Preston's First Bike

Last year, our neighbor gave us a little trike that their family had outgrown. It was perfect! I was planning on buying something similar for Preston's 2nd birthday and now I didn't have to. He pushed himself around on it and soon caught onto pedaling. He has gradually become a trike expert and is super fast and confident on that thing. I again contemplated getting him a bike this year for his birthday, but he still seemed so content with the trike that I decided against it. Last week, he started trying on Dylan's helmet and asking me to help him get on Dylan's bike, so I decided it was time. He really needed and wanted a big boy bike.

We went out that afternoon and picked out a little bike with training wheels for him. I had him try it at the store and it seemed the perfect size and fit and was relatively cheap so I figured it was the bike for my little guy. That afternoon we took it out for a spin at a nearby park with a track. I LOVE that park because Dylan can ride ahead of us and I can still keep my eye on him and help him if needed, I can walk behind Preston to aid him in learning to ride, and I get just a little bit of exercise, which is all I can even hope for at this point (32 weeks and counting)!

Dylan got adventurous and was riding down the grass and then coming back up. I guess he needed a challenge as well. Preston couldn't help himself and tried to follow him. My wobbly new bike rider tipped right over the moment the tire hit the grass! I have to say, he's a natural at falling though. There was an immediate tuck and roll response and after some tough mom words (You're fine, bud. Hop up! Do you need some help to get back on your bike?) he hopped right back up and started again. After that, the falling was almost a game for him. We probably had 6 falls that happened on purpose with a big, mischievous grin on his face. I guess it serves its purpose though. He's getting pretty good at the falling process. :) He knows the brakes are there and uses them randomly, but has not put together the true purpose of their existence yet. Thankfully the few places we ride bikes have very small, minimal hills. But you should've seen me break into a full run (robust pregnant body and all) when he hit the first downhill incline and I realized he was quickly gaining moment. I'm sure it was very entertaining for any who may have witnessed it. ;)

Anyway, I have to say it is probably the best investment we have ever made. Preston LOVES his bike and asks me to ride it several times a day. It's cute that he is so excited about something, and it helps get all of us out of the house, unpredictable spring weather or not. Here are a few pictures of Preston taking his bike out for a spin the day we got it.

One of the falls I managed to capture

Picking up his bike and getting right back to riding

The happiest kid ever!

Go Green Dragons

Well, another season of soccer has come and gone. I'd like to say that I'm sad, but I'm pretty much relieved. We had a lot of 8:30 games that were super cold and it took every effort I could muster up to get this tired pregnant body out there to support my little man. Dylan's team was really good this year. I think both years he's played, his teams have only lost 1-2 times. Crazy! He has yet to experience the emotions that plague the team that never wins - or even scores. Thank goodness! I'm not sure we could handle Dylan's disappointment if he never won a game. :) He holds his own pretty well, but loves to take the ball from the other team or pass to his teammates more than focusing on scoring. Who knows? He might end up as a pretty good defender one day. But he gets super frustrated that nobody passes back. Well, most 6 year olds that have caught onto the game just want to score and be ball hogs, not pass the ball and work together as a team. He takes it a little too personally. :) He's definitely improved though! But his favorite part is making friends and building team camaraderie. Funny kid! I think the all-time high of the season was one of the kids, Ben, teaching him a handshake to do after they score (he has teenage siblings that I'm sure taught it to him). Dylan thought that was the coolest thing ever and had to do the handshake after ever goal...or any good play they made. He really might be a team builder by nature, which makes sense since both Marcos and I tend to be that way a bit. Anyway, good times. Another year as a dragon - Black Dragons last year and Green Dragons this year. Six year olds are so original! :) Here are a couple pictures from the last game.

I love the intensity on his face as he runs toward the ball

Receiving his trophy - he LOVES that you get a trophy at the end!

He proudly displays both of his trophies on his dresser.

And there's me in the background being treat mom. Capri Suns and Shrek twinkies with green filling inside. Yeah, Dylan pretty much thinks I'm the coolest mom ever! :)

The Green Dragons looking into the sun (that explains Dylan's hand over his eyes and scowl on his face - he HATES the sun being in his eyes)

The ABCD team: Ashton, Benjamin, Carter & Dylan .... weird huh?

