Lagoon

So, yesterday Joe's company had a company picnic at Lagoon. Joe and I debated on whether we wanted to drive there and attend. They normally give out some big prizes. Well, Joe and I decided that we would go. We got there right before the lunch started. Samuel was hungry, poopy, and cranky. I found a bench in a corner and fed him there. Joe won 4 tickets to Salt Lake's baseball team. At least he won something. The prizes this year were far from stellar. The best prize was an ipod touch. Joseph got to go on the bumper cars, a boat ride, and a train ride. The train ride was supposed to have wild animals along the way. Well, all of the big cats were asleep, as was pretty much every other animal. Joseph had a good time. Joe and I were happy that he had a good time.

Last night Joe watched the Changeling. It is the story of the mother whose boy disappears and the cops give her someone else in his place. Joe said that he can watch horror movies, murder movies, zombie movies and nothing gives him nightmares. He watched that movie and it gave him nightmares. He kept dreaming that someone had taken his boys and it kept him up. He even went and peeked in on Joseph to see if he was alright. It warmed my heart to see my husband so concerned for his boys. I can understand the horror at the thought of something happening to them.

Forgot to mention

I love being at home with my little boys. They are so much fun. Joseph is such a good kid. It is funny because there are so many things that I know he can do on his own, but he is making up for mommy being away by "reliving" his childhood. He wants me to do so many things for him.

He is starting to sing more. I need to get a video of it, but I need to be sneaky about it. I missed out on Joe dancing for Samuel. He heard me push the record button. Darn. It was hilarious...

I don't know if I mentioned, but Joseph still says "lasterday" for yesterday and "licious" for delicious. He also loves the movie the Incredibles. It is a new favorite and much more appealing than his talking skeleton (A Nightmare Before Christmas) phase. Joseph is really big into playing games right now. He is loving that we play Memory every day. When he plays hide and seek, he tells you where he is going to hide.

Samuel is a chatty baby. He likes to squirm, sit up and drool. He drools so much that I have to change his outfit and bib a million times a day. The other day I thought it would be good if he was only in a diaper and bib. He slept in his swing, drooling the whole time (4 hours) and ended up with a nasty rash under his neck. I am trying everything to get it to look better. He is a generally happy baby with the cutest smile. I love his pudgy little thighs. :)

Sick

So. My brother Ziggy was sick a couple of weeks ago. He had the flu. He didn't go to the doctor, but he had a high fever for a few days and a cough. Last week Esteban got sent home sick from EFY. Yesterday, my allergies started acting up. Last night I was a tad warmer than normal (99.8). My nose is all congested, my throat is sore, and I am still warmer than normal (100.0) right now. I took Joseph for a walk today. I took water and we walked to D.I. Daddy gave Joseph his old wallet, so we have been giving Joseph old cards and such to put in there. He has a picture of himself that is his "license."

Daddy gave him $1 and Joseph wanted to buy a toy. I told him yesterday that we would go to D.I. today. Well, a promise is a promise, so off we went for a walk. We got to D.I. and we went straight to the toys. We looked at lots and finally settled on a van that Joseph could put things into. It cost $2. I told him we would need to find a worker and ask if they would take $1 for it. When we got to the front, Joseph went to a worker and asked how much it cost. The worker said, "$2 for that is a rip-off, I will let you have it for 50 cents." Joseph paid him and we walked home. The walk made me feel worse.

I checked Joseph's temp before bed. It was at 99.3. I gave him some Motrin before bed. Samuel seems to be doing okay at this point. Joe is good too. How ironic that on Monday, Amy got sent to the sick tent and was asked if she had been around anyone that was sick. She said no and the next day, I start to get sick. I think I just have a cold.

Pictures of us

It has been a long time since I have posted pictures. This picture is of the 4 Rankin grandkids. We weren't sure when we would have all of them together, so we thought it would be a good idea to take pictures the 1 day we were all together. It was an adventure trying to get all the kids to smile for the camera. Tons of pictures, but I am not sure if we have one with all 4 of them smiling.

