Just Call Me Nancy Drew

cause I just solved the case of the fussy baby.  Poor Spike has another tooth coming in.  The funny part is that it is another bottom tooth, but not the one right next to his two teeth, the one over a space.  That kid is gonna look like a serious Arkansas hillbilly.

Talk to me baby

So I found myself once again faced with a child who wasn't talking at the same level as their peers.  I'm starting to think that maybe it's me.  We decided to get an earlier start with Mae then we did with Max.  Part of this was because of experience and part was that the two sitautions have actually been different.  I felt like with Max that he was a bit behind, but that he communicated more effectivly then Mae does.  For Max it was more of a non-polished thing and for Mae it feels more like, something isn't right.  I debated whether or not to go down to Little Rock and visit my brilliant speech therapist cousin Liz, but while I feel she would have done the best job, the 3 and a half hour trip would have made regular visits prohibitive.  So we had her checked out locally.  The therapist we met with was a wonderful gal who is positive, kind, and really works well with Mae.  After the testing we met and discussed Mae's needs.  Whereas Max had been mostly fine and did not qualify for therapy, Mae is behind.  She speaks and comprehends at a twelve month level.  The therapist isn't sure why this is exactly, but Mae is going to get speech therapy three days a week for now.  I am very excited to help Mae communicate with us.  I think it will help us all be happier in the long run.  (Although I am not thrilled about the less then convienant schedule we were able to get.)  I love my Miss Mae, who is trying to attack me with books while I type this.  I am very eager to find out what she wants to say.

Break on through to the other side

So a side effect of getting a new roof was getting the use of a full size construction dumpster.  We took this opportunity to empty the garage.

It took Jeff and I about two hours of hauling that crap up the driveway into the dumpster but it was worth it.  We kept finding the most random construction items.  We kept finding all these mirrors and panes of glass.  One pane was like eight feet by six feet and it took both of us to carry it to the dumpster.  It was very heavy and oddly enough traffic picked up that Friday night so it felt like we were extras in a stunt movie.  I was waiting for the police to chase someone right through it.  SO MANY DOORS!  It often felt like the chase scene in Monsters Inc. 

 Alas none of the doors led us to Narnia.  We chucked most of it.  We kept one nice front door and inside door for our other house, and we kept these puppies.

These guys are solid something and HEAVY!  Rumor from the neighbor has it that the previous owner took them off the P.F. Changs job site where he was doing electrical work.  I talked to a contractor friend of mine and I am gonna post them on craigslist for $700.  I have no where to put them myself.  You can't tell from the weird glare but they are gorgeous. 

So this is what the garage looks like now.  We got Jeff a garage door opener for his birthday/Christmas and he can now park in the garage.  Hooray. 

*Oh snap how clever am I with the title?  A" Doors" lyric that aptly describes getting through to the other side of the garage and the intense fear I felt carrying the giant glass sheet.  

Sleepy Guy

Help Grandma

Dear Grandma Tobler, I need my own apron please!

Love, Mae

A Day Late

So Jeff's birthday was yesterday.  Happy Birthday sweetie.  We went out to breakfast and dinner without the kids.  Not too bad.  We had intended to go to the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, that was built by Alice Walton right in our backyard, but we got there late and it had closed for the night.  Oops.  The museum opened in November and I keep saying that I will make it and not stressing to get there cause it isn't going anywhere, but at this point I kinda wonder if I need to make more of an effort.  I wanna see me some Winslow Homer and Norman Rockwell.  Now for the important part of this post; Jeff is 32 and aging well.  He was pretty great when we met 10 years ago, but I gotta say he does get better with age.  I could devote this entire blog to how much I love and admire him, but I don't think anyone wants to read that.  Instead I have decided to help my readers get to know Jeff a bit better.  I assume that most of my readers are here because they know me, so this post might better acquaint you with my guy.

