Another Conversation With Dylan

I swear this kid cracks me up sometimes.  Tonight we were driving home from Leah's birthday party (my niece) and Dylan was just talking my ear off.  He has an answer for everything. Yesterday we saw some puppies on the side of the road and let Dylan hold them.  Big mistake! Now everything is about getting a puppy.  So here's what I can remember from our drive home tonight.  

D: Mom, did you get that lady's phone number with the puppies?

M: Yes, but I don't think we're going to get a puppy right now.   We need to wait until you're older and can help take care of an animal.

D: Yeah, when I'm 5 I can feed it and take it for walks.

M: Puppies are a big responsibility.  You  have to feed them, give them water, let them outside to go to the bathroom, pick up their poop, take them on walks...

D: And give them baths, right mom?  

M: Yep, that's right.  And some dogs need haircuts and need to be brushed and get their toenails cut.  

D:  I think Christmas is a wonderful season.

M: Me too.

D: Yeah, I think Santa would want to bring me a puppy.

M (thinking): Uh-oh...

D: But puppies are probably hard to wrap.  I wonder how Santa would wrap a puppy.  You can't wrap a puppy.

M: I think Santa makes sure a family is ready for an animal before he brings it for Christmas. Our family might not be ready for an animal yet, but some day we will be. 

D: Yeah, maybe I can just babysit Belle (that's my sister's dog).

M: That's a great idea.  We can ask Alicia if we can take care of her the next time they go out of town.

D: I will take care of her and give her food and take her on walks, but not hold her.  She doesn't like to be held.

M: Sometimes she gets nervous, doesn't she?  But she likes to sit on your lap when you sit still with a blanket on your legs.  

D: Yeah, I think I want a dalmatian.  Belle's a dalmatian. 

M: No, Belle's a chihuahua.  

D:  Aye chihuahua? 

M: No, Belle is a type of dog that is called a chihuahua.

D:  But she is black and white.

M: I know, some chihuahuas are white with black spots and that reminds us of a dalmatian, doesn't it?

D: Like the firefighters have.

M: Yep, like the firefighters have.  

I have no idea where the conversation went from there, but it was all just so funny.  Everything he said made me want to laugh.  What a fun age these preschoolers can be when they're not driving their parents crazy! 

The Primary Program

Today we had our Primary program and it was awesome!  It's amazing how close you get to each one of the kids in the Primary.  I just feel like they're all my own and get all teary-eyed when they sing. My mom and Barney and Marcos' mom and aunt came to watch.  It was nice to have family there to support me and see Dylan's first Primary program.  Dylan's been practicing his part forever and was so excited, but yesterday at the practice I think he realized how loud it was when the mic was turned on so today he was too nervous to say his part.  Oh well, he's just going through some sort of shy moment, something I never though we'd experience in this center-of-attention household.  Anyway, the kids sang great and it was such a proud moment to watch and lead them.  People said they could hear them singing all the way down the hall.  Cool!  I'm glad it's over though.  It's a little scary trying to remember everything.  I kept thinking I was going to forget to have them stand up or something, but it was perfect!  My cute little kiddos!  

Last Night

Last night I left Marcos home with the kids while I went shopping.  We needed a couple totes for things in the office and then a few grocery items.  I headed over to ShopKo where they were having a smashing 2 for 1 deal on plastic totes.  I am the biggest geek ever!  Not only do I love organizational products, a very weird quirk of mine, but I was just so relieved to be in a quiet store without kids that I found myself wandering the aisles thoroughly enjoying my moment of serenity.  It's amazing the things you appreciate when life is usually so busy and loud.  Then I headed over to Smith's for some chicken, which was also on sale, and a few other items like bread and milk.  Okay, I bought $32 of groceries for $18.  Wa-hoo!  I'm trying to be a thrifty little shopper and stretch our money.  I'm going to figure this out if it kills me!  

I went home and the kids were grumpy and having a hard time so we went for a walk halfway around the cul-de-sac and then came home.  I guess Marcos did that while I was gone because Preston was trying to fall asleep at 6:30, but he forgot to tell Dylan.  The first thing Dylan did when I got home was to tell me that Papi went for a walk without him and forgot to tell him and he was sad and scared and crying.  Oh man, how many traumatic experiences can we accidently impose on our children?  I told him I was sorry and to remind Papi to tell you when he walks outside because it makes you nervous.  The last little while he's been in this nervous, shy mode and gets all aggressive when he's embarrassed.  I guess we all deal with emotions differently.  I just cry about everything, stupid baby that I am.  

We got the kids ready for bed, tucked them in, and headed down to the office to work on some more straightening.  It's hard to finish a big project like this with young kids pulling things out of boxes so we just work on it an hour or two every night after the kids go to bed.  Let me rephrase.  I work on it an hour every night and remind Marcos to help me with it... :)  No sooner did I start cleaning, than I hear Marcos saying, "Dylan?"  He's been getting out of bed this whole week and trying to stall at bedtime as long as possible.  Without even turning around I said, "Dylan, you'd better not be at the top of the stairs."  I figured he'd run back upstairs before I could see him.  Nope, instead I get a happy, cheerful response, "Mommy, but it's okay.  Preston's here too.  I just got him out of his crib."  I walked over to the stairs and sure enough the two of them are standing at the top of the stairs holding hands in their pajamas.  Man, it was too cute!  I didn't even know Dylan could get Preston out of his crib...and with the monitor on I'm surprised we didn't hear it.  I tried not to laugh as I walked up the stairs to put the kids back in bed.  I guess Dylan thinks the reason he shouldn't leave his bedroom is because Preston might feel bad about it so he brought him with that time.  That kid's always thinking.  

Reminiscing...

Dylan is having grandpa day with Barney and Anthony and Preston are taking a nap.  I'm trying to organize the office and find a place for everything while I have a free minute.  During my cleaning frenzy, I came across a bunch of my old journals.  Holy cow, it is so crazy to read about my life. For one thing, everything is so much more dramatic at the time when you're young and have a limited perspective.  I opened to the day my parents got divorced.  You could tell how sad and confused I was.  It was a hard day for me, but I tried to be so brave helping my dad move and stuff.  Weird.  Then I read a bunch of drama from girls camp that made me laugh. Those poor leaders!  Later I found a more recent journal when I lived with my great grandma. It was so sweet to think back on the time I spent with her before she passed away.  She was in and out so sometimes she knew me, sometimes she thought I was my mom or grandma and sometimes she didn't have a clue who I was, but I was always able to reassure her again.  I will treasure those months I spent with her forever.  That was also the time I was dating Marcos and got engaged.  Man what rose-colored glasses I wore!  I was so flippin' in love with that boy! Let me rephrase.  I'm still in love with that boy, but it's so much deeper and stronger and different now.  But I wouldn't have believed you if you would've tried to explain that to me then.  What a hopeless romantic I was...and he knew it!  Anyway, good times!  