Not the greatest shot, but this was Dylan and Ben doing one last handshake (it's pretty much a side high five three times - slap, slap, slap - grab the hand and pull each other in for a very manly side hug bump)

Dylan and Coach Colleen

Dylan and Ben (gotta love that big gap in his mouth!)

YW Camp Fundraiser...AKA Adult Prom

When we found out our budget for camp this year we almost laughed out loud. It wasn't even close to enough for food, let alone anything else. The bishopric worked tirelessly and did find us a bit more, but in the meantime, we decided a fundraiser was a definite must this year. We brainstormed and after much thought, came up with the idea for an adult prom. The theme of course was "Forever Young." Quite appropriate for couples spanning the decades. For better or worse, we were super ambitious and didn't just want it to be a cheesy, let's take your money and run kind of fundraiser. So we went all out and transformed that gym into a real prom. I'm talking, Christmas trees with lights on them, backdrops, TONS of balloons, old prom dresses and pictures to decorate the place, etc. It took tons of time and effort and even some of the budget to put on, but it was a great success. We had a nursery with scheduled activities so the kids wouldn't get bored (the older kids were still naughty and needed some supervision and a bit of a lecture from yours truly). We also had the girls perform throughout the night. So we would play 2-3 songs, then have a performance (piano, violin, dance, etc). One of the girls drew sketches of couples and our newly released 1st counselor (we miss you, Keli) took pictures....real life photographer pictures with flashes, umbrellas and a backdrop and scene that looked JUST like a prom setting. It was really cool to get all the girls involved in the fundraiser. We had really good food and punch (yep, everyone loved my punch creation) and danced our rear ends off. I'll be honest, people were nervous at first. I thought I would literally be the only one out there that dared let loose and make a fool of myself, but a little bit into it, people got up some courage and let their guard down a bit. We had a big circle with all sorts of dance moves going on. It was so much fun and a great bonding experience for the whole ward, and especially the YW. Those girls stepped it up big time too! We weren't sure what to expect, but they didn't complain or anything. I had a girl ready to help every time I turned around. Oh, and it's a weird dynamic because a good portion of them are my new Beehives, most of whom happen to be inactive. So it's super exciting (and yet nerve racking at the same time) but makes me smile through and through to see them responding and getting excited about coming to camp and even maybe to church.

I wish I would've documented the entire process from start to finish, but I was so busy and tired and overwhelmed....and my stupid camera battery died. But I did manage to have Marcos capture a few couples at the dance before the battery died completely. I will post my "official" prom picture at 30 weeks pregnant when I get it back (not many people can say they went to prom 30 weeks pregnant and danced their socks off!). ;)

If you were wondering, yep, my belly has grown tremendously! I knew it was just around the corner! Crazy pregnant body of mine! A few people commented how crazy I was at the dance and could not believe I had that kind of energy pregnant. It's pure adrenaline baby! Going to a dance with music pumping is my cup of tea. Making it through a day of cleaning house, picking up kids, running errands and chasing a crazy 3-year-old, however, completely exhausts me! :) I did push a bit too hard though. Not at the dance, but between the set up, the dance and taking everything down at the end of the night, I was definitely feeling it. Oh well, totally worth it! :)

Me in a formal dress at 30 weeks (thank goodness for stretchy material...this is not maternity, people). Gotta love all those extra curves! ;)

A few random couples in the ward Marcos managed to capture on film

Father/Son Campout

Last Friday our ward had a Father/Son campout (at least I think that's what it was). I never understand what everything "men" stuff. I don't know if it was a scout thing or just a dad thing or what. But it was for dads to take kids to. It wasn't very well attended, but I think that had a lot to do with the fact that the next day was the Jamborall so a lot of the scouts had a conflict. Either way, my kids had a blast! Marcos took the boys over and let them play and then I came about 9:00 to pick up Preston. It was great timing though since I had a million things to do for our YW fundraiser the next day. It is so much faster running errands without kids.

I brought the guys a treat since I was out and about and let me tell you how awkward that was. I felt like I was entering man country when I drove up. Very weird and testosterone-y! Guys are so funny too. When I left, Marcos gave me this peck on the cheek as if he was giving me a latino salutation. Seriously? Not like I was looking for a make-out session or anything. I get the whole awkward PDA thing, but just give me a little kiss as I leave. I get it though. I know it's because the guys would raz him the rest of the night. Honestly...men! He denied being embarrassed and said it's because I was chewing my food, but I will never believe it. It was the fear of being teased by all the guys that held him back!

