What a day!

This is how my day has gone so far.

3:00 am: Cole comes in my bed and throws up all over my sheets and bedspread.

3:15 am: Cole throws up again. This time all over the towels in the bathroom.

5:00 am: Cole throws up again all over his blanket and bedding.

6:00 am: Ethan wakes up with cramps and diarrhea.

6:30 am: Livy wakes up crying. When I go in to get her she is covered in diarrhea, as well as all her bedding.

7:00 am: Cole throws up again.

8:00 am: Drive to airport and Cole throws up all over in car.

8:30 am: Drive home from airport and Cole throws up all over car.

9:00 am: Livy has major diarrhea explosion. I have to change her clothes.

9:40am: Livy has another explosion, but her clothes are okay this time.

10:00 am: Start washing all my bedding that is covered in throw up.

10:30 am: Wash all the boys bedding and blankets covered in throw up.

10:45 am: Clean up car covered in throw up.

11:00 am: Cole throws up, but this time manages to get it in a bucket!

11:30 am: Wash the towels in my bathroom that Cole threw up on.

12:15: Cole throws up all over the kitchen floor :(

12:30: Livy has another major diarrhea explosion. Change her clothes again.

1:00-3:00: Cole and Livy nap!

1:30: Ethan starts throwing up. I almost throw up myself.

2:00: Ethan throws up again.

2:15: Wash Livy's bedding and clothes.

3:00: Change Livy's diaper, more diarrhea.

3:15: Change Liv's diaper again.

3:30: Liv throws up all over herself, high chair, and floor.

3:45: Ethan throws up.

4:00: Cole has diarrhea.

As I sit here typing Ethan is lying on the floor just about ready to throw up again. Yesterday we were all perfectly healthy, excluding a little cough, but I have no idea what happened. Don't you all wish you were me? And we still have several good hours left in the day. I wonder what else will happen.

Let's look at the highlights of the day so far: I haven't actually thrown up yet, but I am feeling very nauseous. The boys have both successfully learned to throw up in a bucket, rather than all over the house. I got a letter in the mail from my friend Kelly, Natalie brought me some Gatorade and a doughnut, and my other friend Natalie brought me some cookies.

Do you want to get married in the temple?

This morning the boys were downstairs playing Lego's and this was the conversation.

Cole: "I am building a temple."
Ethan: "You get married in temples."
Cole: "what?"
Ethan: "Do you want to go to the temple and get married? That is what mom and dad's do."
Cole: Quietly contemplating.....
Ethan: "When we get married in the temple it means that we can be together forever."

Then a long pause of silence.

Cole: "That's gross (laughing)"
Ethan: "Yea, that is so gross to get married in the temple."

I quietly observed this conversation and while initially I thought that I had done a good job teaching the boys about getting married in the temple, I realized in the end that they are just boys and marriage is still a little gross to them.

Also, I forget to mention that earlier this week Cole ate his first handful of dog food. We were at my friends who has a dog and Cole saw a bag of what looked like candy and he didn't even hesitate and went right in. I caught him as he was chewing away with a weird look on his face. He wasn't sure what he was eating tasted good, but wanted it all the same.

And Livy finally found the toilet. I have made sure to always have the lids closed, but she can open them right up. I found her yesterday both hands splashing around. Just a little gross, but I guess every kid discovers the toilet at sometime.

Single Mom Sunday

Today was another single mom Sunday for church (a.k.a. Shawn On-Call at the Hospital). After a grueling Sunday last week I was very chicken today. We went to sacrament meeting, but stayed out in the foyer. It worked for Ethan, but Cole thought that was his ticket to run free. Cole is sick and I didn't feel like I should take him to nursery to contaminate the other kids so he came with me to teach my primary class. He and Livy were the entertainment for my ten year old class. As I am struggling down the hallway with Liv in one arm and dragging Cole behind me with the other arm, a friend offered to help and take Livy. Livy is really a pretty crusty baby and doesn't go to anyone except me. She cries even if someone looks at her that isn't me. But, I was desperate and gave it a shot. To my surprise and relief, Liv curled right up and fell asleep in my friends arms. I was so shocked, but it looks like someone was watching out for me today.

