Skipping Christmas

I would post about Christmas, but I'm getting ready to move in 2 days and Michael and Sam spent the last 24 hrs throwing up. I'll have to do it later.

My First Last Thing

Wednesday was my last dance class in Virginia. Maybe my last dance class for a long time. I danced from age 10 through high school, then not at all until we moved here six years ago and I found out a woman in our ward taught lessons in her basement studio. She studied at the University of Utah and in New York with some very famous choreographers and she's taught me so much. I have looked forward to going each week to be with other ladies who needed to unwind in a creative way. It kept me in a little bit of shape and kept my knee from hurting. It helped me relax and get my mind off of whatever was stressing me out at the moment, be it work or babies. It let me have a moment of beauty in a week of labor. I loved it and I will miss it.

Until this year we were doing ballet, I even went back on pointe for a year or two, but this year we wanted to let our hair down a little bit more and not have such a strict discipline. So, she taught us some lyrical dance. We practiced making our movements fluid instead of percussive movements like in ballet. We practiced moving our centers of balance around and stretching a movement out as long as possible before moving into the next step. The goal was to have the dance look like one long movement, not a series of steps.

Here's what we accomplished.

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Birthday Time Again

Last Friday Michael and Sam turned 2! They were so excited for their birthday's since they can understand a little better what it is this year. Michael has a favorite book where a horse has a birthday party with party hats and a cake so he was mostly excited about the birthday cake!

We had a few of their little friends over for grilled cheese (soup for the moms) and cupcakes. I bought helium balloons which kept them happy while I made lunch. Josh got to stop in for a few minutes and see them blow out their candles.


The post-chocolate cupcake activity was climbing up, across, and down our couch. They were laughing hysterically! I had to apologize to this little girls' mother, who wasn't at the party, and hope she doesn't start doing it at home.
That night we had more cake after dinner, and then opened presents. Sam blew out his own candle! It's pretty cute.



We got them some books and a train set. They are fascinated with it and love taking it apart, which is frustrating because they never put it back together. Grandma and Grandpa sent flashlights and we had a fun night playing and dancing around and singing "Happy Birthday" a million times.


When we had leftover birthday cake the next night, Michael made us sing "Happy Birthday" again before we could eat it. He loves it! The other day I told him that we have Christmas to celebrate Jesus' birthday. He got mad and said, "No! My birthday cake!" I think we have some more work to do explaining this whole thing.

They boys are so much fun and so interactive. They communicate so well and play together and with us and melt our hearts everyday. They have tantrums now and then, but it's all so much better than when all they could do was cry, and cry, and cry. Now we play, sing, dance, laugh, hug, read, and snuggle.

We told them we're moving all of our things to our new house in California and they are beginning to understand that all of the things we put into boxes will be coming with us. The new house has a fireplace, a staircase, and a backyard (all things we haven't had here), and they're getting excited about it.

Next year when they turn 3 they'll be California boys!

Sabotage

Today I tried to have a healthy lunch but my efforts were sabotaged. I made myself a yummy pita stuffed with vegetable hummus, cucumber, and tuna and gave the boys grilled cheese on wheat, pan-fried hot dogs, and grapes. Sam took one bite of his hot dog, said yuck, and spit it out. He ate half of his grilled cheese and they handed it to me saying, "Mommy eat it."

Since I was afraid he wouldn't take a good nap if he didn't eat something and I was too tired to make him something else, I handed him my sandwich and asked him to try it.

He loved it. He ate the whole thing.
And I . . . got to eat cold hot dog bites. Thanks Sam!










I know I should be grateful he prefers fresh food over salty, fattening, nitrate-filled preserved mystery meat. I guess I need to stock up on hummus instead of hot dogs on my next trip to Cost*co.

Just Say No to Cement

I don't think this will fulfill my dream of having a backyard for the boys to play in. We're looking and looking and looking for a rental home in Sacramento. Some of them look so nice, until we see the picture of the backyard. "Maintenance free" they say. I say "fun free" in the 110 degree summers. Where is the grass? I thought the water shortages were only in southern California.

I heard today at the boys playgroup that it's against the law in Virginia to let your kids play in your yard unless you're out there supervising them. Isn't that the point of having a backyard? How are moms expected to get anything done if you can't plop your kids in front of the TV because it kill brain cells and leads to obesity, and you can't let them exercise by running and playing outside? I think it's a conspiracy to get kids into day care. Where is the support for the stay at home mom?

In other news, no picture, Michael rode a tricycle at playgroup today. I was cheering like crazy! He loved it and Santa has been advised that both he and Sam would like starter tricycles for Christmas this year! Anyone know of any 2 for the price of 1 deals on trikes? Oh to only need to buy one bike and then hand it down to the younger kids. Not for me. Oh well, as I always say, two at once is better than zero!!! Much, much better.

To Utah and Back

I'm late posting about our trip to Utah for my nephew's wedding. It was the last time the boys will fly for free! They loved the airplanes and did a great job traveling. Here's Sam enjoying a snack on his very own tray table.
He got very creative finding things to play with. Without blocks he still managed to build a tower at lunch in the Dallas airport with ketchup bottles and his uneaten cheese stick.

We got to visit both their living sets of great grandparents. Sam had fun riding this cow around like a horse Granny and Pepaw's.
Here's Michael and his Pepaw Nelson.

And with his Granny. Both of the boys were so friendly and warm with them right away. We had a great visit and wished we could have stayed longer.

Here Michael is giving Granny some sugar. I don't know who's skin is softer, her's or Michael's! They were so happy to be together.
I have pictures of the actual wedding on the family blog, here.


Here's a picture of the boys with Grandma Anna and Grandpa Gail. They babysat them while we went to the wedding. The boys had fun dancing around while Grandpa played the harmonica and Grandma played the piano. Aunt Suzie stayed home from work that day to play with them, too, which was so sweet.

We were so excited to take the boys to the Salt Lake temple to see Moroni up close. Michael was so excited that he ran toward it, looking up at his favorite hero in the world, Moroni, and tripped, getting these bloody scrapes on his nose right before the wedding reception. Poor baby.

We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to living within driving distance of our Utah friends and family!

The Verdict is In

Hurray! I took Sam to the allergist to have him tested for some food allergies I thought he had. He was negative for ALL of them! The doctor said he's just been getting a rash similar to eczema from some of the more acidic foods because he has very sensitive skin. They tested him for 19 different foods as well as common allergens with little pricks on his back, and all of them were negative! I am so excited! I think I'll throw in another exclamation point just for fun!!! He was so sweet during the test. The nurses expected the need to hold him down on the table while they pricked his back, but he held still and just giggled. I think it tickled him! They were all in love with him by the end our visit.

I have been so paranoid about peanuts since he threw up the two times he had chicken cooked in peanut oil. She said that was most likely food poisoning from the chicken, because apparently he's not allergic to peanuts at all. We're going back to the doctor's office to have a thorough peanut test where they'll actually give him some peanut butter to eat. If he reacts, they'll be able to treat it right away, in a controlled environment.


So, just before we head across the country on a road trip and eat out a lot, I will be freed from asking every restaurant "Do you use peanuts or peanut oil in your cooking?" Hurray for being free from fear of public food! Except for the roaches and unsanitary employee hand washing problems! Ha! Now I can make our peanut butter blossom Christmas cookies without being afraid he'll get a hold of one somehow and throw up for a week straight. Now, after he's introduced to peanut butter in the doctor's office, I can make him peanut butter sandwiches for lunch! This will open up a new world of time saving, if he likes them, of course!

I just had to share my excitement that my little peanut won't have to worry about food allergies all his life. Hurray!