Bedtime Battles

In one corner: Dad and Mom. In the other, this heavyweight. Who will win?

Round One: One night Connor decides he want to sleep in CC's room in her extra bed. Darren and I decide to play along. We tuck him in the pretty flower duvet, kiss him good night and say, "Don't get up." We leave, looking at each other knowing this will only last 30 seconds. He makes it longer. So long we forget about him until the next morning and realize - Connor slept in a bed! Easy.

Round Two: Let's spend a million dollars on a bedroom set for Connor. He's old enough, certainly big enough and let's make it fun... how about bunk beds? Done.

Round Three: Connor meets his new bunk beds, dresser and night stand. We're just to busy to take down his old crib... we'll just push it in the corner of his room. Our excited 2 year-old goes right in his big boy bed. We say good night, turn out the lights and close the door. What a dream. He doesn't come out and just stays in that bed... errrr turns out he just climbed back in his crib and slept. After all, he is just a a baby. He has to learn and it can't be this easy.

Round Four: Connor gets put in bed for naps and night. Connor gets out of bed, climbs in crib for naps and night. Connor now climbs out of crib for naps and night. Incidentally, Connor also gets out of his bed for naps and night.

Round Five: It take nearly 4 hours to get Connor to sleep at night. This includes many spankings, threats, take-away punishments ect. I even bit him. (that's the only thing he's scared of, I was tired and obviously making some bad decisions - and it wasn't even that hard.) I decide to remove myself from the game before the authorities do. Darren's now in charge.

Round Six: Connor now wakes up and wanders the house throughout the night. He's caught eating in the pantry, waking up his sisters to play, putting on his shoes, and rubbing desitin in his hair... to name a few. The hours between sleep, wandering and wake up time are starting to blurr. That's right, they're only about an hour apart.

Round Seven: Fine. Obviously he's tired. Bedtime has got to resume. We bump it to 6:00 pm. I mean if he's going to get up at 6 am, he's going to bed at 6 pm. Minor improvements made, once some sleep is restored.

Round Eight: Getting to bed time slowly improves. This paves the way for even more night time wondering. Now, we are too tired to notice how many times or how long he's awake. A bright streak of blonde hair appears in our room at strange hours, one of us wearily put him back to bed for the millionth time.

Round Nine: Does anyone know where we can get a look for his door? We can't find one. Sacrifices must be made. We don't really need one on the bathroom anyway. Mostly the kids use it... as long as it's closed... don't go in.

Round Ten: It's only been a month.... though feels like longer. He's getting better... and getting locked in. Now we just have to make sure he doesn't figure out how to go out the window. We're taking the gloves off and crossing our fingers. Now you cross yours.

Comic relief moments along the way. Connor telling me he has a loose tooth and wants me to pull it. Connor saying " I'll get it." Whenever he's in bed and hears the phone ring. I'm sure I'll laugh about it in about a year or so.

Making Progress

Would someone mail this to Regis and Kelly please. He should probably win something for this.

