Thanksgiving Eve: What I'm Thankful For

First Smiles!

Noah's first smile was on Saturday, November 20th. He just keeps getting cuter and cuter.

The Boys

I thought I'd write a quick blog update just to prove to people that I'm alive and to show you how cute my boys are.

I tend to gloss over people's blog posts when they brag about their kids stats. You know what I'm talking about: "Junior is getting to be SUCH a BIG BOY! Even though he's only 2 months old he is already sleeping through the night, rolling over, crawling, eating with a spoon and using sign language to tell us when he needs to go potty!"

I try not to do that with my posts. But, unfortunately, my kids are so cute and smart and great, that anytime I write about them it always sounds like bragging. What's a girl to do?

Actually, I kind of understand why people would want to post stuff like that. First of all, some relatives (namely grandparents and such) actually want to read about it. And secondly, your blog is kind of a family journal and it's important to write this stuff down so it'll be there for your kids to read when they're older.

So, that being said, I'm still not going to give you a list of stats. But if, at times, it sounds like I'm bragging, just gloss over it and recognize that it's for the children. The children!!

Caleb is 15 months old now. He started walking as soon as we got Noah. He literally took his first steps in our hotel rooms. He also started signing more then, too. His first real sign was "book". He was already signing "please", but not consistently enough for me to believe he actually knew what he was doing. He also signs "more", "all done", "milk" (though now he just says "Muk" when he wants milk), "eat", "thank you" and "nap". He just recently made up his own sign for "Hey, Mom, let's sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"". I cannot resist that sign. I just can't. As far as speaking goes, he can say "mama" and "dada", but he doesn't really use them on us. His first real word, in my opinion, is "book".

Since he learned to walk he has explored pretty much everything in the house. He's pretty good about leaving stuff alone when we ask him to, but he's also pretty good about making us ask him to leave stuff alone. His current loves are Grandma, Dad, books, music and dancing, and pretty much anything made out of cloth: blankets, stuffed animals, shirts, socks, etc. He is old enough now for Zack to throw him around and it is awesome to watch them play together. He seriously gets more fun every single day.

15 months old!

Noah is almost 7 weeks old. He still loves to sleep and eat. When he's awake he pretty much just stares at us. I think I caught a smile yesterday, but I'm not sure. We bought a swing that swings from side to side which he really doesn't like. I pulled out our old swing that basically just swings (you know, the old-school kind) and he likes that. Go figure. I think I'll sell the new one on ksl or something. It just takes up space. Noah's real claim to fame right now is the fact that, starting this week, he's been sleeping for 6 to 7 hours a night before he wakes up and needs to be fed. This, combined with the fact that Caleb is now over his cold and is now sleeping through the night again, has caused my sanity to come back.

6 1/2 weeks old!

This week I started baby-sitting a friends baby 3 days a week. He's 3 months old. That's right. 3 kids under 1. I call my house "Baby City". It's been a challenge figuring out everyone's eating and napping schedules and trying to keep everyone happy all day. But, on the plus side, I don't have any problem getting to sleep at night and I'm never bored. It's hard to go anywhere with three babies, but I did manage to get a walk in. I carried Noah in the SleepyWrap and pushed the other two in the stroller. I might have looked like a crazy person, but at least I was a crazy person who wasn't cooped up in her house all day. The only down side is that I couldn't take the dogs. One woman, 3 kids and 2 dogs? Even III start to question my sanity at that point.

So, that's what I've been up to. These kids may be a lot of work, but I love it. Waiting 7 years for something really changes your perspective when things get challenging. When I start to get frustrated because there's a crying baby, or a toddler is trying to pull the blinds down, or there's clutter everywhere, I step back and think how lucky we are to have these kids. And when the clutter consists of baby books on the floor, tiny shoes, a couple boxes of diapers, burp cloths, and a bunch of bottles in the sink, I remember when the house was super clean and there were no baby items anywhere. And then I don't mind the clutter so much.

And I'm so grateful for these two boys.

