The sweetest, cutest and nicest little boy turns one month old today!
We have discovered a whole lot of things about this baby in this past month.
Here are some I can think of off the top of my head.
-When he sleeps, he has his fingers at attention until he is in a really deep sleep.
-His hair is all still there, and his eyes are still blue like his mom.
-He has the most kissable lips.
-His little lip quivers all the time like he is cold.
-He smiles at his Mama, and only uses the right side of his face — perfect to show off his one dimple.
-He follows my voice with his eyes when I talk to him and move around.
-He coos in the cutest little high-pitched voice.
-He has this perfectly round head with dark hair on the top.
-He focuses in on me, and follows my voice when I move from side to side.
-He sleeps the very best in Mama’s bed, cuddled right next to me.
-He is focusing in on things, and I can tell he can see more than the angels.
-He is my hardest nurser. But even so, he is really pretty good at it. His brother and sister were just amazingly easy.
-Sometimes, he sneezes in triple. I have always sneezed twice, but he goes for three quite often. We’ll see how this pans out in the future.
-He is a really loud breather.
-He has big facial expressions, and squishes his entire forehead up all the time.
-He’s the “Master of Disaster”, and messes his diaper moments after I change him — every time!
-He is perfect in his car seat, or at the mall, or out to lunch, or about anywhere.
-He can take a lot of action from an overly eager sister, and a really caring brother.
-He is a fighter, and is pleasant the whole time he isn’t feeling 100%.
-He is literally the perfect baby so far, and only cries when he needs a little milk. We still don’t know if he is so good due to lack of energy, or just an angelic disposition.
Scout has been talking about how he is the best runner — better than his dad and Jake — for over a year now. So it was time to put his money where his mouth was. His first race ever took place on Thanksgiving Day 2011. He was in the “Gobble Wobble” kids race that was one mile long. He was a really big talker the entire week before, so I was really interested to see how the whole thing panned out the day of.
Look at Mr. Cocky before lining up.
Also, look at the amazing family photo we got.
Nonnie bought Scout these running shoes for the race, and when he found out that his dad also had orange and blue shoes, he was stoked! Somehow, Icka thought her shoes needed to be represented too.
We met up with NayNay who was volunteering at the race because she is the Vice President of the Dana Point Youth Board.
Here is the first heat of kids. Scout was in the third heat which was the 5 and unders.
Icka was a great support system while she did the booty dance for the runners.
And then she got really fancy.
And then what some might call obnoxious!
Mr. Cocky got quiet really quickly when he was officially lined up.
But once the horn blew, he was off. The cutest part was how he was looking down at his watch for the first ten yards while he started the timer. It was exactly what Micah does every single race! Micah ran the mile with him, and encouraged him along the way. Our little star did turn out to be a good little runner. He ran the entire mile without stopping (minus the drink of water the volunteers gave him). He ran and ran and ran, until at 12:30, he crossed the finish line.
His favorite part of the race was EASILY getting medal “just like Jake gets”.
Look at him checking it out.
And then celebrate!
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Nice work Handsome!
When I got a call from Megan that they wanted to frequent Knott’s Berry Farm on one of the days of their Thanksgiving break, I was totally in! But since my kids are on a naughty streak (mostly teasing each other and not doing what I ask very quickly), I decided to tell them that I thought a “special date” would shape them up. So we got in the car, and we went “exploring”. Wherever we saw that was really cool, we would stop. So I was sneaky and put on a movie in the car, so they wouldn’t look up until we were getting off the freeway at Knott’s and they could see all of the rides. Once they saw them, they begged to go there. So when I parked, Scout asked the attendant, “What is this place?” When he heard Knott’s Berry Farm, he was thrilled!
This was their reaction when we parked and I told them, “Okay, fine! If this is the place you want to go, let’s go!!!”
Scout is a kid after my own heart, and waited in the next line over to see which line moved faster. Icka joined him, but I was the victorious one! Too bad kids!
I don’t have the reaction, but when we walked in and met up with the Brockbanks and Cliffords, the kids thought they were in heaven!
This was the first ride of the day. Scout and Icka were both a little nervous, but came off as ready as ever to tackle all of the other rides.
This was my two in line at every ride. They just climbed and climbed, until it was their turn. I love it, because I remember doing the same thing when I was little.
After a few kiddie rides, we headed to the Log Ride. Scout was adament he wasn’t going on it, but I just picked him up and carried him into the seat with me. Luckily my plan was okay, because he said, “Can you believe I went on the biggest ride here? I wasn’t even scared except on the big part.”
Mid day we stopped to wait for the other kids, and these two did a show for the people passing. They were total hams, and their cousins were loving it.