Preston was one happy little camper out there and definitely put up a fight when I took him away from the others. I put him in the car and he was still holding a marshmallow in each hand. I had a last minute trip to the store to make and he sat in the cart still holding those dirty, sticky things. I don't get it. He never ate them, but if I would've tried to take them, he would've thrown the biggest fit ever. Whatever works, I guess. I'm so grateful they had the experience though and am glad my boys have such a great Papi!

Catching Up

I really have been busy. I know it sounds like a lame excuse, but the last couple of weeks have been insane. Even my super supportive, loving husband made a few comments about YW and the responsibilities placed on me. Hello, Mr. High Councilman. That's like calling the kettle black, kid. :) Most of it was YW, but some of it was other stuff. Anyway, let's just say, I am now really busy and overwhelmed trying to catch up with my house that I neglected and my poor children and husband who can barely remember what I look like anymore. That could explain part of the struggle with Preston we are having. Holy cow...did I tell ever say that 3 was the hardest age ever for me as a parent? It really is! Super fun, but incredibly challenging. But that's another story. Here are a few random pictures that if I don't just post together, will probably never get put on the blog.

My lame attempt at potty training this stubborn little man. We were doing awesome. I bought a potty watch, we went every hour, very few pee accidents. But...he WILL NOT poop in the potty. I've tried bribing, reminding, encouraging, threatening (just kidding)... I can't figure it out. I don't know if it's fear or what, but it is just not happening. And without my coaxing, even though he can hold his pee and go regularly, he will not tell me when he needs to go. So for now, we are taking a break from potty training. I guess if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm assuming he'll figure it out before Kindergarten. :) If I have learned nothing else from this little monkey (my hard to read, unique little angel) it is that he does things on his own time table. Best not to push too hard! I'll keep you posted though. :)

A truly miraculous shot - both of us smiling simultaneously. This picture happened to be at our niece, Milli's, 2 year old birthday party.

Dylan and Marcos outside the church just before Mason (our nephew) got baptized.

Dylan and Diego walking home from the church after Mason's baptism

Another cute shot of Dylan and Diego

This picture was on Mother's Day. I had just opened the bookmark he had made at school for me, which of course almost brought me to tears. Seriously! It was one of the few good moments that happened day. For the most part, it was kind of sucky! I had to teach the combined lesson that day in church so I was stressed and had a million church things going on and blame it on the devil who always works overtime when things are going well, but one of those pointless marital fights came up that evening that kind of ruined the whole day for me as well. I honestly prefer for everyone to just be kind to me every day, try to mind and never have a need to have some momentous occasion to call "Mother's Day." But that's just me.

Baby's Room

This room has been in the works for a few weeks now. It was quite the project and horrible timing since I was swamped with other things, but I didn't want to wait any longer. Here are some pictures of the progression.

A before picture with the wallpaper border and the old bookshelf

Painting the walls

Painting the stripe between the chair rail

Painting the chair rail (all the painting went really well except the black. Holy cow! It was HARD to get it just right, but worth it in the end. We also painted the changing table and bookshelf to match the black in the room)

The final product. Here is the changing table area.

The valance and crib

The plan is to put her name above the crib on the wall, but that will have to wait...probably until we get home from the hospital since we are always so indecisive with names.

A close-up of the crib bedding

The "corner" (This bedroom has five walls, not four. It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but the chair and iron hanging above it are on one wall and the bookshelf and lamp are on the other wall. It also looks off center, but it's not in the room...at least I don't think it is)

The cutest wall hanging ever! My friend, Courtney, found this and gave it to me as a "baby gift." Isn't it awesome? It's PERFECT for the room!

