Always Changing

Our dear Chet is almost 14 months! He isn't my little baby anymore and I'm kind of sad about that.

He's got the walking thing down now. He stays pretty busy; it is rare for him to sit down for much longer than a couple minutes. The poor kid has a pretty big noggin so it takes a lot of hits. But it doesn't seem to slow him down.

He is talking more and more. He now says "got got" (hot hot), "ickle" (tickle), "foo" (food), "na, na, na" (no no no), "a ga" (all done/gone), "yeergo" (here you go) "yiya" (Mariah) and bye. He also signs please and every once in a while he will sign thank you. I think he is going to be a quick talker like his sister.

He loves to give out big wet kisses and I love to receive them. He thinks he likes books, but he can only sit on my lap for two or three pages and then he has to go get another book. He is a big big fan of balls, thats another fairly new word, "ba!"

And Mariah...she is two going on sixteen. The other day Tanner was teasing me and I hit him with a shirt. Big mistake. Mariah then lectured me for a good fifteen minutes. "We don't hit! Mommy, you're in trouble. Do you need to go in a time-out? Thats not nice. That makes daddy sad." And then she would walk over to Tanner, "Are you ok daddy? Let me kiss it better." And then she would start back in on me again. My wish came true, I have an official assistant mommy.

Tonight she asked me to read her a book and I said just a second. She then said to me in her best mom voice, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" If you couldn't tell, we use that phrase quite often in this household.

For FHE this week we made a thankful turkey. Each night we write something we're thankful for on a feather to put on our turkey. So far Mariah has said she was thankful for Jesus and temples without us prompting her at all. It was pretty impressive.

We have a little girl living next door. She is eight and Mariah adores her. She was on the sidewalk tonight and Mariah kept banging on the window and saying "Booklyn! (Brooklyn) Come inside! Come play with me!". So Brooklyn did, and it made Mariah very happy.

And some days she reminds me that she actually is just two years old. Thankfully that was washable marker. 

I just wish those two would slow down just a little! They make me the happiest I ever could be.

Halloween Festivities

I've never been a huge fan of Halloween, I know, I'm a big-time party pooper. But celebrating it this year with a two-year-old made it a lot more enjoyable. Our October was full of fun outings and activities.

For the whole month of October I would check out Halloween books at the library. Mariah loved all the Ghost, Monster and Jack-o-lantern books and I even enjoyed them (probably because they are children's books so they were cute...not creepy).

Our local Farmer's Market has one Saturday that is like a halloween carnival. Kids could come dressed up and trick or treat at all the different stands. One lady gave out little gourds; Mariah was the most excited about that. The great thing about a toddler is that they don't feel the need to get loads of candy, Mariah was happy with a handful of pieces.

Mariah was really hesitant about me drawing on her face, but once she saw her face she was so excited. She asked me for many days after for a "nose and whiskers".

That same day was the Boo at the Zoo. The zoo is across the street from the Farmer's Market so we meandered on over there. Mariah had fun looking at the animals and trick or treating. But we learned that she is terrified of people in masks. Didn't matter if it was a Monster or Power Ranger, all were equally terrifying. She wouldn't make a big scene, she just got really quite and would put her head down and run to Tanner and I. It broke my heart a little each time. Maybe thats one reason why I'm not a fan of Halloween, masks...too creepy.

The next weekend my parents and sisters came to visit. My mom's Birthday was that Friday and Mariah had fun eating Grandma and Grandpa's special breakfast with them. And blowing out the candle on Grandma's pancake. We went to the Farmers Market the next day and Grandma paid for Mariah to get a butterfly painted on her face. We also went for a walk/bike ride up Logan canyon. It was so great to spend some time with the family.

 The two Divas of the family...sorry mom, it's true. 

 A surprise apple, and my dad was happy...he just doesn't smile for pictures. 

The next weekend we went to the Pumpkin Walk. It's a free event where different businesses and families create scenes made out of pumpkins and gourds. It was neat to see how creative some people got.

 They had a bunch of these set up and Mariah had to stick her head in every one. I wasn't paying attention and then I heard some people chuckling. I looked over to see Mariah shoving her head in a hole that a little boy already had his head through. He felt a little uncomfortable to say the least. I don't think she was aware of him. That girl had a mission. 

 They also had an incredibly cheesy puppet show called "Pumpernella" that Mariah loved. She never looked away. Chet on the other hand was done within minutes. 

Snow White. This one was awesome. Snow White's dress was made of cornstalks dyed yellow. Pretty cool. 

