Stoddard Stuff

Day ???

2011-11-09T23:38:00.005-07:00

So as not to appear ungrateful, I forge ahead with my "daily" gratitude list. I dont know why I thought I would actually update this blog everyday this month... but it's good to have a goal. :)

I'm so grateful to feel at home here in this rental house. I haven't felt at home since we moved from our sweet house with the beautiful tree in north Mesa. It's been 2 years of drifting. We've been in this house 6 months and it feels like home. We love the neighborhood and the ward. I feel very connected here and I love it! I'm so grateful for the friends I've made here and that the boys have friends here too. I hope we'll be here a while.

Day 5. My lovely lady lumps.

2011-11-04T10:03:00.004-07:00

Today I'm grateful for my healthy body. I had a good, hard run yesterday for the first time in a long time. It was difficult but I felt AMAZING when I was done... and for 12 hours afterward. I had forgotten how good it feels to have sore lungs and tired muscles! My body may not yet be back to the size I want it to be, but I'm grateful that my lady lumps are my only concern with my physical body. After losing my cousin this week to cancer, I am acutely aware that this life is short and precious. Tragedy can strike any of us at any time. My body is perfect in all of the important ways and I'm so grateful for that.

Because he's 8 months old today

2011-11-03T10:23:00.002-07:00

Gavin is today's blessing. We waited a little longer between baby 2 and 3 so by the time Gavin came, I think we had forgotten so much of the joy of a new baby. We love every little thing he does! Jace still yells to me excitedly every time Gavin rolls over (and it's been happening for 2-3 months!) He is unbelievably happy and so full of smiles. We are all so grateful for the sunshine that he has added to our little family.

Day 2. Grampy and Grandma Udall

2011-11-01T13:04:00.006-07:00

Now that they've been gone a few years, I can think of them without crying every time. Not only did they make everyone feel welcome and important but they also radiated their beliefs. It was so nice to hear them bear testimony so often in word and action. I remember when I was a kid and I'd spend the night at their house, one of my favorite things was to get up really early and sit at the kitchen table with them while they read scriptures, did crossword puzzles and discussed world and local events. Anything good I am, I owe to them. They taught me so much about kindness and generosity. They radiated unconditional love. Most importantly, they offered countless opportunities for me to feel the Spirit and to solidify my own testimony of Jesus Christ. For that, I am eternally grateful to them.

A month of gratitude

2011-11-01T10:21:00.008-07:00

I have so many amazing blessings that the least I can do is document one every day during this month of Thanksgiving. You cant help being humbled and overflowing with gratitude when you count your blessings one by one.

At the top of my list is my PERFECT husband, without whom I would be completely lost. Brad is easily the most patient, selfless, thoughtful man I have ever known. He works two jobs and is finishing his MBA. He comes home from one job and takes over with the kids while I go to work. 3-4 nights a week he feeds them and puts them to bed before I get home. Often, he has homework to do or is gone to his other job after the kids go to sleep. He is up with the kids as much, or more, than I am at night. He does the dishes before he goes to bed. He often invites other people's kids to the park, giving several of us moms a break at one time! He never tells me no. "Can I go out with my friends this weekend? Can I buy this shirt? Will you take the kids somewhere so I can be alone? Will you get the boys dressed for church while I finish my hair?" Etc, etc. He is always willing to help and serve no matter how tired he is. He is slow to anger and so forgiving. I never cease to be amazed by his tolerance and patience. It's like a breath of fresh air to me!

I am thankful beyond words for Brad for surpassing everything I ever dreamed of in a husband. I'm a very lucky girl.

DONT EAT THE BABY!

2011-10-29T07:15:00.002-07:00

I have to remind myself all the time, "DONT EAT THE BABY!" cuz I just get so busy snuzzlin' and lovin' on his soft little face! He's a terrible sleeper but he is ALWAYS smiling, even the 4th time he wakes us up at night. Grrr. He's cutting his first tooth this week, just in time to turn 8 months old. As soon as that tooth is through, this baby is learning to sleep through the night. It's time. We're tired. BUT LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!!!!

Now Hear This!

2011-10-10T12:49:00.006-07:00

Pretty clever title for a post about Jace getting his hearing aids, right?!

Cutest hearing aids ever.

Worn by the cutest kid ever! I hoped his volume would decrease with the hearing aids. On the contrary, it's like talking into a microphone and so he actually makes MORE noise now.

The boys of summer love the wet trampoline.

We just got back from our 2nd Annual Wolfington Reunion in Albuquerque, NM for the hot air balloon festival. It was COLD, complete with snow on the mountain!, but such a great time. We slept at Keith and Codie Hardy's house cuz it was so crowded at my dad's. We will definately repeat next year. I'll post more pictures and details later. This was our attempt at a group shot! I love it!

While in NM, I noticed that cousin Juniper is eating solids. Gavin is 6 weeks her senior so I decided to get serious about introducing solids today. I forget how MESSY it is to introduce solids but honest to goodness, could that face be any cuter?!

Today is Gavin's 1/2 birthday!

2011-09-03T20:51:00.004-07:00

Gavin is 6 months old today. He is seriously the best baby in the history of mankind. He wakes up happy, he smiles all day, and he happily goes to sleep on his own. It's ridiculous how easy he is. I dont care one bit that he still wakes up to eat in the night cuz he immediately goes back to sleep. He's a dream boat. WE LOVE HIM.

Our trip to ASU's speech and hearing clinic on Friday was a total. waste. of. time. After 40 minutes in the waiting room, they called us back to tell us that they dont take our insurance. REALLY?! Cuz I told you what insurance I have when I made the appointment 2 weeks ago! Lame-os. I just sat there getting more and more frustrated because the woman just wanted to keep talking about what they do there and how much experience they have with kids, etc, etc but that no longer matters to me if you dont take my insurance! Grrr. So over an hour later, we headed home a wee bit discouraged. I finally got a hold of our insurance provider and she gave me the contact info for the TWO places in the valley that they contract with for hearing aides. So I only have these two options, both of which were closed Friday afternoon, and no idea if they even have pediatric experience or if they can get us in relatively soon.

Grrrrr. (Did I already say that?)

In other news, Cohen has been on antibiotics since Tuesday for a crackle in his lung that is making him cough like crazy. He missed 5 days in a row of school. Friday, Jace and Gavin both woke up with fevers. Gavin has been ok all weekend but every few hours, Jace's fever soars through the roof. Nobody gets fevers like Jace does. His chest and back get so hot that I cant touch him. So he spent the middle of last night sitting in a cool bath, screaming. Not awesome. Meanwhile, Cohen's hacking cough was so bad that we had to move him onto the floor in the family room so he didn't keep waking everyone else up. I feel so bad for him. There's nothing worse than chronic coughing. It gets so old!

I'm ready for us to be healthy around here.

2011-08-26T13:36:00.002-07:00

One week from today, Jace will be getting fitted for hearing aides. My heart broke a little as I sat in the Mesa Public Schools audiology sound booth and watched him fail the hearing test last week. I could hear the sounds he was unable to hear. He wanted so badly to do well. He sat as still as a statue and listened so intently. At one point, he looked at me out of the corner of his eye and whispered, "Mom, help me." It was pretty awful to not be able to help him.

I'm a swirl of emotions. One person said, "it's just like your child needing glasses" and I agree with that to an extent. I'm grateful that we are catching it now and he'll potentially learn to speak really well before kindergarten starts. I know his hearing loss is relatively mild and I'm grateful that it's not worse. BUT I still worry. We've been to a second audiologist since then and the results were the same: mild hearing loss bilaterally, hearing aides recommended.

Here's what I know: If an adult had a similar hearing loss, they wouldn't get hearing aides because the impairment is that minimal. But because Jace needs to hear the high frequencies of the consonant sounds so the he can learn to talk correctly, he needs the hearing aides. No telling if his hearing will progressively get worse or stay this way his whole life. He is not going to grow out of it though. It's not going to get better. He was born with this hearing loss. Once he learns to talk, he may be able to manage it just by sitting in the front of the class and looking at people when they talk. Or maybe he'll always wear hearing aides.

Here's what I worry: He's 3 and I dont fully believe he'll wear the hearing aides as often as he needs to. I worry that he'll flush them down the toilet because he hates wearing them. I worry that he'll lose them or brake them accidentally. I worry that he'll get teased by other kids. I worry that our insurance is only going to cover a fraction of the cost of the initial hearing aides and that any replacements or repairs are going to be outrageously expensive. I worry that his hearing loss will get worse with time. I worry that he'll feel different.

I cant help looking back at all the failed hearing tests and wondering if we could have caught it even sooner. The only time he ever passed a hearing test was at 8 months old with an audiologist that I was skeptical of during the whole process. I should have questioned her passing him that day. It didn't make any sense when he had failed so many tests before then. I guess that doesn't matter now. We are here and we'll move forward with the information we have. And I will only cry every once in a while. :)

Survey says:

2011-08-14T20:46:00.003-07:00

I'm excited about my new calling as chairman of the RS activities. I guess that's the new name for enrichment committee. I dont know if this is church-wide or just my ward but when I got called, the Bishop said my job is to 1) make sure every woman has a friend 2) give every woman a chance to serve 3) teach the gospel. That's so right up my alley; especially right now. Being a home renter has meant that we move every year. I think it takes a good 2 years to really get roots in a ward so that has been missing for us. We've been in this ward since May and if I didn't have a built-in friend in my step-sister, I wouldn't have a friend in this ward. Sad, right? My kids dont have friends in this ward/neighborhood either and that was so HUGE for us in choosing where to live. So I think it's only appropriate that the thing that I have been complaining about to the Lord, has now become my responsibility not only for myself but for all the women in this ward. The RS Pres said, "I feel like we're disconnected and I'd just love to see us more.... connected." :) I can do that! I'm a social worker, for crying out loud! Social workers broker, teach, enable, advocate, mediate and connect people to resources. I basically have a masters degree in connecting people!

So my question to you women, whether you are LDS or not, is what is it that you NEED and WANT from other women? Do you want a lunch group that meets once a month to try various restaurants? Do you want a play group for non-school age kids? Do you want various classes taught by someone with a little expertise in (for example) gardening, cooking, FHE preparation, organization, yoga, etc? Do you want a walking partner?

What is working in your RS and what isn't? Do tell.

Oh Jace...

2011-08-11T14:36:00.003-07:00

I'm in the middle of filling out paperwork to get Jace screened and hopefully evaluated for speech therapy through the Mesa school district. I'm increasingly worried about his ability to communicate with people outside his immediate family. His swim instructors had a hard time even understanding his name. I feel bad that he gets frustrated when he's not understood. I often have to translate for Brad. Cohen occasionally has to translate for me. Sometimes none of us understand and it's so sad for Jace.

In filling out this paperwork, I had to remember his developmental story... his milestones so far. It was obnoxious that I didn't have these things written down in one place so I'm doing that here. (I think most moms just remember this kind of stuff but not me. I have no long term memory to speak of.)

I was almost 31 when Jace was born. His delivery was fairly short and uncomplicated. He weighed 8lbs 9 oz, the biggest of our three babies. He failed the newborn hearing test twice in the hospital. He was retested at 2 weeks old and his right ear passed but left ear failed again. At 3 months, he was tested again but still failed. This time we were told that he could hear at 40 decibels but normal is 20 decibels. At 8 months, he was tested again and this time passed in both ears. He had his first of many ear infections at 9 months. He got tubes in his ears in June 2009 at 14 months old.

Besides speech, he has hit the rest of his developmental milestones appropriately. He rolled over before 4 months, sat alone by 7 months, crawled at 9 months, walked alone at 12 months, and was saying words at 14 months.