After church I took my three kids around visiting teaching, but my partner never showed up. So we made it a quick visit with a few cookies (that sounds like the best visiting teaching I have ever done). Now as I am just about ready to put the kids to bed I realized that it really wasn't that bad of a single mom Sunday. Maybe I am getting the hang of this.....but probably not.

Also, on a different note I wanted to take a second to pay tribute to President Gordan B. Hinckley, who died this morning. What an amazing man! His work in building the kingdom of god, his messages, love, and spirit has meant more to me in the past few years that I thought possible. I can't imagine a happier reunion for him to return to his sweet wife and Heavenly Father. President Hinckley was definitely a man of God and his humble servant for the past few years, and will be greatly missed.

Pump It Up

The kids has such a great time at playgroup today(and I did also). We went to Pump It Up, which is a place with a bunch of those huge inflatable slides, toys, and jumpy things. The slide doesn't look that big, but it really is and you get going pretty fast. The kids liked to go forwards, backwards, sideways, and anyway they could. Livy even went down a few times with me and seemed to like it okay. I could hardly get the kids to slow down enough to take some pictures, but here are a few.

Ouch!

My boys have holes in the knees of all their pants. I have bought Ethan three pair of the exact same pants over the past three months because he just wears right through them. So, with the advice of my mother-in-law I am ironing in knee patches before we even get holes and HOPEFULLY the pants will last longer than one month. So, the kids were all asleep last night and I was downstairs ironing. Cole woke up crying and came downstairs. So I let him stay up with me until I was finished ironing. I unplugged the iron and left it on the table while I put the pants over on the couch. Before I had gotten more than two steps away I hear this screaming. Cole had grabbed the iron off the table and burnt his hand. I am a horrible mother. What mother leaves a hot iron is the presence of their two year old? Well, Cole cried for a while, but Shawn looked at his hand and it isn't bad. In fact I think we got real lucky because it could have been a lot worse. Needless to say I won't be doing any ironing (not that I iron much anyway) around my two year old again. Actually, I don't think I will ever be doing any ironing again. I HATE ironing.

I am really trying hard to convince Cole that he should wear his undies the right way, rather than backward. I can't image it is very comfortable for him to have the smaller part of the the underwear crammed up the back, but he doesn't seem to care. So, I told him that the little pocket in the undies goes in front and Cole thought that seemed very cool. Cole very excitedly asked me, "is the pocket to put toys in?" I just laughed. Cole is now trying to fit all his toys in the "pocket" of his undies.

Guess Who's Walking? (almost)

I thought you might like to see Livy's first attempt to walk. She hasn't quite mastered it yet, but she is having fun crashing on her head. Thank goodness for soft carpet! I can't believe my little baby girl is almost walking.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Livy hangs on to the bottom of my pants, just like in this picture, and walks around with me ALL DAY long. It was cute at first, but now it is hard because I have to walk really slow shuffling my feet or she will fall down. And she won't let go, no matter how many toys or food I put in front of her she just hangs on.

Tagged

I got tagged by my friend Alexis. For those of you (my family) who don't know what that means, it means that I have to answer some questions about myself. These questions happen to be about Shawn and I. I have never done this before so here it goes.

What's his (your husband's) name? Shawn Cory Reese

How long have you been together? Shawn and I have been married for 7 ½ years.

How long did you date? Shawn and I knew each other through high school, but we didn’t date until after his mission. We officially dated for three months and were married two months later.

How old is he? Shawn just turned 29.

Who eats more? Shawn usually does, but my two year-old is a close second.

Who said I love you first? Shawn

Who is taller? Shawn

Who is smarter? Shawn is definitely smarter. I hold my own, but he always wins.

Who does laundry? I do, but I have to follow Shawn’s guidelines regarding detergent and fabric softener.

