Monday, April 28, 2008

Getting to Know Gordon Christopher Tatton

Gordon loves trucks. Garbage trucks, semi trucks, diggers, dumpers, tractors, buses, trains…pretty much anything big that moves. It is so funny because we will be driving and he will spot a tractor or digger anywhere. He just has an eye for those things. He loves to have his window open in the morning so he can look out at the world (or just the parking lot of the apartment complex next door.) He will climb up on his dresser and just sit there waiting for the garbage truck to come or lately we have seen a lot of moving vans. When the garbage truck leaves he always asks me to bring it back and I have to explain that I don’t have the power to do that.
“I did it!” Gordon’s favorite phrase. He has to make sure we know he did something. He is so proud of himself. He used to always put his shoes on the wrong feet and now when he puts on his shoes he has to point out to me that he did it. He’ll say, “look mom; right feet!” It is so fun to see him growing and learning new things every day.
Gordon fixed his own hair and I just had to take a picture. You can't see it very well but it is quite slicked down and has a big wave to the side. So cute!
Gordon is so helpful with Edison. He loves to hold him and kiss him. He has to be there when I am changing his diaper and he will tell me after I have used about three wipes, “That’s enough mom” and he will close the wipes. Whenever Edison cries he rushes to his side and gives him his pacifier. It is so cute to hear him say things to Edison that I say to him in such a mommy voice. I love how sweet he is to him.
Oh my goodness does this boy love to do the dishes. It is his favorite thing and I have to use it as an award/punishment sometimes. I have caught him several times in the kitchen doing dishes and making a big old mess. He is even getting so good he puts the dishes in the dishwasher too and can even unload some of the dishes. He is such a big help and loves to do anything in the kitchen.
When Gordon hears, "smile," he always squints his eyes as hard as he can. We now have to say, "show your teeth" instead.
Gordon is such a daddy’s boy. Especially lately now that mommy’s attention is occasionally taken away by Edison. Last week Gordon threw the biggest fit ever when Chris had to leave for school. It made me so sad that the thought of staying home with mom was so horrendous! Gordon loves to do anything with his dad and he has to mimic everything he is doing. One time Chris was talking on the phone and talking very animatedly pacing around the room. Gordon was following him, talking on his phone, doing the same hand motions, and repeating words here and there. Some of Gordon’s favorite activities with his dad are: washing and vacuuming the car, showering and getting dressed, and of course wrestling and rough housing. Some other things Gordon loves are vegetables, talking on his cell phone, and talking on mom's cell phone, playing crash, vaccuming, throwing rocks in water, and playing outside of course!
We love Gordon so much and are so glad he is a part of our growing family.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Funny Friday

I thought it would be fun to do a funny clip, article, or story every Friday. I am stealing this first one from my friend Sandra. It seriously made me laugh out loud. It is called "Binocular Soccer." Enjoy.



First of all, what is with their outfits? And the guy with the rabbit head at the beginning? Don't ask me... What will they come up with next?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

50th Post!!

Today for my 50th post I thought I would do this "50 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me" list I saw on another blog as I was blog hopping. (I am known to do that a lot.)

