG has a lot of cars!" It was pretty funny!

We were also late to the party, Sean threw up while everyone was just starting to eat (because of course they waited til we got their to eat!) and then we were the first to leave. Wow. We're awesome.

Once Upon a Time....

2011-02-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

Yep. We celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Jake's bday............maybe someday I will play catch up. For now, this is it, folks! Although, Jake hasn't had his 2 year checkup yet so perhaps I will still post about his fun bday!

Today was so fun. Sean had a preschool pajama day. He was thrilled. More than thrilled...I don't think he slept much last night! Anyway, Mike went out and bought the kids new slippers for the big event. (He called me like thirty times trying to find the slippers, size, colors, etc...yes, I should have just gone.) Sean came home after school and told me all about how animals hibernate. His teacher, Miss Alisha, is absolutely the best. Sean adores her and so do I. They made caves for their animals to hibernate in. Too cute.

Jake has been so funny lately. Holy cow. He loves to hide when it's time for bed and when we just "try to ignore it" he does this sound..."whoo whoo...." (which is also the sound we make when you can't find someone while playing hide-and-seek). Jake has a mind of his own. He throws his food when he's done, holds up his first finger and thumb while dramatically saying "shhhhhh," and he likes to have his blankets tucked in tight and frequently.

The kids with their pjs and pillow pets that Grandpa and Grandma Thomas gave them for Christmas.

I seriously adore these kids. They're growing up too fast and I'm not sure how I feel about that. They make me happy and I thank God for them every single night!

Oh man!

2010-12-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Oh my. My kids are hilarious. Sean just woke up from nap and with a distraught look while scratching his head, he says, "My head's pokey." I think he has a headache.....

Then, at the grocery store (yes, I'm crazy and go grocery shopping with both kids!) Sean had no room for his legs b/c of all the food. He tells me, "I need to live here." I think he meant, make room for me?

Jake'a a crackup too....the other night I went to tuck him in and while stroking his cute crazy hair...I said, "You're so cute. I just love you....etc...etc...." he whispers...."I poopy..."

Jake and Sean also love to play "Blues Clues" and all this means is they each take a turn saying the same thing. This is how the convo goes...

J: My turn.....Furs cue.....he's peewpy.....he...diaper...whoisit?
S: Laughing quite hysterically replies....Jakey....hahahahhahah My turn!"
S: First Clue is.....he's poopy....Second clue is he wears a diaper? Whoisit?! (laughing hysterically while saying it)
J: My turn....
OVER AND OVER AND OVER.....holy cow. It's so funny. I just love that Jake doesn't even know he's making fun of himself!!

Sean had a preschool Christmas program. His amazing teacher, Alisha, had a Thanksgiving and Christmas one. He had to stand up and say his favorite part of Christmas....Sean said, "Sharing with my brother, Jakey."
Now, if only this was true:)

Sean was so happy to have Daddy at the Christmas Program. Afterward, Mike had to go to work. Sean asked me, "Where's Dad?" I said, "Work." He said, "Again?!"

Awww!!! Sean singing his little heart out:)

Singing a song about a tree:)

Jake- asleep.....and probably poopy.....

Sean looks so grown up here!

Lessons Learned

2010-11-17T18:51:00.001-08:00

Today I have learned important lessons....

1. Never attempt to change a grumpy almost 2 year old while he is holding a golf club. he will hit you in the eye and it will hurt.

2. Letting your child play with bubbles is fun. Letting him play with bubbles on the carpet- probably not so fun.

3. Allowing your child to help with dinner is a good idea. Letting him create his own soup with broth, gold fish crackers, fruit snacks, salt and pepper is probably not the best idea as you will have to taste it at dinner with eager eyes watching you.

4. Going out in public with a crazy looking eye, in your pajamas, with two cranky kids will cause people to stare at you. Punching them in the face is probably not a good idea (do not know this firsthand as I did not have the guts to do it....but next time....watch out:)

5. Letting your child eat a sugar cookie in your bed is probably not a great idea. In fact, letting a child eat ANYTHING in your bed will make you grumpy when you go to lay in it after a long day.(nothing a diet pepsi and a Friends episode won't fix)

All in all, I'd say I learned a lot today. All in a days work.

"They Love Me"

2010-11-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Sean helped me change Jake's diaper. He actually did a good job. He then hugged him and said, " I love my baby!" I think he would love to have a little addition to his family. Perhaps, we should get a fish! Although, you can't change a fish's diaper:( Oh well. Hopefully, he will still be excited in a few years:)

I can not tell you how many times I catch myself saying, "I need to write that down" when my kids say or do something funny. I'm really bad at blogging and journaling. Today, however, is very noteworthy! Grandma Thomas gave Sean and Jake an early Christmas present. It was Little People's Nativity Set. They LOVE it to say the least. Sean, of course, is obsessed with the animals and even kicked the poor baby Jesus out of the stable to put the animals in there! Anyway, today, there was a baby blessing at church; Sean looked at me all wonderously and said, "Is that baby Jesus?" Nope, kid, just another little baby. Then, when one of the men were passing the sacrament, Sean said, "Is that Jesus?" Nope, kid, just a man!

Walking home from a dinner with our peeps, he saw a group of older boys. He said, "Hey... Hey Guys......What's your name?" No reply. He said, "what chu doin'?" No reply. We just kept walking. He then said, "They love me!" Oh, to have his confidence!

I love this child! I can't believe he's three years old. He's still my baby!! I don't know what I'm doing 99.99 percent of the time but we seem to get through it. Sean is one tender-hearted, fun, loving child. I love that he says, "I wov you" a bazillion times a day. He is sweet like his dad! I love his periodic lisp, his obsession with hide and seek, and how everytime he prays he stops in the middle and says, "where are we going tomorrow?"

I WOV HIM

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2010-10-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

I heart fall. I told Mike that our house looks like fall all throughout the year and during Fall, it looks like Autumn just threw up in it!

I love it! I don't like to decorate with scary Halloween decorations (hello, my child is afraid of Scooby doo, so of course, scary it out at our house:), but I love the leaves and pumpkins and such!

I had the kids gather leaves and I took pictures. I'm taking a photoshop class and am learning how to use it (it's tough!) Lucky for me, my instructor is in the "top 20" for knowledge of photoshop.....so he says! And, who the heck am I to disagree? At any rate, it's fun to not have to put the kids to bed every Thurs. night:)

Happy Fall to you and yours:)

My baby turns 3!

2010-08-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

Sean turned three the other day. We've been celebrating all week. I absolutely adore this child. He's tidy, polite, funny, and just a pretty darn good kid!
We had fun opening presents, eating lots of treats, lunch with friends, eating more treats, having a little bday party, and we went to a little farm by our house (between Lehi and Saratoga) to ride a pony and visit the animals. Sean was in heaven. (but if you ask him what he got for his birthday, he will just say "candy")!

2010-08-12T08:27:00.001-07:00

Top FIVE reasons I love Caitlin Barbara Thomas the First

A.K.A. My sister in law

1. She uses awesome words like, "perk," "whaher," and even better she yells them out the car window.....STAY ON YO SIDE
2. I have to love her, she will be my kid's mother someday......well......if Mike and I die......
3. She lets me borrow her clothes..es. All the time. When we all dressed up for the reception in Utah, she let me borrow her cute new pants!
4. She gives really really good gifts. The thoughful kind.
5. She'll tell ya anything about a movie, book, ending, etc. She'll make sure you really really want to know, though.

Basically. She's awesome!

Fruit Snacks

2010-08-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

The other day we opened a box of fruit snacks. One was completely stuffed to capacity and another had only a few. I showed Mike and his first thought was, "I'd be ticked if I got jipped like that." And my thought, "They're probably poisoned." I ended up tasting both bags....just in case:)

p.s. we're ok. no food poison!

What the....?

