Visit to the Ogden Cannery

This morning we decided to go and see daddy's work again.  This time they are make Beef Stew so their were different machines running then we saw last time.  Tyler loves the machines and I really enjoy seeing how different products are made.  It is amazing what machines can do and how quickly products get made, labeled, and packaged.  We had a good time.  Both boys feel asleep on the way home and then took almost 3 hour naps.  It was nice to just hang out and watch my "silly" shows that I don't get to watch very often.  But now they are awake and Josh is screaming at me, so I better go see what he wants...gotta love that.

"Because I like to"

I went into the boys room a couple nights ago and this is what I found.  Tyler told me that he likes having everything on the floor to play with.  At least Tyler and Josh had fun for a while...and I got to enjoy some peace too.  Sometimes a big mess is worth a little peace and quiet.

Yet another ear infection

Josh has had a little cold for the past week and yesterday he started playing with his ears a bit, so I decided to take him to see the doctor.  She said that one year is borderline and the other is pretty red, so we are treating him for an ear infection.  It seem like when Josh gets a cold it goes straight to his ears.  This is the third ear infection he has had this winter season.  But, the good news is that he isn't wheezing with these colds.  That means that his lungs are healthy and I don't need to worry so much about him having asthma from getting RSV last winter. That was the worst.  Josh had a hard time breathing and then we had to do the inhaler with the nebulizer thingy.  So glad that is over with.  That was very scary.
Josh has been screaming a lot more lately.  I hope that it is just because he isn't feeling well.  The screaming drives me crazy and I have a hard time being patient with Josh when he screams so much.  He really needs to learn to talk.  I am sure that he will still scream, but hopefully not as much.
I am feeling very blah tonight.  I feel like I am at a crossroad - but I don't know why.  I want to get healthier, but I am still not sure what is the best thing for me.  Maybe I am just wasting time by trying to find "the best thing" and instead I should just pick something and do it.  For some reason I feel like I have to find something that I will want to do forever.  I am having a hard time just deciding to do something, even if it is for only a couple weeks or months.  Maybe I am scared...scared that it will be hard...so out of fear I do nothing?  What am I so afraid of?  Success...failure?  Am I really afraid to do something that is hard?  I have done hard things before, I went on a mission - that was hard.  I came home from my mission early because of illness - that was really really hard.  But that was doing something for someone else, not myself.  I was serving the Lord, maybe that is the difference.  Am I really afraid of doing something hard for myself?  Don't I deserve to be the happiest, healthiest me?  Why do I feel like I don't deserve that?  Why do I feel like by taking big steps towards that I would be letting down my family by taking me away from them, even just for an hour a day?  Are these all just excuses because I am lazy?  I don't think that I am lazy.  I work hard in my home for my family...but I don't work hard on me.  How can I get motivated?  Do I need motivation...or do I just need to stop being afraid?  Afraid to try...it's easier to just do nothing...but doing nothing has gotten me where I am...and that is not a good place.  Maybe I need a shrink?  Some how I need to get into my head that getting healthy can be hard, but I can do hard things...I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!  Easier said then done...I am afraid.

Cold Night

During the night our furnace stopped working.  It got mighty cold.  Josh and Tyler woke up and ended up in bed with Tony and me about 3:30 am.  So Tony brought the heater that we put in the boys room in with us and we were all nice and cozy.  The furnace repair people came about noon and said that it was the gas valve.  So $450 later, we now have a working furnace.  It is a lot of money, but it could have been much worse so I will count my blessings.  Our furnace is old, so we never know when it is going to just die on us.  Hopefully it will last until we move to a new house...some day far away.
I also had the chair cleaner come and clean the recliner and the large couch and half the front room carpet.  It is nice having those things all clean, at least for a little while.  I am sure it wont last long with my two dirty making boys.
My birthday is in a week.  I can't believe that I will be 30.  Not like I am freaking out that I am going to be so old, it just seems weird to be 30.  As far as I know we don't have any plans.  We usually go to my parents for dinner and cake and ice cream on my birthday, but they are dieting, so they won't be doing that for me this year.  Maybe I will just make my own cake and me and my little family will enjoy it.  My mom did take me out and buy my sewing stuff to go with my new sewing machine.  I have already started using some of it and am having a good time.  I have wanted to learn to sew better for a while now, so it has been good for me.  Maybe someday I will be able to make really fun things, until then I will stick with making burp cloths.

Top 10 in 2010

I wanted to do this post in January, but it never happened, so I am going to do it now.  I thought it would be a good idea to recap last year with all the highlights (and possible low lights) of our happenings in 2010. In no particular order...

1. Awesome family trip to California with just our little family and Margie.  It literally was one of the best vacations that I have ever had.  The boys were good, the weather was nice. We did a lot of activities, but it never felt rushed or hurried.  It was so nice having Grandma Margie all to our selves.  That doesn't happen very often and we drank in every second. 

