Oliver and Company

Seven

2010-07-27T11:26:44-07:00:00

I can't believe he's seven already! Carson is our Renaissance Man, he loves sports, science, writing stories, playing XBOX, making art, weapons and taking care of his little brother. He is perfectly suited for his role as oldest child in our family and we love him so much.

He asked for a LEGO cake for his birthday. . . this one suffered a bit in a long car ride and a couple hours in a warm car. Our favorite part was that the minifigs were holding the birthday candles.

Officially

2010-07-09T10:20:51-07:00:00

With the passing of the 4th of July holiday, summer has officially begun in the Great Northwest. Nevermind that my boys wore raincoats and snow hats to the fireworks show last weekend. What matters is that the temperature has jumped 30+ degrees, not a cloud in the sky and we are loving it! Just in case you needed some proof. . .

Weekend Fun

2010-06-29T13:49:18-07:00:00

Nick and I (along with 27,000 others) ran in the Seattle Rock 'n Roll half marathon last weekend. Good times despite the fact that we had to get up before 4 am, run 13 miles and pay to do it. Nick's time was especially impressive as he placed 650th out of 17,000+ runners. I like to partially take credit since I was the one who talked him into training for the St. George Marathon with me nearly 7 years ago.

Here are some friends I've been training with. . . notice we're all smiling because we're yet to run.

Yippee! We made it AND were able to find each other through the crowds of people. One thing I've learned is you earn some serious cool parent points with your kids when you come home with a medal.

Well we figured this would be the big event of the weekend and made plans to lounge around on the couch for the rest of the day. However, kids have a way of keeping life interesting and several hours later Jamison and I made an appearance at the ER. He took a fall down the front steps onto the cement chasing Grandpa and busted his head good. 3 hours, 2 doses of baby Valium (which didn't slow him down in the least) 1 new teddy bear and 4 stitches later we were back in the car headed for home.

Pretty surprising that in a family of boys we've made it this long without stitches. However, not as surprising this little ball of energy was our first.

Game Night: Man Style

2010-06-07T12:26:49-07:00:00

Dads always have a way of making things more fun. . .

I can't wait until. . .

2010-05-28T14:04:47-07:00:00

I often catch myself saying how much I look forward to the next stage of childhood for my children because certainly it must be less frustrating than the one we are currently experiencing. I mean what parent after 14 months doesn't want a full night of sleep on a consistent basis? I for one do! But recently I have been thinking how when I wish them to be older I also wish away the innocence and sweetness that comes with being young. Recently,Carson came home from school and wanted to spell 3 and 4 letter words for us at dinner wanting to know which ones were bad to say (they were ALL bad words). A big reminder that my little ones won't be little for much longer. And soon enough Carson won't use half a bottle of gel on his hair to make himself handsome and hold my hand while we go on a date together. Spencer won't beg to help make cookies or read books together. And as much trouble as Jamison gets in, he is too cute for words. Each day brings more teeth (12 to date), new tricks (defying the world of child-proofing") and more smiles. Here's to living in the moment and loving what this stage of life offers, even if it comes with very little sleep. . .

Because

2010-05-09T20:28:18-07:00:00

Because it's my day and I can ask for mommy-kind-of things like wearing matching church clothes without complaining.

His happy place

2010-04-23T10:04:02-07:00:00

Jamison has spent the better part of his first year of life fussing and until recently I couldn't figure out why. But it seems that this little boy LOVES being outdoors. Actually "love" isn't the right word, it's more that he REQUIRES it. It's not that he feels cooped up in our rainy Northwest home. He doesn't like being inside anywhere, be it the car, the house or the store. This boy wants out to wander and roam in the fresh air. Doesn't matter if it's the park, backyard, baseball practice or laps around the church building he's happy. We let him play barefoot in the rain in my parents backyard in Chicago, the kid was in heaven! Just look at the pictures, it's written all over his face!

The problem is that every happy outdoor time must come to an end. And unfortunately this little boy has a well developed tantrum which includes but is not limited to fist pounding, shrieking and throwing oneself dramatically to the ground. I was pretty sure this developmental stage was reserved for the terrible two's but apparently it can be learned as early as 13 months! Heaven help the mother of this boy!

Springtime in Chicago

2010-04-14T09:53:12-07:00:00

This year spring break was spent with President and Sister Doll (Grandma and Grandpa to the boys) and Aunt Suzi in Chicago. My parents are there serving a 3 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we thought we'd go and see what fun there was to be had in Chicago.

Lots of sightseeing downtown incluiding Willis (Sears) Tower, Millenium Park and authentic Chicago deep dish pizza.

A highlight for our all boy family was the Legoland Discovery Center, the only one of its kind in the United States (what luck!). This was a to scale model of downtown Chicago constructed of only Lego bricks and minifigures, it was AMAZING! There was plenty to see, bulid, play and purchase there, every little boy's dream!

Even Jamison found some bricks just right for him, too big to choke on!

However, the best part of all for me was seeing my parents in action, watching them in their "new job" and seeing the love they have for those they are serving with. I know the boys have been curious about what a mission president does. But even more I think they were relieved to see that they were still Grandma and Grandpa. They still liked to snuggle, read, watch Discovery Channel, play Wii bowling, tell scary stories before bed and play kickball in the backyard. They may have to dress nicer, wear nametags, and answer their cell phones often but they are still Grandma and Grandpa and we love them!

One

2010-03-24T10:35:14-07:00:00

Happy Birthday my Baby Boy! Just one year ago you came to our family. We had been waiting for you and it felt like a big family reunion with Carson, Spencer and you in the hospital room. I'd be lying if I said it has been a year of pure joy and bliss. You my child have been blessed with an extra portion of energy and determination a need for very little sleep. However, you make us smile and we have loved watching you grow from helpless newborn to adventurous toddler scaling the entertainment center. What a year my child, we love you and your very special place in our family.

Mother: Squelcher of Dreams

2010-03-09T17:07:00-08:00:00

There are many sides to my role as a mother and as of last week I added one more to my title, that of "dream squelcher". Here's how it came to be. . .

Carson came home from school over the top excited about raising money for "Pennies for Patients" and in detail explained how it was helping those with cancer. But the majority of his enthusiasm was directed towards the pizza party reward for the class raising the most money. Let me just say here that there could be a whole other post on my dislike for handing out rewards for every little accomplishment, especially one service based (as was the case here). However, I skipped the lecture and downgraded to a "that's nice". Carson then proceeded to ask for money to take to school, so we raided the change jar and let him take several dollars worth. Unsatisfied he asked for more. I then offered a list of several chores he could do to earn additional money and he half heartedly agreed. After about 30 minutes he could see that this was a bad idea, he was losing valuable daylight in the backyard and the money wasn't coming fast enough. I paid him for the time spent working and he was off to his bedroom. I considered the matter closed and moved onto making dinner. About an hour later Carson emerges from his room with a business plan and product pricing sheet in hand and announces he'll be setting up a store in his bedroom selling things to whatever strangers might happen upon our house that night. He reassures me that all the money will be for a good cause and he won't keep any for himself. Biting my lip to keep from laughing out loud I try to let him down gently by telling him I love all of his big ideas but I don't think this one is going to work out. He pulls out the big guns and starts sobbing and accusing me of not wanting to help sick people, hating all of his ideas and that he never gets to eat pizza. He's off to his room once again, this time to sniffle and think of all the ways in which I stifle his creativity while he waits for Dad to get home.