Daily Reactions of a Chemist

Happy Birthday Casen!

2012-01-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

Casen turns four tomorrow! I can't believe he is already this old. I still remember carrying him in my womb when he had the hiccups and holding him right after he was born.

I love his passion and sense of humor. I'm proud to have him as my son. His prayers are special to hear. His energy is infectious. His laughter is music.

I can't believe he can ride a big boy bike now. Sigh. Time really is flying by.

Family Pics

2012-01-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

The best family pic

4 Generation Picture

Christmas Highlights Part 2

2012-01-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

After the kids went to bed on "Christmas Eve" at Mom and Dad's...

I was playing IT with Dad's new laptop...Josh was figuring out his ITUNES...and then I had to get my laptop out of course.

Playing Hand and Foot.

Josh, the nerd. I love him!

Both Mamaw and Liam (see picture two below) put their shirt gifts on over their pajamas. Navy Grandma and Elmo were big winners for Christmas this year!

The boys are trying out Mamaw's grabber.

Josh was so excited about his new coffee maker for his office he nerd-ed out.

I was really excited too.

Apparently, I was nerd-ed out the entire morning as well. This was the best picture of me with a gift.

Breakfast Out after we opened presents

Who dressed that kid?

Yep, L Child and Immie are arm wrestling.

Tagged!

2012-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Tagged: Read At Your Own Risk
I've been tagged! Alyson tagged me in a little blog game...here I go:

First Things First, The Rules:

You must post the rules.
Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
Tag eleven people and link them on your post.
Let them know you've tagged them!

Eleven FUN Facts:

1. I love a good beat'em up movie. Matrix. The Bourne movies. Inception. If it has good action, I will probably like it. Or at least can endure through bad acting to see a cool fight scene. If there's a crazy car chase scene, BONUS!

2. I cook more often in the summer. I rarely cook during the school year. Usually just on the weekends - maybe once. Maybe once during the week. I thought it was because I didn't really like to cook; I discovered I don't mind cooking if I'm not rushed and don't have little ones afoot. So you're probably wondering what we eat. Leftovers. Sandwiches/paninis. Popcorn (me anyway). Usually Mom feeds us once a week. Good thing I'm married to an easygoing guy who will eat whatever there is in the house!

3. Despite that I don't cook very often, I'm pretty good at it (if I do say so myself). I don't usually follow the recipe exactly. Though usually this is a good thing, there have been some disasters from not following the recipe. I can make yummy desserts - my current favorite is bumbleberry pie.

4. I have quite a bit of music. Probably not as much as my friend April does, but she's a music professor so she's got to have a lot. I listen to music almost constantly: while I work at school and working around the house.

5. Connected to #4, I love having new music. Discovering new artists is a joy. One of the reasons Spotify is my new favorite toy. And it's free!

6. I don't consider myself crafty. I do like doing crafts with the boys though. We never do anything real complicated, but It's fun to see them painting or drawing trains.

7. I always said I wanted mainly girls, maybe just one boy if any. Then God gave me two boys, and I know I was meant to be a mother of boys. I love wrestling around with them after work or playing cars for the millionth time. There's a few things that are trying - like I'm pretty sure my bathrooms will never be completely clean again.

8. I like math. Not enough to have majored in it, but enough that I enjoy doing it in chemistry. Love algebra. Like calculus - at least the basic part. As much as I complain about pchem, I find satisfaction when I get through the end of a derivation where I got to use calculus. I know. I'm a nerd.

9. I have a terrible sense of direction. If I can't find the sun or know where I-35 is relative to my location, I have no idea what direction I'm heading. I also tend NOT to pay attention very well when we go somewhere. As a result, It usually takes a few times going someplace before I remember how to get there.

10. I think in words a lot. I don't see pictures very often in my head. My thoughts are conversations with people (or myself) or sometimes I see the actual words written in my head. Not sure what that says about me except that's probably why I didn't major in art!

11. I've ran three 5k's in different races and a half-marathon last year. I'm training again for another half and actually liking the training this time. I think I'm going to plan to run a marathon one day. (Notice I'm still thinking about planning it.)

Now it's time for the questions that Alyson posted for me to answer.

1. Would you rather be in prison for the rest of your life, or stranded on a deserted island with your closest loved ones for the rest of your life? (Assuming this is a tropical deserted island with plenty of food and such.)

Definitely deserted island. It could be like Gilligan's Island. I could make a radio out of coconuts.

2. What was your biggest worry in high school? (Friends, grades, boys, acne, sports, something else?)

Grades probably. I was pretty uptight about them - trying to be top of the class. I learned to relax a bit in college when I realized there were A LOT of smarter people than me...then really relaxed in grad school. I was okay with a B then.

3. If you had to be a character in a movie, who would you want to be?

Jane Eyre maybe? I love that story.
Or I could be Katniss. I could learn to shoot an arrow and run around defeating my opponents in a giant arena.

4. Would you choose an all-expense paid trip around the world (as many destinations as you want, for however long you want it to be, including your spouse and family if you want), or would you rather have $1 million cash here and now?

hmmm this one is difficult to decide. at first i thought trip! But then the sensible part of me thought how far one million could go, especially if I didn't have to pay taxes on it. student loans paid off. house paid off. boys' education fund done. and then maybe we could take a little trip over to Europe. but if we didn't have enough for a huge trip to Europe, I bet we could take something else less expensive. okay, one million in cash please.

5. If you had to go a year and eat only 5 foods, what would you choose? (Let's assume your nutritional needs are taken care of by a vitamin of some sort.)

chocolate
coffee (i'm going to count that as a food) with hazelnut creamer (counting it as a combo food )
peanut butter
chicken flautas
carrots (eating something healthy at least and I munch on carrots quite a bit)

6. What is your favorite physical feature on yourself?

my blue eyes

7. What is your very first memory as a child?

when i was 4...my brother and i were sitting on the floor playing with marbles in an empty living room. My parents were packing up our house for our move to Denver.

8. If you had to move to another country, which country would you choose and why?

No idea. i've only been to Mexico outside the U.S. Probably not there. Somewhere in Europe maybe?

9. What movie can you watch over and over and over again?

While You Were Sleeping or My Big Fat Greek Wedding

10. What is one job that you'd like to do, but can't or wouldn't because of circumstances? (circumstances such as: it doesn't pay well enough, the hours are bad, you don't live in a place where there's a great need for marine biologists, you don't have the body type to be a professional figure skater...)

Probably a singer. If I had more talent and knew how to play the guitar, I would be rockin' it!
Okay, maybe not.

11. What is your secret phobia? (I'm not talking spiders or being alone or public speaking, I'm talking about the weird and totally irrational one that you don't like to admit to.)

I'm pretty sure this is rational, but funeral viewings. I don't like to see the deceased. I usually walk on the other side of Josh away from the coffin.

Last but not least, here are the questions for the folks I tag:

1. Where is your favorite spot in your house?

2. What is your current favorite song?

3. What's your favorite game (card or board) to play?

4. If you could have lived during any time period, which one would it have been and why? You can't pick anytime after the year you were born.

5. What was your favorite science class you ever took and why (think all the way back to elementary school even)?

6. If you could be an expert in any fighting technique, what would it be (kali,karate, etc)?

7. What are three things you do everyday (not things you must do like eat or go to the bathroom)?

8. If you could eradicate one animal on Earth, what would it be? (You don't have to worry about disrupting the circle of life or anything like that, pretend any purpose that animal serves would be taken care of even if they weren't there.)

9. Which way do you prefer to read: actual books, audio books, or Kindle/Nook/etc? Why?

10. What is one of the hardest things you've ever had to do, and though you're glad you did it (and got the results you wanted), you probably wouldn't want to do it again if you had the choice?

11. What are three things that stress you out? (General or specific)

This is who I'm tagging:

1.April S.

2. April E.

3. Jacqueline

4. Amber

5. Annie

6. Aunt Sissie

7. Aunt Brenda

8. Mom

9. Stacia

10. Angie

11. Charity

Back to Lab!

2012-01-17T14:45:00.001-08:00

This semester I'm the lucky professor who has three labs. One day a week, I have a morning lab and an afternoon lab with a lecture sandwiched in-between). My morning lab went smoothly, especially for the first lab of the semester for freshmen. No breakages. No weird products. They probably were the best group I've ever had for the first lab.

Then the afternoon lab began. As soon as one group picked up their evaporating dish, it was dropped and broken.

