Doodlebug - Tally Mark 23

-Asks to play baseball from the time he wakes up until he goes to bed.
-Makes an "Oh!" face and lots of chonga lips.
-Likes to say hi to our neighbor, Dean, across the street. Except Dean comes out more like Dadda.
-Can sing the "Mama! Ooooohhhhh!" part of "Bohemian Rhapsody".
-Likes to dance to the theme song from Shimmer & Shine.
-Loves having his nails clipped and ears cleaned.
-Hates when I hold another baby.
-Finally has all his teeth.
-Never goes to bed quietly - always screams for a little bit.
-Can say doughnuts.
-Likes to pat me on the head.
-Does not like potato bugs crawling on him.
-Desperately needs a haircut.
-Is a joy to have around.

Baseball 2016

We are about halfway through The Lime's little league season and we're having a blast!

Things started out a little rocky; lots of rain which meant cancelled practices and games, a new coach, older boys on the team, and not very many hits. In fact, The Lime was getting ready for practice one day and began to sob. "I don't want to play baseball!" he said. I told him that's fine, but Mommy and Daddy already paid for it so he was finishing the season.

Turns out he does want to play baseball, he just doesn't like being in the outfield. Being the catcher is his top pick.

We had some worries about his hitting, or lack thereof. Were his glasses affecting him? Were the pitches too high, too fast? We've been practicing more, took off his glasses, and the other coach has been pitching. Since those changes have been made, we've seen lots of improvement.

While The Lime practices/plays, Doodlebug and I play with his little bat and a wiffle ball. He then has the nerve to ask for "more ball" as soon as we get home. That little stinker is going to have the hardest time waiting for his turn to play t-ball.

We are extremely grateful for all of the time and effort The Lime's coaches put into these boys (and girl). They have a genuine desire to help them and see them succeed and as a mom, it's nice to know that someone else wants those things for your child.

Blue Jay of the Week

At The Lime's school, each class picks a college that becomes theirs. Every first Friday of the month, they wear their school's shirt. The Lime's class chose Howard University and their mascot is a blue jay.

Each week, a child has been able to take home Buzz, the blue jay, and document all of their adventures in a book which then gets passed on to another student and so on.

Every Friday, The Lime would be disappointed that his name wasn't picked for that week's "Blue Jay of the Week." When one of the little girls from church got picked, I told him maybe his teacher was saving the best for last (him). He said that he wasn't the best, Aubrey was the best. "Why is she the best?" I asked. "Because she's the best at everything," he replied. And that's true, she is really good at most things.

The Friday before Spring Break started, his class walked out to the pick-up area and I noticed The Lime carrying a bag that I didn't drop him off with. "What is that?!" I thought. Then I realized...he was the "Blue Jay of the Week." I was so excited for him, I almost started to cry...almost! Not only did his turn finally come but it was during Spring Break, so we got Buzz for two weeks!

The Lime didn't waste any time. As soon as we got home, Buzz went bike and scooter riding.

The Lime remembered to bring Buzz to the dentist with us. Buzz patiently sat and watched as The Lime got his teeth cleaned.

Buzz joined the boys on their weekend visit to the doughnut shop and even tagged along on our first visit to Dunkin Donuts. The final verdict was that the doughnut holes were just as good as the ones from our Mom & Pop store, but the chocolate raised got a thumbs down.

The Lime was SUPER excited to take Buzz across two states! And I was SUPER excited that we didn't forget Buzz in either of those states :)

Our final adventure was going to lunch with LaVor and then riding the tractors at his work.

After The Lime took Buzz back to school, he got to bring home this awesome blue jay that has all of the things his classmates admire about him written on it.

I especially love the "he is a lovebug" comment. I want to know who said that!

We had a wonderful time with Buzz and I can't wait to read the book of all his adventures at Open House.

Make That Two German Boys

Several months before The Lime was 2, we put our lederhosen on him that we bought in Munich. He only wore them a couple of times and, since I kept them separate from his other clothes, I forgot about them until he could no longer wear them.

Good thing Doodlebug joined the family so they could get a second round of use.

When we tried them on him a few days ago, he found them extremely uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I'm a pushy mom and made him wear them today anyway. Something was different about today because he actually seemed excited to wear them (I think it's the pockets or the fact that every time we saw him, we told him how handsome he looked).

As soon as we walked into church, a woman gasped and said, "That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" I really couldn't argue with her.

After church, LaVor picked him up from Nursery and I met them in the hallway. Two ladies saw him and suggested we all wear traditional German clothing and perform a musical number like the Von Trapp family. We all got a good laugh out of that. And I honestly would not be opposed to wearing a dirndl.

