Text.O.S.

Two days ago, I sent a desperate plea to Jordan via text message.  It went as follows:

"I'm throwing up.  Please come home.  James is throwing rocks in the street."

Growing Up

I now have a 2 year old.  It's done.  It's final.  Complete.  The day has passed.  He's two.  Not one.  Two.  Fin.  The end.  Story's over.  Boom.  James is now two.  Yep, two.

Okay, okay!  I just can't believe my little baby James is two.  Forgive me if it takes awhile to settle in.  Just two years and 1 month ago, that little bump on my tummy was James:

And this was him just one month after that:

And here's the chubby honey just one year after that:

And here's James one week ago enjoying his birthday treat:

So, in the words of my father, I'd just like to say (in a part growl, part baby, part New York accent....those of you in my extended family will know exactly what voice I'm talking about) "What?!  Ya two?!  I told you ya not allowed ta gwow up!"

I love you JJ.  Happy birthday big boy.  And just so you know, you'll always be "Sweet Baby James" to me.  

The Simple Things

During stressful times like these, I really cling to the simple things in life to cheer me up.  With just 4 days to go 'til concert #1 (pre-concert Stake Patriotic Night was last night with a preview of 3 songs!) and James & Dawson to make it interesting, I really rely on these little joys to keep me going.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" really don't do it for me.  In fact, I don't even like kittens, so why would I like their whiskers?  Not to mention the shedding and the smell and their arrogant demeanor, and the fact that I'm totally allergic to them!.....But ANYWAY...

No, no.  What really makes everything "all better" is.... (in no particular order)

1.  Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
                
After a long day, there is nothing better to me than sitting on the couch with Jordan and eating ice cream.  It makes my whole day worth it.  My favorite flavor right now is Butter Pecan, although I have gone through several phases, including, but not limited to: Dulce de Leche, Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Mint.  And yes, I eat ice cream almost every night.  Sometimes a whole pint, depending on how hungry I am.  And, no, I don't feel bad about it.  And, yes, I feel great the next day.  And, no, I don't gain any weight.  More on my Intuitive Eating, later to come.

2.  Lemi-Shine.

Nothing makes me giddier than opening my dishwasher and seeing spot-free dishes.  I know, I'm so lame!  But I was so frustrated with the water spots and residue left on my dishes, and I tried EVERYTHING.  Little did I know this life-changing (ha ha!) product was just sitting on a grocery store shelf waiting for me to buy it.  Thanks to Jordan's mom, I now use it in every load.  Now, each time I open up the dishwasher, it's like Christmas Day.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom Peel!  To everyone else, I say: Buy it.  Use it.  Love it. (Another great product: Dishwasher Magic, which I use to clean my actual dishwasher, thanks to my smart and savvy sister-in-law, Sally.  Now try and say that 10 times fast).

3.  When my little munchkin says the sweetest things.  James sure knows how to melt his mommy's heart when he says "I lu yoo Mommy" or when he turns my head towards him and says, "Unt kiss you Mommy."  There's truly nothing better.  Or, no matter where I tell him we're going, he automatically says, "Mommy come."  It's nice to know I'm loved and wanted.

4.  Music.  Whether it's hearing Rihanna's Rockstar on the radio, or sitting down at the piano and singing my heart out to a Colbie Caillat song, or playing Chopin's Waltz in C# Minor, Op. 64, No. 2 - nothing pumps me up, moves me or uplifts me more than music.

5. Dawson's smile.

Need I say more?

6. My favorite comedians.  I love to laugh, especially with Jordan because we have the same sense of humor.  The other night we watched Brian Regan's stand-up routine called The Epitome of Hyperbole.  If you have never seen him perform, YOU HAVE TO!  He is truly hilarious, and not only that but totally CLEAN - which is extremely hard to come by these days with comedians.  Other comedians that leave me crying because I'm laughing so hard are Kevin James, Jack Black, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jim Gaffigan...to name a few.

7. Sunny weather.  This is sure not hard to come by here in Boulder City, NV.  In fact, right now it is a gorgeous, sunny day at a cool 103 degrees.  Really, even one day of cloudy weather makes me blue.  I lived in UT for 5 years while attending BYU - and for 5 long years I was clinically depressed.  Thank goodnes for you, Boulder City, NV.  Your miserably hot summers make this girl a happy camper!

8. Jordan.  Jordan always knows how to cheer me up.  Even though he is always totally stressed out with work, he somehow manages to maintain a cheerful personality and a strong desire to make me happy.  His motto is, "My baby gets what my baby wants."  Wow - I am a lucky girl.  He is happy when he knows he is making me happy.  If I ask him to help me with something his responses include, "Absolutely, honey!" or "Honey, I would love to do that for you!"  No, I am not kidding.  He really says these things with actual sincerity.  Not only this, but he is constantly telling me how beautiful I am - like on a daily - NO - hourly basis.  He somehow thinks I am the most beautiful girl on the planet.  And although I will never believe him, it's comforting to know there is someone who adores me despite all my physical (and otherwise) flaws.  Jordan's always there with open arms (literally, he is a very cuddly guy) and encouraging words when I'm having a bad day.