Wednesday Night

Last night, we had dinner at Mercedes' house with some friends they knew when they lived in Brazil.  We had a delicious dinner and great conversation with everyone.  The kids had so much fun running around playing games in the dark.  Marcos got off work late and was in Bountiful so we had two cars there.  I took one car and headed down to Steve and Liv's house to see their new baby while Marcos got the kids in the car for bed.

This is baby Soren.  He was born Monday, October 20.  He was 9 lbs 2 oz and was 22 inches long.  He is such a cute little thing.  Steve and Liv are so happy and trying to get settled.  It was good to see them and visit for a bit.  Liv mentioned how weird it is to come home with a baby and have all this trivial stuff like laundry to think about.  I can tell her world's been flipped upside down already.  I love the pictures of the two of them staring at their baby boy.  They're pretty enamored with the little guy.  It's so sweet to watch new parents dealing with the overwhelming emotions that come along with a little bundle of joy.  I was so shocked and thrilled to hear Liv say that she would do it all again for two days with a newborn. She had a HORRIBLE pregnancy so it was awesome to see how quickly she was able to forget the misery and focus in on her little miracle.  Congratulations!  We are so happy for you both!

A Busy Week

Here I am...finally.  I kept wanting to post something, but things were too chaotic.  I've got clingy kids who are up all night for some reason on top of a million projects.  So here's my attempt at summarizing the events of this past week.  

Last Friday, I helped put on an event for the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation.  Liv is one of my best friends and is a fundraiser/event coordinator by trade.  We used to work together, which is where our friendship began.  She still has me help her out every now and then and it is so much fun to keep my foot in the door so to speak.  It's just nice to get out of the house and remember that I have some professional skills that extend beyond mommyville.  She was given two due dates - October 10 and October 20 - and the event was on the 17th, so I was the helper/backup if she was in labor person.  She didn't have him before the event so we got to put it on together and catch up while we worked.  It was so much fun!  I had to be to Provo by 4 so Marcos decided to just take the whole day off and spend some time with the kids.  His sister ended up calling on a whim to see if we wanted to go to the pumpkin patch.  I had to get ready so Marcos took the kids with him.  His brother was also off work that day too so the three siblings and their kids went to the pumpkin patch together.  What are the chances?  I'm so glad it all worked out that they could hang out together.  Usually it's just the girls!  Anyway, it was a good day all around.

Saturday was Dylan's final soccer game this fall and his team did awesome.  It was like 15-0 or something.  A couple players on his team really have the game figured out now and can just score over and over.  Dylan did great too!  Marcos said it was the best he's ever seen him play. He was keeping up and following the ball around and even passed it off to a teammate who then scored.  Pretty advanced playing.  I wish he could score a couple more times because he gets so excited when he does, but he's learning that any role you play on the team is important.  

So Sunday was a crazy day.  We've got our Primary program this Sunday so we were practicing like crazy for that and of course Dylan was having an "off" day.  It is so hard to be the parent and in charge of a bunch of kids and have your kid be the one completely ignoring all the rules. Plus it was just a weird emotional kind of day for me.  But we got through it.  When we got home, Justin and Angie were there working on the desk.  He's been working on this project forever, but is so busy and lives in Idaho so it just kept getting pushed back.  So we did not care what happened - Ox in the meyer or Sabbath day breaking or whatever - we were going to get this thing done.  Let me just say how freaking excited I am about this whole thing!  The office is the room in our basement.  It's really a bedroom with a bath hooked on, but right now we need an office area more than another bedroom.  We considered making it a toyroom of sorts, but the kids don't like to be in the basement alone so that was out.  Anyway, the office has become the room where everything that doesn't have a place ends up.  It's disorganized and just chaotic.  I'm sure some people would think it was minor, but I need organization.  I just don't function well without it.  So this is the first step in having everything organized.  This workspace will be for the computers and mainly scrapbook/crafty stuff.  We have a couple book shelves that are overflowing on the other wall that will still have books and the kids learning stuff hopefully all nicely organized.  But I wanted to show the workspace even though it's not quite finished.  He's building me one more shelf that will go on top of my paper holders.  That way all my albums can be up and out of the way and I can utilize the rest of that space.  So I'll post a picture when the space is actually useful and organized, but I wanted to show you how awesome it is anyway.  He even built me a little storage cubby in the back of the l-shaped desk so it wasn't just wasted space.  Cool huh?  He's amazing!  I just showed him the idea and he said "sure".  Crazy!  He made it so it's a built-in system that just blends into the room.  I'm so excited.  I have six new drawers, a storage cubby, paper holders and some shelf space and will have another top shelf for my albums.  If that doesn't help me get organized, nothing will.  Oh, the other day, Dylan played some learning games on the computer while I worked.  Nice to have both right next to each other so I can help him when he needs me.  That's what we do while Preston is asleep.

This is my precious little man!  I love sleeping pictures because they make it seem like he's still my little baby!  Anyway, this whole week has just been strange.  Everyone's off for some reason. He walked downstairs the other night while Marcos and I were watching a show and just laid down by our feet like this.  He fell right back asleep and was pretty unaware that he had done it.  It was just so weird, but sweet that I had to put it with this week's list of events.  

Salamanders and Guinea Pigs

I went to my Aunt Carol's house Tuesday morning to borrow a Halloween costume and dig up some peonies that were once my great grandma's. Dylan LOVES to go to Mary Jane and Jonah's house. They have guinea pigs, hamsters and a chinchilla. It's like a mini petting zoo to him. Anyway, I ended up finding a costume that should be perfect for Dylan, digging up a big peony plant, and leaving with a start of one of her rose bushes.  All in all, a very good day!  While we were out digging, Jonah and Dylan found a salamander and carried it around telling us about it. Dylan was convinced it was a lizard at first. Crazy little animal-lover kid of mine. Preston was very content tossing dirt back into the hole Carol had just dug.  I'm sure he thought he was being very helpful.  For the most part, he wandered around speaking gibberish and smiling. He did manage to find a can of soda to drink/spill all over himself. Honestly!  It was a fun couple of  hours at the "Flowenderson" home.  Thanks Carol!

