Our Jungle is Gone....Thanks Shawn!

For the record Jaxon is still around. The boy loves to take pictures but hates to pose for them. He runs from the camera the minute you pull it out and says, I don't want to say cheese." You got to love the little guy....oops my little man.

It's a jungle out there!

Take a look at our yard OR our mini jungle. The kids could walk out towards the back end of the yard and get lost. Last year, we battled what we thoughts were weeds. We requested True Green to come back several times because the weeds were continuing to grow at an alarming rate. Finally, someone came out this year who knew what they were doing and realized the weeds they were unsuccessfully treating was actually a different breed of grass. Hopefully, we can now get rid of our little jungle bushes. It grows so much quicker than the actual grass we want in our yard. It has been impossible to mow as of late due to the rain. It takes several days for the yard to dry and we have been getting a fair amount of rain. Our front yard looks quite nice.
Today was my last day of classes. It will be nice to be done. I will be teaching another section of General Psychology in the fall. I am hoping it will be quite a bit easier because of all of the preparation done this semester. It's a difficult class because it covers a wide breadth of information. Shawn's last day of classes is tomorrow, but he will be teaching summer session. So, he doesn't have much of a break. Hopefully, he will find some time to do some writing. He has some articles he would like to finish up and submit for publications.
Jeron is walking all over the place now. He no longer needs the social reinforcement, I will walk into a room and there he is toddling around. Jaxon has been wearing his hearing aids like a champ. He actually will tell Shawn on me when he gets home because I took them out for nap time. Ashlin had a play date yesterday and went to the park. She picked flowers once again for me. She loves to bring them home and put them in a vase. Kids are so much fun. Although, last night they were quite grumpy and I would have given them away if someone would have wanted them. But, just when you're at that point they turn to you smile and say, "I love you, Mommy!" and then all is forgotten. Kids are so smart and they know just how far to push you and then what to do to wrap you around their little fingers again.

7 Random Things About Me!

Zee Ruuuuuulezzz
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random things about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

1. I love haircuts! It's mostly the fact that they style my hair and the majority time it looks great. Of course, the next day when I try to replicate their style I fail miserably. If I had loads of money I would definitely have a daily hair stylist.

2. I hate feet. I especially do not like them to touch me. Ashlin finds this enormously funny and will chase me all over the couch with hers.

3. I love to label and organize things. Remember Monica on friends. She is my idol in that aspect.

4. I love to snuggle the kids after they're freshly bathed. They are so soft and smell so sweet.

5. I love Utah State. It was a very special time. I really found out who I was and formed friendships that I value highly. I may not see or talk to the people often, but they will always hold a spot tin my heart.

6. I love chocolate in almost all forms. I even make chocolate gravy with biscuits for breakfast so yummy! My college roommate would make homemade oreos and they were so yummy. Thanks Brooke!

7. I think RSS feed is the best. It just lets me know when everyone's blogs are updated and then I can click on the name and see all of the fun things going on.



I tag.... Brooke, Carley, Christina, Heidi, Heather, Jenae, Linda

Happy Birthday, Tucker & Emilio!

These 2 guys were my neighbors for 3 years during my Utah State days. We shared alot of special moments together. I could always count on them to lift my spirits. They will be forever dear to my heart. Happy Birthday, Friends!


