Two Firsts...sort of

Good morning!

This morning we experienced a semi - momentous event; Matt went pee on the potty! Kind of. When we came home from the gym, I changed his diaper and told him that someday he'll go pee in the potty not a diaper. He then told me he wanted to go pee on the potty right then. So, I didn't put a diaper on him and put him on the little potty we got him a couple months ago. It looked like he was going to pee right away, but he didn't. He tooted quite a bit so I thought maybe he'd poop in the potty. Nope. He sat on the potty for an hour.

I know it seems a bit anti-climatic but it really is a big step. It was the first time he ever sat in the potty without pants and with the purpose of actually going pee. Usually he's obviously pretending. I think his bladder just got a little shy. Hopefully, he continues to make these little steps and we can start potty training in awhile.

The other first actually happened; we had Family Home Evening for the first time last night. I had asked Steve last week if we could start doing it weekly and he said ok. He's so supportive. After the gym yesterday morning, I went to Deseret Book and bought some things for lessons and activities with a toddler. After dinner and cleanup, we gathered in the living room. I said a prayer, told a story from the Book of Mormon with pictures, and then we played a new game while sipping on our treat - strawberry/banana/chocolate smoothies. The game was Noah's Ark Dominoes. Matt really liked it and we all had fun. We ended with a prayer then went downstairs to watch the movie Cars for the millionth time until Matt's bedtime.

As Matt gets older, there will be so many things pulling at us, so many time commitments that will interfere with family time. I really want to make FHE such an ingrained part of our lives that we'll do it even when our lives get crazier than they are right now. I believe it's important to have that family time that also focuses on the gospel. I really really appreciate Steve's willingness to go along with it.

I am always looking for potty training tips and FHE with a toddler ideas if you have any. :)

Julie :)

Sing Song Boy

I have been singing to Matthew since he was in the womb. I sing church songs, traditional kids' songs, songs I made up just for Matthew, and a couple songs my dad used to sing to us when we were little. At first, I dreamed about him singing along with me when he got older, but as he grew, he showed no interest in my songs. They helped calm him and prepare him for bed, but he didn't seem to care about the actual songs.

Goes to show how kids pick up on things without parents realizing it sometimes.

Sometime last Fall, Matthew started making noises like he was singing while I sang. Then, in November, I started singing a song and Matthew repeated a word I had just sung. My heart almost burst. He continued to repeat the last word of each phrase and sometimes he'd sing the word before I did. He actually knew the song! I sang some more songs and he did the same thing. I taught him a couple church songs that have actions, and he picked them up quickly.

Christmas time was fun. He loved the Christmas carols, especially Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer which he continues to request. He used to sing the last word of each phrase until my nephew Porter taught him the phrase "like a light bulb", so now that's all he'll say...except "ho ho ho" at the right time. It's pretty stinking cute.

I love that Matthew likes to sing. He really gets into it sometimes, too; holding out the note, singing loudly, doing actions. I hope he continues to enjoy it. Steve and I don't have the best singing voices, so Matthew may not be the best singer either, but who cares. As long as he enjoys it. And who knows, maybe he'll be pretty good.

Happy 2016!!

Happy New Year's Everyone!

Yes, I know I'm a day late. However, I'm just impressed that I'm only a day late. Writing has been lower on my to-do list lately, but I plan to do it more often now that the holidays are over and I can crochet more leisurely now.

Did you have a fun celebration for the new year? Steve and I had planned on going out to dinner New Year's Eve and then catching the new Star Wars movies, but our babysitter canceled. We had asked my mom to babysit, but she had knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago and wasn't sure she was up for watching Matt after all. After we tried my dad and he was busy, we decided to stay home and have a relaxing evening at home. We put Matt to bed, and then played games and watched Frasier on Netflix. We weren't sure we'd make it to midnight but perservered and saw the ball in time square drop (2 hours after it actually did, but who cares).

Yesterday, I took Matt to the gym and then to JoAnn's to buy yarn for the next afghan I'm making. I couldn't resist. I knew I'd be watching a lot of tv and just couldn't stand the idea of not crocheting for some of the time. When we came home, I discovered Steve cleaning the whole house. He insisted that I shower and get ready while he continued to clean. I had a date with my little sister, Macey, to watch the original Star Wars movies at our house at 11am. She had NEVER seen them before!! I couldn't believe it.

