tender mercies from children

Lately I've been a terrible, horrible, no good very bad mother... especially when it comes to patience with Tatum. For example, I remind or ask him, what seems like 20 times, to do something... and by 5:00 pm, when I continue to get push-back, I snap! Chase walks through the door and enters a war zone. It seems though, in the moments when I want to just run away and hang-up my motherhood hat for a while, that the little people who are causing me all this grief tune-in and give a tender mercy when it's needed most. Like today for example, dinner was in the oven, the kids were riding their wiggle cars around the kitchen (just to keep them entertained and happy for 5 minutes while I cooked), and I slipped over to the family room to lay on the floor and kick my feet up. I was literally plugging me ears and holding back tears. Chase was going to be late, again, and I was DONE for the day! Just then, it got more still and Tate walked over, put a blanket on me, then proceeded to make a spot for him right next to me. "Can I snuggle you Mom?" Tender mercy. Or when the bedtime routine just wasn't going quick enough and I needed him in bed stat, so I tell him to get his jammies on then come downstairs. As a start walking away, he says, "Mom, you're hair looks beautiful. I love you." Tender mercy. And these tender mercies happen daily. I know it's God's way of putting me in my place, reminding me how important my role is and how precious these kids are, and encouraging me to keep going... even if for only another hour.

JANUARY.

Let me summarize our entire month of January in one word.  SICKNESS!
Tate and I have been sick, off and on, since before Thanksgiving.
But January was took the cake.

Utah air quality (combined with freakishly low temperatures lately) is the worst!
I've tolerated the inversion for so long (yea, Tate's cough and runny nose from Thanksgiving is still here), but I threw my hands up this week. And yes, I blame it a lot of it on the air.  The air that, according to ksl.com, is worse than Bejing's air!  All those germs and virus' just hovering over us, day and night.  Eeek.

So I had run myself ragged helping watching Celeste's kids for a few days while potty training Tate, but when Chase walked through the door early on Friday and hit the couch sick, I cursed the air!  Grrrrr.  Not my idea of kicking off the weekend.

Hubby had aches and chills, mixed with a cough all weekend.
Tate and I thought we'd dogged the bullet (literally, stayed away from Chase all weekend)... but sure enough, the bullet hit.  Hard.

Tate didn't eat anything for 4 days, ran fevers off and on, his eyes turned pink, and he was so lethargic (long naps and asking to go to bed at night).  On top of that, he still had his lingering cough and cold.  His lack of nutrition and bloodshot eyes finally urged me to get him to the doctor, even though I felt like crap myself.  The verdict: double ear infection, eye infection/pink eye... all thanks to a sinus infection (his long-term runny nose).

Mine started with the aches and chills, then swiftly turned into a sinus infection and hacking cough (yea, I vote moms, especially pregnant moms, get a pass on all sickness... especially when their entire family is sick too).   When my chest felt tight and it was hard to breathe, I knew it would ease my mind if I stopped by a doctor.  After a two-hour "urgentcare" visit, we walked away some cough syrup and saline rinse.  Boo.

Chase bounced back pretty quickly.  And bless him for pulling the weight on the home front.
After Tate got some antibiotics in him, and his appetite finally returned, he was a new kid.
As for me... my I'm convinced I had a form of RSV.  I have never hacked up so much crap in my life (and have been sick for so long).   I finally went to see my doctor a week after "urgentcare" and sure enough, I had a ear and eye infection too.  Antibiotics for me... finally.  So, a week later, baby steps is the best description for my progress.  Slowly and surely I'll eventually recover.  My body just hates me right now.

So there you have it.  Our entire month has consisted of sickness, doctor's visits, and crazy cabin fever.
Goodbye January.  Taking a big "x" to you on the calendar.
Hello February.  Be good to us.

vaseline

tatum is at a very curious stage.
the moment i stop paying attention to him, he's doing something naughty.

so, while i was vacuuming, he escaped upstairs.
after a few minutes, i thought, "i better go check on him."
when i discovered his bedroom door was closed, i knew that whatever was behind the door couldn't be good.

so i gingerly cracked open the door open and discovered this...

tate had found the big jar of vaseline.  thinking that it was lotion or soap, he gooped it all over his face, head, ears, hands, feet, clothes, dresser, carpet...

it was everywhere!

it was one of the mommy moments where you don't even know how to react.  i literally stood there for a few minutes, just deciding how to react.  cry?  laugh?  yell?  run away?

i'm proud to say that i slowly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture instead.  he just stood there, sulking, knowing he had done something naughty.  i couldn't help but smile... just a little.

after a good 30 minutes of scrubbing, wiping, and blotting, i had most of the mess cleaned-up.  he ruined some clothes, but it could have been worse, right (nail polish, permanent marker...)?

oh, what a great story to tell.