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Two car seats, a driving toy, books, and milk stains
2. When was the last time you threw up?
Seven months ago; morning sickness is no fun
3. What's your favorite curse word?
Shoot
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Gordon, Edison, Kyla
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Lying in bed. Gordon was nice enough to let me sleep in this morning. I heard him playing in his room and when I went in to get him he was talking on his phone to Tina.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Reading friends' blogs
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Watching the Office and Lost! Yeah
8. What is the last thing you said aloud?
That's cream for your bum (talking about diaper rash cream when Gordon asked about it.)
9. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Mint Chocolate Chip
10. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water
11. What are you wearing right now?
Blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a pink jacket
12. What was the last thing you ate?
Cashews
13. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Have I bought any clothes in the last month? NO
14. When was the last time you ran?
After my toddler…an hour ago
For exercise…a year and a half ago
15. What's the last sporting event you watched?
March Madness basketball
16. Who is the last person you e-mailed?
Kyla
17. Ever go camping?
We used to go a lot as a family growing up; Chris and I keep saying that we need to go…
18. Do you have a tan?
Do I ever have a tan? No
19. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
I prefer it that way, but it doesn't always happen.
20. What did your last IM say?
What’s an IM? Instant Message? I am so not into the whole technology age I guess.
21. Are you someone's best friend?
I sure hope so
22. What are you doing tomorrow?
Probably the same thing I do everyday.
23. Where is your mom right now?
I have no idea; I don’t keep tabs on my mother all day, every day. Call me crazy but I don’t know anyone who does.
24. Look to your left, what do you see?
A bookcase
25. What color is your watch?
I don’t wear a watch
26. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Accents and good looking men
27. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Nope, but I do joke that I would like some enhancements in the chest area!
28. What is your birthstone?
Aquamarine
29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru?
We usually only go to fast food when we are in a hurry so drive-thru
30.How many kids do you want?
Right now I want 4 but I tell Chris we’ll just take it one at a time and see how things go
31. Do you have a dog?
No but I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris came home with one some day
32. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My mother. Gordon was pretend talking to his Gamma all day today so I figured he should call her up and really talk to her.
33. Have you met anyone famous?
President Gordon B. Hinckley
34. Any plans today?
As aforementioned - Lost and the Office!
35. How many states have you lived in?
Two, no wait, three: Idaho, Utah, and California for a brief stint
36. Ever go to college?
Yes, not enough for it to mean anything though
37. Where are you right now?
In my family room sitting on the couch
38. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Nursing, I’m sorry I just really don’t enjoy it. After dealing with engorgement, mastitis twice, and just all around soreness, it is not something that I love.
39. Last song listened to?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by that big Hawaiin guy
40. Are you allergic to anything?
Stupid people
41. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
My Rocket Dogs when there is snow on the ground or flip flops any other time
42. Are you jealous of anyone?
I try not to be but-- anyone who has a house or who is done with school.
43. Is anyone jealous of you?
Hah, I doubt it!
44. What time is it?
Time for me to get off the computer and do something productive!
45. Do any of your friends have children?
Most of them do
46. Do you eat healthy?
Yes, I eat healthy in addition to eating crap
47. What do you usually do during the day?
My typical day consists of: waking up, feeding my boys, feeding myself, bathing and dressing my boys, showering and dressing myself, and by then my day is half over! I usually clean the kitchen, play with my boys, and have Gordon in his room for awhile for quiet play time since he won't take a nap and I can have a little personal time!
48. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
Twenty-five, as my husband puts it: a quarter of a century old!
49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes but it was so long ago I don’t really remember anything special about it
50. How did you get one of your scars?
Disobeying my mother and jumping on the spare beds downstairs. I hit my head on the corner of the table and had to get stitches. And that is why children should always listen to their mothers!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Anybody There?

Edison has this spot. On the wall. He looks at this spot whenever I am holding him; it doesn’t matter how I am holding him or the direction I turn him. His head will rotate wherever it needs to look at this spot. Sometimes he even smiles or coos while looking at his mysterious spot. Has anyone ever seen Heart and Souls? It reminds me of that; the baby has four souls attached to him and the parents remark that they buy the kid all these toys and he laughs at the walls. I like to think maybe it is my grandparents coming to see their great grandbaby. Or maybe an angel explaining this strange new world to him, “This is your mother. She is an interesting lady but just try to remember to honor your parents.” Or perhaps, “She is the one that will take care of you and always love you no matter what. This is Gordon, your big brother. He will be your best friend and you will have so many good times with him. This is your dad and he will show you how to be a man…” and so on and so forth. Chris says if ever there was evidence that the windows of heaven can open this is it. I am so glad I am able to witness the wonderful miracle of a brand new little baby.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Finding the Perfect Medium

I have a problem being assertive. I am either over-top-aggressive or I am a push-over. I just feel like people, especially professionals, don’t take me seriously because I’m just a kid. I mean I know I’m not a kid but…I feel like it when I am talking to professionals. I guess I just got a lot of it when I was a teenager. Ya know, waiters, bank tellers, salesmen or anyone like that thinking that you were going to cause trouble or that you don’t understand something just because you are a teenager. I feel like people won’t take me seriously or take care of the problem unless I am aggressive and rather rude about it. Anyway, I needed to call our insurance agent because our account was charged an extra $70 this month and it is not the first time our account has been charged something other than the amount it should have been. I didn’t want to do it because I hate being the bad guy I always turn into when I have to deal with situations like this. Well, when I got the guy on the phone I explained what had happened and that we were very upset and frustrated that this kept happening. I feel like I did a pretty good job of letting him know the problem without being rude about it. And…today we got coupons for a free lunch at Hamilton’s saying how sorry he was about the problem! And for those of you who don’t know Hamilton’s isn’t cheap. So I hope I finally learned how to deal with problems in a graceful, polite way.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Memoir Tag

I was tagged the other day by Kate. Write a memoir in six words. Then tag six people with links. And write a comment to them inviting them to play. This was a hard thing for me to do for several reasons:

  1. I am not very good at identifying things I am and am not
  2. I don't think I have a very accurate self-image
  3. I don't like to think very deeply about myself
  4. I am not very eloquent

Well this is what I came up with...

