I KNOW

I know it has been forever since I have updated my blog and at some point soon I hope to do it more frequently but until then...you will just have to wait.  I plan on putting Halloween pictures up and all sorts of other things.  Be Patient!  

Over Thanksgiving my entire family was around because my Grandpa died.  It was his time and he was ready.  When he is not the same grandpa that you knew it is time.  He was a good Grandpa.  I remembered a lot of times that I spent the night with Amber, playing skip bo, and finishing my plate or no dessert.  He will be missed.

I am hopefully done Christmas shopping.  I really need to make it simpler and I am thinking about how.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.  While my sister was here, she took some really cute pictures of which I will load.  

I am slowly getting things together.  Reagan is being a little better and Jaxon is  a lot better due to medication.  He is starting to be a much happier baby.  Now if he could just figure the sleeping thing out that would be a bonus.  In fact, Reagan needs to figure it out too.

Good Things

1.  Christmas time

2.  Sister Young (watches my kids for me)

3. a maid (that I don't have but it really would be a good thing)

Reagan the GoofBall!

Halloween is coming up and I got Reagan a monkey costume. When it arrived she was asleep so I opened it and when she woke up I told her Halloween is coming up and she is going to be a monkey. She looked at me and said "No, kitty". I guess she really wanted to be a kitty. She wouldn't try it on for a couple of days until Brian forced it on her. So a few days later, Brian was telling her about trick or treating and told her that she had to put her costume on and knock on the doors and say trick or treat and she would get candy. So they practiced, instead of saying trick or treat she said "want chocolate". I think she learned that phrase from Terra. So the next morning at about 7:30 she came into my bedroom and said to me " mom get up get costume." I went into her room and she wanted her costume on. I got it down for not realizing exactly what she was wanting. After I got it down she says to me " put on get chocolate. " So she did and I went to get her chocolate and she looks at me out of the corner of her eyes and say trick or treat? I went back to Brian and told him what he has started. Since then she has done it several times.

I hope and think possibly that I may be starting to get a handle on some things. I took Jaxon to the doctor yesterday and hopefully we got him on something that will make him feel a little better. At the Doc he weighed 11lbs 4 oz and was 24.5 inches long. He has grown 3 inches since he was born. He is going to be tall. We are working on getting him to sleep in his own crib but he seems to like it so much better next to me. I don't though. He snores really loud. Maybe I can trick him into it with warming his bed and whatever else I can think of.

Great Things:
1. epidurals
2. sleeping babies
3. A husband who takes the kids
4. relatively long baths

Crayon

You Are a Purple Crayon

Your world is colored in dreamy, divine, and classy colors.
You hold yourself to a sky high standard, and you are always graceful.
People envy, idolize, and copy you without realizing it. You are an icon for those who know you.
And while it is hard to be a perfectionist, rest assured it's paying off!
Your color wheel opposite is yellow. While yellow people may be wise, they lack the manners and class needed to impress you.
http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorcrayonareyouquiz/"

So, I am doing okay and I am still alive. Jaxon has apparently developed some colic, upset stomach, a Reagan or all of the above and cries way too much for me to handle. I have tried every trick in the book to no avail. People tell me it will improve but I see no end in sight or hearing. The parade oh homes is over and went well. It has been really busy but it is slowing down for a minute. We are however going to attempt to finish up on our own house. I have some new pictures and some funny stories.

One day I was helping Reagan say the prayer before bed and this is how it went:

Mom: Say Heavenly Father
R: Father
M: thanks for this day
R: Day
M: help us sleep good
R: sleep good
M: bless us to be patient and kind
R: bless mom be patient

I stopped and had to laugh a little before i finished. I thought wow, I must be really bad.

I cut Reagans hair the other day. It is a little uneven but oh well. So the pictures are of Reagan's thigh highs aka my socks, and one day I had finished sewing a outfit for Reagan and she wanted to put it on. So she did and sat on the piano marilyn style. Sorry for the punctuation, this is a one hand typed blog.

I am still Here!

So I am still alive. And I think I might even make it. I am getting exceptionally good at typing, making a bottle, and eating all with one hand. I make several trips to the bathroom daily while holding a baby (for Reagan that is), and can manage to rock two kids at the same time and get them into bed still while holding both of them.