A little later I smelled something burning. I discovered a group who had melted a rubber policeman into their sample. Burnt rubber smells awful. Not to mention that their sample now had pieces of burnt rubber in it.

Later another group's watch glass exploded and broke. Nothing like having to pick up pieces of glass, weighing, and hoping to recover some of your sample.

We ended the day with a bang. The product should have been table salt. That's not what one group had. They had yellow crystals that gave off awful fumes. I sent them to the fume hood with their mystery product.

Needless to say, lab took the full time.
Maybe this group got all of the mishaps out of their system the first week of lab.
Here's to hoping!

Potty-Training 101: What's Working For Us

2012-01-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

I never blogged about our potty training experience with Case, but now that he's done and Liam has begun, I thought I might blog about what worked for our boys.
We took an easy approach, similar to the way our pediatrician recommended. It's not the traditional way I've heard and read about, but it worked. Our pediatrician believes, "Children have a daytimer or calendar...in their brain, and on this device is a date: the date they will be potty-trained. The real thing, not you being trained to watch and interpret their subtle signals and run at breakneck speed to the nearest potty yelling "HOLD IT". When this day arrives in your child's brain, if you have not made too big a deal about how much it would mean to YOU if your child becomes potty-trained, he/she will come to you and say "I don't need to wear a diaper anymore. I'm a big boy/girl". You'll say, "Are you sure?" Your child will then begin to be able to pee and poop on the potty, with no accidents to speak of, regardless of how little effort or warning has gone into it. This is where we really see the "will vs. skill" issue in real life - your child could have done it "physically" a long time ago, but today is the day he/she decided to do it. It will likely be closer to 3 than 2 years."

It didn't work quite like that but close enough that it was pretty easy. When Case turned 2 we introduced him to the potty. He wasn't interested. We didn't push it, but every so often we would ask him if he wanted to sit on the potty. Sometimes he would and sometimes he might end up going in the potty. When he was nearing 3, he seemed more interested so we had him start wearing training pants. At first, he would only wear them for short periods of time. He still wasn't ready. Case never minded having a wet/dirty diaper. From the time he was born, he would yell anytime you changed him. Reminds me of that classic line from Ricky Bobby, "I've been in my dirty pee pants all day." That was Casen if we would let him.

Then one day after Case turned 3, he just started wanting to wear underwear and not having accidents. We told him once he could wear underwear without accidents, he could have underwear that have characters on them (e.g. Cars, Diego, etc.). He quickly was able to buy fun underwear. He rarely had/has accidents. They usually occur because he underestimated how bad he had to go. He still holds it as long as he can so he can keep on playing.

We took the same approach with sleeping dry. Our doctor had told us that most kids will be 4 or 5 before they can sleep dry every night. It was clear that Case wasn't ready to sleep dry yet. We tried sometimes waking him up to go to the bathroom, and he wouldn't wake up. He's a heavy sleeper! One day though (probably this past fall) he requested to start sleeping without a diaper. He would sleep dry a couple nights, and then have a night where he might have an accident. Around December, he started being able to sleep dry all the time. It's pretty rare for him to have an accident at night now.

So we're doing something similar with Liam. The difference is that now potty-training is with a different child. Liam never liked having a wet/dirty diaper. As soon as he could communicate, he started telling us about his diaper. We introduced him to the potty earlier, and now he usually goes in the potty at least once a day. This interest might wane; our pediatrician said that a lot of kids might be interested around 2 years old, but it doesn't last. We'll see what happens. For the time being, Liam gets cheered by all of us (including Casen) when he does use the potty. Casen also has educated Liam about the art of using the potty. I'm pretty sure C could make an instructional video. He talks through the steps of using the potty to both Cason (his friend at day care) and Liam. It's pretty funny to listen.

So for all you moms out there potty-training, good luck! Find out what works for your child and hang in there.

Christmas Time Highlights Part 1

2012-01-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Josh said seeing the boys roll their cars down the hall and through Grammy's room was special. He used to do the same thing when he was a kid.

There were so many presents to pass out (in fairness, there were A LOT of people present - pun intended); the boys resorted to rolling around on the floor acting silly while we waited.

Mamaw and Poppy got all the kids a little play gun with their initials on them - cowboy style. They were a hit with the kids who played outside for a long time with them.

Dirty Santa was pretty fun this year. What's not to love? Hats, massagers, bullets. The hot items though were the Twilight presents - the SceneIt Game and the blanket. I didn't end up with either, but I got the other hot item - cash!

We also did a little craft time. Before the little ones were big enough, I usually tried to bake something with Tana and Kota. This year they helped with the little ones - great big cousins! The kids made candle cookies (got the idea from a professor's wife I know) and reindeer puppets with antlers made out of their hands (thanks to Natalie for the foresight to bring the craft items)!

Christmas morning was special, too.

Airplane/Road Trip: Time in Kentucky with April

2012-01-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, I flew out to Kentucky to see my best friend and help her drive to Oklahoma for Christmas. I always have good intentions to take lots of pictures, especially of some of us together. Of course that never happens. The pictures illustrate.

I start off the day I flew out snapping lots of pictures. Josh, the boys, and I all ate breakfast out the morning of the day I flew out. I took pictures then.

Then I got one of boys at the airport. Santa gave them candy canes. They were a little excited about more sugar.

I even got a pic of my man.

I was that silly woman on the airplane that took random pictures from the air. Where were we? Who knows? I'm not even quite sure which leg of the journey I was on here.

So I flew into Kentucky. Did I take a picture of April and me at the airport? Nope. How about the restaurant? Nope. Not to worry, I did take one of the Movie Palace. It looked like a warehouse with this neon sign above it. Not my usual stadium, reclining seating I prefer. But hey, we had to watch Breaking Dawn together.

This is the one picture I took of one of us. I had to have a snazzy picture of April's cool office.

I might not take pictures of us, but I do take pictures of the food we prepare. (No judging.)

I took lots of pictures of the landscape and our roadie back to Oklahoma. I couldn't believe how green Kentucky was in the middle of December. I would love to visit in late spring!

And that's all the pictures I took. Anytime I did think about taking a picture of us, we didn't look too hot. We had been eating chicken pot pie watching some sappy Christmas TV movie or looking a little (lots) tired on the roadtrip.

Well, I might not have the pictures, but I had a great time! It was so nice to kinda just "check out" from life with a best friend. Staying up late, sleeping in, and eating when we wanted. After a long semester for both of us, I think it's just what we needed!

Cousin Time

2012-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

New Boots

2012-01-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

Best shot of the boots I have..at least what I have found in the Christmas pictures.

The boys were as excited about their boots as their new toys. Yee-haw!

Being Santa

2012-01-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

Shortly after Christmas, Casen wanted to play Santa. Here is how you play:

1. You have to dress up as Santa. Who has a red suit handy? Not a 3-yr-old boy. So you improvise. Christmas stockings become boots and a Christmas hat will do.

2. Instruct Mama and Brother to stay in the living room while you set up the "North Pole." Santa should be seated when they arrive.

3. Most people might imagine that Santa is a jolly, joking fellow. Not so! He is a serious, thoughtful little man. After all, making and delivering toys to all the children around the world requires quite a bit of thought and work. (Santa (Casen) didn't break a smile the whole time he was in character - about an hour. Yes, the game lasted that long.)

4. After sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what you want for Christmas, you are dismissed. You can't stay in the North Pole and help Santa make toys. That's not allowed. So Mama and Brother go off to play another game while the toys are made and loaded into the sleigh.

5. Quite some time later, Santa is on his way so you must go to sleep. And sleep for a long time. Because Santa is old and slow. And has many trips to make from his sleigh.

6. After several warnings that the sun is about to rise, Santa finally resigns to the fact that you're going to open your gifts. He goes ahead and stands there and instructs you on how to properly open (pretend) gifts. (Bossy anyone? Hmm...I wonder where he gets that from...)

7. Finally, Santa flies away. Glad that serious bloke finally left. The 3-year-old was left behind smiling and laughing.

11 Years

2012-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Josh and I celebrated our eleventh anniversary this past Friday. This is the picture at the beginning of the date - we had coffee down in Bricktown planning out our evening. We ended up iceskating, tubing down the snow hill, having dinner, walking and talking a lot, and finishing our evening with a movie. We had a good time spending time together.

Josh was the only guy who carried the tube for his woman. Even after eleven years, he still kinda likes me : )

Happy 2nd Birthday Liam Benjamin!

2011-12-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

To our little boy who still says he's a baby..who's beginning to talk a lot...who likes to keep up with his big brother in races and wrestling matches...who is already eating us out of house and home...who makes us laugh with his deep voice and laugh...who brings such joy to our lives!

