Friday, October 21, 2011

SeaWorld in September

I forgot to make a post about our trip to Sea World on Sept 24! 
Sea World is my favorite theme park! I got a free season pass because I'm a teacher. So Jeremy bought a pass to tag along with me (their marketing scheme worked). Knowing we could come back again, we were able to take things slow and enjoy ourselves. We took the risk of leaving the stroller in the car, and it paid off! Tanner slept in the bjorn while we walked, and we didn't have to hassle with a big clunky stroller. I breastfed during the Shamu show and gave Tanner a bottle for some other feedings. 
Tanner was mesmerized by the lights in the new turtle aquarium.

And he saw a few sharks, but they didn't seem to interest him.
Tanner LOVED watching the people during the shows.
 He loved watching the dolphins jump out of the water during their feeding at this cove.
 During lunch, we left the park to see our twin cousins, Amanda and Shauna. What a fun visit!!


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Creepy Crawlies

I've really not been the kind of person that is scared of creepy crawlies. I actually prided myself in being the girl that loved spiders and grasshoppers and bugs. In fact, my favorite animal as a kid was a snake. And I still love snakes; I've got no problem with those guys. But the other things have really gotten on my nerves lately.

First it was ants. They have their devious little ways of getting into our house. You name a place in our home, and they've found something to eat there. Yesterday, I found some ants eating a drop of something on the wall right above the sink. It must have splattered and dried there, and these little freaks found it and started calling all their friends to come get a taste. Luckily, I blasted them with Raid before too many could get there. 

The worst ant situation was a few weeks ago. We came home from church, and I put something on our table. There was a dark green tablecloth on it, so you couldn't see much. Then all of sudden, I saw movement. Soon, my eyes saw the pile of ants all over some dried up, crusty spill of curry from a few days before. Then, I saw a trail. All the way down the tablecloth, into the carpet, across the room, over Tanner's tummy time mat (ugh!), along the bottom of the couch, across the floor again, and into the bottom of the stairway. Ants are so stupid. They could have just walked along the wall behind the piano and gotten to the food in half the distance.

Then it was maggots. Yep. Jeremy found them in the bottom of our trash can outside. We kept smelling nastiness, and so he went in there to hose the thing out. He got a nice little greeting from hundreds of white, slimy maggots. Now, if I found those in the middle of the jungle, under a rock, that would be cool. But since they were in my trash can, right there on my back porch, I think it's disgusting!

So we thought we got rid of the maggots. And we did. They all turned into flies! Even though we hosed the bajeezers out of that trash can, dozens of maggots somehow stuck around and hatched. Every time we walked past the garbage and one of our plants, tons of flies would swarm around us. And of course, they got into the house, too. I tried some fly traps, but no success. They are still around, but not as much as before. 

Did I mention fruit flies? All over my fruit? Those little things are beasts. They get in your way so that it's impossible to eat or cook in peace! Luckily, our friend helped us make a cool trap for them, and it worked. So now I know how to get rid of them pretty good. And now we keep as much fruit in the fridge as possible.

Then we had some special crickets that found their way into our home. They are beautiful creatures and I love how they sing! But when they are in my house, on the same floor as my baby, I want them annihilated! I trapped one with a little bowl and just let it spend several days in torture before it finally starved to death. Serves him right!

I am so embarrassed to say that we found a cockroach in the laundry area. Totally weird because we haven't seen any signs of them, and this guy was just randomly chilling out in the middle of the floor one day. Gross!

Now don't worry. Even though all of the previously said critters are gone, we have a new menace to drive me nuts. I found a nasty spider on the porch with 3 marble sized bags in his web. YUCK! I'm not even sure if those things are egg sacks, but whatever it is, it's YUCK! We have to terminate them immediately, but I don't have the guts anymore to do it! 

What has happened to me?! I used to be so calm and collected- even fascinated- by God's little critters. I was the perfect woman to raise a boy because I was so tough. But I guess I can only prevail so long, maybe it's my Mama Bear instincts kicking in? At any rate, my wits are waning. By the time Tanner is a toddler, I'll be a wreck!!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Look-A-Like

Here is a picture of me (SarahLynn) at about 1 month old. 
When Mom showed it to me, I thought it was my son!
Here is Tanner at about 1 month old.
Tanner at 2.5 months

Tanner at 2.5 months
  
  

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Random Thoughts from a Mommy