The Next Survivor Series

I received this email and thought it was pretty funny. Rather than attempt to forward it, I thought I'd just post it for those wives/mothers who need a pick-me-up for the day :)


Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man musttake care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry , and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed
During one of the six weeks the men will have to endure severe< /u>abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teethand comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a mom ent's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!

Playing Games with Dylan

I have somewhat of a schedule that I follow.  Routine seems to work best for my kids and now that we're getting to the age where Dylan has scheduled activities and preschool, it helps keep me organized.  Things don't have to happen at exactly the same time every day, but we follow basic pattern. We eat lunch and the kids play while I clean up from lunch.  Then we try to clean up the toys (at least a little bit).  After that, we read stories and then it's nap time (usually around 1:30 or 2).  Sometimes I put Preston down and then read to Anthony and Dylan a little longer before I put Anthony down for his nap.  In case you wondered, Dylan hasn't been a napper since he was 2.  But now that we've got a routine, I at least have some quiet time with him.  If he has homework, we do that right after Anthony goes down.  Then he can choose an activity (coloring, leap pad, stuff like that) or a movie to watch.  Today he followed me down to the computer and found some cards.  I'm pretty sure they're flash cards (my mom gave us a lot of educational stuff) but there were two sets of them so we sometimes use them as a matching game.  Dylan LOVES playing the game and is starting to grasp the concept and rules a little bit better.  Being the animal enthusiast that he is, he used to just focus on which animal cards ended up in his pile.  Anyway, so we were playing the matching game today and he started peeking underneath the cards as if I wouldn't notice.  I'm inclined to let it go, but I want him to learn to play fair and be honest so for his overall good and not for the sake of a silly child's game, I decided to bring it up.  Here's what happened.

Me: Dylan, no cheating.

Dylan: Mom, what's cheating?

Me: It's when you are not honest and you don't play by the rules.

Dylan: But Mommy, it's MY game.  

Me: If you're going to cheat then I don't want to play this game with you anymore.

Dylan: Uh, Mommy!  But I can't be smart by myself.  

It was really cute.  He's getting pretty good at remembering so I told him he was smart quite a few times throughout the game.  A couple times he mimicked me when I found a match and told me I was a smart girl.  So I guess that's what he got from this game.  He doesn't want to have to be smart all by himself.  At least he wants to be smart :) 

What...more q-tips?

Marcos and I have been married for over 9 years now.  We celebrated our 9th anniversary in June.  Looking back over the years, it's just funny the way some things matter and some things don't.  I remember the first few weeks and months of marriage very well.  You know, the time when you start to recognize all the quirky little things you never knew about your loved one. When we first got married, Marcos played soccer four times a week (mostly indoor soccer).  I loved watching him play soccer and it was a big part of our early married life.  I remember watching him get ready for one of his first games after we were married.  Holy OCD!  He tucked in his shirt, pulled it out a little, tucked it back in some more, then out again.  I couldn't believe it.  I can get ready for a sports game in 5 minutes.  Throw on sports bra, shorts, shirt, shoes and socks and then pull the hair back into a pony tail and I'm good to go.  No big deal!  I watched him (and mocked him a little) while he got the shirt just right.  Then he put on his chin guards and socks and I watched him pull the socks down and up bunching them just perfectly at the top - it took forever.  I think it's a superstitious sports ritual like not washing your socks or something, but it was hilarious to watch my supposedly "chill" husband with such quirks.  I teased him a little in front of my grandparents and then my grandma mentioned my tendency towards quirkiness too. Apparently I would twist the faucet at my great grandma's house back and forth as I pulled up on it to turn it on.  Not necessary, but I did it every time.  I think I was trying not to turn it on too quickly, but after this I realized how quirky everyone can be. Anyway, I have grown to love many of these strange little habits of my husband's and sometimes don't even recognize them as unusual anymore (a frightening thought).  

Some of his "habits" are not quite so cute and could drive me crazy if I let them.  I'm sure most of these are just "a guy thing" but whatever.  I had to learn to let them go and pick my battles, but it still bugs me sometimes.  No matter what he finishes, he never replaces it.  He often puts an empty milk jug back in the fridge with two drops in it just so he doesn't have to deal with the jug.  He never replaces the toilet paper roll or the q-tips in the little cup on top of the sink. Seriously, I have seen him walk into a bathroom, realize there is no toilet paper on the roll and turn around to walk to the other bathroom, not even checking under the sink to see if there's another roll there.  I'm pretty sure he thinks there's a "refill" fairy that takes care of all the old crap and brings in some new stuff.  It's that way with almost everything - paper towels, the soap in the soap dispenser...  Oh, but he does make sure to get out a fresh new bar of soap for the bathroom when the other one is only half gone.  The frugal part of me cannot waste the soap.  I finish the old one while he uses the new one until it's small again and the routine starts over. Okay, let me just throw this disclaimer in here real quick since I think he's going to kill me for this post.  Marcos is a super husband.  He helps me with lots of things around the house when I ask.  He's really good at dishes, vacuuming, taking out the garbage and even helping with laundry (when I need help).  He's also pretty good at appreciating me and what I do around the house (when I remind him to).  He is also great with the kids.  I cannot complain! He is one of the most helpful men I have met, but still.  I'm just talking about the little quirky things that everyone does...okay, hon?  I love you :)  Anyway, back to the story. So this morning I woke up to find the cup on the sink filled with q-tips.  I about fainted.  I even tried to think back and remember when I would have refilled the dang thing.  Nope, I'm pretty sure it was him.  Holy cow...could this be it?  Have the tables turned?  Was 9 years the magic number?  What is going on here?  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I know you think this is the end of all my refill woes, but don't be too quick to jump to conclusions.  Lest you think the world is coming to an end, have no fear.  This afternoon I walked downstairs to the basement bathroom to discover an empty roll of toilet paper.  Things will never change that drastically!

Random Pictures

The problem with holey jeans... the sword goes through the knee of the pants.

Chillin' with GG

Preston kept going over to my grandma and having her pick him up.  He just wanted to be held that day.  Poor lady.  I bet she picked him up 20 times that evening.  I'm sure her biceps were feeling the extra work the next day.

Preston loves GG (my Grandma Betty).  He sat on her lap forever just staring at her like this.  It was so sweet and I know she LOVED it!

Sound asleep on Papi's lap

Maria and Deb (Anthony's mom) at the pumpkin patch.  One of the local nurseries here in town gives free hayrides for the first two weeks in October so we decided to check it out.  It was awesome!  You ride over to the pumpkin patch on a tractor with bails of hay on it.  Then there are free hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, you name it.  It was great!  The kids found a huge dirt pile to climb on and we got to pick pumpkins to bring home for free too.  I've never found a cooler "free" thing before.  It was a great day and the kids were only slightly dirty by the time we left (Anthony was covered in mud from head to toe by the end.  He found the actual mud, not just the dirt pile.  I was glad he wasn't riding in my car.)

