Tuesday, August 25, 2009
learning curves
we all have learning curves in life: playing sports, riding bikes, driving cars, and yes, even eating bagels...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Noah. Karaoke. Does it get any better?
Aaron's parents got out the karaoke machine. noah thought he'd sing "16 candles" to Reagan, except he changed it to "1 candle" for his "toddler-aged queen".
(if you don't have time to watch all 3 minutes of it - you should try and watch it from about 2 minutes into it - he starts to really get into his singing)
love that kid!
(if you don't have time to watch all 3 minutes of it - you should try and watch it from about 2 minutes into it - he starts to really get into his singing)
love that kid!
Monday, August 17, 2009
all in a word
As Aaron was out of town on business my friend Carrie and her three kids came and spent the night and hung out the following day. by the end of the day, we were both pretty drained from having these five kids in the same house for so long. really, it's not so much the five kids as it is Noah and Jane. For some reason they're like oil and vinegar. it is literally impossible for them to get along for any length of time. separate - they're both great kids. together - it's a constant battle. Anyway, as they're getting ready to leave, Luke and Reagan are walking around being loud like only little children can, Noah has upset Jane to the point of tears and the boys are being loud as they say goodbye. meanwhile, Carrie is trying to get them out to the car, i'm trying to keep reagan in the house and find out what Noah did to Jane and frankly, it was all a bit chaotic. We finally get them all moving towards the door when Noah yells out, "Hey mitch! See ya later dick head".
it was as if for a brief moment in time everything slowed down as i looked at noah with total disbelief that came out of his mouth and Carrie's looking at me and then at noah and i'm trying to figure out if i should throw him in his room or pour a bottle of Tabasco sauce in his mouth. i go for the former.
me: NOAH! on your bed right now!!!!
noah: what? why? what did i do?
me: (octave higher then usual) what did you do? (voice back to normal, but still quite angry) you know we don't talk like that! i can't believe that came out of your mouth and directed at a friend! get in your room while i say goodbye and i'll be in to deal with you in a minute.
noah: (starting to cry) but, mom, it was an accident. i didn't mean to.
me: i don't want to hear it. room. now!
noah stomps off to his room while i say goodbye and help carrie get everyone outside. afterwards, i let noah sit on his bed for 20 minutes before going in. Once i'm in there it's a long talk about how the word he used was not appropriate and we should never call people that. i told him if i ever heard him talk like that again, there would be severe consequences and that we'd talk about it with his father when he gets home the next day.
so, me, being very proud that i didn't have to resort to the hot sauce and that i was able to be calm but firm (in the end at least), i didn't bring it up again until the next day. When i told Aaron, he was pretty mad. (ok, really, he was trying not to laugh, but thankfully he looked appropriately disapproving when we sat down with noah.)
me: naoh, i want you to tell your dad why you got in trouble yesterday.
noah: (looking very worried) no, you tell him. i don't want to.
me: no, you need to tell him.
noah: fine. *sniff* dad, when Mitchell was leaving yesterday I called him *sniff* a duck head.
total silence as it slowly sinks in that i had punished Noah for calling his friend duck head. not dick head. to my credit, it was very loud and he was talking really fast.
at this point, aaron starts laughing and just walks away. i look at a very confused noah and tell him that i'm glad he's learned his lesson and i'm glad it won't happen again.
poor noah.
it was as if for a brief moment in time everything slowed down as i looked at noah with total disbelief that came out of his mouth and Carrie's looking at me and then at noah and i'm trying to figure out if i should throw him in his room or pour a bottle of Tabasco sauce in his mouth. i go for the former.
me: NOAH! on your bed right now!!!!
noah: what? why? what did i do?
me: (octave higher then usual) what did you do? (voice back to normal, but still quite angry) you know we don't talk like that! i can't believe that came out of your mouth and directed at a friend! get in your room while i say goodbye and i'll be in to deal with you in a minute.
noah: (starting to cry) but, mom, it was an accident. i didn't mean to.
me: i don't want to hear it. room. now!
