Spare Time

Being a mom is easy(insert sarcasm)...I don't have that much to do. I mean really, I wish I could just find something to fill all of my free time. My mind is wandering, my hands are idle, if there was only some solution to all of my boredom woes!!

And Adam, he might as well retire he sits around the house so much. Okay, okay, not our house. He's actually been working feverishly for the past four months on a home in the Keyenta communtiy. I dare say it is some of his best work to date and his skill level is right up there among the top masons in the state, but then again, I am bias.

Each stone is cut and fit tight into place with so much accuracy. It is a very meticulous and tedious process. He will be blogging more about it very soon on his own site, but here is a sneak peek of the fireplace.

Anyway, he has been working 10-12 hour days trying to get this job done. Plus, you know, being a dad and husband is pretty demanding work too.

So, about 9 months ago we were given the most challenging calling we have had thus far.

Cubmasters.

Each of us have served in various capacities in the church and figured there was nothing we couldn't handle. Well we weren't prepared in the least for the commitment required by this calling. And no, being a little cub scout in no way prepares you for leadership in scouting. I didn't know anything about the organization, the previous cubmasters had moved away, and the bishopric was suddenly replaced. We didn't know what we were doing. Den leaders were getting frustrated by lack of communication. We found oursevles resistant to the old fashioned suggested techniques of singing silly songs and acting like clowns in front of the boys. I remember my dad being the Cubmaster when my brother was a cub scout and he put so much time and effort into making every pack meeting spectacular. It just felt as though we were always coming up short each month.

After Christmas we recommitted ourselves to being more organized and really focusing on what the boys need and not so much what the adults expect. Our first large event of the year was the Blue & Gold Banquet--a celebration of the history of scouting. It took a lot of planning, delegating, and preperation. We had over 100 people RSVP for dinner and trust me, I am no caterer.

Besides the food, we had to prepare the awards the boys had earned during the past month. So I took a page from my dad's cubmaster book. He always had some unique/surprising way of presenting the awards. So I made a giant cake out of cardboard. Then using cardboard tubing from wrapping paper and toilet paper rolls, I put the boys' awards inside and wrapped them up to look like candles to put on the giant cake. Each candle had the boys' names and Adam called them up one by one to open up their awards at the banquet. The invites were reminiscent of a bandanna, and I even made little tokens of appreciation for the leaders involving a bunch of yummy mint candies.
I wish I had taken more photos at the event of all the balloons, banner and flags made by the boys and spaghetti we made, but the truth is I was running around like crazy trying to make sure everything was done. I could never be an event planner. I can barely make dinner for my own family let alone 25 other families. I appreciate so much my sister who was there helping in the kitchen and everyone else who helped us pull it off. We have learned so much during our time as Cubmasters so far.


Next months challenge....Pinewood Derby.

8teen

Maximus and his parents have survived a whole eighteen months. I know it sounds totally cliche, but it does seem like yesterday that we were bringing Max home over the Golden Gate Bridge. Now he is a big brother and I often have to remind myself that he is still so much a baby in many ways.
Adam and I are often shaking our heads and trying to catch our breath with this little guy. We go to church and look around at the other little kids and we don't see any in his age group with the same strong, defiant, stubborn will as Max. Sometimes I suppose it can be embarrassing, because in the same situation I might tend to think that the parents are too lax and need get their kid under control, but this is what I get for being judgemental. Max has an attention span of about 60 seconds unless he is watching Blues Clues, Elmo, or one of a handful of DVDs he has seen dozens of times. He refuses to be shown anything new. If you try to teach him how to play with a toy, he immediately assumes you are taking it from him and throws himself to the couch with his head down to pout. I get this same reaction about 50 times a day. Whenever I try to initiate play with him, if I don't get his juice fast enough, if he doesn't like his food, if I tell him to stop playing in the trash can, or stop pushing the buttons on the t.v. a tantrum ensues. The concept of "if you perform some action--then you will get to do what you want" is totally lost on him still. He wants what he wants, right.now.

He is fearless. He will run into a crowd, out in the street, or out of my view in a store without hesitation. No separation anxiety for this boy. The only reason he cries when we leave is not because he will miss us, but because he can't go outside too. He does not listen worth beans. I could yell and repeat myself until I am blue in the face and he will continue to do whatever he is doing. We have started giving him time-outs in his bed, because make no mistake, his is very intelligent, and though we may not be able to reason with him, repetition is our only means of helping him understand that actions have consequences. Although, sometimes he just doesn't seem to care and I just have to keep reminding myself that it's all about consistency.