We are incredibly busy right now doing children and Parade of Homes. That starts this week so we are getting everything wrapped up. I still have decorating to do and it will be done on Wednesday or before 10 am on Thursday. It will be nice to have it all done and then maybe we can relax and go to a few Boise State games or at least Brian can go.

Yesterday, Jaxon got blessed. I thought he was going to scream through the entire thing but he didn't. He had been screaming all week long, that is why I thought that. It is hard to find a blessing outfit for a boy and then one that fits. Well the fitting was the hard part. Everything was so huge on the sparrow boy so on Saturday at 10 pm I was taking it in on the shirt and vest and shortening the sleeves. I got to the pants and didn't have any energy to do it so I rolled the top down and the bottom up. It still looked big but it worked and that is all that matters. We had dinner at our house afterwards. I am surprised that he doesn't really cry more for all the things that Reagan does to him he just takes it. Every so often he will let out a wail when she tries to shove the binky in his mouth as she squeezes his head. "She yikes him" she says.

So I am managing and will still probably be managing in 20 years when they are out of the house. Now if only I could get some more sleep I might even do better than manage.

Here are some new pictures.

He is a long boy if you are wondering why I posted that picture of him stretched out.

5 minutes PEACE!

So I have 2 children now and I am out of my mind. I don't get anything done all day long. Sometimes I am lucky enough to get a shower in. I try to every now and again so I don't smell too bad. It seems like just as one kid stops bawling the other starts and that is how my days go now and probably for the rest of my life. I probably should read my previous post on Why we become mothers a few times a day to get through the day. My sister took new pictures of Jaxon of I have yet to have time to look at them let alone to post them on my blog. Someday soon when I have a semblance of normalcy I will. Don't wait though, I am not sure when that will come.

Reagan has been a stinker since the baby came. She has to be in the middle of everything. She rides him like a horse, tips the carseat over with him in it, pokes his head, squeezes his feet you name it, she does it. The poor boy doesn't seem to mind too much. Every now and again he will let out a wail. She sure does like him though. The other day as I was helping her say prayers at night, I said say "please help us to be patient" she said "please mom be patient". It makes me feel like such a great mom when your 2 yr old prays for you to be patient. She has been waking up for like 2 hours at night and won't go back to sleep, so last night Brian told her that if she stayed in her bed all night long and didn't get out he would get her a snow cone. Today she woke up and ran into the living room and said "snowcone"! She was excited. We are also learning she has an excellent memory.

Since I haven't posted pictures and you would like to see some go to the side of my blog and click on Petunia that will take you to my sisters blog and you can view some there. I will try to get it done in the next week or two when I have 5 minutes peace. That is also a book 5 minutes peace. Read it if you have children, it will all make sense.

He is Here!

Jaxon Clegg Crandall is here. Yeah! I know that everyone wants to see pictures so here are a few. I will post more and really post soon.

Why We Become Mothers

We become mothers for a variety of reasons I guess. Sometimes as I go throughout my day and have a zillion things go wrong or worse think I am crazy, I wonder why I signed up for this thing called motherhood.

You find out you are pregnant and you and your husband are elated. It is exciting to have a baby. The moment you first feel it kick or that you find out if you are having a boy or girl. What is there not to be excited about. Nothing. You didn't think about how the baby was actually going to get out of the womb and then nobody tells you anything about the after effects of having the baby. You know what I am talking about, the weight gain, trying to shed the weight gain, breastfeeding, getting no sleep, trying to figure out if the baby is hungry or just exactly why it is crying and don't even let me get started on the hormone changes your body decides to go through at this time too. It is pure bliss.

As months go by you think you have the hang of this baby thing. You pride yourself on being able to get 6 hours of sleep or even better go throughout the day with less sleep and try not to be too ornery. That is just when it begins. No one tells you will become the person that takes away their bottle, their precious and most loved binky, their blanket if they happen to have one, change them from a crib to a bed, and yes potty train them. The bottle, I could do. It seemed to be a fairly easy transition to deal with, even the bed wasn't that bad, the binky on the other hand it is a little bit harder. They get so attached to it. It is the equivalent to mountain dew for some people or perhaps a cigarette for others. I mean, we all have our vices, we just don't realize what they are to us until we have to give them up.

