I'm Done!!

I'M DONE!!!!! The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy and I am happy to say that I am finished with my To Do Lists (mostly anyway). Here's a look at the last 10 days.
1. Get everything bought, found, washed, ready for the baby. CHECK (with my mom's help)
2. Help my friend pack and move to CA. CHECK
3. Speak in a church stake meeting. CHECK (although it was the worst talk I've ever given)
4. Help plan, prepare, and participate in the Trunk or Treat. CHECK
5. Write, practice, and present the Primary Sacrament Program. CHECK
6. Planned and delegated responsibilities for church Christmas Party/Dinner/Program. CHECK

And I did all of this with a two year old under my feet, my husband out of the country, and a hundred people asking me "when are you having that baby?" I officially declare myself Superwoman Queen of the World and dare anyone to complain that they are tired, busy, or have too much to do. I am nine months pregnant (and still have morning sickness) and I am now on maternity leave. I told everyone at church that their Primary President is MIA until January 1st and I am considering changing my phone number.
I'm going to have my baby in peace now. I will see you all on the other side.

***I will still be blogging though of course b/c I can't actually disappear for the next three weeks like I would like to, but I needed to get that off my chest.

Make room for George!

Max has never gotten attached to a toy or a blanket or anything...until now. I found this Curious George doll at the dollar store and thought Max would like it because he likes the show. Well they felt an immediate connection and haven't spent a moment apart since. George joins us for meals, shopping trips, church, and especially bedtime. They share snacks, read stories together, and take turns on the swings. It is really cute to watch the two of them. I went back to the store and bought a few more of them in case something happens to poor George. I don't know if their connection is because Max's friend moved away or he has just found a kindred spirit in a stuffed monkey. Whatever it is, I'm happy for them both.

Trunk or Treat

We had our church Trunk or Treat on Saturday. Here is our ferocious lion. Aren't you frightened! Max loved getting the candy and saying Trick or Treat to everyone.

We decided Baby Zack needed a costume too, so this is what we came up with.

After about 3o minutes Max decided the lion costume was too hot and itchy so he took it off and spent the rest of the evening eating candy and socializing.

Family Night

We had some cookie dough we needed to use and no other plans this past Friday night, so we decided to make some Halloween treats. Max had a great time helping make all the cookies and was very excited to realize that the dough wasn't just playdo; that it was cookie dough that turned into something yummy to eat!



He also liked playing in the flour which Mom loves to clean up!

We added some sprinkles to make the cookies look more festive. Max thought is was great fun too. He ended up picking off most of the sprinkles and eating them before the cookies were done.

Our finished product. We aren't crafty people so please don't judge us.

The cookies may not have been the prettiest but they were yummy enough to be gone by the end of the weekend!

Best Friends

Max's best little friend moved to California last week and I've had a hard time explaining to him that Isaac moved far away and we can't go to his house anymore. He lived right down the street from us and so Max sees his old house and still wants to go play. I've tried to occupy him with other friends and that seems to distract him, but I guess it will take him some time to move past this. Life can be tough even when you are a little guy.

Mardi Gras Mambo Anyone?

I live in the desert where nobody celebrates Mardi Gras. Actually I don't think many people around here have even heard of Mardi Gras. However over the past week I have been hearing the Mardi Gras Mambo song all over town. My neighbors were playing it the other night, I heard it in a store while I was shopping, and I've heard it at least twice on the radio.
Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad song or anything, but it's weird to hear it right now. It's Halloween time not Mardi Gras, it's the wrong season, and as pathetic as it might sound, it makes me a little home sick. All week I've been dying to take off my top, wear some plastic beads, and eat dried out cinnamon rolls covered in colored sugar crystals that are a beast to get out of the carpet.
Am I missing something or are these desert people as weird as I've always thought they were?

Twenty-Eight

So I turned twenty-eight today. I'm getting up there I guess. Fortunately I tend to surround myself with people who are older than me so it makes me feel a little better! I was going to post something profound today, like 28 kernels of knowledge I have acquired over the years or something. However, I could only think of about 6 things I've learned and that doesn't make me look too bright, so I will save my wisdom for another day.
All in all I guess getting older isn't too bad. Some of my friends got together and we all had lunch and cake today so that was nice. Unfortunately my party was also a going away party for a good friend of mine who is moving to CA. It was still nice for all of us to get together though and nothing can be too bad if you have cake. Max has enjoyed unwrapping and taking all of my presents so that's fun for him. Jeff has once again had to reassign my birthday to another day due to scheduling conflicts, but I'm sure we will get together sometime before Christmas to celebrate. Anyway, it is late and I am rambling like the old lady I'm turning into so I'll just say 28 down and hopefully more than 28 more to come!

