Some things I don't love

-Crumpled newspaper. I always have to fold it back up nicely. JB is quite patient with this behavior of mine.

-Twice now in the last week I've had my windows rolled down in the car to enjoy the cool breeze. Each time I've smacked a mosquito snacking on my arm. Ugh.

-I'm fine with other people wearing socks in the summer. But I can't do it. My feet feel hot, constricted, and confused. So I wear sandals or flats or heels without socks. But now that it's fall, I can with a clear conscience wear socks because I love my boots. It's almost boot weather, yippee!

-Apostrophes. I'm far from perfect at grammar, or at this crazy English language of ours with all its rules. But apostrohpes used incorrectly are a sore spot. I think we just type so fast we don't realize our pinkie has popped it in again when we add an s to things. "Its" and "it's" (it is) can also be confusing for some people. I've done it, and I hate it.

Examples from my everyday life:

Incorrect usage:
The Smith’s live here
Happy Holiday’s
Local Author’s come together for benefit
Go Ute’s
Cd’s and DVD’s for sale
It happened in the 1970’s
Its time for lunch
The cat lost it's tail

Correct usage:
The Smiths live here
Happy Holidays
Local Authors come together for benefit
Go Utes
CDs and DVDs for sale
It happened in the 1970s
It's time for lunch
The cat lost its tail

Anybody else have any weird pet peeves?

Other things my little boys love

My boys love rocks, snails, hammers and strong hard wood.
Benny thought these rocks and dirt were pretty tasty in our backyard.
Max meanwhile used a toy hammer to work on his playset, and had me hand up a spare piece of "strong hard wood" for him to work on.
The term "strong hard wood" comes from a Noah's Ark storybook we have, where Noah built an ark from strong hard wood. Max can no longer separate those terms in his vocabulary.

After his construction project he helped me hunt for snails in our flower beds. By the way, I am not a gardener and really have no idea what plans we have in our beds. I try to maintain what the previous homeowners planted before we bought the house four years ago. Max is fasinated and repulsed by the snails at the same time. As am I.

My boys love young women

I took the young squirts to the Young Women's activity at church with me last night. Max was too excited to eat dinner before hand because he loves coming to these activities. There often are a couple of other kids there too with their moms. He also loves many of the girls because they baby sit him. They also give him treats. Ben loves being wherever I am, and he also likes the attention and cuddles from the girls.

Last night some of the girls were working on quilts. Ben got right up in there.
I should have brought my real camera, and not just the cell phone. The boys really were so funny. Ben just wanted to eat the fabric squares, while Max sorted them and laid them out next to each other.
He took some of the fabric to another corner of the gym to have some privacy. Those girls kept trying to get their quilt squares back!

Poor chubby

Yes we still call Ben chubby, even though he's thinning out as he speed-crawls all over the place and cruises the furniture. Also gigante, Benjamino, Benji-johna and Hana-boy (from Benihana, the restaurant).

But he's been so sad lately with those darn teeth. His top two front teeth popped through last week after a few rough nights. But ever since Sunday he's been feverish and has his fingers in his mouth all the time. Methinks these next teeth coming through are giving him a worse time. Can you get molars at 9 1/2 months?

The upside is our normally wiggly, curious, always on-the-move baby is content to cuddle more these days for comfort from the pain. I don't mind it, even at midnight.

The Zoo

We took our little monkeys to the zoo recently, and had a lot of fun. But Max kept asking "They won't eat me?" when we came to a new animal exhibit. Later, it became more confident: "They won't eat me, momma." Here we are looking at the elephants.
He loved the giraffes. Shout out to his Uncle Michael who also liked giraffes starting probably at this early age.
Here are some monkeys:
You can kind of see Ben in the stroller, relaxing. He wasn't too excited by the animals.
My brothers Joe and James had some Dippin' Dots ice-cream. They got another bowl to give Max some because he kept dipping into their bowls.
By the way, knee-length shorts on girls -- sometimes not so attractive.

Me on TV

Ever wondered what I may look like as a TV reporter? Click here then watch the video. Don't be alarmed by the subject matter -- it was an assignment and I hope I handled it with sensitivity. But it was quite an assignment. I just thought it would be fun for you to see the first TV reporting I've done since college. If you follow the links you should be able to find my two-part series piece I did for the radio. Part one ran this morning, part two runs tomorrow morning.