9. Mater on Cars.  

This is actually a really clever and funny movie.  When James threw-up on our way to Arizona, we not only bought him a new car seat at the nearest Walmart, but we bought him the movie Cars.  It was Jordan's idea, and I was totally against it thinking that James would not be into it and that it looked like a really dumb movie.  Boy was I wrong!  James is obsessed with it.  And since I hear, see, eat, drink and breathe it on a daily basis, I've gotten to know the characters and dialogue very well.  My favorite character being Mater...."as in 'ta-mater,' without the 'ta.'"  His not-so-intelligent, country-bumpkin, (some might call this "white-trash".....do you see how I'm trying to be tactful about it?) personality is extremely endearing.  His quotes are the best, my favorite being "Ta not to."  If you've never entered the world of Cars, I encourage you to take this brave step into "Hickville" contrary to your better judgement and reason.  But beware -- you just might love it.    

10. A tall glass of the good stuff.

The pop of the can, the rich, brown color, the perfect taste on my tongue, the fizz going down my throat, and of course the red logo (my favorite color) - it's ALL good.  My dad introduced it to me when I was just a young girl (gotta love my dad!), and I was hooked ever since, although I didn't actually start buying it until recently - being when I was pregnant with James.  I craved it so badly when I was pregnant, but wouldn't drink it until I was about 6 months along (caffeine is linked to miscarriage - and a myriad of other health issues when not taken in moderation).  After that I allowed myself a Coke a day, because my craving was so strong.  Then, after James was born, my love for Coke did not die.  I still have one every once in awhile, especially when I'm having a sluggish day, or when I go out to dinner.  It is one of my favorite tastes on the planet, and I figure my Grandma Jo had a Coke everyday of her adult life and she is now 100 years old.  It can't be all that bad!

So thanks to the simple things in life that get me through the day....or week.....or month....

What would I do without you?      
    

Mr. Go Getter

The other day, James was trying to wake me up (as usual) at 7:30 A.M..  This is how our conversation went:

James: "Mommy, get up!  Get up!  Get up, Mommy!"

Mommy: "James, go watch Caillou.  Why do you need Mommy to get up?"

James: (with lots of enthusiastic fluctuations)   "CUZ!...... Ummm....... Outside.... Playground.... Anna..... Sylvie....    Woovi (Levi)....  Seffy (Seth)...

And he then proceeded to list every cousin he could think of.

This is his expectation of how every day should turn out.  And every day he is sorely disappointed.

Granted, this was just after we had had "Cousin Day" at our house.  "Cousin Day," for those who aren't aware of this glorious day, is when all the Woodbury/Randall/Leavitt/Peel cousins go to one person's house - and this occurs once a week for the entire summer.  Therefore, because we rotate between 5 of us (Leslie, Wendy, Becky, Danielle, Ashley) we each get 4 Thursdays where we don't have any kids.  I benefit the least from this because I only have the one child.  But still, James gets to bond with his cousins, get out of the house, and have one day every week filled with tons of fun activities.

For example: On my Cousin Day, we did the slip-n-slide in my front yard, ate popsicles outside, watched the movie Cars for two hours (which James is obsessed with....I mean - OBSESSED), ate corn dogs for lunch, played Twister, had storytime, painted frames and took pictures for Father's Day, walked to the park in 110 degree weather, played Red Rover & Hide 'n Seek at the park, walked back home in 111 degree weather, drank gallons of water, ate more popsicles, and then went home totally tired and dehydrated!

James was in total awe the whole day that all of this was actually going on.  That Mommy was actually playing all these fun games for a full day, instead of in 5 minute spurts.  And, he was in COUSIN HEAVEN.

So naturally, when he woke up the next morning, he wanted Cousin Day all over again.  Don't worry James, this Thursday, all of your dreams will come true :)  Good luck, Becky!

It Should Be a Rule

...that Moms DO NOT GET SICK.  This is one of the things I thought about before I decided to get pregnant, among others: How will I take care of a child if I get sick?  Well, now I know the answer.  You just "man up" and pretend you're not sick, and take care of business as usual.  Which is what I've done for the past 2 weeks!  I have been sick now for 2 weeks with a pesky sinus infection that simply will not go away.  And I am so stubborn that I will not go into the doctor for antibiotics.  I am determined to kill this thing off on my own, so I can build up my immune system against this sickness that I seem to keep coming down with.  It is sllllooooowwwwllllly going away, thanks to guzzling down lots of vitamin C, multi-vitamins, acidophilus, green drinks, orange juice, lots of water, and the best part - cleaning out my sinuses with a Neti Pot (I am shocked at how many demonstrations there are of this on YouTube.....view at your own risk :)

