MY DAY

So, today we had sunshine, rain, snow, sleet and itty bitty hail. I am not sure whether to be confused about what month it is, what season it is, where I live, or whether the earth is warming or cooling. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.

MY ADORABLE BLESSING

I have the cutest little boy. I was just sitting here holding him trying to get him to go to sleep and he got the giggles. No kidding. He made me laugh and when I laughed he giggled even more. So, then I started laughing just to get him to giggle.  He has the sweetest, funniest giggle. He is a happy little guy and I love him so much. I feel so blessed to have him, and to share moments like this with him. He is the most amazing little blessing!

DIE DANDELIONS DIE ALREADY

What is it with Dandelions anyway? Rob fertilized the lawn with Scott's Turf builder and put down Weed B Gone (however you spell that) and those darn things are still there. They got a little sickly and then they perked right back up and kept coming. My dad thinks they need to be cut out of the yard but I personally don't have the energy, time or desire to do that.

Instead, I think I would rather switch than fight. In fact, why don't we all just stop fighting! I think we should make the dandelion our national flower! Then we could all sit back, relax and stop stressing when those mangy little things flood our yard! Instead, the more yellow buttons we have in our yard the more pride we can be filled with! I not only first that idea--I second it! I mean, think about it--we are killing off flowers in one area of our yard only to plant them in another area. How crazy is that?!

O.K. seriously, someone tell me how we kill these monster strong dandelions without killing the yard and without digging it up? They will not die! Arrrghh!

MY PRECOCIOUS LITTLE TWO YEAR OLD

We have a glass coffee table that gets lots of little finger prints all over it. I had just finished cleaning it when some little hands found their way back onto the table top. I asked Miss Carly to please remove her hands because I wanted the table to stay clean and I re-cleaned where she had just put her hands. As soon as I did that she put her hands back down and continued moving them all over the table. I repeatedly asked her to stop putting them on the table but she clearly did not want to do what I was asking. I even demanded that she stop it a couple of times in a really firm voice. She ignored me. Finally, I told her to stop putting her hands on the table or I would swat her bum! To my surprise she stopped immediately and I took advantage of the moment and began cleaning her hand marks off the table. I hadn't gotten very far when she returned with one of her dollies; picked up the dolly's hand and placed the dolly's hand on the table! Can you spell B-R-I-G-H-T, D-E-F-I-A-N-T, T-W-O- Y-E-A-R O-L-D? Yah, we're in for a bit of a turbulent ride for the next couple of years. I always heard the terrible two's but now people are telling me that two is nothing compared to three. Thanks a lot!

To finish off the story, though--I didn't let that dolly get the best of me. After the dolly's hand touched the table, Carly went and laid her down on the floor. I went over and picked the dolly up, swatted her rear-end and said, "No, No! Dolly! Don't touch the table with your hands! I want it to stay clean!" I decided not to look at Carly's face for a reaction but I'm pretty sure she got the point! She didn't try touching the table after that. Um, Carly--not the doll . . .

SUNDAY STUFF

Today was a pretty normal Sunday around here. We got up and went to church. Came home, took a nap and fixed dinner. Then we had some family over tonight and watched Avatar. It was pretty good. (Okay, well to be honest. What I've seen so far was pretty good.) Carly and Jonathon started acting up the last half hour so Rob and I each took a child and put them to bed and missed the ending. Guess we will catch it together later. Oh, the joys of children! Lol!

Dad over-did it a little bit yesterday. He didn't feel good at all today and was really worn out so he spent most of the day resting. Hopefully, he will have a better day tomorrow after having gotten some rest. Mom is doing really well. She is still doing PT on her shoulder and I think is making progress.

Jonathon is so active now that he is all over the place. He loves to hear his own voice, too. It is really funny! He sounds almost like a lion roaring. And he's constantly hungry--he is going to be such a BIG boy! And I thought Rob's feet were big. Ha!

BREAKING NEWS!

JONATHON IS CRAWLING! It's actually his own version of crawling which is pretty close to the real version of crawling but it's so close I think we have to count it. Plus, he moves quickly from point A to point B so regardless our lives have now changed FOREVER! He actually started doing this yesterday but for some reason I had the bouillion story stuck in my head and forgot to mention the crawling which was actually the bigger story! Geez!