2010-07-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

We've been busy.....as everyone is in the summer time. Here's a little bit of what we've been busy with...

We went to Missouri to visit my family. This is my sister, Samantha and my adorable nephew A.j

We periodically dog sit our neighbor pups, Max and Pnut

The zoo!

Growing up too fast. All four of us! We have a lot of birthdays in the summer months!

We went to American Fork Canyon

If you are still there.......we have also had a busy past few weeks. We took a trip to Maryland to see Mike's brothers wedding. We took that opportunity to do a little sight seeing as well. We went to the Naval Acadamy, Gettysburg, D.C., saw friends in Virginia, and had a grand ol' time.

P.s.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas '09 were all fantastic,

Jake turned one in Jan.....so adorable. he does lots of things.....you know, walking, talking, eating and all that jazz....but he does NOT do well with strangers, vacations, or being tired or sick. Just so ya know!

Valentines 2010 was incredible. We ate lots of food at Mike's parents house.

St. Patricks 2010- was a lot of fun. I think we wore green.

Easter was a lot of fun too. We got to spend time with Mike's parents and some of the siblings!

Mike's birfday was fun. He's old.

My birthday was fun! I was spoiled (what's new)

Sean's birthday is coming up. Wahooo! He's so excited. We "window shop" everyday for it!

ok, so now that I have updated you on our incredibly exciting lives. Can we still be friends? Can we start over?

I......love........youuuuuuu (my kids do this all day only they say, "I......love.....dadeeeeeeeee")

Peace out.

I'm a lucky one!

2010-04-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my Jakey!

He gets this face a lot. With relatives, strangers, actually anyone not Mom, Dad, or Sean. But, if you can ever get past this part......

And this part......

And, even this "I'm thinking you might be okay"part.......

You could see his sweet, kissy face, lay on your lap, talk your ear off side

If you're lucky........

He might even laugh and give you the big juicy kind of kiss......

If you're lucky!

Daddy, don't eat it!

2010-02-13T20:31:00.001-08:00

So, Mike was having a little battle with Sean (he's 2 1/2) about butter on his toast. Sean was on a kick where that is all he would eat. I let him have his own stick of butter to spread on his toast, however, Mike was not aware of this. He tried to tell Mike that he wanted to do it HIMSELF (sound familiar?!) Mike tried to reason with him (yeah right!). Finally, I intercepted and told Mike about the aforementioned butter.

He was all by himself in the kitchen table while we were in the living room chillin out maxin all coolin all.......Then.....we heard the funniest thing.....

Sean was talking to himself, "Is this Daddy's butter.......Nooooooooo......." and "Daddy, don't eat it....."

He's a sassy little thing! A fireball, I must say. He must get that from Mike:)

Thomas Time

2009-11-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

More Family Pictures!

Don't you even worry. EVEN MORE will probably come. I just love every single picture I can't decide which ones to post. I feel bad for Erin, the photographer, because Jake was not feeling well that day so he had a runny nose (BAD). I'm sure she had to photoshop like crazy:)

Again, she is awesome. Her blog is http://aphotoadaykeepsthedoctoraway.blogspot.com/

P.S.
I love my family!

PREVIEW!

2009-11-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

An awesome photographer took our first ever family pictures and I just wanted to upload two of my favorites.

More to come......

Her photo blog is http://aphotoadaykeepsthedoctoraway.blogspot.com/ I'm not sure if she has a portrait blog- I'll check!

Finally, a Halloween Post!

2009-11-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween. The boys had to miss their trunk or treat because Sean was sick. So, for the actual holiday, we visited grandparents and had dinner with Mike's mom and dad. It was a lot of fun. Mike and I feel so old. We truly go to bed when the kids do and we feel exhausted 100 percent of the time. Whew! The boys are both sick right now and we'll probably have to take them to the dr again tomorrow. Poor little things. Anyway, back to Halloween- Sean really really REALLY wanted Mike to be Eeyore. In fact, for an entire week he just said, "Daddy, Eeyore?" over and over and OVER again! So, of course, Mike HAD to be Eeyore. We rigged the costume up pretty nicely! I'll have to steal pictures from Mike's mom, though! I dressed up as Darby from the new Winnie the Pooh series, and Sean was Tigger and Jake was Pooh. It was fun! Hope you guys all had a great holiday!

Mike and I went on an actual date to the Gardner Village Witch A Palooza (so fun- totally making this a tradition!)

My Super Sleuths!

Me and my sick boys!

Doesn't Sean look so old in this picture? He is growing too fast!

2009-10-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

I just hate days when you notice two of your favorite shirts were washed with a greasy greasy towel and now they have huge grease stains, you spend way too much money at Wmart, blew your diet at 5am, your kids won't sleep, kids are sick, blah blah blah BLAH! It's already getting better. I made rice krispies and have eaten half the pan. Dang diet
On a side note, the kids are doing a lot better. I think Jake has an ear infection now:( Sean is still on meds but is doing lots better. Sean is so cute when he's sick. He just cuddles and wants to hold my hand. He has a "man-cold!" I think maybe you have to be a woman to know that that dx is.

Really, it was pretty much the flu and ear infection and now I think Jakey is getting it! Wish us luck.

What to do when you're sick......eat lots of food.

Make ornery faces when Mom chooses the wrong movies to watch:)
Clean up your own vomit (don't worry, he really really wanted to help!)

Play in the sink!

Get messy eating yummy squash and THEN play in the sink.

Take funny pictures with Daddy!

Not to Boast:)

2009-09-25T14:12:00.001-07:00

Lucky boys to have such sweet grand-parents!

I don't mean to brag but I have the world's best in laws! I absolutely love them. They are and have always been the greatest.

Today, Ann came and we visited the great grandparents. She is so good about spending time with us. Ryan was sick so he wasn't able to visit. But he sent Ann with some goodies for the boys, of course! She took some pictures of Sean at McDonald's. He had so much fun with her. As long as I was holding Jake, he loved to show off his new skills (crawling, standing, making fun sounds, etc...)

They really are the greatest! When we were newlyweds we lived down the street from them and it was awesome. In fact, I would comment that they didn't visit us enough:) I know. Strange!

Sean and Jake Part 2

2009-09-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Let's pretend this is my own personal venting journal because what this post will entail should actually be personal and written in my very own (real) journal. But let's face it- no one reads my journal and no one can give me advice on something they can't read.

Cyberworld- WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown half of the time while the other half is filled with feelings of "I can't believe this is my life and how did I get so lucky?!" Such polar opposite feelings. I am sick and tired of seeing people who are sickeningly happy and never lose their cool with their kids ( I know, it's just a facade yada yada yada.....) Am I that bad of a mother? Am I really crazier than the rest of the population? Seriously, my two year old is going to be the death of me.

I will give you two scenarios:

#1. Sean woke up this morning happy as always. Smiling and ready for the day. I say, "Let's change your diaper." He immediately throws himself on the floor screaming, "Noooo........." I proceed to try and change his diaper with him kicking and screaming and throwing a major fit. While at the same time wanting to crawl back in my warm blanket and sleep another year til his tantrum is over.

#2. I reluctantly decided it was best to go on a jog if I wanted to lose that forty pounds that was supposed to be gone a month ago. So, we suit up and go. Good run. After having a massive heart attack we end up at the park like I promised the boys. We play. Sean runs away from me and almost ends up in the street. After I threaten time out a few times I leave Jake in the swing to get Sean. I then decide it was best to go home, of course. Sean agreed, surprisingly. I think, ok, that was a miracle and the day may turn out ok. At the car, I sit Jake next to the car and hope and pray another car won't decide to make a crazy wild turn and run him over. Sean is supposed to "touch the car" while I put the stroller in my backseat since we live in a condo without a garage. Sean would rather run around the car instead. I throw the massive stroller in and hope I didn't break anything as I slam it shut (and hope nothing falls out when I open it next time). I pick up Jake and go to take Sean's hand and he pulls my arm off trying to get away and then when I tell him he has to hold my hand and we're going up three flights of stairs to our condo he throws himself on the concrete and smacks something. While holding Jake I pick Sean up. No blood. I proceed to carry both boys up the three flights of stairs. Did I mention I live up three flights of stairs. Sean is screaming and I yell, "Look at that bird" in an overly cheerful voice to hopefully deflect his attention to the amazing vulture (that doesn't really exist by the way.) We get inside and I finally get what he is saying, "Car. Go." He wanted to get inside the car and go somewhere apparently. After fifteen more tantrums, he finally takes a nap.