Who does the dishes? Shawn always does and it is so wonderful. He tells me he likes to do them, so I gladly let him.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do right now, but in all the different homes we have lived in it has always changed. The rule of thumb in our house is I sleep closest to the door. That way I can get up when the kids need something and he doesn’t even know. Maybe we should switch places and he can have a turn. But, he gets enough long nights at the hospital that it is only fair.

Who pays the bills? I pay the bills, always have. Shawn's relationship with money involves spending it.

Who mows the lawn? Shawn LOVES to mow the lawn, but as it doesn't exist in Las Vegas no one does.

Who cooks dinner? I cook dinner every night and LOVE it. Cooking is a creative outlet for me. I have learned by trial and error over the past few years and Shawn has been a loyal participant, even when it is nasty. But I really do have a lot of fun cooking.

Who drives when you are together? Shawn always drives. It actually drives him nuts when I drive. He claims he gets car sick, but I just think he is a control freak when it comes to driving.

Who is more stubborn? We both are pretty stubborn, but I just might win that contest.

Who kissed who first? Shawn kissed me first on the night of my college graduation. We weren’t really dating and it kind of just happened. It was such a great surprise.

Who asked out who first? Shawn will kill me for saying this, but he didn’t really ask me out first, his cousin (Kevin) asked me out for him. Kevin was dating my twin sister, Jamie, and he was calling to see if Jam wanted to go out. So, Shawn thought it would be convenient for him to see if I wanted to go out also.

Who proposed? Shawn. We had talked about marriage, but I had no idea it was coming. Shawn was acting so weird right before he proposed , I was actually afraid he was going to dump me.

Who has more siblings? We both have five siblings in our families-so we are equal, but I am the oldest and he is right in the middle.

Who wears the pants in the family? I usually wear the pants in the family, but Shawn has his certain things that I have no chance.

I tag Brooke, Jam, Kelly, Jody, Sherri and Tiff.

A few random kid comments

I like to document the wierd, silly comments that the kids say or do so that when they get bigger I won't forget. And it will give me something to hold over their head if I ever need it!

Last night I was reading the scriptures to the kids and we were reading the story about Enos and how he prayed all day and night. Ethan got a concerned look on his face and expressed that he wasn't sure he could pray all day and night, and that he might get too tired. We talked about why Enos did that and Ethan seemed content that his three seconds prayers would suffice for now.

We walked out into the garage this morning and I had just put a freshly pooped diaper of Livy's out there and as we walked past the wonderful aroma Cole said, "Mom, the garage needs to wipes it's bum."

At dinner tonight Ethan told me that I am the best cook and that maybe I should be a chef. As I proceed to question him further regarding his reasoning he said, "You make the best mac and cheese, ever." So, according to a four year-old I make the best mac and cheese and that entitles me to the greatest chef award. What is funny is that I usually don't make mac and cheese (because for some reason I can't stand it), but Shawn is the one always making mac and cheese.

Cole has this new thing and everywhere he goes he has to have three little people with him. He has to have the dad, mom, and baby. If one gets lost or left behind we have a major melt down until the family is complete.

I was helping Ethan with some homework earlier today and he wanted to get it done so he could go play. So, he started writing really fast and it wasn't even legible. He looked at me and said, "my teacher likes it when I do it crappy."

{and for a side note, the Nevada Highway Troopers called again today wanting money. They didn't even make it a week. But before he could even get into his spill about the poor highway trooper who lost his life, I let into him. He must have caught me at a bad time, but after a few minutes of ranting I finally stopped talking and he said, "whatever!" and hung up. Hopefully, now they will take me off their call list.}