F is for Football

We have had a lot of fun so far this college football season, mainly because both our teams are 3-0, but also because we've gone to some games. JB and his dad flew to Ann Arbor to watch their Utes take on Michigan in the Big House.
The Utes won, 25-23. A historic win.
Compare that red, with this blue:
Last Saturday I went to Lavell Edwards Stadium to watch my Cougs take on UCLA. If you can see the scoreboard, it says BYU 59 UCLA 0. Also a historic win.

I went with some other BYU fans from my neighborhood. Most of us are married to Utah men, so we stick together. We are sitting on the last row in the north endzone, the only spot for 5 cheap tickets in a row. We got baked, but had fun.

Now here's hoping both our teams do well this season, and that JB and I survive the rivalry game one more year. It's right after our anniversary, which seems to bode well for us.

A hiatus

Sorry all for the break in writing. I've been consumed by lots of things going on -- a big series piece I've been working on that runs this week on the radio, Benny teething, Max STILL potty-training, football games, new TV shows and finishing "Katherine" by book group. I'm feeling very tense between my shoulder blades, the place where my chiropractor says I carry my stress. But kissing all my boys helps, and I will post again soon about fun stuff we've been up to.

Clothing

My skinny pants fit again (Crowd: Yeay! Huzzah!)

But I think they are out of style (Boo! Hiss!)

I bought these brown pants (slacks? trousers?) probably seven years ago at the outlets with my friend Autumn. They were kinda tight then, and I've worn them off and on over the years. But now they fit great after months of walking and walking and walking while pushing a double stroller, and holding a 21 pound nine-month old on my hip as I go around the house. But, are they really that cute/stylish/flattering?

Notice the flare, bell-bottom-type thing going on.

I've come up with a solution. Time for new pants! Seven years is long enough.

I'm also going through my closet this week and tossing stuff that is a)obviously out of style and b)I never ever wear. Included in this list: a long black skirt with pockets on the sides I thought was cute when I was TWENTY. Also, a tight red striped shirt, teeny polo top that just doesn't meet the top of my pants anymore, and jean skirt with a slit in the front. Not quite appropriate for a mother of two. I haven't worn these items in years and years but somehow they still sit in the back of the closet.

Ladies, who is with me -- it's shopping time.

C Jane, and NieNie

I've become obsessed with the story of Stephanie Nielson and her sister Courtney K. A few weeks ago at KSL, we did a story about a woman and her husband who had been in a plane crash in Arizona. Her parents are a prominent couple in local and state politics. But I didn't realize how much more there was to the story until I found a link to Courtney's blog on a friend's blog.

Courtney (c jane) is now raising her sister Stephanie's four children while she and her husband (hopefully) heal from critical burns from the plane crash. Some of you already know all of this -- I've found the blogging world to make the world much smaller. I recognized some people's names I knew in the comments on Courtney's blog and on Stephanie's, the NieNiedialogues. Anyway, almost every day I check blog.cjanerun.com for updates on her sister NieNie, and hope for the best for this family.

Read the latest article about the situation, this one in the New York Times, by clicking here.

Friday night ramblings

This picture doesn't even do it justice. When I walked outside, our tree looked gorgeous with its green and gold against the darkening sky. I LOVE fall. But this tree is a goofy one. It doesn't drop its leaves until almost Spring.

JB's camping with Max tonight at our church's annual "Dads and Kids Campout." They just called. Max is in heaven -- he has a stick, he's sitting on a pile of rocks, he's dirty -- he's all boy.

Ben's too young for such a campout this year, so we went to this:

Monet to Picasso at the UMFA. It was so crowded -- it felt like I was back in the museums in Europe with all the tourists. Good and bad -- bad, crowded (though it's encouraging to see so many appreciating art). Good, the artwork. Great, fabulous brushstrokes and colors of impressionism, realism, cubism and every other ism I grew to love as a humanities minor. Also some sculpture, including Rodin. I tried to explain it all to Benny but he just kicked and squealed in the stroller. So we left without too much more deep thinking next to "The Thinker."

Then I went grocery shopping and came home to feed myself and the baby art-appreciater. For him: Gerber's chicken and vegetables. For me: Albertson's fried chicken from the deli and shrimp from the seafood case. Plus a piece of toast and a handful of grapes. I really eat so funny when JB is gone. Last weekend when he went to the U of U-Michigan game in Ann Arbor with his dad, I made the craziest dish for dinner for Max and me. It started out fine -- pasta, white sauce, chicken, yellow squash. Then I added hot dogs. Oh yes, chopped up hot dogs. I think I hoped Max would eat it (he didn't) and I wanted to use up some leftovers.