In my heart, I think he still cant hear. He has always been a loud talker. We call him Megaphone Mouth. He is incapable of a whisper. Because he's stubborn, I'm not sure sometimes if he's ignoring me or if he isn't hearing me. I think its very possible that he hasn't been hearing well all along and that's what has stunted his language development. He knows the words to say; he just doesn't say them right. He leaves off the beginning and ending of words. He doesn't make an 's' sound. He replaces most consonants with a 'd' or a 'w'. He says his name is "Day". If you ask him again, he says, "Day-der" instead of Jacer. Water is "wawer". He still calls me "Ma" instead of mom. He always says he doesn't want to get in hot lava except that he pronounces it "ha wawa".

Anyway, I'm anxious to get the screening done on the 17th. It's just a stepping stone to determine if he needs a full evaluation. Then we have to wait for the evaluation to see if he qualifies for speech therapy through the school district. I REALLY hope he qualifies. I think the longer he goes pronouncing everything wrong, the harder it's going to be to correct it. Maybe he'd be less of a stinker if he could communicate well? Here's hoping!

Kindergarten!

2011-08-10T19:03:00.002-07:00

He picked out all of his school clothes! He's really into shirts with guitars cuz he "wants to look cool."

He's "a large 5". He's been saying that for months but apparently it's true! He's almost a head taller than most of the other kindergarteners!

He had fun today. Of course recess was his favorite part! We're really not that jazzed about half day kindergarten but I guess it's all we've got unless we make it up the waiting list to the full day class at the school nearby. We're keeping our fingers crossed. He's SO ready for full day and so am I! As it is, he's home by 11 and we still have LOTS of day to fill.

Time keeps on ticking, into the future.

2011-08-03T20:48:00.010-07:00

Sorry blog. You've been neglected. Blame pinterest. I'm an addict.

Today there is news big enough to bring me out of blogernation: Gavin is 5 months old!

(Jace with his "soff dranket", Co with his "brown baby" and Gav with his toes)

I asked Brad, "hasn't it gone by fast?" and he just laughed. I guess sometimes my forgetfulness serves me well! Newborns are a lot of work, no matter how you dice it. But Gavin has been our easiest baby, hands down. He is so happy to just go with the flow. He literally only stops smiling when he's overtired. Even then, he's not crying or even very fussy. He just stops smiling. That's really saying a lot considering he has two older brothers in his face CONSTANTLY.

They LOVE him. They want to hold him, kiss him, feed him, give him toys, sing to him, lay by him, tell me every time he rolls over or spits up... He's pretty tolerant but definitely enjoys them more from a distance. He loves watching them. The other day Jace was throwing little dinosaurs and making a weird noise and Gavin let out giggle after giggle. It was so cute!

His hair started out dark but he's lightened up like the others. He's definitely his own little person but we sure see lots of familiar things in him. He looks a lot like Cohen did; just a different face shape. Co was super round head and Gav is more oval. He spits up like Jace did and drools like Cohen did. He also somehow looks a lot like my Grandpa Wolfington. EVERYONE tells me "he has a little old man face!" I dont see it but literally EVERYONE else thinks that.

We're sure in love with our Gavity, Gaverton, Gavvy Gav, Baby Gavers or as Jace calls him "Daddin". (Jace has a speech therapy evaluation in his near future. August 17th to be exact.)

2011-06-26T07:46:00.007-07:00

Brad and I had a day date this week that was SO fun! For Christmas, his parents gave us a Groupon to go jet skiing. We met his siblings and spouses at 6:15am and drove about an hour to Lake Pleasant. And it was.... so very pleasant! We had 4 jet skis for 6 people so we all got turns to ride solo and also to ride with our spouses. I seriously laughed out loud the whole time! It was so fun to follow the boats and jump their wake. Brad and I only fell off once and I'm not sure how it even happened. We weren't going very fast but we were turning and just totally lost balance.

Lunch at Red Robin was the perfect end to our adventure. We got home about 2pm to our marshmallow baby and bored big boys. (I got one sitter for Co and Jace and had another sitter take Gavin to her house so her mom could help her watch him. Worked out great.)

It was fun to hang out with my in laws sans kids. Often when we're together, it's just a whole lot of kid chasing and referring.

My sister in law Lisa is a dare devil! She got up to almost 70 mph, while I was content to keep my slow key in and cruise at a measly 35 mph!

I just love day dates with Brad. It's so great to get away for several hours and really have fun and enjoy each other. I'm going to try to do an adventurous day date every 3 months for us. Any suggestions for what's next?

Little baby, BIG blessing

2011-06-19T22:44:00.004-07:00

We finally blessed Gavin today. With my dad living out of state, we have been waiting for a weekend that he could be here. My oldest nephew leaves on his mission in 2 weeks so today was his mission farewell. Since everyone was in town, we jumped at the chance to do the blessing. We couldn't button the back of the blessing outfit because Gavin is 3 1/2 months old, instead of newborn. But it worked out. He actually sat up during the blessing! He's THAT old! And he didn't cry. He's an angel baby. I LOVE him. He is so easy compared to what I remember of the other boys. I'm so grateful for his calm little presence. He's easy going and predictable. He eats, plays and smiles, and then sleeps. Jace never slept. Ever. So he was tired and fussy all day everyday. That was hard.

After the blessing, we had soups and then desserts to celebrate our dads. Strawberry rhubarb pie for my step-dad, German chocolate cake for my dad, chocolate pudding cake for Brad and his dad, brownie/strawberry trifle for my brother Jeff, and coconut Popsicles for my brother Steven. My "hard core" diet was out the window for the afternoon. I absolutely could not resist the splendors. So back in the saddle tomorrow!

I'm so grateful for all the wonderful fathers in my life. I was blessed with AMAZING grandfathers that I adored and miss terribly. My dad, step-dad and father-in-law are all loving and invested in our lives. Honestly, in my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined a better father for my children than Brad. I'm not just blowing smoke here because it's Father's Day. He seriously is the most involved, kind, selfless father and truly meets me halfway on our parenting roles. I joke that he's a better Mom than me and a guy at work corrected me, telling me that I can say he's a better parent but it's offensive to say he's a better Mom. Well, whatever.... he's a better parent then! I'm grateful beyond words for what he is to our family.

"Dont be a stranger, huh?"

2011-05-01T07:22:00.004-07:00

He had a way of saying "hello",
So genuine, kind and sincere.
A handshake, a hug, an authentic smile
Made his honesty easy to hear.

A teacher, coach and friend to all;
No one was a stranger for long.
A lover of people, animals, outdoors;
His sense of community strong.

When he applied his magical touch
Metal, wood and stone became works of art.
Each grandchild the favorite, each child his best friend.
His laugh was as full as his heart.

He saw good in people; his judgements were slow.
We're grateful for all that he taught.
In a world full of someones, we're glad he was ours.
His impact more profound than he thought.

This is the poem that I wrote for Grandpa's funeral program. It was a lovely little service that I think he would have really enjoyed. My dad read a little scripture, my siblings and I sang a song, my cousin read his life story and then they just opened it up to anyone that wanted to share a memory. There was a lot of laughter and only a few tears. That was Grandpa: always focusing on the good within the difficult. I think a really great funeral teaches you something about the departed and then allows you to leave feeling better than when you arrived. And we did that yesterday.

William Boyd Wolfington

2011-04-26T22:35:00.002-07:00

William Boyd Wolfington, of Holbrook, Arizona died in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 at the Flagstaff Regional Medical Center in Flagstaff, Coconino County, Arizona. He had just celebrated his 88th birthday.

Boyd, as he was known, was born on April 16, 1923 in Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona to the late Wilber and Grace Ann (West) Wolfington. Just after his graduation from Flagstaff High School, Boyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served as an Aviation Machinist Mate, 1st Class in the Pacific Theater. Following his honorable discharge from the navy, Boyd enrolled himself at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff where he received his Bachelor's Degree.

Boyd's education served him well throughout his long life and he quickly became a familiar and friendly face at Holbrook High School where he was a favorite teacher to many of his students. Boyd taught at Holbrook High School for 30 years. When he retired, he was Head of the Industrial Arts Department which included the woodshop and metals classes. During his time at the high school, Boyd also coached its cross country track team for many years; even winning the State Championship one year. He was so proud of his athletes as well as ALL of his students.

Boyd had an incredible sense of community and felt a special stewardship to his friends and neighbors as he served in various capacities for the city of Holbrook. He served as a Councilman for the city of Holbrook for many years and was elected as its Mayor for a term. He and Dr. DeMarse built Holbrook's first public swimming pool and he ran it for several years, which kept him very busy during the summer months. Boyd also took an active role in the Hashknife Pony Express for many years. He was honored one year when he was voted as Holbrook's Man of The Year.

Boyd was a 49 year member of the Benevolent & Protected Order of Elk (B.P.O.E.), Holbrook Lodge #2450 and was one of its Past Exalted Rulers. He thoroughly enjoyed the comradery and friendship of his Elk brothers. He was also a member of the American Legion Holbrook Post #0037. Boyd was an avid outdoorsman and appreciated the experiences and joy that can only be found there. He loved hunting, camping and traveling. But even more than these things, he had a greater love for his family.

Boyd was married 33 years to Hazel Wolfington, and they were blessed with 2 beautiful children, Greg and Gwen. When his sister Clarabell died, he took on the role of "father" more so than that of "uncle" to her children: Jerry, EddiLou, Tom, Dan and Bev. Later, Boyd married Toots Defenback, who already had 3 children of her own: Kathy, Bill and Kim. He proved to be a loving step-father to them. Boyd's joy continued to grow with the birth of each grandchild. He lived a full life and will be greatly missed by all in so many ways. None, however, will miss him more than his own family.

Boyd Wolfington is survived by his 2 children: Greg (Cathy) Wolfington of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gwen (Dave) Tilson of Mesa, Arizona; 5 grandchildren: Jeff (Karolyn) Wolfington, Jill (Brad) Stoddard, Steven (Liz) Wolfington, Jason (Heidi) Tilson, Allison (Ed) Beaver and 15 great-grandchildren. Along with his parents and sister, Boyd was preceded in death by his grandson, Trevor Boyd Wolfington.

A memorial service is pending at this time for Saturday, April 30, 2011 in Holbrook. Memorial contributions to "The Mission" in Holbrook have been suggested by his family.

We've had an eventful few days.

2011-04-25T14:33:00.005-07:00

Jace FINALLY turned 3 on Saturday and we celebrated at the Scottsdale train park. I say "finally" because since Cohen's birthday in February, Jace has been ACHING for his own birthday. He had to wait through 5-6 other cousin parties between then and now. Each time we were at someone else's party, he painfully asked, "When nie dirtday, Ma?" Brad took the boys golfing at Golfland on Friday, cuz we had free passes. We filled the living room with green balloons and green streamers to greet Jace Saturday morning. He LOVES all things green right now. Then we loaded up and headed to the train park. It was a perfectly beautiful spring day full of grandparents, cousins, kites, cupcakes, and train rides. It was Gavin's first big outing and he did great! He didn't sleep much but we knew he wouldn't. Our kids dont sleep in car seats or strollers or being held. It's painful! But he was happy and all that awake time set up for a long afternoon nap when we got home. In fact, ALL of us came home and slept for 2 hours! It was heavenly!

Easter morning was really fun too. The boys hunted for the eggs we had colored. Brad says that I went totally overboard on Easter but I think it was perfect. Just enough eggs, not too much candy.

Gavin and I went to church for the first time on Easter Sunday. We had been there all of ten minutes when my brother sent Brad a text that my Grandpa Wolfington was unresponsive in a hospital in Flagstaff. We came immediately home and got the call that he had actually past away. So my brother picked me up and we headed to Flagstaff. Brad stayed home with all 3 boys, including our 7 week old because, like I mentioned above, he just doesn't sleep in the car seat or being held. Plus, we thought it would be just a short trip to Flagstaff and back. WRONG. The mortuary had already picked up the body when we go to the hospital. We had to drive another 2 hours to Holbrook where we met my dad. We weren't able to view Grandpa's body until this morning. Even though Jeff needed to get home to work and I needed to get back to my family, we (with our spouses) decided not to leave my dad to view his father's body alone. I'm glad we made that decision. For me, seeing the body of people who die in old age brings a sense of relief. By that I mean that I absolutely believe that they are more comfortable as spirits free of an old, broken body. My grandpa lost a leg almost 10 years ago to a blood clot and has had such a diminished quality of life since then. He has spent most of his time sitting in his recliner, watching TV. He has maintained his happy, positive personality but I know he has been BORED to tears. I also like to think he was welcomed Home by my brother who has been gone for more almost 20 years now.