Just can't get a break

Those of you fellow Las Vegas girls probably already know this, but the Nevada DMV is horrible. Not only does it take three hours standing in line waiting to get a drivers license, but it stinks and slightly resembles a homeless shelter. I don't know where these people come from, but the craziest people show up at the DMV. Anyways, Shawn was off this afternoon so I left the kids and went to get my Nevada Driver's License (so that I can hopefully take care of one of my three tickets). Once I got there I waited in line for about 45 minutes, and this wasn't even the driver's license line. This was just the pre-drivers license line to make sure I had everything I needed. Finally, I get up to the front and hand the lady all my papers. She looks over everything and says that she needs to see my marriage certificate. Which of course I don't have, but I have about everything else you could think of in my purse. If you need to floss or trim your nails-I've got it covered, if you need a band-aid, wet wipes, or sunscreen-I've got it covered, if you need a snack, drink, toothbrush, or anything else-I've got it covered, but NOT my marriage certificate. I was turned away from the lovely Nevada DMV empty handed. I am really trying to do the right thing, but I just can't catch a break. On my way home I was stuck in traffic, hit every red light possible, and some crazy guy cut me off and almost caused an accident. But, let's focus on the positive. Rather than stand in line at the DMV for three hours I get to come home and spend time with my husband and kids, and it gives me another day to get out of the house away from the kids when I have to go back to the DMV. How is that for focusing on the positive?

Livy's Nap

This is how I found Livy this afternoon sleeping in her crib. Yes, that is her diaper.

Some how she manage to take off her pants and then her diaper. But, she was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't wake her-I just let her sleep. I know that is a pretty big gamble, but her sleeping peaceful doesn't happen often so I risked the chance of having her pee all over her bed.

I cut the kids hair today and wow, their hair grows fast. I couldn't believe how much I cut off. I can't wait to see what Ethan looks like as a teenager because he already has hair growing down his back-gross! I put the kids in the shower to wash all the hair off and I went to fold some laundry that was on my bed. (don't worry I didn't leave them unattended in the shower. They were in my bathroom and I was in the room.) I heard this loud bang so I looked into the bathroom and Ethan is sprawled out naked on the tile floor. Some how he fell out of the shower and slipped on the floor. For a second I worried if he was hurt, but he was laughing hysterically so I guess he is fine.

Weekly Phone Call

On Saturday we received a phone call from the Nevada State Troopers. Shawn answered the phone and received a speech about how one of their fellow colleagues just lost his life and he has a wife and three small children and wondered if we would donate money. I get these calls almost weekly from the Nevada State Troopers asking for money. They try to make you feel really guilty because they serve you, but it drives me crazy. I am not a cold hearted person and I honestly do feel bad that a fellow trooper died, but seriously I have my own family to take care of and if they want me to give money, send me some information in the mail and I will objectively look over it. I don't need someone trying to make me feel guilty into giving money over the phone, that just isn't right.

But this time it was funny because Shawn's response was, "hey, aren't you the guys who just gave my wife a ticket yesterday." The officer was dumbfounded and didn't really have an answer. Shawn politely declined, but I thought it was funny.

We had some of our best friends from Utah visit with weekend, and their daughter Rylee (a.k.a. Ethan's girlfriend), and little boy Jake. Ethan and Rylee played together so good and it is funny how their play has adjusted to the appropriate gender roles-Rylee was the mermaid and Ethan the Sea Captain (or something like that). Cole and Jake had a great time also, except for the small incident of the shelf hitting Jake in the head (sorry). Ethan had such a great time and so did Shawn and I. Please come again soon Kelly and Andy!

One of the goals for primary this year is each month to learn a new article of faith. So, we are working on the first one this month. Ethan is doing pretty good getting it memorized, but it is funny because he thinks that every time he says Jesus he has to say Amen right after, just like for prayers. So, the first article of faith in our house goes like this, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his son, Jesus Christ, Amen, and in the Holy Ghost. I can't get him to shake the Amen so I guess it will have to stay.

Bad Morning

Liv had her nine month doctor appointment early this morning so we got up early and got all ready. I dropped the boys off at a friends while I took Liv to the doctor. I was going to get on the freeway and it wasn't moving and I didn't want to be late so I took another road. I was cruising away when all of the sudden I saw police lights flashing behind me. I got pulled over (this is not funny so don't laugh) for going 50 on the frontage road where the speed limit was 35. I had no idea the speed limit on the frontage road was so slow. So, I got a speeding ticket which I totally deserve, but it gets worse. My car is registered in Utah as is my drivers license. So I ended up getting three tickets, one for speeding, one for not having a Las Vegas drivers license, and one for not having my car registered in Nevada. I just sat there completely shocked and then I started to cry-I know that is a little dorky, but I couldn't help it. So, after I sit there for 20 minutes I have to hurry because by now we are late for Livy's appointment. I call Shawn at the hospital to tell him what happened and he didn't really say anything and I said, "Shawn are you mad?" He responded, " I have been up all night at the hospital. I am not thinking very clearly." So he wasn't much help in making me feel better. There are those people who speed everywhere and are crazy drivers and they NEVER get tickets, but I am always so careful and I speed once and I get nailed. Anyway, I am dreading to find out exactly what the tickets will cost because I know they are expensive in Las Vegas.