Tucker  

Me, Emilio, & Tucker

Rockin' Emilio

Sunbeams 1 Veda 0

Friday, we took Jaxon to the Children's Hospital for 2 appointments. The first one was with the audiologist. His hearing continues to measure consistently which is very good news. In addition, his hearing with his aids measured in the normal range. He was such a good boy during the test, as you can imagine two year old boys are not the most cooperative. They play a tone and then Jax drops a toy in the bucket to indicate he hears the sound. He did such a great job job staying on task....sure makes a mom proud. I mentioned to Jax that he was a child. He replied, “I not a child!” I asked him if he was my good little boy and he said, “No!” I asked him if was my little man and he said, “Yes, I’m little man.” Is this Daddy’s man movies influencing his verbal behavior? He has also started to initiate saying prayers during meal time, "Dear Heavenly Father...Thank you....The End." He is getting to be such a chatter box. He is giving Ashlin a run for her money. At times we think he will either talk her or beat her into submission. If it has to be one, we would definitely prefer the first.
I have this book titled Teach a Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Thursday night, Ashlin and I sat down and went through lesson 1 it focused on the sounds m & s. She did a great job, she was able to recall the sounds at the very end. She has spent most of this week coloring and practicing writing the letter S. She went up to work with Shawn late Friday afternoon and absolutely loved it. There was just enough people around for her to socialize but enough people gone she could roam around freely. Shawn had a hard time trying to convince her it was time to leave.
Jeron has been quite the daddy’s boy as of late. Shawn is convinced it was because he rescued him from the cold on Saturday morning. Jeron woke up around 5 crying. Shawn went and got him and they snuggled on the couch and went back to sleep (which Jeron is usually impossible to sleep with). The rest of the day, Jeron wanted to hang with his Daddy. He walks more and more each day. He would definitely be walking by now if it wasn’t for his siblings. Ashlin runs up to him and gives him a hug to tell him how proud of him she is and this tends to knock him off balance. Jax is either oblivious and runs into him or deliberately smacks into him.
Shawn and I went to dinner at Outback with Paul & Jenny (Paul is a fellow faculty member). We had a nice time visiting with them and it was a nice little break from the thundering trio.
Today, I was a substitute for Ashlin’s Sunbeam class at church. The class consists of Ashlin and her 2 closest friends. They were so wiggly. I sat down beside one of her friends and she says, ”Go Away, You’re not my teacher!” Hmm….. Am I going to be able to make it 2 hours? Is it to late to tell them that I can’t sub? I think to myself. Of course, Mom being there through Ashlin off a bit. She wanted to snuggle and not participate. She did end on a good note. During our lesson, they had goldfish for snacks. I used them to shape appropriate sitting. I had good success with 2 out of 3 of them (including Ashlin).

In case you were wondering...

Ever After is NOT a man movie! Jaxon informed me of this with a look of disgust on his face when I considered putting it in on to watch this weekend.

A Man Movie?

What's a man movie? Last night, Shawn asked Jaxon if he would like to watch a man movie with him. Jaxon never turns down a movie or time with his dad for that matter. So, we were doing the evening straightening where we could settle down for the night. Jax would ask for the man movie while we were cleaning. Unfortunately a missing thumb drive foiled the male bonding. We had to spend the evening searching for this critical piece of equipment, tool, life saving device...... Thankfully, we eventually found it! So, this morning Jax asked for a movie I am going through the list of movies, nothing seemed to satisfy the little guy. Finally, he said I Want a Man Movie! I think to myself, What's a Man Movie? Can it be a man movie if you are watching it with your mother? Can it be a man movie if a female chooses it? Well, I looked carefully through and chose one of the Star Wars movie (Phantom Menace). I asked if he would like to watch this Man Movie. He got a great big smile on his face and said yes. It captured his attention for 10-15 minutes and then he was off playing. Typical. A man movie is not a man movie without Dad.

Jeron loves my cell phone. He would be content to play with all day. Yesterday, he held it up to my ear and let out this long string of meaningful babble, pulled it away smiled, and then repeated his performance. He is going to be every bit as smart as his siblings. Jeron is really starting to cruise around. He had as many as 9 steps at one point yesterday.

Ashlin has done a great job shaping Jeron's walking. She will tell him what a great job he is doing and clap her hands. He loves the attention and she loves giving it. I borrowed 2 of her toys a couple of weeks ago to use as a prop for my psychology course. My last 2 classes she has insisted I take a a toy of hers. She says mom your students will "absolutely" love these. My students found it quite amusing for the most part they have a good sense of humor. Our Ashlin, is always quite thoughtful.

Shawn is busy preparing for his parenting workshop in LA this weekend. He is very excited about the presentation and of course to see his 2 sisters. It's a double bonus. He is leaving just in time for more stormy weather. Wish us luck!

Wouldn't You Know It!