Whew! After half a dozen cookies, diet mountain dew, a few distressing thoughts, I am calm now.

Sean and Jake

2009-08-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

Decided I need to be more grateful so I made this post for myself-

#1: I love how Jake eats a cracker and tries to put it in his mouth only he drops it, gets a confused look, and searches for it until he remembers if he cries I will get it for him.

#2: I love Sean's reaction to Jake getting his stinky diaper changed. He gets a disgusted look on his face and says, "ah Jakey, poopy! ah, jakey!" It's quite hilarious.

#3: I love how Sean lines up his animals and dances in a circle around them singing, "EiEiO."

#4: I love when Jake watches people and smiles and laughs until you say one word to him and he cries.

#5: I love how Sean likes things tidy and does a great job cleaning up.

#6: I love when Sean pours water on Jake in the tub! He's such a helper.

#7: I love when the kids take a nap at the same time.

#8: I love when I told Sean to sing Jake to sleep one night they slept in the same room. He sang to him forever and when Jake finally got annoyed by the hundredth round of EIEIO he started crying. When I picked Jake up to rock him, Sean looked so relieved. Funny stuff.

#9: I love when I go shopping with Sean and hold a shirt up to him and he says, "Nuoooooah" in a funny voice!

#10: I love when I go in to get Jake from his crib and he smiles so big and starts kicking with excitement.

I love MY BOYS! They're my life. I took them to their 6 month (a month late) and 2 year appointments. Sean's in the 90th for height and 50th for weight and Jake is in the 75th for height and 50th for weight. Big boys. Sean just sat there the whole time while he got his check up. Such a big boy. They're quite adorable!
I am grateful for Sean and Jake, and of course, Mike. I listen to this song by the Motab called "where are you going" about a child growing up. "You turn around and he's two. You turn around and he's four. You turn around and he's a young man going out the front door." Time goes by so fast and I just want to hold on to these moments with my boys forever!

Sean's Two and Fun in Bear Lake

2009-08-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Sean's birthday was pretty low key. We did cake and ice cream at Mike's family's house on Sunday and then on Tuesday Ann, Caitie, and Erin came to visit. We ate pizza and Sean got tons of nice presents! He loves building things with his Lego's from Grandma and Grandpa. He also carries around the Thomas the Train outfit they got him and says, "Choo Choo." Can't wait til it gets cooler outside so he can wear it.

On the patio with the "sensory table" and Sean decided it would be more efficient to just get it in!

Got him a tricycle- he's fearless on it but doesn't really get the idea of it as you can see!

Nice birthday! I still can't believe he's two years old. He definitely acts two but he looks older especially when he stands next to me. He's over half my size and I just can't help think time will just fly by me and he'll be on a mission. Sad to think about. I was sad when he was born in the hospital thinking the time will just slip by. I try to enjoy the days I have with him. We have fun. Caitie also got Sean a sensory table and lots of ideas of things to put in it (you can tell she's an elem. ed major!) I got out the shaving cream once, put water in it another time, and tonight I'm filling it with dirt! Caitie and Erin (Mike's sisters) also made Sean the cutest book ever. It is called, "Butterumpus" and Caitie wrote it and Erin illustrated it. It's adorable. I love it. The main characters are of course, Sean and Jakey, and they try to protect their house from the "monster" underneath their parents bed (which turns out to be their dad, Butterumpus! It's so cute. I seriously almost cried when I read it. Caitie always gives really thoughtful gifts. I always wish I could give those kinds of gifts. I gave Mike a homemade cd for his bday with every song meaning something and wrote out why I chose each particular song. It took forever and I still don't think he has listened to it. Anyway! It's so fun. Jake just loves Sean and vice versa. They are adorable together. I love them to pieces

We had a great vacation right before Sean's bday. We went to Bear Lake with awesome friends. We had a really fun time. Sean's very best friend, Rylee, was there. Sean LOVES her and talks about her all of the time. The boys did fairly well on the trip.

Driving to Bear Lake. These are the times I wish I had an Acadia (ok, I always with that:)

Sean playing!

Sean's future in-laws (a.k.a the Lloyds...a.k.a Rylee's parents!)

All of the kids minus Jakey

Is it August?!

2009-08-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

August is our busiest month- well mid July to August. Three bdays in July, 3 in August, and our anniversary in Aug too. So, needless to say, we spend a lot of money in the summer!

Update:

Mike: Loves his job. LOVES IT! It's really laid back. He is really happy there. I still can't believe he prescribes medicine for people. Honestly, it kind of scares me:)

Lori: Doin' well. Bought an awesome jogging stroller (comes tomorrow) and Mike got me an IPOD for my bday. So, hopefully, I can lose forty pounds! Too bad, my goal for that was this Friday. Oh well, must plug along! Keeping busy with the boys!

Sean: Can't understand 90 percent of what he is saying unless you are mom or dad but he's so cute when he tries to get you to understand. He loves to dance. He points at whomever he wants to dance with and then points to the the spot he wants yo uto start dancing. It's hilarious. He also is still obsessed with singing "E,I,E,I,O and loves hanging out with Gpa Thomas. Poor grandpa, he makes him get every single guitar he has to sing with him. He has been really cute with more people. Not so shy. He goes to nursery now and prefers it if I just go and not bother or embarrass him in front of his friends. Man, that started early!

Jake: Trying to crawl. Wants to like crazy. He watches Sean and laughs and smiles at him all day. He loves LOVE LOVES to eat. One day, he grabbed Seans bean burrito and had it stuffed in his mouth before I could get to him, stole one of Sean's bread sticks and seriously threw the biggest fit when I tried to take it from him, and one day, he found a plate of animal crackers and he was in heaven! He is so cute. Such a chubby, cuddly, adorable baby!

Sean with his good buddy the goat pinata! (He'll take whatever animal he can get. He's obsessed with animals!)

The whole little family.

Mike and Sean Jake with his Great Aunt Cathy

Jakey and me (I love to give him kisses!)

With Thomas Grandparents

With Cousin Madden (Matt and Meg's baby) Opa (Great Grandpa Morrell's 80th bday)

My happy boy!

Loves his crackers!

Fun w/ a 22 month old!

2009-06-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Arcades are fun w/ 22 month olds. They just let you play and "think" they are playing! Quite nice!

Bowling is fun w/ 22 month olds b/c you have an excuse for a low score.....

Jakey 's Blessing

2009-06-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yep, it happened. Child number 2 was blessed. It was a wonderful day. Jake is one special little boy. What a sweet baby! Loves to cuddle, blow bubbles, rice cereal bubbles to be exact, hates his bath unless he takes it with Sean, does not like to be in his car seat for very long, loves to watch Sean and I dance around, is ticklish, loves his toys (has from the beginning!), ABSOLUTELY LOVES TO CUDDLE. The child will cuddle every second of the day if you let him. And he has the most kissable fat cheeks I have ever seen.
(had to make the pics b&w - lighting was so bad!)

W/ Omah and Opah Morrell

W/ Grandpa Thomas

W/ Grandma Thomas

W/ Aunt Caitie

W/ Seanie

W/ Daddy

The Whole ETERNAL Family

LOVE HIM!!!