Then when I get back to pick up my kids I found out that Cole pooped his pants. He has this funny complex and when he needs to go to the bathroom I have to walk him in, turn the lights on, and make sure he is situated just right-he wont' go unless I do that. He will stand right next to the toilet and yell and scream and pee his pants if I don't get there in enough time. Well, this is kind of what happened. He went into the bathroom at my friends and just stood there screaming. Of course she had no idea what he was screaming about and then a few seconds later he stopped screaming and explained to my friend that he has pooped in his pants. I am so sorry Natalie that you had to deal with that-I owe you one.

Next we went to the park for play group and Ethan had a major fit and wouldn't stop crying and then Cole started crying because he wanted to go home. By this time Ethan had calmed down and went back playing and then when I told Ethan it was time to go he had another melt down because he didn't want to go home. Wow, my two boys were a little crazy this morning. But, now Livy, Cole, and Shawn are taking naps and Ethan is quietly playing with his Lego's. So I really hope the rest of the day calms down. And don't worry, I won't be speeding anytime soon.

Mr. Bear

I would like to introduce you all to a family member who many of you probably haven't meet. His name is Mr. Bear and he joined the family in May of 2003. Mr. Bear goes everywhere with us and as you can see he is very loved and taken care of (notice the hole in his nose). This is Ethan's right hand man and through all of our crazy moves-Utah-Dominica-Utah-Miami-Utah-Wisconsin-Utah-Las Vegas, he has made the trip. Ethan would not be without this bear and on one of our trips across the Midwest we left bear in the hotel. Don't worry we drove back and got him as soon as we remembered. Mr. Bear has been on many airplanes with the family and currently resides in Ethan's bed. He is a perfect family member-doesn't fight, yell, or cry. He just sits there and looks happy. If Ethan is sad or hurt or just angry he doesn't want me or Shawn to comfort him-he just wants Mr. Bear. So, this little bear is very special to our family and will probably be around for a long time (and will probably get more holes and covered in dirt, tears, and slobber-but don't worry, it is machine washable)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! We wish we could be there to celebrate, but we will make and eat a cake on your behalf today. We love you!

The kids are FINALLY asleep

It has been a long day, but the kids are all sound asleep so I FINALLY can get something done. I attempted laundry, but each time I start folding anything Livy gets in the way, Cole wants to help, or Ethan thinks he is funny and runs through my piles of clean laundry. So, the last batch is hanging out waiting for me to fold. Every time my kids eat they make a huge mess in the kitchen. I think the floor gets covered in more food than any of them eat, so the floor needed its daily mopping. Cole peed all over my bathroom this morning so I had to clean that too. I don't know what it is but when pee gets all over the floor it just doesn't' go away. No matter how many times I get out the Clorox it still smells like pee. The kids made a fort with the couch cushions and destroyed the playroom (that I just cleaned on Saturday). With three messy kids the cleaning seems to never end. I get the laundry done just to do it again, I get the bathrooms cleaned and they get dirty the next time someones uses them. Ethan starts school again tomorrow -HALLELUJAH, so that will be a nice break! He is doing such a good job. He can read several words, spell them, and write all the letters and numbers (and he hasn't even started Kindergarten yet).