Dylan and Anthony

Sorry about the lack of focus.  Marcos isn't the best photographer around (although he thinks he is)  These two are such good friends.  They posed like this without even being asked.  I've been tending Anthony since before he turned 1 so these two are practically brothers.  They act like it too!

The coolest dirt pile ever!

How dirty can I get before Mom makes us leave?

The happiest kids on the block!  This was one of our first real "jealous" moments.  Both kids wanted to sit on mom's lap.  Having two kids and two legs, I figured that was not a problem, but neither one was willing to share me.  Preston kept sliding into the middle of my lap to crowd out Dylan and Dylan would try to push him off my lap entirely.  Good times!

Preston, Dylan and Connor playing in the sandbox

I was downstairs moving the laundry and heard Preston fussing upstairs.  When I went to check on him, this is what I found.  Dylan said, "Preston was sad, but I made  him feel better Mommy."  It was so cute.  What a good big brother!

Dylan and Connor (in Tony's sweatshirt).  They're ten months apart and great buddies.  

If only Angie lived a little bit closer.  :)

Preston, Dylan, Connor & Tanner

On our way to the Treehouse Museum.

Fishing at the Treehouse Museum

Mischief

My little men

Is he cute or what?

My Tag

8 Things

Dylan tagged me so here goes.

8 Tv shows that I like to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Biggest Loser
5. Brothers and Sisters
6. Life on Mars
7. John & Kate Plus Eight (makes me feel like my life is less chaotic)
8. Oprah

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. We woke up to tons of snow
2. An incredibly spiritual fast and testimony meeting
3. Our first practice for the Primary program (fingers crossed)
4. Dylan paid tithing for the first time on his allowance (so far the new system is great)
5. An awesome afternoon nap while Preston slept and Dylan watched a movie
6. Had a delicious dinner at Mercedes' (Marcos' mom) to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday
7. Took the scenic drive home hoping the kids would fall asleep (it only worked for Preston)
8. Watched Brothers and Sisters with Marcos

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Organizing this stupid office (Justin's bringing the desk this Saturday)
2. My friend, Liv, having her baby. He'll be here any day now.
3. Getting the Primary program over with. It's stressful putting on a program when you're brand new in Primary.
4. Finding costumes for Halloween
5. Carving pumpkins with the kids (sometimes we let the holidays pass without celebrating them properly so we're trying to be better about establishing and sticking to some traditions)
6. Taking family pictures if we can ever get it organized
7. Finishing the trek movie I started and still haven't finished
8. Hopefully another fun date with Marcos
(Hmm...there's something wrong with me. Half of the things I'm looking forward to is getting stuff over with. I've got to work on that part of me).

8 Things I love about Fall:
1. The colors. I sure hope the snow doesn't mess that up. We still had full green trees and then tons of snow. What's up?
2. Fall smells. I love pumpkin and spice and stuff like that.
3. Speaking of pumpkin, pumpkin pie. Yum!
4. My kids on Halloween.
5. Decorations...hay, corn, leaves...all that country-looking stuff.
6. Wearing jeans and sweat shirts.
7. Family. Fall starts the beginning of lots of holidays and family celebrations.
8. Snuggling up when it's chilly out - that's more for winter, but right now that's how it feels.

8 Things on my wish list:
1. New flooring on the main floor (white carpet in the dining room does not work with young kids)
2. A minivan (I know, lame but it's hard when I have Anthony to fit three kids in the car)
3. Central air
4. To get back in shape again
5. More hours in the day
6. Getting 8 hours of sleep a night (I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 19 month old and I NEVER get a night without at least one interruption. Amazing how much I miss my sleep. No wonder I'm losing my mind. I don't get enough sleep for my memory to function properly.
7. Going to Argentina. Marcos wants to take a trip to see his family so badly, but it is so pricey. This will always be on the wish list.
8. Taking the kids to the beach and Disney. We have only taken St. George and Idaho (where we have family) since Dylan was born. One of these years we'll budget in a real vacation.

8 Favorite Restaurants of mine:
1. Olive Garden
2. Su Casa (or pretty much any Mexican restaurant)
3. Robintino's
4. Boston's (that's where we went for my birthday and it was really tasty and a fun atmosphere)
5. Nielsen's Frozen Custard (not a restaurant, but I LOVE that stuff)
6. PF Chang's
7. California Pizza Kitchen
8. Paradise Bakery (I love their soup and sandwiches)

8 Places I've Lived:
1. St George, UT
2. Midvale, UT (we lived on La Cresta Dr when I was young and then they tore our house down to make a through street)
3. West Valley City, UT
4. Pleasant View, UT
5. Bountiful, UT
6. Salt Lake City, UT (in a mortuary apartment)
7. Layton, UT (our first and current home)

8 Jobs I've Had:
1. Salad/dessert maker at a steak house
2. Peer counselor in the Early College department at Weber State (I didn't counsel the way Marcos does, but helped new high school students register for classes and stuff. I got my student fees paid that way)
3. Janitor at an industrial park (so disgusting, but paid okay and had WAY flexible hours)
4. Secretary/Assistant in the Development Office at Weber State (worked well with my classes)
5. Receptionist/Constituent Services (in a congressional office)
6. Political Director (Utah politics)
7. Patient Services (Wee Care Pediatrics)
8. Mom (teacher, driver, maid, chef, coordinator, CEO...)

8 People I tag are:
1. Emily Cornia
2. Lisa Hansen
3. Stacie Hansen
3. Stacey Burtenshaw
4. Liv Olafsson
5. Brandy Roth
6. Sarah Hamblin
7. Sarah Brown
8. Laura Trevino

Date Night

We didn't bring our camera so we wouldn't have to worry about it, but here are a couple pictures from when we visited them in St. George.