Michael Nightingale

2009-06-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, Mike graduated from the University of Utah, as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and in other words, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and in other other words, he has his Master's Degree in Nursing. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE HECK IT IS - HE'S DONE.......well for now:) Let's hope forever but what can he say....he's a Thomas. They sure love school!

I'm so proud of him. He is such a trooper. I don't tell him very often how proud and lucky I really am. Let's just say, I hardly saw him do homework. This is not because he didn't do it (as was the case in earlier years). He just made every single effort to spend quality time with his family. He would go to great lengths to make this happen often waking up at 3 in the morning just to complete his work. He graduated with honors, too. What a guy! He is so smart. I truly love him. He chose a career perfect for him. If any of you know Mike, you know this is true. He makes a perfect nurse and an even more perfect Psych Nurse. He has such compassion for others. He genuinely cares about them. In any circumstance, if I complain about someone, he tries to see the good in them. He will do a great job at his new job. Congratulations, Mike! "I luuuvvv you"

I Love My Boys!

2009-05-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Sean had his first experience with water balloons. I am so mad at myself for not thinking of this before. He loves balloons and LOVES (obsessed with) water. Put them together and what do you have? A very happy child. He was hilarious and I hate to admit this but I actually laughed so hard I had to change out of my jeans (stupid kegals). TMI, I know.

He was hilarious. He could not understand what happens to the balloons after I threw and popped them. He laughed and laughed and then when I popped it, he would get this concerned look on his face and say, "Baoon" over and over. It was so funny. I didn't have the heart to stop playing with them so when it was bath time, we took the fun to the tub. He loved it. It made me remember an article I read about making your toddler's day. I thought I would read it and it would give me this amazing guideline to make your child happy. Nope. Just things like dancing with them, playing, reading, letting them cook with you, etc, etc, etc. It's so easy to make their day. A doctor told me once, when they're small their problems are small and when their big their problems are big. It's true. Every single day, I have to choose my battles and I have to admit, most of the time, I don't even feel like battling. I guess that might mean Sean is spoiled but.....you're only young once! LOVE HIM!

These are my boys! They are the greatest. I absolutely adore them. I can't get enough of Seanie and his high strung, anti-social, funny personality and I just can cuddle and kiss Jakey all day long!

Feelin Gifty

2009-05-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Feeling Gifty

I've seen this on several other blogs, but I was FINALLY one of the first 5 people to respond to one, so now I must post it on my own blog to keep it going. Here goes...

**The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me. Just for you.**

Now I'm not sure if the above offer really even excites anybody because, let's face it; I'm not the most crafty person out there. BUT I am pretty good and stealing other people's crafty ideas and making them my own. With that being said, here's how this dealio works:

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully.

1. I get to choose what I make for you.
2. No returns or exchanges.
3. I make no guarantees that you will like it. (although I hope you do!)
4. Your creation will be just for you. It's not gonna say "This book belongs to _____" with some random kid's name scribbled in.
5. It'll be done this year (2009).
6. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a poem (most likely not) or a painting (we'll see) or something edible (like cookies or something). You'll just have to wait to find out. But I will promise you this: It will be something I would want, and something I will be proud to say I made, which means no crappy re-gifts. You're welcome.

The catch? In order to qualify, you must not only be one of the first 5 people to respond, you must also pay it forward and post this offer onto a blog/Facebook page of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 people to respond to your post.

Sounds easy enough, right? That's what I thought.

Now we wait to see who the lucky victims, I mean winners are.

GOOD LUCK!

Big Mistake, HUGE

2009-05-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

I went to a flossy flossy dinner w/ Mike last night. It was an honors dinner. Mike went for free, but I had to pay. It was in the Grand Hotel. I always feel like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" not knowing which fork to use, worrying about how I sit, stand, talk, yada yada yada! Would've rather gone to Cafe Rio!

Side note: Jake's blessing pictures and Mike's graduation pictures are coming!

Nothing a Diet Mt. Dew Can't Fix

2009-05-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

I need to vent. Feel free to just not read this post as it will be depressing and unfiltered...
I feel so lonely! I have tons of people around me (benefit of living in a condo!) and I still feel this way. My best friend is moving and though I know that we will remain friends, it will never be the same. I have always struggled with getting close to people. I have a fear that they will not truly accept me or they will eventually leave so I usually close myself off or just remain "on the surface" with most people. Unfortunately, you can't go throughout life this way and change inevitably happens. I think this is why I had a hard time graduating high school, getting married, moving to/from places, and change in general. I'm sure no one likes change and everyone feels lonely at times. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I should reach out to people and help them to feel loved.

It's my moms birthday today. She is amazing. I remember when she was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time. I felt such amazing regret. I felt regret for not being there for her as much as I should have been, not telling her every single day what an amazing person she is and how much I love her, and taking her for granted so many times. After that experience, I truly did have a change of heart. I want my family and friends to know how much they mean to me. I try to tell them often but of course, I don't tell them enough. I am so blessed. My moms hugs are so comforting...I want one right now:) Every time I have a bad day and I tell her about it, I swear she has some magical powers, because I instantly feel better. She has had a tough life and I have yet to hear her feel sorry for herself. She turns 64 today! She is truly the epitome of strength and love. I love her.

I watched "Marley and Me" the other day and bawled like a baby. I cried like I had just lost Bruno all over again. All I could do was cry. I managed to choke out the words, "I never told Bruno he was a good dog." Mike claims I did but I have no recollection of this. If I ever have another dog, he will KNOW he is a good dog.

I hope at the age of 64 (hopefully sooner) I will learn to love myself, accept change, embrace change, live life to the fullest, leave no regrets, leave no one unknowing of my love for them!

Good night:)

Oh So Random!

2009-04-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some Easter pictures. We had fun hiding eggs like a million times. Once Sean got the idea- he couldn't get enough of it. We were doing in the house, at the park, at Grandma's house, etc, etc. It was fun! I think he stayed up for like three days with all the candy he ate!

Update: Life is crazy. I love it though. My incision has never fully healed from the C-Section. I keep getting an infection and it hurts badly! But, it is getting a little better. I try to work out but with the pain of the incision plus the pain of a toddler dropping weights on my foot and pulling my arms as I do pushups- it's near impossible! Any suggestions how to get a tired mom back into shape. I see others who do it- what's up with that! It must be a priority for them. I should make it more of an important priority......nah! Sleep....ahhhhhh

Anyway, Sean is still so obsessed with his little brother. It's adorable. He always wants to hold him. He says, "Jakeeeee." He feeds him toy food (scary!) and says, "Mmmm....mo." That is is "more" sound. It's cute. He loves Jake. I love them both. I'm totally loving life with my three boys.

The Joys of Teething!

2009-03-28T21:46:00.001-07:00

The weekend is always stressful. Mike works a lot and does a lot of homework and I'm pretty much a basket case by the time it comes around. This past week has been even more crazy. Why you ask- well, Sean has thrown up A LOT, has diarrhea explosions every hour, and is even crankier than usual! I swear it's b/c he is teething. I promise you every time he has more than one tooth come in he throws up like crazy. Anyone else experience that? Well, last night, he seemed to be better. We were having fun chillin' on my bed watching a movie. We shared a bag of chips (well, he ate most of them:) But, I kept thinking, oh well, he hasn't eaten in like a week, I'm sure he's starving. THEN I made him chicken nuggets. The kid ate them and was still hungry. I then made him fish sticks. Again, he polished those off like it was his job. Finally satisfied, I do the night time routine and put him to bed. I checked on him at 11 and the minute I walked in his room I knew he had a messy one. So, I got him up to change his diaper. As soon as I lifted him up, he let out the loudest burp I have ever heard (adults included). I tried to make it out of his room- to no avail. The kid blew chunks all over his room! this is like the 10th time in the past week and a half! And Mike wasn't there to clean it up like he normally does. Needless to say, I will never eat Baked Southwestern chips again. Ever. or Wild Rice, or eggs, or pancakes. If we keep this up I might just end up at my goal weight faster than I had hoped:)
What happened to my toothless baby!!