Having said all of that, it was really sad to watch my dad view his father's body. It's not easy to say goodbye, even if you believe you'll be reunited in the next life. There is still a period of separation ahead that is not easy to bear. I'm so grateful that Brad encouraged me to stay and be with my dad for that moment. Brad is amazing. A true super-dad.

I came home to a clean house and a smiling baby. Brad is taking a well-deserved nap now. We'll head back to Holbrook for the funeral this weekend.

my boys last visit with their Great Grandpa Wolfington

I have nothing to wear.

2011-04-06T22:22:00.006-07:00

Brad hates hearing me say this. And I say it all the time. I hate my clothes. I always hate my clothes. I think its been 5 years since I didn't hate my clothes. I buy things because they are on sale, not because I love them. It's silly, I realize. I'm not pregnant anymore, thanks for noticing, and yet today I wore maternity jeans and a maternity shirt. I know we all do that for a little while but how long is it ok, really? So I have a new goal. An objective really. I'm going to seriously purge my closet, organize it and make it pretty. I cant even imagine having a closet full of clothes that I actually wear. I intend to conduct a brutal edit, asking myself: Do I love it? and Do I wear it? If I don't answer "yes" to both questions then it's gone. This might be terrible timing because I'm not sure there are many things that fit, that I love and actually wear. I may end up with an empty closet and no budget to refill it. I just have to start somewhere. In other news, Gavin started Zantac today. The poor dear just never seems comfortable. He's always rigid, grunty, and fitful. We have our fingers crossed... *** Update*** Brad's buddy Andrew is married to the ever stylish fashionista over at Cardigan Empire. She just posted the 411 on when stores do typically do their markdowns. Let's be honest, I'm never going to pay full price so the compromise is that I need to buy higher quality items that I love, once they've been marked down a bit. (Can I bring myself to spend $40 on a shirt?! I have to bite the bullet and do it.) Great info, Reachel!

2011-04-03T13:31:00.008-07:00

Elder Scott was so tender as he spoke about his late wife and the death of his young son Richard. My sweet friend Holly passed through the veil on Saturday, finally free of the broken body that has troubled her since the day she was born. I've spent all night and morning thinking about her family, especially her dear husband. I wonder if he sobbed all through Elder Scott's talk. He can certainly relate to the closing line, "We will appreciate each other even more having spent this time separated by the veil."

Anyone who has lost someone close to them knows that the saying "time heals all wounds" is a big fat lie. I have found that the only thing that makes death bearable is an understanding and testimony of the plan of salvation. Picturing Holly running and laughing on the other side of the veil, welcomed Home by people who love her, and knowing that he is sealed to her eternally, are what will sustain Quintin.

I believe, with all my heart, that families are forever. I believe there is Life after this earthly life. I know the pain of death/ separation is powerful and sometimes almost overwhelming... were it not for the eternal perspective the plan of salvation affords.

What a blessing to have lived with Holly. What a joy to have known her and witnessed her positive attitude in the face of so many disheartening trials. Holly was radiant with happiness. She had a positive attitude, always looking for the best in others, never judgmental, or self-pitying. She brought sunshine to everyone she met. I think even Heaven is a little brighter now that she's Home.

1 month old Gavin

2011-04-03T13:23:00.004-07:00

Brad almost never gets his name right. He calls him Jace about 87% of the time.

He usually eats every three hours at night which gives us lovely chunks of sleep.

We are still feeding him every 2-2.5 hours during the day with mama's milk mixed with rice cereal to aid his digestion/reflux.

He started smiling at us this week!

I've never seen a baby with more gas than this kid. He literally toots constantly around the clock. My Favreau cousins would be so proud! :) (Sorry Aunt Alayne)

He hates the car seat and the stroller so we may be spending all our time at home.

His brothers adore him and talk in the highest pitch possible whenever they talk to him. It's darling, usually.

His hair is already so much lighter than when he was born. Today someone called him a red head. Grandma Stoddard will be thrilled to hear that!

We are so blessed

2011-03-25T06:44:00.003-07:00

I have amazingly thoughtful and generous people in my life.

I wished for this for our anniversary and my talented friend Jourdan made it for us and mailed it from Utah.

Pretty incredible.

Friends have brought lunch and oogled at my baby.

My visiting teacher brought dinner one night and took my boys all day another day.

My sister in law kept Cohen over night and all the next day.

My aunt kept my kids while I took Gav to the doctor.

My neighbor keeps offering to have my boys play there while I nap.

My mom has come several times and taken the boys home with her several times.

Another sister in law picked Cohen up from school and kept him all day.

My in-laws have taken the boys several times for several hours.

etc, etc, etc...

We are so blessed.

Gavin is three weeks old today.

2011-03-24T19:51:00.002-07:00

To celebrate, he got a glycerin suppository. Poor thing has been pretty plugged up this last week. I cant help wondering if that's why he weighed 8 lbs 14 oz today when he only weighed 8 lbs 2 oz last week. Anyway, everything came out fine. And I do mean everything. I dont know where all that stuff has been hiding in his tiny little body. He sure is more comfortable now though. He's been a sleepy head all afternoon.

I'm already starting to forget what life was like without him.

Sabbath thoughts

2011-03-20T12:42:00.002-07:00

The word of God admonishes the followers of Christ to be “pure, … peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” For those who make peace, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace” (James 3:17, 18).

We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Looking for the Good", Ensign, March 2011

Because I have no memory:

2011-03-19T12:46:00.005-07:00

We are having feeding and sleeping issues with Gavin that are eerily similar to what we went through with Jace.

After consulting everyone, this is what we are currently trying:

Feed him less than 2 oz every 1 to 2 hours.

Thicken it with rice cereal.

Use a slow flow nipple.

Burp during and after each feeding.

After each feeding, hold him upright for 15-30 minutes.

Keep his diaper lose around his waist.

Try a warm something on his tummy.

Very bland diet for me. No citrus, dairy, strawberries, tomatoes, or other spicy things.

It's been less than 24 hours but he is already doing SO MUCH BETTER! He has been asleep in his bed for over 2 hours which has never happened in his lifetime! Thank you, Dr. DKB.

Flying Solo

2011-03-14T08:06:00.002-07:00

Brad is back to work today for the first time since Gavin was born. That means I'm on my own... with THREE kids! Not a good day to have a lost phone...

10 day old Gavin

Today is the first time Jace has wanted to hold Gavin.
He said, "Ma, I hold it?"

Name game

2011-03-09T14:22:00.003-07:00

Gavin has always been on, and then off, the maybe list of baby names. We went to the hospital with the list being Grayson, Gavin, Liam, Jonah, Zach, and Ryan. We crossed off Zack and Ryan as soon as he was born. They just didn't fit. Liam was gone by the end of the day. We crossed off Jonah by the next morning. We actually decided, tentatively, on Grayson and even told my mom and another friend that was his name when they came to the hospital. We never committed to it enough to write it on any hospital forms though. We both liked Gavin better but didn't think he looked like a Gavin. Whatever that means. His looks changed by the hour as the swelling went down so that was kind of out the window anyway.

Friday afternoon, as we were checking out of the hospital, the nurses were giving us a hard time about not having a name. They wanted us to fill out the birth certificate and social security card stuff. I really didn't want to go home with a nameless baby anyway so I was kind of glad they were bugging us about it. Brad and I agreed that we like Gavin the best and so we just went with it. We spent another hour deciding on his middle name. Gavin Lee, Gavin Kenyon, Gavin Ralph, Gavin William. All family names. William is my dad's dad's name; William Boyd. We LOVE him and really wanted to honor him with a namesake. I also have a friend named Terry William Woods, who passed away about 10 years ago, that I adored and miss terribly. Brad signed on and the nameless baby now has the perfect name!

Gavin's birth story

2011-03-08T09:43:00.006-07:00

So I guess there was an end to my pregnancy after all. Even during delivery, I thought for sure he wouldn't come out and I'd be pregnant forever! Here's his story:

My due date was March 2nd. I went in for my 4pm appointment and was only dilated to 2 cm. Dr. Beck stripped my membranes again and sent me home saying, "Feel free to go into labor any time!" Sound advice, doctor.

A little after 5pm, I started having pretty intense contractions. For more than 2 hours those contractions went on every 3-8 minutes. We dropped the boys off with Grandma and headed to the hospital about 8pm. The minute I put the hospital gown on, the contractions stopped. They sent us on a walk around the hospital gardens with instructions to come back in 40 minutes. So we walked. I did squats. I did step-ups onto benches. 40 minutes later I was only dilated to 4 cm and still not having contractions. So they sent us home. It was a dismal moment.

It was probably 10pm at that point. Within the hour, the contractions started up again and lasted all night long. They never got less than 4 minutes apart and were usually closer to 8-10 minutes apart. Not enough to go back to the hospital but just enough to prevent any sleep at all. So at 6 am, we called our delivery nurse friend who happened to be working and she suggested that we come in and at least get checked. If I had dilated to at least 5 cm they would likely let me stay and help things along.

To my jubilation, I was 5 cm!!! They started me on the penicillin for the Group B strep. Apparently I carry this virus that does nothing to me but can be really dangerous if the baby catches it in the birth canal. So they give us 2 doses of penicillin before he's born. That gets started and they do my epidural as well. I had a few hours of rest while they got both doses of penicillin in. By that time Dr. Beck was there delivering 4 other babies. He was disappointed that I was still only dilated to 8 cm so he started me on some petocin and went to lunch with instructions to "be ready to push" when he got back. I was obedient. We started delivery around 1:20 only to find that the baby was face up. It's really hard for him to deliver that way so Dr. Beck was turning him over as I was pushing. But between each contraction, the baby would flip back over and be face up again. I fully expected for him to tell me we had to do a C-section. Instead, Dr. Beck grabbed Gavin's head with the vacuum and pulled him (as I pushed him) out. HE WAS OUT! 2:09 pm. 21 hours after labor truly began. More than a week after contractions began filling me with false hope. HE WAS OUT!

I loved that they handed him right to me. They didn't even weigh or wash him until after I'd sufficiently snuggled and nursed him for over 45 minutes. It was so lovey.

I'm amazed how tiny he is. He doesn't have big hands like newborn Jace did nor long feet like newborn Cohen. He is just so tiny. Jace had the dark hair but not nearly as much as Gavin. They all have the same nose and chin. It's not a small nose but they grow into it! :)

We came home Friday night and have had the boys here with us. I was nervous about all of our noise in this 1050 sf house but it's been ok. We dont keep the big kids quiet. We're just letting Gavin get used to life as it really is.... Well, except that he is getting held A LOT when he should be sleeping in his bed... but I'm not stressing about that on day 5. We'll work that out.

And so...

Welcome home Gavin! We're extremely happy you're here!

2011-03-07T22:16:00.002-07:00

Jace and Cohen proudly announce their new brother

Gavin William

born 3/3/11 at 2:09 pm.

We like him A LOT.

The waiting game

2011-02-28T08:13:00.005-07:00

I had contractions for several hours Thursday morning.

Then same thing on Friday morning.

When they woke me up Saturday and continued pretty consistently for 3 hours, I thought FOR SURE we were having a baby!

Alas, I am still pregnant.

I had Jace 2 days early and I am now 2 days from my due date... but no contractions since Saturday. I feel like he missed the perfect window cuz now both my big boys are sick. Cohen has a cough and "just feels funny" and Jace has a fever, which likely means an ear infection or two.

I REALLY dont want to get induced but I also REALLY want to have this baby already!

