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!
I guess blowing bubbles next to the hot tub isn’t the best idea — in case of spillage. But it is the funnest idea!
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!
Our family lesson last night was okay. Scout has been really into hitting and kicking lately, so I am determined to stop it. We had a little lesson on it, and then an object lesson. Well actually I just had him hit me/kick me and then be soft/tickle me. Based on my reactions, I hope he got it. But if he didn’t during last night’s lesson, I am sure the automatic time out he was told about will do the trick!
Afterward, we popped some Jiffy Pop over the firepit. Scout was pretty enamored, and loves a popcorn party. It was cool because I remember the first time I saw Jiffy Pop at my Aunt Lisa’s house, and thought it was the neatest thing I had ever seen. Scout is probably too young to see it the way I did. But I love showing things to my kids for the first time, and seeing things through their eyes.
Someone’s surprised she is already three months! (Talk about cheeks!)
Our little doll.
Scout calls Navy “Baby Icka” (his version of Baby Sister), and the name has stuck. Not the prettiest nickname, and hopefully it evolves, but for now it just is. I can’t believe she is already 3 months as of today. She has been fussier than Scout was, but she isn’t too bad. In fact, she is getting a ton happier, and her personality is shining through. I was taking a photo shoot of her the other day, and she was being so cute. She talks a ton already, and she sings along with me when I sing to her. She is constantly stopped whenever I have her out, because people think she is a doll. When we were at the Expo on Saturday, Skylar started counting how many people stopped to say something along the lines of how she looks like a little doll, and Skylar counted 21 times. She is just so little, and gussied up with her bows and bracelets, she does look like a little doll. People think she looks more like Micah than Scout does, and time will tell. But of all the great things about her….the best is that she has been sleeping through the night for about a month! What a dream! I will admit that she is one of my favorite things, and I am completely in love with her.
BKaNayNay (AKA Trilby, Skilly, and Calin) have always been Scout’s first love. And I don’t pluralize love because they come together as a unit. Every single time he hears the front door open, he shouts BKaNayNay!!! When I tell him no, and then tell him who it really is, he looks at me with a sad face, and dramatically say BKaNayNay with a sad voice.
His favorite thing ever is the “Clifford Kiss”. Trilby announces “Clifford Kiss”, and then all three of them kiss him at the same time while making kissing noises. He loves it, and continually askes for “more” when they are finished. He also is obsessed with B reading to him every night. Their favorites are Goodnight Gorilla, and Bear Hunt. He loves Skilly, and adores her baths and feet massages she gives him. She can get im to do things so easily compared to me — like cleaning his ears, cutting his nails and brushing his teeth. And his favorite thing to do with NayNay is reprimand her. He just bosses her around, and she thinks it is so funny. She has taught him how to say “Nick Jonas”, and whenever she is around, he says it to her and they both crack up.
He honestly loves everything about them, but his favorite thing to do with them is go to the farm — or anything animal for that matter. Trilby always knows where new babies have been born, and even Emails me pictures to show Scout. Then the Cliffords take Scout to the blessed events. When they get back, Scout talks about that event, until there is another to talk about. The most recent event was the Pet/Youth Expo this last weekend. I went along, and saw what a blast they all have together. Trilby always makes things like that a total blast, and Scout was in paradise.
On the way, with singlasses on. Yes, these are his sunglasses they reserve for him whenever he rides along.
Checking out one of the many cool things.
NayNay with a snake.
Ka and NayNay with a baby zebra.
Scout learning to skate or die….but he almost died when he face planted about 20 seconds after this photo.
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