Black Friday 09

If you know me at all you know I really like to shop. I admit, it's shallow. But, for whatever reason, it brings me great happiness and I'm at peace with myself. I'm not addicted and my Visa bill is always (okay mostly) under control. I LOVE a good deal but I don't like to scour the city or dig through a dirty bin just to save a few bucks. But this year, I became one of the crazys. Black Friday rocked my world. As luck would have it some furniture I ordered in the states came in and was ready for me to pick-up on Thanksgiving. (tender mercy) So, for the first time in 12 years, I was going to be south of the 49th parallel for American Thanksgiving. Well, almost. After a week of heated debate about taking the kids with us, I lost and they all came. We got up early Thursday morning and made the 10 hours drive in record time - arriving at my parents house as they were eating the last bites of pie. Not to worry, my mom made 18 pies for 17 people - 10 of whom were under the age of 12. But then came the real dessert. The world's best sister-in-law: Lindsay Byram brought out the real treat. They were beautiful, thick, smelled new and brought the festivities to a fevered pitch... behold, The Black Friday Flyers. Lindsay has been a Black Friday warrior for many years, the rest of us - clueless of this beautiful sub-culture. We poured over the places we would go, drew our battle plans, discussed tactics, and scrutinized our strategy. In the end, we dubbed Lindsay "BFTL" Black Friday Team Leader. She lived up to the title and was awarded the Purple Heart. So, when 4:00 AM rolled around, I was up, dressed and teeth brushed in 4 minutes flat. My troops picked me up at Lindsay's house (she was gone... left with the earlier squadron.. okay just Alison, but still) The drive to Idaho Falls left us time to hone our final battle plans. (for some reason, even though I'm the oldest you would never know it at this stage of life. My sisters all boss me around like crazy, and I let them.) So, when Kristen, my youngest sister said, "Erika, I feel like you're the most useless, go stand in the check out line." I gave her the thumbs up. Turns out it was a brilliant move. Here's how it went down. 4:45 am Pull into the parking lot of Target - in awe of the massive wall of people waiting in line. 4:46 am score the world's best parking spot, on the side but right in front. 4:47 am stand humbled, looking at the live-truck, massive security guard, caution tape and the start of the line. 4:48 am get worried about the battle that's about to take place. 4:49 Random stranger #1 join us, we joke mentioning "hey next year let's wear red and khaki and go in the employee entrance." 4:51 Random Stranger #2 joins us and says, "You know, there are enough of us, we could just charge the security tape and break through it." 4:52 am lots of laughter over that one. This is one funny lady. 4:59 am more chatting and I decide to get out my video camera for the big moment. Plus, we've come to terms there is no way we're getting in the building before 7 am. 5:00 am Bell rings, crowd cheers and random stranger #2 charges the security tape, distracts the guard and slips in the store. Serious. My camera was rolling. 5:01 am the line is moving fast, we start waking to get to the end of it. 5:03 am Random Stranger #3 yells at us, thinking we're trying to cut in line. Kristen looses it and yells back, "We're not cutting and you have on a really bad vest." 5:02 am pretending to be shocked over Kristen's "crowd mentality" I reply, "Kristen, what kind of person are you? You just yelled at someone who has clearly made some poor life choices." 5:03 am Target employee offers Breakfast Burritos to the line. (my bad, I thought they were free) 5:04 line is moving really fast. 5:05 am Operation Divide and Concur is in full force. Andrea hits toys. Kristen, electronics. Me, the check out line. (which no one is in yet because the doors just opened) I grab a sweatshirt that's not even on sale just to look la git in the line. 5:06 am The Toy Department. Andrea steals some guys cart as he turns to grab a toy. This proves a crucial move, how's a girl supposed to carry 2 easy bake ovens? 5:06 am Electronics. Kristen makes her way to the front of the counter and starts telling people where they belong in line. This proves a pivotal moment as she scores the last 4 of the $88 digital cannon cameras. 5:07 am people are starting to line up and I panic. The only thing I have to show is that red sweatshirt. I buddy up with another random line holder, offer to help her put things on the belt and then tell her she can go ahead of me. Where is the rest of my team? 5:10 am Kristen appears in the horizon of the line crowd. Triumphantly holding the $80 chi's and the camera's. 5:12 am Andrea emerges. Easy Bake ovens and all. 5:13 am - more adrenaline as we start to check out. 5:21 am Mission accomplished! We call BFTL (Lindsay) to report our success and listen for our next marching orders.

If you want to know what happened next, blogstock Lindsay or Kristen. I'm tired and Darren just flooded the kitchen. But, Black Friday was a blast. Put it on your bucket list. And no, I didn't finish my Christmas shopping.

Christmas kid-off

Darren's work hosted a Christmas party for the kids this weekend and WOW, they know how to throw a party. There were horse drawn sleigh rides, tons of games, petting zoo, a clown, 2 bounce houses, x-box marathons, crafts and Santa came with awesome presents. But our personal favorite was the Face Painting. Thank you Gowlings.