From Jeff's point of view

I know...How to drive on the opposite side of the road
I want...The Lord of the Rings on Blu-Ray, but my wife won't let me have it cause we have them all on DVD
I have...all the Playstation gaming systems
I wish...the furnace would magically start working again
I hate...Adele
I miss...my mom and dad
I fear...that something else will have to be replaced in the car/houses this month
I Feel...that it is impossible to put my wallet on the left side of my pants wearing the back pockets out evenly
I hear...the baby monitor at 5 a.m.
I smell...candles, (He loves candles which is funny cause I don't.)
I crave...Chicken Ala King
I search...for Spike and Mae pacifiers
I wonder...what free games I'll get on the playstation plus network each month
I regret...getting the dog
I love...My kids
I care...about my primary calling
I always...take care of any plumbing issues and also get to lick all the cake/ brownie/ cookie batter bowls, these are both "Jeff Jobs." Not to shabby a trade off.
I am going...to take Max to DisneyWorld this December
I believe...in duct tape
I dance... on my Dance Dance Revolution Mat
I sing...along with Emily when she makes up songs for the kids
I fight...to defend my wife
I write...computer programs
I lose...track of my pager schedule for work
I win...all my video games... eventually
I never...hurt my kids or my wife
I listen...to Weird Al
I am scared...of heights
I need to clean...my wallet
I hope...to sell my house this spring

A few extra stats:
A Provo, Utah native
Served a LDS mission in Sydney Australia
Has a Masters in Information Systems Management from BYU
Works for the Information Systems department at Walmart
Has adorable dimples that you can't see cause he rocks an awesome beard
Is well liked by everyone.  I have never met a person who didn't like my husband, (expect his younger sister Megan, but that is a younger sister thing and he said they got along wonderfully on his last visit.)
Really handy around the house
Is completely smitten with Mae and best buds with Max

Another holiday?

Okay so it is a good thing that I have not posted about my resolutions yet, cause I have already broken one.  After how grumpy I got about Christmas this year, I decided that I would try and make more of an effort this year.  You know, for the kids sake.  Now here we are at the first holiday of the year, and I have done almost nothing.  I could blame it on the never ending roof drama, (post coming soon,) but to be honest, I am not sure I would have done more had I not have a team of guys banging on my roof for the last week.  I cannot say that I forgot about valentines day, I totally knew it was coming; it was more like I was in denial that it was actually gonna happen and I would have to do something about it.  There has been quite a debate going on in my head about whether or not I even needed to do anything.  My parents never went all out for any holiday let alone Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I had a great, normal childhood.  In fact, that's the point.  When did Valentine's Day and all the other minor holidays become such a big deal?  I remember handing out the cards in school, but now I HAVE to make my family heart shaped red colored food for three meals?  I have to cut out felt hearts and string them around the room!?  Presents for my kids preschool teachers?  (Not that I don't appreciate them, I do.)  And when did the valentines get all jacked up?  When I was a kid only one or two kids had candy attached to their valentines, now that is the least amount  required. 

Now I know that you are all shaking your heads and saying, "You don't have to do those things.  If someone else does that then that is what they want to do."  CRAP!  TOTAL CRAP!  When everyone else goes crazy it slowly builds and adds to society expectations of what is required.  It then comes down to my own guilt and my kids expectations.  I adore my kids and I am gonna be seriously ticked if at the end of it all they can't realize that cause they didn't get heart shaped food. 

But I do love my family and I want them to have fond childhood memories.  So maybe if the roofers are done by St. Patrick's Day,  I'll be ready with green colored food.  One a positive note to end this angry drivel of a post, We did get some lovely cards in the mail from the grandparents.  I love how Jeff's mom mails each of us a crisp one dollar bill.  I wonder what Spike will do with his?  My parents mailed each of the kids one of those big music cards.  Before I had kids I thought those were the biggest waste of money, but you should see a toddler with a music card.  Totally worth the five bucks.  The kids save their cards for months and play them until they break or I go crazy and toss them.  Mae has recently fished my birthday card out from under some piece of furniture and we hear Cinderella's  "Bibbity Bobbity Boo" hourly.

Universal International

I love the Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie, This Island Earth.  (This one was actually released in the theaters and has the best jokes.  It is also where the above picture comes from.)  The original film was released in the 50's back when Universal pictures was called Universal International.  The jesters snidely point out in the credits; "Doesn't the fact that it's Universal make it International?"  Jeff and I repeat this joke frequently, and always when watching a Universal movie.  Aaaanyway....I would like to take a moment to point out a few of my friends blogs.  If you will take a few moments to visit the following blogs located on the right side of my blog you will be in for a treat. 
The Jones Family
My college friend Amanda, has recently moved her little family to Costa Rica so her husband can study birds.  I love hearing about the day to day adventures that Amanda navigates as she raises four small kids.  She has a real talent for writing.  Her posts are informative, interesting, and most importantly not too long.  (Cause really isn't that the worst blog crime out there.) 
The Checketts Family
A lady from my stake here in Arkansas moved to Canada a few months ago, and I have to say I had no idea that Canada was so different.  I just assumed that everything was the same but sometimes in French and costing more.  I was particularly fascinated with the different trash system they have up there.  It would seem that Canadians are very into recycling. 
Soon I hope to add my friend Angela, who says she will blog about her families new adventures in Russia.  I also have a college roommate who is moving to China and will post her blog as it becomes available. 

