Last Day of School

We have felt so blessed to find a program so close to us for James. The teachers are so wonderful, and I know that he is in the most capable of hands. There is one special ed teacher with two aids, and an occupational therapist and speech therapist who are there most of the time too. And, I think the most students they ever had was six. It was so sweet to see how much the teachers and families meant to each other. These are all special kids, and these teachers make such a huge difference in their lives. I am just glad I have two more years.

Judy (speech therapist) working with James.

Heather (speech therapist) sitting with kids.

Th Blue door team: Heather, Judy, Duncan, Jody, and Debra.

Marshall Turns One

For Marshall's first birthday we kept it pretty low key. We went to Grandma Thacker's house for dinner and cupcakes. It was beautiful outside, so we spent most of the time in the backyard. Our first year with Marshall has been a dream. He is such a happy, easy going kid I tell everyone he is my angel-baby. He loves his big brother, and is trying his best to keep up with him. He is still working on those first steps, but he can crawl with abandon. I love his subtle red hair and easy smile, and I am so excited to see his little personality develop.

Grandma got one big present for Marshall, so he needed a little help opening it. It was so nice of James to pitch in.

The wrapping paper wasn't the present?

The birthday boy (with dad's raspberry from softball in the back)

Big brother, showing how it's done

Aunt Kellie explaining, "No matter how much you want it to, this one doesn't fit."

Just can't get tall fast enough.

Best seat in the house

Brother being helpful again.

Cake is GOOD!

Mmm, angel food cake.

Turning one is tiring.

Bath time

One of my favorite things about our house is the big bathtub in the master bath. The kids have a ball taking baths in there. James thinks he is a fish, and is all over the place, and Marshall thinks everything he does is hilarious.

How exciting it is to discover your tongue.

Just a Few Thoughts

What does it say about me that...

I have no idea what my husband's cell number is, but I can type my 9 digit library card number without thinking?

I know it is time to clean the floor by the condition of Marshall's outfit, or the fact that he is trying to eat lunch from what ended up on the floor from breakfast.

I think that I have eaten well when I feed my kids vegetables.

I no longer use an alarm clock now that I have kids. My kids set my schedule.

A few classes that I really would have used in my life:

How to be a jungle gym 101: I imagined that I would be many things in my life, I did not expect to be a jungle gym. There is no such thing as personal space as a mom. I've had many a bruise to prove it.

Basics of Bodily Fluids: You name it, I've had in on me and washed it out of my clothes. I know if it's bad when it's one color, and not to freak out if it is another. I am hardened to smells and textures. Ear fluid is gross and surprisingly pungent. Mamahood is not for the weak of heart. One bodily fluid I am not good with? Blood. So far, so good with that one though (knock on wood).

Crash Course in Extreme Sleep Deprivation: Some women have the skill for getting their babies to sleep well. I don't have it. I think it has something to do with the fact that I never completely wake up, therefore, forming coherent thoughts is almost impossible. There are nights that I don't see what time it is until I have Marshall and I am nursing him. And, then there are nights, my neck can testify, where I don't wake up to put him back to bed until 2 hours later. I would ask these women how they train a baby to sleep who is sharing a bedroom with a sibling? And, between getting sick, teething, traveling, and growth spurts I would like to know how many times one must teach their child to sleep again? One skill I do have? I can fall back asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Intro to Health Care: This would include how to know how high your kid's fever can get before you waste 500 bucks on some Tylenol at the emergency room at 12:00 at night. It would teach you to be a guru on how many days your child can throw up and still be "typical." I don't know how many times I've wasted a copay on "It's just a virus, just give him some Tylenol and watch him be completely miserable for the next few days." If only I'd known!

Easter Fun

This is the first year that we dyed eggs as a family, and James loved it. He gets really intense when he is excited about something, so he had to put all of the dyes in the cups and watch them fizz (by the way there are like 12 colors now! Talk about options, I only remember 6. How many oranges do you need?). Once we showed him how to put the eggs in he had to put one in every mug (which was every mug I owned coincidentally). A few eggs were cracked in the process, but he finally figured out how to carefully slip the egg in the cup. This, however, came with the expense of green hands. The problem was that once he put the eggs in he didn't want them to come out. He stood over them and looked in all the cups over and over again to make sure they were all full, and whenever I would take a peek he would get very frustrated. Finally, I took him over to the stove where we shrink wrapped some eggs in boiling water while Kendal discreetly poured out the dye.



Later, the Easter Bunny hid (hide being a relative term) some eggs in the backyard and James went on a hunt. When he figured out that the eggs were full he would shake it to see what was in in. If it was marshmallows he would open it and eat them right there. If it wasn't, he would put the egg back down and go to the next one. I'm glad the Easter Bunny didn't fill too many eggs with marshmallows.

That night we had the family over for a yummy Easter dinner. That, combined with General Conference, made for a lovely weekend.

Get them in there!

You can have that one.

What's in this one?

Victory!

Marshall's First Haircut

So we decided that it was finally time to say goodbye to the baby Mohawk. It was a sad day. Marshall cried while I ran the clippers over his head as fast as I could (not as easy as you would think with a crying, thrashing baby). I wanted to cry when I looked at him and realized he is not an infant anymore. He is growing up way to fast! At least his hair still red.

My arm is strategically placed so you can't see the trauma.

"I can't believe you just did that to me mom."

Pleasant Suprise

I was finally pruning the jungle that is my backyard (can you hear the neighbors rejoicing?) and I found these popping up out of the ground. There's actually something in my backyard that is not hugely overgrown, dead, or rock! I love spring.