{and if you have any vaseline removing tips for clothing/carpet, do share!}

just a little update.

kinda boring without a photo, but i felt an update was necessary.

first, finding the time to blog is becoming more and more difficult. 
maybe its because any free online time i get, i'm spending it on pinterest.
not sure how i'm going to keep this little ol blog moving along...

february was a crazy month for us. couldn't be happier to turn the page over to march.
chase and i had some pretty big decisions to make... one of which was accepting a new job.
chase officially starting working for fluid studios yesterday.
it's another local advertising/design agency and he'll be the business development/sales rep.
awesome opportunity.  we're both really excited!

i've been up to my elbows working for my dad's new company, inet solutions.
i've also been immersed in producing this year's sterling scholar awards ceremony for ksl.
throw in photo shoots, enrichment activities, and a two year old... busy is an understatement.
free time has been few and far between, but i thrive on busy (and those bonus paychecks aren't too bad either), so i'm not complaining (too much, i think).

how did i fail to mention that i tried potty training tate a few weeks ago?  yes, it's true.  we gave it a valiant two-week effort... made some great progress the first week, then totally regressed.  he's a smart little cookie.  too smart.  he was manipulative about the whole thing (like saying "potty" a million times to try to get out of taking a nap).... so, i tossed in the towel and will try again later.  pull-ups and a few potty trips per day is where we're at now.  like i said earlier, glad to have turned the page on the calendar.  potty training just about did me in.

anyways... tate is talking like crazy these days.  i really need to record his darling voice and words (and his slight lisp is quite frankly the cutest thing ever).  he's a crack up.  he's our little sponge and soaks up everything we're teaching him (aren't kids amazing that way?).   he loves his friends/cousins, church, riding his bike, playing "sharks" on our bed, helping mom with chores, popsicles, asking what's "that" all day, books, and just being an independent two year old.  he's a lot of work, but boy do we love that boy.

so there you have it.  one big boring update.
until next time...

escape to the mountains

chase was in california for business on valentines day.
he text me this picture saying "thinking of you":

i usually do great when he's out of town, but i struggled this time.
tate tested all my patience, i was emotional, i was overwhelmed with the many "hats" i've been wearing, and i simply missed him around.

so when he returned home and surprised me with a overnight stay in midway, i nearly burst into tears.
it was exactly what i needed.

so grammy lur snagged tate and we were on our way.
we enjoyed a delicious italian dinner at rino's, watched "the vow," soaked in a hot tub, made brownies, and simply enjoyed every minute of the night together... just the two of us.

it's amazing how much energy one little human being, and life in general, can suck out of you.  at the end of the day, sometimes you just don't have any more energy to put into one more thing (aka your spouse/marriage).  but it's fun times together like this that i stop stressing about everything and simply focus on why we're meant to be together.  you simply have the time to look at each other and say, "oh, there you are... how are you?"

does anyone else feel this way?
i'll be the first to admit that marriage is work (i'm not one to sugar coat), but isn't it totally worth working on?  like parenthood, it's the hardest job you will ever love!

thank you chase for coming to the rescue and taking me away for the night.  it was simply perfect being with you and giving me the boost i needed.

love you to pieces, little valentine.

{oh and, we enjoyed our time soooo much, that we didn't take a single picture... yet somehow, i'm totally ok with that}

thank you sister

so so so grateful my sister and i live in the same state now.

there's nothing like a sister.

my week was long and all i wanted was a little sister time (and some sweet tooth fairy ... which if you haven't tried them by now, you're seriously missing out).

thank you sis for the much-needed girl time.

and for indulging in some sweets with me.

{you must try the strawberry shortcake, salted caramel cupcakes and the coconut cake bites.

you'll thank me later}

102 mph winds!!

To say the last few days have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Thursday morning around 2am the winds came in full-force (class II hurricane to be exact). By some miracle, Tate slept through most of the noise until 6am, but Chase and I were awake all night. We literally heard tree limbs slam against our house, shingles rip from our roof, and sirens blare throughout the night. We lost power at 6am when Tate woke up, screaming, so we pulled him in bed with us and he watched a movie on my phone. When we finally got up, Chase walked outside to access the damage. Our house had minimal damage... missing shingles and siding and a very slanted tree. Some of our neighbors, however, had extensive damage: fences completely torn apart, mature trees uprooted, trampolines transported, windows blown-out and more. We were without heat and power for 12 hours, so we retreated to Chase's parents for the day. The wind did not let up until 2pm. We jumped in the car and drove around to see the damage. Centerville was the hardest hit area. Our jaws were dropped as we witnessed the mess. We were exhausted and felt "out of body" all day. All of our "to do's" seemed trivial and we honed-in on what really needed to be done. Chase worked tirelessly with men in our neighborhood to begin the cleanup efforts. He hasn't stopped yet.