2. Tyler turned 3.  I can't believe how big Tyler has gotten.  He is such a little man.  He says some of the funniest things.  He is such a joy to have around.  He is super friendly and says "Hi" to everyone.  He is, usually, really good to his brother.  We love Tyler so much.

3. Tyler got potty trained.  This was super hard.  It sure didn't happen over night, but he is officially potty trained.  He got it down near perfect right before he started preschool in September.  Hardly any accidents during the day and none at night.  He is a champ.

4.  Tyler started preschool...and he LOVES it.  I couldn't ask for a better teacher, my high school friend Kim.  Tyler loves going twice a week and likes almost all the kids in his .class (except for the little boy who hits and kicks - he's not too fond of him). 

5. Joshua turned 1.  My baby is no longer a baby.  He learned to crawl about 9 months and was walking by one.  He is a fast learner and wants to do things just like his big brother.  He is so funny.  Loves to put the towel on his head and walk around the house "getting" people.  Generally he just gets him self with a bump on the head from the wall.  He is a good climber and loves to be outside.  We love having him in our family, he is a hoot.

6. Josh got a big boy bed.  He used to love his crib, but around 11 months decided he didn't like it anymore, so we decided to just get him his own bed at about 15 months.  He does really good with it and has only fallen out once.  He is simply wonderful.

7. Tony got a new job.  This happened towards the end of the year (November).  He is now at the Ogden Cannery and loving it completely.  He likes his boss and his co-workers.  He likes working with the missionaries and the volunteers.  The commute isn't great, but doable.  It is worth it for him.  It was a step up for him to then go on to become a Manager one of these days.  We only can hope for sooner rather then later.  He is a great worker and they are really noticing that up there.

8. We put in a new fence.  And we love it.  It is so nice being able to just let the kids go out and play without worrying about them getting out.  Added to this I got a new back door for Christmas, so it is perfect to let the kids play while I can still have my eye of them...and my ear.

9. Michelle lost her job.  Bummer.  It was the best job ever and I truly miss it, but it has been so very nice being able to stay home without worrying about getting work done.  I miss the Tuesdays at work, the money, and my work friends, but I hope that I am a better wife and mother now that my main focus is just my amazing family.

10. Celebrated 7 years of marriage.  7 WONDERFUL years with Tony.  I am so blessed to have Tony in my life.  He is a great dad and husband.  He teaches me so much all the time.  He would do anything for me at anytime.  I know that he loves me.  We had a great anniversary weekend downtown.  I wish that we could do that again every month.  I love you Tony!

My week of home alone...

Okay, I wasn't really home all alone.  I was home with my two little boys.  Tony was out of town this past week going to a training for work in Seattle.  We dropped him off at the airport on Sunday afternoon and then headed to Grandma Margie's for dinner.  Then Tony got home late Thursday night and then had to be back into work early the next morning.  Luckily he didn't have to stay and was able to see the boys at about 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon. 
I think that we did pretty good this week by our selves.  Tyler had school, so that helped break up Tuesday and Thursday.  Then we had a play date on Wednesday morning.  My cousin, Robin, also came and had dinner with us one night, so that was super fun.  I missed Tony tons, but I was glad that he got to go and do something without the kids or myself.  He needed some him time and some good and quiet sleep time.....mmmmm....just imaging good and quiet sleep time....
Tony said the trainings got boring and he is now glad to be back.  I found out right before Tony left that the Bishop wants me to give a talk this coming Sunday (which is now tomorrow).  So that is fun stuff.  I think that I am ready.  I am going to try something a little different then I normally do.  Instead of writing down my whole talk and then reading it, I have just made notes and then I am just going to say whatever I want.  It might be great, it might end up sucking, but I am sure the spirit will be with me.  At least that is what I will be praying for.

Snowmobiling at the Cabin

 Sunday after church we headed up to the cabin.  We meet my parents and a couple siblings at the bottom of the mountain and then we drove up together to where we park our cars.  We can drive about half way before we have to park the cars and then we go the rest of the way by snowmobile. 

It was a pretty nice day, a little rainy, but not too bad.  The weather was a little warmer then normal, so that was nice.  My parents just got a newer machine that fit my little family perfectly.  It was nice being able to all go in on one machine.  The rest of my family spread out between two other machines and a sled that carried in all our stuff.

The cabin was very cold in side.  It took about 6 hours for the furnace to warm the whole place up.  Once it was all warm it was very nice and cozy.  We started a fire and had space heaters going to keep us warm at the beginning.  We made some dinner and then enjoyed the evening just hanging out chatting.
The next day we went on a nice snowmobile ride.  Both boys loved riding and had a wonderful time.  I tried to go out again later that morning and ended up falling off and crashing the machine.  Luckily we were right by the cabin so my dad was able to come and help dig me out.  Nothing like falling completely into a big pile of snow.  Tyler liked to play in all the snow and play like he was the "King of the Mountain."  Then we cleaned up and headed back home.  It was a short but sweet trip.  I really enjoy snowmobiling and I was glad to see my kids and Tony have a good time too.

