my blogging buddy

Fisher is 15 months and keeping us on our toes! He has been climbing for a little while now, but now he is good at it! Nothing is safe anymore, no mountain is high enough! I dont get to blog too much anymore since I have a fellow participant. Right now I can do it because he is sitting in his carseat in the kitchen (buckled). I was repairing the strap and he got in it and decided to stay. We are thankful for times that he sits still. He gives the world's best cuddles, so we take them when they come. His bedtime gets earlier and earlier as I am completely beat.

I love the challenges of parenting right now. For one boy, we are really working on attitudes, immediate obedience, life is not fair, and being a little more independent. The other boy, we are just trying to keep alive and out of the ER.

I just put him down for a nap, so the countdown has started to complete as many things as I can! Farewell for now!

"It's Gonna Be a Lucky Day"

For a week now, Sawyer has had a very loose tooth, #F(for my dental friends), Upper left central incisor. He was super excited to wiggle it at first and then he realized the last part might hurt, so all efforts came to a screeching halt. It drove me crazy as I wanted to get in there and yank! This morning after his shower, he bumped it with his towel and out it fell! Praise the Lord! He was so excited he could barely contain himself. I remember losing my first tooth and being ecstatic. It is kind of like getting a driver's license at 16. Losing a tooth at 5 is the same thing!

However, as happy as we are for him, I find myself a bit sad as mixed dentition (adult and baby teeth) is not the greatest stage kids go through. Baby teeth are cute and shiny white. Adult teeth are big, yellower and not straight. Our baby is growing up and his big gap in the front is just another sign!

Sawyer's words today, "it's gonna be a lucky day!" For him, definitely, for his poor kinder teacher that has to listen to him go on and on about it, not so much!

inside my head today

Today I pondered again why Redding has compact parking spaces! I totally understand handicap parking! I understand reserved parking for emergency services, but compact parking, I do not get. For those of you that read my blog from other places, you should know that it is well known fact that most 2 car families have a pick up truck or large SUV as one of their cars. (I'm actually not sure if that is truly a fact, but I can almost bet on Palo Cedro for this to be true) Does not the city of redding (he he, that is where Z works and drives a pick-up) know that people with bigger cars deserve good parking too? Do they not know we are just as lazy as those with compact cars and quite a bit more burdened by higher fuel costs! Knowing full well that I do not fit in a cute compact parking space, why do I continue to try? Why is it that I don't remember until I have completely parked, gathered my diaper bag, picked up the snacks and sippy cup that will enter the store with us, put a rain coat on,and go to get my child out of his 5 point harness in a rainstorm, with people on either side of me trying to get in their cars. How many times do I have to maneuver the baby out the window before I will learn that I am not compact.


Why is it the moment I complain out loud how annoyed I am by all the coughing in my house, that I get a wretched tickle in my throat? However, I am excited to try our new home cough remedy.


I am still giggling inside my head by my 5 year old's comment last week. I debated whether to post, but for my own record, here it is. Every night we have bath time and one of us takes a turn in the tsunami room. Well, I had to go the bathroom, so I went. As I reached for the tp, I looked up to notice that certain smirk. The smirk that only ends up in one way...an awkward question. I quickly zipped up and before I knew it, out flies, "Mom, you don't have one of these!" (we do use anatomical names, but probably not often enough for him to remember) Taking a deep breath, I reply, "No, I don't, God made girls different then boys." A long pause occured, which means the wheels are still turning and we are probably not finished with this topic. Then he replys, "that means we can do more, right?" He did not get a response from me either way. On one hand do I boost the male ego at a young age, or disappoint him with the truth. I guess that line of thinking happens quite young for boys.

dinner tonight-spaghetti= one big mess and another crazy bath time. Note to self: go to the bathroom before bath time!

Sticker Please

About a month ago, Zach and I were alone together in the car and we both came to the realization that we needed to give Sawyer more structure at home. He thrives at school because he knows what to expect and knows what is expected. I'm not sure while all of a sudden it hit us one day that we repeat ourselves over and over and over. I guess we did it enough and were tired of it.

I have been hesitant to do official chores with a reward attached to it. When I do a chore, the reward is simply the satisfaction of knowing it is accomplished, if only for a little while.

So after pondering what might work, I put a few systems I have seen other places and put them together. I am not amazing, Sawyer is not amazing. In fact I beleived our new system would only work for a week, max! We have 10 pockets, 6 in the morning, 4 at night, with cards in each. When a job is finished, he moves the card into the finished pocket. Again, no reward, just a pocket with cards in it. I can not believe the change that has occured! No longer are we shouting orders all morning and before bed! A simple reminder to look at the job wall is all it takes. Every once in awhile, he feels that he deserves a sticker. Don't we all deserve a sticker! Get out out of bed-sticker, smile and breathe-sticker, drink coffee-sticker, check facebook-sticker, I do believe stickers are the appropriate reward for skills of daily living.