Even when one is grumpy.... and the other won't look at the camera.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Caleb has decided that his new morning wake-up time is 4:30 AM. This cannot continue. If he wasn't so happy about it, it'd be easier to be mad at him.

Zack gets to play basketball today. He broke or bruised his rib 7 weeks ago and hasn't been able to play until now. He is very excited. I'm excited for him.

I really like September and October. I like it infinitely more now that I don't have the worries of school to keep me from noticing the cool air and the fall colors.

This week I started using the playpen as part of the daily routine. I put Caleb in there with a few select toys for about 45 minutes. I. Love. It. He seems to love it, too. He focuses more on those toys and doesn't seem as distracted by other things. (BabyWise, why did I ever doubt your second book?)

On our morning walk I noticed someone had a broken sprinkler. I felt like knocking on their door to tell them, but didn't. What's protocol for something like that? Assume they already know and ignore it? Leave a note? (And say something about how having a broken sprinkler and wasting gallons of water is going against the church... I kid! I kid!)

I took Maxwell to get his rabies vaccination today. When I got to the vet's, I realized I forgot to put his collar on. (We take it off because the tags on it make so much noise when Maxwell moves around at night.) So, like a redneck, I tied a rope around his neck and took him in. No one said anything, but I'm pretty sure they were thinking something.

10 Years Ago

Ten years ago today...

I was sitting at home wondering why Nate hadn't called me to do something that night. He said he would!

Ten years ago today...

Zack was at home deciding whether or not he wanted to branch out of his comfort zone and go to a West High game with Nate...in the rain.

Ten years ago today...

Nate called at 9:30 PM wondering if I wanted to come play games with him and a couple of friends.

Ten years ago today...

Zack decided to listen to his Mission President's advice to look for opportunities to meet new people and accepted Nate's invitation to come play games. "You never know when you might meet your future wife," he begrudgingly thought. :)

Ten years ago today...

I walked into the Burgess's home and saw a cute, skinny guy sitting on their couch.

Ten years ago today...

Zack saw a girl with long blond hair, wearing a red fleece jacket that was too big for her, walk into the Burgess home.

Ten years ago today...

I said, "You look familiar."

Ten years ago today...

He said, "I have a familiar face."

Ten years ago today...

Sitting around a table, playing games and quoting "Tommy Boy", I realized this new Zack fellow was really fun to talk to and he laughed at all the right times.

Ten years ago today...

Sitting around a table, playing games and also quoting "Tommy Boy", Zack realized this new Carrie girl was incredibly funny. ;)

Ten years ago today...

It took me 2 years to realize it, but my best friend had just entered my life and it would never be the same again.

Ten years ago today...

Zack decided he should start hanging out with Nate more often.

Happy Ten Years of Us!

Random Thoughts Thursday

I can finally do a random post! I successfully posted about other things and have thus avoided a string of randomness.

Caleb's sleep and nap schedule was so on track the past, oh, nine months or so. Then suddenly, without warning, it derailed a few weeks ago. Thank goodness for BabyWise and The SleepEasy Solution. I am happy to report that he is once again sleeping through the night and is currently taking his afternoon nap.

We got rid of our coffee table. We just realized we don't drink coffee.

I got to sleep in until 7:30 this morning thanks to an awesome husband who, when I tried to get up at 6:30, told me to go back to sleep while he got our boy up, fed him breakfast and got him ready for the day. Thanks, Sweetie!

This morning I knew Caleb was awake from his nap when I could hear faint clapping coming from his room. I guess he's as happy as I am that he's back to getting enough sleep.

Why are most baby toys made out of colored plastic? My boy is tired of that texture. He wants variety! Why don't they make a baby toy made out of handles and straps and remote control buttons?

I've started organizing my books. We only have so much bookshelf space in our house so some of the books have to be boxed up. :( Does anyone have a good solution for storing books?

I gave Caleb tofu yesterday. I knew Zack and I weren't tofu people, and now I know he isn't either.