Maria (brunette for a minute) and Lisa

Greg and Lisa (picture by Dylan)

Friday Marcos and I went to Frightmares with my BFF, Lisa, and her husband, Greg.  Okay, so it was more money than we ever spend on "dates" but it was so much fun.  I guess we don't go enough places without the kids and when we do, we're not very creative like we used to be when we were dating.  Seriously, it was a blast!  Marcos' mom stayed with the boys so we didn't have to worry about them getting to bed or anything.  They were excited and well taken care of (of course).  We got there around 7 and after paying freaking $8 for parking (what a rip off), we skipped all the way to the ticket counter to meet up with Greg and Lisa (I know, it sounds lame, but it was really fun.  It made us feel like kids again.  Marcos has a much bigger stride than I do so I felt like he was dragging me along with him, which I'm sure is why he did it.  He likes to see if I can keep up with him). So the whole thing was so cool.  The entrance has all these carved pumpkins on display, and tombstones with clever sayings on them and stuff, which helped give Lagoon the Frightmares feel.  Anyway, we started off with Dracula's Castle and then rode on ride after ride.  It was so much fun.  Greg gets sick on some of the rides so a few of them he just sat out, but he was content eating a churro and watching us be crazy.  I seriously could not stop smiling.  The wind was so cold on the rides and I'm laughing and smiling and holding on for dear life and my teeth got sensitive from the cold air, but I could not stop smiling no matter what I did.  Marcos and I went on colossus ourselves and the whole ride he's yelling, "Oh man, this is so sweet."  Did I mention we've never been to Lagoon without kids?  And he's never been before that so he really hasn't ridden many of the rides.  We went on Wicked with Lisa and then she got the commentary herself.  Marcos is mid-ride saying, "This is the coolest ride ever. Whoever invented this ride is awesome.  I'm going to go to his grave and thank him..." (No, he didn't make any sense, but that's what he was saying).  I have no idea what else he said, but he's just crazy. Lisa was laughing so hard, mainly at Marcos, but rides give both of us that giddy school-girl laugh.  Funny.  The coolest part was just how much like old times it felt.  It's amazing how we can pick up where we left off no matter how long it's been since we've hung out.  Lisa and I can talk about anything and Marcos and Greg get along so well.  They're so funny.  They both LOVE churros!  I won't go into detail about the "boy" conversation that took place after a few of the rides.  Marcos and his comments about the effects of the rides on the male anatomy were cracking the girls up until Greg chirped in and agreed with him.  Oh my heck, we were busting up.  At the end of the night, Lisa and I wanted to go on The Rocket, but neither guy was too excited about that one so we decided to go by ourselves.  The guys went over to Jet Star, which they both love.  Lisa and I were talking and laughing as our teeth chattered partly from the cold and partly due to nerves as the crazy ride hoisted us higher and higher.  Lisa, my brave counterpart, was issuing me the Dave (her brother-in-law) challenge of not hanging on during the ride.  I got to the top and told her I was out - there's no way.  We dropped and sure enough, my hands were in the air.  I couldn't seem to hold onto anything.  So by default I was brave, but in spirit I was a total wimp.  It was the end of the night and no one was in line so we went again on the other ride "Blast Off" or whatever it's called.  It was so awesome too.  It honestly felt like we were teenagers again (with really cute boyfriends watching us be brave on a ride all by ourselves).  Good times!  

Thank you guys for the invite.  It was the funnest date we have had in years.  It's so hard to have a good idea for a date, spend money, get a babysitter, actually follow through, etc. but it was so worth it.  I loved riding, eating, reminiscing, drinking hot chocolate, warming ourselves in Arby's, laughing, skipping, linking arms, and just acting like kids again.  

Okay, I have to mention one thing that I forgot.  Towards the end of the night, we were walking past all the lines to the haunted houses over to a ride.  One of those chainsaw guys was walking towards the line trying to decide who to scare.  Some punk teenager went up behind him and hit him in the back of the head.  Oh my heck, Marcos and I could not believe it.  We ran up to the scary chainsaw guy and asked him if he was okay.  He's not supposed to talk so he just looked at us and nodded, but his eyes said so much more.  Through his crazy mask, his eyes showed his true appreciation for our concern and compassion.  We were just shocked and trying to figure out what to do to help.  So not cool!  By then we didn't even know who the jerk was that had done it, but I felt so bad.  Stuff like that bugs me (and Marcos) so much.  I have to say it's one of the things I love about Marcos.  We are both sensitive, caring, compassionate types that tear-up way too easily (me more so than him, but still).  I appreciate that side of him so much.  It always brings us closer together.  We are also the type that feels we have to stand up for what's right so we were both ready to get on our soap box like the "old folks" that we are and use the whole situation as a teaching experience for kids who clearly have no self-esteem and are looking for a lame way to impress their "friends".  If only teenagers could see how little all that facade really matters.  They think they need to fit in with people who don't care about them anyway.  I remember high school pressure, but I can't really relate.  I was never mean to gain someone's approval and neither was Marcos.  It usually only takes one person saying something is not cool and then most people will speak up.  It takes a brave person to be the one though. Anyway, in the end, we just made sure the kid was okay and went on our way disillusioned with "kids these days".  The youth can sure be awesome and make me feel secure in our future with them as leaders or they can scare me to death and make me feel like they weren't taught enough and are not ready to enter the real world.  Oh, that parents would understand the importance of teaching these kids true values.  Anyway, sorry about the afterthought, but it hit us hard so I wanted to mention it.  

Dylan Got Tagged

8 Things

Dylan got tagged so here are his responses to the following tag.  

8 Tv shows that I like to watch:
1. Dinosaur movies
2. Backyardigans
3. Caillou
4. Go Diego Go
5. Max and Ruby
6. Signing Time
7. Dora the Explorer
8. Animal Planet

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Went to a soccer game
2. The other team guarded the net, but I didn't want them to guard the net.  I almost wanted to head butt them. 
3. Played with Papi while Mommy was at the church
4. Played dinosaurs with Diego while Papi was watching futbol (soccer)
5. Went to Old Navy's, but I stayed in the car
6. Went to the store to get some screws
7. Eat pizza
8. Fixed the hooks for our coats and totes

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Some nice white paper (he says while he's drawing and I'm asking him questions)
2. Going to abuela's for dinner
3. I like to bring movies to somebody's house that has kids that are nice to me, but I can't play with mean kids.  
4. Finding a costume at Jonah's house, but if you let me play with the hamsters.
5. Playing at Jeremy's house on Friday or Monday or somethin'
6. Buying candy with my money
7. Trick or treating
8. Having fun with people

8 Things I love about Fall:
1. I like to play in that fresh snow (it snowed last night so he's confused about seasons)
2. The leaves fall off then we rake the leaves.  I love to play in the leaves.
3. That we already got pumpkins.
4. I want to carve them right now.
5. Hayrides 
6. Candy corns.  I like them.
7. I like to pay tithing to the Bishop (he paid tithing on his allowance today)
8. I like to eat chicken nuggets.

