How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

Anna gave this book to James for Christmas. Now I read it 5-10 times a day, over and over again. I have it memorized. When I can, I hid it but if I am seen hiding it, chair and stools are moved to retrieve it. Little feet follow me around all day, carrying the book just waiting for me to sit down to crawl into my lap. And before I read the last page, pages are being turned back to the beginning to start again.

And here she comes again....

Did you think it was James?

Time

I never have enough time it seems. All day long I feel like I running, running, running. Going places, running errands, entertaining to kids, cleaning, cooking, changing diapers. I never seem to have enough time to read a book, to do a project, or even write a blog. I wonder how other moms seem to be able to do more than just run a household. I wish I could give up watching t.v. to get more spare time, but I don't watch television. I wish I could spend less time on Facebook to get more spare time but I only spend about 5 minutes there every other day. I would love to give up doing to dishes or folding laundry to read a book but if I don't do it no one will and it will just mean more work for me the next morning.

Surprisingly, I did find one thing that has given me more time: I organized the toys. Previously, all of the toys were kept in a large, open chest in the front room. The toys were all jumbled up and hard to find. At the end of the day all the toys would be on the floor where the kids tossed them without playing with them. Because the toys were all jumbled, they could not find what they wanted, and they would get bored. Once a week I would clean out the toy chest, it would take about an hour to reorganize everything. But it would take the kids 2 seconds to mix it all up again trying to get out the toys they wanted. And they would not help clean up.

Last week we got rid of the toy chest. Now all the toys are organized in Tupperware bins. There is one for the trains, for the cars, for the block, and so on. And they are kept on the top bunk of James' bed (since it is currently not needed as a bed) so I have to get the toys down of them. Oh, it has been wonderful. I get down one or two at time and when they are done playing with that particular toy they actually help clean it up, so they can get another toy down. Because each toy is kept together with all its parts they actually play with their toys! Dinner is so much quicker to prepare at night, the house stays cleaner, the kids are happier, and I have a few more minutes to read a paragraph or two at night.

Anna

Anna is my snugly child, my daring child, my mothering child, my temperamental child. She is so opposite from James who does not like to snuggle, who is cautious (and still runs from the vacuum while Anna dances in front of it), who only just learned to say "no" and uses it sparingly whereas Anna says it frequently and with great force. Oh yes, she my look cute and sweet but ...


She knows how to torment her brother by knocking down his train set, or her personal favorite, grabbing a train car and running away giggling, leaving wails of dismay in her wake.


But she is always willing to kiss and make up. Or give comfort when she thinks it is needed. Or make friends with animals and babies.

James

I am continually amazed by my children, how much they grow and change and the things they do and say that completely surprise me. Take James, for example, he really wanted an airplane for Christmas but I could not find one that was right for him. Instead of being disappointed, he made his own. This is his airplane.

What amazed me was that he thought to make one on his own and that he actually said "made airplane" when I asked what he was doing instead of parroting back what I said. It is so much fun now that he actually speaks for himself. Here a few things I hear him say throughout the day.

"No, no Nanny!!" (he calls Anna Nana or Nanny)

"Scooby Doo? Watch Scooby Doo?"

"Daddy go on timeout?" (he loves to put people on timeout, probably because he spends so much time on it!)

The other day Brigham asked James how his little man was to which James replied, "James big man."

Childhood Threats

As a child, my mom would often threaten to leave us hanging on a hook when we misbehaved. It is a very tempting thought.

Very tempting!!

A revelation

Over Thanksgiving weekend we stayed at Brigham's uncle's house to care for their two adorable black lab puppies. I don't know what I liked more about the weekend: the dogs, the kitchen that looked out onto a huge yard with a trampoline and play set which the kids love despite the cold weather, that when the kids were inside there was plenty of space to run around without getting under my feet or fighting with each other, the dishwasher, or the fact that I did not feel the constant overwhelming need to clean. There was room enough to make a mess without continually tripping over it. I relished the wide open spaces of this house. To give an idea of the space, the master bedroom + bath is only a little bit smaller than our entire house and, no, I am not exaggerating. It was a revelation. We need to move to a bigger place!! Now! Immediately! I feel the walls of our small house closing in on me!

Unfortunately, we are not able to move until Brigham graduates in April. We knew this but spending the weekend at Brigham's uncle brought it home, so to speak. So our current plan is to stay where we are until after Brigham graduates, and since we still have not received a job offer for an attorney job and even if we had, it is not likely to start until October or later, and Brigham currently has a job in Draper, we will move to the Sandy area in late April, early May. I am so excited by this that I have already started looking to see what is available and the price. I am also compiling my list of what I am looking for in a house (we want a house not a condo):

• 3-4 bedrooms with at least 1.5 bathrooms
  
• A fenced backyard with a window that overlooks it (preferably in the kitchen) and hopefully a garden plot
  
• A closet in every bedroom and a hall closet (our current house only has two closets, one in our bedroom and one in the hall)
  
• A modern kitchen with dishwasher and garbage disposal, counter space for more than a microwave, and cabinets deep enough to actually fit my plates, and a fridge that cannot be heard throughout the entire house.
  
• At least two three-pronged electrical outlets in every room
  
• A bathroom that has a counter and cabinets
  
• Close walking proximity to parks and shopping.

That's my list so far. I am sure that it will grow but I do not think it is too much to ask, do you?

Halloween

James and Anna had a lot of fun dressing up for Halloween. In fact they dressed up in many different costumes.

This is James' monkey costume from last year. It still fits and he still loves it.

Anna is wearing James' pumpkin costume from his first Halloween when he was 6 months old. I was surprised it fit her.

In the customes I bought for this year my little angel and her not so angelic brother (although Anna is more mischievious than James).


I love this face.

This is a dress Brigham brought back from Afghanstan. Next year it will fit.

Anna loves being held up-side-down.

At the law school trick-or-treat party.

Ready to head outside.

She is not always so angelic looking.

The red shoes are to warn people that although she may look angelic, she has a temper.