A Day Devoted to Chelsea

A Sweet, Silly, Social, Six years old! We love our little blonde and are continually grateful for the fun she brings to our home. In her 6-years she has proved herself the most magnetic personality in our home. She simply makes life fun. I love how she gets lost in her own little magical world where she reigns supreme. I love how she is never afraid to talk to an adult and is more than willing to carry on a conversation with anyone. I love how she is so content with her life. I love her high pitched squeeky little voice. I love her beautiful tiny hands. I love how she never grins but always smiles. I love that she can play and imagine with anything. I love that she practically weightless and I can easily still swoop her up and carry her. I love that she is Cala's sister and hope some of their traits rub off on each other. I love that she fills our house with music. I love listening to her sing. I love that she can shower all by herself. I love that she can make her own bed. I love that she unloads the dishwasher. I love that she is best friends with her little brother. I love that she says a million funny things a day. I love that every milestone she reaches is so amazing to her. I love that she could spend the day in her pj's if she could. I love when she suggests that we go shopping to buy her lots of fun things like clothes and toys. But mostly, I love that she is mine. Happy Birthday CC.

H1N1 & Halloween

Wow. I wasn't prepared for the week we just had. Last Thursday the school sent home a note saying "Do not send you child to school - if they display ANY of the following symptoms, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, fever...ect." So, Friday morning when Cala's asthma flared up a bit - I kept her home. Coughing did not stop and by Monday afternoon, she started to really get sick. And I mean sick. Fever of 105 that would drop to 102 with adult doses of extra strength tylenol, horrible chills, aching so bad she asked me, "Mom, how did I break my hips? It hurts so bad." Her heart was racing and she was having a hard time breathing. Tuesday afternoon I took her to the doctors office. She said, take her to the hospital right now. Her lungs aren't clear, her heart is racing and her fever is too high. She needs tamiflu. (H1N1 anti-viral medication) The hospital was unbelievable. Sick kids everywhere, worried parents, nurses and doctors running - and everyone in a mask. After assessment and 2 hours of waiting we decided to leave. Darren called a friend and doctor we know and he directed us to an urgent care centre that could also give the drug. We dashed there, were seen in about 30 seconds and got the medication. After she got the anti-viral, things changed very fast. She's exhausted, still has a dry cough but doing well. We had company this week - which turned out to be a complete blessing. Ben Gehmlich gets An A-plus in the manny department - and we're really sorry for getting you sick. Connor and CC have colds - but so far, nothing like Cala. Now I know what they mean by pandemic. Now we're making decisions about waiting in line for the vaccination - if we're able to get it. We were very blessed this week and hope we've had our run with H1N1. One good thing, I don't have to worry about how to get rid of all the candy the kids got. We only went to about 15 houses. It was that or nothing - I think they chose well.

This guy got loads of compliments at each house - everyone loved his costume. He was supposed to wear it last year - it was too big for him. Connor got a great workout and was literally running from house to house once he realized what it all meant. Seriously, we could have got him to wear a dress and heels. He would have done anything. The level of commitment and dedication was astounding - wish that would transfer into to potty training department as well.
Cleopatra will have to wait until next year - but Cala willingly went as a pirate so she could stay warm and actually go trick-or-treating. She was VERY happy to see her friends! It was so sweet. The 3 girls she went trick-or-treating with all ran up to her and gave her a big hug. It was a good moment to be a mom.
And how do you make the sweetest almost 6 year-old in the world look like a mean witch? You don't - you just wipe off white make-up from everything she comes into a 2 foot radius of. This will be the last year of make-up that smears. CC was sooo happy we caved and decided to let them hit a few houses. She was happy hanging out with Cala and her friends and even said, "Mom, everyone included me."

Summer to September CC Style

Welcome Back. CC has made some huge strides the past few months. She graduated from preschool in June.


Had her ballet recital in June - and even got her own bouquet of flowers. She loved being on stage and smiled like crazy even though she was a bit nervous.



She got to be in a parade this summer. We left crummy Calgary weather and celebrated the 4th of July Idaho style. All the kids rode on Grandpa's float and threw candy. It was 80 degrees and way to hot for the Canadians. CC got heat stroke. (woops) but ate tons of candy to make up for it.


And this was a highlight of the summer. CC got her first pedicure and will never be the same. Since then she and her friends have been busy giving each other pedicures and Connor now has the most manicured feet of any 2 year-old.