2011-02-20T20:38:00.002-07:00

(the birthday party at Golfland)

Cohen's birthday was so fun! After birthday pancakes and opening a shirt with his name on it, we spent the whole day playing. Brad even took the day off! Grandma Lindsay took him shopping for "light-up shoes" while Aunt Karolyn and I slaved over his cake. Golfland was a total hit with all the kids. It was super funny to watch them goofy golf and then really enjoyable to sit and relax while they climbed in the giant play structure. We'll definitely go again.

I feel like now that the birthday is over, we can actually focus on the "BIRTH day". I really didn't want to have this baby close to Cohen's birthday. I'd love for them to be at least a week apart but we'll see how it goes. All the sudden this evening, I'm SO uncomfortable. I can hardly walk or do much else. No contractions, just light headed and sore and super waddley. Maybe it'll pass and I'll feel fine again tomorrow. I guess only time will tell. As nervous as I am to have a newborn, I'm so very excited to meet him!

Cohen is 5!

2011-02-16T09:08:00.006-07:00

What's your favorite color? orange and white
Favorite show? Tom and Jerry, Wow Wow Wubzy, Little Bill
Favorite toy? my new buzz rocket ship
Favorite thing to do? jump on the trampoline, go down the really cool slides at the park, and go on the swings
Best friends? Eli, Kenzie, Oliver, Madison, still Jarom even if he's mean, and Emmett, and Ali the dog of Madison, and the Vance kids, and Addie
What are you most excited about? going to Golfland for my birthday, and for summer to go in Addie's pool. The slide is too scary but I like to do the diving board.
What scares you? nothing, except alligators that are fake that crunch.
What makes you happy? making a funny face, playing with my cousins and friends
What's your favorite thing to eat? fish sticks and chicken nuggets with ketchup and barbecue sauce
What do you think is gross to eat? coconut milk-water and sour grapefruit
Where do you love to go? Grandma Stoddard's
What's the best thing about being 5? being happy
He added: I'd like to go to Disneyland. And I love you and Dad and Jace.

Better him than us?

2011-02-15T13:37:00.003-07:00

Since the boys got home last Thursday, Jace has been waking up several times a night. Sometimes, it's funny. He'll yell out something like, "Ma! I need go Golfland!" Other times he says his ear hurts and he even has a legit fever to back it up. Or maybe he just needs to ask, "Monny bed?" Whatever the reason, he literally wakes up, and wakes the rest of the house, all night long. We decided to try putting him in the queen bed with Cohen to see if the companionship would help at all. I didn't hear him until after 5:30 this morning. He was talking to Cohen about I dont know what. I went in to shush him and tell him he had to be quiet until the sun came up. A groggy Cohen said, "He talked to me all night long! I'm so tired!" Isn't that sad!? I was so happy that he hadn't woken me up but it was at the expense of my 5 year old! I asked what they talked about in the night and Cohen said they mostly talked about Golfland. It's kind of a running theme at our house since we're having a cousins party there TOMORROW! for Cohen's birthday. We can hardly contain ourselves. Hopefully the excitement will die down after the party and we'll all be able to get some sleep. Well, at least they'll be able to get some sleep. I will still be roused by a tiny kick to the rib cage and wake up enough to realize that I'm really hungry and thirsty so I'll have a 3 am snack while watching an infomercial about Nordic Trac. 15 days to go!

What I do when I have a break:

2011-02-09T08:54:00.005-07:00

(our easy-peasy V-day decorations)

My kids went to stay at my mom's for a few days. I'm just so huge and tired that we all needed a little break. They need more fun and I need less! So they left Monday afternoon. Here it is Wednesday morning. I find it funny to think about how I'm spending my "time off".

Yesterday, I slept in and then watched the Today Show and ate breakfast on the couch.
Then I spent over an hour sorting socks from our Lost Sock Drawer. While tedious, I made over 30 matches! Each of us has a drawer full of socks! (And I'm truly excited about it!)
Then I posted some stuff to sell on craigslist. I've been meaning to do it forever. We are moving the boys into the same room so we need a new set up for them. I'd love them in twin trundle beds but a friend offered us a free queen so that's what we'll do for now.
Then my charming husband and I met for lunch at Carolina's in downtown Phoenix. I used to go there all the time when I worked with homeless people downtown. It was so fun to be back in the "hood" and the food was even better than I remember! I loved picking Brad up at work and having a quick lunch, just the two of us! Felt like we were single and dating! Except that I spilled food on my giant belly.
I had to work yesterday afternoon but instead of having to wait for Brad to get home to take over kid duty, I was able to go when I wanted to. Lovely!

I'm really not sleeping well these days; if you've ever been pregnant I'm sure you can relate. So the very most lovely thing has been being able to get enough sleep even if it's not 8 consecutive hours during the night. I had a TERRIBLE night last night of discomfort, sleeplessness, bad dreams, etc. But I didn't have to get up at 6 with my kids so I crammed in a few extra hours of really quality sleep this morning! Heavenly!

I'm so very grateful for mom. I know she must be exhausted by now but she is toughing it out because she knows I'll be exhausted if she brings the kids home! She'd rather it be her than me, at least for a few days. She is selfless and wonderful and greatly appreciated!

So today I'm off to clean the car, get the alignment done, and then start gathering and washing baby things. I'm excited to set up the bassinet and swing and to fold itty bitty little newborn clothes. 37 weeks! I'm officially full term! I hope he stays put until we have a name for him, poor thing. Top runners are currently Grayson, Haze, Liam, Zach, Gavin, and Ryan. Please hold your opinions at this point. It just makes it harder. :)

In the wee hours of the morn...

2011-02-04T23:40:00.004-07:00

Every morning, before the clock strikes 6, Jace wakes up and wants to "watch a show". Every morning, I explain that it's still dark and thus time to be asleep. He wont go back to sleep in his bed but if I bring him into my bed, he'll usually sleep for almost another hour. (Brad is gone for work by this time so I've got room to spare.)

So yesterday morning, he must not have ever gone back to sleep in my bed because through my half sleep, I heard him say, "Ma, the sun not working!" He must have been just lying in wait of the the faintest glimpse of sunlight so we could get up! (And yes, he calls me Ma. He doesn't really do the ending sounds of words yet... but we're working on it!)

Then today, I heard little footsteps by the bed but found Cohen coming in, instead of Jace going out as I expected. I could see the sunlight starting to appear out the window so I knew it must be close to 7. Cohen climbed in bed and we had the most darling Snuggle Chat, while Jace continued to snooze on Brad's side of the bed. Cohen's legs were nuzzled up to my tummy so he could feel all the kicks and movements of his newest little brother. He was so full of questions. "How does he get out of there? Can he breathe? Where will he sleep when he comes out? Can he sleep with me? Can I be in charge of him and you be in charge of Jace? Are we still naming him Leo? Why doesn't dad like Leo? Do you like Reed? Me neither." It was such a darling, tender conversation whispered between me and my oldest child. I need to remember to make moments alone with him so our relationship isn't all about me refereeing between him and Jace. He's pretty sweet when he isn't teasing and bossing our ornery little Jacer.

Also worth mentioning is that we've been potty training Jace for the last 3 weeks. The first week was awesome. The second two weeks have been less than awesome. He wont poop in the toilet. Instead, he holds it in for days and then lets loose in his underwear in some hidden location. Thursday morning as I was leaving for work, I heard our babysitter saying, "unlock the door Jace..." He's never locked his door so I went back to check it out. Sure enough, he locked his door and backed into his closet to drop a grapefruit size poo into his Nemo underwear. Awesome. So anyway, tonight we took Cohen to spend some birthday money and decided to try bribing Jace to poo in the toilet. So we bought him a toy too but told him that we wont take it out of the package until he poops in the toilet. The poor thing told us "I go tee tee" 5 times between getting home and bedtime. Never a poo. Always gravely disappointed that he hadn't earned his toy. Then he woke up about 10:30 saying he had to go "tee tee"! He still wears a diaper at night and has NEVER woken up to potty before. So I took him, and yet again, he was very disappointed that such a feat of triumph did not earn his toy. So now I just feel plain mean! He's usually a morning pooper though so hopefully all will go well tomorrow and he'll have earned his toy before noon cuz honestly, I'm probably not going to hold out much longer than that!

I know it's been ages...

2011-01-21T14:11:00.004-07:00

Our camera wont upload to the computer for some reason.

That alone, is enough to make me not want to post! But in the interest of the blog book I will someday print for posterity, I begin my update.

Today is our first official day of potty training with Jace. He's had a few funny "hide & poops" this week so I figure we'd better at least try. I would LOVE to have him out of diapers before his nameless baby brother arrives in less than 6 weeks. We are armed with cool undies and M&Ms. So far, so good!

This spring is such a busy time for our family. I'm working 4 nighs a week, Brad is working on his MBA 2 nights a week, Cohen turns 5 just after Valentines Day, the baby comes at the first of March, our 6 year anniversary is March 26th, and then Jace's birthday is in April after Easter. I feel like I need to plan ahead for all of those things or they'll get totally ignored once the baby is here. I already booked Cohen's birthday party at Golfland. He is inviting all cousins. They are his besties. I love it. And I found this that I would love to get for our anniversary. I have a thing for trees and I just think it's such a darling print to hang in our bedroom. I cant really buy it for Brad cuz he probably wont care about it. So am I allowed to buy myself an anniversary gift? That seems funny.

I mentioned our nameless baby. It's stressing me out to not have a name. Everyone has been emailing and texting suggestions to no avail. Brad likes Reed. I tried but it doesn't fit. I like Leo. He says he's trying but cant make himself love it. He likes Grayson but wants to call him Gray. I dont want to call anyone Gray. Plus, when I'm yelling it to my boys in the backyard, they wont know if I'm saying Gray or Jace. Too similar. I recently really started liking Ryan. I think it fits our family. It's a real name, not made up, not trendy. That's what I like. Brad is neutral to it. Cohen is positive our baby's name is Jaxon. Neither Brad nor I are down with that. Cohen's second choice is Leo. So that's two votes for Leo! (My grandma Udall's name is Leona. So Leo is kind of after her but I also just picture this darling little blond haired boy named Leo and think it's so cute!)

Anyway- back to reality. Jace is napping without a diaper and sure to wake up wet any moment. I guess I'll clean my kitchen till then.... or maybe not. We'll see.

Cohen's Christmas story

2010-12-30T14:43:00.002-07:00

(Co and Dallin on Christmas morning)

Once there was a gingerbread house and it had a gingerbread man. Then one day, he went outside to play with a girlfriend cookie. Santa came and said, “I’m gonna eat you gingerbread cookies!” So they ran away and screamed and got into a car! Santa thought of something, his sleigh and Rudolph. Santa got there and said, “ho ho ho, I’m gonna eat you up gingerbread man! And then he did! The end.

(My FAVORITE Christmas present, made by Cohen at preschool)

Christmas Eve

2010-12-29T16:30:00.006-07:00

We got together with my brothers' families for dinner, gingerbread houses, and Christmas caroling! I use the word gingerbread loosely because we actually just used graham crackers. All the same, it was such a fun evening!

Jace and Brad's train car

Cohen requested an alien house (so we used only green candy)

Jace would not stay in this picture without me touching him.

Liz and I made a prego sandwich with Karolyn!

The biggest smile belongs to the woman who is done with pregnancy!

My friend has this on her blog...

2010-12-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

and I couldn't agree more!

Countdown to Christmas!

2010-12-18T14:17:00.009-07:00

Jace and I woke with a start to realize it was 15 minutes until our ward Christmas breakfast! We woke up Daddy and dashed out the door.

After breakfast, we headed straight over to the Phoenix Children's Museum. We were nervous when we saw the empty parking lot but it turned out that we were just early birds and had the place almost to ourselves for the first hour. We had SO MUCH FUN!
drive-thru car wash

We played non-stop for close to 4 hours! This was our first visit but I think we'll try to go 2-3 times a year from now on. It's seriously SO fun!