It was fun to sit with her and watch them. She knew some of the basic "secrets" of the series and several quotes but had never seen them. I have both the remastered version and the original version, and I chose to have her watch the original this time...to see them the way they were first created. She laughed at some of the silliness of them, and I didn't mind. I love the shows but am not so devoted that I couldn't see it too. We were only able to watch the first two because she had plans with friends, and I know how important friends are when you're 17. I offered to let her take Return of the Jedi with her to watch when she wants, but she declined and asked if she could come back sometime to watch it with me. I was thrilled! Macey is a great gal and I definitely want to be closer to her. It was so nice to sit with her, chat a bit, and pig out on leftover candy and popcorn. Steve kept Matt upstairs the whole time. He is such a great man.

After Macey left, we played as a family for awhile. My mom came over for dinner and played Trivial Pursuit with us after Matt went to bed.

Today, we've taken it easy. I'm still in my pjs and didn't put Matt in clothes until after lunch. Steve is at my brother's house playing games and watching football. Matt and I were invited too, but I wanted Steve to get some time to himself, too. He is always either working or playing with Matt, so he needed a break, even if he didn't realize it.

So, I'm on my own for a bit. Matt is sleeping...he was grumpy all morning so I knew he would fall asleep easily, and he did. After I finish writing, I'm going to crochet a bit and possibly read, depending on how long Matt sleeps. Aaaahhh. Relaxation.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2016!!!

2016 Resolutions - January

A few days ago, I was watching The Today Show while working out at the gym. Someone was on the show talking about weigh loss resolutions and somethings to do and not to do with them. One thing he said was to not try to change too many things at one, and another was to shoot for short periods of time, like a month, instead of the whole year. I liked both ideas and decided to incorporate them. Hopefully, I'll remember to set goals every month throughout the year.

One reason I like the idea of monthly goals is the flexibility in changing something that doesn't work without seeming to have failed. If a resolution isn't helping me or is too challenging, I can tell myself to just stick with it for a little while longer, to the end of the month, and then I can try something else.

I also have decided upon a Theme for 2016. The past two years my theme has been Kindness; first to those around me, even strangers, and then focusing on being kind to myself. They've been my only resolutions and I feel I've done well with them, although there is always room for improvement. This year my theme is Faith not Fear. I had a Sunday School lesson about this and I realized how much fear I have; fear that Steve or Matt will die, that I will die and leave my child without a mom, that the world is so mixed up and crazy, that I'm not doing enough to teach my child, etc. So, Faith Not Fear is a good thing for me to focus on throughout the year.

My January Resolutions:

1. Eat one apple a day and have one serving of vegetables with both lunch and dinner.

2. Eat only one sugary treat a day. This doesn't include fruits and honey.

3. One day a week, no sugar. Again, fruit and honey don't apply.

4. Remember Christ more. My Relief Society lesson next week touches on this and I'm still working out how I'm going to accomplish it.

5. If I can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Do you do resolutions/goals? I know it's kind of going out of fashion, but I still like it. If you do them, Good Luck!!!

Julie :)

Afghans 2015

I have been crocheting nonstop since March and have created quite a few afghans, totes, and other items since that time. My grandma taught me to crochet when I was a kid, my mom retaught me about ten years ago, and she retaught me yet again this go around. It's been a lot of fun finding patterns to create, choosing colors for people, and having something to do in my down time. Since I started so early, I didn't really feel stress to finish anything until I decided last minute to crochet an afghan for Steve. I neglected my house and Matt (not really, but kind of) until I finished it.

I thought about taking a month-long break from crocheting before starting up on this year's crop of gifts, but my fingers are already itching to start on some patterns my cousin gave me for Christmas.

Here are the blankets I made this year. I wish I was a better photographer so you could see better just how nicely they turned out. I tried to put the pictures in the order I made them, but Blogger was being weird and I didn't want to figure out what was happening.



I gave this to Steve...obviously. It was a lot of fun to make, once I figured out the mistake
from the blog from which I got the pattern. It took a long time to make because I wanted it to be wide
and tall enough for Steve to fit under comfortably. I really like how it turned out.
I used Red Heart yarn so it's thick and very warm. It was my third-to-last blanket.

Steve was just as surprised to see Matt's mini-me blanket as he was to see his own.
It's cute that they have matching afghans. Matt loves it...although not as
much as the blanket my mom crocheted him when he was born. *smile*
I used leftover yarn from Steve's blanket, so it's the same kind. It was
my second-to-last blanket.
 