noah stomps off to his room while i say goodbye and help carrie get everyone outside. afterwards, i let noah sit on his bed for 20 minutes before going in. Once i'm in there it's a long talk about how the word he used was not appropriate and we should never call people that. i told him if i ever heard him talk like that again, there would be severe consequences and that we'd talk about it with his father when he gets home the next day.
so, me, being very proud that i didn't have to resort to the hot sauce and that i was able to be calm but firm (in the end at least), i didn't bring it up again until the next day. When i told Aaron, he was pretty mad. (ok, really, he was trying not to laugh, but thankfully he looked appropriately disapproving when we sat down with noah.)
me: naoh, i want you to tell your dad why you got in trouble yesterday.
noah: (looking very worried) no, you tell him. i don't want to.
me: no, you need to tell him.
noah: fine. *sniff* dad, when Mitchell was leaving yesterday I called him *sniff* a duck head.
total silence as it slowly sinks in that i had punished Noah for calling his friend duck head. not dick head. to my credit, it was very loud and he was talking really fast.
at this point, aaron starts laughing and just walks away. i look at a very confused noah and tell him that i'm glad he's learned his lesson and i'm glad it won't happen again.
poor noah.
Monday, August 10, 2009
A very cool afternoon for Noah
a few months ago we had fueling jet, along with 4 smaller jets, fly right above our neighborhood. when i say right above, i literally mean right above. on one of their last circles they flew down the length of our street. it was amazing.
We called my brother Robert, who is a Master Sergeant at the base, and told him about the planes flying around our area. He made a few calls and worked it out so that Noah could come and take a tour of the base and check out the big refueling jet up close. What Noah didn't know, was that Robert had worked it out so that we could actually go on the jet and really check it out. For years he was a boom operator (the guy who would refuel jets while in the air) so it was really cool seeing up close what his job was like.
First we do a quick tour inside the base and see where Robert works. there are no pictures in there because camera's weren't allowed in that room. One of the rooms we could take pictures in was their big briefing room where Noah promptly ran up to the podium to brief us all. it's amazing how much this kid takes after his father. (well, not with his singing abilities - that's all me.)
This is Noah riding in the shuttle that takes the pilots to the planes. It's hard to capture on film just how excited he was. It was impossible not to just sit there and smile as you watched him soak it all in.
Finally, we're on the plane and Noah runs straight to the pilots seat. Here he is pretending to take off...
Here he is pretending the plane is going down in flames...
my two favorite 'pilots' in the entire world...
Aaron, thrilled beyond belief to be strapped in and ready for take-off. seriously, this boy knows how to get into character.
Noah is taking a picture of me after he's just told me the plane is going down and there's no chance of survival...
This is the "chair" that Robert lays on when refueling jets. There's about a 2 inch glass there in front of him that "protects" him when the boom is actually lowered. If they were really refueling right now, the two-paned windows you see (with the green metal around them) would be gone and all you'd see was the plane you're refueling and the ground 35,000 feet below you. crazy.
Watching Noah on that plane was one of the most fun things I've done all summer. For two hours straight he was all smiles and laughter. Not one whine or exasperated look and he didn't even ask me to buy him anything. it was heaven.
At the end of our day, Robert surprised Noah with an autographed picture of the plane we saw flying over our neighborhood. one of the signatures was from the pilot on that plane. It was very cool.
Thanks Uncle Robert!!!!!!
We called my brother Robert, who is a Master Sergeant at the base, and told him about the planes flying around our area. He made a few calls and worked it out so that Noah could come and take a tour of the base and check out the big refueling jet up close. What Noah didn't know, was that Robert had worked it out so that we could actually go on the jet and really check it out. For years he was a boom operator (the guy who would refuel jets while in the air) so it was really cool seeing up close what his job was like.
First we do a quick tour inside the base and see where Robert works. there are no pictures in there because camera's weren't allowed in that room. One of the rooms we could take pictures in was their big briefing room where Noah promptly ran up to the podium to brief us all. it's amazing how much this kid takes after his father. (well, not with his singing abilities - that's all me.)
This is Noah riding in the shuttle that takes the pilots to the planes. It's hard to capture on film just how excited he was. It was impossible not to just sit there and smile as you watched him soak it all in.