Bad Mom...er, Dad Award

Like I said in my previous post, life is crazy....at least until Sunday. Again, I really don't even have time to be posting this, but I couldn't help myself. I have like at least 5 other posts I need to put on here, but they will all have to wait until next week. One of them will be the baby's room so check back again folks. Life should return to normal soon. :) Don't worry, I'll catch you up on all the junk that's been keeping life so busy for us....I know you're DYING to know. :)

I just had to mention the miscommunication (or lack thereof) that took place at our home last night. Okay, I'm not BLAMING anyone because really we have been in survival mode the past week or two, but let's just say I don't think I was completely responsible for this one. ;)

Yesterday morning, Dylan was waiting for his ride to school and had been wiggling his tooth a ton. The night before, Preston ran into him while playing with Marcos on the tramp and it made it even looser. When I realized how loose it was, I tried to convince him to let me help him out, but he would not let me touch it. When his ride showed up, I apologized for not realizing she was in front of the house (she was early) and told her it was because I was trying to help Dylan get his tooth out. He hopped in the car and she was able to convince him to pull it out himself right there (The other kids in the car were all older girls. Marcos is sure he didn't want to look like a wimp in front of them.) Anyway, so he lost his other top front tooth and now has a great big gap in his mouth!

The day went on and I did a million things. I had offered to help a friend of mine with a formal event she was running down in Salt Lake so coordinating my schedule and Marcos' was crazy. He had stake Primary responsibilities and we had no one to watch the kids so he was planning to take them and hope for the best. Luckily, our awesome friend and neighbor ran into him and offered to take our kids. Little did we know, they were going out to dinner as a family and ended up taking our kids with them. Seriously, that is way above and beyond. And to top it off, Preston had a huge blow-out diaper disaster. Honestly! She gets tons of extra points in heaven for that one for sure!

Marcos ended up getting the kids to bed an hour late and didn't even have time to do Dylan's reading with him. I didn't get home until close to 11:00 and then was trying to unwind and get to bed. But...Marcos was still awake and failed to tell me Dylan had put his tooth under his pillow. Of course, I should have remembered from that morning, but it was a quick thing that happened on the way to school and it had been 15 hours since that happened. So I didn't even remember the tooth.

This morning, Dylan woke up early (5:30) and came into my room sad. I tried to tell him to go back to bed when he started telling me why he was upset. "Mom, I put my tooth under my pillow and Tooth Fairy didn't even come. I don't know what happened." I told him I wasn't sure what would have happened, but to come lay by me in bed. A few minutes later I made up a story about not being comfortable and went downstairs to try to do damage control. I left Dylan in bed with Marcos and shut the door so I could work my magic. Then I went to the couch to rest a little before the kids came to find me again. Thankfully Dylan found it about a half hour later and came running down the stairs with joy. "Mom, there was money under my pillow. The Tooth Fairy came. And there's a note." Below is a copy of the sticky note the Tooth Fairy ended up leaving taped to the money, a video of the loose tooth and a couple pictures.

Steamer to the Rescue!

Even taking a couple minutes to update my blog gives me such guilt. The next two weeks are going to be insane - mostly filled with YW responsibilities. But even with such responsibilities ahead of me, I can't simply neglect my other "to do" lists. My crazy nesting hormones won't allow me to neglect ANYTHING lately! So I've been running around getting nothing really accomplished, but trying really hard nonetheless. And in the meantime, somehow my pregnancy has caught up with me. DANG IT! I knew that would happen sooner or later. I feel huge, awkward and completely uncomfortable...all with a super pinched sciatic nerve that has me hobbling around like an 80-year-old. Gotta love the third trimester, baby!

One of the things I felt the need to do was get the baby's room ready. I keep putting it off, but know the bigger I get, the more difficult it will be to help at all...and I don't think it's a project suited for Marcos alone. I've been looking for crib bedding FOREVER! I am just not used to/ready for a girl yet. But I scored big-time at Kid to Kid last week and found a darling crib bedding set that came with "the works" for less than half of the cheapest one I'd found even on sale. I was getting pretty discouraged at the thought of crib bedding on sale being at least $130...and that was just for the 4-piece bedding set. So even though it wasn't my first thought of nursery decor, I quickly realized it was perfect! So...that means painting the room....and in the process removing the wallpaper border that was there from the previous owners.