Mariah had just watched Sword in the Stone a few days earlier so she was excited about this display. It was a huge one, this is just part of it. 

The next weekend was our ward social. Mariah and Chet dressed up but Tanner and I were lame-os and didn't. I decided to make Mariah's costume and learned a very important lesson. If you are wanting to save money on costumes, homemade isn't always the best answer. But she was adorable so...no regrets. 

 Oh my heart...

Snow White and a very grumpy Jack-o-Lantern

She loved telling everyone, "I'm Snow White!".

We carved our pumpkin for FHE. We asked Mariah what she wanted the pumpkin to be and she said she wanted it to be a dog with droopy eyes and ears. I had checked out Charlie the Ranch Dog from the library so she had Basset Hound on the mind. So we carved a Basset Hound. Tanner thought it looked more like a goat than a dog, but Mariah was happy. 

 Chet in the background...oh my. That boy should have constant supervision. 

Mariah with her basset hound/goat

Mariah woke up with a fever on Halloween and was pretty miserable the whole day. But she kept talking about Trick or Treating so I gave her some Tylenol and she felt a little better. Aunt Boo came with us and we just went on our street but Mariah had so much fun. 

Chet went to our neighbors with us and then he helped Dad hand out candy the rest of the night. 

Everyone fell in love with Mariah...and I'm not surprised at all. 

So yes, I am just a little fonder of Halloween. Maybe part of the reason is that Tanner was able to do something with us every single weekend in the month of October...it was blissful. Now I can't wait for Thanksgiving, a Holiday that I adore!   

What Keeps Me Smiling

Earlier today I was whining to Tanner about how I felt like Cinderella: "do the dishes, change my diaper, and the laundry, and the cookin". He then told me, knowing what I would say, that I could go out and get a job if I wanted. I replied: "but someone else would get to spend all day with my babies." I am so grateful that I have a husband who supports me in staying home. I get to be there each day as they learn and grow.

Mariah and I have been playing a lot of hide and seek lately. But she hasn't quite grasped the concept. When I start looking for her she shouts, "here I am mommy!" And the majority of the time she is in the exact same place (the closet, though that is an improvement from her old hiding place: sitting in the middle of the room). When she has to look for me she shouts, "Mommy where are you?" expecting me to reveal where I am. But it's still a good time full of laughter so I'm not going to complain.

She loves to be my personal chef as well. Baking me "a slice of toast with cupcakes and chocolate!" all day long. And I have to eat them every time. She especially likes it when I really get into character and lick my fingers and smack my lips real good. We are all about manners around here...and chocolate.

If she is considering doing something she isn't supposed to be doing and I'm around she will say "go away mommy." I'm sure she can't figure out why she never gets away with anything.

The other day she told me "leab (leave) me alone, I'm taking a test." Guess that happens when your dad is in school.

A couple weeks ago she was telling Tanner and I all about her muscles.
Mariah: (pointing to her leg) I have muscles!
Tanner: Who's muscles are bigger, mommy or daddy's?
Mariah: It's Mariah's! (holding up shirt) Better not touch, just look.
We had a good laugh with that one.

Mariah now has the first and second Article of Faith down! To those who may not know, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a document of revelation known as the 13 Articles of Faith that Joseph Smith (the first Latter-Day prophet) received. They are 13 beliefs that are a big part of our religion. If you're curious about what we believe, these are a good place to start.
Here's a little documentation of Mariah reciting the second Article of Faith:

Toddlers really are a lot smarter than we often give them credit for. 

And big news for the Chet-man:

Yeah, things just got a lot more exciting around here! 

So in reality, I will do the cooking and cleaning and laundry, not because I like it, but because I would miss the time I get with my babies every day. I love being a mother!

Mariah Jeanne

When putting Mariah to bed I usually pick one of an assortment of nicknames to call her as she climbs up in her bed. One night after calling her "little miss", she looked up at me and said, "no, mom it's missy durl (girl)". And now that is the only nickname I can call her while she is climbing into her bed. I can call her "baby love" while we are snuggling, but not while she is climbing into bed. I can call her "sweetness" while I am bathing her, but not while she is climbing into bed. You get the picture.

Last Saturday it was raining cats and dogs here. But that didn't stop Mariah and I from trudging through the farmer's market to pick out the most perfect pumpkins. In fact, Mariah loved the rain so much that she had to stay outside for a while when we got home.

After waking up, I often ask Mariah what she dreamed about. Every time without fail she says "Jesus". It really warms my heart and I have no doubt that that is what she is actually dreaming about.