Brothers

2011-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

I love watching the boys become closer as each day that passes.

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

2011-12-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Decorating the Christmas tree

Posing in the Christmas hats they found. Josh and I bought those for ourselves our first Christmas.

Painting Christmas trees

This is serious business.

Finished works

C posed by his (L Child, not so much)

C found the numerous Christmas stockings we have. He thinks you should wear them. So he had me to take several pictures of him wearing the Christmas stockings. Director C then put on a Christmas hat with his stockings and put the laundry basket over himself. He instructed me to get the picture of him. Crazy kid.

L Child had to get in on the action.

L child signing a Christmas card. Yes, he knows how to pose.

Getting ready for our special Christmas movie night. Daddy set up a big pallet for all of us in the big living room.

He even went and got us Sonic drinks. What a great Daddy!

Halloween Night

2011-11-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

We took the boys trick or treating last night along with a few stops. Casen the Dinosaur and Liam the Caveman had a good time!

Movie Time

2011-10-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to see Cars 2 at the Dollar Theater. It was Casen's second movie at the theater; Liam's first. They lasted through the entire movie. Case only asked if it was over about five times.

Liam sat down for awhile with Josh. Then sat with me. Then sat by himself. Then took his shoes off. Then walked up and down our row. (I know - gross, right?) Thankfully, there were a bunch of other small kids there making more noise than L Child so we never had to get up. And thankfully the movie didn't last any longer-I would've had to step out with L Child.

Case loved the movie of course. It was full of cars. Cars that could fly around. Cars that could shoot. What's not to love?

We Clean Up Well

2011-10-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch this year. There were lots of things to do.

Fall Projects

2011-10-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the trees by the science building have changed a beautiful shade of red. I had the bright idea then for the boys and I to take a Fall Walk. We would collect pretty fall leaves. I had grand thoughts about making some pretty fall leaf cards for people.

Then we actually starting walking and looking around. None of the leaves had changed in our neighborhood. The boys just found dead brown ones. Liam kept scooping dead leaf clumps into his bucket.

It wasn't the Fall Project I had in mind.

At least we enjoyed the walk that morning.

Today, C and I worked on a new fall project: decorating ourselves in stickers. Hey, they're Halloween stickers so it counts as a Fall Project.

Then we got really crafty:
After Liam woke up, we made a giant Halloween mural with some old computer print paper I found in the chem lab.

Maybe one day we'll make pretty fall leaf cards. In the meantime, never fear. This workin' mama brings home old stuff from lab for crafts.

Highs and Lows of the Week Thus Far

2011-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

High: I was able to explain some pchem problems while writing on scratch paper...on a hood of a car...in the wind one morning. I feel like I've arrived as a pchem teacher now.

Low: Having to stay up after midnight writing a pchem exam. Felt like I was in grad school working...or last time I taught the class.

High: L Child now refers to me as "Dah Mama." I love my new title. (And nobody else has a title (yet) from L Child; he doesn't say, "Dah Daddy." Just sayin'.

Low: L Child seems to be getting into the "terrible twos." I hate using that term because I feel like it's so negative and makes it sound like a kid is terrible all the time. BUT you know what I mean. Fit throwing becomes a way to see if he can get his way. Grumpy and oversensitive. Wants what he wants NOW. Though L Child is not like this all the time (or even much of the time for that matter), it still has been shocking because he is so laid-back usually. Plus, C began this stage at about 18 months. I thought since L was past 18 months, maybe he would skip this stage. Right.

High: Reading to the boys. We do this almost every day, but this week has been memorable. I remember Case loved Dogs: A Counting Book, Go Dog, Go!, and Goodnight Moon a lot when he was younger. Liam enjoys Goodnight Moon, but LOVES Goodnight Gorilla. I wonder if he thinks a gorilla might climb into his bed one night.

Low: Getting that horrible stomach virus Sunday night. I had forgotten how truly terrible it is to vomit so much. Ugh.*

and finally, gotta end with a High: seeing the boys dressed up in their Halloween costumes. And seeing how they truly excited they are. (Pictures to come!)

*I apologize yet again for being gross on my blog.

Stillwater Visit

2011-10-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, we drove up to Stillwater to see some friends. We went to Josh's old workplace for a baby shower. Even though I forgot to take pictures while we were there, we had a good time. It was nice to visit with everybody. This was Josh's first job, and many of them came to see Case at the hospital when he was born. Reminded me of how blessed we were in Stillwater.

Then we went over to some friends' house to visit and then out to Eskimo Joe's. It was so good to spend time with Wes, Sharbee, and Caleb. I was reminded of how much I enjoy these special people!

Case found a kindred spirit in Caleb who likes to make funny faces for the camera too!

The boys were impressed with Eskimo Joe's - who wouldn't be?

Caleb was born the first year we lived in Stillwater. He is a sweetie - shared his toys with the boys, gave each boy a tattoo, and even demonstrated the fine art of pool-playing to C.

I have to admit I was sad to leave. As difficult as it was at times to be in grad school, Stillwater has a little bit of our hearts. Good friends and a special congregation blessed our time there.

Helping

2011-10-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Another Surprise Birthday Party!

2011-10-19T17:45:00.001-07:00

We went down to Chatty a couple of weekends ago. Sheri had planned a surprise birthday party for Jack. It was fun to surprise him and see a lot of the family again.

And I couldn't resist...
Like Father,

Like son.

On a positive note*

2011-10-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

For the first time, the boys got a stomach virus. I know, I know, we are sooooo blessed that they haven't gotten one ever up to this point. I've been dreading this inevitable part of parenting. I've heard horror stories from other parents about kids vomiting on them or having to go to the ER. About a month ago, Josh and I got a particularly nasty stomach virus. Thankfully, we were staggered-sick through the night for the most part so the boys were quarantined from whoever was sick. They didn't catch it.

Then they got sick yesterday.

Poor Mom and Dad were watching the boys when C first got sick.

Here are a few things I'm thankful for though:

1. I didn't throw up when I was holding C while he was throwing up.
2. I didn't throw up when C threw up on me.
3. I didn't throw up when L Child threw up on me.**
4. The bug could've been worst: lasted longer, had horrible tummy pains, etc.
5. We have another reason to replace our living room carpet thanks to red gatorade and a sick 3-yr-old.
6. The boys were troopers. They didn't complain, moan, and whine while sick. They just wanted to be held or lay on the couch.

Here's to hoping that we all get to sleep tonight and NONE of the adults get the bug!

*Weak stomach? Probably should skip this post.

**Sorry for the multiple uses of throwing up or vomiting. I might throw up now thinking about all that vomiting from last night.

Big Brothers Are Good For...

2011-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

...teaching little brothers how to ride a tricycle. L Child is still learning, but he'll be flying around the house pretty soon!

Great Grandkids!

2011-10-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, the family had a surprise birthday party for Grammy's 80th. It was much like a family reunion. Here is a picture of Grammy with all of her great grandkids (minus 2 I think).

These are the best two pictures I got of the kids.

Enough pictures!

Outside Time

2011-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

L Child is a big boy now. He can climb up the playground now by himself (most days).

L Child making his "sad face."

He was just pretending he was sad though - can't you tell?

Talking to the dogs.

C telling me his trucks are broken. He needs to fix them.

The weather has been great right now - perfect to play outside.

Lake Lessons

2011-10-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier last month, we went to the lake with the boys, some college kids, and some friends from church. Things that C and L Child learned (their friend Brody already knew these lessons):

"Tubing" is fun.

Big brothers are good for something.

This fun contraption is a must-buy.

I apologize...

2011-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

...if my kid jumps out and surprises (scares) you at the store.

The other night, my mom and I took the boys to Hobby Lobby so we could get their costume materials. They were wound to the max to say the least. There's something about going to the store at 6 PM for them.

While I was getting material cut (and Mom was tracking down some other important costume item), the boys were playing around all the colorful bolts of material. I look over, and C jumps out and yells surprise at some unsuspecting guy looking at material. Thankfully, that guy just smiled and hurried off.

Okay, the guy more like ran away.

I told C that we shouldn't scare people. It might make some people upset.

Fastforward 10 minutes: I look over and Case is directing traffic in the aisle. He made sure to stop the 3 pretty teeny bopper girls coming down the aisle.
They were amused and thought he was cute. Not sure if that will work when he is 16.

Where was L Child during all this? Taking notes from big brother.