Today was a really special day for us. Jonathon was sealed to us in the Provo LDS temple! For anyone who doesn't know what that means, as Latter Day Saints we believe families are forever. When we are married we are sealed to each other for time and all eternity. If Jonathon had been born to us he would have been born under that same covenant. Since he was adopted we needed to have him sealed to us. It's a very special blessing and it was such a neat day today. Here are some pictures from our day.

                     Megan, Rob, Jonathon, Nancy, Julie, Carly


 
                                  Megan, Julie and Carly
                              Daddy, Mommy and Jonathon
 

SWEET MAMA THAT AIN'T NO SUGAR

Carly has a sweet tooth that goes all the way from her teeth down to her toes. In fact, if she thinks something looks the tiniest bit like candy she has to have it. Sometimes what she thinks looks like candy isn't actually candy--but no amount of talking will convince her of that. She has to find it out all by herself.

A couple of weeks ago we went through this and I thought she had it figured out but tonight we had a repeat of the exact same situation so I'm thinking this two year-old's memory may need a re-boot! We have a couple of the big containers of bouillon--both chicken and beef. They are in pretty red and yellow foil. They look like candy. They don't taste like candy. Convince a two year old of that with only words. No way! Trouble is -- as I said. We let her prove to us two weeks ago that it was candy. She didn't win and she didn't much like it, either. Today, she had to try it again. Same result. Icky! I wonder how many times we will go through this before her eyes and her tongue connect. Hmmmm. If it happens again I'm taping it for posterity. Lol!

SUCH A HANDSOME BOY

OUR CUTE LITTLE GUY

MR. SANDMAN WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?

I used to let Carly stay up fairly late because she would sleep until 9:00, 9:30 or sometimes even 10:00 a.m. which was great for me since I have NEVER been a morning person. All of the sudden though, she is wide awake at 7:00 a.m. every morning. Gah! I don't know where Mr. Sandman went--but there is a hefty reward for his return! Luckily Jonathon still sleeps pretty late so I get Carly from her room and give her a sippy of milk and lovingly coax her into bed with me. Then I turn on her favorite cartoons and I can close my eyes for a bit longer. It may not be sleep but it allows a bit more rest. Since Carly is waking up so early now I am not letting her stay up late any more. Nope! She goes to bed between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. now. It's harder with Jonathon, though. He still doesn't allow us to go to sleep very early and he's not sleeping all the way through the night yet, either. I get up and get him a bottle 2-3 times a night still. I think he is just one hungry little boy! He's definitely in charge--and unfortunately, I think he knows it!
Babies--whatchagonnado?!

NOT A WHOLE LOT

To say tonight. Rob is sick after working two days of huge overtime. He's got a fever and chills and will have to go in tomorrow regardless of how he feels because he is helping train a new hire. Yuk. I don't feel well, either but it's mostly migraine and being over-tired. The kids (the little ones) have been especially demanding today so I suspect they aren't feeling well either. Hopefully, a lot of rest and some tlc will help this blow over quickly. Gotta hurry into dreamland if I'm going to start on all that rest. Night all.

WHAT'S JONATHON BEEN UP TO?

Have I mentioned Jonathon can say "Da Da" now? Well, he can and we can get him to repeat it. He doesn't know what he is saying but it is something he says regularly--now if we can just hook it to Rob in his mind! He has also started to shake his head "No". It's really funny when he does it. I remember when Carly started doing it. We taught her to say "Uhn-uh"--like "no". It was really funny when she would do it. We are having just as much fun trying to teach him to do the same thing. Although, he is dang cute just having a good time shaking his head back and forth with a veangeance.

 

On Saturday, we went to a blessing for a little boy who is ten days younger than Jonathon. His parents adopted him from the same agency we used and we became friends on Facebook. We met for the first time at his blessing and got some cute photos of his family and ours. I'm posting a few of the pictures on here. The little boy's name is Liron and he's an absolute doll. He and Jonathon were not quite sure what to make of each other but that didn't keep me or his mom, Miki from trying to get them to make friends.