I also watch crazy things on TV while my remote-controller is gone. I sneakily watch "America's Next Top Model," even though I think I will drop it this season. The first episode was pretty awful. I end up watching either "America's Funniest Home Videos" or a classic TV show or movie. Last weekend it was "Yours Mine and Ours" starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Tonight, "What's Up Doc" with Madeline Kahn. I list her first because she really is the funniest part of the movie.

Politickin'

You know you're watching too much political coverage when your three-year-old chants "John Muh-Tayne! John Muh-Tayne!" from his perch on the living room couch. Or it's just a sign that he may need speech help someday. Those darn Cs and Ks keep becoming Ts.

I wonder if Barack Obama invaded my three-year-old dreams after the democratic convention like he did mine?

Also, whatever your political leanings, do you ever wonder what you'd be like as a delegate to a national convention? These people go crazy with the chanting and the hollering and the waving of the signs and wearing of big hats. I wonder if I'd get caught up in it too, like the girls you see in the old Beatles concerts. I'd probably take more pictures of the people around me than of the speakers on the stage.

What am I doing rambling on -- it's past my bedtime!

Luci-fee

My sister Bekah and I have decided that the cat from Cinderella, Lucifer, had it right. Mice aren't cute, cuddly singing creatures that help put a bow in your hair and clean the house for you -- they are awful little buggers!

Her proud cat brought in a mouse to lay as a prize beside her bed. Can you imagine putting your feet down in the morning and almost stepping on a mouse? By the way, we believe this mouse came from outside. Rebekah's house is quite clean.

Also, a note about my sister. She's hilarious. If anyone's noticed, in her comments on different posts she'll surprise me with a different link to her name every time.

And she doesn't have cancer. They thought she did, took out her thyroid, but no cancer. Life is good.

An alarming night

Normally the boys are great sleepers. 7:30 PM to about 7 AM. Ben wakes up once for a feeding but goes back down easily. Last night however, it was a different story.

Maybe it was the crazy thunder and lightening, maybe it was the crazy colds the boys caught -- again. But they had a rough time.

We are used to Ben standing up in his crib while holding onto the side a dozen times and squealing for help getting back down. It's part of our nightime ritual. But we are slower to respond now as he is learning to get back down on his own. For some reason last night Max hollered out each time Ben stood up. He's either an early tattle-tale or he was truly concerned about Ben's welfare.

7:35 through 7:50PM: "Mom. Mom! MOOOOMMMMM! Ben's standing (waaaaahhhh). "This sets Ben crying and Max crying even louder. I go in and lay them back down, 3 or 4 times.

7:50 - 8PM: (JB's turn) "Daaaaddddyyyyy, (sob sob), Benny climbed up again (sob, hiccup, sob)"
JB goes in and lays them both back down, says a firm "night night" and leaves. 3 or 4 times. Ben pops up immediately. It's his m.o.

8:05PM: Max realizes he has legs and climbs out of bed, opens the door, and sobs for us. I decide to bring Ben out to the living room until Max calms down and goes to sleep, then I wanted to sneak Ben back in.

8:06: Max realizes he's been left alone in the room while Ben is out of bed. He becomes so upset he throws up, all over the bed, himself, and a little on me.

8:20: He's bathed, has new sheets, a substitute night-night (blankie) but is still a little keyed up. So he sat on the couch while Ben went to bed and fell asleep almost right away. Later we sneak Max into bed.

3:25 AM: My alarm goes off. It's a holiday, I don't have to be at work, but I forgot to tell my alarm clock. Grrrr.

4:00 AM: THUD! I bolt out of bed as Max begins a siren scream. He fell out of his toddler bed for the first time, well, ever. I dash in there, scoop him up and take him to the couch but it's too late, Ben stumbles into wake-dom, spots me, and tries to stand up. Thankfully I was able to put Max back in bed and rock Ben back into sleep-dom.

6:45 AM: JB's alarm goes off. Tell the clocks it's a HOLIDAY!

7:00 AM: Both boys wake up, smiling and cooing, like they've had the best night of rest ever.