It's been amazing to see everyone come and work together after this storm. We've met new people and non-members. It's also given us a reality check as to what's most important (especially this time of year).

So grateful for a wonderful home and neighborhood, wonderful and safe family, wonderful friends, and for this gospel!

A few photos of our neighborhood from my phone:

101 Things To Do With Your Toddler

Winter hasn't even hit, and I'm already searching my house for things to entertain Tatum with.  We're sick of our house.  We're sick of our toys.  We're sick of our books.  We're simply sick of everything!  Thanks to Pinterest, and suggestions like {this}, we're on our way to happier days at home.  Here are 101 things to do with a toddler:

1. Color
2. Blow Bubbles
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
4. Peek-a-Boo
5. Play Chase
6. Do Finger-plays
7. Sing a song
8. Collect rocks in a basket
9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
11. Go for a Walk
12. Make a Car out of a Box
13. Read a book
14. Go to the park
15. Finger-paint
16. Play with Play-Dough
17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
18. Play the shell and pea game
19. Dance to music
20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
21. Practice putting things in and out of boxes and bags
22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
26. Put on a puppet show
27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
28. Make a Horseshoe game
29. Make a Shape Puzzle
30. Play paper basketball
31. Run through a Sprinkler
32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge
33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
34. Play with a kazoo
35. Wash windows together
36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
37. Brush each other's teeth
38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
42. Let child play with a sticker sheet
43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
46. Frost Cookies
47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
54. Make and try on paper hats
55. Give a piggy-back ride
56. Play "Horsey"
57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
61. Play games with frozen juice lids
62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
66. Glue shapes onto paper
67. Make sock puppets
68. Make paper puppets
69. Fill an old purse with toys
70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
73. Act out a story from a book
74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
82. Do the Hokey Pokey
83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
92. Make a domino chain
93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
96. Make a nature collage
97. Mirror each other
98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
101. TAKE A NAP!

Up to my Elbows

Definitely trying to squeeze some extra hours out of the day around here.
I'm up to my elbows in photo shoots/edits, wedding plans, work/research, the day-to-day to-do's and spending time with my two favorites.
And to top that, I've been in a major cleaning/organizing mood (Labor Day weekend was spent laboring), so my energy is completely spent at the end of the day.

So again, the ol' blog will have to be put on the back burner until "free" time comes along...

hello august...

... goodbye july.
seriously?  i'm feeling jipped right about now.
i woke to dark and rainy skies and it reminded me of october mornings.
summer is quickly slipping away and panic mode is starting to set-in.
the thought of being cooped up in the house all day is enough to make anyone depressed.
ok, don't think about that yet.

i'm off to make a "must do before summer ends" list...

so much to catch-up on

Chase and I are back from a great weekend in Lake Mead and Las Vegas.
It was a great break from reality and a fun way to celebrate 5 years and his birthday.

But it's back to the grind and there's so much to do.
Oh, and did I mention I have a sinus and ear infection?
Yep, got it on Sunday and it has been the absolute WORST (more on that later).

So blogging will have to wait and my pictures will continue to collect.
One of these days I will really play catch-up.

what do you feed your kids?

{Plates from Neato Shop... such quirky gifts!}

Maybe it's because Tate is teething and has suddenly lost his appetite (huge deal),
Or maybe it's because day after day I lack creativity and variety...

Either way, I'm curious to know what you feed your kids?
Be honest... what do you really feed your kids?  What do they prefer?
I could use some new ideas.

Mastering the Macaroon

You've seen macaroons popping up everywhere... Perhaps they're taking over the cupcake craze!
So I set out to master the macaroon.
I was a little intimidated because they seem so temperamental.
But after reading {this} and watching {this}, my first attempt was a success!
I made coconut macaroons with pineapple starfruit and strawberry guava buttercream filling.

Macaron Meringue Base:

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites, aged*
• 5 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla OR coconut extract

Method:

In a food processor, process almond flour and confectioners sugar until well mixed. Sift the mixture through sieve, and divide in half.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whip egg whites until foamy.

While beating on high, slowly add sugar. When soft peaks form, add extract and food coloring if desired.

Beat until stiff peaks, has a glossy texture, and mixture doesn't drip from the beaters.