                                 Miki holding Liron and me with Jonathon

Liron and Jonathon

Brand new best buds

MILESTONES

Jonathon's bottom front tooth broke through yesterday and the one next to it isn't far behind! Finally, all the drooling and oozing is starting to pay off. I don't know though. I'm a little sad about it. Having been through this once now with Carly, I know how fast this growing up thing starts moving. I love his little toothless grin and it seems like it's only a quick hop, skip and jump from the first tooth to a mouthful of teeth and the terrible two's! Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Hee hee!

Then, on top of beginning to get his teeth in Jonathon started sitting up on his own today! Yup! Two milestones in two days. This little guy is going for a record! It's fun to see him start to hit these milestones so easily after being so sick this past Winter. He's such a happy, fun little guy. We are so blessed to have him and be a part of his life.

AUNTY EM, AUNTY EM . . . AUNTY EM . . . AUNTY EM

Today was going along just fine until I got in my car and looked at my dashboard and noticed someone had stolen my sense of direction. That's right, most of you may have been born with a sense of direction and a lot of those other OVER-RATED QUALITIES but unlike the rest of the world, me, the tin man, the cowardly lion and a few other not so well known characters have had to aquire certain of our qualities from other sources, i.e. Ebay; the Sears and Roebuck Catalog; Radio Shack and The Great and Powerful OZ.

Seriously though, I was not amused at all to realize someone had stolen my GPS unit. My husband gave it to me as a gift about three years ago when he realized how seriously F- my sense of direction was. I had taken a part-time job about a half an hour from home in a bigger city and from time to time had to run errands in the city. I would call him for help finding my way around but I think the real clincher was the four or five times I got lost on my way home. Somehow I would get turned onto the wrong freeway and get totally lost. I would call him crying with no idea where I was. I would have to give him mile markers and land marks to identify where I was so he could get me turned around and back home. It's a really frightening thing to find your weak spot--especially when you are lost and you don't have a sense of direction and no way to figure out which way to go. Thank goodness for cell phones because I was on a desert freeway with no places of business or phone booths and no friendly faces. That's when hubby bought me a GPS. That's when I got my external sense of direction!

We actually named our GPS unit. We called her Emmy, after Aunty Em in the Wizard of Oz. So, it's kind of sad that Aunty Em is really gone this time and no amount of calling out her name is going to bring her back! Stealing is a bad thing. It's not that we can't replace the GPS. It will be costly and it's not a convenient time to do it. More than that--what they took from me was my personal safety. My ability to move around with ease. They took my external sense of direction. They took what has made me feel more normal and more like everyone else than anything else I've ever owned and that is a real drag. Danged thieves.

JUST FOR FUN (Double click on the picture below to see the full screen video.)

SISTER SARAH

My sister Sarah came today with her two kids. They drove here after Sarah got off work and are spending the night. We had a fun evening together. Mom, Sarah and I went shopping for some things for Sarah's new home (for Sarah's birthday) which is coming right up. Then we came back to the house and had pizza together and just talked and laughed and caught up.

Rob had been on a two day work trip and got back home this evening as well. I'm always so relieved when he gets home safely. It was a really nice day here. I think it got up to about 65 degrees and it wasn't too sunny or too windy--just right outside. I wish I had realized it earlier because I would have taken the kids outside and spent more time out there. I spent about an hour outside with them at a friend's house and they both really enjoyed it.

I think it's supposed to be a nice weekend so I hope we can spend some more time outside playing. I guess we had a small earthquake somewhere in Utah or nearby here yesterday and people have been asking if we felt it here. No, we didn't. I guess some people here did, but we didn't. I'm glad. Not something I want to experience!

IT'S OVER!

Grandpa's house arrest is over. He was officially released from home healthcare today. He passed his test and they checked him out of the program which means he can now leave the house for "other than emergencies and doctor appointments." Yup, if you are in home health care you are pretty much married to the house. They may as well have an ankle bracelet on you. Well, with the exception that you don't much feel like leaving the house, either. I guess that's kind of the point isn't it. Hmmm.