And before you judge too quickly. I usually don't let the boys run wild in a store - it's too much freedom for them to walk in a store. They can't seem to handle it. BUT have you ever seen the baskets at Hobby Lobby? They are so little! Each boy started off in his own cart, but (1) they can only hunker down in the small space for so long or (2) I can only keep pulling them back so many times because they almost fall out standing in the cart.

So I'll blame my Hobby Lobby parenting on the store.

Dreaming

2011-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, I walked by C's room. He wasn't asleep yet even though it was about 10 PM. I went in his room and asked him he was having trouble falling asleep. He nodded.

I curled up next to him and told him that sometimes I count when I'm having trouble falling asleep.

He replies, "Nah, I'm dream'in Mama....dreaming about tractors."

Then we laughed together.

Maybe that's why he couldn't fall asleep. He was excited thinking about tractors.

That boy. Sometimes I wonder if I'll remember these funny events. That's why I blog. When I'm old and wrinkled, I can re-read my ramblings and remember my little boys when they were this age.

Trixie and Sheba

2011-10-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

The boys enjoy playing with the turtles at Immie and Bunny's.

Not sure the feeling is reciprocated.

What I've Been Up To...

2011-10-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

...which hasn't been a whole lot really.

1. Finding new ways to torture my students (aka teaching pchem).

2. Somehow my necklace got caught on the chiropractor table, and I got stuck facedown. After I couldn't untangle it, and the doctor wondering why I wouldn't get up, I finally whispered, "I think I'm stuck - my necklace." The poor doctor had to crawl under the table and untangle my necklace.

3. Got to go to Grammy's surprise birthday party with the boys which was a lot like a fun family reunion where I got some great pictures (maybe I'll post them soon).

4. Had a Twilight marathon with my sis-in-law (she recently read the books for the first time), but our grand plans for a marathon turned into one movie + 15 mins of the next one. We aren't as young as we used to be!

5. Fall Premiere - watching a bunch of shows thanks to good ol' DVR.

6. Teaching the 4-yr-olds on Wednesday nights about creation. Last week we talked about rocks and volcanoes (as I did in Earth Science). I was told the boys (I only have boys) like my class a lot. Probably because I let them play Mario Cart (acting it out that is) and "Wildcrats" (you might think it should read "Wildcats", but I was informed, "No, it is Wiiilllldddcrrrats") at the end of class. Liam didn't have a class to go to this past Wednesday so he joined us. He was in hog heaven with all the big boys. Due to his hysterical laughing at anything the big boys did, he also managed to rile up the other boys further. Last night was a little wild to say the least.

7. Having dance parties with the boys. You can call it music education. I was in hysterics when I saw L Child bust out his moves. Let's just say Riverdance and J-Lo would be jealous.

I'm usually better about blogging once school begins. This semester though, I haven't blogged much. I think I know why. Blogging is usually my de-stressing hobby. I like to blog to take a break from work. BUT this is my first semester of teaching that I haven't had to work every night after the boys go to bed. I guess after six semesters of teaching, I have some good notes, and I'm a better time manager. I'm so busy with my other hobbies (TV, Josh, and cleaning - in no particular order - and my house is cleaner this semester than it ever has been before during a school year which means my house was disaster in years past), I haven't been keeping up in the blogger world.

Maybe this weekend I'll upload some pictures. I know you're dying to see some.

Best Part of Coming Home

2011-09-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ball Game!

2011-09-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to a baseball game for our last hoo-rah before school began.

Buy a coke? check

Cotton candy? check

Watch some game? check

Get to yell, "Swing batter batter batter!" check

Get to yell, "You're outta here!" check

Get to ride Daddy's shoulders? check

Funtimes!

Birthdays

2011-09-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mom and Dad's birthdays last month. Love the Corona signs? I promise we didn't take the kids to a bar.

I think the kids are as excited about someone else's birthday as if it was their own. Love it.

Brother Time

2011-09-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from when Jordan got to visit before going to Japan. Miss you!

My Little Scientist

2011-09-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm warning you right now. I wrote this earlier tonight, but I felt like it didn't read right. So I saved it and showered and came back to it. Then I realized what the problem is: it's a bit snotty, braggy parent-ish. But I didn't change it. So you've been warned...I got a bit braggy in this post.

I've been teased about being a scientist-parent. I might tell Case something like, "Oh, that toy won't fit inside that truck." Case rarely will take me (or somebody else) at their word - probably because most times when he voices disbelief I tell him, "Try it. See if it works." He will usually figure it out on his own. I suspect that a lot of parents do this so I didn't think much about these exchanges even after being called a scientist-parent.

Maybe those encouragements to figure things out though led to an event tonight.

While in the bath, Case was submerging his big, plastic, red cup into the water. You know where you put the cup upside-down into the water? He would force air into the cup and then cause bubbles to shoot up out of the bathwater. Much to his delight, some of these bubbles were huge. He was getting really good at it. I asked Case if the purple cup (identical except in color) would do the same thing. He tried it, and was excited when it worked at making bubbles, too. Then I asked him if the little cup (I pointed to the cup that has little holes in it) would make bubbles too. He tried it, but of course, it wouldn't since the air doesn't get trapped inside the cup. I asked him why he thought it didn't work.

He replied, "Because it's smaller."

I said, "Well, it has little holes in it. The air doesn't get trapped so you can't make bubbles." I knew that was probably too technical for him, but all was not lost.

Case says, "Let me try my little cup that doesn't have any holes."

I stopped in my tracks. He was testing a hypothesis! Was it the cup size or the presence of holes that determines if bubbles can form? Not to fear - Case was going to figure it out!

He found his little cup without holes and submerged it upside-down. He made bubbles! He was surprised and excited to discover something new.

I was surprised and excited that my little 3-year-old can figure out a way to test something. It warmed my heart.

I also made a mental note to reply next time I hear a college student complain that they can't figure out how to test a hypothesis with: "My 3-yr-old can test a hypothesis. I hope you can."

First (Real) Haircut

2011-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

Poor second child. I'm finally posting pictures of L Child's first (real)* haircut. I'm just a month late. He did awesome. No screaming or crying. And he sure looked cute. A month later, his hair is already grown out, but it looks better than it did before the haircut**. It's growing out nicely and evenly.

*I say real because my parents and I trimmed the back twice, but we weren't talented enough to do trim it all over. So we just prevented the mullet. Which is pretty good in my book.

**I called Liam's old hair the "Old Man Hair" - uneven-and-comb-over-do-but-the-old-man-doesn't-want-to-cut-it-because-he's-balding-in-spots-hair. That's why we gave in and cut it.

Things I've Heard...

2011-09-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

...now that school is back in session. I miss statements like these during the summer:

1. "I love doing calculus! That calculus problem made my day."

2. "You have some weird people in your department."

I responded, "I know. I went to grad school in chemistry." I'm used to it.

3. "The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation...probably my favorite equation of all time."

At which I thought, Do I need a favorite equation? Maybe I'm not a real scientist without one.

Memorable Moments from My First Week Back

2011-09-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

School started back this week. If you saw some of my Facebook statuses this week, you probably know some of what's on my list.

1. With Mom and Dad, I took the boys to an Acappella concert Monday night. My favorite parts were when (1) Case looked up from my lap and exclaims, "They're singing about Jesus!" and (2) Liam was feeling the beat with a fast-paced song...well, that's probably putting it lightly.

2. Having to teach Tuesday to a new class of students with a giant cut-bump on my forehead that resembled a HUGE zit. It was still slightly open so I couldn't cover it with make-up (sorry for the gross image). It looked worse with a bandaid. I took a poll in the office and decided not to tell my students. I just ignored it and pretended it wasn't there while I taught about Earth Science.

It was hard to ignore when people would talk to me while looking at my forehead.

3. Casen's been singing this song by Tim McGraw, "1, 2, 3 like a bird I sing 'cause you've given me the most beautiful set of wings." He likes to change the words to songs. I've heard these two lyrics as well: "1, 2, 3 like a bird I sing, thank you God for Liam" and "1, 2, 3 like a bird I sing, Casen's got to pee."

4. L Child started saying Mama regularly. That kid has called me Dada forever, but would laugh when I would ask him to say Mama. I knew he could say Mama. At times, he would say it when I wasn't around (someone would tell me) or if he was looking for me (even then it was rare and he acted like it was an accident he even said it). It's been a back-to-school present I guess 'cause he calls me by my name now. It's nice to hear "Mama!" several times a day now.