8 Things on my wish list:
1. I want a big spinosaurus dinosaur.  A real one.
2. A toy triceratops.
3. I wish if I had a dimetrodon.  I have one already.  I have a dimetrodon already.
4. I wish that I had a pet triceratops.  We have enough plants.
5. And a pet long neck too.  
6. I like to eat corn on the cob.
7. I like to eat banana squash (I think these are from the question above, but you never can tell with Dylan).
8. I wish if I had a peach tree and an orange tree.

8 Favorite Restaurants of mine:
1. McDonald's
2. Hungry Bear Pizza
3. Arctic Circle.  I like to eat milk shakes.
4. Olive Garden.  I like to eat breadsticks.  Breadsticks are my favorite.  Hey, Mommy, can we eat at Olive Garden tonight?  I really want to eat breadsticks.  And I want to eat basketti.  I just love those.  They're my favorite. 
5. Red Robin. Yum. (Like the commercial)  Okay, where did you type Red Robin, yum? 
6. I like to go to Recess Burger (don't ask me.  It's not a place)
7. Sam's Club.  I like ice cream.
8. Maverik to get a treat.

8 Places I've Lived:
1. Just in this house

8 Jobs I've Had:
1. Making my bed
2. Brush my teeth
3. Sharing
4. Clearing the table
5. No teasing
6. Picking toys up
7. Do homework
8. Washing dishes

8 People I tag are:
1. Mommy
2. Kambrie Hagberg
3. Leah Trevino
3. Mason Uboldi
4. Jared Cowgill
5. Nate Yost (he has those chickens, right?)
6. Lisa Halliday
7. Garrett Frew
8. Zerin Skelton (I showed him your blog, Tiffany and he chose Zerin to be tagged)

Clothes, clothes, clothes...

Today I tackled the dreaded clothes project.  You know, the seasonal changing of the clothes that has to be done at least twice a year.  I do not know how people do this with more than two kids. Seriously, it took me all day!  Making sure all the wash is caught up so nothing gets left behind, getting a pile of older stuff for DI, a pile for storage of things Preston has grown out of, a tote of stuff for Preston to grow into (and shorts that hopefully will fit for another season), a tote of clothes for Dylan to grow into...  Then there's the clothes that fit and are seasonally appropriate. Sorting, organizing, arranging, cleaning.  I discovered that Dylan has very few pairs of pants without holes in the knees.  Crap!  I think we'll be doing some mending.  My kids are too hard on clothes and Christmas is just around the corner.  Oh, and then there's shoes. Does everyone have church shoes and tennis shoes?  What about boots?  What size are their feet now?  And a coat and jacket?  Ahh.... Good gravy it's a lot of work keeping kids in clean, warm, matching clothes, but I did it.  One project down, hundreds more to come. :)

Dylan's Amazing Day

This picture is from a couple weeks ago when I ran in the rain with the kids. Dylan looks so cute running in his soccer uniform and bare feet. There's me in the background with Preston in my arms - geeky rolled up pants and all.  I was trying not to drag my long pants in the rain, but I look pretty ridiculous. Oh well, it was a bad day, remember? I had to find something to make me happy and these two boys were the focus of my happiness. Anyway, this was the most recent picture of Dylan I could find with his soccer uniform on so I'm posting it even though it's unrelated to my post. I gotta break out the pics for my mom. :)

Today was a normal day, but for Dylan, it was fairly eventful. Last night, we purchased a little "responsibility chart" for him.  I was trying to come up with something fantastic, but kept getting frustrated.  I didn't want a dry erase board because I knew he'd write all over it, I didn't want paper and stickers because then I have to keep replacing them. We were at Barnes and Noble after family night.  We told Dylan we had a surprise after family night, which was an ice cream cone and he was pretty sad.  He said he thought it would be going to Barnes and Noble to play with the trains.  So we got our ice cream cone and then went to play with the trains.  That's where I found the chart.  It's magnetic and has quite a few responsibilities to choose from.  You choose 7 to put as goals for the week and then they put magnets on the days they accomplish them.  Dylan's pretty good at picking up when we ask him to, but our goal is to get him to recognize what he needs to do without being asked all the time. We'll see how it goes.  We also want to teach him about money...tithing, savings, spending money...all that stuff while he's young.  Both of us think most kids have too much and don't understand delayed gratification.  So hopefully this will help with some of that.  The little toys and treats he wants will have to be earned.  Sorry, this is long.  My point is that he did really well with the chart.  He was so excited about it.  Preston was playing with all the magnets so we hung it on his door where Preston can't reach, but Dylan can (sort of - sometimes he needs a stool, but he knows how to get that out).  Anyway, so he's excited and was very helpful today. It was very obvious what he was expected to do.  We chose "No Teasing" as one of his goals this week and he tried to convince me several times that we should replace it with "Getting dressed".  Smart kid.  Since he is pretty good at getting dressed  himself already, we're working on other things.  I kind of wish you could choose more than 7 because half of them are things he should be doing, but it's good to keep the focus simple for young kids.  Anyway, yeah to us having some sort of a plan for chores and allowance.  Oh, and we're giving him a nickel for each completed chore.  That makes for a maximum of $2.45 a week (I'd actually do less - I'm cheap and he's young - but a penny is only $0.49 a week).  We wanted it to be manageable for us and for him.  The last thing we need is him earning all this money he gets to spend.  It's the principle, not the actual money that matters right now.  

The second cool thing for Dylan today was preschool.  I've talked about her before, but honestly, I just love his teacher.  She is so well organized and just great with the kids.  Every day has a theme and the themes correspond with what letter they are learning.  Today was dinosaur day!  Now you know why it was such a great day for Dylan.  He even wore his dinosaur shirt for the occasion.  Dylan loves to be a helper and likes knowing about things.  His teacher was so cute.  Since he is the only true dinosaur lover in the class (he brought his dinosaur encyclopedia for show and tell) she had him help her learn the names of the dinosaurs they were using for the different activities.  Marcos picked him up today and said the kids were all going up to him and asking him questions about different dinosaurs.  So cute!  He got to help two baby dinosaurs (that happen to glow in the dark) "hatch" out of their eggs, brought home a dinosaur finger puppet, and has another coloring sheet of a dinosaur to complete.  Tuesday is library day and he even checked out a dinosaur book today.  Go dinosaur day!