Livy is teething and she was up all night. I could not get out of bed this moring, and by the time I finally got Livy to calm down and fall asleep Ethan and Cole were pounding on my head waiting for me to get up. Shawn left at 4:30 this morning and I have absolutely no recollection of it. He said that he woke me up and we said prayers together, but I must have been pretty out of it. Ethan and Cole played so good together all day long. They are so creative and have such a good time together. I never know what I will get with those two, they are either creating imaginative worlds and fighting bad guys together as a team or beating each other up. But, today was a good day. Ethan got mad at Livy at dinner time because she wasn't chewing with her mouth closed. Shawn's pet peeve is when people chew with their mouth opened and Ethan has heard numerous times, "Chew with your mouth closed." So, it was funny to hear Ethan tell the same thing to Livy.

I hope they call me on a mission...

Yesterday the kids were asking me what is means to go on a mission. All they knew was that they are supposed to go on a mission before they get married. They must have heard Shawn and I talk about it and were interested. I explained that when they turn 19 years old the Lord has asked them to go and serve a mission and teach to the gospel. I explained some of the other things like that they would have to go and live somewhere else with a companion, and some other mission stuff. They both seemed interested, but I didn't' really think they understood what I was talking about so I got out Shawn's mission scrapbook (thanks Leslie for keeping such good track of Shawn on his mission). The kids loved all the pictures, the crazy houses that he lived in, scary animals, beautiful countries, beaches, and weird mission companion pictures (even one of all his district in the MTC with their shirts off. The boys got a good laugh out of that one and were convinced that Shawn and his mission buddies were all hanging out naked).

As we were talking about this it got me so excited to send my boys on a mission and then it got me so worried. I don't know how I am going to send my two little boys away for two years-I might cry the whole time. Let's just hope and pray that they get to be mean and ornery teenagers so I will want to send them away. It breaks my heart to think about it, but at the same time such an honor and amazing experience. Kudos to all you moms who have sent boys on missions-I can't imagine how hard it has been. But, as with all things in life I am sure with the Lords help I will survive. Shawn had some pretty serious sickness on his mission and I can't imagine not being there for my kids to comfort them if they get sick, and make sure they are okay. I know I am a crazy mom, but I can't help it. These kids of mine are so amazing, I don't want anything or anyone to ever hurt them. But, I realize that being a parent isn't always easy and sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do. We have to do things that often make our kids cry. I try to think that it is my job now to help prepare them for life, all of its ups and downs. That is why I force my kids to go to nursery or preschool-even when they are crying. I know in the end it is the right thing to do that will help them progress in this life, but that sure doesn't make it any easier.

We had a funny moment as we were looking through Shawn's mission book. There was a picture of Shawn and his old girlfriend in high school at his farewell. Ethan pointed to the picture and asked if that was me. I replied that it wasn't and he said, "well, what is dad doing with her?" I just laughed. I think I will save the ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend talk for later. But I got a good laugh out of it.

Popcorn Anyone?

Thanks to my wonderful Cole we have popcorn all over the carpet and if you notice in the picture I have nice shag like carpet. Not cheesy shag, but nice, soft, modern shag. We love it, except when you drop something (especially small things) they are gone forever. Thank goodness for my Dyson. Without it I would have popcorn on my floor forever. So again, thank goodness for the Dyson!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I always love the start of a new year. It is fun to think about the upcoming year and all the fun things that await. I feel like as the months go on I start slacking on my new years resolutions so every January it is nice to start over again. One of my goals this year is to parent with reverence. I know that sounds a little lame, but a few weeks ago I was reading the Sunday school manual and for some reason this topic really made an impression on me. So, I am going to give it a try, but I already lost that battle when Cole threw a glass snow globe down the stairs this morning and it landed on my glass manger and it broke. But, I am rededicating myself to that goal and hopefully will do better next time.

Shawn was on call last night at the hospital so me and the kids had a quiet night (except for the neighbors fireworks all night long), but my parents have been in town for the weekend and we had a great time all week long. We did lots of shopping, eating, and playing. On Saturday they took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks at the theatre. I always love having company-I only wish I had a nice guest room so they could get some peace and quiet. It is hard to find a quiet place in my house!

So, here we are starting on the new year and I can't wait for all the fun adventures and surprises that will come our way!