5. After a few more tries, both boys actually fell asleep together in Casen's bed on Wednesday night. So cute.

6. I have a really great schedule. I have only one class a day (three days a week) and two classes a day twice a week. Fridays are very nice - I can leave for the afternoon or stay and get caught up with work. Very nice.

7. It's a pchem year again, but this time I've taught it once before. The prep shouldn't about kill me this time.

8. I'm pretty sure I turn into a 3 Stooges character whenever I have to unlock the office door with my hands full. While juggling books, notes, and a laptop, I tried to unlock and open the office door. I dropped my pen while swinging open the door. Of course, the pen got wedged underneath the door and then got stuck. So while I yanked on the door, a poor student tried to get the pen un-stuck. Oh, and I'm wearing 3-inch-heels so I'm trying not to fall over. All the while, we have an audience trying to get into the office.

9. My office is already a mess. I cleaned it the Sunday night before school started. My colleagues are not surprised I'm sure.

10. I got to go see some fam this weekend before things get too crazy with work. Great time with some of the kiddos!

Bedtime Sprint

2011-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Now that Liam is getting older, both boys are playing more together. They talk to each other (though I have no idea what they are actually saying usually). They laugh together. And yes, they fight, but for the time being, not a whole lot. They are brothers that love each other.

Sigh. (Wiping tears from my eyes)

So now you know why I was crazy enough to let them "try" to sleep in the same bed. I had been thinking about how it might be difficult to transition L Child from his crib to a toddler bed. Maybe it would be easier if sometimes he slept with C. I mentioned it to Josh that maybe we should try it some Friday night. He suggested it might be a good idea to try it now. The boys LOVED the idea. So why not? Right?

After several minutes of maniacal laughing coming from Casen's room where two little boys were tucked in together it got a little calm. Josh and I started to watch something on TV relaxing and enjoying the moment.

All of a sudden, Wild Man Liam sprints into the living room laughing hysterically and bounds into the boys' Lightning McQueen tent which is next to the couch.

After I stopped laughing and could control myself (Josh was still laughing), I got Liam and rocked him and put him in his crib.

Casen needed some comfort. He was upset. Not because Liam was in his own bed. Nope, my little rule-follower was upset that Liam had gotten out of bed when it was time to go to sleep.

Maybe C will be the voice of reason when he and L child are 18 and 16.

Cruise 101

2011-08-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

Josh and I got to take our tenth anniversary trip this past week. We had a blast!

I never had a desire to go on a cruise, but when Josh and I started checking prices for a trip away together, the cruise made sense. We couldn't beat the price so we decided to go for it. I had second thoughts when we first boarded the ship. The first day was a bit boring. Once we got going though, there was plenty of things for us to do on the ship, and we had fun in Mexico.

Some things I learned on our first cruise...

1. As much as I needed (and enjoyed) a break from the kids, I'm glad we spent some special time together before departing on our separate vacations. By the third night away, I was ready for some Skype time with the kids.

2. Traveling to the port was half the fun (at least on the way there). We took the scenic route stopping to take pictures. We started a great book. We even went to a late movie once we got to the hotel like the old days of dating.

3. Take lots of pictures. I think this trip produced the most pictures we have of ourselves in a long time.

4. The relaxed boat schedule was just what we needed. Our lives are so busy, especially during the school year - it was good for us to just relax and not really have anywhere we needed to be most of the time. Not to mention the fact that we were pretty much "unplugged" the entire trip. I didn't use my cell phone and laptop for 5 days. And lived.

5. Don't bring so much. I've always been an awful packer. I bring everything I *might* need which translates into waaaay too many clothes. I should've brought less everyday clothes and more swimsuits. Thanks to my cousin Becky, I had plenty of dresses on the cruise to dress up in at night (and some for just the day - just because!).

6. I probably wouldn't bring kids on a cruise. Well, let me clarify. I definitely wouldn't bring little ones on a cruise. I think it would be difficult to keep them away from the edge of the boat. Most of the parents of small kids that I saw didn't look like they were on vacation. Once the kids were older and wouldn't jump off the ship, I still think a cruise like this wouldn't be for them. A disney cruise probably would be more appropriate; pretty sure kids were bored on our ship.

7. We ported in two spots - Progresso and Cozumel. Progresso was pretty undeveloped with a beach that had cold water. I'm glad we had opted to take a Mayan Ruins tour there. A bonus was that some of our friends from dinner ended up being on our tour bus so we got to hang together at the Ruins and meet up with some other friends once we got to the beach.

8. I loved Cozumel. I probably would do another cruise, but I would prefer to just go back to Cozumel and stay in a resort there. We only had about 8 hours in Cozumel so I would love to go back and experience more. Josh and I haven't done a lot of traveling so Cozumel was a good spot for us to have our own adventure instead of signing up for a scheduled excursion. Renting a scooter was a blast...even though it was a bit scary driving on the highway there on it and when we got a flat on the edge of town...the beach was the best I've been to ever (I've been to a couple in California, one in Florida, and several off the coast of Texas in the Gulf)....and exploring the shops around town was fun despite the heat.

9. Meeting people was fun...even for an introvert like myself. We had assigned seating every night for dinner. I'm glad we had such a great group of people we ate with every night. Good conversation and new friends - wasn't counting on that on this trip.*

10. Coming home to the kids was awesome. There was much celebrating.

*I should clarify: I didn't think I'd have good conversation with anyone else besides my husband.

Good For the Soul

2011-08-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Spending time with friends is such a blessing....especially when cheesecake is involved.

Liam's Heavens

2011-08-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Liam discovered one of his Heavens in Branson (Casen enjoyed it as well): the Ball Factory. A 3-story huge building where you can throw balls, launch them from giant shooting machines, or even suck them up with a ginormous vacuum. He didn't want to ever leave.

This past Sunday, I think Liam was in heaven in the nursery. We were visiting another church where Josh was doing a parenting seminar. I went to check on Liam during our afternoon break. I walk into the room to see Liam standing surrounded by three teenage girls. They would give him a toy. He would look at it, play with it for a minute, throw it down, and automatically get handed another toy...or a cheerio. Whatever he preferred. When he wasn't getting waited on, he got held and carried around by some little 50-lb girl. Needless to say, he loved his three-to-one attention.

One of the Best Things To Do in Branson

2011-08-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

We got to Ride the Ducks while we were in Branson. Josh recently blogged about how having kids changes vacation, but we can still have fun by seeing it through their eyes. Ride the Ducks was one of those things that I probably would've rated just "OK", but through the eyes of a child - it was great!

First, who wouldn't want to ride in a car that turns into a boat?!?

And you get to blow duck calls! Really loud!

Finally, YOU GET TO DRIVE THE BOAT IF YOU'RE A KID!!!

Branson Lessons #2 & 3

2011-08-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

It is not possible to go somewhere without having to go to Wal-Mart at least once.

Who gets to push Liam the King around in his stroller is definitely worth fighting over.

Casen's Idea of Vacation

2011-07-29T20:00:00.001-07:00

Branson Lesson #1

2011-07-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Cousins make everything more fun!

Painted Rooms

2011-07-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

We got our big summer project done for summer: painting the boys' rooms. With Mom watching the boys and Dad helping Josh or me (whoever was not working), it only took us 3 days.

Liam's room is a cucumber green in two shades. We painted one wall the darker shade and the other three walls were the lighter shade. We couldn't tell a difference between the colors until we added the stripe across the lighter walls. I really ended up liking it.

Casen's room is the bright one with all the colors. We probably will ultimately move the boys in together in this room. Casen loved the colors!

Chemists and Chemicals

2011-07-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had a lunch meeting today with a group of chemists. I knew I would have a story to blog before I got to the restaurant.

Chemist 1: I got some menus for us....Whew, they smell strong!

Me: Yes, I could smell it as soon as I opened the menu.

Chemist 1: I wonder if that's the ink smell.

Chemist 2: I don't know..maybe a solvent?

Chemist 3: What? A smell?

Chemist 4: It's probably the solvent.

Chemist 2: We need to run a GC on it...anybody?

Thankfully, nobody proceeded to tear a piece of the menu off to sample later using the GC.

At least to my knowledge.

Catching Up

2011-07-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

I get asked by other professors how I have time to blog during the school year. I always reply that blogging is something I do to de-compress. Thanks to regular naps and downtime in the summer, I don't have to de-compress very much during the summer. Therefore, I don't blog as often in the summer.

Here are some of the pictures from earlier this month. Baby Lilly got to visit (along with her sweet parents Annie and Jared). I took the boys down to Josh's fam's for a few days, too. Funtimes!