The airplanes were a hit.
(Every time Icka went around, she made a new silly face, and came off asking to see all of the pictures.)
I could barely get pictures of this guy since he just like to be high in the sky the whole time.
We headed back to their favorite ride, and Icka was quick to follow directions — hands up until the bar comes down.
Since the cousins weren’t there this time, Icka looked to her brother for comfort.
Too bad, the tough guy wasn’t having it.
But the best ride of the day — the roller coaster. Scout came off thinking he was a cool dude, and just like all of his cousins who went on all of the other roller coasters.
Props to Megan for putting this fun day together!
On behalf of lightening my load, and for the sake of the two older kids to feel like they are participating, each do three “Baby Favors” a day. Like in the above picture, Scout was in charge of keeping the plug in Dash’s mouth. And a few minutes before, Navy did her first “Baby Favor” when I asked her to get me the pink striped blanket so I could swaddle him. Notice how the plug is exactly where it is supposed to be. Also notice that Dash is in a green blanket. Some kids are just more interested in doing a job correctly.
I love this picture. Doesn’t it look like Dash is telling Navy to STOP!
And maybe he is — because she is know to get her kiss on with that sweet boy!
After we got to church, I immediately had to nurse the baby while Micah helped Scout fill out a tithing slip. So by the time all had settled, I was too humiliated to walk in to Sacrament that late. So we went into the primary room and listened to the speakers there. There was an excellent talk on gratitude, and I wanted to make sure Scout was hearing the message. So I asked, “Scout….hey, are you listening to this talk? She is talking about gratitude. Do you know what that is?” He made a scoffing noise and said, “YEAH! I know what it is!” (The attitude along with it was — duh mom…do you think I am an idiot?) So I said, “What is it?” His response was, “It’s when you jump up in the air, and you just fall back down.”
Micah and I rolled!
I told him that was “gravity”, and that gratitude was the same as being thankful.
Who’s the idiot now?
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Speaking of idiots — let tell you a very non-idiot move of Scout. Lately, every time I do something nice for him (like give him an applesauce when it isn’t meal time) he responds with, “thank you Mom…you are the beautifulest girl in the whole universe.” Or when I tell him we are going to do something fun for the day (the park or Auggie’s house, he says, “Mom….do you know what? You are HOT!” Somehow, even though it is out of the mouth of my four year old boy, I am still flattered!
When I went downstairs to leave for church, I was really surprised to see Micah in this outfit. This is the guy who is always dressed in a suit on our Sunday mornings. But then I remembered that this was a really big day for Scout, and I figured out the mystery.
Today was the day for the first time ever that Scout wasn’t going to wear shorts to church. Nonnie took him shopping and told him it was about time that he “classed it up”. So after buying him a few shirts and some slacks and even a tie — Scout feels like he is a pretty cool dude, dressing like the big boys and all! And come to find out, he went into Micah’s closet and hand picked Micah’s entire outfit to look just like his. I was impressed that they did a good job matching — even down to the Sperry’s.
I’ll admit that I didn’t want to see the shorts go. I love keeping him young and childlike. But when I saw my big boy shake the hand of my really big boy, I saw the beauty in it all.
Scout even showed his tie off to the new little guy in town.
Like father, like son.
This girl kills me. I can honestly say that her personality came with her, and it is about as big as it gets. For some reason, she doesn’t even begin to seem like she is only two years old. This girl can hold her own against any adult, and is the master manipulator in any scenario. I find her hysterical most of the time, and it really backfires when i am scolding her, and she makes me laugh. Do you think that she takes me seriously? Probably not….but so far so good because she is a pretty good little girl. I am crossing my fingers (and toes and arms and legs that she always stays good).
Here are a few stories that come from the last week.
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We were about to leave somewhere, and I sent her out to get into her seat. She came back with a vengeance and said very dramatically, “Mom, I have a problem! No…no (as she held up two fingers), I have TWO problems!” I started to laugh, and asked what the problems were. She said, “First…the car is locked. And next, I can’t even get my shoes on!” I was able to fix the problems, and everything turned out just fine.
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Yesterday, she got some new crayons. Even though I called her a good girl above, she is certainly mischievous. So when B pointed down at her and then did the “come over here and look” finger, I knew she was up to no good. Of course, she had taken her beautiful dark pink crayon and colored a line in the wool carpet. When I gasped and went over to talk to her, I asked, “Navy…who did this?” Without missing a beat, she said (as if we were in cahoots), “I think it was a monster!” I didn’t buy it, and then she told me it was just an accident. I didn’t buy that either, and told her to sit in time out until she wanted to tell the truth. It took a bit, but she finally fessed up.