I got in a cleaning frenzy today and got quite a bit done. I just wish I had the energy to do it more often. Still, as much as I accomplished there is still so much left to do. Isn't that always the way, though. I need a personal assistant. No, I need a WIFE! That's what one of my bosses (a woman) used to say. It's so true, though. If we all just had a wife running around helping us we could get so much more done!

Have I told you how cute my little boy is? No, well, he is such a doll! he is at the cutest stage. He just grins and laughs and coos. My mom says he sounds like a turtle dove. He has the sweetest smile and he is such a little cuddler. He loves to be held and talked to. He is such a little grinner; he will just steal your heart away!

He is only a move or two away from crawling. I thought he was going to do it tonight. He got up on his knees and moved a couple of inches and then went down on his tummy. I was kind of glad because Rob wasn't here and I want him to be here when he crawls for the first time. I think it will happen tomorrow. Wait for it--if it happens it will be BREAKING NEWS--right here!

WHAT A DAY!

Grandpa saw two doctors today. We saw his Cardiologist and his knee surgeon and he had great reports from both. He was even able to get off the Coumadin! YAY! Also, Grandpa had his left shoulder x-rayed and it still wasn't there! :) No kidding! So, as a bonus we set a surgery date for late August to have that sucker replaced! But don't worry . . . you will get to see him at least once more before he has his new shoulder. Grandpa is doing his Bermuda shorts tour through Indiana in mid-August to show off his brand new knee. So, keep your eyes peeled for those tour dates. Coming soon to a reunion near you!

Jonathon had a very good doctor appointment today, too. (Does it sound like I went to a lot of doctor appointments today? I did.) He got a good report from his allergy specialist and doesn't have to go back for a check-up for three months! While he isn't going on any tours in the near future he can be found daily pulling himself up on his knees and trying to crawl, drooling and trying to break through his first teeth and making wild noises like he's trying to talk!

NOTHING MAJOR . . .

Happened today. I got less done than I intended to, so I guess in that regard it was a normal day. I finished laundry, paid bills, fed kids, cooked dinner and even made cookies but I had a lot more planned than that. Jonathon is getting very close to getting up on his knees. I don't think it will be long before he is crawling. He's also getting close to having teeth break through. I think it will be a week or two still but you can feel ridges in his mouth now on top and bottom and you can see white through his gums. He is such a little mover and shaker--always, always going somewhere. I thought Carly was busy. This little one is going to keep me moving.

Rob's Mom can't even get into her surgeon until the 27th of this month. She is going to see her regular doctor on Thursday and hoping he can pull some strings to get her in sooner. In case you missed it, she blew her knee out and needs a total replacement as soon as possible.

Dad is still doing really well. He was tired today but other than that he is still making really good progress. He sees his heart surgeon tomorrow (Wed.) So, I will let you know how that goes. That's all the news for now. Night all.

WE'RE IN SUCH TROUBLE NOW . . .

It was cute when she took her first steps, said her first words, gave her first kiss. Yes, all the firsts were cute--O.K. maybe not all of them. Yah, well along the latter line of thinking. Carly climbed out of her crib for the first time the other day and boosted open the not-so-kiddie-proof lock on her door and came walking out from her nap before it had even started. She was genuinely surprised that we were upset about it. I think she thought we would be outside the door with an audience clapping wildly at her feat! She was madly disappointed when we put her back in bed and shut the door again.

She repeated the same episode with identical results the first two attempts I made to give her a nap today. I finally wrestled control back but not before I was almost convinced that the inmates were running the asylum! The third try stuck but I'm afraid I'm in for a whole lotta trouble now that she knows she can climb her way free. Yikes!

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT THE DRAMA WAS ABOUT TO END . . .

Finally, we think we are getting everyone well and healthy again and we get a phone call on Saturday and find out Rob's mom blew her knee out and has to have a total knee replacement! Poor woman! We went to check on her today and she is in a lot of pain but has to wait until she talks to her surgeon Monday to see how soon they can get her in to do the replacement. Hopefully it won't take long. She's been through a lot lately.

Grandma (my Mom) made a yummy dinner tonight. We had chicken and dumplings and homemade mashed potatoes. Then for dessert she made a homemade Apple cobbler. Delish! None of us could move afterward. We just rolled from place to place the rest of the evening. Lol!