Brad, the RAD DAD

2010-12-12T10:59:00.005-07:00

My brother Jeff and I drove up to Holbrook yesterday for a holiday visit with our grandparents. It was such a great trip. My Grandpa is awesome. He is so level-headed and kind and logical. He chooses to make lemonade out of lemons and is never offended. He's lovely. So we spent a few hours with him and then went to my Grandma's for a few hours. Jeff and I washed Grandma's windows and visited before she treated us to dinner at El Rancho. We drove her convertible VW around town looking at Christmas lights too. My grandparents were so grateful that we came which made it that much more enjoyable for us.

The trip was made possible entirely thanks to my selfless husband. He offered to stay home with all 6 kids so that Jeff and I could just make a quick kid-less drive. Here's a sampling of Brad's day:

He took the kids to San Tan Village to play, hold puppies at the pet store, bike ride to a park, and then Costco for ice-cream. They loved it, we loved it, my Grandparents loved it. Brad didn't complain once. He's the best. :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T21:05:00.004-07:00

It was a full house, for shizzle!

I used to call it THATCHgiving and it was my very favorite holiday of all. Since my grandparents died, our Thatcher tradition kind of died with them. Sad to say, but true. My extended Udall family is just too big and too spread out across the country now. Only 3 of my mom's 8 siblings attended our Thanksgiving this year. I guess I'm ok letting go of the old tradition and starting new ones. We had a GREAT time this year. All of my siblings' families stayed at my mom's house. There were almost 25 of us under one roof for 3 days!

Although I didn't love sharing a bed with Jace, it was fun for all of us to be there together for that much time. Our kids play really well and all the adults get along well too, which is rare I think. It's lovely. At one point I asked my step-dad Dave how he was doing with the crowd. He said, "Someone once said that the best part about grandkids is the taillights." !!!! We both laughed! He was such a good host. He built us fires, cooked us food, did our dishes and took us on a hay ride. We just drove around the cotton fields singing as many Christmas carols as we could muster up the words for.
It was so fun and hopefully a new Thanksgiving tradition.

The in-laws all braved Walmart at midnight for Black Friday sales. They say it's a new tradition and I say 'more power to ya! I'll be home in bed!' We also went to Merry Main Street in Safford which was not worth repeating. We wish we would have stayed home and sat around the piano with Aunt Alayne!

There are so many fun things to do at G&G Lindsay's. The kids love the tire swings, the sand pile, throwing rocks in the muddy canal, chasing lizards, playing in the basement, etc, etc.

So we'll do it all again in 2 years. Liz and I will have new babies before then. Maybe Meagan too. Dylan will be on his mission! Noah will be almost 16 and will be begging Steven to let him drive around Solomon, in a real car not in a go-cart. I can see it all now and it's gonna be great! Even if it's just us.

Hello Zoloft? Are you working?

2010-11-22T14:35:00.002-07:00

My anxiety is through the roof today!

I spent HOURS and DAYS and WEEKS working on a certain Christmas gift that I finally finished and ordered on the 12th. It was supposed to be on my doorstep by Saturday the 20th. When it wasn't, I looked up the tracking information on USPS. "Undeliverable address." Of course, you cant get a hold of a human at the USPS on Saturday or Sunday so I called this morning. My precious parcel was sent back to the manufacturer because of the undeliverable address. So I called the manufacturer, waited on hold for no less than 35 minutes, only to finally reach someone who hardly spoke English! It took us ten minutes to establish that my last name is not Stobbard. Eventually, after a very unproductive and aggravating conversation with that person and then another 7 minutes on hold, I spoke to a representative who told me that all returned merchandise is shredded for privacy purposes. SHREDDED! So my gift has to be re-produced and re-shipped. I almost fainted. Thankfully, the kind man waived the charges to re-produce and re-ship by citing on my account that it was their error, even thought it was not. I had ordered it with the current street address and old zip code!!!!

This is why I start my Christmas shopping in October. Even with this disaster, I'm going to get it by December 6th. My sanity doesn't allow for December shopping. I would lose every single marble I've got left!

Let's be adults about this

2010-11-15T11:06:00.008-07:00

Every (I dont know how often), our church has a Saturday night conference with our local leaders and kids aren't allowed. I love it. People who dont have kids yet dont appreciate the splendor of a kid-less meeting. I just sit. And listen. And write. And think. And internalize. It's so very lovely.

We had such a meeting last weekend. It did not disappoint. We were especially early because my hubs said the opening prayer. Since he's still limping from his sprained foot, we snagged seats right on the 2nd row.

Some of the pearls of wisdom included a recount of Alma 50 (in the Book of Mormon) where Moroni is fortifying the cities to protect his people from the attacks of enemies. This was likened to the imperative responsibility we, as parents, have to fortify our homes and protect our families from Satan's attacks. Moroni mounded up "heaps of earth round about all the cities". These heaps were likened to our personal and family prayers; our first line of defense. Then Moroni "caused that there should be timbers... built up to the height of man". These timbers were likened to our personal and family study of the scriptures, that being our second line of defense. Moroni then built "a frame of pickets" upon the timbers. "They were strong and high." These pickets are likened to our Family Home Evenings, where we spend quality time building our family relationships and teaching gospel principles. Lastly, Moroni "caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers." These "watch" towers were likened to our temple worship. Only with these preparations in place are our families sufficiently protected "against the coming of (our) enemies". Take away even one, and we leave our families vulnerable to temptation and harm.

We tend to make light of these "Sunday school" answers because they are so basic. I have a renewed understanding of their importance in protecting my dearest ones.

More pearls to come...

On an entirely unrelated note, I double love all the jewelry from this designer in Colorado. Especially the "how soon is now necklace", the "hover necklace" and pretty much all the earrings.

Add this to my list

2010-11-04T21:56:00.003-07:00

I want this print by eva juliet on Etsy. My family doesn't need the explanation but my beloved Grandpa Udall used to always say, "The church is true. God has been good to us. And the best is yet to come!" Remember those three things and the hard times are easier to swallow. I've been working on transcribing my grandparents' life stories after a two year hiatus. Reading their stories, in their words, has filled my mind and soul with thoughts of them. I even dreamed about them last night. I'm SO uber grateful that my Uncle Jordan spent so many hours video taping them giving their life stories. I love having the true "them" captured in such a vivid way. It eases the sting of missing them just a little bit.

"Why do people keep calling me Dracula?"

2010-10-31T21:05:00.003-07:00

People didn't recognize our dark haired Cohen!

Can't this face win us some money somehow?!

We had a Happy Halloweek at our house!

Wednesday: neighborhood carnival

Friday: Cohen's preschool party and then the pumpkin festival at Mother Nature's Farm

Saturday: our Trunk-or-Treat and my Uncle Collin's BOOthday party

Sunday: Opie Family Halloween party

We are full of candy and sick of wearing our costumes!

Until next year...

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-26T14:18:00.003-07:00

Love it or hate it? I cant ever decide.

I guess it's fun to carve one pumpkin each year.

Cohen even helped scoop out the guts this year.

Jace just wanted to stab the pumpkin with the knife.

I dont think we'll do individual jack-o-lanterns until the kids are 12.

Thanks for a fun family night, G & G Stoddard!

On an unrelated note, Jace is so super cute and SO SUPER ROTTEN all rolled together. He now hits and kicks Cohen without provocation or remorse. He thinks that if he flashes that adorable smile, we wont get mad at him for being naughty. He has no idea that his stint as baby of the family is about to come to a screeching halt. This new kid is going to turn his universe upside down!

Checkout

2010-10-23T07:39:00.004-07:00

I love online shopping. Most of the time, I fill my online cart and then just walk away without actually spending any money! It's gratifying in a weird way. It's like my brain thinks I ordered it all and it'll be arriving in the mail in a few days. Only it doesn't.

Here's some of my recent "purchases": (also known as my wish list)

Yes to Carrots

Games and books at Amazon
(I'm soooo sick of reading the same kid books over and over...)

I also think these are FANTASTIC! Wouldn't they be great in a stocking or at a kid's birthday party?

I used to think I'd just "make" my kids eat the crusts. Now, I'll use any gimic or trick just to get them to have a few bites.

Genius!

Every house full of boys needs these.

"I used to be a mother"

2010-10-21T20:01:00.002-07:00

Check out these fantastic costumes that Brad's mom made when he was a kid!

E.T. with Stripe and Gizzmo from Gremlins.

And here's my sister in law Christy in her old Superman costume! Debi didn't make this one but I had to post the picture of 30 year old Christy in it!

I totally wish I could sew. Even a little bit. I dont necessarily need to make costumes of this caliber but I'd love to sew my boys some pajama pants or something. It just seems like something Moms should be able to do. Ya know?

Conversation with Cohen

2010-10-14T19:14:00.004-07:00

me: I cant wait to see Beauty and the Beast!

him: I cant wait to NOT see it.

Why?

Cuz it's lame and boring.

How do you know that? You haven't seen it?

Cuz all they do is get married. Duh.

2010 Balloon Fiesta in "the Q"

2010-10-11T07:54:00.004-07:00

It's a 7+ hour drive to my Dad's house in Albuquerque so we broke it up by spending one night in Holbrook with my Grandma Wolfington. The boys love being in Holbrook because it is train central.

We got to "the Q" on Friday afternoon. We took the kids to a corn maze, which was hilarious. They couldn't have cared less about the maze but LOVED running through the corn fields! We zonked out early that night because we had to be up at 4:15 to see the hot air balloons launch.

I had no idea that we'd be right on the field where the trucks unloaded and launched the balloons! It was really fantastic! Jace was a bit overwhelmed so he got held most (or all) of the time but the rest of the kids ran from balloon to balloon. I think they launched 500 balloons in 4 hours. Pretty impressive. All the kids got to ride in balloons that were tethered to the ground; so they went up about 20-25 feet.

It was fun to be under one roof with my brothers families. Our kids have a great time together and once they go to sleep, the grown ups have fun together too! Saturday night, we sat around telling stories about fights we've been in. My favorites were Liz's "desert party" story and Brad's "saved by Christian Nielson" story! I love that Brad of mine! He is so pure. :)

It's hard work to be 4.

2010-09-28T15:21:00.002-07:00

Cohen doesn't usually nap anymore unless I force it upon him. Today, I had a bit of paperwork to do during Jace's nap and apparently Cohen was bored right to sleep!

We started a new babysitter today and I think it's a good fit. The woman's youngest child started kindergarten this year so she just takes random drop off kids while their parents work or go to appointments. She is cheap, close and fun which is all I can ask for in a babysitter! It makes leaving them, while I work, a little less painful.

In other news, I feel much better yesterday and today. Two full weeks after I started feeling YUCKY, I'm finally feeling better. Hallelujah.

It's been a "hairy" few days

2010-09-18T15:50:00.002-07:00

I have been down and out since Thursday. Grandpa and Grandma Stoddard hung out with the boys Thurs and Fri while I rested. Daddy has been the hero today, taking the boys on adventures and keeping them busy. I'm so lucky to have help. Being a mom just takes way more energy than I've got right now!

The boys are sneezing and snotty but no strep so far. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it stays with Mommy!

Potty talk

2010-09-13T13:35:00.002-07:00

I hate when Cohen has to go #2 in public. (How's that for an opening line?!) It takes him a good 10 minutes... maybe more... to get the job done. Today, we were playing at McDonalds on the way from preschool to home. I was hungry but because I'm such a cool mom, I said we'd play for 15 minutes and then go home to eat lunch. Conveniently, at the end of play time, Cohen suddenly had to go and could not wait the 3 minutes to get home. So Jace and I accompanied him into the women's handicap stall. (Incidentally, he wants to go in the men's bathroom but I refuse to let him go in alone. Normal right? Who lets their 4 year old go alone into a public restroom where men have their pants down?) So anyway, the following conversation occurred in the stall.

Co: (while grunting) Is that a workout shirt, Mom?
Me: (laughing) Yes. I went to the gym.
Co: I like that shirt. Did you know that one hump camels have one hump poop? And two hump camels have two hump poop?
Me: Yep, I read that somewhere.
Co: I have one coming right now. The big ones open up my bottom and the little ones just squeeze out.
Me: (laughing again) Thank you for sharing that. Let's not talk about it ok? Let's just get the job done.
Co: I know you're tired and hungry. It just takes me a really long time... I'm not just pooping. I'm peeing too. Usually I pee and then poop. Is that what you do mom? Or do you poop first?