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My kids know that I when I ask them to do something, they should respond immediately with something along the lines of, “Sure Mom.” So when my kids are really trying to be good, I hear a whole lot of “Sure Moms”. But lately, Icka has had a new response. When I ask her to do something, she says, “No and Sure!” The “no” is because that is what she really wants to say, and the “Sure” is because she knows that is what will keep her out of trouble. It is basically a win/win situation for her, and she knows it!
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The story that makes me crack up has been going on for a while now. Navy is always singing some song. But quite often she sings it with a twist. (Remember “You’re Not So Beautiful”?) Lately, her song of choice has been “We Are A Happy Family”. She has a sweet little voice, and just sings and sings it. But the last couple of weeks, whenever I put Scout or Icka in time out, Icka quietly sings, “We’re Not A Happy Family.” Her timing is so exact, and she isn’t singing it for a laugh –more for her own commentary in her head, and I crack up. I literally can’t help it. It is so classic!
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Everyone wonders where this girl came from. But I have always known. My Mom says it perfectly whenever Icka’s personality is in full force. She says, “That is exactly how you were.” So my immediate response is, “Well then, she is destined to be somebody great!”
This girl got me to name my second baby after her. So I tell her that she owes me her life. When I don’t feel like she is paying up, I say, “It should have been Navy Rose Denison” after NayNay. But Skilly is coming back around with Dash. I am talking baths, diaper changes, rocking, singing. Thank goodness. But I’ll admit, NayNay has been quite the Dash lover also, but they mostly just sleep by each other. Good thing this boy was named after the best runner in the family - Jake! Because even though he isn’t here every day (like the girls), I hear he is the best “Manny” around! And let’s be honest, if he turns out like Jake, I couldn’t be a happier mom!
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Sidenote — Thank goodness for Skilly on days where disaster strikes. Now for two Sundays in a row, we have spent our evenings sopping up an entire downstairs of water. Apparently, our toilet that was fixed (to not just constantly run) got a new problem in the process. Now instead of running and making a noise, it runs silently as the downstairs fills with water. The one good point of this problem is that it is clean water….literally from the hose, through the toilet, to the floors. Good thing I know where the emergency water shut off is. Isn’t this 2011, and aren’t toilets supposed to stop at a certain point before disasters happen? Back to Skilly — thank goodness she can appease Dash for quite a while, as Dash screams for food, and Mom is breaking a sweat.
Some nights I definitely sleep better than others. The good nights are usually because none of the little weasels have made their way to our bed. But even if it causes a poor night of sleep, I love when Scout, Navy and now Dash cuddle right up to me for the long haul. Scout is pretty easy to sleep with. He just intertwines himself around you, and is down for the count. The best part of Scout is his always sweet-smelling breath, that is never offensive. On the VERY other hand, my smelly-mouthed Icka is a little tougher to sleep with. She does the same as Scout, and just wraps herself around me. But her bad breath and her fuzzy hair that always make its way to tickle my face make for some really bad sleeps. And Dash….he is like a little angel who is always perfectly still and silent.
Here is a morning after Icka made her way down in the middle of the night. Scout came early in the morning. Dash was in and out all night long. And Micah decided to spread out. Notice that teeny tiny space on the left hand side. That is where I was sleeping.
But I know I won’t have little people always begging to get in my bed to cuddle, so I will happily take it.
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And the real shout out goes to my mom who I found sleeping on the ground in her closet today. When I asked her what she was doing, she just said, “I am exhausted! I can’t even keep my eyes open!” You ask why? Because she slept with Scout all night as he was sick with the croup. And instead of sleeping, she rubbed his little back all night long to make him feel better. She is a stinking saint!
(And she was in the closet, because she was hiding from the cleaners who had only completed one room at the time — her closet!)
In honor of the big day coming up, Scout’s school had a little program with songs and a feast. Scout was so excited, and we were in charge of bringing the pumpkin pie. Too bad the night before, Scout woke up from a dead sleep with a horrible case of the croup. We rushed him into a steam shower, put sparkle on his chest, got a humidifier going, and spent a couple of hours nursing him back to feeling okay. Once he woke up, I asked him how he felt. He kept saying, “not good”. So we put off the party at school and made him a sick bed. After a few hours, he felt “all better”, and we headed over to preschool to drop off the pie, and Miss Diane had him jump into the program.
Here he is with his class. Poor guy doesn’t look too hot.
He got a little energy boost when he was the lead turkey running in a circle.
He got in a little instrument time.
Icka watched and can’t wait to be a part of it all.
Like a little Indian angel.
Here is the class “feasting”.
Here is Icka after she conned someone out of their sucker.
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