In the meantime, I'll just enjoy my two little German boys in their lederhosen.

Spring Break in Utah

On the way home yesterday, LaVor mentioned how funny he thought it was that we've been married almost 10 years yet hadn't been to Utah until we were married for 9. And since that first visit, we've been back to the area twice. Ironically, I was thinking the same thing on the drive out.

The stars aligned and my dad's heart surgery coincided with The Lime's Spring Break. Throw in the desire to visit my brother and his family, LaVor's grandma, the Hoxies, and the Hatchs and it ended up being the perfect/busiest trip.

Our departure time was set for 6:00 on Wednesday but we never leave when we intend. By the time we got gas and were on the freeway, it was almost 7:00. The Lime had food in his belly (and some Dramamine) and Doodlebug woke up in the most PERFECT mood. Our journey was off to a great start.

And it continued to be great. We only had about 10 minutes of whining/crying from Doodlebug because he was so tired but we were trying to keep him awake until we stopped for lunch. Then both boys fell asleep as soon as we got back in the car and arrived at my brother's house around 5:30.

It took no time at all for everyone to become reacquainted and the fun to begin.  My brother was watching his sister-in-law's dog while she was out of town and Doodlebug found an instant friend.  Except, I think it was only a one-sided friendship.  The poor dog wasn't too sure what to think of a toddler that wouldn't leave him alone.

The first day there, I went to the hospital with my mom in the morning and visited with my dad for several hours.  He was three days post surgery and was running low on sleep but overall feeling pretty good.  After lunch, LaVor brought the boys over and we visited a little longer before we left to grab a bite to eat.

We enjoyed the Red Iguana and stuffed ourselves silly with chips & guacamole, rice & beans, chicken flautas, and enchiladas. Seriously, we were all stuffed.

On the way to lunch, LaVor called his grandma and asked her what she had planned for the afternoon.  "Well, I'm just sitting at home," she said.  "We're in town and were hoping to come see you," LaVor said.  "You're in town?!" she asked.  "Yup!" he said.  "All of you?!" she asked.  "All of us!" I said.  She was more than excited to have us over.  After our Christmas illness changed plans to visit back in December, we made sure she was our first visit of this trip.  It was a lovely couple of hours spent in her home, catching up on everything and finding out how she's adjusting to life as a widow.  She sure misses LaVor's Grandpa but is keeping busy and seems happy.  She loved on our boys and was ever so patient with them and their craziness.

This is supposed to be the silly face one and I just love how Doodlebug and Grandma are looking at each other

After her visit, we drove about five minutes to meet up with Jason and Nicole at Jason's brother's house. They were so kind to let our families take over for a couple of hours and it's always a blast to catch up with our great friends (and meet their sweet baby boy!). Unfortunately (fortunately?), we had too much fun and I didn't get a single picture. Darn!

The next morning, we invited my niece and nephew to join us as we visited my dad again, visited with LaVor's aunt, and checked out Downtown Salt Lake. The kids were extremely patient as I spent a little too much time oogling over the impecable clothing LaVor's aunt has at her clothing store. As a birthday present, I got to pick out a couple pieces and I can't wait for it to warm up so I can wear them!

After the store, my niece and I went to visit my dad while LaVor took the three boys to the park. The Lime attempted to go down the fire pole with his eyes closed and ended up missing the pole and catching his arm on the ledge. He has some gnarly ledge rash and I told him he looks like he got in a bike accident.

They picked my niece and I up just in time for us to head to the mall and get some lunch. Comic Con was happening across the street and every.single.person was in cosplay. The kids couldn't figure out why everyone looked so weird but did enjoy some of the costumes.

We walked across the street to church headquarters, the Joseph Smith building, and the Church History Museum. I wish the museum wasn't our last stop because from what we were able to see, it was so interesting and I could tell The Lime was enjoying it, too. But Doodlebug had had enough and was hysterical so we decided to head back home.

The next day, we went to breakfast with my brother and his family, LaVor and my brother went shooting while my sister-in-law took my niece to a party and ran some errands. I was in charge (or "the boss" as my nephew called me) and boy, I admire and praise my sister-in-law for being a mother of six. The hardest thing for me to do was keep track of where everyone was. But we all survived (except my littlest nephew broke out in an allergic reaction on half his face and nobody could figure out why). When the boys got back from shooting, I went to visit my dad for a little bit before we had to turn around and head the opposite direction to meet up with John Hatch.

LaVor's back has been bothering him for years and we've blamed it on our bed and his job. Neither of which is the problem. John is AMAZING (I really can't say it enough) and worked his voodoo magic (really, if I didn't love him so much, I'd say he's crazy) and gave LaVor some exercises to do at home. He should be good as new in no time!

