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Today consisted of the perfect day according to what I though Scout would think.

Micah, Navy and I woke him up with the birthday song and explained to him he was two.

He got presents from Nonnie, and was really gracious and excited to get “another present peease!”

He opened his birthday outfit.  Part from Nonnie, and part from mom and dad.

He got picked up from Grandma and Grandpa to go down to the harbor for some fun.

He had his love/hate buddy Ezra come over to swim.

Belly came over and showered him with gifts.

Belly and Scout then went swimming.

We headed to sushi with BKaNayNay, Belly, Nonnie and Grandma, for his favorite meal of rice soup topped off with green tea ice cream…his other favorite.

We went home for brownie caramel sundaes and official present time.

Scout went swimming again…this time with Belly and his dad.

The night was finished with books, and “more books”, lots of calls from family with birthday greetings including a serious rendition of happy birthday from the Brockbanks,  and me telling Scout the story about when he was born.  He listened with a smile on his face the whole time.  What a perfect day….only wish it would have been longer.

I keep playing the “2 years ago” game.  I keep announcing to everyone that two years ago right now, I was playing dance dance revolution….two years ago right now, I was heading to the hospital….two years ago right now, I was watching my contractions on the monitor…..two years ago right now, I was seeing my baby for the first time….two years ago right now, the room was filled with excitement while I was getting stitched up.  I don’t know why this year I am so nostalgic about Scout’s actual day of birth, but I totally am.  I can’t believe that he has been in our family for two years.  I can’t remember what life was like without him.  I am amazed at the happiness he has brought into the lives of so many people….especially Micah and me. (and Nonnie, and Belly, and BKaNayNay — because they would be mad I didn’t mention them!)  He has turned into personality plus, and the kindest and sweetest little guy.  He is a darling older brother, and a good little boy.  But of all the things he is, the very best is his latest craze……..a mama’s boy.  Not always, but a lot lately….and I love it!  My mom always told me that boys love their mothers, and she was right!

I literally can’t understand how this….

turned into this….

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Scout!

Our first time to Disneyland was a bust.  This time was much improved, although I still will never be getting a season pass.  Scout was way more into it, and was so excited about the pirate ride we had been talking up to him for weeks.  Too bad it was shut down for the day.  Regardless, we had a great time.  He was perfect, Navy was perfect minus a blowout.  The best part was when we took him on the haunted mansion.  He just kept announcing that everything and everyone was “nice”.  When Trilby asked me if he was scared on the ride, I answered with, “no way…..he has himself convinced that everything and everyone is ‘nice” and we cracked up.  It really is only funny when you are with him and hear him say “nice” 100 times an hour.  Good times made possible by Walt.

Scout’s cousins were over during the weekend, and they put in many hours in the “baby pool” AKA hot tub.  After about 2 1/2 hours on Saturday afternoon, everyone got out for lunch except Scout.  He completely refused.  He would accept his quesedilla in the pool, but that was it.  When everyone retired from swimming for the day, he wouldn’t get out then either.  I tried every trick in the book.  I bribed, I got his cousins to try and convince him, I “left” him out there alone (don’t worry….I was just inside the window watching him), etc.  Not a thing worked.  He just jumped off the step, swam around in his shark, sang to himself, pushed the water through the waterfall and talked and talked.  He was totally solo and loving it.  The best was when he would start saying “out…out” and then climb out, and then say “in….in” and climb right back in.  It was like he knew he needed to get out, but the temptation was way too big.  After forever of trying, the thing that finally did the trick……I told him he could take a bubble bath if he got out.  Done!

Micah, Jakey, Bree and Jeff were all part of a 130 mile(ish) run from Santa Barbara to Dana Point.  They said it was totally disorganized and people got lost a ton….but in the end was fun.  At 3:30am, I loaded Scout, Navy and the Brockbank kids in the car to cheer everyone on.  Cheering them on was fun, getting fresh donuts at 4 am was fun, but going home to my warm bed was probably the most fun.

3:30am

Jakey running in the pitch black.

The specators waiting for Micah to finish his leg.

Post run, with his boy.

The decorated race vehicle……I am sure thanks to Bree.

Scout is always into new things, so I thought I would write a few down.

#1. He got a water gun in his Easter basket, and has really loved taking it around.  The new rule is “only outside”.  So he goes outside, squirts it once or twice on the window or in the plants, and then comes inside — as the gun drips — and tells me “only outside”.  Not exactly how it is supposed to work, but it is getting there.  The cutest thing was yesterday when I heard Micah explaining what a “dual” was.  Then they had their first ever dual.

#2. The other thing that I am dying over right now is how he runs every time he goes anywhere.   I think lots of kids do this, but I find it so cute.  No matter the occasion, whether he is heading to the bath, throwing something away for me, greeting me, etc., he is running.