Bumbleberry Pie

2011-07-11T13:03:00.001-07:00

Anybody who knows me well knows that I don't really care to cook. I don't mind baking, but it's not high on my priority list so I rarely do it. But lately, I've been a Bumbleberry Pie Makin' Queen (3 in the last few weeks which is sure to be a record).

My aunt makes it so after she bought the stuff while I was in Kansas, I made one up there. My first pie crust from scratch! My other aunt sent me home with the recipe and now I've made 2 pies. Here is the complete recipe, but I add more filling ingredients including rhubarb when I can find it.

Having a helper is always nice.

Here's a bowl of all the yummy berries and apples mixed up:

I was proud of these little homemade blobs.

Spreading the crust into the dish. I didn't use a dish this deep the first time I made the pie. I baked the extra filling in a separate dish and then people can just eat that (for those who don't care for pie crust) or pile some more filling on top of their pie slice.

Before I baked it:

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product (and again when I made another one 3 days later!). So here's what it should look like once the pie is baked. Of course, mine wasn't as pretty, but it sure was yummy! Serve with icecream.

Cool Trick

2011-07-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Up to this point, Casen, like most little kids his age, hadn't realized that Dad only has 4 fingers on one of his hands. Last weekend, Dad asked Casen if he noticed anything different about his hand and his own hand. After counting fingers on both hands, Casen realized that Dad was missing his ring finger. Casen exclaimed, "I want to do that!"

He thought it was another cool trick that his Bunny was showing him. Not quite.

Casen Going to Work

2011-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Casen told me he was going to work. As he drove away on his tricycle, I asked him what he does at work.

"I have to check my email...watch a Dora on the computer...and do a lot of races."

Oh, I wonder if this is what he thinks I do at work or what he really really hopes he gets to do at work one day.

Liam's 1.5 Birthday Party!

2011-07-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Since Liam was born right after Christmas, we decided we would celebrate his birthday at the halfway marks instead - at least for a few years until he can decide what he wants to do.

The theme was "Whale of a party", hence, the whale cake. Came out cute didn't it? My mom made the whale cupcakes and the captain boat.

It turned out well. Since he was older, he actually had an idea what was going on at his own party. The kids had a blast (and so did the adults!).

Cousin Photo Op

2011-07-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

At Liam's birthday party, we bribed the kids with cake to ensure some cousin group shots. Then we created little monsters - they posed for us all over place. Even Big Josh's bright idea of "Say no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil."

What's One More?

2011-07-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I was going to watch my friend Pam's girls while she tried to get some work done. I texted April to bring her Heidi over, too. Really, after four, what's one more? Plus I had help - April was here most of the time.

So it really wasn't too bad.

Of course, L Child took a 2.5 hour nap.

The big kids watched a movie.

And I got to send them all home after about 5 hours.

Okay, so I did have it pretty easy.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Love you Dad!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Like Going Home

2011-06-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

There's a few places that feel like home to me - besides my own of course. One of those places is Pburg, Kansas - a little town near Nebraska. I never lived there, but I have a lot of good memories of visiting that place. A lot of those memories involve playing with my cousins out on a farm or upstairs in the old hotel. I was surrounded by so many adults that I knew loved me.

Some of my Pburg memories are sad though. Like when my mom took my brother and me up there a couple of weeks one summer to tell my Papaw good-bye. Those two weeks were such a gift to me. Not only did I get to spend some extra time with Papaw before he went Home, but I also had a cousin who I could talk things over and sort through all the emotions that come along with cancer. Despite the preparation, I was shocked a month later when my whole family returned for Papaw's funeral. Through all that though, Pburg still feels like a good, safe place. Maybe it's because I learned a few things about life and God and family when I lost someone close to me for the first time.

I usually hear old family stories when I visit Pburg. Like when my mom's cousin came to visit this time. Or I learn some new trivia- like where the house is located that my dad rented a room when he was engaged to my mom.

I feel blessed that I get to visit and bring my boys up there. I am happy that they are getting to know my grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins (and cousins' kids, etc.).

Here's a few pictures of our time a couple of weeks ago. I say "a few" because these are just a small sampling of all the pictures I took.

Bunny and Liam

2011-06-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

With entertainment like this, who wouldn't want to sit in the back of the van on a road trip with Bunny?

My Kind of Boy

2011-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

These pictures reminded me of our trip to Kansas last summer.

I love music. I have it on almost all the time around the house. Probably as a result, the boys seem to like music a lot too. They sing and dance around. On the trip, Case and I listened to some Cold Play together. Glad the boy has some good taste.

Aw, good times.

Kansas City Highlights

2011-06-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Josh and Case discovered the joys of garage sale-ing...especially Case.

And Mama makes Spider Man "disappear" from time to time. You can only just take "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Spider Man, Spider Man" so many times in an hour.

Cousin Times are one of the best blessings.

After meeting Baby Lilly and Baby Kaleah in the same weekend, we really wouldn't mind having a baby girl.

We girls know how to dine in style. And almost in peace. Until Case broke the glass lawn ornament outside shattering it into smithereens. At least no kid stepped on the glass.

I sure did love meeting this little boy! I lost count how many times Josh has told me since we've been home, "I could've taken that Jeremiah home."

Forcing the kids to take a picture together wasn't the brightest idea we've ever had. Oh well, lesson learned.

Pretty sure I had the best icecream ever. And we didn't share. The kids played in the basement oblivious to the fact that the mamas and grandmas were upstairs eating the best icecream ever. When Liam came upstairs, I bribed him with a bite to be quiet and was thankful that he can't talk yet. Or at least well enough to let Case and Chloe know we had the best icecream ever.

The best was just being together. We got a lot of pics of the kids (of course), but we didn't take any group shots of all of us. I was thinking as I was going through my pictures, Why didn't we take any pictures of us on Saturday? Or all dressed up Sunday morning?

Oh right - we were good keeping an eye on five kids under the age of 4 and getting all twelve of us ready for church on time.

Case and Me Time

2011-06-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

It seems in the last couple of weeks Case and I have gotten to spend time just the two of us. It's been a special treat (can't you tell from our picture together?).

On our trip to Kansas City, C needed a break from the car and my cousin's house so we took a walk while his brother went with some others to go get dinner. We walked to a pond. We watched the geese with their babies. We talked about the ducks we saw. We threw rocks. We felt the cotton that was blowing from the trees. We raced and then took a break sitting on a picnic table watching the water. Casen is growing up so fast it seems sometimes. But I'm loving this age right now. I love our conversations. I love his stories and his explanations to his observations about the world around him.

Meeting Baby Lilly

2011-06-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to meet and hold little Lilly. Isn't she a doll? Everyone thought so - can you tell?

Liam kept trying to give her a high five.

Casen would ask, "Can I pet the baby?"

Baby Elephant!

2011-06-17T13:55:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo with our friends Brian and Tara on Memorial weekend. We had a good time. The highlight was seeing the baby elephant. The new elephant habitat is jaw-dropping. It's huge. There's plans to add other animals in the new area, but the room they have for the elephants is quite impressive. We got to see the baby nurse, and then the mama kick her away when she had had enough. Every time the mama got too far away from the baby, the baby would go running after her. The boys loved climbing on the animal statues - Liam climbed up the elephant statue by himself! After that, C figured he could, too.

Summer is here!*

2011-06-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

* some of the pictures were taken by Casen.

Meet Trixie the Turtle

2011-06-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

My dad caught the boys a turtle last month. She lives in my parents' backyard under the wood pile. And while the boys are around, she stays in her shell. Don't worry - their little fingers can still poke at her inside the shell. Hopefully soon, she'll be brave enough to walk around when the boys visit her.

What I Learned at Chuck E. Cheese's

2011-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I already knew it was a crazy overwhelming place. Here are some other nuggets of wisdom I learned while I was there...

1. I fear the day L Child starts driving...

(I promise that kid was telling me all kinds of stuff while he was "driving" that day. I don't think it was all very nice either.)

2. ...because he has no fear.

3. Whatever Liam can do, C can do, too.

4. It's no fun to share.

And if you're little and cute, you don't have to wait your turn.

5. Twins would be crazy. These two cousins are just a few months apart - and wore you out when they were together.

6. I look 12 when I go into Kid's Places apparently. And Liam is mesmerized, yet terrified, of Chuck E. Cheese.

And I'm a little terrified of Chuck E. Cheese myself. Freaky giant mouse.

