Spoiled Rotten

Mother's Day was good to me for a host of reasons:

• Sometime on Saturday night, Joey snuck away to 7-11 and bought me a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting. I guess I just had to eat dessert for breakfast, I mean, I couldn't let a perfectly good donut go to waste - that would be rude!
  
• I got to sit next to my husband during the last half of sacrament meeting. (Five minutes with Owen and I am sure he will look forward to sitting on the stand again next week, but I was happy to have him on the row.)
• Owen had a great day at church (i.e. no tears during nursery).
• Joey bought me a flat screen TV for our bedroom. Absolutely ridiculous, I know. Joey indulged my "dream" to lay in bed at the end of the night, watching TV while he brushes my hair. Yes, folks, you read that right. Joey has learned that the key to a happy wife is just a few brush strokes away.
• Joey even watched a chick-flick with me to top it all off.

Mother's day was clearly a license to be indulged and spoiled by my husband. It was wonderful. And, I have a crazy little boy, who loves me more than I deserve. Donuts and the two boys in my life - what could get better than that?

To Infinity and Beyond

My son is obsessed. He could watch Toy Story all day and night if I'd let him. To mix things up a bit, I threw a different video on and he broke down in tears saying "toys, toys, toys" between sobs.

His 2nd birthday is fast approaching and I am soliciting your help. If you see any Toy Story or Buzz Lightyear merchandise (stickers, books, toys, candy, etc.) please let me know. He and I will greatly appreciate your help.

On a separate, but equally important matter, any good mechanic recommendations?

Easter in Palm Springs

Our Spring Break was phenomenal. I was completely exhausted when we got home, and needed a vacation to recover, but it was wonderful to be in such a beautiful place, with the people I love. We ate at great restaurants, enjoyed beautiful walks on the hotel property, and Owen could not get enough of the warm weather which allowed to him to go swimming daily. I wish I could go back. Here we are at Easter brunch. This hotel's food and ambiance were amazing. They even had a "kid bar" with gourmet chicken strips, macaroni and cheese and fries. Kid and adult heaven. It was one of the few times Owen actually sat down to eat. Not for very long . . . but he did eat. Also worthy of note: for all you Saved By the Bell fans, this hotel was featured in the episode where Jesse's dad gets married. Fun trivia, right?

You can just tell these two are up to something. At least they look cute.

Clearly, Owen is explaining something very detailed to Sydney. 10 to 1 odds it doesn't make a bit of sense.

Here is what we saw outside our hotel room's window.

The view from our patio.

Swimming. Owen couldn't get enough. It was the first thing he asked for when he woke up (which was usually around 4 am . . . but by 5 or 6, he was back in bed thankfully).

In the pool's lazy river.

The pool also had a "beach." Owen was dirty, safe and happy.

Sammie, my sister's little girl.

Love this picture. Owen is waiting for the singer to look away so he can climb on stage and grab some electrical equipment. We spent half the time trying to keep him off of the stage and the other time trying to keep him out of the water fountains just up the stairs. Also, Sammie (wearing the pink bow in the lower right-hand corner) is dancing with the little girl in the yellow. They don't know each other, but fell in love dancing to the music. Priceless.

Now, I just need to convince my dad to take us all back down there next week. I'll let you know if I'm successful.

A Word of Warning

Last Friday night, Owen and I had yet another late night rendezvous. I assumed his teeth were bothering him because I noticed blood around his gums where several teeth were poking through. I gave him some Tylenol and he returned to bed 30 minutes later. He was quiet for about 10 minutes and then I heard screams. I plopped down on his floor where I remained for 2 hours while I listened to him moan, thrash and throw his head into the side of his crib. He mentioned several times "bug" and "head." I assumed he was referring to a tick a friend noticed on his head several weeks ago. Thanks to her good eye, we were able to grab it and dispose of it before it burrowed anywhere.

I couldn't handle anymore, so I lifted him out of his crib and carried him to the couch. I quickly ran my fingers through his hair to reassure him that the bug was in fact "all gone" when my finger nicked something hard. I still get raised blood pressure thinking about it.

I laid Owen across my lap and began searching through his ridiculously thick hair when I spotted it: a tick burrowed deep inside my guy's head. I grabbed Owen, yelled (and I really mean yelled) for Joey and we began the process of ripping that tick out of his head. We had to pin Owen down while we seriously yanked that tick loose. I got it out with tweezers, but it took a good chunk of Owen's scalp with it. We are fortunate - we got the whole thing in one shot.

Owen was hysterical and shaking. Quite frankly, we all were. If the tick were a person, I would have punched him right then and there. Retaliation would be putting it mildly. I have never been so angry with another thing in my life. I couldn't sleep the rest of the night thinking about it. It makes me sick.

But, I've learned my lesson. Two ticks in one month's time. Check your kids when you come in from the playground. A quick inspection will save you pain and misery. (Oh, I was going to post a picture of the tick, but we flushed it down the toilet. I got too mad looking at pictures online, so you'll have to do a google search yourself.)

One more side note. When I told Joey's mom Kathy about the tick, she just chuckled. I think everyone of her children has had a tick in their lifetime. She's even had one herself. Joey's dad Ted had one burrowed in his leg, but he was too tired to get it out, so he hopped into bed. When he woke up, the tick was gone. It had found a new host - Kathy! I wonder if he found himself sleeping on the couch the following night . . .

Best Pool Ever

Yet again, I am going to promote the South Davis rec center. It is the most amazing indoor swimming pool. An indoor playground in two feet of water - what can get better than that? Not a lot for a four-year old's birthday and her little cousin Owen. Heaven.

The amazing playground behind Joey and Owen. As you can tell, the O-ball is having a good time.


This slide is humongous - and they let you hold your child on your lap. I wish you could see Owen's face - he is giggling. Before he made it to the bottom, he screamed "AGAIN!"

The birthday girl dumping buckets of water onto unsuspecting victims.

Her Ariel cake. I love doing cakes for little girls - they fight over the funniest things: the tail, the sea shell bikinis, her lips . . .

Pucker up!

I Love to See the Temple

Goodbye Winter, Welcome Spring

Yesterday was May 1st. It snowed. It was cold.

In an effort to encourage an end to the winter weather, I'm going to post the last of my winter photos of Owen. No more snowy, gray days. I'm done for this year.Owen is "doing the dishes." In the short moments when I had my back turned, he grabbed several items and secretly stashed them under the burners. They were not recovered for several weeks when I smelled something burning.

Doing my best to teach my son the fine art of ice cream eating. He is catching on quite well.


Owen likes to do many things in his fort - watch tv, eat, go to the bathroom . . .







This last picture is hilarious. Owen is watching a 30 second clip of his cousin playing in the tub. Every time it would end, he would scream "AGAIN!" until we would hit play. This lasted for at least 10 minutes.

Well, there you have it winter. We are done with you until early December. See you then.