Put this baby in drive...

Our sweet little Kate is trying her darndest (is that really such a word?) to crawl. She can sit up on her own, she rolls like a pro and she has even pulled herself up onto things in order to stand up on her own, but the poor thing just cannot crawl in a forward direction. She can crawl backwards untill the cows come home, but she just can't seem to go forward and it is really (to put it bluntly) pissing her off! Keep your fingers crossed for the following persons and reasons: (1) Kate - so that she can finally get it in drive and out of reverse, (2) Max - so that he can finally have a partner in crime, and (3 and 4) Kate's parents - so that they can be prepared when this girl is officially mobile!

Hope all is well with all of you.

Making this mom gig easier one day at a time...

When Max was younger he was very afraid of the vacuum to the point where our home was just not getting vacuumed as much as it should. One Saturday Scott was vacuuming and Max was, of course, clinging to me for dear life. I decided enough was enough and started clapping my hands and yelling "Yeah, Daddy! Thank you for cleaning our house!" Pretty soon Max joined in and now every time anyone vacuums Max will cheer for them. Every now and then Kate joins in by clapping a little extra enthusiastically!

Scott and I also try to always give positive reinforcement to Max and Kate usually by saying "Good job!" Well, Mr. Max has picked up on this too! He will say "Good job, Mama!" or "Thank you, Mama!" all the time when I'm doing things. It sure does make this mom position a little easier to bear when you have your own personal cheerleader. Although, the other day, I was bending down to pick up Kate's binki from under the kitchen counter and when I stood up I hit my head on the underside of the counter to which Max began clapping and said, "Good job, Mama!" What a stinker!

I've been hit!

Rules of the game: Tell six things people might not know about me, then tag six of the pals I want to hear more about.

Well....

1. I am a wealth of useless knowledge. Now when I say useless, I mean useless. For example, I can name actors in movies and what the movie is about even if I've never seen the movie or I can usually tell at least what the make and most times the model of a car or truck is from far away. I know, I know, this will help cure world hunger!

2. I love cooking shows, cookbooks and recipes. The problem is that I always seem to cook the same things.

3. I love looking at homes, apartments, buildings, etc. I love real estate shows like House Hunters, Property Virgins and Hidden Potential. I even liked watching a show that came on in Las Vegas that was just of local housing listings. One could just say that I like real estate in general. Now the reason why: I'm nosey. I love to see how people have decorated, how you could possibly change the layout of the place, how you could decorate it by using what is available. I've thought about becoming a real estate agent just so that I could look at people's houses and no other reason why.

4. I never, EVER wanted to marry a doctor. I did not want to deal with medical school, residency, call schedules, malpractice insurance, etc. But I am so proud of my husband, I wouldn't change anything about our life (oh, except for student loans!).

5. For those of you who think I never shut up, I am actually pretty shy. If I am around people I know, well, let the talking begin! But going into new situations and meeting a lot of new people all at the same time are pretty intimidating for me.

6. I love, love, LOVE traveling and everything involved with it. I love riding in airplanes, airports, staying in hotels, seeing new places, eating in new restaurants, etc., etc.

TAG YOU'RE IT: Randee, Summer, Amy, Danielle, Natalie and Jen

We'll see you at the movies!

So I know that this is a little late to be current news, but a few weeks ago Mr. Max went to his first movie with his Grandma Janice and to say he LOVED IT would be an understatement. He went with his cousin Emma and Grandma to see Alvin and the Chipmunks for his Grandma's birthday and did not remove his eyes from the screen the entire time. He ate an entire hot dog, bag of popcorn and had a tasty beverage to wash it all down. I have wanted to take Max to the movies on a Mommy/Maxer date, but I was not sure how well he would do. So I was more than grateful that Grandma was brave enough for the inaugural try and since Max did so well Max and I went the following Saturday on a Mommy/Maxer date to go see a movie. I have a feeling, there are many more to come!

Adventures in parenting!

So remember how I told you that since moving back to Utah that it seems like we all were getting sick? Well last week Max and I (YES ME) had RSV, and now this week our little Kate has it too. I knew that Max was starting to get sick because he was not eating as much (because to be honest, the kid is a goat and would eat all day if I let him). Then he started coughing. If I didn't know any better, I would have though the kid had emphysema. One doctor's visit later and it was confirmed - RSV! We got all the way up to the very last day that Max was contagous when Kate started showing symptoms. At first the symptoms were exactly the same, but then she got this horribly raspy throat. The poor little thing sounds so sad when she cries and any sound that comes out of her throat sounds like she has been a chain smoker for the past ten years. And to make matters worse, we went to the doctor today and she has double ear infections and the post-nasal drip from her RSV is so bad (that is why she has the raspy voice) that for the last day and one half, she has not been able to keep any liquids down. My poor baby.

Oh, how I long for the springtime! If you notice, the first song on my jukebox is "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles because it is my absolute favorite Beatles song and I always have to play it on the first day that it really starts to warm up after winter. (Corny I know, but for all the ladies reading this blog that truly understand the winter blues, I advise you to do the same). There is nothing like walking outside with the warm sun on your skin. I can't wait for the weather to warm up and my kids to stop being sick because I feel so bad for them. Max is such a mover and a shaker that it is just killing him to have to stay in, especially since I've put us on quarantine so as to not get anyone else sick.