And no offense, Peels, but I always get this after I visit you!  This goes to show just how much I love my husband's family.  I continue to drive hours and hours to visit them, even though James and I both get sick after EVERY visit.  And, it's never a mild sickness.  It's always a two-week, or more, long ordeal.  In fact, I love them so much, that I visit them more than Jordan does!  Yes, they are some of my favorite people in the world.  And, I don't blame them.  I blame my obviously weak immune system, and mine & James' sensitivity to traveling.  James throws up at least twice on every road trip, and I end up with nausea/headache which lasts a couple days due to motion sickness.  We inherited it from my Dad.  It's super fun.  In fact, on our last visit to Arizona to visit Jordan's brother Matt & his family, James threw up all over his car seat just one hour into our road trip, and we had to stop at a Walmart to buy him a new car seat - that's how covered the car seat was.  It was in every crevice of every buckle, every crack, every corner.  Completely un-cleanable.  The last time I tried cleaning his car seat when this happened.  It took me about a week of soaking, scrubbing, washing, etc. to simply get the smell out of it.  Not willing to do that again!  Now, the rule is that James will have a towel draped over him and tucked in tightly on every future road trip.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.

If I didn't have so many darn responsibilities, I might not be so upset about being sick.  In fact, my high-stress levels probably made me sick in the first place.  I obviously have James to take care of, and I am also watching my friend's baby for her while she is in the process of adopting him.  I've been watching Dawson for the past 3 1/2 months, Monday-Thursday, 8-5.  Long story, short, I am watching him until Amber can find a more permanent solution for him (like a stay-at-home nanny, which has been extremely difficult to find in Boulder City), and he is a chubby, adorable, happy 8 month old baby who has been such a blessing to watch, despite how chaotic it can get around here.

Not only that, but I am still teaching piano two or more hours a day (I now have 15 students), and playing the piano for a community choir, which has proven to be quite a big job.  I have never had to practice so much in my entire life.  The songs are way over my head - ability-wise - and with only 2 1/2 weeks to go before the second concert, I am having to find babysitters (thank you Mom and sisters!) and the TIME to practice 2-3 hours a day.  In addition, I have a pretty challenging church calling - primary chorister (a fair amount of prep time, and coming up with lots of new ideas and activities for those kiddies, plus getting them ready for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and the Primary Program in October).

I thought just being a mom and wife was enough, but throw in all of these other things and top it all off with a never-ending sickness, and you can call me "One frustrated, tired, stressed-out girl!"

....yet, somehow happy all at the same time.

Now why was it that I haven't blogged for a year again?....

Oh yeah, I forgot.....I DON'T HAVE TIME!!!!

More on the madness that is my life, coming soon..... Ashley's version of "soon," that is.

"Soon" as in whenever the poopy diapers, piano lessons, whining, crying, yanking on my leg, choir rehearsals, tutoring, piano pedal fixing, pest-control calling, garage door fixing, organizing, cleaning (ladies, do I even need to describe all the complexities that cleaning entails?), wiping, stroller pushing, family-feeding, dish cleaning, grocery-shopping, errand running, primary preparing, endless laundering, "to do" list writing, etc., etc.... not to mention, all the good stuff too ..... ceases for a second or two.

It's Been Awhile

Well, judging from the pictures on my last post, it's been quite awhile since I have "blogged." My baby is not so much a "baby" anymore, as he is a walking, talking toddler slash, dare I say it....little boy! And, a much skinnier one, at that (His recent bout with strep throat and the flu didn't help that situation).

As James grows up before my very eyes, my delinquency in keeping a journal especially stings. Every day James manages to do or say something cuter, funnier, naughtier (which, at his age, translates to cute & hilarious...usually), and more clever than the day before. You would think that the only emotion I would be feeling during those cute, funny, precious moments is pure and unadulterated JOY, but right alongside that joy is an "ache." That is the only word I can think of to describe it. At first, I couldn't figure out what or why that pestering feeling was always showing up at every happy moment (and as a mom, you know that those moments occur countless times a day) since James was born. After a while, I realized what the ache was. I was feeling a sadness knowing that James wouldn't always play with his belly button to put himself to sleep, and that he wouldn't always ask, "Wuh doonin' Mommy?" in his sweet, high pitched little voice, and that he wouldn't always pronounce the word "bumblebee," "bumby-bee." Nor, I might add, would he always color the window in bright orange highlighter, open every last one of my tampons and dump them all over the bathroom floor along with the entire box of q-tips, or somehow find a way to escape onto the golf-course during piano lessons when I think he's watching Caillou (Darn that Elias! I told him how many times to shut the gate when he leaves!). Not only will he not always do these things, but will I be able to remember them all?

My sister-in-law Danielle once wrote about the moments in life that are fleeting - and that although they are the happiest moments you can experience, even perfect like a blooming flower, they are sad simply because they won't last. What truth there is to that. I feel it every day - almost every moment - with my Baby James.

I'm sure I'll still be calling him that when he's 40. Poor kid.

And so, in an attempt to at least subdue the "ache" in every "happy," I find that all I have are "My Words." They are the only way I have of etching life's greatest, worst, and even mediocre moments in stone (...the etching being my typing fingers.....and the stone being the internet....not as cool, but still).

Ineloquent or uninteresting as my words may be, it seems it's time to get them written down, if not just for me to remember. And maybe for someone, somewhere to catch a glimpse of who I was.