7. Finally, I fear the day that both boys can go out driving on their own (notice Casen's racecar face?).

Cousins Weekend

2011-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

All the cousins got together this past weekend for Jaritt's 4th Birthday party. Great reason to see everybody!

Brave Mama

2011-06-01T04:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I ended up taking the boys by myself to the zoo. I figured it would be good to see if I could do it. I take them most places by myself, but a zoo without a double stroller? Seemed impossible a year ago. I figured it might be fun though just the three of us. And it was. Liam rode in the stroller most of the time, and Case was big enough to walk most of the way. We didn't get to see the baby elephant (we got to do that over Memorial Weekend - pictures coming!), but we did play quite a bit.

Case took the picture of Liam and me. Good, huh? That kid can also use a mouse now. Oh, and the picture of him and Liam on the bench where it looks like he's about to throw something. He was defending his brother and himself from some big kid twin boys who smarted off at him as they walked by. Don't worry - he didn't throw anything. He just intimidating. Or thinks he is. He's got skillz.

Shameful

2011-05-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

I found these beauties a couple of weeks ago when I was going through old boxes from my childhood. I was searching for things to put in our upcoming garage sale.

Jealous, aren't you? Don't you wish you HAD the Sad/Happy mask earrings? Or at least one pair of fish earrings?

Like the JEM earrings? They are even plastic.

Well don't worry. You can have these! Apparently, these earrings aren't in demand anymore. They didn't sell at the garage sale. My nieces didn't even want free jewelry. They did take some of the funny flair I had. I'm sure you can guess which buttons and keychains they picked out (they are 10 and 12).

So let me know if you would like the cool lizard earrings or a President's Fitness Award pin. They're all yours.

Liam's Friend

2011-05-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last Friday at our playgroup, Liam got adopted by a cute little girl. She mothered him and held his hand. Rode the slide down with him and swung with him. What a pair of cuties!

The Big Run

2011-05-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about the half-marathon that Josh and I ran earlier this month. Mainly because we didn't get any pictures. It was pouring rain almost the entire time (we didn't get hailed on, but people after us did). And when we were done, I was so cold. So cold that I didn't warm up until a few hours after the race when I soaked in a hot bath. I snapped a picture of our medals and decided to blog that way.

I never considered myself a runner. I didn't even really like running. I've ran three 5K's in the past two years, but I didn't really train and just "winged" it. Getting ready for this run though made me stay disciplined and actually get to the gym (or outside) at least a few times a week. The couple weeks that I didn't train, I paid for it by getting sick and not finishing at the lake on our "long run" that weekend. I probably needed that experience to prove to myself I had to train.

Somewhere along the way, I feel like I turned into a runner. I actually enjoy running now. A couple of miles doesn't kill me anymore; it feels like a good warm-up. If I go a few days without running now, I'm itching to go.

I learned a few things about myself, too. Sounds clique, but: I learned that I can push myself to go farther. That it won't kill me. A little pain isn't really too bad. I also was reminded what God has done when He made our bodies. I have a new respect for the blessing I have to be able to run and breathe. It's amazing that He made our bodies to be able to adapt and become "running-material" with a little training. Even for a 30-yr-old who never ran longer than 3 miles before.

I'm so glad I got to train with Josh on our long runs every couple of weeks. I was blessed with good friends and family who encouraged me during the training and indulgently read my running brag texts. And the friends and fam who watched my kids so Josh and I could even go on a long run. It was super that Josh stayed with me during the race. Even though I got real slow at the end due to the incredible cold and tired muscles. I was also amazed at the people who stood in the rain along the route and cheered us on. We knew some (thanks Mom and Dad for bringing the boys!), but most we didn't. It's amazing to see how those smiling faces and hear the encouraging words to finish the race.

I'm looking forward to training for our next big race. Not sure if I'll ever do a full marathon, but I definitely want to do a half-marathon again! Especially if there's no rain!

Just Say No

2011-05-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

They look cool. Actually look awesome.

But they aren't so much.

They got confiscated after they didn't really work too well and the sidewalk and kids were covered with a paint-oil-like substance.

**Lucky for Crayola, it washed out.

More Mother's Day

2011-05-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

When we got home Sunday night, I had a surprise from my brother on the table. He had flowers sent to me for Mother's Day! What a great brother!

The next day, Mom and I went for tea. We had a good time as always. (Ignore the hanging clothes in the background of the picture - I cropped out the sonic cup and toys on the side.)

I feel so blessed that I get to live near my parents. After being away from my mom for so many Mother's Days, it's nice to be close by to celebrate together.

Celebrations in Chatty

2011-05-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day weekend, we got to go down to Chatty to see Josh's mom. It was also his sister's graduation with her elementary ed degree. We also had three kids sick that weekend. My boys and I stayed at Sheri's during graduation, and we were all asleep by 8:30 that night. It must have paid off because the boys were back strong on Saturday. Jacilayne got sick with something different on Friday night so she was in and out for the rest of the weekend. It wasn't fun having sick kids, but we still had a good time. We got to go out to see PawPaw and Memaw and then saw them again Saturday night at Jessi's graduation party. I think I ate my weight in chocolate-covered strawberries (thanks to Sheri and Jessi) and Bubba's yummy cook-out-food. Josh and Sheri went out (just the two) of them to dinner and a movie. They had a good time sounded like. Poppy took Jaci and Case out on the firetruck which made Case's day (next to the train set he put up in the garage for them and Liam). Because it's summer, I didn't have to rush back to teach Monday morning, we hung out until Sunday evening which was relaxing (and easier since the boys can sleep and stay asleep on the trip and when we get home).

Morning Blessings

2011-05-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to attend our Ladies' Banquet at church last night. The theme was "I Got the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night" - a song from Annie Get Your Gun. Our speaker talked about how a good attitude helps us see all the blessings that God has given us. Our discussion questions focused on us recognizing the blessings - even ones that seem to be daily annoyances or chores. The scriptures read and the stories shared were uplifting and exactly what I needed to hear.

I thought about my mornings. I like to sleep. Really like to sleep. Now that summer is here and both my boys usually sleep through the night, I get to sleep quite a bit. I even get to take naps sometimes. Big blessing.

Some mornings though are rough. I just want to sleep a little longer - why does L Child have to wake up at 6 AM? Why can't the boys both take a nap so I can sleep myself?

But every morning I'm blessed. Sometimes, Josh gets up with Liam so I can sleep a little longer. One morning I woke up and wandered into the living room to see this. My heart felt full.

Some mornings I get up with our early bird. The best thing about getting up at 6 AM with L Child is that he likes to cuddle for about half an hour. He just lays with you on the couch and snuggles. Missing a little sleep for that boy's snuggles is worth it.

Yesterday, I got to sleep a little extra in the morning thanks to Josh (okay, okay, I'm realizing how blessed I am that Josh lets me sleep in so much). I woke up with Casen laying next to me smiling at me. He came in to snuggle and wake me up. One of the best ways to start the day.

Can't trade unlimited sleep for these boys.

Time With Immie and Bunny

2011-05-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Immie and Bunny got the boys swings for their playground (there was old broken baby swing and room for another swing). C is learning how to ride on the little seat. Both C and L Child like the baby swing. Later that evening, Bunny taught them how to shoot rubberbands. C really liked doing it!

Easter with Gram, Immie, and Bunny

2011-04-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Gram visited us and got to stay for about two weeks. This was her first time to meet Liam, and the second time to see Case. We had a good time with her - she even got to be here for Easter!

Easter Morning

2011-04-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

We got pictures of what the Easter Bunny brought.

We got pictures of us all dressed up before church. (Case took the picture of Josh and me.)

We even got to church early.

It was an Easter miracle.

Coloring Easter Eggs

2011-04-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

The boys had fun decorating Easter eggs this year.

Easter Egg Hunt Day

2011-04-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, some friends from church organized a huge Easter Egg Hunt Day for all the families. It was great!

Gram was (and is still) in town so she got to come too!

The Easter Bunny was there. Can you tell Liam was super excited?

Case got to decorate cookies and draw.

Then they had three separate areas for different ages for the Egg Hunt. So smart. I went with L Child while Mom took C. As you can see from the his hunt, C made out like a bandit.

L Child took up with a new friend named Eloise. She's from France - isn't she a cutie?!? He also got to hunt for eggs with some other friends from Bible Class: Ben, Paige, and Livi. Bunch of cuties.

When we weren't busy with all that, we all were taking turns holding Talla. Another cutie.