Many times people ask me if he loves Dempsey and if he is a good big brother. Ummmm, not really. He is still a baby himself and requires a lot of attention. He hardly acknowledges her existence, until recently she has begun grabbing his books and toys and he gets infuriated. We have a lot to learn about sharing. He's not so much the nurturing type. On the other hand, he loves to get praise from Momma and Dadda, so he will give her kisses on the head, whenever he is in a good mood, because we will tell him what a good boy he is...
Yes, he is intense about 75% of the time. However, I've learned to read him(cope) and can most of the time either avoid a melt down or diffuse one. Despite his high octane personality, he can be really sweet. He has always been very vocal, he has a very large vocabulary for his age, but I think his inability to communicate clearly is what fuels many of his tantrums, so I am hoping his disposition will improve with his capacity to speak. He is in a very affectionate stage and he loves to give kisses and has finally figured out how to make the puckering noises to go with them. He loves going outside more than anything in the world(except playing with doors), he is fascinated by his shadow and will also give it kisses in the air. He wants to run aimlessly and just yells into the wind because he so happy to be free.

Doors.
Any kind, anywhere. We could be at the park trying to show him how fun the slides are, but the second he gets to the bottom he bolts for the closest door he can find...which is usually the restroom. Open, shut, open, shut, if we would let him he would just do that all day long. He is very mechanically minded and is always pulling things apart, turning them upside down to see how they work. Definitely all boy.



He likes to dance. It is the cutest thing ever. I don't know where he learned it, but whenever he hears some music he lifts up his elbows, alternates moving each shoulder up and down and then bounces his knees so his little bum shakes...so funny. He has no patience for reading books. He has certain pages he wants to look at and then he is done. When he was really little I used to read him these two books that had prayers in the end and so the last word was always "Amen." Now whenever he gets to the end of any book he says, "Amen!" When he gets excited or really mad he will say every word he knows which usually consists of, "mama, dada, becca, nana, clock, ball, moon(boof), hat, car, house, what's that, wow, juice, cak(cookie), elmo, nemo, blues, shadow, light(nat), allgone, and probably a few others I can't remember.



We really love this little guy. Even though he challenges us everyday we know that he is a very strong spirit saved for a very scary world. We always hope and pray we can give him the love and guidance he needs to grow up and be the man he is meant to be.

Kicks.

Somebody is sportin' a new pair of kicks around our house. It's much easier than keeping laces tied. February is not too early for shorts and crocs, right? Lucky for us, most days it gets above 50 degrees. We are just counting down the days until the splash park opens, so we can test these babies out!

Sunday Best

It's a rare occasion when we can all get ready and be to church in time to sit on an actual bench instead of some folding chairs back in the gym overflow...not that it really matters, because with these two munchkins we usually end up in the foyer not too long into the meeting. Snacks and toys barely get us through the passing of the sacrament. It's a work in progress to be able to sit quietly for an entire hour.

Only 2 more weeks until Max can go to nursery all. by. himself.

So thankful for little things like being able to go to our Sunday classes again.

Until the nursery leader brings him to us because he is terrorizing the rest of the kids, ha!

4 already?

Spudly is what your daddy calls you, because your soy formula makes you smell of potatoes. In the last month your appetite has become voracious. You are growing at super speed and already wear 12-month clothes.
At your 4-month check-up your stats were:
16.8 lbs 95%
25in 85%

The rolling over has begun and I can see in your eyes that you can't wait to do what you see big brother doing. In fact, he is your main source of entertainment and as long as he is playing around you, you don't cry unless you are hungry or tired. Reaching and grabbing is gaining accuracy every day and I swear you have a vendetta against my hair. The wonderful drooling stage has begun and you take full advantage by spitting and making raspberry noises even in the midst of tears. Despite our rough start, you are sleeping so well. You average 5-6 hours before waking to eat and on a rare occasion you'll go for 7!


Yes, you are our ginger baby and generally more laid-back than your brother, but the difference in emotions and sensibilities of this little sweetheart are definite. The range of faces you can make really are a wonder of nature and as parents we share in the gamut from pure innocent excitement to a pitiful little weep that would bring a grown man to tears.

Everyday we are surprised and can't wait to see what's next little Dempsey.

For a change...

change of address
change of scenery
change of jobs

moving in with your crazy sister, brother-in-law and their two kids under 2 years old...
life-changing.

Lindsay has come to stay with us to see what the future holds for her here in Southern Utah or maybe she's just trying to escape the below zero temps of Vernal. Whatever the case may be, I'm not ashamed to admit that I love having an extra set of hands. Max has already thrown her cell phone into the toilet(luckily it survived) and Dempsey has welcomed her with baby puke several times over. Needless to say, she is one of the family now, so it's only fair that she be added diaper changing rotation, right?