The third very cool thing was his soccer game.  Since Saturday was so rainy, the other team asked if we would reschedule and play the game on Tuesday.  We got the message late, which is why we showed up anyway on Saturday, but we went today to play the game.  Dylan finally seemed to "get" the game.  For any of you who have 4-year-olds in soccer, some get it and some don't.  Dylan either didn't get it or didn't want to get it.  He was more interested in chasing kids around like a dragon, head butting them like a dinosaur (since he knows he can't push) or just day dreaming in general.  Today, he actually kicked the ball from one end to the other several times.  And although most of the times, one of the other members of his team scored, he was a big part of the goals.  And during the last quarter, he scored his first goal!  It was so cute to see how excited he was.  He really does like to win and be the best...he's so competitive (wonder where he got it with such mellow parents - not!)  Anyway, I think half his battle has been having a couple kids on the team that were clearly better and a little more experienced.  They both have older siblings they have watched for years, which seems to help.  So for him to finally have the desire to run fast, kick hard and then actually score was monumental.  Hopefully that will help his fragile little self-esteem know how good he actually is and not be so frustrated all the time. Hurray to Dylan!  It was a proud parent moment for sure.  Yes, we want to see him play well, but just to see him happy and running and proud of himself when he ran back to his coach was huge!

Resumes

Name: Dylan Alberto Uboldi

Age: 4 1/2 

Skills: 

- Loving: When the kid loves you, you know it.  He is so loyal and protective of loved ones.  

- Persistent: When he wants something, he doesn't give up. 

- Honest: Even when Dylan has done something wrong, he will tell you.  He's starting to "tease" me a little bit and I have to ask him if he's telling the truth sometimes, but it's amazing how honest he is.  When he was going through one of his "aggressive stages" I would ask him what he did and he would reply, "I bite him, mommy."  Either he is the bravest kid ever or he's just an honest person by nature.  

- Quick learner: Dylan picks up on new things quite easily and is a fast learner.  

- Passionate: Whatever he is into, he devotes himself to.  

- Creative: He never says he's bored and I never have to give him ideas for what he can do.  He comes up with them on his own.  

Potential Career Choices: 

- Actor: I'm not sure this is my favorite option, but the kid can choose and stay in character of just about anything all day long.

- Zoologist: The kid is obsessed with animals of all types, but has always had a fondness for elephants.  At two, it's all he would talk about.  The Santa at the mall that year said it was the first time he'd ever had a kid ask for an elephant.  Funny! 

- Paleontologist: His latest obsession is dinosaurs.  If he ever growls at you, please don't take it personally.  He probably thinks he's a tyrannasaurus, triceratops, apatasaurus, a mayasaurus or his latest favorite, a pachycephalasaurus (the kind with thick skulls that head butt each other).

- Gymnast: The kid's a ball of energy and loves jumping, flipping and other gymnast-type activities.  

- Mr. Fix-it (or Bob-the-Builder):  Dylan loves helping with little fix-it projects.  He gets his tool kit out and goes to work whenever we're working on something.  Our next door neighbors are always working on something.  One day I had to give him a lecture for going into the front yard without telling me and taking Anthony with him (he opens the fence now).  He replied by saying, "But I was just talking to those Bob-the-Builders over there."   

- Athlete: The kid has a six-pack already.  He is naturally athletic and loves watching sports.  He gets upset when others take the ball from him though, which is kind of the purpose of sports, but he's young yet.  If he catches onto sports, he'll probably excel.  

- Performer: Dylan LOVES to be in front of others.  He doesn't get nervous or shy and he has a natural ability to make others laugh.  

Name: Preston Santiago Uboldi

Age: 18 months

Skills:

- Sensitivity: All you have to say is, "Preston, no, no" and he stops what he's doing, looks at you with puppy dog eyes and his bottom lip starts quivering.  

- Caring: Preston seems to know and understand people better than most people do.  He will go up to strangers and just look at them.  He also loves faces and will gently touch someone's face to communicate with them.  It's amazing.

- Flexibility: Okay, a weird skill, but it's true.  He's so limber and not just because he's a baby.  If you're holding him and he doesn't want to be held, he can slide right out of your arms without your knowledge.  His arms are like jello.  

- Kindness: He is naturally a kind person.  He wants to please others and loves people.

- Obedience: A new one for our family, but Preston also seems naturally inclined at obeying.  If I try to take something away from him, he'll scream for an hour, but if I ask him to put it back, he does so willingly.  

- Patience: He's 18 months old, but he is so patient for his age.  He will wait and wait in a stroller, high chair, car seat, etc.  It's been a great quality that no one in our family seemed to possess until he came along.  

Potential Career Choices:

- Spy: This kid can get by with anything without being noticed.  I don't know what it is, but he's quick and he's quiet.  

- Dancer: We've recently discovered baby's got rhythm.  His walk often resembles more of a strut when he's trying to stay with the music.  He can bee-bop with the best of them.

- Singer: Have you heard him?  He's got a set of lungs!  

- Ball boy: Marcos loves tennis and Preston is so content to run around the court retrieving all the balls for him.  It keeps him busy and happy.  

- Athlete: Okay, so he's thicker than Dylan physically, but he has an incredible aim already.  He LOVES chasing, catching and throwing any kind of ball.

Free bag?

Anyone want to try to win a free bag?  Click here.

Tony's Birthday Party

Today is my nephew, Tony's, 8th birthday. He had a party at Classic Fun Center this morning for his friends and cousins. It was so much fun! I don't know what happened this morning. We showed up for soccer and only one other kid from the team was there. Not even the coach. So we waited 20 minutes and then left with a treat and a drink.  I guess the rain scared everybody away. It was perfect though because we were going to be late to the party because of the game and this way, we were right on time. Anyway, the kids had a ton of fun playing. I actually went with Preston on the bouncy toys and he couldn't stop laughing. I got my exercise trying to climb the bouncy "rock wall" thing - I had to pull both our body weight up with one hand on the rope and Preston tucked under the other arm. I'm feeling it in the biceps already! He also loved being free to roam around and ride on the tricycles my mom brought. Dylan had a blast too! He wants to be like the big kids so bad, but when he could tell they were busy doing their own thing, he found a younger friend or cousin to hang out with. He can be so sweet and mature when he wants to. They were both darling the whole day! Tony seemed to enjoy himself and got some pretty awesome toys. After the party, we went home, gave Preston a nap and watched the second session of conference (I tried to record the first session and something went wrong so I'm going to have to watch it online...dang it). Let me just say how much I love General Conference. I got something from every word that was said. It's amazing to me how inspired the talks they give are. I even teared during the songs - probably because the Primary kids were singing them. I'm such a baby! Anyway, focus. After Preston woke up, we went back to my mom's for our family party. It was supposed to be tomorrow, but we changed it to Saturday night for Angie (who ended up not coming) and for us (we thought we were having dinner with Marcos' family). It turned out we could've done it Sunday after all, but it was fun to party all day long. We had the party at 5:00 so dinner would be over in time for the guys to make it to the priesthood session. It was cute to see them all dressed up and to have some time with just the girls and kids while the guys went to be inspired. We had a great time visiting while they were gone. I love the priesthood session of conference. The guys always come back all lovey and helpful. If only the sessions were held just a little more frequently :)  It was cute to watch them all come in and give us a hug and a kiss and tell us how much they love and appreciate us. Barney, always the jokester, came in and told us he needed to talk to us about what they had learned. He put his arm around my mom and said, "The brethren told us we were dang near perfect, but that we needed to work on whipping our wives into shape." What a geek! We know him too well to be offended, but all the guys coming off of their spiritual high were looking at him like it was pure blasphemy. Funny! Anyway, it was about bedtime so we put pajamas on the kids and headed home. What a fun day Tony's birthday turned out to be!