  • I can't believe THAT came out of me!
  • What if his skull seals up too soon? Why is there a green vein in between his eyebrows? Why isn't his hair even? Is that thrush? What if he can't hear out of his left ear?
  • This little guy melts my heart
  • I wonder what it looked like when Tanner first came out of me. It's not very fair that Jeremy got a better view of it than I did.
  • Gosh, I thought I loved my husband before, but now I really love my husband. How amazing that our love created this little person- an entirely new person that wasn't here before!
  • When can I have another one?
  • There's no way I could have another one soon.
  • All I do is breastfeed. Seriously, I JUST fed him! How am I ever going to do anything else? Is this what being a mom is like? If so, this is not really what I signed up for.
  • I love his bum. I love his cheeks. I love his bellybutton. Ah! I love the creases in his hands. Oh my goodness, what a little miracle!!
  • Okay, it's obvious that he looks like me, but only because of his coloring. People can't see what I see. There is so much of Jeremy in him! His face shape, his 4 dimples, his ears, his facial expressions. What if he turns blond and starts looking less like me? Hmm. I guess that would be cool for Jeremy. Hmm. No. I want him to stay like me.
  • I swear! If that pacifier falls out of his mouth one more time....ugh!
  • What if he didn't get enough to eat? He's going to be cranky in ten minutes, and then he won't sleep at the right time, and then he won't be on this awesome schedule he established. And then he'll cry even more. Oh wait. I guess he's fine. Okay, okay, just relax. He's fine!
  • Wow. My kid is seriously SOO cute.
  • When someone asks me how many kids I have, I can say "I have a son." Oooh. That sounds so savvy, mature, sophisticated. "Yes, sir. I have a son."
  • I wonder if he could still fit inside my belly now.
  • Does he remember anything from being with Heavenly Father? Does he remember that he used to be floating around in a dark bag for 9 months? Does he remember anything from his birthday? What is going on in that little head of his?
  • I am so glad I delivered naturally, without an epidural.
  • Is it normal for babies to be this patient? My kid is SO easy going and patient. God must have told him to teach me by example.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Labor Day Weekend Trip

We took the opportunity to visit Utah and Colorado for a week! Tanner got to meet more of his great-grand parents, aunts and uncles. It was SO much fun! Here's a video of the highlights.

Special note to all the grandmas- Just click on the triangle in the video below, and it will start. If it doesn't work for you, or you want to see it bigger, then click this link: Labor Day Weekend 2011

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

High Five! Our 5th Anniversary


We celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary on Aug 25!! It's pretty amazing to be married that long.  At the time, Tanner was only two months old, so we had to celebrate a little differently than anniversaries in the past.

The day began with a special message on the mirror from Jeremy. Later, I received an email from him stating that I had a special assignment. I had to study 8 different pieces of artwork and make up my own description/caption of them. The assignment had to be completed before that evening, but I had no idea why.

For our special dinner, Jeremy brought home Thai food, and I surprised him with a unique Thai setting at the dinner table, complete with Buddha, candles, Thai silk, real dishes and real silverware! (we usually eat with paper plates and forks since we don't have a dishwasher). Jeremy checked my "homework" and said I passed with flying colors. Then, Taryn came to babysit Tanner while Jeremy took me to a surprise event...

The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach is an art show where actors recreate famous paintings in a life-size exhibit. (Hence the homework assignment, which included paintings at the pageant). The actors are dressed in clothes and body make-up that make them look exactly like the original painting. Then, with sets, props, and lighting, the actors stand as still as possible to create a live, but completely still- image of the original work. It was amazing!! Each "piece" looked completely authentic! The show included recreations of over 20 works, and also had narration, pyrotechnics and music by a live orchestra. We also enjoyed art exhibits by local artists. We had so much fun that we only took one picture:

It turns out that every blog post I've made on our anniversary has included a list. So here's a list for this year.
9 Ways that Having a Baby Affects Your Marriage:
  1. Instead of going to bed together at 1:30am, you wake up together at 3:30am 
  2. Instead of gazing forever into your spouse's eyes, you spend forever trying to get the baby to gaze into your eyes
  3. Instead of arguing about who will take out the trash, now you argue about who will change the diaper
  4. Instead of acting like a natural athlete or musician to impress your spouse, you now try to act like a natural parent to impress your spouse
  5. Instead of criticizing poops, burps, and farts, you are praising poops, burps and farts  
  6. Instead of competing with ESPN for your spouse's love, you are now competing with your spouse for your baby's love
  7. Instead of wanting to improve your marriage for your own sake, you want to improve it for your baby's sake
  8. Instead of just kissing the best looking adult ever, you also get to kiss the best looking baby ever!
  9. Instead of participating in sophisticated conversations with your spouse, you both participate in nonsensical conversations with your baby.