And so on. You get the point. It was all very funny because all the while, Jace kept flushing the toilet and then covering his ears cuz it was loud. And then he'd hang off the handicap railing and say "ook ma!" over and over. And then he'd yell so he could hear his own echo. For 10 minutes people! I wish I'd had a video camera.

Happy Birthday Cathy!

2010-09-11T22:33:00.004-07:00

My dad, on my left, married Cathy, in pink, just a few months before Brad and I got married. They lived in Germany for several years and now live in New Mexico. We're planning to go visit for the balloon festival in October. The above picture is our gathering in Holbrook in October to celebrate my dad's birthday with his parents. My grandpa Boyd, on the end, is delightful. I adore all 86 years of him.

Back to Cathy.

Cathy. Is. Fun.

She's smart, sassy and spunky.

She's a great grandma.

And she has darling short hair!

I dont even know if she and my dad read our blog but here's hoping her birthday is glorious!

Our boys are cute

2010-09-09T18:03:00.004-07:00

So we might as well have another one. :)

Let me tell you a story...

2010-09-03T13:25:00.003-07:00

It all begin with red light on my way home from 8 or 9 hours of work. It was a HOT June day. I was tired and admittedly driving on auto pilot. I turned right at said red light, only to get pulled over and ticketed. It's one of the dumbest laws of our land. There's no consistency what-so-ever. Most red lights, turn away. But not this one. So I get a ticket and stuff it in my purse.

Cue pregnancy. And sickness. And exhaustion. And no time for thinking.

Fast forward two months to when I realize I've missed my court date and done nothing about the ticket. I call the court and find out my license is suspended and my only option is to get a ride to the court to pay $190. Awesome. I can probably find it in the couch cushions cuz thats total chump change to us. grrrrr...

Musings

2010-08-28T19:22:00.005-07:00

If I lived somewhere cold, I'd buy these for fun!

Someday I will stay here, without children.

Maybe this or this or this should be my replacement wedding ring. Sigh.

I would love one of these for each of my kids.

Not necessarily a NEED but I still totally WANT this.

I think I'd wear this even though I dont really like the feeling of necklaces around my neck.

Since it's cooled off enough to go outside in the mornings and evenings, it must be time for yummy soups for dinner! We'll have this one and this one this week.

Oh how I WISH I had a video like this of my wedding day!!!

And now my soft-cheeked, nakey 2 year old wandered in asking me to "Hoad you, Nonny?" so I'm out.

PEACE!

Product Review

2010-08-23T21:04:00.003-07:00

I dont do a lot of product reviews but I think I may start. I love when other people tell me what they have found and loved through their own trial and error.

So this pasta sauce is only sold at Target, I guess. This chic Giada De Laurentiis has an Italian cooking show on some cooking channel and has launched a line of pans and food at Target.

We got the Creamy Tomato flavor (with a red strip instead of the green one on this jar of Tomato Basil). Brad and I both LoVeD it! We had it just with spaghetti and then used the left over sauce to make mini-pizzas on english muffins. It has such a great flavor and consistency. We're totally sold, especially cuz it's less than $3 for 23.5 oz.

I'm not even a spaghetti sauce snob but I'm telling you that this beats the pants off of Prago and Ragu!

Short Ear Canals!?!

2010-08-19T20:10:00.004-07:00

This picture was NOT taken today.

Apparently my children have short ear canals. This means they get ear infections more often. Both boys have had surgery to insert tubes to prevent the infections. Tubes only last 18 months before they fall out. Cohen's are both out and Jace now only has one left. Thus, Jace has double ear infections AGAIN. It's very sad.

He's a good sick baby. He doesn't cry a lot. He just looks pitiful. Really pitiful. He started with a fever yesterday afternoon. Burned up all night. Threw up (on my neck and chest) several times this morning and once this afternoon. He hasn't eaten a thing all day but luckily he keeps drinking clear liquids. He even had a grape Pediatlyte snow cone tonight (thanks to the snow cone maker R&E gifted us when they moved to CA last year).

I hope Baby Thirdsy doesn't inherit the short ear canal gene. I'm all done with double ear infections. I want Jace's big teeth smile back. I love those big teeth.

Ultimate Forgiveness

2010-08-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

"The Event of the Century"

2010-08-08T16:33:00.002-07:00

Brad and some of his besties had a little reunion this weekend. Most of these guys have been friends since high school. Some live here in town but a few had to fly in for the weekend. They dont get together very often... and maybe it's a good thing. When attendees are saying things like "nobody post anything that went on this weekend" then the weekend's events sound a little shady!

I'm so happy they got to do it, though. These are really good guys and Brad is all recharged like only a weekend full of laughter and shenanigans can do!

This is what Brad is wearing at work today.

2010-08-02T07:57:00.002-07:00

Dont all grown up jobs have "spirit week"?

Reunion: Udall style

2010-07-25T16:02:00.004-07:00

Uncle Mark has been leading "Tooty-Ta" for as long as I can remember.

Aunt Nona and Tawny made smores in the oven of the cabin. They were the best smores ever because the chocolate actually melted!

Aunt Suzette played Candyland with the 3-7 year old crowd for a long time. Cohen was in heaven!

Every single child took a turn or two on the tire swing. Jace is small but he figured out how to hang on.

Although 98% of adults vowed never to camp again, the reunion was a general success.
Highlights for me were the mommies-only game night on Saturday after everyone else had gone to bed, the Minute-to-Win-it that Amanda put together, and the skits that included Brad wearing lipstick as Mama Bear.

What's for dinner?

2010-07-22T18:13:00.003-07:00

Shelly's Baked Spaghetti
(aka easy lasagna)

Cook the meat
boil the noodles
add them together with sauce (like you are going to serve it)
but instead, put in all in a casserole dish
add mozzarella cheese
add cottage cheese
mix
top with a bit more mozz
cover with foil
bake for 25-30 minutes

HOLY MACKEREL, it's delicious! And easy.

Cohen's precious prayer tonight:

2010-07-07T20:25:00.004-07:00

Heavenly Father,
We're grateful for this great day.
Please bless Uncle Steven to get a job. A good job.
Maybe at a high school.
We're so grateful that Dylan graduated...
from preschool.
Please bless Uncle Sean in Afighanistand
to do a really good job and help lots of people.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Here's the Bizz-Nass

2010-07-01T22:13:00.005-07:00

Long time, no post! Our camera is currently unaccounted for and so I keep telling myself that I'll post as soon as I have pictures to post. In the meantime, I'm not documenting our ever-exciting adventures! So here's a recap:

We moved into a little rental house at the end of May. We're SO happy with it! We love the location (near everything!) and are just so thrilled to have our own space.
We spent 3 nights in Rocky Point with our friends Travis and Julie. HEAVEN, I tell you! Never mind that the chief of police got shot 6 times the day we left to come home. We LOVED every minute of it and even call it our favorite vacation so far. We'll totally go back.
My Udall family reunioned in Christopher Creek for a weekend. I loved all the Minute to Win It games, the skits and commercials, and the late night cards with just the mommies. We played a lot of Blurt and Sequence. And we laughed. A lot!
Cohen is really timid in the water this summer thanks to his little episode in the neighbor's jacuzzi during the winter. Every time Brad takes him swimming, they do a little lesson and Cohen regains his confidence. It seems like we're always back to square one the next day though. Jace, on the other hand, is a daredevil. He jumps in with a huge toothy smile on his face, never closing his mouth when he goes under! He holds on to his floaty suit and kicks his little legs like crazy.
Jace is talking a ton. Finally. The other day, the first thing he said to me in the morning was, "I watch a show, Nonny?" (He has never called me Mommy. I used to really push it but now I think Nonny is cute.) He repeats everything Cohen says, all day long. Co often tells him, "Stop saying what I'm saying!" I remind him that Jace is just trying to learn to talk and he goes, "Oh yeah. I forgot." Everyday.
Cohen has been saying some awesome prayers on his own lately. Today, over pizza at Rector's house, he asked that the pizza make us really strong and really fast. And that our daddies would have fun at work. And P L E A S E help us to be fast. He often prays for his cousins by name and asks that they have a good night of sleep.
Brad spends his days at UOP and his nights subbing for someone else's trash route. It's exhausting work but we are so grateful for the income boost. I'm still doing early intervention with developmentally delayed babies and toddlers two mornings a week and now I also teach classes three nights a week at the Family Resource Center. Although the FRC is half the money, I love the atmosphere. I love being surrounded by other social workers. There's a great energy there that I've missed being a contract employee on my own this last year.

Have you Ooblecked?

2010-06-11T06:49:00.002-07:00

Items needed:
1 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
optional green food coloring

Oobleck is a classic science experiment that's perfect for entertaining both kids and adults. If you haven't seen it in action, it's FASCINATING stuff and before too long you'll have your hands covered in it... happily making a mess that can easily be washed away with water.

Oobleck acts like a liquid when being poured but like a solid when a force is being acted on it. You can grab a chunk and then it will ooze out of your hands!

It's a great boredom buster for a hot summer day. Check it out.

And someday, we'll actually post about our new house... which we are LOVING!

For he's a jolly good dentist!

2010-05-17T22:02:00.003-07:00

Dr. Wolfington with his stunning wife and teenage son.

We ditched our kids and drove up to Vegas to watch my brother graduate from UNLV Dental School on May 7th. There's something about that pomp and circumstance song... it musters up all these emotions of pride and accomplishment and victory. It gets me every time! I'm so ridiculously proud of what they (he and his wife) have accomplished. (The wives of medical and dental students are unparalleled heroines in my book.)

I cant wait for the day that we are next door neighbors! My kids can play with their dog. Liz can be my personal yoga instructor and masseuse. I will lure her kids over with homemade bread. Brad will take out their trash every day and Steven will provide comic relief.

It's gonna be grand!

Daddies, dont let your sons eat their boogers.

2010-05-17T21:56:00.002-07:00

When mom's not around, nobody gets their nose wiped.

But Father and Son love every single minute of it.

(Fathers & Sons Campout, May 2010 near Payson.)

According to Cohen...

2010-05-06T21:22:00.003-07:00

My mommy is as beautiful as "my grandma".
My mom loves to "clean up and watch TV".
I think my mom weighs "31" pounds.
My mom hates to "walk or drive a long ways".
My mom gets out of bed at "13:19".
I think my mom is "14" inches tall.
My mom loves it when "she can watch a movie".
My mom hates it when "I say a bad word and she says 'I'm gonna spank your booty.'"
My mom looks the best when she is "wearing a flower in her hair".
My mom makes the best "sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies".

He knows me so well! Kid-fill-in-the-blanks are awesome!

Baby Jace is 2!

2010-04-27T16:25:00.004-07:00

Stats:
35" tall (67%)
24.7 pounds (12%)
head 19.5" (72%)

The pediatrician wants me to put him back on whole milk because he's too skinny. I'll do it, but the kid is just going to be skinny. (Have you seen his Dad?) He out-eats Cohen at every meal. He'll eat 3 pancakes for breakfast, where as Cohen barely eats 1. He eats whole sandwiches while Cohen fights down a half. I cant explain why he isn't gaining weight... but I'm not worried.

More Jace updates to come. It's too hot up here in the office to think or type. The dreaded summer has begun!

There are so many things I wish I were good at.

2010-04-22T18:06:00.005-07:00

Among them, quilting. I just came across this link on the blog "I Have To Say..." My grandma and great grandma were always making quilts. Every blanket they owned was homemade and had a story. Oh how I would LOVE to make a quilt for my bed. The store bought one we are using is black and gray. I'm so over it. I cant remember why we chose it. It's suffocating, or something.

I'd like to say that the step by step instructions make it easy enough for me to follow, but I cant even really operate my sewing machine. So.... there goes that.