Here are a bunch of pictures from our day.  My mom told me I had too many random posts and not enough pictures to keep it interesting. Apparently I'm too long-winded for the likes of my family.  So since I had quite a few, I'm posting them for the fam :)

My Aunt Carol and Kenya

Playing with Preston

The birthday boy on skates

Preston and Papi

The birthday cake (look how excited Dylan is)

My big boy

Preston loving the trike

Dylan being a good big brother

The guys: Marcos, Nate, Barney, Aaron (Aarski), Gustavo

Sometimes 8-year-olds are just too cool for 4-year-old cousins.

Dylan was in a very loving, "I think you're awesome" mood though.  

He was his buddy whether Tony wanted him to be or not.

Tony with his new skateboard from grandma

Nate with Kenya and Preston

Preston hopped off my lap and backed up next to Nate (which is the sign that he wants to sit on your lap.  It was cute and I know Nate was loving being the favorite uncle of the moment). 

This Afternoon

Since we've had such a crazy week, I decided we needed to get out of the house this afternoon. Preston took a good nap and woke up talking to himself and laughing so I figured the mood was right and we should head up to the Treehouse Museum for a little while.  I got Preston's shoes and socks on and then Dylan thought he needed a bath (he said his bum hurt) so I got him in the tub and decided to put on some makeup while I was sitting there watching him.  He commented on how much he likes it when I wear makeup and how beautiful my lipstick is. Funny kid!  You know you don't get ready enough when your kid thinks it's a special moment when you wear makeup.  Anyway, I decided to run into my bathroom and make sure my hair was looking okay too.  No sooner do I walk away than I hear Dylan's infamous scream, "Mom, the baby's in the bathtub."  I screamed and ran to the bathroom to find Mr. Water Boy in the bathtub fully clothed.  Of course I had to put his shoes on ahead of time.  Stupid me trying to be so prepared.  The kid only has one pair of shoes that fits  him right now.  Blasted all!  I had to dig out some 2-sizes-too-big hand-me-downs from Dylan.  I have to say, it's pretty cute though. Here is a picture I took.  I took a really cute one of just him, but it's lost somewhere.  It disappeared after I uploaded my pictures and I already deleted them.  Dang it!  Sometimes I hate computers.  Who knows where it went?  Look at the kid though.  He is completely oblivious to the fact that most people don't bathe fully clothed.  Just as happy as can be.  Silly baby!  

So I finally get Preston dressed again (the third outfit of the day since he pooped all over his first one).  We make it to the Treehouse Museum and I read the sign that says they're closed Fridays and Saturdays in October at 3 p.m. for The Enchanted Woods.  It was 4:30.  I tried to talk Dylan out of the Treehouse, but he was looking forward to it so we decided to try the Enchanted Woods.  I paid, put my stuff in the locker and the people came to take our tickets. Oh yeah, so I had to pay instead of just being able to go using our pass.  Grrr...  The second I hand the tickets to the Enchanted Woods person, Preston poops.  So I have to send Dylan with the teenagers running the thing so he doesn't miss it, run back to the locker, get my keys, go out and get my changing pad and diaper, run to the bathroom and change the kid.  I catch up halfway through the first story.  We get to the second story and I realize how much fun Dylan is having.  He's finding dragons so he can save the princess and is participating well.  I decide it's worth it.  We get to Little Red Riding Hood and Dylan has to pee.  What?  I grab the kids, the camera, and their treat bags and run to take care of that.  Come back and we've missed the second half of her and the first half of Annie Oakley.  Man!  Preston is running everywhere and I'm still bugged that I have to pay for a 1-year-old who doesn't even hold his own bag himself. What kind of a rule is that?  We go through everything else and at one point, we get a cookie from the Mad Hatter.  I use it to bribe Preston to sit on my lap and eat instead of run around. The kid smears chocolate chip gooey hand crud all over my beige pants.  I get through the rest of this "should've been pleasant", "why did Marcos have to work late tonight" moment, get everything and the kids out to the car (no easy task), only to have Dylan tell me he has to go to the bathroom again.  I knew he shouldn't have had a full sippy cup before the Treehouse Museum.  I throw the stuff in the car and take the kids back in to have him go to the bathroom.  I don't know what went wrong, but he decides not to actually pull his pants down and tries to pee over his pants and underwear (sorry, but you need details to understand the story).  Of course you can't aim when you're already pulling the thing up, down and around.  So he pees all over the toilet seat, floor, back of the toilet...everywhere!  Now I get to clean the whole mess up with what I have to work with in paper towels while my kids soak themselves in the kid-sized sinks.  Meanwhile, friendly Enchanted Woods worker walks in to witness the whole fiasco.  I have no pride left.  I'm a parent of two boys, but really, it was embarrassing.  After our hour of fun and games, I strapped the kids in the seat belts, just grateful to not have to chase anyone around for 20 minutes while I drove home.  Then I realize I don't have a gift for my nephew's party tomorrow and my sister, Angie, who was going to buy it is not coming down from Idaho because of the weather.  So I head over to Target to try to find something suitable for an 8-year-old boy.  It took me forever!  Phone call after phone call and choosing and changing my mind.  Ridiculous!  I finally head home at 7:30 when Marcos calls to tell me he's home.  I pull up and realize I have yet to feed my poor young children dinner.  It's almost bedtime.  I gave up even thinking about it.  We drove to Papa Murphy's and got a pizza to throw in the oven. Needless to say the kids were over an hour late for bed.  The craziest part of this whole story for me is that most moms experience this kind of chaos on a regular basis.  It's a crazy life trying to be a parent!  Now, just pray that my kids actually sleep well tonight...we could really use the rest!