The Grass is Always Green!

2009-03-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been thinking lately about the statement, "The grass is always greener on the other side." Well, I thoroughly enjoy the stages my kids are in right now however, I can't help but wonder what it will be like when Jake is one and Sean is almost 3. They will be able to play together and keep each other entertained while I scrub my dirty kitchen floor, do laundry, and do tons of dishes all day..............WHAT AM I THINKING? Who cares if my house is not clean and the laundry is not done. They will not always think I'm hilarious, wonderful, and want to cuddle w/ me all day and night. I'm thinking the grass is always green. I want to cherish each moment and not miss a beat (I say this as my house is semi-clean:)

Anyway, life is crazy with an infant and a toddler. Fun, hectic, messy, but I love it. They're definitely cute together. Jake is always looking at Sean with tons of wonder and sometimes disgust and fear. Sean is full of energy and LOVES Jake A LOT! I love when it's time to wake Jake up from his nap and he goes in to do it. He loves this responsibility. He pokes and tickles him and says, "Jakeeey" over and over. It's so fun.

I've attached a few pictures. We love to go to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas's and Sean always tends to eat A LOT of goodies while there. He is so spoiled.

Also, as an update, Mike is almost done w/ school. May!!! I'm so excited. He'll be a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner- FINALLY! And, the best news is he has a job interview this Thursday. We hope he gets it! It's in Salt Lake (so no relocation- YAY!)

Is Sean helping or hitting......not sure!

W/ Gma Thomas.....eating of course!

Great Big Brother

But still a bit ornery though. I get it on camera.....a lot!

Trying to make him happy by building a fort for movie night!

Sometimes nothing but treats and playing in water helps.

So dang cute!

New Addition!

2009-01-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Sean's wondering what is going on! And getting into trouble while Mom's away!

But he already adores him! Look at him sign "baby!"

This is my all time favorite picture! Look at how concentrated Sean is on his new little brother!

Most of you know, we had our baby last Friday. It was pretty traumatic. I went in to be induced and little Jake's heart rate kept dipping pretty low w/ the pitocin. I finally was able to push around 4:30. His heart rate continued to dip dramatically low, making no progress, and the Dr. saw bright red blood that he admitted he had no idea where it was coming from. He thought it might be the placenta so advised us to do emergency csection, which we did! I was traumatized but at least Jake is here and healthy. He weighed 9lb and 5oz (four oz bigger than Sean!) and 20 inches (1 inch shorter).
He is very calm so far. It's pretty remarkable. Mike and I keep saying we don't remember this newborn stage but it's because Sean did exactly what Jacob is doing (sleeping and eating) but with hours of crying in between:) Sean is such a good big brother. He absolutely adores Jake. He laughs and tickles him. He says, "Wake up" (in his own way of course) when I try to keep Jake awake to nurse! It's adorable. He really loves to help change Jake's diaper and hands me the wipes! It's so stinkin' cute. We feel so blessed. I love our family. Mike is such a wonderful dad. He adores his kids and is so good to me. LOVE HIM!
Thanks everyone for helping too. We have so many wonderful friends and family. We love you so much!

Traumatic CSection (don't I look lovely!)

Jacob Ryan Thomas (named after his Grandpa Thomas!)

Proud Papa

My big boy!

W/ Grandma Thomas

First Day Home

I Need a Nap!

2009-01-11T17:00:00.001-08:00

I feel awful 99% of the time; the other 1% I actually get to sleep! I know pregnancy is not supposed to be a walk in the park and it's very VERY fortunate that I actually get to experience it....but it really stinks sometimes.

Today, we went to the hospital because I was sure "this was it" and Jaimee was nice enough to keep Sean. When we got there, the contractions were intermittent b/c I was dehydrated. I am dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced and it didn't change after 1 hr so they sent us home. I feel like a wimp! It didn't help that Mike was really excited and kept saying, "I know this is it!" It also didn't help that the way I was feeling was not displayed on their little "contraction" machine. I feel constant back pain, pressure like crazy, and I am HUGE! I am always sweating like I just ran a marathon, my face always shows how much sleep I get (none!) no matter how hard I try to hide it, and I now feel like an idiot for even thinking "this was it!" I feel like I should already know exactly what to expect b/c I have done it before- but my water broke at a 3 with Sean, I got an epidural at like a 5.

So, we drive home with me wanting to stop to eat something really really fatty but of course, it's Sunday! I'm in tears all day- and nothing went right for the rest of the day! I like to bake when I'm stressed so I tried to make cinnamon rolls (no yeast) tried to make peanut butter bars (no chocolate frosting) tried to make bread (no flour!) AND to top it ALL off- they announced in Relief Society that I was in labor- dang it! Now everyone knows I'm an idiot:)

Oh well, life goes on. At least, I know the little guy is doing very well!

No need to comment- I don't really want pity (except from Mike)! You guys are all so nice all the time anyway. I have awesome neighbors, friends, and family!

Random

2008-12-19T20:22:00.001-08:00

First of all, Holly Golightly may think that "Tiffany's" is the greatest place on Earth but I am a firm believer that "Petsmart" out shines the jewelry store any day. I took Sean there the other day to look at the birds, fish, dogs, cats, etc. He enjoyed it as much as I do. I had never been there before I had Bruno (sounds like Bruno was my son or something). It is such a happy place. Animal lovers who just are happy people. When I use to drive home from work I would stop there if I had a bad day- just to feel better. It seriously makes me happy.

Anyway! Just thought I'd share that w/ you!

Side note: I CAN NOT THINK OF A BABY NAME! We are for sure getting induced on January 23rd (unless we have him sooner!) And I can not, for the life of me, think of the perfect name. I did have Jacob Ryan Thomas (Mike's dad's name is Ryan) but Jacob is way to popular. We also had Nathan Scott Thomas (my brothers name is Scott) but I'm not sold on it.

Others:

Isaac Scott Thomas
Gavin Michael or Gavin Edwin (Mike's grandpa's name is Edwin)

I hate the meaning of Jacob (supplanter) and I love the meaning of Isaac (he laughs) Not that it matters too much. What do you think? If not these WHAT?!

Random cute picture of Sean. He is obsessed w/ books!

Five Favorite Things Tag

2008-12-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Kristy. I will just say...narrowing it down to five is difficult!

Five Favorite Things (No particular order)

#1: Dancing w/ Sean and Mike

#2: Sean saying "Boo"

#3: 8 O'Clock Bed Time

#4: Shopping (w/ money)

#5: Getting my hair thinned

I tag: Alisha D, Julia R, Brianna H, Jaimee L, Rebecca G

Old or What?!

2008-12-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Mike wanted to rent a movie tonight- I told him it was too late and I was almost asleep (it was 8 pm); I am so old!

My little prodigy (A.K.A. Sean) has been acting more and more like me lately. It's kind of funny. Each morning he walks to the Christmas tree and points to turn it on (I have to have it on all of the waking time). He also has been putting his toys away after he uses them. He wipes up after he spills. I'm so impressed by my little guy!

Warning: Cheesy Post (Sorry!)

2008-11-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

So, tonight, we watched It's a Wonderful Life and man did I enjoy it! I am so blessed b/c I have the awesome ability to forget a movie almost as soon as I've watched it. I don't have a great memory so it's so fun to re-watch movies. It's also a curse (can you imagine me as a student!) Anyway, I completely forgot how good this movie is. It could be that I'm hyper-emotional these days but I literally cried the entire time.