Finally, we're on the plane and Noah runs straight to the pilots seat. Here he is pretending to take off...
Here he is pretending the plane is going down in flames...
my two favorite 'pilots' in the entire world...
Aaron, thrilled beyond belief to be strapped in and ready for take-off. seriously, this boy knows how to get into character.
Noah is taking a picture of me after he's just told me the plane is going down and there's no chance of survival...
This is the "chair" that Robert lays on when refueling jets. There's about a 2 inch glass there in front of him that "protects" him when the boom is actually lowered. If they were really refueling right now, the two-paned windows you see (with the green metal around them) would be gone and all you'd see was the plane you're refueling and the ground 35,000 feet below you. crazy.
Watching Noah on that plane was one of the most fun things I've done all summer. For two hours straight he was all smiles and laughter. Not one whine or exasperated look and he didn't even ask me to buy him anything. it was heaven.
At the end of our day, Robert surprised Noah with an autographed picture of the plane we saw flying over our neighborhood. one of the signatures was from the pilot on that plane. It was very cool.
Thanks Uncle Robert!!!!!!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The kids
Thought I'd throw in some quick updates on the kids. I'm warning you now - this will probably be a long post with lots of pictures. But, grandma has been after me for awhile, so here you go.... Reagan baffles me. Never have I wanted to smother a child with kisses and at the same time tie her to a bed. Seriously, how can you be so in love with that tiny little voice as you hear her learning new words, and yet feel like if you hear her say "wha happened?" one more time you'll tape her mouth shut. Forever she would walk around the house yelling "momma" or "bubba" (what she called Noah), which was fine because she never really expected an answer. Now, however, she's learned to say 'wha happened'. If anything happens - DVD stops working, a dog barks, the wind blows - she'll ask 'wha happened'? but not just once, it's over and over and over again. sometimes she'll say it in slow motion - "wwwhhhhaaaa happppeennned?" and then she'll just look at me, waiting for an answer. it is cute, but really obnoxious after awhile.
Here's a little video of her saying it. She was watching the Wiggles and the DVD must have had a scratch in it and stopped for a second. That got her started and for the next 2 minutes sat there saying 'wha happened'. I finally got the camera out, and caught the end of her repetition. Mind you, it's a long video - so by all means, don't watch it all.
Just when I think she'll be the end of my sanity, she'll do something as simple as just playing around with a hat and i find myself in awe at how adorable she can be...
No real story with the next shot - i just loved her face in it.
This picture of Reagan isn't as cute, as it is funny. well, funny to me - maybe i'm just more tired then i thought. evidently she really wanted a diaper on the outside, so aaron - unable to tell her no - happily obliged.
Lastly, her bedtime request. Most kids ask for one more drink of water - mine ask for marshmallows. oh yes - we feed our children very healthily - especially right before bed. But, she did practice saying 'please' and that's all that counts - right?
As for my update on Noah... He'll be going into second grade in just a few short weeks - it's really freaking me out. Just when I start feeling sad because he's growing up too fast, he'll start whining because he doesn't want to make his bed, and whining because he hasn't had enough wii time and when he is forced to do terrible things - like weeding outside - he makes sure I know "this is the WORST day EVER!!!' and it's in those moments that I think he's not growing up fast enough. Aaron's convinced the reason noah is so dramatic and emotional is because we never beat him as a child. now, while we would never actually beat any of our children, aaron did think a good spanking would have helped him toughen up. however, i'm fairly certain i ruined any chance of that happening by screaming - as aaron was dragging a kicking and crying noah to his bedroom for a spanking - "NO! DON'T SPANK HIM! HE NEEDS TO OBEY US BECAUSE HE LOVES US, NOT BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID OF US!!!! DON'T SPANK HIM!". yeah, let me tell you how much that helped the situation.
i've always said - when noah turns out to be this amazing person someday - it will be in spite of my parenting, not because of it.
