Hooray for pre-printed post-its!

It is time for TMac to learn more words and start reading more advanced books (he is a pro at boardbooks and classic storybooks - yep, it's fun to brag about my little genius) so one of our family nights this month was to put words all over the house. I love these post-its. For under $4 you get 50 pre-printed sight words on yellow notes and also 100 pre-lined green notes that you can write your own words on. We had fun going around the house and sticking them on the walls. I wish that these had been around when I was teaching first grade! It would have saved me a lot of stapling flash cards to walls. TMac is fun to work with because he is so enthusiastic and loves anything he can call "school".

Give that boy a pizza crust!

Some Moms look forward to their babies being able to hold their own bottle but I don't do bottles - I love pizza crusts! (Tot can hold his own juice sippy cup though.) Being able to give my babies a nice big pizza crust with no worries makes Costco, parties and pizza nights so much easier. But, with Tot you need to keep 'em coming because it's like the crust is a twig and he is a wood chipper! Now we can all eat pizza in peace without him screaming at us. If you look at his shirt you'll see that he already had a blue lollipop too. Hush it boy! He's little but he's loud.

TMac and his pals at the movies.

In February we met a bunch of TMac's friends and my Mommy friends at the movies to see Veggie Tales - The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. TMac brought along his pirate hat and candy bucket from his Halloween costume. He had so much fun watching the movie with his pals. Afterwards they ran around the theater exploring and playing tag while the Moms talked. We have such great friends and a ton of little boys to play with. We also really love the $2 discount theater!

Don't you want to cuddle me?

I'm all clean from my bath and I smell like Lavender and Chamomile. I give really good hugs too! Hey, if you have food to share I will love you even more! Mint and chip ice cream will get you my endless loyalty.

Happy belated birthday Heather!

Happy birthday to my sister Heather. Her birthday was actually on Saturday the 23rd but as you can see, I am behind on posting/journaling. The above picture is one of my top five favorite pics of Heather. She is loving up on Tot on his blessing day and her hair looks awesome! If you have been blessed to be a friend of my sister you know that she is:

• Extremely giving and generous.
• Super talented and creative with singing, crafts, cooking, photography, digital scrapbooking, photo design, jewelry making, party planning and throwing, flowers, drawing, faux finish wall painting and blogging!
• Hilarious! I love the cackle laugh and TMI stories that make me cry and laugh!
• One year closer to being too old to audition for American Idol. She should try out next year because she rocks!
• The best Auntie ever. She'll do anything gladly for her nieces and nephews and hanging with her is a nice break because she helps so much with the kids.
• Sensitive to others needs and always can be counted on for a good break from the day to day grind.
• Hardworking.
• TOO MUCH FUN! It's always a party when you're with her.

I could go on and on about my family. There is a ton more but she'll have another birthday next year! :) We love you!

Happy Birthday nephew A!

I can not believe that my nephew A is 6 years old today! A huge Happy Birthday to my little man who:

• Will give you your very own private sword fighter show with all the seriousness and dedication the craft deserves (see the photo above)!
• Gives me glimpses of what my sister Erin must have been like as a little child.
• Puts his arm around my son and says, "Hey little buddy!"
• Has the thought process of an adult and always has a great idea as to how to resolve a problem.
• Looks just like his Daddy Paul when standing next to him and just like his Mommy Erin when standing next to her!
• Has the greatest full-on, no holds barred laugh!
• Has the coolest birth date - 2/20/2002.

TMac says, "Wow, 6 is really big! I knew A was a big boy!" We love you and hope that you had a great day. See you this weekend to celebrate!

Tot can feed himself!

Tracy was feeding Tot his baby food dinner last week and decided to let him feed himself since he was reaching for the spoon so much. The transaction is so fast! Take spoon, straight into mouth and hand spoon back for more. No playing or goofing off. I'm hungry! It was cracking us up how serious he was. Not at all curious - just get the food into my mouth and give my spoon back so you can load it up again. Who knows how early he could've done this because I'm mean and have never given him the spoon. I like to keep the whole thing as clean as possible. Leave it to fun Dad to discover this.