This one was the first afghan I ever made. It was for my brother Corey's birthday.
It was made with four strands of yarn; white, black, red, and gray; that I held at the same time, so it's
thick and warm. I used Red Heart yarn.
I wish now that I would have made it a little bigger, but it is a good lap blanket.
 

This is the second afghan I made and is a Christmas present for my stepmom Paula.
I used Caron yarn and it turned out so soft and silky. It was a simple design but elegant and comfy.

This was the third blanket I made. I gave it to my mom for Christmas.
Again, I used Caron yarn - five different colors - and it is quite soft but warm.
This is the most complex blanket I made and the longest to make. Also my favorite.

This is the last afghan I made and it was for my sister-in-law Jenny's birthday.
It was converted from a baby afghan...I just made it wider and longer. I
couldn't find the right kind of yellow in the softer Caron yarn, so I used
Red Heart yarn. I love this yellow and would have been happy to keep it. :)
 

I made this one for Steve's stepmom Janie. It is a take on granny squares but instead
of doing lots of little granny squares, it's just one big round.
I was crocheting Paula's afghan when we visited Janie and Ron in Oregon, and
Janie mentioned that she'd like a pink blanket and a blue one for Ron. So, that's what I did.
This was used with thicker, coarser Red Heart yarn but the pattern made it so lacy that
it turned out quite soft. It was my fourth blanket.

I decided to make Ron an afghan to match Janie's but in blue, as per her request.
I used Red Heart yarn again but this time used a smaller needle than the pattern directed
so it turned out tighter, less lacy. I like it better an wish I would have done Janie's the same way.
It is afghan number 5.

My Tough Guy

Yesterday, while working out on the treadmill, a gym employee approached me and told me I was needed in the daycare. Usually this means Matt has a poopy diaper that needs changing. This time, it meant he needed his mama.

From what the daycare worker told me, he and his best buddy, Kempson, had run at each other wielding doll-sized plastic cars. Only those two know what their intent was; the result was Matt being slammed with the toy right on his kisser. His front teeth bit into his upper and lower lips causing blood to flow everywhere. Face wounds always bleed more than is warranted, so at first I didn't realize how badly he'd been hurt. As the blood slowed, I saw the scuff mark on his chin, the raspberry between his nose and lips, and some deep cuts on his lips.

What a smile!

It took about 15 minutes to calm him down, and once he was calm, he wanted to go home. So, I packed up my stuff to leave. Unfortunately, home wasn't our destination. We had dropped my mom off at her physical therapy session (knee surgery a couple weeks ago) and needed to pick her up shortly. So, we stopped by Dad's work to show him what had happened to his little buddy. Matt screamed bloody murder because he wanted to go home...NOT to Dad's work or to Grandma's house. So, I popped a sucker in his mouth and he was good to go. I asked him if it hurt his mouth...I know it had to because it opened up the wound and he started bleeding again...but he said no and refused to stop sucking on it. At least it made him happy.

I could tell his mouth hurt him yesterday, even after I gave him some pain medicine, but he was still a cheerful little guy. He's just like that. It's hard to get him down for long. Today, when the above picture was taken, he's practically back to normal. He hates it when I put Vaseline on his lips but he lets me because I told him it will help his lips get better.

Steve warned me to get used to this happening. A friend told me her oldest son bit clear through his lower lip TWICE.

Heaven help me and all other moms of little boys.

It's a good thing I don't drink.

Thank God for chocolate.

Julie :)

I'm still here...

...I promise!

When I quit Facebook, I decided to blog more. I still intend to, but currently, every free moment I have is spent crocheting a blanket for Steve for Christmas. I didn't start it until a few weeks ago and it's a big blanket so it's taking a long time, especially since I can only work on it when Steve's not around AND when Matt is either sleeping or playing well on his own. The last 5 weeks, I have neglected my housework and my son (not really...I just don't play with him nearly as much), but I'm almost done with it, thankfully. However, I have enough yarn left over that I came up with the idea to make Matt a smaller version of Steve's afghan, so I will be crocheting like mad for a couple more weeks.

When both blankets are finished, I'll post more frequently. And clean my house again instead of paying my niece and nephew to do it like I did last weekend.

No regrets. Worth every dollar. :)