And the big day. CC is now officially in kindergarten. She got to take the bus on her first full day even though I wanted to drive her and watch it all. She told me I could just drive her to the bus. She won. She goes 2 full days one week, 3 full days the next so it's nice to have her home at least 2 days a week. Her teacher told me about a good laugh she had. Mrs. Scaddan was asking the kids questions about the calendar and writing answers up on the board. CC raised her hand and said, "Mrs. Scaddan, you need a pedicure." The teach had on sandals and said to me, "how many kindergarten kids know what a pedicure is?" Luckily Mrs. Scaddan realizes the mentality of 5 year-olds and wasn't offended - just amused. Aren't you supposed to give the teacher an apple - no insult her?

Waterton Weekend

Ever heard of Watterton National Park? That's where we were this weekend and if you ever decide to visit Alberta - this stop is a must. We stayed with our BFF's Ben and Janell and had a great time. So, if you go be sure to.... rent these babies - but only for 30 minutes. We did an hour and whew what a workout.Be sure to hit "The Big Scoop" for some really good ice cream. Darren had his allotment for the summer thanks to Ben. (that's what you get when you know the manager)
Roast hot dogs around a campfire and don't worry that your kids burned more in the fire than they ate.
And let your 2 year-old shadow this guy. Ben was nice enough to let Connor help with the lawn mowing. (at 7 am - a sign of a good friend) And good friends they are. We love having them back in Canada for the summer and can't wait to see them again. Thanks for a great weekend guys! oxoxo

Tractor, Thomas & and Two years-old

The first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning was - I feel a lot better today than I did 2 years ago. We woke up to snow but managed through the cold thanks to the many charming antics of this guy. Happy Birthday Connor - we all adore you. And that's true - everyone of us absolutely adores you. We had a theme for his birthday: "Let's turn him into a boy." He is now well supplied in the Tonka truck department, John Deer department (thanks to our neighbours the Suttons) and the Thomas the Train department. He loves his new pj's and notice he did his own accessorizing with his sister's patent leather shoes. Nice touch don't you think? We're happy to note that in the last year he did not gain a significant amount of weight - only one pound. But he's still on the top of the charts - just in the 92nd percentile. We love him... all 31 pounds of him. xoxox Connor!

The eyes have it....

My enjoyment of this kid is at an all time high. (to borrow a quote from J.Romney) I'm loving the great personality. Here are a few reasons why. Back the fall we found out CC needed glasses... so we got her one pair, then another one, then sunglasses, then another pair. Yes, that's 4 pair of glasses in less than 6 months. The doctors office is now adding on a new wing and since she started at the age of 5 wearing glasses - she's a cash cow. (for the dr. not us) Connor's favorite past time (other than getting into my make-up) is ripping them off her face, twisting them and laughing. We have been to the eye doctor numerous times to get them "an-justed" (that's CC for adjusted) and the last time we were there one of the assistants told her "You have got to keep your little brother away from your glasses." (which was totally helpful because we just never thought of that) So here they are in order of appearance and in order of Connor destroying them. (sorry, if you want to see then sunglasses - they're on the previous post)






She is so funny about her glasses. She loves her cleaning cloths - which is ironic because I'm the only one who uses them. Going to church on Sunday she was telling me the following. "Mom, if you're like wearing an outfit and it's going wrong, one of the things you can do is change your shoes, change your belt. But me, I'm lucky because I wear glasses so they're always like a part of my outfit and they match anything. So my outfits mostly don't go wrong because hello - I wear glasses. And also, you cant wear a busy top with a busy bottom - even if they are the same colors. Stuff like that doesn't work. Those are some of the things I'm learning." Awesome. I hit a bird in the car a few days ago, CC said, "Don't worry mom, Canada has lots of birds." We shaved the dog - a black and white border collie - Daisy comes back home and CC says, "Sweet, we got a Dalmatian. In response to just about any question you ask her: "I have no idea." And, a least twice a day, "Who's your favorite child? And don't say Cala's your favorite 8 year old and I'm your favorite 5 year old." Finally, she got a new primary teacher at church. He was in Darrens youth group at church but graduated and went to BYU for a year. He's back while he waits for his mission call - on Sunday, he's now stuck with a bunch of 5 year-olds. CC was telling us about her new teacher and said, "I don't know his name but he used to hang out with dad." Oh ya - one more thing. Ballet class. For a big stretch she didn't want to go. I kept telling her if she wanted out of it she had to talk to her teacher. One day after class she said, "I asked my teacher about quitting. She said to talk to you." Don't worry, we're not quitting until the recital is over next week. But she has started to like it so I glad I didn't let her quit.