Wyoming Again in 2010

I know we just visited Wyoming in March, but we decided to go again in June because Zack's cousin and his family were going to be there. They live in Ohio and we've only seen them once in the past 10 years or so. They have a boy who is about a month older than Caleb. Zack's Uncle Jim was also in town to see his son so it was almost a family reunion! We did a lot of the same things we did in March so I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about it. I'll let the pictures and their captions tell the stories.

Caleb and his second cousin.

Not quite sure about his face in this one.

Zack's grandpa has a big garden next to the house.

Here's more of the garden. And Grandpa!

More of the garden and a shot of the side of the house.

Zack's uncles, his mom and his grandparents. Just one uncle is missing.

What Grandpa Ray was doing a lot of the time. (There's a TV in the corner of the room you can't see.)

Can't go on vacation without a favorite book! I am now among the thousands of mothers who have this entire book memorized.

Zack's cousin, Joe, wanted to celebrate Grandpa Dike's birthday because he had missed it. Not quite sure why there's a 21 on the cake.

A nice shot of Wyoming sky.

Wyoming 2010

Zack is fortunate enough to have both sets of grandparents still living. (Which makes up for me who now has no grandparents still living.) After we got Caleb we wanted to introduce him to his great-grandparents. So, in March we headed up to Casper, Wyoming to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Dike.

Visits to Casper are always fun because of a number of reasons. Here are a few:

#1: Zack's Grandma always makes pies. And she expects you to eat them. Sometimes by force if you refuse.

#2: Zack's Grandma has a never-ending cookie jar.

#3: Zack's grandparents like to play cards.

#4: Did I mention the pies? And did I mention that one is always banana cream?

#5: Zack's grandparents are the kind of people you can just sit at the kitchen table with, eat your pie or cookie, and just enjoy sitting. Talking is optional, but always enjoyable.

#6: Zack's grandma is the perfect doting grandma. Taking care of you is her job, and you'd better not keep her from doing it.

We were excited to have Caleb meet these fabulous people. It appears the feeling was mutual.

Wondering if Grandma is going to let anyone else have a chance to hold the boy.

Grandpa finally has a chance to meet him. :)

It was about 10:30 at night when we got there, and Caleb had been sleeping in the car, so he wasn't so sure about things right away.

By the end of the trip he had warmed up a bit. In Zack's grandparent's kitchen, high up on the wall, there is a mirror set into a piece of wood. The mirror is kind of set far back in the wood so you can't tell it's a mirror unless you get up really close to it. From a distance it looks like an opening to a cave or something. For as long as Zack can remember his grandpa would ask him or his brother (or any of the grandkids) if they wanted to see the monkey who lived up there. Then he would lift them up until they could see their own face in the mirror. Caleb, of course, had to be part of that tradition. He looks a little surprised.

Here's a shot of everyone just sitting around talking. And here's one of the many times we played cards. Ah, vacation at it's best. I know it may sound funny, but I'm always nervous when other family members meet or interact with Caleb. Some part of me wonders if they're really going to accept him as family or if they're going to treat him differently because he's black or adopted or both. Well, I never should have doubted these people. They treat him like one of their own. They understand that family isn't all about blood and genetics. It's just about love.

The First Day of School

Monday was my first day of no school. That last time I didn't start school was 27 years ago.

To honor the occasion, Caleb and I took a walk after 8:45 just to see what things were like when you are not in school. Can I just say that they are pretty fine? Everything was cool, crisp and clear. It was a beautiful morning.

Though, while the world around me was so nice, I have to admit my mind was in the classroom. I couldn't help thinking thoughts like:

"If I were teaching right now the kids would be putting their backpacks on hooks, getting their breakfast and finding their seats."

"If I were teaching right now I think I would let the kids get acquainted with just the room before I tried to show them the whole school all before recess."

"If I were teaching right now I wish I would have thought to contact each parent and find out something special about their child to share about them in class on the first day."

But then my thoughts would go back to the beautiful morning and the little guy in the stroller I was pushing and I would just smile.

Before I knew it my walk was over and we were home.

I went inside with my newest little pupil and we cuddled on the couch awhile. Then we started the first of the days lessons:

How to drink milk from a cup.