I decided to potty train today so we left somewhere and came back and took a nap and after that we put panties on which was about 4pm. Well, at 8 pm we had already gone through 4 additional pairs of panties and it doesn't seems to phase her too much. I have kept my patience though. Tomorrow is another day and we will start again. Motherhood.

So anyway, my point in all of this is that we didn't sign up for all of these other things that we have to do along the way. But at the end of the day, I get to look at the most beautiful thing as I put her to bed 2 hours late because she won't stay in bed. And the minute they hand you your newborn baby in the hospital that moment is a moment you will never forget how you felt. Just like Heavenly Father said, I never said it would be easy, it will be worth. Jesus Christ gave his life for us and it was worth it to him to make that sacrifice for me. Motherhood may not be easy, but is always worth it. It is so pleasing to me every time my daughter does something that I know I have taught her or when she turns around and has two binkies stuffed in her mouth, or when she really does want to hold your hand to walk across the street, or when she says please and thank you. Even though several times a day I think it will just be a few more days before they admit me to the nut house I become a mother because that is my divine role, because these are the moments that I have waited for, and because I love it.

Pictures

I will write later but here are some pictures.

Are we Crazy?

I wonder that same question several times a day I think. Sometimes I think that we are more than crazy, just plain insane. I was just watching out our front window at the concrete spilling into the forms and can hear the nail guns shooting nails to hang the trusses on the garage. This morning I got everything submitted for entry to a Parade of Homes that will be in September. As if having a baby is not enough we have to add into the mix some remodeling, a parade of homes that needs decorating, a new garage, yard work and whatever other great and fabulous idea I have. Sometimes I think it would have been easier to just build a new house. And we will someday anyway. But whatever pain it causes, mostly mental, I am very grateful that we are capable of doing these things.

Since Reagan has been in a big bed I have decided that it is a similar transition to having a new baby. It takes a while for them to go to sleep and just when you yourself have drifted into sleep you hear crying or falling off the bed. You sleep for a few hours only to hear crying again, except this time it is 5:30 in the morning and she is awake for the day. So instead of pregnancy waking me up to go to the bathroom I can just rely on Reagan to adjust my sleeping schedule for a new baby. How delightful. This morning at 5:30 when she was sneaking into our bedroom, Brian went to pick her up and she started laughing thinking it was a game. She had her shoes on was ready to play. Yesterday is was 3:30 am that she had her shoes on. So Brian went to get in bed with her and I think he fell asleep but she didn't. So I think I need to pay a visit to the fabric store to make some blackout shades and something else for her toys and shoes maybe to go in outside of her room. What a goof!

Yesterday, Reagan was lovey dovey more than usual. Sometimes I whisper in her ear, I love Reagan and yesterday she was shoving her ear to my mouth and saying I love Reagy. That is what she calls herself. We are not sure where she got that from, but if she sees a picture of herself she points and says Reagy. At some time in the near future I will get some new pictures up of our house, my headboard that I made, and of course Reagan.

AGHHH!

You never ever in a million years think that your child could possibly be a brat. Well, I will be the first to admit it, Reagan is a brat tonight. Brian went to put her to bed and she of course was mad because he wouldn't lay by her for hours and then flipped out. She holds her breath when she gets mad and then of course tried to get up and walk and passed out and hit the wall. That made it even worse. So after 10 minutes of trying to get her calmed down I went to give her some medicine for her nose and it went down the wrong tube. Bawling and more bawling. Brian took her to go get her blanket and once again she went into all out hysteria because she thought he was going to put her to bed. I don't know what the big deal is but she doesn't like Brian to put her to bed. What a particular little brat. I don't know if it is an age thing, a too tired thing or what. I know that some of you are saying "that apple doesn't fall far from the tree" but I never got called Stormy or Ethel either. She is so particular right now. She doesn't like me to change her diaper or she won't eat very good for me but when Brian asks her to eat her food she does so willingly. Can't wait till I have one more to contend with.

On top of that, she takes like 2 hours to go to sleep at night and has been waking up at 5 am. I am not a morning person to begin with but 5 Am. The other night she woke up 3 different times and then was awake at 6:30 for the day. So we both were ornery and tired and we had to stay together all day. So I am not sure what to do with her. I think a lot of her problem is she is not getting enough sleep and because of that she is tired to really think straight. I am like that most days.