We met up with Becky and their sweet boy for dinner and then they took us to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Holy cow! This place was the best! We didn't want to leave but they kicked us out because it was closing time.

There was so much to do, and see, and play, and touch that we could have easily spent several more hours there. But they needed to return something to the mall and the Easter Bunny had to pick up a few things so we drove north and soon parted ways. We love being able to see our friends but hate having to say goodbye. We love them so much!

Sweet Doodlebug woke up five minutes before my alarm was set to go off at 6:00 Sunday morning. He was little to no help packing up our things but an early wake up meant an early nap so things worked out. We got everything gathered together and loaded in the car. My brother's family was getting ready for church but took a small break to check out their Easter baskets with us.

My sister-in-law saved the day and gave me some extra treats to give to our kids so it didn't look like we had two Easter Bunnies visit one house. She was an angel the entire week and took great, great, great care of us. She's a busy woman but managed to keep her cool through it all.

After one last visit with my dad, we were on the road back home. It was a wonderful experience to be there with him and see with my own eyes that he was doing okay.  We got to take the Sacrament together in his hospital room before we left and it was so special.  The perfect ending to a great trip.

I don't dress up for car trips home, in case you couldn't tell

I learned a couple things on this trip that I need to note before I forget...

-(I didn't learn this but it was just reiterated to me) I have the best husband who made the trip happen and was so patient, kind, loving, and understanding through it all. He never once complained or griped about anything. Only made sure I was taken care of and I'm so so so grateful.
-Utahns care too much about their appearance.  Billboards everywhere for saggy eyelids, plastic surgery, etc.  It's a shame.
-Kneaders french toast was all it was cracked up to be.  So delicious!
-Don't give a 6 year old Silly Putty in the car.  It'll get stuck in hair and clothing.
-Don't give an almost 2 year old Doritos in the car.  They'll choke on them.
-Fruit snacks are the answer to all the worlds' problems.
-Have the child that grinds his teeth sleep with his cousins who never noticed.
-Let your niece play with your hair as often as she'd like.
-Flex lanes make zero sense to me.
-Don't wait to download a new app for the kids until you're in the middle of Nevada and have no access to the internet.
-I didn't check my Facebook, Instagram, or e-mail once while we were gone and it was GLORIOUS!  

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 22

-Went to the dentist for the first time on 3/15. All was well until they reclined the chair. He's still young but did much better than I anticipated.
-Says Rubble, cheese, nigh night,.
-Refuses to play with his age appropriate Legos - only wants to play with The Lime's.
-Now insists on wearing a baseball glove when we play.
-Has been sick with something for months. We can't wait to be healthy!
-Plays dead when we have Nerf wars. It's hilarious!
-Seems a lot younger than The Lime at this age.
-Loves watching the garbage man.
-Has the funniest/goofiest facial expressions.
-Likes wearing his baseball hat backwards like LaVor and The Lime.
-Likes putting mousse in his hair.
-Insists that I eat a string cheese if he eats one.
-Is our favorite (almost 2 year old) cheeseball around!

Officer Taylor

It seems like it's happening at least weekly - where we hear another officer has been killed in the line of duty.

Last week, a CHP officer was directing traffic after a car accident when an SUV lost control and crashed into him. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, leaving behind a wife and three young sons.  He was 35 years old.

When I saw the procession would be going through our city, I knew I had to take the boys and show our respect.  The motorcade was set to leave Reno at 2:00 and we left our house at 3:15.  On the way to the overpass, several out of town officers passed us and I was afraid we missed it.  When we pulled into the parking lot, a paramedic asked if we were there for the procession and I told him yes.  He said we hadn't missed it and he'd walk with us to the overpass.  We were both surprised that nobody else was there yet but he found out the procession was still at least 45 minutes away.  Slowly but surely, more and more people arrived including truck and engine 7.  The firefighters invited the kids on top of the truck to get a better view (The Lime was so nervous when we first started walking on the overpass but relaxed enough to get on the truck).  We waited up there for a good half hour before the motorcade passed by.

On our way there, The Lime asked why we had to go and I told him because we honor those men and women who risk their lives every day for us.  Tears streamed down my face as each car drove underneath us, honking and waving.  I could only think about his wife and boys, and how their husband and daddy would never walk through their front door again after a shift.  I held on tight to Doodlebug while the firefighters around me stood at a salute the whole time.  You could feel the love and respect these men and women have for each other. 

Aside from the firefighters and paramedics, we were the last ones to leave.  They thanked us for coming but I had to cut them off and thank them for their selflessness and desire to help and serve their community.  It takes a special person to go into that line of work and Officer Taylor was no exception.