I signed Mariah and Chet up for a mommy and me music class that just ended last week. Mariah has taken on some of the traits of Ms. Anna her music teacher. While we are dancing to a song she begins to tell me what exactly I should be doing. All in the sweetest voice possible. "Wave your arms like this! Walk like a cat! Spin around". She is going to be a wonderful mother some day.

The other day when I went to pick Mariah up from nursery I caught her in the act of tattling on one of her friends to the teacher. Later I was telling Tanner about this and Mariah must have been listening because she joined in the conversation saying, "I say, no no Dillon!" "He climb on table". I then talked to her about how it is best to let the teachers take care of that. I have a feeling we will be having those types of conversations often.

Mariah was beginning to take things from Chet and that was causing a lot of discord/screaming in the home. I sat Mariah down and taught her about the attention span of a just-barely 1 year old. Now whenever Chet has something that she decides she wants, she says to me, "when he get bored, then I can have it." It has brought back just a smidge of peace to the home.

Whenever anyone gets an "owie" she shows great concern and says, "I kiss it better". Even if I complained about a mosquito bite she would run over and smooch the bite.

I bought a little blow up pool at the grocery store on clearance a while ago. I didn't think we would get to use it this summer but then we had a few more surprisingly warm days. Mariah was so excited about her pool. It was great watching her sit in it and gasp because of the cold, stand up, and then do it all over again. She still talks about it. It's the simple things for a toddler.

It's always fun to see what comes out of this girls mouth. She is such a joy. I think we'll keep her around.

I love this shot! And I love my little "missy durl!"

Little Weekend Trip

One of the main reasons why I wanted us to be in Logan for our rotations was the proximity to Grandma and Grandpa Young. After being here for 3 months I finally got back out to the ranch. Brittany was taking her dog to Reno for a hunting competition and decided to make a weekend trip of it. So I tagged along with the kiddos.

Chet's birthday was on Friday so that morning he got to have blueberry pancakes and we sang to him before Tanner left for school.

He didn't know what to think of all the attention he was getting. 

Tanner got done early on Friday so before we left for Nevada Chet opened his present. 

 Way more excited about the balloon than the present. Thank goodness for big sisters to help. 

Now he's interested! 

The drive made me question how doable the trip really was. Mariah is usually a wonderful traveler but she spent a lot of time crying on the six and a half hour trip. Chet was an angel. Ruger helped entertain him by looking over the seat and licking his toes. We finally made it and Aunt Boo only got pulled over once and was only given a warning. Phew.

Mariah and Chet had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. Before going Mariah talked a lot about the "pour-wheeler" (four-wheeler) and Trey. Auntie Em was nice enough to take her on a ride and she got to spend a lot of time with her cousin Trey. They got along so well and it was really fun to watch them play together.

We had a little birthday party for Chet. My mom made a cake and I helped decorate it...so no laughing at my abilities.

Chet was a very sleepy boy so there was a lot of crying involved...

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" 

I know my son is sleepy if he doesn't even finish his cake...

I had such a great time and was sad to go. The drive back went much better after adjusting Mariah's carseat. The poor girl was uncomfortable on the drive down. After being on the road for about a half an hour I was pulled over. Mariah and Chet had just fallen asleep and I did not want them waking up. So when the police officer came to my window I immediately shushed him. You could tell he was taken by surprise but he was nice enough to whisper. Thats what being a mom does to you; you become fearless. And he didn't even give me a ticket. Happy days. About a half an hour out of Logan Brittany got pulled over again...and was again only given a warning. Maybe all the police officers felt sorry for us, or were scared of us. Who knows...but we were grateful and have now decided to swear off speeding. 

While Tanner didn't get to come to Nevada he had some fun of his own. On Saturday he went to the BYU game, hiked the Y and spent time with family. So we both had a pretty great weekend. 

My 1 year old!

It happened and I'm a little weepy. Chet is 1!  I wouldn't say that this year has flown, but I still was caught by surprise when September rolled around. My baby boy, already a year old...

Here's just a little something something about the Chetmeister:

He's starting to stand on his own. He gets so excited and starts laughing every time and then he slams down on his bottom and does it again. I'm afraid he's going to lose a few inches with each slam.

He is so very ticklish. And he has the sweetest giggle you ever did hear. 

He can not stand getting his diaper changed or getting dressed. I often have to resort to pinning his shoulders down with my feet. Good thing that isn't something that has to be done often. Oh wait...

 We have an extremely messy eater on our hands. And he does not like to be wiped down after mealtimes. There is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth that goes on.

