March 25, 2010

Oh Gus

This kid is coming into his own and learning all sorts of new tricks.  If you remember we had an issue with him locking me out of the house once before. Well I "thought" I scared the crap out of him until today.  We were doing yard work in the backyard and he closed and locked the screen door.  I don't even know how he accomplished that, it is so hard to lock and even harder to unlock.  We sat at the door bantering back and forth trying to get the door unlocked and Gus just sat there bawling telling me he wanted to come outside.  I couldn't get out of the yard either because our gate has a lock on it and the key was inside.  I was ticked and couldn't think of any way out, except to scale the wall and roll my fat booty over.  I imagine that would have been a site to see and I would have gotten all jacked up.  I just started pulling weeds to pass the time, James couldn't come home for a while, so may as well make the best. Gus and I decided to say a prayer and help us get in the house.  We tried the lock again with no success and I went back to pulling weeds.  Gus started yelling for me to grab the keys and I told him I couldn't because they were in the house.  Then I saw that he was trying to shove the gate key under the screen, I pulled the door and he pushed the keys and they popped right out.  I was able to go around and get him to unlock the front door, a much easier lock then the back door.  Poor kid looked crazy homeless after being locked in the house alone for an hour.

March 23, 2010

Personal History: Wedding and Honeymoon November 2005

My reception was exactly how I had always imagined it would be, a fall wedding with orange,brown, and red, and cool weather.  It was wonderful, we had our reception at Regency Garden in Mesa.  It is a really neat location with a garden feel.  Because we had only six weeks to get everything prepared we had to get stuff done and fast.  We got engagement photos, made our invites and sent them out really quickly.  One of my regrets in that, I know that I forgot people because I was just trying to get it all done fast.  Got my dress to be my, dream dress (by the way, having a seamstress work on a timetable turns out to be really expensive.)  My mom took charge of food and things were falling into place.  James was in charge of the honeymoon, for the time being.  One thing I had always been pretty firm on is my reception, I wanted to have it the night before my wedding.  Best idea ever, our reception was so much fun.  I spent all day getting beautiful and leisurely showed up at the reception which was a great party.  Afterward James and I went back to my parents house and got to eat, hang out, and kiss goodbye; knowing that in the morning we would be married.  I was able to focus 100% the next day on being sealed to James, I went to the temple in a church dress got married in my comfortable temple clothes and got to be in the moment.  I'm not saying it's the best way for everyone, but I loved it and I was so grateful that James agreed to switch things up.  The ceremony was amazing, my favorite part was walking into the sealing room and seeing all those people we loved their to support us, it was a wonderful experience.

Now, the honeymoon story is priceless.  James wanted to take control of that one and I let him go for it.  He asked me several times where I would want to go, and I told him anywhere.  He asked for dream destinations and I told him the pacific northwest (Seattle, San Francisco.)  I figured we were on the right track, he knew what I thought would be fun; a cold, snuggley honeymoon.  One day James asked me if there were any places I would not want to go on a honeymoon and I told him I wouldn't want to go to LA or Vegas, just not my sort of places.  This is just banter, we're just shooting the breeze talking about what if's and such...right?  Wrong.  Two days later James tells me that he had bought tickets to LA for our honeymoon....Uh, I'm a total jerk. How was I to know he had done that, but I felt horrible (FYI LA is not considered pacific northwest, just letting everyone know.)  I told him we would make LA fun, but he decided we could do something else closer, like Flagstaff.  We researched and found nothing. Flagstaff and romantic destinations do not go together, apparently you have to be an outlaw and want to hang out in a saloon in Flagstaff.  So ultimately I was put in charge of the honeymoon.  My good friend Amy and her family have a beautiful cabin in Greer, plans were made and we were granted access to the cabin for out honeymoon.  The cabin was a perfect choice, it was cold, and remote and all around fun....except for the fact that one day into our honeymoon we both got horribly sick.  It broke down several first married barriers, we were sadly both at our worst.  It made for some really funny jokes and funny situations.  My favorite part of our honeymoon was the trip we made into town.  We went to the local grocery store and got pepto bismol and sat in the parking lot chugging it down.  Now if that doesn't scream romance I don't know what does.  We laugh about it all the time, it is a great memory.  Unfortunately James may never be able to enjoy minestrone again.

March 22, 2010

How we vacation

I've learned that as a family when we want to go on a vacation, often times we mean we just want to get away and do nothing.  We have a few destinations that would include doing stuff, but our trip to Prescott and Jerome for spring break was a nothing vacation.  James and I were just excited to be together during non-sleeping hours without distractions.  I love chill vacation, we had a great time.

March 10, 2010

What is that?

That my friends, is Gus' new favorite toy.  Any of you who know Gus know of his obsession with random things, cupboards, vacuum cleaners, tiny stuff and now the carrot nub.  Yes, a carrot nub or carrot buns as Gus refers to it.  We made stew the other night and Gus insisted on keeping the carrot nub, since then he has taken it everywhere, the library, the tub (where the nub got a thorough washing by Gus), and to bed.  I had to pry it out of his hands after he fell asleep last night and he asked for it when he first woke up.  He also has a plastic lid that he likes to put the nub in, they are a good pair.  My kid is awesome, who else would find joy in a carrot nub.

March 9, 2010

Kid books

What is your favorite kid book from childhood or that you read to your own kids?

March 8, 2010

Keeping watch


I hope Kizzy doesn't mind that while she was in Hawaii her kids survived on ramen noodles and snack crackers, they pretty much looked wild and homeless 90% of the day, and they periodically called me mom because I'm so awesome. That's how we roll when I'm keeping watch over kids.  
I promise they had lots of fun. I gave them lots of hugs and kisses and probably some sort of weird illness she'll have to contend with when she comes home.

PS, I'm not a babysitter so don't judge