Her life was for her children

I now tag: Tina, Sandra, Kyla, Katie, Stacey, Julie

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Goals

(To understand this post, see my sidebar- the very last entry…)

I have always been a person who needs to have something visual to motivate me. And since I check my blog at least once a day…I figured this is the best place to post my goals. I have been working on this list of goals for awhile now. I realize it might take me longer than 999 days to complete some of these (especially the travel ones!) But “99 things in 10-15 years” just doesn’t sound as good. I whole heartedly believe in setting goals. Its like that quote, if you don’t set goals you can run up and down the field without ever crossing the goal line (or something like that). I usually get over-ambitious but I am trying to pace myself and be realistic. There are just so many things in my life right now that I feel could and should be better. Hopefully this list (and encouragement from my family and friends) will help keep me on track.

I know some of them are a little weird, feel free to ask questions. Oh, and does anyone know how to add a right sidebar; that is where I would really like to have these posted.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Pictures

While we had Chris's family all together I thought it would be a good idea to get a family picture. The most current picture we have of his family is from our wedding and his sister and her family weren't there. His sister-in-law Kate got a nice digital SLR camera for Christmas so she did them for us. Back row: Kolby, Gordon, Chris, Edison, Emily, Ellen, Hanna, Tyson, Justin Front row: Tesla, Lonnon, Auroyia, BraeLynne, Venesha, Keilani, John, Kaden, Colleen, Jake, Josh, Isaac, Alli, Kate. Chris's siblings are Kolby, Justin, Venesha, and Josh.

She also did individual family pictures. I need to figure out how to get that hammock in the background out of there.And some pictures of the boys. Isn't she just great! Thank you Katie. I love this picture; my boys are so beautiful!

Gordon was so cute. He just loved laying next to Edison and putting his face right next to him. And Edison even did great for his own little photo shoot. He even opened is eyes for a little while.

I love how she captured this moment--for this picture Gordon was looking up at his daddy, getting excited to go play on the toys. It is so perfect.

I want to get a nice camera so I can take awesome pictures like this but I think I will have to practice a whole lot to be able to take pictures this good. Some people just have natural talent, like Katie.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Blessing Day

Sunday we blessed Edison. It was fun to have all our family together but it was pretty crazy. With just immediate family members there were 40 people (14 were 10 and under!)
I didn't get very many pictures because as I'm sure all of you know, it was kind of a hectic day. Maybe I will put Edison in his blessing outfit again just so I can get a close up of him.
The blessing was wonderful and I am so thankful to have a husband who honors his priesthood. It was really cute how emotional Chris got during the blessing. I always tell Chris that I never find him more attractive than when he is being a good father. And it is so true--its down right sexy!

We had 12 people in the circle blessing Edison; it was pretty crowded up there but I am so glad we had all our family together!

I always get stressed out in situations like this. We had reserved our clubhouse for a lunch afterwards with all our family and it was locked! Luckily it was such a nice day and we just went to a park. It turned out all right but it sure did make things a little more complicated for me.

-------------------------------------------------------

We had Sarah and Craig and their two girls come and stay with us on Saturday and we went to Baby Animal Days. It was lots of fun. Gordon got to ride a horse and he loved it. He wanted to go again but you only get one ride for free.

Doesn't Gordon look totally rad in his glasses and helmut?

I love this picture even though it doesn't show his face. He gathered up all the hay/straw (whatever it is) in that pan and kept trying to shove it under the pig's nose. It was so cute. It was hard to get any really good pictures because there were so many people there.

They also had tractors hooked up to flatbed trailers (I don't know if that's what they are called but it sounds good, right?) That is all Gordon wanted to do. I kept trying to get him to come and see different animals but once the tractors came around again he was gone! Chris and Gordon also got to ride in a 1920's car. It was pretty cool and Gordon had a blast.