Blurbs of the Week

Walking past Jeff's office, I heard a tiny little voice singing. I stopped to listening because Max sounds so sweet when he does that. Then I realized that he was in the office by himself. I peeked my head in to see what he was up to and saw him digging through a knocked over trash can singing "I Am a Child of God." I asked him why he was playing in the trash can and he smiled at me and said "I'm from Texas, Mom."
Allrighty then.

Max has learned to love the word crap. (I'll give Jeff the credit for that.) Now everything is Holy Crap, Oh Crap, or my personal favorite, when he has a dirty diaper, "I smell like dog crap." Wonderful I know. Now instead of just Holy Crap, he inserts people's names like Holy Hannah, Holy Cobey, Holy Isaac. Yeah, he's a hit in the nursery at church. I will probably be apologizing for things he says for the rest of his life.

I was getting ready to leave the house this morning and Max said, "Mommy has to go to the doctor." I said yes (even though that's not really where I was going, I was just trying to get out of the house without too much discussion) and Max asked,"How's your blood pressure, Mommy?" He picks up on EVERYTHING!

Gwam-maw

As I mentioned before, my mom came for a visit this past week to help out with a few things. Actually she just wanted an excuse to come play with Max again, but I did make her work quite a bit while she was here. Max loves his Gwam-maw (Max has a southern accent mixed with Texas twang). He is a showman and she is a captive audience. He was disappointed that Paw Paw didn't get to come this time, but they will have lots of time to catch up when he is out here next month. I really do wish we were closer to family so these trips could be easier and more frequent.
I have tons of blogging to catch up on regarding Gwam-maw's visit (we'll see if that ever happens)but in a nutshell we had a great time and got a lot done so it was a success all the way around!

Trip to the Zoo

Jeff has been working and traveling quite a bit and last week he decided to surprise us by taking the morning off and going to the zoo with Max and me. We had a really fun time and we all enjoyed being together. The weather was great and what two year old doesn't like the zoo. All in all it was one of those great days to do something a little different to remember what's really important!

More Baby Butt Talk

So I went back to the doctor a few days ago b/c there was some concern about a few minor details of the pregnancy. One of the concerns was that Zack appeared to still be in the breech position. I tried to explain that Max stayed that way until the day he was born and there was still plenty of time for this baby to turn the right way too.
Well the doctor checked me out this week and could feel the head right under my ribcage so he sent me to get another ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was also convinced that Zack was in the wrong position when she felt around. Then they turned on the ultrasound thingy and were all surprised to realize that Zack was actually positioned properly with his head down. The exact quote from the doc was, "Well this baby is certainly not breech, but wow he really has a big butt!"
I didn't think there would be so much discussion of my little one's hiney even before he was born. I'm just glad he's not a little girl and I totally blame the big butt thing on the other half of his DNA b/c it is certainly not MY fault!

What am I suppose to do?

During a rather dramatic temper tantrum this morning (brought on by heaven only knows what), Max jammed that heck out of one of his fingers. I was trying hard to ignore him at the time so I have no idea what actually happened to it. But now his finger is purple and swollen and he cries when he moves it (unless he is playing) or thinks about it. It really does look kind of painful, but I am not feeling overly sympathetic. There is a part of me that feels bad b/c it's no fun to hurt and he is my little boy, but most of me is quietly thinking, "Well you absolutely deserved it. That's what happens when little boys throw fits for no reason at all and maybe you will learn something from this."
So I am torn. I feel that a lot lately with a little boy who's growing up so much so quickly. I guess that makes me a mom. Fortunately for him, Grandma is coming to visit this afternoon and he will have 10 days of all the sympathy and coddling a little boy could ask for.

Oh, I would post a pic of his hand, but that would remind him that it hurts and then the drama will continue.

Family Shopping Trip

We went shopping last night for kids' clothes and Jeff and I were digging through clearence racks looking for good deals. The rule with Max was that he had to stay close to us or he wouldn't get any Cheetos when we left. I know, not a good plan. Anyway, he did ok staying around us for a few minutes and then started to wander. Jeff, being the good parent, kept leaving the sale racks to track him down. I, being the not so good parent, was just becoming annoyed that he was interrupting my bargin hunting (BTW it was not a big or a crowded store).
Jeff got concerned when he couldn't find him so I started looking for him too. Then from inside a clothing rack I hear a tiny voice saying, "Maxwell Orwin, where are you?" I moved the clothes and Max peeked his head out, grinned, and said, "I playing hide seek wif Daddy."
I have no idea how he ended up getting his bag of Cheetos as a treat after that.