DID I MENTION . . .

Jonathon was not at all happy about having his picture taken?!



Nope, he sure wasn't! But ain't he a cute little mad guy? Hee hee hee! :)

BIG SMILES - GROWING BABIES

We went and had some pictures taken today with the little ones. I don't know why picture time always turns into screaming and crying time but sure enough right when they are supposed to pose for the camera both Carly and Jonathon were pouting or in tears. It took a ton of clowning around, begging, pleading and pulling our hair out to get a few good shots. So frustrating! Especially since most of the time at home they are fairly easy going and happy kids and easy to get a smile out of! Gah!

GRANDMA AND GRANDPA WITH THE BUBSTER

So Sweet.


(Yah, he was probably on the phone with you!)


Grandma's Boy!

MY VERY CUTE BOY

I can't believe how fast Jonathon is growing. He is getting big so fast. I know it went quickly with Carly but I don't remember it being this fast. He is already getting all over the place, not because he is crawling yet but because he is rolling. He is literally rolling himself all over the place. It is really funny. He will start in one corner of the room and in just a few seconds be in the opposite end of the room. He's a mover and a shaker. That's for sure. This little guy is going places. What a cutie!

APRIL IS FOOLING WITH US!

We woke up this April morning to 10.5 inches of snow! Unbelievable. And it's Spring break here for the school kids. So, what else could I do but send the kids outside to build a snowman. Especially since Carly had never really played in the snow or built a snowman. Not a popular decision with Julie since she hates snow. Although, I think she did like showing Carly the ropes! Plus, the cousins were over and they had fun, too. Still, SNOW in APRIL! Not Cool! Downright COLD!

GOING BANANAS

So, yesterday at my house I could actually be heard bargaining with my two year old to give me back a banana she was holding and in exchange I would give her some candy. My twenty-three year old thought it was outlandish enough she posted it as a status on her facebook page. It does sound pretty outrageous on it's face. I understand that. I mean, what mom, in her right mind, wants her child to eat candy instead of a banana, right? Ah, but that's where the error in thinking takes place. My little girl doesn't eat the banana. She opens it and I mean all the way. She takes every peel all the way off and then she starts taking chunks of the banana off and squeezing it in her hands and gooing everything in her path up! Now, do you see why I would make such a crazy sounding offer her to my two year old? Yah, I thought so!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN! HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

It just so happened that Easter fell on Megan's birthday this year. Don't worry, it didn't hurt her. (Yes, I know--bad joke. I've been living with Rob too long.) Megan turned the ripe old age of twenty-three. She did manage to blow out all her candles but not before catching her hair on fire and singeing it. Funny stuff. It was minor. We didn't need the fire department. or the extinguishers. In fact she didn't even notice. We had to tell her; but burned hair does stink to high heaven!

We had a nice dinner together as a family, opened presents and had cake and ice cream although not in that order. We actually had cake first. I mean, sometimes you just gotta live by that motto: Life is short. Eat dessert first!

Oh yah, and we took pictures while Megan opened her presents. Don't ya love the look on Carly's face below? It's like "Oh no, Here she goes again!" Lol!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

In remembering the true reason we celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ I want to share my love, hope and testimony of His love for each and every one of us. I know HE LIVES! I know he died for us and was resurrected and took up his life that we may one day do the same and live with Him again! May you celebrate this Easter Season with peace and joy! Happy Easter dear friends!

DAYS GONE BY HAVE COME AGAIN

Tonight I went back thirty years in time--well, at least twenty-five or so. I was invited to a mission reunion of some of the missionaries that came through our hometown years ago by one of the missionaries my sisters and I had known really well. Susan and Sarah were invited, too but neither one could make it. Rob and I went, though and had a really good time. We laughed and played games and really enjoyed ourselves. In fact, I don't know when I have had so much fun.



This is the Sannar family. Kathy, son Tyler and his wife Kelsie and Charlie (who was the missionary in our hometown) and of course me!

SMILING SIBLINGS

This is a cute photo of our daughter Sara with Jonathon a couple of weeks ago when she was home for a visit. I forgot I had this one in the camera! Silly mommy!