Into the whipped meringue, fold in the first half of the almond mixture. When just blended, add additional dry mixture, folding until mixture is blended.

Be careful not to over-mix!

Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with round tip.

On to a parchment lined baking sheet, pipe in small circles, about the size of a quarter; leaving room for the batter to spread.

Tap sheet firmly against the counter, or flat surface. This helps the macaron to get its pied shape.

Before baking, let batter dry, uncovered for 30 minutes, until tacky.

Heat oven to 300. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Cool completely.

Pipe a small amount of french buttercream on flat side of macaron, top with other half making a sandwich. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen filled macarons.

* Aged egg whites: Covered and set at room temperature overnight.

French Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 eggs 
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pound butter

Preparation:

Put sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan over high heat.

Meanwhile, beat eggs and salt until fluffy.

When all of the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is boiling, slowly pour over beating eggs. Cut butter into cubes. When the eggs-sugar bowl is lukewarm to the touch, slowly add butter while continuing to beat until fluffy and smooth (this may take awhile). Flavor as desired.

Mother of the Year Award...

Confession time;

I have nominated myself for the "Mother of the Year Award" three times now.

Award #1: Given to me when Tate fell off the changing table when he started rolling.
Award #2: Given to me when Tate fell down the stairs when he started walking.

and today's award...

Award #3: Tate's face meets the curb while playing outside.

All three awards fall into the "Mom Whose Reflexes Are Too Slow" category.
I know I'm not the ONLY mom out there with these type of awards... right? Poor guy.

grateful for family

It has been a long week.
I've had a bad cold.  Chase has a sore throat and flu.
And poor Tate has had pink eye, a cold, an ear infection and some lung problems.

Three strikes and we're all out.

Thankfully we live close to family.  They have been incredible (you know who you are)!

We're so grateful to have such wonderful families and their willingness to serve.
Hopefully we're on the up-swing and can return the favor soon.

P.S. These cold temperatures and inversions really make me want to move somewhere south... but is it worth being away from our family!  Nahh...

this week did me in

this has been a stressful, tiring, fun and eventful week...

hosted two baby showers. one for allie.  one for jentrie.
enrichment planning meeting (yes, I'm the new r.s. enrichment leader)
haircuts (tate and me)
united way day of caring project. see me (chewing gum) in this video
a wedding reception
desert star theater's "my big fat utah wedding"
two photo shoots
playing with sister as much as possible
oh yea, and work.
still trying to figure out a time to exercise?

i'm off to NYC to visit my joy the end of this month... it can't come soon enough!

sick... again

simple math: 

teething + allergies + cold =

one sad baby + two tired parents.

how his birthday really went down

chase's birthday had good intentions.

it wanted to spoil him, entertain him, and make him feel special.

well, lets just say his birthday didn't go according to planned.

the family was at the lake, soaking up the sun, playing in the sand, and enjoying the water.

chase was stuck at work.

taylor, tate and i were stuck at home waiting for chase to get off work

time passed.

he was still stuck at work.

poor guy.

after arriving home more than three hours later than planned, it was too late to head to the lake.

so we opted for mini golf, bowling, and trying to put a fussy baby to bed.  taylor was a good sport.

not the most glorious birthday, but i think we made the best of the remainder of the day.

xoxo honey.  here's to next year's big day!

spoke too soon...

Tate had one good night and I got all excited about it... thinking he's changing for the better.

WRONG!

The past few weeks have felt like a newborn all over again.
Up to eat every three hours.

I want to cry.

When does it get easier?  I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

I'm convinced I've almost died of exhaustion.

How do people do it with multiple kids?

back to the grind-UPDATED

We just returned home from Lake Mead.  Such a fun trip (and many pictures to come).

It's always hard coming back to "life," especially with a TO DO like this:

-Produce 5-minute video for ClearChoice "Star Spangled Smiles" contest-DONE
-Produce promotional spots for Days of '47 Parade and Float Preview Party
-Produce all visual elements for the parade
-Write announcer script for the parade (last year's was over 120 pages!)
-Talent coordination for all summer events-DONE
-Produce two launch videos for Ken Garff KSL Road to Success
-Produce promotional spots for KSL's "Read Today" campaign-DONE
-Produce spots for Park City Arts Festival
-Maintain all other job responsibilities
-Run a household, be a mommy, be a wifey
-Oh yea, and shop for Father's Day-DONE

Did I mention this all has to be done within a month or sooner?
Did I also mention I work part-time now?

Sigh. Scream. Grab some chocolate. Cry.
Yes, cry. Not enough time in the day.

Wish I was back at the lake...