I have never actually been abroad.  My parents did take us to Tijuana once for a few hours when I was seven, but I have tried to block that memory out and don't really think it counts.  One could argue, (but I am pretty sure no one will,) that I leave the country every time I drive to Tulsa and cross into Cherokee territory.  But really that is so technical it's pathetic.  I am very grateful that my friends at least have interesting adventures. 

Now I can get over it.

I just registered Max for Kindergarten.  I can now begin to get over the fact that he missed the cut off by two weeks this year,( because Arkansas is stupid and it's cut off date is August 1st.)  So now my biff is the fact that Max doesn't get to go to the local elementary school that is 2 minuets away cause we live on the wrong side of the street.  No, we get to drive 15 min into Bentonville, 30+ min in bad traffic.  Since we have to drive into town already we are going to try to get into the year round school.  Here's hoping.

Beefy

Tee Hee Hee Spike was quite the ladies man at church yesterday.  Dressed in a super cuddly red sleeper, Spike was passed around to quite a few ladies who just wanted to give him a good squish.  While he doesn't quite match Max's build at seven months, he is getting pretty thick.  When he was born, Spike looked so much smaller then the other two with he little chicken legs.  All wrapped up, Jeff and I joked that he didn't look like a burrito but a skinner cheesy roll-up, (dude have you seen how much taco bell charges for those now?!?)  Well he now has surpassed the burrito stage and just looks like a Beefy Cheesy Burrito.  All I can think of when I see him is Beefy.  He still doesn't sit up, he hates sitting in the borrowed bumbo.  He loves to roll.  If you set him down in one spot, it doesn't take long for him to make it across the room.  He goes til he hits some furniture or a wall.  He also seems very close to crawling.  I think he might do this before he sits up.  He loves being held and he loves stuffed animals.  Spike may be my first talker.  This kid has more to say then Mae.  I often call my parents up and just put him on the phone cause he will coo and jibber jabber for quite awhile.

Still Good

So we are going on a month of good behavior from Mae now.  I don't know what happened, but she is no longer angry at us all the time.  Well I should say angry at me all the time.  She was usually good for Jeff during the dark days.  As you will all remember from my numerous post on her behavior, after she turned one Mae just got mad.  She was always whining at me, especially in the car, and it seemed like she wanted nothing to do with me.  Well whatever happened last month is still in effect.  She is being incredibly sweet and loving.  I get giggles, cuddles, and lots of loving.  She still feels the need to touch everything and get into all drawers, cabinets, and baskets.  But these messes seem acceptable now because I can now see them as a symptom of her curious nature and not coming from her desire to make me miserable.  I honestly don't know if the terrible two's are behind us or if she is just taking a rest from disliking me, but I am happy and will take it as long as it lasts. 

Stuff about Mae.
 She still doesn't say much.  I have no idea why my kids don't talk.  One thing she does say is "No Nigh nigh."  When we ask her if it is time for bed.  It is adorable.  Maybe it is just a power thing cause when Mae does talk, Jeff and I are so beyond thrilled that we usually giver her whatever she wants, jumping and cheering at the success.

  Mae does most of her standing and walking on her tip toes.  I have no idea why, but she loves to be on her tip toes.  It is pretty cute.

  Mae pays a lot more attention to Spike now.  When she hears him crying she will often try to find a binky or bunny to cheer him up with. 

  Shower time is her favorite.  She loves to drink the water in the shower and splash with Max in the bath.  Whether or not to wash her daily is a tough choice for me cause she loves it and usually get pretty dirty, but her skin has gotten so sensitive and the air is so dry.  I try to keep it to every other day, but she does get so dirty sometimes. 

  This is mostly due to her hair.  It feels like it has stopped growing.  It is a good three inches from staying out of her face, and the more I want it to grow the less it does.  Can hair just stop growing?

She still adores shoes.  She spends most of her day taking her shoes on and off.

  After having Max, (Mr, I must be around people at all times,) I was surprised to see Mae just wonder off to her room to play.  It is refreshing but also a bit unnerving.  I left her alone the other day and she climbed onto her changing table then fell off and had a bloody nose.  And yet she still hasn't climbed out of her crib yet.