New "food" item to yell for: Tot thinks that the tube of vaseline for his dry face on his changing table is food. He yells for it the whole time his diaper or clothes are being changed. Yes, I have tried hiding it. He's seen it once, decided it was food and then wants to do contortions looking for it. Yeesh!

The Bain boys pirate gang.

When I got home from Cub Scouts last Tuesday night, I found the boys playing pirates. Tot didn't have a hat to wear so he was wearing a black cape and he looked so darn cute in it. He had ice cream all over his face and was so happy to be playing and flying. Tracy is a great sport. They had crazy names like "Captain Apple Tree", etc. I love opening the front door and seeing what my boys have been up to while I was out.

TMac's first prayer assignment in Primary.

Doesn't TMac look so grown up in his suit? The whole time we were at church he just seemed so big to me in this serious little suit. I also love Tot's little outfit which will not fit him much longer. Of course, by the time I got back inside the house from taking the picture of TMac in his suit outside, Tracy had Tot completely undressed and then he fell asleep. The photo of Tot was taken a few days later because - yes!, I am that OCD about my pictures. Especially the outfit that he wore that Sunday because it is one of my favorites. The little sandals around his chubby little Flinstone feet are so cute!

These pics are for Sunday the 10th which was the first time that TMac was given a prayer assignment in Primary. They asked us after the first hour and we didn't say yes at first. I wanted to feel TMac out since they usually give advance notice so you can prepare. I went to ask him about if he'd like to do it. He smiled so big and said, "Yeah - that will be so exciting!" I told him that it would be the closing prayer at the very end, that his Dad and I would come in to watch and that I would go up to the podium and help him. He was really happy and excited.

When we went in to the end of Primary TMac was obviously upset sitting in his little chair next to his teacher. He was a little teary eyed so I whispered to him. When he saw me he started full blown crying. We talked to him out in the hall and he was upset because he thought that the Primary leaders forgot about him. I guess he just saw the other kids going up to the podium for different things and was getting more and more upset each child that wasn't him. He assured us that he wasn't upset because he was scared and that he still wanted to say the closing prayer.

A minute later the time came and he and I walked up to the podium. He stood up on the stool, adjusted the microphone very seriously, looked out at the audience and.....started to cry and hid his head! I said the prayer and then escorted a very upset TMac to the back of the room and his Daddy's waiting arms. He said that he got scared at everybodies eyes looking at him but he wasn't scared before that. He said, "Mommy, you were very brave." He is looking forward to getting the chance again. Hmmm....we'll see! I felt bad that I didn't stay in Primary the whole time to help him. I know he gets anxious trying to wait for something and I should have known that would happen or even asked for him to give the opening prayer instead of the closing. I know I can't control everything that will happen in his life but gosh dang I want to! Poor little guy. He's sweet.

Love is...my Valentine boys.

I love my boys! I don't need to buy them clothes because my family gave me a ton in really great condition but I just had to get them matching Valentine's day shirts. They are so handsome! Neither Old Navy or Wal-Mart had Vday themed shirts for little boys so I went with these. A few grandma aged women stopped me at dinner to tell me how cute they were so I guess I did a good job.

Valentine's day activities from this week.

We had such a fun week. For family night we made Valentine treats - white chocolate dipped pretzels. TMac was so excited to make them and then take them to share at our play group potluck and Valentine party. We colored a ton of Valentine cards the next night. On Wednesday morning before play group TMac woke up lickety split (he usually wakes up really slow) and was super excited. He was pacing around the house excitedly reminding me to remember the pretzels, cards, Mac and Cheese, camera, etc. He wanted to help carry everything to the car. The play group party was fun with lots of good food and a Valentine's card exchange. It was so cute to see all of the boys handing their cards out to each other. Today when Tracy got home from work we exchanged cards and TMac helped Daddy open his gift and letter. I got to go to the day spa and get a spa pedicure - alone! The spa wasn't busy so the lady gave me an hour and a half long spa pedicure in the massage chair with a lot of free extras! It was great! When I got home I got the boys dressed in their new matching red Valentine's day shirts. They were so adorable! We went with Dana, Genni and Wyatt for dinner and playtime to John's Incredible Pizza Co. It really is incredible. They have a great buffet and then there is a whole games and rides section with the coolest rides. It was a great week! Happy Valentine's day!