For the record, the other things I wish I were good at are:
playing piano
gardening
yoga
general sewing
organizing
scrapbooking or otherwise documenting our lives
(in no particular order)

I have RAD friends.

2010-04-11T18:08:00.004-07:00

My friend Lindsay, the infamous Pied Piper, is working on a new fine art project. She let her gal-pals be the models for this shoot! We each took individual shots and then I had to go to a picnic for my Primary class. So the rest of them took a final picture together at the end, and I missed it.

Lindsay was kind enough to insert me in the pop out.

It was so much fun getting all dolled up by professionals.
Rachel Jorgensen did our hair and Courtney from Our Beauty Mark was my make-up artist.

I cant wait for Lindz to finish and post the final product! It's going to be fantastic!

Our Primary picnic was fun too. We let our 7-8 year olds earn points for bringing scriptures to church or memorizing things or being good. They earned enough points to have a party and we decided on a bicycle picnic. We rode bikes to a park, ate, played kick ball, had a water fight and rode home. All of in the above hair and make-up!

Congratulations John and Katy!

2010-04-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Random bits of on-goings

2010-04-07T13:11:00.003-07:00

Brad and I went on a date to see the Easter Pageant at the Mesa LDS Temple. He dropped me off to save a spot while he took the kids home to meet the sitter. As I sat there, I got cold. I texted him to bring a blanket. I texted him again later to bring me some socks. He arrived minutes later with both. "How did you get here so fast if you were still home when I texted you to bring socks?" I asked. "I'm just that good", he responds. Turns out, he got the sock request as he was parking. He took off his own socks and gave them to me! If that's not love, I dont know what is! (Incidentally, after waiting for over 90 minutes, we decided to go get yogurt instead of staying to watch the pageant! 20 minutes before it started, we packed up and left, making some late-comers very happy for our spot on the grass!)
Jace tinkled on the potty again. This time, it was all his idea. He stood in front of it and said "pee pee" (well, actually "tee tee"). I de-diapered him and set him on the throne and he did his business! We were both so proud!
We have had some awesome tithing miracles lately. 1) I had to take Jace to the pediatrician yesterday (because his left ear smells so bad I want to dry heave). Upon arrival, they informed me that we have a credit that would cover the co-pay. 2) I owed over a grand on Cohen's teeth and wrote out 3 checks for the dentist to deposit the same day each month. They only deposited one check and then sent a letter saying that we have a zero balance. 3) Brad found me some "new" running shoes while he was doing the trash route! I know it sounds crazy but they are exactly my size and in really good shape. The girl is probably a die-hard who gets new running shoes every 3 months and throws out the old ones. Since mine are well over a year old, her trash is my treasure! (At least for another 2 months until I can actually buy a pair.)

Five years of wedded bliss!

2010-03-30T19:10:00.002-07:00

I dont know why the date on the picture is so off. Ignore it. We took this on March 26, 2010... the day of our 5 year anniversary. We've always talked about going on a cruise for our 5 year anniversary. It didn't happen. Instead, we ate at the Blue Adobe Grill in downtown Mesa. Their chili rellanos are DY-NO-MITE. We then drove to downtown Phoenix to one of only three theaters in the valley still showing Dear John. I devoured the book a few weeks ago so Brad agreed to see it for our anniversary. I think it was slightly painful for him but I didn't hate it.

Brad joked over dinner that the next 5 years are going to be BIG for us. He said, "We might even get a place of our very own!" Can you imagine?! :)

Bad budget. Now what?

2010-03-22T13:32:00.001-07:00

The fight is not over --- tell the story of the consequences of these cruel cuts.

o Don’t let any opportunity pass without sharing your story, the story of the people you serve, the agency impacts, the layoffs, and the pain and suffering.
o If the consequences are invisible, the general public will not know or understand the great disservice of these cuts to our shared community life.
o Be present at the Legislature on PAFCO Action Days and let the Legislature know these cuts are bad and not acceptable and we will hold them accountable for these bad decisions.
o Continue to write the Governor and your legislators with your stories of impact. Share them with PAFCO and others.
o Be a voice of reason and compassion and good economic sense in the midst of cruelty of these cuts.
· Organize and turn out the vote for May 18 - Prop 100 sales tax referral election. ( www.yeson100.com )
o It is not just about the money, the extra billion dollars that is badly needed.
o The billion dollars would not stop these cuts but will prevent more and deeper cuts.
o But more importantly a Yes vote will send the message that Arizonans care about the quality of their lives, their children’s education, their neighbors and our communities.
o If there is a NO vote, that message will be that Arizonans don’t want government and government support of education and health and human services and other vital services.
o This is also a referendum on the future of Arizona.

We've had a week of firsts.

2010-03-20T10:43:00.004-07:00

Brad and I were watching a movie in bed last night about 11 when we heard someone in the bathroom. We gave each other quizzical looks. A few seconds later, Cohen came to our doorway, waved and said goodnight. He's never done that before! Usually, if he wakes up having to go to the bathroom, he yells out for one of us and we walk him to the toilet. I love 4. It's a total transition from toddler to kid.
Jace said "I love you"! My mom is my witness. He said it to her on the phone after he said it to me twice. I cant get him to say it again for Brad but it's SO dang cute!
Jace also went tinkle in the potty! He was nakey and about to get in the bath so I just sat him on the thrown first. He totally peed! The potty training method I used for Cohen says 21-22 months is the perfect time to potty train. I think that's only true if you kid can talk, which Jace doesn't really. So I'm going to give him a few more months.
We spent a lovely Friday evening picnicking at a little park just off the 202 near Mill. The airplanes from Sky Harbor fly right over, the light rail zooms by and you can see the water from Tempe Town Lake. Our kids loved it! It was gorgeous weather. We threw rocks in the lake for a while. I fell in love with Brad all over again when he took some of our dinner to a homeless guy sitting in the park. Be still my heart.

Comment Moderation

2010-03-08T13:14:00.003-07:00

I thought I had lost all my readers! I've had ZERO comments the last 3 posts and I chalked it up to

too few posts + too lame of posts = no more readers.

My brother sent me a text saying, "What's up with the comment moderation on your blog?"

Oh yeah.

I forgot I did it.

I just get those random anonymous comments that I was trying to do away with. But I can just delete them.

I'm glad you're all still out there!!

I am still really happy with my decision to quit UOP. It's so not for me. At least not right now. I was going to teach a class about addictions, boundaries in relationships, etc. I just cant wrap my brain around teaching a class with 40 students who are each paying over $1000 to be in the class but I'm only going to get paid 1/40 of that?! Come on UOP. If you want quality, professional instructors then PAY THEM BETTER! Make it worth their time!

And so that's it for today. I quit so that I wouldn't have to sit in this chair and type all day so I'm not going to do it for blogging either! :)

I'm done being a Phoenix

2010-03-04T22:54:00.003-07:00

Who was I kidding?

I dont have 25 hours to devote to teaching an online class.

Especially when you break down what I'd be getting paid for all that invested time.

So tonight I sent my withdrawal of candidacy.

(Which is my academic and professional way of quitting.)

And it feels SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!

Cohen's 4th birthday

2010-03-01T19:37:00.005-07:00

He chose the shark theme.
(He says his 5th birthday will be his "octopus birthday".)

"sharks swimming in the ocean"

"What time is it, Mr. Shark?"

"fish... fish... SHARK!"

He loves his big boy bike.

Shark attack pinata!

It was such a fun day!

We're so glad all the cousins could come to play!

I am a (tired) Phoenix.

2010-03-01T02:52:00.003-07:00

I'm in training to teach an online class with University of Phoenix. They told us to expect to spend 20-25 hours per week online. I scoffed at them. I thought surely that number was for slow typers with little Internet experience. Turns out, they were right. I've been committing 2-3 hours every day but I still got backed up enough that I ultimately had to spend the last 5 hours catching up.

I long for the days when my only job is MOMMY. I may not sleep then either but at least I wont have carpel tunnel syndrome!

I really will post pictures tomorrow! Maybe.

This is what Brad saw when he came home from work today.

2010-02-16T18:55:00.003-07:00

Something strange is going around. I know several people who have the same crazy sinus infection/pressure/headache/dizzy/inkiness. It really got the best of me today. I slept like 8 hours last night and wished all day that I could just crawl back in bed.

The best part of the picture is the irony of Jace's shirt. In case you cant read it, it says "My mom is hot." I'm so NOT hot today. At all.

(Today is Cohen's 4th birthday but we celebrated yesterday because Brad didn't have to work. Pictures of his Shark Party are on their way!)

On this, the day of love.

2010-02-14T20:39:00.004-07:00

My brother's family is in town from Vegas so we all had dinner at my Aunt Alayne's house tonight. Not only was the food yummy and the company delightful, we also had a lovely spiritual moment talking about love. We shared scriptures and thoughts about the need to put our thoughts, energy and time into our relationships. To truly know someone and be able to recognize and meet their needs, you have to spend time learning of them, serving them and often this requires self-sacrifice. This is true of our relationships with our spouses, children, siblings, parents and the Lord. Only when we are putting forth the effort to cultivate and strengthen our bonds of love will we feel connected.

My Uncle Don spoke of the transition as the last of their 6 children is about to leave on his mission. He and my Aunt Alayne are very busy with church responsibilities and work and other things. They had kind of let go of doing a Family Night since it's usually just the two of them. In an effort to reconnect with each other, they have started having a weekly Family Home Evening and going on a Saturday morning hike together. These two moments together, in a week of otherwise separate lives, have reconnected them and given a surge to their relationship.

Brad talked about how busy our lives have become, with his 2 jobs and my 3. We are often passing just long enough to hand off the kids and wave goodbye. Our time together has decreased exponentially, thus making it increasingly important that we maximize the time we do have. Our Saturday night date consisted of sitting at Subway so he could have dinner and I could finish paperwork. We held hands walking into Kinko's to make copies that I needed. We flirted at the store while finishing another errand. He could have stayed home with the boys while I got my things done but it was SO worth the $12 we paid our babysitter so that we could spend time reconnecting. I have such a testimony of weekly dates for couples. If you aren't doing it, shame on you!

Similarly, if we aren't spending time each day trying to strengthen our relationship with our Savior, we will quickly start to feel a disconnect. If we aren't feeling His love, we need to first check with ourselves to see what we can change. What action can we take to draw nearer to Him? He loved us first. He is always there, waiting for us to seek Him.

This life is certainly not for coasters. Cruise control does not apply. There is always prioritizing and work to be done. It's like my friend Jodi says about the law of averages, the more good stuff you put out there, the higher your chances of getting good things back!

This might be TMI

2010-02-13T21:48:00.002-07:00

Last Monday, I made some lifestyle changes. My goal is to stick to them for 12 solid weeks. I believe that anything you do for 3 weeks, becomes habit. So 12 weeks ought to really make it stick! I'm tyring to do these 10 things everyday:

study scriptures for at least 15 minutes
exercise for 45 minutes
drink 48oz of water
sleep at least 7 hours
eat 2 fruits and 2 veggies
no sugary sweets
no junk
no eating after 8 pm
journal
random act of kindness

All good things, no? So I felt great all week. I got all 10 done most days and only missed one thing on the list here and there.

Today, I gave myself the day off. I find that when I'm too rigid with myself, it backfires. So at my niece's birthday party, I had pizza and cupcakes. Mind you, I still kept the rest of the rules. It was just pizza and cupcakes! I have been in the bathroom all day. My body is not happy. People cant believe that I dont love pizza. I dont know which shocks them more, that or that I'm a Democrat. The reality is that I dont love pizza because it doesn't love me! We just dont get along. I have had so much energy all week and somehow fit everything in and kept my cool... just to have it all thrown off because of some greasy melted cheese!

Lesson learned. Again.

Cohen might like Jace afterall!