In this picture, 3 of the 4 grandkids are smiling. Look at my cute boys. You will also note how light Samuel's hair looks.

Joseph playing in his old jumperoo. He didn't like it when he was a baby, but now, look at him.

Samuel on his belly. He almost looks happy. This is the before picture. I love the little outfit that Emily gave him with the dinosaurs.

Here is Samuel at Olive Garden. I met all of my coworkers there on May 20 for a lunch. Samuel didn't know what to make of the sandals on his feet. He kept straightening his legs to look at them and then he would try and touch them.

Samuel's bald spot. It is more bald on the side he prefers to lay on. He might need a helmet to help his little head get more rounded.

Samuel smiling before church. What a cutie!!

Trying to take a picture of all 3 of us together is hard. I can't reach far enough to get all of us in the picture and make it look nice.

My cute baby. His eyes are starting to turn brown. :( I was hoping they would stay blue-gray.

We have been to the Bean Museum a ton. We have gone for story time and just to look at the animals. When we were there on Wednesday, the lady at the desk let Joseph choose 2 insects he liked so he could keep them. He gave her a hug and said thank you.

Joseph is touching Thunder, the box tortoise. He also got to touch him this past Wednesday. The week before, Joseph got to touch a bearded dragon named Colonel Mustard. The dragon was yellow with spikes. Joseph held it in his lap and touched his spikes that he said were tickly.

Joe looks thrilled in this picture. Samuel is just chilling on his daddy's lap and Joseph is happy to have him home from work.

Joseph next to an apatosaurus vertebrae. It would be cool to see a dinosaur that was not a meat eater in real life.

Here is Joseph next to Kronosaurus. ***Correction: Joseph told me tonight that this is not Kronosaurus, but actually Deinosuchus (6/26/09). He is right.***We went to the Museum of Paleontology at BYU. It is small, but has some cool specimens, both rock and fossil.

Here is Joseph next to T-rex's head. My what sharp teeth you have!!

Joseph and the dinosaur footprint. Mommy and her Joseph. I am so grateful that I am able to stay home with him. I know he is happy too. I love my little boys so much.

Tagged-crazy Eights

I was tagged by my sister-in-law Michelle, so I am going to try and do this.

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Went through Joe's clothes to get rid of clothes that were too small or too worn (lots of work clothes)
2. Folded and put away laundry
3. Dropped stuff off at D.I.
4. Took Joseph and Samuel to reading and discovery time at the Monte L. Bean Science Museum
5. Picked Joe up for lunch then dropped him back off
6. Fed, played, and entertained my boys
7. Took some stuff to kid to kid
8. Cooked dinner, put the boys to bed...

8 Favorite TV shows (when we have cable and I have time)
1. The Office
2. Flight of the Conchords
3. Arrested Development
4. HGTV
5. Scrubs
6. 30 Rock sometimes
7. Medium sometimes
8. Food Network

8 Favorite Eats
1. Carrabba's
2. Thai Ruby
3. Cheesecake Factory (banana cream cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake...yum)
4. P.F. Chang's
5. Osaka
6. Good Wood
7. Chile's
8. Bajio

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Selling our house
2. Moving to the East somewhere (hopefully)
3. Samuel and Joseph entertaining each other
4. Joe and I finding where we need to settle our family
5. Joe starting a grad program
6. Getting new, nice clothes that look good on me versus all the hand-me-downs
7. Joseph and Samuel on missions serving as great, obedient, focused, and dedicated missionaries
8. Joseph and Samuel getting sealed in the temple to beautiful daughters of God

8 Things on my Wish List:
1. Visiting my mission
2. Visiting Joe's mission
3. Flat tummy, toned arms
4. Write a book
5. Sleep
6. A second car
7. Find some awesome rocks and fossils
8. Own a small house with a lot of land that has mountains or rolling hills and a stream or river running through it...