Mother of all updates

Cala turned 8 in March and it was an event. For her b-day Cala got her ears pierced... note the bling. Darren had to wait out in the hall so he wouldn't pass out. I got through it okay and Cala - she just look stunned and was quiet. why didn't someone tell me ear piercing was soooo $$. Didn't see that one coming.



G&G Byram came for Cala's baptism. Here we all are. We love it when they come and visit. It's nothing but a party. This round, they also brought cousins Curtis and Spencer to surprize Cala... she was shocked.






ps: Spencer (the one on the right is also 8 and on some growth hormone - His parents will probably be arrested soon)






This is Cala's awesome 8th b-day party. We took her friends to a casino (I know, sounds bad but it was a good b-day package) They swam for an hour in the pool and played on the water slide... then lunch, gift opening and cake for an hour in the restaurant. It was easy - easy. Darren and I just sat and talked the entire time - the party basically ran itself. We did manage to take pictures. It was worth every ridiculous penny we had to pay. Highly recommended.



Whenever it gets somewhat warm we like to get these babies out... and put all ours on top of them. Here are all 3 on Leo. Connor loves the horses and being outside.




Easter was crazy funny thanks to this kid. We hid Easter eggs and Darren showed Connor how to find them and then look inside to find the candy. When he realized that's all he had to do for his favorite thing in the whole world it was a frenzy to find all the eggs possible. He kept jumping up and down, laughing and shoving it in his mouth as fast as possible. For the next few days he would randomly open cupboards and look behind things for more eggs. Priceless. Oh, and the girl were great too. And didn't even notice they didn't get Easter dresses... I couldn't be bothered this year. er scratch that - one of them got a new one. I'm not saying which one - but she's blonde.




Darren went to Costa Rica in Feb to visit our dear friends Ben and Janell. These are some of the pictures Ben and Darren managed to take. Note to Ben: If you take a dumb picture I'm gonna post it.





And that's the mother of all updates. Thanks for reading.

This one's for you mom

No, this wasn't a costume party... it was a "Black Tie and Beyond" dinner/speaker/drinks for a client of Darren's. The amount of prep. work was simply crazy. (and I'm talking about the princess I'm standing next to - not myself.) In true form, he took all the shopping time tux searching - he couldn't look like he was in a "rented" tux. I made fun of him all week. The highlight for me - the spray tan I got. I feel so much better with a little color - even though no Vitamin D was involved. Did you know that "Black Tie" for a woman is defined as a formal dress that hits anywhere from the knee to the floor. The search for a long one proved hard. Don't worry, 90% of the crowd did the same thing. Looks like we all did our research. Darren will now be hiring himself out as an escort since he has a tux. He's free any Saturday night.

Wanted: Nanny

What can you do in 30 seconds. Here's what Connor can. 1. unwrap a pound of butter that was on the counter.2. get powdered sugar out of the cupboard (the high chair was already at the counter... that's how he can reach EVERYTHING.
3. dump powdered sugar on a waffle that had been on the table for at least an hour. And lick it up with the help of a pastry brush.
He does have redeeming qualities. He loves wearing his towel like this.
And wearing the garbage can like this.
Just keep'n it real people.

CC says

CC NEVER stops talking. I'm not kidding. I told myself I would never tell one of my kids to "shut up." But, I've been rethinking that policy. She is very funny and has her own way of talking. Here a a few samples we thought were blog worthy.

"Connor you in-ee-ut." That's idiot.