#3. I just got him a new cereal bowl that has a straw attached to it, so he can sip the milk at the end, and he thinks it is so cool.  i have to admit that I am contemplating getting one for myself.  Ever since Scout started eating, his favorite thing ever is to share Nonnie’s milk at the end of her Shredded Wheat, and now he gets to do it on his own.  (Below is another favorite thing — frozen peas as an addition to a lot of meals.)

#4. His latest vocab accomplishment is his long sentences he talks in.  He comes up with them on his own, and every time I feel like having a celebration for him.  Although he didn’t come up with this one, his longest to date is something along the lines of, “the big red ball rolls down the hill”. Pretty good!  He also has learned to say “excuse me” when he needs to get by my legs when I am sitting on the couch.  Talk about manners.  And finally, he is obsessed with the words “nice” and “poop” — kind of oxymoronic.  No matter what, everything and everyone is “nice”.  Bad guys, pirates, bears, snakes, Nonnie, Baby Icka — all “nice”.  On the other side of the spectrum, he has a slight fascination with poop — not “it”, just the word.  And more specifically “green poop”.  I am pretty sure it came from Jake somehow…some way. But my favorite vocab thing is when he leaves a room and matter of factly says, “bye mommy” or “bye Icka”.  Just like he is an adult, and is announcing he is leaving.  It is so stinking cute!
#5. Lastly, he is loving Family Night.  I would like to report that my latest Family Night lesson of no hitting/kicking has worked like a dream.  He tried it once, I announced “immediate time out” and took him.  It wasn’t until the next day he tried it again….I announced “I. T. O.” and took him again.  After those two times……absolutely no hitting or kicking.  Although as an alternative, he places his hand very hard onto my mom’s cheek and then rubs over her whole face while saying “nice”.  We crack up, because he so badly wants to hit, but is trying to control himself.

I have been looking forward to our ward’s cake challenge for a few weeks.  I was the team leader for all July/August birthdays, and I named our team the “Lady’s of the Ward”.  We chose to follow a patriotic theme, and were really happy with how our cake turned out.  But at the end of the night, when all was said and done, nobody wanted this cake in their home.  I am dieting, Betty’s husband can’t have cake, some people didn’t have cars large enough to transport, etc.  I then went outside of the team, and was trying to give it away…..100% failure.  When I asked Bishop Lindahl, he graciously declined.  (Well, he was actually a bit sassy about it.)  So I took the cake in my car……right to Bishop Lindahl’s front doorstep.  He is always up for a good joke.  Unfortunately the plan backfired when I never heard if he saw it before he went to bed, and it was too late for me to call.  My sleep was lousy because I kept having “joke gone wrong” ideas flash through my mind.  Whether it was ants or badgers….I knew that if that cake sat out all night, it was a recipe for disaster.  Luckily the Bishop found it last night, and all was well.

Wallmart did me right.  I got Scout a life vest last year to wear around the pool, and he just wasn’t into it.  Granted — it might have been the age.  Micah and I made a quick trip to the big W yesterday, and I saw this and told Scout I would buy it for him if he wore it around the entire store without complaining.  (No use in spending the money if he isn’t going to like it.)  So he wore it like a champ, and begged to go swimming.  I told him after his nap that NayNay and Ka would take him.  So a few hours later, after I got home from picking up NayNay, I got home to see him in his shark floatie, just waiting to swim.  NayNay was a great sport and skipped her homework to swim.  So far so good.  The floatie seemed to work great, and he loves it.  Works for me!

Lately my mom has been doing rather funny things…..and according to Micah, she is a bit like the character in “The Office” Dwight Shrute….but I would opt to say she is an older and more senile version of Dwight.  A perfect example happened just this morning.  I had been on hold for about seven minutes to a credit card company.  All of a sudden, I hear dialing and then breathing through the phone.  Obviously my mom didn’t read “Phone In Use” on the front of her phone, and picked up and dialed.  The conversation went as follows:

Me (with light elevator music in the background): Mom….I am on the phone

Mom (in a somewhat snotty tone): So am I!

Me: I know, but I am actually on hold.

Mom:  Well, I am calling the pharmacy.

Me: I get it, but you will have to call later.

Mom: No!

Me: Get off the phone!

Mom: I am waiting!

Me: Are you serious right now?!

Mom: Yes…..

The operator finally got on the line, and said she was from the credit card company.  I think this was the first moment that my mom realized what was really going on. Classic!

But don’t worry….the story doesn’t end there.  I had about a five minute conversation with the operator.  She directed me to a different number I needed to call, so I hung up and immediately dialed.  When I lifted the phone to my ear, I hear……”Thank you for calling the pharmacy….”!  The weasel waited and dialed as fast as possible!  I said, “Holy Cow!”, and I just heard giggling on the other end of the phone.  I can only imagine how fast she tried to hang up and dial on the other end.  The scene I imagine makes me crack up!