Babies First Shiner

 On Thursday afternoon me and the boys met up with my sister Julie and her kids at Walmart for some super fun shopping.  After all the fun shopping was done we decided to go to the McDonald's next door and have dinner and let the kids play on their play land.  Josh ate some food and then got right into playing.  He was having such a good time climbing up the stairs and then going feet first down the slide.  He did this multiple times, but then got so excited climbing back up the steps and he totally slipped and hit his face on the step...right under his eye.  He cried for about a minute and then wiggled out of my arms to go and play some more.  It looked really swollen and sad.  By the time we got home it didn't look as bad, but he definitely got a black eye the next day.  He is still sporting the shiner.  Poor kid.  I thought that Tyler was a wild one, but Josh has proven to give Tyler a run for his money.  I am just glad that he is alright!

Fire!

We had our first fire in our fire place this morning.  We have lived in this house almost seven years and have never had a fire.  We wanted to get it inspected first and then we always put off calling and having someone come out.  Last week we had someone come and we got the go ahead.  The guy looked at our fire place for 3 minutes and then said it looked good...$69 later...what a joke.  It was fun to have a fire today though.  Tony used one of those wood logs where you just have to light it once and let it go.  It burns nicely, but didn't put out much heat at all.  The boys thought it was pretty cool.

A couple days ago Tyler looked at my belly button and said it was time for another baby...a girl baby.  It was so cute that he said that.  I asked him if he wanted a baby sister and he said yes and that he would share his toys with her and play with her.  I then told him that we don't get to choose between brothers and sisters and WHEN Mommy gets a baby in her tummy it might be a brother...he wasn't too happy with that.  Then yesterday while at Sam's Club Tyler tried to get me to buy stuff for "our baby sister."  It was really sweet to hear him talk like that, but IF and WHEN we get pregnant I don't want him to be disappointed if we have another boy.  He is a little softy, I love that kid.

Happy Birthday and New Year!

Josh had too much fun with my tissues

Tony turned 30 on Thursday.  To celebrate my siblings and parents did a group date and went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The wait was super long for our large party, so we ended up waiting over an hour to be seated.  I didn't mind though because all of us had babysitters, so we were all kid free.  Margie was nice enough to take the boys for us that evening and let them spend the night so we didn't have to rush home after dinner.  It is so nice to be able to have my boys there and know that they are being well taken care of.  My boys are so lucky to have such an awesome grandma!
We then got to enjoy a yummy meal.  After dinner we all went our separate ways.  Tony and I ran into Walmart to pick up a couple things and then we headed home.  The night before we gave Tony his birthday present, which was a glass dolphin.  He collects them and it was nice to give him a little surprise one.  Tyler made him a card and he also got a new tool box with some tools.
Tony ended up taking Friday off of work, so we slept in a little and then enjoyed a lazy and quiet morning.  We then got ready and went to lunch with my siblings at the Red Iguana down town.  It was really yummy food and lots of fun chatting with the family.  The boys were still at grandma's and my sisters had babysitters so it was just adults again.  There is just something so nice about enjoying a nice meal out when you don't have the kids.  Love my boys, and most the time they are good at restaurants, but it's more relaxing without them.
After lunch we picked up the boys and headed to my parents for some fun in the snow.  We got all the kids dressed in their snow clothes and got on the four-wheeler and pulled the kids on the sleds.  Tony drove with Josh and then pulled Tyler and my dad drove the other four-wheeler with the other kids.  They all had a fun time, but since it was so cold that day they didn't last too long outside.  So they came in and enjoyed some hot coco.  We then just hung out for a while and then Tony picked up a pizza and I made pigs in a blanket for dinner.  Josh lasted until about 7:30 pm before he was ready to go home and go to sleep.  So that is when we left the New Years Eve party and took the boys home. Tyler and Josh both fell asleep on the way home.  Tony and I then just watched a movie.  Josh woke up about 10:00 pm and had a hard time falling back to sleep so I laid with him and went to sleep while Tony stayed up and played some video games until midnight.  We are big partiers!
Then on Saturday our nephew Matt had his 2 year birthday party.  After the party Tony and most his family went and saw the movie "Tron."  His sister-in-law Amy and I stayed behind and watched our small boys.  We had a good time chatting and hanging out just us and our boys.
Sunday we started 9:00 am church.  I am very happy for this time.  It works out good for Josh's nap schedule so that we all get to stay at church the whole time.  Tyler started primary on Sunday.  He is officially a Sun Beam.  He seemed to really like it and already has a scripture reading assignment for this upcoming Sunday.  Josh can go to nursery in March, that will be great.  I hope that he enjoys it as much as we will enjoy having his there.  My boys are getting so big!