He is even more attached to his daddy. He cries when Tanner leaves the room. And he is saying "dad" and "mamamama" more and more often.

He can now sign for food but only when he is really hungry. Try as I might I cannot get him to do any other signs. He just stares at me with a sweet smile every time I try.

He has gotten really good at saying "hi!".

His number one defense/attack move against his sister is dropping his head and ramming her with it. He must get that from his Grandpa Young.

He loves to look out the front window with his sister.

He is a big fan of his blankie and binkie. I try to only let him have them while he is sleeping or in his carseat. But he makes a beeline for his crib anytime one or the other are in reaching distance.

Still sleeping through the night for the most part. Which makes me a very happy momma.

He has a little bit of stranger danger going on. He rarely cries when someone other than his mom or dad hold him, but he definitely tries his hardest to get back in our arms.

He has started giving big open mouthed kisses every once in a while and we just love that.

Although this last year has been a real kick in the pants I wouldn't trade it for anything. Chet you are our sweet sweet boy and we love you so. We can't wait to see you learn and grow with each and every year!

11 Months!

This last month has been full of so much growth and change for Chet! Here are a few things that he has learned:

• He can crawl! Woohoo! One day he had figured out how to sit up on his own and he was crawling by the next day. 
• It was only a few days later that he started pulling himself up. He loves to stand and has now decided that anytime Tanner or I are around we should be able to walk him all around the house. And boy does he squall when we refuse him. 
• He loves to play peek-a-boo, so much so that his first word was Boo! (Besides the long, drawn-out, whiny "moooom" and the occasional excited "dad"!)
• Tongue clicking and raspberry blowing are a favorite pastime. Mariah and he love to alternate between the two while in their car seats. Mariah will start out with a raspberry and when Chet begins she is quick to tell him, "no spitting Chet". That girl creates situations where she can be bossy. 
•  He loves music. Whenever a song comes on he bobs up and down with the biggest smile on his face. 
• He gets a big kick out of being chased. Thats when I can get the best giggles out of him. Mariah will run around the house and say "Chase me Chet!" He gets so excited. I'm happy that they are starting to play together. 
• The boy loves his baths. When I bring him into the bathroom he tries to wriggle himself out of my arms. 
• He loves wrestling with his dad. Not so much with his sister though. 
• Still a great eater. The other day I left some tomatoes where he could reach them from his chair. By the time I caught him he had already eaten half of one. 

"Comforting" his sister. Nothing like a good poke in the eye to make you forget about all of your troubles. 

This picture makes my heart so so happy. 

Another buzz this month. His hair is uncontrollable. I can't seem to keep it from sticking up so I guess he'll just have to have the buzz cut. 

Chet is such a joy and I can't believe he will be a year in a month! 

He loves me...I promise. 

Fair!

I was really excited about the Cache County Fair. In Kirksville you had to pay to just get into the fair grounds, like $25 a person. So we passed on that. But good ol' Logan didn't let us down! The kids and I got to be up close and personal with cows, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, pigeons, and horses. Mariah and Chet were in heaven (Ok, I was too. Always have and always will be an animal lover).

Mariah totally looks like a teenager here. "Mom this is sooo embarrassing."  I guess it's just me desperately trying to cling to my ranch roots. She will just have to deal with it.  

Chet was especially excited. He had his arms waving and his wrists a'twirling the whole time. 

I decided to roam through the booths and ended up running into an old roommate and dear friend. Sasha was manning a booth even though she usually doesn't do that for her work. We were meant to see each other and it made me really happy. 

One of the booths were selling cheapo skirts and I decided to look around. I was confused on how to know the size and one of the salespeople helped me. After explaining how the sizing worked she looked me up and down and said "you a large". When I brought the skirt up to purchase the man that checked me out looked at the size and said, "Yes, good, you a large." I tried really hard to not be offended. The joys of being tall. 

I put some sunglasses on Chet and he loved them so much. When I took them off he immediately began crying and wouldn't stop until I put them back on. Naturally I had to buy them and a pair for Mariah. Our "free" excursion ended up costing us $20, but I would say it was still worth it. And now this "large" woman has herself a skirt and the kiddos are made in shades. 

We were able to go to the final night of the rodeo with Brittany, Mike and Mike's parents. Mariah and Chet had a blast and were little darlings. I was really impressed with Chet. The rodeo started at seven (when he normally goes to bed) and ended at 10:30 and he was such a good boy. Mariah spent most of the time dancing to the music. We had so much fun whoopin' and hollerin' that I didn't even bust out the camera. Figures...