Now for the better stuff I guess. Our garage is partially framed up and trusses will be here on Monday. Yeah! We have carpet in our office downstairs and we hydroseeded our lawn. However, there is not enough pressure with our water to get our sprinklers working great so I have to hand water a little. It is a pain. I am not sure if the pump is down or what but it sure is annoying. So things are getting done. Sometimes it seems like a snails pace and other times it is a little faster. I will be glad when it is all done. Last week I was stressed because I felt like I had no control over any part of my life and this week I could care less. So I sit on my couch and think gosh I should do something. Gotta love being pregnant.

Good Things
1. Sanity, something I wish to have someday but probably never will
2. Progress
3. 9 1/2 weeks to go.

Happy Weekend

Hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend. Ours was great. We went to Moms on Saturday for a little BBQ in the cold with everybody. It was good. On Sunday we headed south to the state below us to see family, visit graves, and more to go shopping. Me more than Brian. We stayed at the condo and it was so weird not to have Ginny there. The cemetaries were great. Mary told us some funny stories about everyone. On Sunday, we had dinner with Mary and Bob. It was great to see them as we don't get to very often. Monday I did a little bit of shopping and had a nap. It was rainy and very overcast but at least it was not snowing.

Today, I am just trying to catch up with laundry, house cleaning, and whatever I catch up on. It seems like I have been on the computer all day accounting to not much of anything getting done. I do have my list though. Tomorrow I am going to pick up a changing table and hopefully this week can get the baby's room kind of set up. Today is the day too, where I feel we have way to many projects going on and NOTHING is getting done. Everything is in disorder and I don't like it. I think it mostly pregnant Brooke talking but maybe not. We made a headboard for our bed on Saturday. It is cool and I like it. A 2 year project in the making that really took about 2 hours. Sometimes I have the best intentions. So instead of updating my blog I probably should get to the rest of the intentions for today and see if they actually get done.

Great Things
1. Intentions
2. Mini vacations
3. Only 11 weeks left to go YEAH!!

We did it

Reagan did it. She slept in her own bed and all night long and she didn't even fall off. After much banging on the door, Brian went in and consoled her and she was out. We will see what naps brings and what tonight brings.

Its gonna be a long night

Tonight is the first night with the bed for Reagan. I keep telling myself that I am ready but tonight I as put her to bed and she bawls and keeps knocking on the door I am not so sure. I don't know who change is harder for, the child or the mom. She is still in her bedroom lying in front of the door I am pretty sure just whimpering like a little puppy every now and then. At some point I will probably get sick of it and go in the time is getting sooner because currently she has something and is banging it on the door. She doesn't exactly know what is going on. She knows or at least she tells me there is a baby inside me but I don't think she really knows what that means. We will find out in still too many weeks. Change is inevitable though each of us deals with it everyday.

I am just getting larger and larger. I cannot bend down without thinking that I am going to die or my legs are going to fall off from lack of circulation. I planted my garden and halfway through I kept thinking "what am I thinking?" My hands and feet are starting to swell and it has just started to get hot. .

We just upgraded I guess anyway to a van. I know I thought I would never do it but gas prices are high and I am too practical to pay for a SUV. Really it is because I am cheap. I think we will like it. The space and everything about it. Hopefully we will drive it for years, ions I mean.

I am about to my breaking point. I think she has the garbage can and who knows what else, but she is not sounding tired at all in there.

We are building a new garage right now. What a mess. Our house is a disaster everywhere. We are working on the yard. Well, let me just put it this way...what aren't we working on? It will be great when it is all done but in the process it is a little scary.

Great Things
1. Peace and quiet, Not right now but sometimes
2. Gardens
3. A husband who supports me and doesn't seem to even mind the nagging.

Tagged!

