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.

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.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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.