Well, Hello!

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I had a scare. A big one. We were at the Home Depot parking lot and Gavin literally almost got run over. I had McKay in his carseat in my right arm and was holding Gavin's monkey leash/backpack in my left. There was an old man in the first handicapped spot pulling out. I noticed that he was backing out and grabbed Gavin's hand. Gavin fell down and was behind the corner of the car as he backed out. I tried to pull him back up but he couldn't get back on his feet. It was then the alarm inside me realized that the car wasn't stopping. He didn't see Gavin. Surprisingly, I was very calm and was just trying to get him out of the way. I kept pulling and dragging and finally the car stopped, turned, and drove away. At first I was bugged. He didn't even stop! But of course he would have stopped had he known what was going on behind him. I bent down to check Gavin out and he wimpered a bit. I don't think he knew what was going on other than mom pulling him really fast. Two men in a truck who had seen what happened drove right up and asked if we were okay. I was shaking. I was upset. I couldn't even look at the plants I had gone there to buy.

As I have replayed the events in my mind over and over again, I realize a few things I should have done differently. First, I shouldn't have been walking that close to the cars from behind in the first place. Second, we always hold hands in a parking lot. No matter what. Third, I should have yelled or made a face or noise so the man would have known that something was wrong. I think it was good that I was calm, but when he looked back at me he might have stopped had he seen more distress on my face. It's easy to go back and say woulda - shoulda - coulda. It's just in that moment that you hope you do the right thing and that you do it fast enough.

Visions of me throwing him to the side had the car been going faster have come into my mind. I read this blog here today and couldn't help but think about it again. Also from reading this I realized that yes, I would throw myself in front of a car for my boys. But it is those small daily decisions - time spent, questions answered, hugs given - that show my undying love for them.

I'm so grateful things turned out the way they did. I've said lots of thank you prayers to tell Heavenly Father that.

Must share

McKay had been smiling at me for awhile and I thought I should capture it. I pulled out the camera and got all sorts of this sassiness instead. Is that funny?
Or this total confusion.
This is the best we got. Gosh, he's cute. I think it's funny that already he has this little personality. He smiles a lot and I love him bunches. Ten weeks have flown by... My 13-pound butterball and I are really liking each other.

Arizona - Summer 2010

Last week Gavin, McKay and I headed out to AZ while Brian spent the week working at Clear Creek.  Flying on the airplane was an adventure.  Thank heavens for portable DVD players!  I thought it was amusing when the flight attendant asked me to get Gavin in his seatbelt - like I wasn't trying!  My one arm was no match for him and his stubborn persistence to do anything but what mom was asking.  We managed to pull it off with a little bribery and talk of dragons flying next to the plane to distract him.   

We had such a great time.  Grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles, brothers/sisters, pedicures, favorite AZ restaurants, swimming, and a little rest.  It was a jam packed week just spending time with people and went by so fast.  It made me a little tired being the single parent, but my family was so good to help out.  

Gavin officially loves the water and anything to do with it.  We went swimming at the pool twice.  So fun!  Gavin: "I swimming!  I floating!"  I'm excited to get him in the water more this summer.  My cute brothers and sisters held him and let him have his moment in the water so I could feed McKay.

Slipping and sliding at G&Gs house

Cousin Carson.  Gavin thought Carson was pretty cool.  

We made an alligator cupcake cake for Ellie, Gavin, and Dallin's birthdays.  Ages 1, 2, and 3.   
Cousin Ashley
Grandpa Woolf reading about the javelinas
Mother had a party for the girl cousins and aunts.  She is the hostess with the mostest!  It was so much fun to sit and visit.  I love all of them.  Even better was not having the kiddos and being able to actually sit and talk.  Slowly everyone left but Mother, my sisters and I.  We stayed until my eyes couldn't stay open any longer.
My cousin Holly.  One of my very favorite people on this planet.  Truly.  If you are so lucky, she will be your nurse and take care of you.  I can't imagine anyone better!
This is my first picture with McKay where I'm not wearing a t-shirt or throwup on me.  Cute boy.
On our last day, Gavin followed the cousins around the yard.  He has kept asking for his cousins, Grandma Woolf, and 'Zona since we got back.  I think we'll head back down in September since, well, I can do that now.  

What we've been doing

The other day my home teacher looked at me and asked, "So, what have you been up to?" I had to laugh just a little. I didn't have much new, exciting news to share. I just pointed to the boys, hoping that was enough of an explanation. He laughed, and it was.

Things are getting more normal around here. But my goodness - being a mom is a 24/7 job, isn't it? I know - you're laughing. But seriously, it never ends! There's no punching the clock at 4:00 pm at the end of a long work day. And I know long work days because I've done them over and over for the past 9 years in the "real world." This new job extends late into the evenings with dinner, baths, stories, bedtime, soothing, feeding, changing, etc., etc., etc. This is what I should be doing. This is what I want to be doing. I know that for sure. But again - wow. Just wow. I'm learning. Not fast, but learning.