I have been tagged! Lucky for you all I will participate today anyway.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was in high school probably having a boy drama as most girls do then
2. 5 things on my to do list.
Till and plant garden, organize office, clean house, work of business, the list goes on past 5.
3. Snacks I enjoy
Currently I like nutella on anything, salt and vinegar chips, and twix anytime I am by myself so I don't have to share.
4. If I were a billionaire what would I do.
Buy Brian a truck, buy land for a house and a office, build a house, buy me a car, go shopping and decorate. That shopping spree sounds great.
5. 3 bad habits
PILING, Brian probably says nagging, Waiting till the last minute
6. Places i've lived
Idaho falls, Boise in 3 different place, Pingree
7. 5 jobs I've had
retail at Sears, optometric technician about 5 times, nanny, and a mom
8. 5 things people don't know about me
I hate scrapbooking, I wish I were a interior designer and architect, I don't think there are anymore things.

May Day

So its May 1st and it snowed last night. I wish we had normal weather so I could get my garden in and the rest. I need to move somewhere warmer. I hate this yuck of weather. I am sure that T's garden is halfway planted and everything is blooming well come visit.

We celebrated Reagan's birthday on Friday night with Grandma's and Grandpa's. She loved the cake and presents and having everyone there. She got puzzles, clothes, a sand bucket, and a bike. She loves them all. She loves to be outside and could be all day just wandering around but it has been cold. On Saturday, we took her out while we worked, mostly Brian worked and she chased killdeers all around the yard. She had such a great time. We are all really looking forward to summer since spring is not here.

As always, we are in the middle of remodeling. We are finishing a bedroom downstairs for the office and finishing the hallway and tearing down a garage and building a 2 car garage with access to the house and maybe a bonus room above it. It will be so nice. When that is all done we will finish the other bedroom downstairs and the bathroom. Hopefully we will also add siding and a new roof this summer and make our yard look better. What a work in progress.

Good thing's
1. A Husband who is extra handy
2. Garden Centers
3. Looking Forward to warm weather

It's Here

Spring really is here! I am so excited. My tulips and all my bulbs are flourishing not yet blooming yet but soon. The weather is so much warmer well not lately but it has been. The wind is awful.

In the last month, I went to my sister's to watch her kids while her and her honey went to Orlando to play. Reagan loved the kids and every time we took them to school or dropped them off somewhere she had to ask me about a million times "where they go". Then she wanted to know "when they be back". You are glad that they are able to talk, but after the 150th time of the same phrase it is a little old. Reagan got to play outside and she loved it. I didn't do much of anything while I was there. Just played the chauffeur. I had a good time though. It was a different kind of busy than I am used to. Some day I will have that kind of busy. Glad I could help.

This week is Reagan's birthday. She will be 2. I hope they will be terrific twos, but I think we may have already set a pattern with the bubble spilling all over the carpet and her little fits. Oh well life has to be interesting in some way.

We are doing some remodeling in our basement trying to finish that project so we can move onto the next one. The room for the office is almost finished and then we can move all that down and have a baby room. I am really looking forward to being done pregnant. I don't love it and just want the end product. I told Brian to look forward to a summer of whining and complaining as I already hurt everywhere. I told him I needed to have an attitude adjustment. Reagan loves to touch my belly and say baby and kiss it. She doesn't have a clue really about what is going to happen and I am not sure how she will deal with it. All I know is I will not be able to put the baby anywhere she can get to him or he will have bruised all over from being drug around. I hope he is good natured.

Good Things:
1. Spring and Projects
2. Husbands who say you don't whine
3. Hobbies

Happy Easter!

Today is Easter and we had a mini Easter Egg Hunt with Reagan when she woke up. She loved it. At first she didn't really get it but once it clicked, it clicked. So I am posting a lot of short video clips of our Easter Egg Hunt and then with the bubbles she got in her basket. Well I was going to post a lot of video but it takes forever so maybe just 2. Okay just 1.

Good things
1. The Atonement
2. Sunshine
3. Seeing Reagan really excited

Hope you all have a great Easter.

It is almost here...

Today is the first day of spring and I can finally see my grass. Well parts of it anyway. My bulbs are slowly starting to peek out of the ground. Reagan is getting really antsy to go outside and play. Her birthday is coming up soon and we are trying to decide on something to get her. Hopefully an outside toy so I can send her out to release her energy instead of running up and down the hall.