Wouldn't you know it......our first tornado in Conway and it hits when Shawn is gone. What are the chances? I hate storms. I hate thunder. I hate lightning. Yes, they can make for beautiful pictures. If I had my way, that is where the lightning would stay. Thursday evening rolls around along with the storms. I am laying down with the kids on the couch putting them to sleep, the program was interrupted for a weather report. A tornado had been sighted not in our pathway. I think to myself I can do this. An hour later and a tornado had popped up in our neck of the woods. The tornado sirens are going off. What to do......I pace. I go and get Jeron, of course this wakes him up. We hang out on the bed with the sleeping siblings watching the news diligently. Lightning is continuously lighting the sky. No point in counting to see how close it is. I finally break down and call Shawn to see if I should move everyone to the closet. I am hesitant because once I wake up the Ashlin & Jaxon there will be no going back to sleep. Shawn talked me through it I kept the kids by my side asleep in bed and thankfully the storm passed us by. We ended up only having a funnel cloud. I love Conway, but I can do without the storms.


We are all finally beginning to feel better with whatever virus we were sharing. We missed Shawn while he was gone. We stayed busy cleaning, playing , and having fun. Shawn's mom kept me company on the phone when I was desperate for adult conversation. Shawn had a very nice time at the conference. Three other faculty members from the department went as well. So, it was a great opportunity for him to get to know them better. One of the crew was also a Battle Star Gallactica fan and they watched the season premiere together.

Ashlin is hitting the very independent stage of life. She likes to do things by herself. Friday night, we were sitting down to watch a movie together. She asked if she could start the movie because "It is very Important to her." She is so funny. She had her dance pictures on Saturday. She looked absolutely adorable. Although, she is not the biggest fan of the ballet/lamb outfit. She did perk up when everyone was telling her how cute she was.

I thought when I had a boy I would not have to worry about dress ups and a child running around in just there diaper. Boy, was I wrong. I think Jax loves dress ups even more than Ashlin. He has Buzz Light Year PJ's and he will run around saying, "I am Buzz Light Year to the Rescue!" He LOVES his character jammies. Well, that is if he has anything on. The boy just wants to run around in his diaper. So, when you look at our pictures and wonder why my kids never have clothes on. It's not my idea, I promise!

Jeron has finally decided walking might not be such a bad idea. Over the weekend, he would come stand by me or Shawn wait for us to look at him take a step back and stand on his own. He gets this huge smile from ear to ear and is just so pleased with himself. Today, he was doing this and then taking off. He gets a good 3-4 steps in before he loses balance. He would also try to stand up. It was so funny to see. He would keep his hands on the ground to keep some balance and extend his legs. So, he would be bent over like he was stretching to touch his toes with his butt way up in there.

Flashback!

The kids and I were looking at pictures this afternoon. I thought it might be fun to post a few. The video clip of the dynamic duo seems so long ago. Ashlin was just beginning to talk....now she never stops. I can't believe how fast they grow. You look forward to when there just a little bit older where they aren't quite as much work and then you look back and miss the little things. There is such a sweetness about and innocence about the early years of development. It is such a special time and if as a parent you weren't so tired you would hold onto it and never let it go. Maybe there is a reason for sleep deprivation. Before you are a parent you continually hear how much work it is to take care of kids. You jump in and say I am up for the task but until you are there you don't understand the meaning of work and puts a whole new perspective on the term. I would not trade it for anything in the world. I am so thankful for the three beautiful little spirits that have blessed our lives.
Shawn we miss you already!!!! Hope you had a nice pleasant drive to Kansas City.

Happy April Fool's Day!

On Friday, one of the young women from church was coming over to watch the kids while Shawn and I could go and do shopping. I was really looking forward to spending some time with him. I woke up not feeling well. Shawn asked if I wanted to cancel. I said no way. How could I pass up shopping and time alone with Shawn. We went out and did the shopping that we needed to do. I came home with a 103 fever, laid down and crashed for the rest of the day or should I say weekend. Shawn said you have finally done it shopped till you dropped.
It's that time of season for us, where we pass our colds on from one family member to the other (although, I did spend all day scrubbing to try and eliminate some of this). Shawn has a head cold along with the little ones. Poor Shawn, leaves tomorrow for Kansas for the South Western American Psychological Conference. I hope he won't be too miserable. He told his classes today that there was no class on Thursday because he would be out of town. They would not believe him thinking. They thought he was playing an April Fool's joke on them.
Today, Ashlin got her ballet dance costume for her recital in June. She looked absolutely adorable despite the fact she was being a moody little toddler.