I have a mighty good man.

On Valentine's day I posted a nice long letter in this spot listing all of the things that I love about Tracy. I printed it out and gave it to him with his present. One of the things that I listed about him was that he doesn't seek attention, that he wouldn't like the post being public and that he would want me to remove it. I was right! So, the nice long letter is gone but I wanted to leave the pictures. Tracy is truly awesome and he has many great attributes. You'll have to take my word for it!

Happy Valentine's Day babe! I'm a lucky lady and I love you.

My sister Heather is awesome!

When I opened my email today, my sister Heather had made and sent me the above digitally scrapbooked header that is the new title on my blog. I love it! She made one for our sister Erin and my Mom Janine as well to use on our blogs. She spoils us and we love it. The picture of her and the grandkids is from last Halloween at her ward party. TMac is the pirate - a nice pirate by the way - he was very specific. Tot is a TateR tot! He had been dunked in ketchup. Heather made the outfit out of an egg crate foam topper for mattresses. She is so creative and we all benefit from her gifts. Thanks "Sistah!" for everything that you do for our family! She dressed up as a redneck woman. My nephew A (my sister Erin's son) was a Jedi warior and his sister A was Cinderella. That was a really fun night. Everything that I do with Heather and my extended family is fun!

Our twin babies!

Tot and E are the Bain family twins. It is the closest our extended family has been to having twins which is surprising since there are 6 kids, 6 spouses and 18 grandchildren so far. Tot and E are cousins who were born only two days apart in the same hospital. Check out the cute video I got of them crawling together this weekend. I remember when Carrie (who is Tracy's older sister) announced that she was pregnant in the Summer of 2006. We had just barely found out that we were pregnant but hadn't told anyone yet. At this point there were a ton of grandkids - 16 of them - but none had been born since G in I think 2005. Carrie was worried that her child would be all by itself in an age group and was trying to convince some of us to get pregnant with her. A few weeks later we took our Mom to dinner for her birthday with Carrie and Dennis and Dana and Genni. During dinner Carrie was talking about how she wished another sister would decide to get pregnant and was saying it would be awesome if her baby could have a cousin close in age. I kicked Tracy under the table for permission to spill the beans and he said okay. I said, "Carrie, I think we can help you!" She said, "No way - you'll get pregnant?" I said, "We already are!" She smacked the table and jumped up to hug me. She was so excited! Mom and Dennis were surprised. We made quite a bit of noise in the restaurant. That was such a fun way to make someone happy. I was really glad that one of my sisters would be making my baby a cousin too! It was really fun for me to be pregnant along with Carrie who is a pro with 6 kids now. She is a fabulous mother. I have no idea how she does it! The cousins ended up being born two days apart although they were supposed to be born two weeks apart. I ended up being a week late and Carrie a week early. I was able to show off Tot to Carrie in her labor room on our way out of the hospital. We had a humongous double baby blessing and party that was so fun. We had also had a huge double baby shower that was a blast. It was really nice of Carrie to have a girl so that I could still use all of her boy clothes!

E and Tot will be turning one in just 2 1/2 months! Their first year has gone by really fast!

Baby Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Poor little Tot ran the gamut of baby emotions all in 5 minutes. He started crying at the end of my shower so when I was ready to pick him up he gave me the biggest squeeze hug and was kicking and happy. I tickled him and got good video of him laughing (at least the sound - his face shows up in the middle of the video). Then he wanted to nurse. After awhile he bit me really hard! I scolded him and flicked his mouth and he did the most upset, dramatic crying so I grabbed the camera and got good video of that as well. The crying is so funny because he goes through so many emotions that you can see right on his adorable little face.