8 Things I am Thankful For:
1. My boys
2. My extended family
3. The Gospel
4. Friends
5. Health
6. Staying home with my two little boys
7. Seeing my husband smile
8. Rain

8 People I Tag:
1. Becca Harris
2. Lana (if you still read this)
3. Danika
4. Ernest and Lydia
5. Chrissy
6. Edward
7. Brittney
8. Heather Martin

Everything testifies that there is a God

So I am sitting here looking at my beautiful baby boy. It is amazing to me just how perfect and wonderful he is. As I contemplate the blessings that I have been given, I am grateful to my loving Heavenly Father and all He does for me. He hears and answers our prayers.

I sometimes wonder how people don't see God in all the beauty that surrounds us. Our bodies are amazing. They can heal themselves. How awesome is that! I look at my little boys and their little fingers and toes, their little faces, their beautiful eyes...how can you not see divinity reflected in creation? It amazes me that Heavenly Father loves us so much. He is reflected in us. Whether or not we see it, He is there. We are His children.

People struggle and have a hard time. Some people try to dismiss him because they cannot "prove" He exists. If they see the complexity and simplicity of all life on Earth, does it not make them wonder if there is a higher power directing creation.

All of us have trials in our lives. It is easy to forget that we don't have to go through them alone. Heavenly Father surrounds us with people to help us. If we ever doubt that, all we need to do is ask. I don't know how many times I have doubted myself or something and Heavenly Father provides an answer or a reassurance.

I think that is why I love the primary song, "A Child's Prayer." Heavenly Father are you really there, and do you hear and answer every child's prayer? The reassurance comes time and time again for me. "You are his child, his love now surrounds you. He hears your prayers..." I know my Father loves me and that he has blessed me so much. I am grateful for Him and all He does for me and my family.

Moles, mountains, and dinner

So, for what ever reason, Joseph thinks that nipples are moles. I have tried to tell him what they are, but he insists that they are moles. With this in mind, yesterday I bathed Samuel and was putting lotion on him. Joseph came to help and he pointed at Samuel's nipples and said, "Samuel's moles are getting bigger and bigger like volcanoes." He also said, "Samuel's moles are getting milk." I explained that only girls do when they have babies, but he doesn't believe me. He also insists that milk comes out of his fingers, so when I am not watching and we are somewhere, Joseph will stick his finger into Samuel's mouth to give him milk.

Tonight at dinner, Joe said he wasn't very hungry. Joseph then proceeded to lecture his daddy, "You had a long day at work. You need to eat dinner so you don't get sick." All the while, he was pointing his finger at daddy at shaking it back and forth.

Samuel is talking up a storm. We don't really know what he is saying, but he sure is passionate about it. He loves his jumperoo and musical activity centers. He bounces and plays with toys. Today Joseph chose a soft rattle for him. He loves it. He still hates belly time and won't roll over. He does move a lot. It is cute when he gets excited because he moves his arms and legs all over the place. Joseph had him laughing a lot yesterday while I was cooking dinner. By the time I got my camera, he was done.

On Friday a group of realtors came to our house. We got lots of great reviews, but the consistent down point in our selling our home are the neighbors and the lack of appeal their homes provide. Our house could also use a new sprinkler system and roof, but the main concern brought up by the realtors were the people next door. The neighbors could cost us about $25K in profit. Crazy.

Oh so many things to do

We have had a busy week. Aside from Gymboree having an awesome sale (I should never enter that store), I took Joseph and Samuel to the Museum of Art (MOA) at BYU and the Bean Museum. Joseph loved the MOA, especially since they were having a garbage art exhibit and a toy art exhibit. It was a lot of fun. Joseph really loved the toy art. His favorite garbage exhibit was with styrofoam packing peanuts. The peanuts were in a corner and occassionally a fan would cause them to blow and dance along the wall. He was laughing and enjoying himself thoroughly. I put Samuel facing the peanut exhibit and when it started, his little eyes widened in amazement. Each time it happened, he would have the same reaction! He is so adorable. They won't let us take pictures which is a shame. I would have loved to film Samuel's reaction to the show. There was a school group there and they were talking about how cute Joseph was as he ran from one painting to another exclaiming that someone had painted "a huge picture." He was not excited to go at first, but once we were there, he was in heaven.