It was a pretty successful first day, don't you think?

I think I'm going to like my class this year.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I think my goal should be to write at least one post in between Thursdays so my blog doesn't end up being a string of Randomness. But it is better than not blogging at all...

While I was at the store today I saw that Crayola crayons were on sale for 35 cents. I bought 5 of them. I have no use for crayons. It took a lot of will power not to buy 25 of them. This whole not getting ready for school this Fall is going to take some getting used to.

I am really susceptible to the power of suggestion. While reading through some websites today I saw a picture of sauteed mushrooms and (on another site) read about Twinkies. This is why I'm eating a Twinkie right now and dreaming about having something with sauteed mushrooms tomorrow. I wish I had more brain-control.

I'm currently reading "These is my Words" by Nancy E. Turner. Any book that can make you simultaneously laugh and cry at the same time is a winner.

When Caleb starts eating dinner regularly with us do we have to stop having 7-layer dip for dinner? Because that was a really good dinner tonight.

I've recently started reading this blog. She's hilarious, but she drops the occasional f-bomb, so I haven't recommended it to anyone. You've been warned. Why must people use profanity?

This song has been in my head today. It's really catchy. I don't really agree with all of the lyrics because I'm pretty sure that God is a man, but I get the message that says God loves everyone. And he turns vegetables into candy!



We went to the whole foods market and bought some new oil for Caleb's hair. Up until now we've been using baby oil. I also bought a Mounds bar. Why?

Because this boy

now smells like coconut.

And if I didn't have a Mounds bar, I would eat him.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Finally, Allie. Finally I am doing this. How does it feel to be a trend-setter, nay, a Leader of the voice of random on Thursday?

Caleb might finally be ready for a two-nap day. Am I crazy for being excited about this?

One of these days I'm going to turn the light on in the bathroom and the whole room is going to catch on fire.

I am in love with my library's hold system. It's my book netflix. I just tell it what books I want and then it emails me when they are ready for me. This is bad for my productivity.

I just finished reading "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes". Loved it. Now I have to check out other books written by Chris Crutcher. Thanks, Angie!

I recently read "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak. I liked it, but the ending seemed kind of like a cop-out. I think I was expecting something more, I don't know...deep?

Why is my first Random Thoughts turning into a book review?

Speaking of books, I have to thank Angie (again) for taking a serious dent out of my "house-cleaning/yard work/project/everything I'm supposed to be doing" time. When do I find time to read? Um, mostly when I should be doing other things. I have no self-control when it comes to reading. I really don't.

Zack and I recently discovered our favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe...on the back of the Western Family chocolate-chip bag. Who knew?

We got a new garage door yesterday. It's different than our old one. It's white, insulated and has never been backed into. Thanks for blowing up, refinery!

I think "MckLinky" would be a cool name for a cat. ""Heeeere Linky Linky Linky!

Blessing Day

Caleb was blessed Saturday evening, June 26th, along with 3 of his awesome cousins.

Three of my brothers had babies, respectively, in March, April and May. And they were all boys!

Alex and Kristi were kind enough to wait until they come up to visit to have Matthew blessed. Mike and Jodie were kind enough to wait an extra month or so for Trevor to be blessed (even if it meant he had the potential to grow out of this blessing outfit) and Danny and Rachel were kind enough to bless Tyson maybe a little earlier than they would have done normally.

I'm glad they all waited because it made for a great night. Each boy was given a wonderful blessing by his father. I'm so excited to watch these boys grow up.

Zack was a little apprehensive about giving this his first baby blessing, but he did a great job. We sang his favorite primary song, "Teach Me To Walk", right before he gave Caleb his blessing. It's close to our hearts because it reminds us of Joshua, so Zack struggled a little and it took a moment for him to regain his composure before he could start the blessing. :)

I didn't have a good view of Caleb during the blessing, but from reports on the ground I was told that he mostly played with his feet, looked around, and tried to grab the microphone a few times. When that was unsuccessful he groped around until he found Uncle Danny's chin and then played with that for awhile. I'm so glad he was good and didn't yell or squirm. And thanks to Danny for donating his chin for the occasion.