Friday, April 11, 2008

And the Winner Is...

The Winner of the Favorite Things is... If you can't read the name on the slip of paper its MICHELLE!! You have no idea how many times I had to pose for this picture. Chris kept taking more claiming that my "surprise face" looked fake. Hence the over-the-top enthusiasm. So Michelle: I need to talk to you about what Office memorabilia you would like since you already own all the seasons on DVD. Maybe a Dwight bobble head? And don't forget now you have to post your favorite things as well.
Thanks to everyone for playing!

Oh, and I got my hair cut. What do you think? I haven't had bangs for about 4 years so its going to take me awhile to get used to but so far (about three hours) I like it.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Photoshop Fun

Chris is really good with Photoshop because he has to use it for school all the time. I am trying to learn here and there. This weekend we had some fun with pictures we took of Edison and Gordon.
Before:
After:
I think Chris is really talented. Here is one that I think is amazing:

Notice the eyes and the tatoo have color. Cool, huh?
Here is one that I did with Chris's help and guidance:
Here are some more we worked on together:
Even if you just want to make a good photo look better--Photoshop is amazing. And the more you use it, the faster you get at editing your photos. I am becoming addicted.

Okay, I'm sorry. One more. I just did this one. Which one do you like better? I like the lighter one more and Chris likes the darker one.

And this is the original. Pretty neat stuff. I think so at least.

I also learned a lot from Pioneer Women's Photography Blog So if you are interested you should check it out.

Friday, April 4, 2008

My Favorite Things

I saw this a while back on a lot of my friends blogs and I thought it was a cool idea that I wanted to carry on. How it works is I list my favorite things and then you leave a comment saying which of my favorite things is your favorite; after a week I will draw a name from all of the comments and then I will send that person the favorite thing (or if it is too expensive a gift card or something). Then that person has to do their own favorite things post and so on and so forth. You get the idea? Okay, so here goes...
My favorite things are:
1.Reading books with Gordon. Our favorites right now are King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, Green Eggs and Ham, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or Cookie Mouse as Gordon calls it) but it changes from week to week. If this is your favorite, please specify which book.

2. I love getting together with family and friends to play games. Once again specify your favorite out of these:

3. Curel lotion. It is the only lotion that heals my dry skin.

4. My food chopper from Pampered Chef. It says me so much time when I am cooking dinner. I use it for everything.

5. Chris and I like to watch TV shows and get really obsessed with them. Lost and the Office are our favorites right now.
I love Jim and Pam!!
6. Redbox, "next to the Walkman and Tab it is the coolest invention of the 20th century" (name that 80's movie), but I guess we're in the 21st century now aren't we?

7. Edison's smiles. I know people say its just the gas that makes them smile but I swear he smiles like he's got some inside joke or something, like he's saying, "I know something you don't know." It is so cute. I could try to get a picture of it but it is so fleeting I would have to sit there all day long with a camera in his face and I can't really do that when I have Gordon at my knee as well. And if you pick this one you can come over and hold Edison until he smiles at you. It really is precious.

8. Chocolate. Right now I am really craving Double Stuff Oreos or a Take 5 candy bar, if you haven't had one of these you really should.

9. Shade shirts. http://www.shadeclothing.com/ My sister got some for me when I was pregnant and they are awesome. They are not actually maternity so I can still wear them and they are so comfortable and don't show the belly that I still have! Speaking of which I need to get some more because currently they are the only shirts I wear because of said fact that they don't show my chubbiness.
Now make sure to leave a comment; everyone participate, even those that don't usually leave comments or even have a blog (you know who you are.)

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Help Me...

The other day I spent at least a half an hour (consecutively) on the toilet with Gordon. And nothing...nada...zip...not even a little drip. We read books, played rock, paper, scissors, and made funny faces while pushing. I will admit I was a little disapointed. Okay, maybe more than a little. Gordon has wanted to sit on the potty for a long time and I haven't taken him seriously because I was prego and didn't want to deal with it. Well, I may have missed my chance. He likes to sit on the potty and flush the toilet and lets not forget about using toilet paper, he loves that too. He just hasn't done anything in the toilet yet. I think once he actually does it and gets rewarded he will want to do it again but how do I get him to do it in the first place. I tried getting him to drink lots of fluids but it didn't help. Any suggestions?