People, I cannot stress this enough. They are cute, they match your kid's room, yada yada yada, but do not do it. Wallpaper is seriously the biggest pain in the arse (yes, it's my way around a swear word) ever! I've heard the term "watching paint dry" to describe boredom before. Well, those people clearly never tried to remove wallpaper before. There should definitely be a saying about peeling off wallpaper! I bought stuff that is supposed to loosen the wallpaper - NOTHING! I asked around and got a couple tips. Someone said to spray Downy Fabric Softener on it and it would loosen it right up - NOTHING! I finally resorted to a warm rag that seemed to loosen it up enough that I could rip small pieces off at a time. Yeah, me and my expanding belly stood/sat there for hours on end doing this. I worked on a section that was probably 1/4-1/3 of the room for 3 days straight. I'm sure I spent at least 5 hours total working on that little section. Now I'm not saying this was inspiration because it may or may not have been. I like to think that the Lord is looking after me what with all the church responsibilities heading my way the next couple of weeks. But whatever it was, it finally hit me. If a WARM rag works better than a cold one, wouldn't steam work even better. Plus I wouldn't have to keep dipping my rag in a big pot of water over and over. Honestly, I should've googled it. I bet the answer is out there. But I was too busy to think about using a computer. :) So I called up my SIL, Amy, and asked if I could borrow her little clothes steamer just to see if it worked. Marcos and I plugged in that sucker and got to work. Within minutes, we had a system down that was virtually flawless. I kid you not, we finished pulling the wallpaper off and then going back over the entire section with steam to get any remaining residue/goo off with a rag all in about an hour. HALLELUJAH! It was the best feeling ever. I was so discouraged by this little project and now I had reason to rejoice.

So...here are some pictures from our adventure in wallpaper removal. They can also serve as "before" pictures since I hope to have "after" pictures of our little girl room in the near future. Dylan took most of them and I was having a major shlumpy day so the pictures are way LESS than flattering. Sorry people.

Feeling happy we discovered an easier way. The steamer was actually working.

Peeling big sheets of wallpaper off at a time.

See the little papers on the floor? Those are only a tiny portion of the "before" wallpaper remnants. The big strip represents a much easier way. I can't believe I wasted so much time before I came up with a better method. Oh well.

Thrilled with the steamer. My belly looks HUGE in this picture. It's just the angle though. I'm getting huge for sure, but my belly doesn't really poke out the way it looks here. I just looklike a great big rectangular person who can't walk right for now. GOOD TIMES!

Discouraged

I got up this morning and got going. I was excited for stake conference. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge - 2 hours of sacrament meeting instead of 1 is always difficult (especially for little kids), but I figured it would be fine. Marcos was in meetings all morning. I got the boys ready and me all but ready when Marcos walked in the door. He helped with the final stuff to get the boys ready (shoes and socks, etc) while I got dressed. Also, Marcos hadn't had breakfast yet so he had to do that. Well, that's pretty much what made us late. I had no idea he was supposed to usher in our building. A little heads up once in awhile would be nice. How can I support you in your calling when I have no idea what you are supposed to be doing? If you're running late and haven't eaten breakfast, then you don't get to eat breakfast. You go start ushering dude. We weren't late, but we got to the church at 10 minutes to 10, which isn't exactly early when you're supposed to be in charge of something. AND with multiple wards sharing the building, the benches were already gone. Curses! I should've sent him WAY early to get us a bench and do his thing. Whatever!

I got settled into the hard chairs (honestly, I'm getting to where I almost can't sit on those things for two hours - they are so uncomfortable when you're pregnant) and it all started. I don't know if it's my imagination or having all the other wards there that don't know and love you, but I felt so judged from the very beginning. Some lady in front of me was all by herself with 3 little girls and every single one was sitting nicely with her arms folded. I don't get it. Am I too lenient with my kids? Am I not consistent? What is it? Dylan is pretty good, but even Preston's "good" behavior is in a way too loud voice. By 10 after I took him in the hall and by 20 after I was done. I told Dylan to bring the bag out to the hall. Of course a nice lady in the ward followed me out into the hall and I started bawling. I just cannot do this today. I feel like the lamest mom ever. I see moms who juggle their 4 or 6 kids by themselves with no problems. Why can't I do two? Seriously! She offered to let Dylan stay and sit with her and he thought that sounded better than going home. So I took Preston home and put him in his room to think about being reverent. The problem is, I doubt that's what he's doing. He's probably up there jumping on his bed without a care in the world.

Well, hopefully I get points for trying because there was not even close to a spiritual moment that took place today. I think I'll go turn on one of my taped general conference sessions. At least I'll be getting some church moments in today.