Progress

Iris is starting to pull herself up.  It's fun to see watch the progression from crawling to being upright.  When babies are tiny you just can't imagine them crawling, let alone standing and walking.  She uses everything to help her...the ironing board (amazingly enough it was actually out and used this weekend!), the laundry baskets, the exersaucer, etc.  She gets excited, then freaks when she realizes she doesn't know how to sit back down. Good times!

Torture

 Yes...apparently this is torture.  These 4 plain raviolis!  Tiny and sauceless, with nothing in them but a speck of cheese.
We have been trying to get more variety in Miles' diet.  Like most kids, he was a great eater until he turned 2, then everything changed.  He loves yogurt, string cheese, cereal and fruit.  Those are not bad foods as long as they are not the only foods.  I really think he would happily survive for months eating only Cheerios and apple slices.
Last night we decided to make him have just one bite of ravioli before he could watch TV or play with toys.  I knew he would fight it and stall and hope we would give up.  We didn't.  He sat and stared at them for an hour while Jeff bathed Iris and I cleaned the kitchen.  Then it was straight into the tub.  No toys, no TV.
I struggle with this because I grew up being the most picky eater ever, other than perhaps Jeff!  I freaked when the pasta had sauce on it, when the cereal had milk in it, and when the ketchup touched anything.  I lived on buttered saltines and plain white bread and a favorite snack was crunching on plain uncooked pasta (and I wonder why I'm a carb junkie now!)  I didn't even try rice or oatmeal or macaroni and cheese until college...seriously.
I guess now is the time to be firm about it.
Hmmm, what to make for dinner tonight?

How could I forget this video?!

Just had to try downloading a video to this site.  This one is short and sweet, but it cracks me up. It was a fun weekend!

You know you're not in Utah when...

You know you're not in Utah when someone gives you directions that include "just head up the hill past the cat houses"!  We decided to spend the weekend visiting friends in Ely, NV.  Ely is an old gold mining town about 4 hours from Salt Lake, and yes...prostitution is very much legal there.
It was awesome to drive out of the smog on Friday afternoon and breathe clean air and see clear skies for a few days.  We checked out the Ely Fire and Ice Festival, with ice sculptures on Cave Lake and fireworks shot off the old steam engine as it cruised through town.  We also hit the train museum, although Miles was more into the Thomas train table inside than the real trains outside.  He was super excited about staying in a hotel room...asking if we were pretending it was our house on Brookhill Drive!  He slept like a champ.  Too bad Iris decided Saturday night was party night and howled for hours.  The most challenging part of travel is sleeping with everyone in the same room.  When one is awake, all are awake.  
It was great to roll back into Salt Lake Sunday night and see the mountains again.  Now I'm just wishing Jeff had today off and could be home with us.  Happy MLK day!
A few pictures from the weekend...

Reflections in the Great Salt Lake

Iris at the train museum

Train table play time. 

Miles by one of the sculptures

Showing the world his ice bowling skills!

Shot time

We had doctor appointments yesterday for both kids.  I was wrong when I thought shots would get easier with age.  It's pretty awful to see the fear of a 3 year old when the nurse walks into the room with multiple needles.  I'd tried a little prepping by reading Corduroy Goes to the Doctor, but that didn't really help much.  I was thankful Jeff was there so we could tag team.  Miles went to bed saying he hoped the "holes the sharp things made in him" would be better in the morning.  Interesting to see how their little brains think about this stuff.
Here's a picture I took of the two of them this morning. Note the many bandaids!

Mom, put the fire on the cake!

How did I get to be 37 years old??  I still feel mid 20's in my brain, so knowing I am rapidly approaching 40 is a little freaky.  Technically my birthday was yesterday, but the day was insane so I am just getting around to writing about it.  I was actually pulling into the daycare parking lot on time, which is a total miracle.  I looked into the rearview mirror just in time to see Miles projectile vomiting all over himself and the car.  Big sigh and a few choice words, which hopefully stayed in my brain, but most likely didn't.  I ran Iris inside.  Yes, I did leave Miles alone in the car, but I locked it and figured the parking lot has cameras...bad Mom?  I shot back home across the valley to drop Miles with Jeff, drove right back to the office, grabbed a work vehicle and hit the road for meetings 2 hours south of Salt Lake.  Way too chaotic a morning...
Thank you Jeff for simply handing me the keys to the Subaru and dealing with the carnage on your own.  I was so happy to drive away from that scene and right out of town.  I love my travel days for work, as long as the weather is decent.  Listening to good music (finally...not Puff the Magic Dragon!) and getting to see the winter scenery was like a birthday present! 
I got home to dinner and a cake Jeff made.  He makes yellow cake with chocolate icing for all the birthdays.  It's awesome and I will eat too much of it in the next few days until it's gone!  Miles blew out my candles.  He gets very excited about that, thus the title of this post!  I got the purse I wanted and other fun stuff, with the big surprise of the day being a new snowboard.  I am super excited to head up this weekend and test it out.  I crawled into bed completely exhausted, but really happy.  Bring it 37!

Happy New Year 2010!

I decided to post a few of my favorite or most meaningful pictures of 2010.  As I began looking through the hundreds we have I quickly realized it was going to be tough to narrow it down.  My top 10 turned into my top 13!

This one is certainly not pretty, but I was blown away thinking this is what we were looking at last New Years Eve.  Iris was 3 days old, super jaundiced and had to be under the lights for a few days.  You've come a long way, baby girl!

This was taken on my birthday.  Iris was just a week old.  I think it's cool to have a picture of the kids with both sets of grandparents.  My grandparents died before I was born or old enough to really know them.  I would love to have a picture like this of me with them.

Three months old and just really cute!

 Easter up at Solitude

At Kolob Canyon in April.  Roaring, of course!

At Snow Canyon in April.  As any Mom knows, even if you're beyond tired sometimes it's just nice to get out.  Beautiful hike, beautiful weather, great trip.

This was at the beach in Indiana in July.  My brother Jim took the picture.  He is an amazing photographer.  It was hard to pick just one shot from that day.

As I scrolled through countless pictures I kept seeing so many like this one.  Jeff with the kids...happy, patient, content, and super hot :)  You're a great Dad!

Happy Halloween 2010!

Thanksgiving in Indiana.  Trips back home are never long enough.  It makes me sad to raise my kids so far from my family.  That wasn't part of my grand plan.  That's just life I guess.  I miss you guys like crazy.

Memory Grove in October.  

I know all Moms think they have the best looking kids, but I am sure of it!

Since the first picture was a not-so-flattering one of Iris under the lights, I decided to end with this one.  It's my favorite picture of her.

Here's to a great 2011!