Outside of the drama, noah really is the greatest kid and makes me laugh all the time. by far, my favorite clip of him yet, is him on wii Rock Band singing Eye of the Tiger. Holy crap that kid is monotone and yet, he'll stand and sing with the best of them. i love it. Aaron is on the drums and Gramps is on the guitar. The video is just over 4 minutes long - I don't expect you to watch the whole thing - but you have to at least watch it from about 2 minutes into it. if you can forward the video to around 2 minutes and 15 seconds - the last 2 minutes are priceless.
i love that kid.
Last, a few pictures of Noah from our Pioneer parade. (yes, it was three weeks ago. yes, i'm behind on my blogging). Grandma was able to work it out so that Noah could ride with her on the train in the parade. They're dressed up in their pioneer clothes - very authentic - minus the train. but still, i'm sure if pioneers had access to a train, they definitely would have taken it.
After the parade, there's a big party in the park. My favorite part was Noah climbing the rock wall.
One thing you have to understand - Noah is terrified of heights. So it was a really big deal for him to go as high as he did. When he got back down, he was shaking and his tale tale sign of how nervous he really was (just like his dad) are his very white lips.
What a champ!
i really do love these kids -
Here's a little video of her saying it. She was watching the Wiggles and the DVD must have had a scratch in it and stopped for a second. That got her started and for the next 2 minutes sat there saying 'wha happened'. I finally got the camera out, and caught the end of her repetition. Mind you, it's a long video - so by all means, don't watch it all.
Just when I think she'll be the end of my sanity, she'll do something as simple as just playing around with a hat and i find myself in awe at how adorable she can be...
No real story with the next shot - i just loved her face in it.
This picture of Reagan isn't as cute, as it is funny. well, funny to me - maybe i'm just more tired then i thought. evidently she really wanted a diaper on the outside, so aaron - unable to tell her no - happily obliged.
Lastly, her bedtime request. Most kids ask for one more drink of water - mine ask for marshmallows. oh yes - we feed our children very healthily - especially right before bed. But, she did practice saying 'please' and that's all that counts - right?
As for my update on Noah... He'll be going into second grade in just a few short weeks - it's really freaking me out. Just when I start feeling sad because he's growing up too fast, he'll start whining because he doesn't want to make his bed, and whining because he hasn't had enough wii time and when he is forced to do terrible things - like weeding outside - he makes sure I know "this is the WORST day EVER!!!' and it's in those moments that I think he's not growing up fast enough. Aaron's convinced the reason noah is so dramatic and emotional is because we never beat him as a child. now, while we would never actually beat any of our children, aaron did think a good spanking would have helped him toughen up. however, i'm fairly certain i ruined any chance of that happening by screaming - as aaron was dragging a kicking and crying noah to his bedroom for a spanking - "NO! DON'T SPANK HIM! HE NEEDS TO OBEY US BECAUSE HE LOVES US, NOT BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID OF US!!!! DON'T SPANK HIM!". yeah, let me tell you how much that helped the situation.
i've always said - when noah turns out to be this amazing person someday - it will be in spite of my parenting, not because of it.
Outside of the drama, noah really is the greatest kid and makes me laugh all the time. by far, my favorite clip of him yet, is him on wii Rock Band singing Eye of the Tiger. Holy crap that kid is monotone and yet, he'll stand and sing with the best of them. i love it. Aaron is on the drums and Gramps is on the guitar. The video is just over 4 minutes long - I don't expect you to watch the whole thing - but you have to at least watch it from about 2 minutes into it. if you can forward the video to around 2 minutes and 15 seconds - the last 2 minutes are priceless.
i love that kid.
Last, a few pictures of Noah from our Pioneer parade. (yes, it was three weeks ago. yes, i'm behind on my blogging). Grandma was able to work it out so that Noah could ride with her on the train in the parade. They're dressed up in their pioneer clothes - very authentic - minus the train. but still, i'm sure if pioneers had access to a train, they definitely would have taken it.
After the parade, there's a big party in the park. My favorite part was Noah climbing the rock wall.
One thing you have to understand - Noah is terrified of heights. So it was a really big deal for him to go as high as he did. When he got back down, he was shaking and his tale tale sign of how nervous he really was (just like his dad) are his very white lips.
What a champ!
i really do love these kids -
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