The blessings were given in order of birth, so Caleb was first, followed by Matthew, Trevor and little Tyson was last.

After the blessings we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever". (A special thank-you to the little girl in the back who obviously knew the words and sang with much enthusiasm and kept me from crying too much It's hard to cry when you're giggling.)

Then we retired to the carpeted gym and had treats, took pictures and talked.

It was a special night for us. Thanks to all of you who came.

And now for the boat load of pictures.

Dads getting ready to take a picture.

Dads and their boys. Zack pointed out the differences in this picture. Blond, blond, blond, brown. Dark tie, dark tie, dark tie, yellow tie. White baby, white baby, white baby, black baby. We just like to be different all around, I guess.

Me and my bros.

Moms and their boys.

Proud parents. We can't take all those shots without getting a group one of all of us, can we?

What a lot of the kiddies were doing all night. Kudos for whoever thought to bring in the nursery toys!

Cousins

With all the new babies around there was still time for uncles to have fun with nieces and nephews.

Mike and Jodie left earlier than the rest of us. I haven't the slightest clue why. Their kids don't look tired at all. I bet they could have partied all. night. long.

Proof that even though we left kind of late, some kids were still happy.

We're Eternal!

The last post was about all the legal, mortality stuff. This post is all about the eternal.
Caleb was sealed to us on June 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm in the Bountiful, Utah Temple
We have been waiting for this day for so long and it was all we'd hoped it would be.

We spent the morning getting ready and making sure Caleb got a nap in right before we left. At around 11:40 we woke him up and got him dressed to go to the temple.

Caleb getting his first (zipper) tie on.

The latest face he's been making.

Ready to go!

If it seems that we have taken too many pictures to document this day, rest assured Caleb probably feels the same way, as evidenced here:
Here's a better one. You WILL smile on this special day!

If we weren't short on time, we would have pulled out the tripod and taken a family picture. Zack had the camera bag, tripod, our 2 temple bags and I had the diaper bag. Sheesh. You'd think we were going to spend a week in there and not just an hour or so.

At the temple we were assigned our own personal escorts who walked us through everything. The first thing they did was take us to the Youth Center to drop off Caleb. There were about 5 ladies in there all smiling and ready to take care of him. Caleb, like his usual self, took everything in with his big brown-eyed stare. There was only one other baby in there at the time and he was just bawling his eyes out, so I'm glad Caleb was being so good.

After taking care of paperwork, Zack and I separated to go change clothes. It was kind of fun for me because they had me use the Bride's Room to get ready. All Zack got was a bigger dressing stall. It was so peaceful and pretty. A few of the tables in there had wedding gowns draped over them, just waiting for the brides to come in.

Zack and I got to sit in the Celestial Room for a while before we were led to the sealing room. It was nice to sit and talk and take in the peace and beauty that surrounded us, but we were also anxious to see our little boy.

After about ten minutes they took us to the sealing room. It's always so fun to see family and friends waiting for you when you walk in. The sealer seemed like a nice man. Later I told Zack that he was a fitting choice for this sealing because he was so similar to the man who sealed us when we got married; He knew one of my grandparents, he rambled on a bit more than I would have preferred, but he also gave us good advice.

My mom held Caleb at the altar while he was being sealed. The sealer talked to Caleb the entire time and Caleb stared right back at him. It was pretty cute.

We were so happy to have Caleb sealed to us. There are so many promises and blessings that are promised to those who are sealed. I'm glad Caleb gets to have them and that he's sealed to us for eternity.

We spent some time taking pictures outside the temple. It was such a fun day.

Caleb and Grandpa. Two of the four Rosses.

Who doesn't deserve two doting Grandmas?

(Almost) everyone who came to the sealing. Thanks to everyone who came!

Our handsome boy.

Caleb reminding us that we can't take pictures forever and he's overdue for his nap.

Tomorrow: The Blessing!