I can't believe how many hours, minutes, and seconds I let go by without enjoying each one with my wonderful husband and my adorable child. Instead of whining each time Sean whines and cries for me to hold him, I really should just enjoy that he loves me and always wants to be with me. A good friend of mine reminded me that when he is fifteen, he won't want to snuggle with his weird overbearing mom. It's true! Sean has been so clingy lately. We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving to meet our new adorable nephew and he was so ornery the entire time. I was exhausted and spent more time wishing I was at home in bed rather than enjoying the time I had with family.

Too bad, this always happens. I know I can't be the only on on the Earth who feels like this. I feel like I let time just slip by and someday I won't have the things that I have now. I need to not spend so much time wishing I had this, that, or whatever, and truly enjoy life.

Life is such a precious gift. I love my family and feel blessed in many ways.

4th Picture

2008-11-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

My friend, Emily, tagged me for this 4th picture thing. Well, I kind of had a hard time doing it b/c I'm not very organized and my pictures are not all in nice neat folders. So, I randomly picked a folder and picked the fourth picture...

This is Mike our first year of marriage. I had a Cultural Psych class and had to make Indian Flat Bread. This was his reaction! The sad part is he can eat anything.

Just for fun, I attached me actually making the bread. I was so proud!

I tag Jaimee, Paige, Kristy, and Leslie (sorry if you've been tagged already!)

Ultrasound and Mindfulness

2008-11-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today, we had our ultrasound to make sure the baby is ok. AND HE'S SO FINE!! I'm so excited. He was measuring big (67%) and intrauterine growth retardation is one of the main things of concern. His lungs and stomach looked great which are also of concern. So, hopefully, things will be just fine. The doctor says he will induce at 39 weeks if we wanted (which would be nice to know the day of delivery!) We got to see a 3D ultrasound (LOVED IT!) Little Baby #2 is so adorable. He has a lot of hair, big chubby cheeks, and a perfect little button nose (seriously, I could tell by the very high tech ultrasound:) I love him already. Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for us! We appreciate your friendship!

Speaking of love; can I just say I love Sean so much too. I know most people who see me probably think I'm a nut case (which I am) but I appear to be stressed out 100 percent of the time (usually the case) but I still find time to enjoy my little fussy bugger! One of the greatest things I can say about being a mom is that I can never ever second guess that child's devotion and love for me. He loves me! I hope that I reciprocate those feelings. I get so caught up in trying to "fix" everything that I forget just to let him be a baby. He does not have to give up his bottle, pacifier, and say 100 words before the next baby is here. It will be just fine. I actually didn't really understand what "mindfulness" was until Mike gave me a seminar about it last night:) Just kidding. he does like to reiterate all of his amazing intellectual findings and I mostly just snore away. But this time, I actually listened. I've always thought of it as just thinking about something (like Heavenly Father) or acknowledging it but if you really are aware of the present moment then you will not dwell on the past or worry about the future- you will just feel hope that you can accomplish whatever it is you need to do at that moment. So, when Sean cries instead of going to bed right away it's not the end of the world, he will not get off of his schedule so much that he'll revert back to newborn stage and never sleep again. It will....be ....ok! IF I could really just be mindful more often, I think I would be a more peaceful person.

ANYWAY.....

I think I will straighten my house, watch Planet Earth, and go to bed!

Actually Soliciting Parenting Advice!

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hey- I have a question for those of you who would like to clue me in on their parenting secrets.

I think it's a common baby thing but Sean has been waking up after only 7--8 hours of sleep. He doesn't seem hurt, in pain, sick, or even hungry. I usually end up giving him a few minutes of crying (he usually cries for a few minutes then goes back to sleep only to wake up one hour later and continue crying). So, I end up feeding him a bottle.

He used to sleep 12 hours no problem until about five days ago. This has been going on for about that long. Last night, I was so exhausted I just gave him a sippy cup of milk and this morning when he woke up it was all over himself and his bedding.

Anyway, my question is....what do I do? Do I just let him cry it out for a few nights? will he have some kind of emotional/attachment issue? I could let him cry when he was younger b/c it seemed okay. Now, he is older and I feel like he knows why he cries and I don't want him to feel abandoned.

Any suggestions you parenting genius's?

Sean's 2nd Halloween

2008-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sean was dressed in traditional Vietnemese attire for Halloween this year. It was fun to go trick or treating. He is obsessed with suckers! It's almost embarrasing how many he eats in a week. Good thing he likes to brush his teeth too!

A Good Cry Never Hurt Anyone!

2008-10-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

(I chose her b/c not only is she crying but she is not the thinnest of people either exemplifying what I am feeling- fat and emotional!)

Oh the joys of hormones. Don't you just love bursting into tears in front of a complete stranger like almost sobbing uncontrollably over absolutely nothing. I don't know what my problem is (I guess, I can blame it on pregnancy but this has happened plenty of times when I wasn't pregnant). The other day at my doctors appt. I was supposed to get the glucose screening. The last time I did it (mind you it was not that long ago:) they gave me the yucky orange drink to take home, I took it home, drank it and was at the hospital to do the test w/in the hour. This time they sent me to three different places and made me sit there with a fussy little Seanie for the whole hour. When I found out I was in the wrong place the last time, I burst into tears and the two nurses looked at me like..."Okay, what do I do? Do I send her to the psych unit...oh wait she has a huge stomach she must be pregnant. Ohhhh that poor thing...." Proceeding to then pour me with utter sympathy making me cry harder.

It got done. Sean was not that fussy at all. Life was not over.

Then today, I ended up reading someones blog that I had not seen in a long time only to find out he got married and one year later his wife died! A video tribute was on his blog and I was bursting into tears!!!

THEN......

I decided to "surf" the Internet (even though were were advised not to in Gen. Conf.)and find out any possible thing that could go wrong w/ the diagnosis of "single umbilical artery." Big mistake. Now, I'm freaking out about every possible thing even though I got a blessing and it says everything will be just fine and reminded me to have faith. A good friend of mine (a very blunt one) reminded me today that she (unlike me) will never have to tell her kids she "didn't want them" or they were a "surprise or mistake." She gently reminded me how stressed I was when I found out I was pregnant. It was not that I did not want this baby (not at all) but I'm just so pessimistic and hard on myself I honestly didn't think I could mentally and physically be a mom to a pretty needy toddler and a newborn! Anyway, she meant no harm I'm sure; it just stung a little. If anything goes wrong I will never forgive myself for being so stressed about being pregnant. I already deeply love this baby boy. When he moves, I just get so happy. Even when it's completely inconvenient like when I'm just about to sleep and he decides to practice his gymnastics ferociously. I still am so happy that he is moving and hopefully happy and healthy.

OKAY.....enough.

I'm done.

Really, life is wonderful. Everything will be okay and crying is totally normal. I think I'll go cry now..

Missouri Vacation

2008-10-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mike, Sean, and I took a "mini-vacation" to Kennett, Missouri last week. I'm from there and we try to go back yearly. This year was so much fun. We stayed w/ my older sister, Samantha, and her family. They took great care of us!

We went to visit Jimmy (Samantha's husband) and my brother Scotty on the cotton farm. Mike was in heaven. He loved it! He got to ride on the big cotton picker and watch how they make cotton modules. I just wanted to take pictures of it all! The sad thing is we took a ton one day and it was great lighting and the kids were all having fun. Then, we found out our SD card was not formatted and we lost it all! I was so sad. So, we tried to do it all over again but of course it wasn't the same. Oh well, it was still a fun adventure. For a second, Mike almost had a new career (working on the cotton farm!) Too bad he had to come back to working on the Psych unit! I'm not sure which I would prefer!
Sean also got to visit his cousin, Jimmy Lee. He is two months younger than Sean and they LOVED each other! It was so much fun to see them play. I'm excited for them to grow up buddies!