For His Mud Pies

2011-04-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

During the Easter Egg hunt at church last weekend, C picked up some goodies for his mud pies.

Gavin's 1st Bday Party

2011-04-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Gavin's 1st Bday party last month too. Funtimes!

Too Cold For Soccer

2011-04-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

We were glad that the other team didn't show - it was too cold that day in March!

Play Time

2011-04-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

What Casen Sees...

2011-04-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

....or at the least what he loves. C likes to take pictures now - here's some of the best ones.

Josh's Birthday Non-Surprise

2011-04-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last month (I know, I've been MIA in the blogging world - blame it on the end of the semester!), the day before Josh's birthday, I went and bought him his birthday gifts. He really wanted a fishing pole so that was his main gift. I picked the boys up from Mimi's, and they saw the fishing pole. When we got home, they helped me wrap his gifts. Casen and I talked about surprises and how he couldn't tell Daddy about his gift. Many times that evening. We even hid the gifts in a place Daddy would never look - the top of Casen's closet.

Apparently, this is the gist of what occurred while I was putting Liam down for bed that evening:

[Josh walks in from work. Case is on the couch watching TV.]

Casen: Hi Daddy. Do you want to know where your gifts are?

Josh: Hi Casen. How was your day? (ignores question)

Casen: Do you want to know where your gifts are? In my closet!

Josh: Hahaha Okay. I think that's supposed to be a secret.

Casen: Do you want to know what they are? A fishing pole! A shirt!

[Josh proceeds to call his mom in the garage to tell her the story before I come out and find out that the surprise was not a surprise anymore.]

[I come out of Liam's room. Casen starts crying because he really wants Daddy to open his gifts.]

[Daddy opens his gifts. Early. And not a surprise.]

Since then, it's become apparent that Case can't keep things quiet. When we play hide-and-go-seek, he yells from his hiding spot, "I'm in the closet!"

Liam on the other hand might be able to keep a secret one day. He goes and hides now and won't come out when you call him. He waits until you find him - near a heart attack that you've lost him.

The boys keep us on our toes!

Why I'm So Blessed

2011-03-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

I never knew I could love this much. My heart is full when I look around the house and see these guys.

Chatty Fun

2011-03-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the night with Bubba, JJ, and Jaci. It was a nice visit...even watching some noodling show with Bubba.

Visiting the Farm: Lots of pics!

2011-03-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

The boys and I met JJ and Jaci over at PawPaw and Memaw's. Memaw's daughter and her family were there. The kids enjoyed playing with Paul - he's a year older than Jaci and Case.

Sorry for all the pics, but with so many cute kids, how could I resist?

Elgin Fun Observations

2011-03-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

5 kids - three of which are 3 and under.

Riding bikes.

Playing Wii. Dancing. Watching Everyone else dance.

Beautiful weather outside.

Pizza for lunch.

Playing basketball. (Including running Case over and giving him a huge bump on his head.)

Top Reasons to Travel With Pam

2011-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

I got to play Nanny for about 36 hours over Spring Break. My friend Pam needed to go to a conference, but she's still on maternity leave....so her company flew her and Baby Talla and a "nanny" to Phoenix.

1. Sweet little Talla had just begun laughing so it was fun to try to get her to laugh.

Of course, I'm pretty sure she just thought most of the time, Who is this crazy lady traveling with Mom and me?

2. Our rental car was a Michael Weston Dodge Charger. Red.

3. Talla was the best traveling baby I've been around. She usually was happy (see picture) or sleeping (see picture) the whole time. Most of the time that Talla was stuck with April and me, Talla was sleeping. Easy job.

4. Yummy authentic Mexican food. Mmmm Albierto's!

5. Nice digs. Nice view.

6. I got to see my best friend April. Talk. Book browsing at the library. Starbucks. And our funny antics in the hotel. We kept telling Talla that we were hilarious. Not sure she agreed.

7. Did I mention the great Mexican food?

8. Good times with Pam. Good talks. Good laughs. Oh, and there's nothing that bonds you closer than almost missing your flight...riding the shuttle a few times back and forth between the rental car place and the airport...and running through the airport praying that the airplane waits for you. As Pam texted me the day after we returned, "I think God stopped time for us."

Here's to friendship!

Beware: I'm a Soccer Mom Now....

2011-03-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

...and there's a lot of pictures here. Believe it or not, I didn't post all the pictures I have.

I never really liked sports much growing up. I played half a season of basketball in 4th grade, and that was it. My poor dad - he got his sports fix by going to watch my brother and I play in the band at the football games.

I've grown to like sports more - watching and playing though I'm not much at playing. Sometime I'll have to share the story about when Josh and I decided to play catch. (And we never played catch again.)

Anyway, I digress. I've been excited about my kids playing sports after hearing all the fun Josh had playing sports his whole life. Case was old enough to start soccer this year so we enrolled him. I wasn't sure how it would go: we had a slow start. Casen wasn't a fan of interacting with his team at the first practice. He ended up playing by himself the whole time. Then the next game and practice got cancelled due to bad weather. Today, was his first game then. And he did awesome! And to put "awesome" into context:

As his coach told me earlier in the year, "Soccer with 3-yr-olds is like herding cats. We just try to get them to kick the ball in the right direction."

So true.

Case stayed out on the field. With constant reminders. After every play, he would run towards us and ask, "Can I have a snack now?" He had seen the snacks for the end of the game. He acts like he never gets a capri sun and goldfish. We would tell him, "After the game -go find your coach!" Then he would run off smiling.

He ran after the ball. With a smile on his face. And by himself. Big deal for a 3-yr-old.

He got a few kicks in - even with the ringer girl that the other team had. I'm pretty sure that girl was nine and twice the size of Casen. And she knew how to run and kick the ball into the goal.

While all of this was going on, Liam was trying to get on the field to play himself or steal some other person's drink/snack/ball. He had a blast!

Both boys had lots of fun and were worn out. Early bedtime tonight!

Pretty sure my favorite moment from today was watching C run with the kids with a huge smile on his face.

Dancing...singing...lights!

2011-03-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

I decided to try Spring Sing again - Casen's 3rd time and Liam's 2nd time. Case has always loved it and just sits there mezmerized. This would be the first year that Liam would know what's going on - and whether or not Spring Sing was worth sitting through.

I had 3 other adults to help me wrangle the kids. Both boys sat for about 45 minutes in awe of the dancing and singing. By intermission, they were exhausted, and Immie took them home. I'm glad I got to go again this year...and glad Spring Sing is over. Maybe my class attendance will be better now and less students will be sleeping in class.

Wait, probably not.

Teaching Casen Chemistry...

2011-03-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

...well maybe geometry.

Tonight, I was working on some chemistry problems. Case walked by me, and one of the molecular structures must have caught his eye: aspirin. He pointed to the ring structure and asked, "Is that an octagon?"

It made me smile.

I told him it was a hexagon because it had six corners.

He ran off before I could start explaining the benzene structure and point to the carboxylic acid group.

Watch out...

2011-02-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

I got a Nascar fan on my hands.

And not just Nascar - any circuit is fine with him.

A couple of weeks ago, he convinced me to find some car races on my computer for him to watch. He didn't just want some musical montage. He wanted some "talking" and "races" and "crashes."

Then last Sunday, he went to watch the end of the race. And then watched it again on DVR.

He's only 3. Soon he will be having us DVR entire races for him probably.

On a related sports note, he starts soccer Tuesday. I don't know who is more excited: me or Case!

Annie's Baby Bath Shower

2011-02-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

Mom and I got to take the boys up to Wichita last weekend. It was so good to see family and celebrate Baby's Approaching Arrival. Meg "Little Mama" played with the boys a lot and took care of Liam. It was cute to watch them.

Mom made rubber duck cupcakes - only two came out okay - but aren't they cute?!?

The shower was a surprise, but as soon as we got there, Casen asked in front of Annie, "Where's the baby shower?"

We forgot to explain to him what a surprise was.

We told him the baby was in Annie's tummy. When it was time to leave, Case asked, "The baby isn't here yet."

I'm pretty sure that he thought that the baby shower consisted of the baby actually making her arrival...at the shower.

Later that night, at home during bathtime, Case wrapped a rubber duck up in a washcloth and put the combo on his stomach. Then he patted the cloth-duck and said, "My baby is in my tummy."

I have a feeling that he will have more fun things to say, ask, and do next time he's waiting for a little brother or sister - especially compared to when we were waiting for Liam's arrival.

And don't start thinking this is an announcement. No plans for another Nichols yet!