Here are a few pics of my new little babe. I should have never dropped my computer. Getting the right programs to import a few little pictures has turned out to be more trouble than I thought it would be.

I also know that it's a little known fact that the kid(s) who are not the first don't get as many pictures. I HATE to admit that it is true. I even have the camera sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for the moments, but I'm usually holding McKay and feeding him when I think about it. I don't think that would be a very cute picture. I will do better.

McKay is so alert. He loves his swing. He doesn't love his binky. How do I fix that?
Gavin is a sweet big brother. Even he tried to help with the binky - no such luck. But how cute that he was trying to make him happy.
He's got more hair here. It's certainly growing. More around the sides, but it's coming in on top. I love this picture of him.
I love this bottom lip. How huge is that? It makes me sad to see it quiver when he cries, which has been a lot lately. My book (the book that tells me everything I need to know about being a parent - my bible if you will) says that peak fussiness is at 6 weeks. I agree. I knew they were right. The book is always right.

I do smell like baby vomit most of the time and have come to accept that is my new fragrance, at least for awhile. Attractive, huh?

I haven't managed to get a picture of him smiling yet, but he does and it's the sweetest thing. A new baby's smile is about one of the very best things I can think of. It makes him look like a while different person. Pure sweetnes, I tell you.

And this is what Gavin's been doing while I'm trying to feed the baby. He's managed to memorize Jungle Book, Jungle Book 2, Robin Hood, Snow White, and his current favorite, The Little Mermaid. If you ask nicely, he can sing a sweet version of Someday My Prince Will Come. Perfect. I have a whole new perspective on Disney. Are they allowed to call people "tramps" and "idiots" and stab Ursula in the chest with a boat while a two-year-old is watching? Yikes. We may need to revisit Baby Einstein...
Did you notice that he got Elmo his own bed? Gavin's been needing a friend these days. He pulled down the pillow and covered Elmo up all by himself. I'd say he knows how to take care of people.

He's been grabbing my leg lately saying, "My mommy." I think his possessiveness is actually pretty cute. It's nice to know, in all his sassiness, that he still loves me. Between tantrums and hitting me and telling me no, I still see glimpses of my sweet boy in there. They come late at night when I'm reading him a story or often right after his nap when he's fresh and ready to play. "Okay, mommy. Love you. Thanks." Things like that. I love to hear that from him.

Anyway, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm in the depths of despair. I'm not. But again, if I was, then that would be fine too. This is just the real us today. And it's good. Tired, but good.

How to Train Your Dragon and Your Two-Year-Old Son

guest author: Brian aka Dad

Normally having a two year old sit on your lap for an hour and a half is not seen as fun. It might even be seen as dreadful, with your legs and arms falling asleep and everything. Tonight was different though. I took my oldest son, Gavin, to a movie tonight. I will remember it for a long time to come. The movie was ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ or ‘DAAGUNN!’ as any toddler might say it.

It started off a little shaky, which had me worried because we hadn’t even started yet. We were late getting out the door, and by the time we got into the movie theater the previews were already going. It was dark. It was loud. Gavin started wondering if we were going to his doom rather than to a movie. And as I coaxed him down the hallway to the seating area, I thought maybe his doom would really be my doom, but then there it was. It was beautiful. It was something of a rare sight to see in a popular movie theater – emptiness. I don’t mean not crowded – I mean completely empty. Gavin and I were the only two people in the whole place. I couldn’t believe it. I got us seated and then called Natalie right away to tell her the news. I wish she could have been here with us. It stayed empty. That is, except for the two of us.

He sat in my lap the whole time, fidgeted with his 3D glasses and my arm fuzz every once in a while, and loved every minute of the movie. It was one of those times when just sitting and holding my son was all I needed. He even gave me a hug when I picked him up to put him in the car, and said thank you – on his own.

There were 287 seats we could have chosen to sit in at the movie tonight – we only needed one.

A Rainy Tuesday

We've been off running errands in the rain today.  Gavin is a little feisty, which is kindof the usual as of late.  He's a sweetie, though.  McKay is sleeping soundly and Gavin and I had time to play playdoh and catch the dinosaurs and elephants that were hiding in his closet.  I took a set of drawers out of there and now he has the best dark hiding spot known to man.  On some days, I get invited in and we sit there side by side in the dark until he decides it's time to let in a little light.  I thought the dark closet was a nice transition to nap time.  I whispered "Goodnight Moon" to him and he whispered back every word I read.  Then he realized what was happening.  "Gavin no nigh-night."  Oh yes, Gavin, it's nigh-night.  

And now I'm going to take a nap.  I won't feel bad about it, either.