Sean also got to live with a dog for a few days! My sister has a black lab, Sissy. Sean loved her. It was so much fun. I love visiting my mom and family. I usually pretty happy to come home and get in my normal routine but I miss it like crazy. Sean was so happy there. He's been fussy the past two days as he adjusts to life w/o constant attention and kisses from Samantha! Poor guy, has to live with a grumpy old boring mom! I try to be fun, but it's just not the same.

I'm back! Sorry!

2008-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I put our blog to private (not that anyone looks at it:) b/c I got some weird message and I couldn't link to the sender. Now, our desktop computer has some crazy virus. Then, I got too lazy trying to add addresses so I changed it back for your viewing pleasure:)
P.S. wasn't general conference awesome. I was impressed that I only slept through Elder Oaks talk (his voice is so soothing!)

Ahhh The Good Ol' Days

2008-10-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days!! Sean has hit his head at least a dozen times. I was so worried I watched him take his nap (to ensure there was no concussion!) I remember the good ol' days when he would just lay on the couch and sleep his little day away. And, though, he still likes to sleep, the kid no longer lounges around on the couch- he bounces around it resulting in a big fall on the coffee table! He also loves to slide down the slide at the park. He's getting very good at it. He can do it almost by himself. He loves to climb around the stairs on the playground. Today, he fell trying to go up by himself. It was sad to see the proud face followed by the awful fall.

The Peaceful Newborn!

By the end of the day, he actually just lounged on my bed watching "Planet Earth." It was fun to snuggle and remember when he actually liked to cuddle with me (besides when he's hurt!) I love the kid! I'm glad he is so inquisitive and thankfully the bumps don't last!

I Knew It!

2008-09-24T19:31:00.001-07:00

Well, today we had our appointment with the doctor (follow up for the ultrasound). I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG! Something was wrong- I could tell by that sonogramer lady(whatever they're called). Apparently, the umbilical cord only has two vessels instead of three. They usually have two veins and one artery but the poor little guy only has one vein and one artery (cause, unknown). So, it happens in 1-100 pregnancies and 2/3 pregnancies deliver healthy babies.....so I should be good - right? Well, that didn't stop me from doing tons of research on the internet. The words that stuck out were....chromosome abnormalities, fetal distress, heart and kidney problems, STILLBIRTH! Yeah, nothing to stress about. Whatever! I'm so stressed out. I can't believe this. I can't believe I was so apathetic about being pregnant in the beginning. I was so scared. I remember hearing, "Just have faith" every time I would stress about having two fussy babies. Now I'm hearing that even louder. I know I need to be faithful but it's way hard to not stress out!!! The doctor is doing another ultrasound in 6-8 weeks. I'm sure it will be fine. He was not too worried! Anyway, keep us in your prayers.

Crafty Road Trip

2008-09-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

Sean and I ventured out to Rexburg, Idaho to see Megan and Matt. It was a fun trip. We picked up Caitie on our way. We got to see her cute apartment at USU. Sean was good the whole way there (coming back was another story).

SEAN JUST CHILLIN' IN THE BACKSEAT!

The first night was stayed he was a little loopy from all the excitement. He was walking around and falling and laughing. It was as if I slipped something "extra" in his sippy (which I am known to do (Diet Mt. Dew, of course!) I finally got him to sleep and he was fine the rest of the weekend.
Megan is so crafty and I mentioned I wanted a Fall wreath so she decided we should just make one. I was so proud of the turn out (of course, if you know me at all, you know I am NOT crafty!) It was a very fun weekend!

TWINS!!!!

2008-09-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, we had our "routine" ultrasound yesterday. It was exciting. They verified that it was a boy! YAY! I'm not sure what I would do w/ a girl (not yet anyway!) Well, the pictures turned out great, he looks great! The ultrasound girl (I'm not sure their title) printed a ton for us. We didn't get a chance to talk to the doctor b/c he's out of town. I'm excited to go in next week and I'm hoping he verifies everything is okay with baby #2 (still no name!)

So, in the pictures, he looks just like Sean! It's crazy. I kept saying, "He looks like a clown." And Mike reminded me that is what I kept saying about Sean!

SEAN IN HIS ULTRASOUND! BARELY MOVED AND HAD TO BE PRODDED!

BABY #2 IN HIS ULTRASOUND- FLEXED LIKE CRAZY AND WAS NOT SHY AT ALL! HOPEFULLY HE WON'T HAVE COLIC, MILK ALLERGY, EAR INFECTIONS, AND TUBES!

Anyway, I'm so excited to have this baby. I know it's going to be hard- but I'm sure it will be worth it. Sean will have a play mate! Now, if you have any good name suggestions, let me know! We're stumped! We've thought about "Michael Scott Thomas" (all of you "Office Fans" would appreciate!)

Practice Makes Perfect

2008-09-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sean gets to practice walking and I practice taking pictures. However, he needs less practice than I do!

My baby bump (or mountain)!

2008-09-04T19:50:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm officially bugged. Right now, I'm 19 weeks pregnant. If you saw me pregnant w/ Sean, you may remember how huge I was. I'm getting that huge. I'm ok w/ that. Apparently, everyone else I come into contact w/ is so surprised that when someone is pregnant, their stomachs grow.....hmmmm...

If I hear another comment about my growing belly I might seriously go crazy.

Ok, listed are a few comments I've received....true and ridiculous.

"Lori, you've blossomed." (gently put)

"You don't look pregnant at all" (yeah, right!)

"Your stomach is huge! And so fast." I then replied, "I know, everyone keeps telling me that" (in an annoyed voice)
Then this person said, "You should put those people in their place. People are so rude!" (That one is my favorite)

OK, and the last one was when I was sitting at church. A lady said, "You don't look pregnant at all." I then pointed to my rolling thunder and she said, "That's just fat from your previous pregnancy." OOOOOHHHH I feel much better now. Thanks for clearning that up for me!

Seriously, I think that all people should just not comment at all. I know I'm guilty of it too. But, I hope that I've learned my lesson. If anything, just ask how that person is doing. That's it, nothing else. No need to remind them they are growing rapidly. In fact, no comment regarding their looks is really necessary (at least in my case!)

I Miss Bruno!

2008-09-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

Many of you know that I had the world's cutest dog! (Though, some may argue otherwise)! He was cute. That's what kept us from throwing him from our balcony at times. He was also the world's worst dog! When you think of a dog, you should automatically think, "Man's best friend." Bruno was that and our worst enemy as well. He would bite all of the time. All we had to say was, "Bruno, no!" and he'd start growling and bearing his teeth. He hated being told what to do. He was spoiled in every way and I know that is our fault. But, I TRULY LOVED THIS DOG. I have a hard time allowing myself to get attached to people and things but I let myself get completely in love with this dog. It was like an abusive relationship. He would bite, I would cry, we would make up, and it would happen over and over again. Anyway,
he had to be put down last month because he got a herniated disc in his back and was unable to walk. This would not be as big of deal except for the fact that he wouldn't let you touch him to go potty either. Anyway, I didn't have to do it, luckily. His new owners were kind enough to do it and bury him in their nice big yard that Bruno loved.
Anyway, I still hear him sometimes and that's why I had to get this off my chest. I still hear him whining at me to go on a walk. Every time I say the word walk out loud, I think of him. His pictures are all over my house and in every picture of Sean, he's in the background somewhere getting in our business! I MISS HIM. Mike says I have complicated grief and am only remembering the good things but it's hard when they're gone. It's hard to remember the bad.
Anyway, I will never ever ever get another pet of any kind. I know it would be good for Sean. Oh well, he can learn discipline and responsibility elsewhere!