Tot loves his naners.

I can not believe that Tot is 9 1/2 months old! He wants to eat everything but he's been wanting that forever - since he was 4 months old. It's getting pretty bad! He was literally yelling at my friend at play group this week because he wanted the banana she was eating. I was even feeding him a baby food meal at the time but he just kept yelling at her, demanding and trying to generally lean into her lap. So beware! He absolutely knows what a banana is and he will yell at you. I can have just fed him till he feels like he will pop but if he sees a bowl, plate, utensil - anything - he's yellin' really loud! He also wants his spoonfulls to come really fast. If you go too slow he starts yelling. My mom, sister and I are notorious for being hypoglycemic and we need our food when we need it to keep the inner crazy at bay but seriously Tot!

We left him and TMac one evening this week with our favorite non-family babysitters and went out to dinner with our good friends. The babysitters are our friend's kids and we were just in town a cell phone call away but it was weird for the first little bit. That was Tot's first time being babysat by someone other than my sister. We never left TMac at so young an age but he was so chill in restaurants. Not Tot! I was craving a hot meal without any demands from my beast so we left his booty and went out! It was nice.

Oh, and also at his doctor's appointment last week he weighed 18 pounds and 9.6 ounces so he is almost a 20 lb bag of Tots.

More of TMac's toy shenanigans.

It was really cold one evening this past week and TMac decided that Dad's feet were surely cold! He gathered up every stuffed animal, fuzzy toy, all of his different slippers and even cloth baby toys out of Tot's play pen and used them to cover Tracy's feet. We were really amused watching him spend quite a lot of time getting everything stacked and balanced just right. He gets so proud when I get out the camera because he is doing something camera worthy. When I went and got the camera that brought on another five minutes of adjusting the pile to get it just right! We love you TMac!

Crazy sleeping boy.

Whenever we go check on TMac in the middle of the night or during a nap, 80% of the time he is contorted and uncovered. I have no idea how much of the night he was alseep like this. It didn't faze him at all. He was snoring away. My siblings and I big time talk in our sleep and TMac does as well. I'm a light sleeper so I hear him through our bedroom wall several times a night. Also, for more than a year now he'll often wake up and tell us all about his dreams. The stories are really in depth. No wonder he sleeps more than most kids! He has to sleep longer to get enough rest after all of his workouts during sleep!

Taking time to enjoy the view.

This view is one that I am blessed to see almost daily. I'm sitting in my computer desk chair and Tot is sleeping on my chest sitting in my lap. Lately I have been on the computer for work a lot during the day working on a deadline and Tot has been teething trying to cut four teeth at once. This picture was taken after Tot was screaming at me from the living room with his face pressed up against the mesh side of his play pen (he can see me down the hall in my bedroom where the computer desk is). I wasn't stoked about the interruption and I picked him up and nursed him at the computer while I continued working with one hand. He just wanted his Mommy and some comfy rest! I looked down after he fell asleep and what a view! I took a break and just looked at him and thought about him. I was really grateful for him and the view. That break helped me to re-adjust my view about what I need to center my day around. Work schmirk! Thankfully the type of deadline I was working on doesn't occur on a regular basis and I can usually spend the day however I choose. TMac swung by and joined in the cuddling which topped off the break. I took these pictures by holding the camera high above us which is why my big schnoz is in one! Thanks for reading while I brag about my blessings. :)

TMac's toy shenanigans.

I love when I am sitting at the computer and I hear TMac coming down the hallway from the living room saying, "Look mom!". Sometimes he doesn't make any announcements at all - he's just there with a silly grin on his face. His thoughtfully composed outfit consists of Little Einstein's Red Rocket slippers, pajamas, red slinky neckwear and his Disneyland Mickey Mouse ears hat. Look for this ensemble at the Children's Place clothing store near you!