"Shopping is a responsibility. If you run out of money you can just go to the bank and get more or just pray to Heavenly Father that you need more money and you'll definatly get it."


"Hey, no fair... yours are way bigger than mine." To her older cousin in a dressing room while trying on shirts.

Conversation with our weekend nanny. Ruth says, "Chelsea, I'm leaving for 45 days to go back to the Philippines, will you miss me?" Chelsea, "Did you say 45 - because that's how old my mom is."

And on Mothers Day - after preparing a special breakfast, letting me open presents, rushing out the door to church, and then walking up to sing with all the primary kids in sacrament meeting... Chelsea says, "Is it Mother's Day?" Did we mention she's blonde? We adore this blonde and hope she keeps making us smile.

Latest

Isn't winter in Canada awesome. This day hit close to 50 degrees F. We took advantage and decide to ride the horses. It was one the best days of the year! So warm and beautiful. I might like winter if it could look like this all the time. Right now we have the best horses we've ever had. They are all calm and smart. And it was even my idea we ride... scoring some serious points with the man in the house.



Happy B-day Darren. If you want to know how old we are it's easy. For Darren, add 30 years to Cala's age. And for Erika, add 30 years to CC's age. The big 38 for Darren this year and the girls were caught up in all the action. The fought over everything. But finally ended with me deciding who would give dad what. Cala gave him a shirt, CC a Wii game and me a camera and a solo trip to Costa Rica to see Ben G.



This is one secure (or confused) little man. Today I said, "Time to take CC to school." Connor emerges from her room wearing sunglasses, a necklace and carrying a purse. (but man bags are all the rage right?) What really worries me about this picture is that he was posing. hummm. Your thoughts? He's adorable and I love him but he's is complete trouble. Don't give me the "he's just a boy" thing either because he is not loud, doesn't go around banging things into the wall, hitting everything or running everywhere... instead he is into EVERYTHING. I wish this kid would learn to play with toys. He spends his day reorganizing cupboards, shopping in the pantry, getting into make up, and most recently moving his high chair to whatever kitchen drawer he wants to access.. then plays in the spice drawer, knife drawer and today was trying to turn on the stove. help. He's strong too because I've locked he wheels of his high chair and it doesn't seem to matter. (thank goodness for a distressed hardwood floor I suppose) Trouble - big time.



Hi Andrea. (sorry about the big pic... can't figure out how to shrink it) It was soooo nice to see you the end of Feb. and spend some really good sister bonding time together! My trip to Boise was made even better when our very nice neighbors volunteered to help out with all 3 kids... including Connor so I could go visit the Randalls in Boise. It was memorable for many reasons. 1. I woke up by myself every morning - no one woke me up. 2. We spent most of the time shopping and laughing. (My thank you card from the Boise Chamber of Commerce arrived yesterday.) 3. Micah, Andrea's crazy competitive husband seriously lost in cards a few times. 4. Her kids are adorable. Annie let me do her hair everyday. Cade killed me in every Wii game we played. And Molly is the happiest baby ever... I really can't believe how good she is. 4. I had a 4 hour lay over in Seattle where I had the best time BY MYSELF. I had a massage, ate the best clam chowder and fish tacos in the world and went on a 90 minute walk. People - does it get any better? Of course I missed the kids and was happy to smother them with hugs and kisses when I saw them. Chelsea was so excited to stay with the neighbors that she kept asking, "Why aren't you gone yet?" or said "I'll miss you but I'm way more excited for you to go." and "Dad's more fun, he likes to play the Wii more." Cala also told me that "Dad doesn't demand, you demand." (Which is true but I'm ignored and he's not... why is that? Cala had a good cry the night before I left but when I got back she said she was way too busy to miss me. Darren took the girls and went to Montana for the weekend. Connor got left by both parents - ouch. I got home late Sunday night so I didn't see Connor until the morning. He didn't flinch when I went into his room all excited to see him... just demanded breakfast as usual.



I had to put this picture for you Lindsay. Rich you keep us all laughing. I just had my stitches removed from Christmas. Also, my kids can't tell which one I am in this picture... can you? (If you say the older one, you are booted from this blog)