At the Bean Museum, we did an animal scavenger hunt. Joseph also watched a clip on bugs (he is completely fascinated with them at the moment). We also stayed for the plants and animals of Utah show that starts at 7:30 p.m. He got to touch a box turtle and a corn snake. The girl was holding the snake answering questions, so Joseph took advantage of the situation and kept playing with the snake and touching it. He thought it was cool. He didn't want to touch the "rantula" that pooped on the girl that was giving the show. Samuel did well, but the show lasted longer than anticipated, so he was uber cranky by the time we got home.

Today I spent a lot of time cleaning the house and organizing. A bunch of realtors are walking through our house tomorrow. It is clean. I told my dad to let them know that we are motivated sellers. We just want some offers to come in. I also went to Gymboree to return a shirt. I ended up buying some sandals for Joseph. They are having a sale where you get an additional 30% off of your entire purchase, even the clearance items. It makes for some very good prices on clothing and shoes. I bought a ton of underwear for Joseph that only cost 70 cents a piece. He also got a one piece dinosaur pajama set that he loves because it has apatosaurus on it. There were some monster galoshes on sale, so I bought those too. Anyways, Gymboree is the best place to buy clothes. I love their little girl clothing. It is a good thing that we don't have a girl, because I would go broke on buying things for her at Gymboree.

I have lots of pictures that I need to post of the various trips we have done to different places. Samuel is getting bigger and more aware of his surroundings. He enjoys sitting up, but still can't do it very well on his own. Joseph loves to help me with him. If we were to cut Samuel's hair, his hair would be dirty blonde. Right now it looks like he dyed his hair and that his natural color is at the roots. His hair looks streaked. I need to post pics of that also. Anyways, we have been busy. I miss my coworkers a lot, but I am so grateful that I am home with my little ones. Joseph and I spend a lot of time playing memory. We are going to take some family pics in the next few weeks. I also have an eye doctor appointment in a couple of weeks. I think I will be getting some glasses. We shall see (heh, heh, heh...no pun intended). ;)

Joseph

He has been awake since 5:20 a.m. At least he slept over 12 hours.

Just a quick update

It has been a bit since I last posted. Here is a quick summary of events:

1. I don't need radiation treatment again!! Yay for no low iodine diets!!
2. Joseph wanted to get a toy sled for Santa's little boy. He plans on keeping Santa very busy this year. Everywhere we go he talks about Santa is going to bring me this or Santa is going to bring me that.
3. Samuel is drooling a ton and gnawing on his little fingers. I don't know if a tooth is coming in, but it sure seems like it.
4. We played frisbee golf for family home evening last night and we got rained on. It was a lot of fun! :)
5. Keeping the house clean (virtually spotless) every day is hard work.
6. Still no offers on our house.
7. Joe fixed our front door so it no longer is hard to open and close. He is fixing the back door so that it is not hard to open and close.
8. We saw Michelle and Nathan on Friday. It was fun to get pics of all the Rankin grandkids together. We are doing it as a surprise for Grandma Rankin (so if you read the blog, don't let her know about it). It was also fun to see Michelle and Nathan, even if it was only for a few hours. We are sorry that Jeff couldn't come.
9. Joseph fell asleep today at 4:30 p.m. and he is still asleep. I think I am in for a loooooooong night. On a side note, Samuel slept from 7:15 p.m. last night till 5 a.m. Too bad I went to bed late. :P
10. Samuel talks a lot more and loves to babble. He also likes to try and suck on his toes when he can reach them.

That is all for now. I have pics to be posted later.