I have been really busy lately doing Alison's Pantry stuff to get ready for the taste of home cooking school here in town next month. I have to get all my catalogs out before I leave to NV next week and get sharing time ready for Sunday plus do some stuff for Easter. When I get back I will put another order in and Potty Train Reagan. Cross my fingers on the last one. I would like to get all of my sewing projects done before it gets too warm so I can plant my garden and stuff like that. I am making boy bumper pads and decorating a boy room. If anyone has some great and exciting cute ideas let me know. I haven't found anything I really like yet. We are also finishing our basement room by room and we will have to move the office downstairs soon. After we finish the office it is the storage room under the stairs so I can have my hallway back and I won't see my Christmas stuff for another 8 or so months. That will be great.

Today my great things are:

1. Clean offices (one of which I don't have but will soon)
2. Talking children who know what I am saying
3. Subtle signs of spring

Anywhere else they might be more than subtle signs of spring but I live in the Artic Circle of Idaho.

Spring...Yeah RIGHT!

So...I have finally come down with the cold of the winter. I am coughing all night and waking Reagan up. So it is glorious. But while I feel yucky I thought I would take a moment to think about the good things in life.

Good Things
1. Melting Snow
2. Sisters
3. Sudafed

The snow is actually melting, it is just at a snail's pace. I can see my flower bed now but no bulbs coming up. Darnit. It is frustrating. We are trying to build some houses and the snow is just miserable.

Reagan is such a goof ball. She is talking so much now and comes up with new words all the time. Her latest is "nak" meaning snack. She goes into the kitchen about 50 times a day (I am not exaggerating) and points to the cupboards and says "nak" and then just looks at me. In the morning when she wakes up she tells me to turn the "yight on" and she definitely knows when it is "binky time". I think she talks a lot now but when she starts to put words together we will never hear the end of it.

Great Things

I was reading my sister's blog where she said she was inspired by a friend to always think of good things that happen. Well, it has got me thinking. What a great way to be more grateful for the little things in life. I need to be more grateful anyway. There are times when I get a little overwhelmed by life and can't think of anything good. So that is my new way to get myself back to reality.

GREAT THINGS
1. Children
2. Health
3. Knowing that you are taken care of

This month has been a whirlwind of busyness. We found out that we are having a little boy. That is very exciting. Brian tells everyone. He is very happy about that. We always keep busy with house stuff and Reagan keeps us on our toes.

Pictures

Because I am unable to work my blog and can't figure out how to add the pictures on the previous post. So here they are. I will figure it out someday.

These pictures of Reagan are her in her classic form. Busy doing her work, ready for battle and having a toe-picking good time.

Winter

So it is February and still snowing. The rate it is going we are never going to see spring. I keep thinking that all those bulbs I planted in the fall will come up and I will get to enjoy them but probably not anytime soon. It snowed over the weekend and we got like 6 inches of bloody snow. It is kind of like I live in the Artic. Not really, but that is how I really feel. I hate it. Usually it is not that bad or I can handle the snow but the wind is miserable and the combination of it all is very untolerable.

So this morning, I had a couple of appointments to go to and then I thought I would take pictures of the houses that we built to post to the blogs so the investors can see them. Well, they hadn't plowed the roads in the subdivision. I got all the back to one of the house and my car stopped moving. So I ran to take a picture and then had the framers push me out. It was a little embarassing experience. After that I said forget I will take the pictures another day when my car can manuever a little better. I need a hummer to get around right now.

Other than that, nothing to exciting is happening. We were glad to see the New York Giants beat the Patriots in the Superbowl. Brian was so happy about that. He hates the Patriots. Reagan is being wild and crazy like normal. I was talking on the phone the other day and she got into my baking cocoa. I didn't realize what was going on until she brought her blanket to me with brown spots on and all over her pajamas and said to me "Naughty". Yep, she knows when she has done something that she shouldn't do but obviously that does not stop her. I am in the beginning stages of potty training. It will definitely be an adventure. I had her sit on her potty for a little bit. No luck so she got off walked about a foot away and peed all over the floor, down her legs, and onto her onesie and then slipped and fell on the floor. Better luck next time I guess. She is getting so big and says all sorts of new words. She came to Brian yesterday and said "see it" but it did not sound like see it at all. She has a favorite hat that she loves to wear. I will post a picture. It is actually a kneepad. She is such a funny girl.