Happy Birthday Sean

2008-08-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

Yes, we made it! Sean is one. What a great year. The fussy bugger actually has turned out to be not so ornery. He loves animals so we took him to the zoo. He was enthralled by everything. It was fantastic. He also had a little get together with some of his peeps. Even his arch enemy- Rylee came to wish him a happy birthday. I have to tell you the funniest part of the little party (besides the cat fight between Reece and Carter), Sean eating his cupcake.
He was so happy and usually he drops food, not this time! He made sure to cram it all in his mouth. He ate it so fast too, Mike was very impressed.
It was a fun day. I'm glad they only turn one once b/c MAN I'M TIRED!

No Place Like Home

2008-08-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

We went to Mesquite. Aunt Caitie (Mike's sister) was nice enough to babysit for us. She was willing to do it for the whole week- we lasted four days! After two, I was so ready to see Sean again. It was a nice break though. We ate lots of food and saw "The Dark Knight" and "Hancock-" both were very good.

Our favorite part of the trip was seeing Le Miserables at Tuahcan. It was awesome. We had never been there. We definitely want to make it a tradition- we loved it. Some of the actors had actually been in a few movies and on Broadway!

It was fabulous!

We were glad to be home though! It was sad b/c Sean was confused and hung on to Caitie for dear life! He started crying when I tried to pick him up. It took him a whole 30 minutes to love me again!! Sad, huh? I let him eat tons of sugar and I gave him a lot of attention. Needless to say, he was hyper and very glad we were home. I love this picture. It's like he's saying, "I forgive you and still love you, Mom!"

Mesquite

2008-07-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sean loves his bath. I don't know a kid who doesn't! He is obsessed with pulling all of my things off of the side. He now throws them out of the tub and tries to get out to get them. I hope that phase ends soon- it's quite tedious!

We only have five more days till Mike and I leave for Mesquite! We'll be gone for a whole week. WITHOUT SEAN! We will have Bruno though. He's really sick with a herniated disc (he can't walk) so we will be boarding him in a hotel near our condo there! (okay, it's an animal hospital). I'm excited. The longest I've been away from Sean is five hours (besides sleeping). I hope I last. I plan on getting a really good tan, reading the new Twilight book, and sleeping and eating a lot. For our anniversary (the 7th) I bought us tickets to see Les Mis the play at Tuacahn. It's Mike's favorite book so I hope it's a good play! I'll let ya know!

Hurricane Sean

2008-07-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

After having kids, I have decided a clean house is not important. Well, it's not that it's not important; it's just not possible! I promise you I can vacuum every single day and still have graham crackers stuck to the carpet. We tried to put our computer in our bedroom and use it as a t.v. yeah, it was at Sean's reach so needless to say- it did not last long in there. His favorite toy of all time is the computer mouse.
The first toy I ever bought him was a little medical bag with supplied is it. It has a bottle of pills and it's so funny to see him walk around with that thing. It's always in his hand. We hope it is not a sign of things to come. I'm not sure if Mike can handle drug seekers at work and home!
Today he took so many steps! Holy cow, it was so awesome. He was so proud too. He walked like 10 feet (okay maybe 5 but still!!!)

It's so fun to see him walking!

Sean's Little Life Story

2008-07-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is Sean getting his tubes in. He actually did very well through the surgery. He's tough but always sick!!!
Sean is always sick. I keep telling myself not to have any more kids:) We all know how that's going to go down. He ended up with a big rash all over his body, diarrhea, a snotty nose, a bloody mouth, a temperature, and a really needy needy personality (oh wait he was born with that) all this weekend. What a great time we've had:) The thing is, I take him to the doctor all of the time, and they always say, "He has a virus." Then I pay them 80 dollars and we're back to square one. It's so depressing.
So, needless to say, I'm exhausted, Mike's exhausted. I'm not surprised if he just doesn't come home tonight:) Just kidding. I wouldn't if I were him. He's almost done with school this semester. IN TWO WEEKS!!! We're going to Mesquite for a whole 7 days w/o Sean. Mike's mom and dad and Caitie are so kind. They are taking care of him for us! We owe them big.

I'm fat and happy!

2008-07-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well today was so fun. The Thomas family (Ann, Pat, Meg, Mike, Caitie) and I went to Tuscano's for lunch. I ate so much food! Mike and I were so onery today before the lunch but we were too bloated to argue anymore so that was nice. On the way home, we had an idea:

We are going to start a band:) We have no musical abilities but it would be so fun. We started talking about it after we discussed the randomest band names and how they could've gotten their names. He told me the funny story of how Hootie and the Blowfish got their name!

Anyway, Matt and I are going to be lead singers b/c we're crazy like that. Megan is going to be the ditzy cute back up dancer, Caitie will play drums, Erin will rock out on the keyboard, and of course, Ryan and Ann will play the guitar. Pat will be the bodyguard- what else! Mike will be the manager and their you have it! It will be so fun. Now for a name............

WARNING: BLOGGING IS KIND OF HARD!

2008-07-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

It's like having a detailed journal and I don't know if I'm very good at it. I have managed to make a few comments! If you have suggestions... feel free to enlighten me w/ your insight! I tried to download this program that has tons of free creative things to add to your blog- yeah can't find it! Oh well, at least I get to make comments on your blogs!

Man, I want to be cute!

2008-07-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, here goes. I'm going to try harder to be interesting:) I read my friends blogs and I think..."ahhh they look so cute and they have so much fun...." or "they live such interesting lives..." then I complain that my life is boring. Today I told Mike I want to go on vacation! Yah, like that's possible with him taking a full class load at the U and working full time. But, oh well.. we'll get to do those things someday!!!

I've tried this blogging thing once before. Was horrible at it. So then I tried facebook.....and that's okay. It's just not as detailed as a blog.

Well, I hope you guys are all doing well. Sean and I are having fun staying at home. He is such a boy! I can't believe how many times I wipe his face in a day. It's hilarious to watch him eat. I swear most of it ends up on the floor. I have finally given up and I quit letting him feed himself (well, that's what we've been doing today). I just feed him until he seems totally not interested (which is demonstrated by him picking whatever I put in his mouth out and throwing it on the floor). I then say, "All done!!" and hope he doesn't starve to death! He's a big hefty boy- I'm sure he will be just fine.

Anyway, I hope I'm better than the last time at blogging!

More pregnancy pictures!

2007-08-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

2007-08-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

The pregnancy has gone super well so far. The last part has been super uncomfortable but it's almost all over and our lives will never be the same!

Lori- 9 months along!

2007-08-11T14:17:00.001-07:00

Lori- just waiting on the little one! This is in his nursery-

The Nursery!

2007-08-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is the nursery so far! It has been so much fun to decorate. Of course, Bruno thinks it's his room- hopefully he can learn to share!

Bangkok- March, 2007

2007-08-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Bangkok! This was outisde of our first hotel (the hotel that smelled like sour sweat- a common smell in Bangkok!) We had fun riding in the taxi's, losing our credit cards, and eating at KFC. We also went to the zoo, visited several Budhist temples, visited an international LDS branch, and sat in on a very spiritual Cambodian Sunday School. It was a blast!

"Elephant Island"

2007-08-06T17:43:00.002-07:00

Also in Elephant Island. We spent most of our time on the beach there. Lori was 5 months pregnant so she lived it up. Mike enjoyed speaking in Thai again and we are definately going to go back (no time soon I'm sure but eventually!)

Finally- A Honeymoon!

2007-08-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

We made it to Thailand! It was great. Such a good experience (especially for Lori since she had never been outside of the U.S.). Bangkok was a culture shock but definately worth it! (This was acutally in "Elephant Island" where we were spoiled- besides losing our credit cards)!

He's so cute!

2007-06-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

Bruno is our baby! Well, he is for now. He was born in Missouri on Feb. 4th, 2006. He was so tiny. When we brought him home he was only 4 pounds.
We love him and have no idea how he became so spoiled!

Mike and Bruno

2007-06-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Lori and Bruno

2007-06-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Infamous Bruno

2007-06-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

He is so adorable!