2010-02-11T21:02:00.002-07:00

Tonight I witnessed one of my most precious moments as a mother. Cohen asked to help put Jace to bed so we were all in Jace's room reading stories. I realized that Jace's blankie was downstairs so I left them and went to get it. When I came back, Cohen was holding Jace's upper lip up with one hand and brushing his teeth with the other hand! And Jace was letting him! Sometimes I have to plug his nose to get him to open his mouth long enough to get the toothbrush in, but he was just holding his mouth wide open for Cohen! I started laughing out loud and so they both did too. It was so darling.

It's funny that just in the last week I've noticed Cohen taking more of an interest in Jace. He asked me if Jace could go to preschool with him today. When I said no because he's too little, Cohen said, "I'll tell the other kids not to take him cuz he's my brother. Then can he go?" It was sweet.

Cohen also informed me this morning that bees take polish from the plants to make honey. He's such a genius.

Truck truck bo buck

2010-02-10T22:35:00.003-07:00

I made the mistake of teaching Cohen the "Banana Fana" song.

It was fun for a while. He would giggle when I sang it. Then he learned to sing it himself.

But then Sunday, he and Brad walked home from church singing about everything they saw. Cohen saw a truck. Now he keeps singing the "Banana Fana" song about the truck over and over. If you think about it, this means he is saying a very foul cuss word quite frequently.

We are choosing to ignore it completely. When we told him that stupid wasn't a nice word, he started saying it more.
"Mom, is stupid a bad word?"
"Yes, Cohen. Let's try not to say it."
"OK. I wasn't saying stupid, I was just asking if stupid is a bad word."
We dont want that to repeat itself with the naughty rhyme to truck so in the meantime, we act like it's normal for our 3 year old to have the mouth of a sailor.

This is right up my alley.

2010-02-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

http://happyandhealthyforever.blogspot.com/2010/01/back-by-popular-demand.html#links

That's the link to a cool health challenge that I found through my friend Heidi. It's not a diet so I might actually stick to it!

Last night we had company.

2010-01-28T19:17:00.004-07:00

Unexpected company, to be more specific.

The EQ Presidency stopped in for a chat.

Brad wasn't home.

He was driving the streets between home and the park, looking for the shoe that Jace threw out the van window.

We need that shoe.

I was just about to put Cohen in bed.

But when the elders come, we visit.

So I left Cohen watching TV and sat to chat.

Two minutes in, Cohen comes into the room naked from the waist down and announces that he peed on the couch.

Awesome.

I instruct him to put on new underwear and pajama pants and then I go on visiting, as if peeing on the couch is an everyday occurrence here.

He comes in 5-12 more times to tell me things.

He's hungry.

He's tired.

By now it's after 8:30.

Brad comes home empty handed.

The elders start a new round of small talk with him.

It was all fine and they are cool guys.

I just couldn't help thinking,

"The RS Presidency would never

come so late,

stay so long,

or miss the signs that it was time to go."

I'm just sayin'.

Brad and I just spent 20 hours away from reality.

2010-01-23T19:36:00.003-07:00

Due to the crazy weather, we changed our plan to go to a cabin in Christopher Creek and instead spent our gas money to stay at a hotel in Phoenix. We rented Four Christmases (which is pretty funny, by the way) and watched it in bed on the laptop. Brad fell asleep, I watched a little What Not to Wear and then we snoozed until after 7:30 this morning! It was so dreamy. We spent the morning reading in bed before sneaking Chipotle in to Harkins to see Avatar in 3D. It was Brad's second time. It's no secret that I dont like going to the movies. I rarely like a movie enough to be ok with the money and time spent just sitting there in a dark movie theater. I'd so much rather Red Box so I can fast forward or pause and not feel bad about the wasted $1.08. Having said all of that, Avatar was a big risk for me. I actually thought about bringing my new book (The Hunger Games) in just in case, but I decided I'd just take a nap when it got boring.

I loved it.

That's right. LOVED it. I was entertained the whole time. I'm usually so critical of the special effects, story lines and acting in movies but this was really well done. I'm glad I saw it on the big screen and I liked the 3D. (And so just like that, I have turned into a movie critic, apparently!)

Thanks to Emily and both Grandmas for keeping our boys while we unwound. We'll call you for Round 2 in March!

I love that Brad of mine.

2010-01-20T13:06:00.006-07:00

Brad and I were asked to speak in church on Sunday. He spoke about developing charity. One of the things he said was, "Being angry at someone is like drinking poison and expecting them to die." Why spend any of our energy being mad at someone? Only we suffer from harboring resentment. Brad says that when we are spending our energy being angry or offended, we are not free to be charitable. It was very eye-opening and refreshing to me. When we choose not to be offended and not to dwell on "why me?", we are free to move forward, to love, to forgive and to progress. Our hearts and souls are free to deal with future disappointments instead of having those just add to what we are already festering about. We are able to roll with the punches and help others to do the same.

He's really good at it. I've never heard him put it into words like this but truly this is one of Brad's greatest qualities.

My plan to refresh my life in 2010

2010-01-01T11:46:00.004-07:00

I read this in my mom's Ladies Home Journal. Just thought I'd share... since not everyone subscribes to Ladies Home Journal! :)

So these tips are ways to "refresh" different aspects of your life.

Image: Wear lipstick. (I dont currently own any and have no idea how to pick one.) Showcase your waist with a cute belt or short jacket/sweater. Wear cute shoes, even on casual days. (I dont think flip flops count.) Carry a cute purse. Be unexpected with style courage.

Marriage: Laugh together. Go to a comedy club or invite another couple to play games. (Laughter is cheap. Watch 30 Rock together or have a leg wrestling match. Whatever breaks up the norm.) Every other month, go away together for 24-36 hours without kids. (I'm SO down with this! I already have weekends blocked out on my calendar!)

Parenting: Spend 60 minutes every day doing whatever your child wants to do. Set a timer and just follow their lead. (So simple, so often the last priority.)

Friendships: Schedule friendships into your calendar. (Done.) Communicate regularly.

Family ties: Schedule time for siblings, cousins, grandparents, etc. (I need to call my Dad and Grandpa every week, do FHE with my brothers' family once a month, and continue my "Big Girls" e-letter that has been so much fun.)

To make it all happen: Design your ideal life. What would it look like? Who is in it? What are you doing on a daily basis? Then decide how to get there. Make a daily move forward. Be consistent. Celebrate a rewarding life when you achieve your goals.

Life changes, more than resolutions. Happy New Year!

We narrowly avoided catastrophe today.

2009-12-23T22:38:00.003-07:00

I left the boys home with my sister in law while I went to work. When I got home, just before noon, the house was insanely quiet considering the 4 rambunctious boys that I left here. Within minutes, the doorbell rang. I opened it to find our visibly shaken next door neighbor standing there with my 2 nephews and Cohen, all soaking wet. They had been playing in her backyard with her grandson. She didn't realize her grandson could open the latch to the pool gate, but he had and the other three boys had followed him in. They all got in the hot tub, fully clothed. The other boys stayed on the step, and were only wet waist high. Cohen somehow ended up in the deeper middle part and couldn't get back to the edge. He was screaming and flailing, according to the kids. The boys were able to pull him back to the step just as the neighbor heard the screams and got out there. She brought them home to use apologizing that she had "really let them have it" for opening the gate and getting in. She felt badly that she'd yelled at them! I would have spanked every wet little bottom all the way home!) More than anything, she was obviously aware how dramatically different the outcome could have been. Can you imagine? 2 days before Christmas?!

Cohen keeps saying he's so sorry but there's no way he comprehends the magnitude of what could have happened. I think he's just sorry that he was grounded from playing and eating treats all day! (I have no idea what the appropriate consequence is so I just made that one up!)

So... here's your public service announcement: WATCH YOUR KIDS AROUND WATER! You can never be too cautious. Dont trust that your child cant reach the latch. Add a padlock or another secondary barrier to keep kids out of your pool.

And hug your babies. They are precious little gifts on loan for undetermined lengths of time.

the final countdown

2009-12-22T14:08:00.002-07:00

The Opie family always does a nativity play for Christmas. Cohen was supposed to be a Shepard but spent most of the time on Daddy's lap. Jace never even made it on stage because Grandma's lap (and the piano) were irresistible.

We also went to the Tilson Christmas party this week. My uncle Dave throws a mean Mexican food party complete with the best tamales in town. Cohen was even brave enough to sit on Santa's lap, since it's the third Santa he's seen this year. Afterward he told me, "That's a different Santa, mom." He's very perceptive.

In other news, my cousin John Flaherty is engaged! I'm happy for him with all my heart and soul!

Christmas bells are ringing...

2009-12-11T17:35:00.003-07:00

First of all, my brother Steven passed his dental boards this week! Apparently the national pass rate is only like 60%. He wont admit that he's smart or that he studied really, really hard. He just says "the stars were aligned" and weird junk like that. Whatever. I'm proud.

It's funny that I dont post unless I have a picture to share. And since I haven't bothered to upload pictures for a while, I have neglected the blog altogether!

I have to say that I love Christmas time at the Stoddard house. Debi has 2 trees and Christmas decor on every wall and shelf and table and railing in the whole house! It's hard not to feel festive up in here.

My shopping is done. There's nothing worse than Christmas shopping in December so I try to avoid it. I'm not a fan of the crowds and lines and lack of parking. No thank you. I found most of our gems on Craigslist in October. I'll wait to wrap them late one night, just a few days until Christmas. I dont trust Jace... or his Dad with wrapped presents. Brad likes to ruin presents by feeling each box... thoughtfully considering its shape, weight, any sounds it might make. It's annoying. Maybe I should wrap a few fakies to throw him off!

My mom and step-dad delivered the kids' gift today. I cant wait for them to open it!! Remember I was searching for the marble run? My step-dad totally made one. I dont know why I didn't think to ask him. Luckily, they read the blog! My boys are going to FLIP over it.

Cohen's preschool Christmas program is the 17th at 10 am if any of you locals want to come. Call or email me for the location. It's going to be hilarious. He's been singing about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas for 2 weeks!

Here's some linky fun I've been eyeing:

Surprise ball Christmas ornaments

Wooden Christmas countdown blocks

The cutest Christmas photo cards ever

Handmade holiday stuffs

2009-12-09T13:15:00.001-07:00

Just because that other picture had been up too long.

Thanksgiving in Utah was great and I'll try to post soon.

Lock up your daughters!

2009-11-23T20:22:00.003-07:00

I love this picture.

These are genuine smiles.

All of Jace's teeth and Cohen's squinty eyes.

Cohen got his first kiss this week. He was playing with the neighbor's granddaughter, Derrik, and she couldn't help chasing him around and kissing him. I asked him where she kissed him and he pointed all over his face and said, "Here and here and here and here." I asked him why he didn't tell her to stop and he said,

"Because I wanted her to do it!"

Ah, young love.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

2009-11-04T12:24:00.002-07:00

Dont knock it 'til you try it.

These ROCK!

Ingredients

1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups canned kidney beans, drained
1 cup water
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
6 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve. (Can top with sour cream, but they dont need it.)

Halloween 2009- Stoddard Style!

2009-11-01T16:08:00.006-07:00

While this is the picture that seems blog-worthy,

this is the picture that is closer to reality! The top one took a few shots to get. Cute? Yes. But really, these are my kids. Not those.

We love Halloween!

Every single day for the last 20 days, Cohen would say to me, "It's taking forever for Halloween to get here!" He couldn't wait to be Buzz.

His preschool class had a costume parade on Thursday. I wish I had a picture of the 4 year old boy in his class who was wearing a turquoise Care Bear costume size 2T. It was awesome.

Let's talk about this family photo for a minute. Cohen has this shy side that I forget about sometimes. He must get that from his dad. I mean really... look at his dad...

And then there's Baby Jace. Have you ever seen a cuter dinosaur? After about 10 houses, he got the hang of trick-or-treating and would run to the door and hold his bag out. It was super cute.

After our own trick-or-treating, we came home to rest our feet and pass out candy. So this is us, in front of our new home. We moved 2-3 weeks ago. We miss our cul-de-sac but the new diggs are treating us right. And anyway- home is where your heart is or something, right?