10.01.08 - OUR BIG BOY

SNUGGLING IN BED

Lance loves spending time with his "My Michael"

Ever since Michael and I got back from our Lake Powell trip Lance has been extra snuggly in the mornings. He usually wakes up around 7:15-7:30am and will loudly say, "Mommy, Mommy" and wait for me to come get him from his room. We then hold hands and walk back to the master bedroom to go snuggle with Daddy. Lance will climb up onto the bed and lay down right on Michael's chest. It is so cute.


Lance is sleeping in a big boy bed now and it is actually going better than I thought it would. Now that he is 2 there have been a lot of changes. He is learning to go potty on the toilet (his special George, Nemo and Elmo potty), Grandma moved out, and he is sleeping in a twin bed instead of his crib. He has taken all of the changes really well and I think that he likes the fact that he is growing up and doing things like the big kids do.


I was afraid that he would not be able to sleep in the bed (which is just a twin mattress on the floor) without waking up multiple times a night, or falling out of it. He squirmed around in his crib a lot, but with the bed he seems to stay put pretty well. I just lay him down on the far side of the bed and put a pillow near the edge so he won't roll out. It has worked really well. He likes to tell people that he sleeps in a big bed and he loves all of the positive attention.


Potty training is also going well. Considering he just turned 2 a few weeks ago I think he is doing really well. He doesn't like to wear training pants, he definitely prefers to wear nothing... all day... and run around the house. That is just fine except when people come to the door, or Angie brings over her boy friend, or anything unexpected like that happens. I don't really mind, and I know that Lance sure doesn't mind, but I definitely don't want to offend anyone! =)


Lance has been really funny about going potty in the toilet. I never really thought about it, but he didn't know what the stuff that comes "out" looks like. The first time he had a BM in the little potty he starting jumping up and down (because he was excited) and yelling, "Yucky Mommy yucky!" And pointing to the potty. It wasn't until then did I realize that he was probably really surprised by what was now inside the potty! Kind of gross, but still funny.


We have a sticker chart for every time he goes potty on the toilet. He loves to pick out the sticker and put it on the chart. It is the greatest rewards system because it is cheap, easy, and he loves it. He definitely has a preference to exactly which sticker he wants and will sometimes request a particular one by name. It really amazes me sometimes how much he can remember and how intelligent he is.




BATH TIME FUN

Posing for the camera. He really purposely made this pose!


Lance loves going "swimming in the bath" (as we call it) and would stay in there for hours if I let him. He talks to himself a lot while in the bath, I'm sure he got that from the Covey gene, and it's cute to listen to him review things that he has learned. Often he will sing songs, or he will sing the alphabet, or count.



In the tub with his letters and number toys.


Some of his favorite songs to sing are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, Once There was a Snowman, The Wheels on the Bus, It's Raining It's Pouring, and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Some he can sing on his own (skipping around and repeating the same thing over and over) and others he likes me to sing with him.



He love to splash really fast and say, "Faster, faster, faster!"


He has become quite good at singing the alphabet song and can sing it almost perfectly without any help. He has some floating numbers and letters that stick to the side of the tub that he likes to play with. He will pick them up, stick them to the tub and sing the alphabet song. He will usually stop when he realizes that I am watching so I try to be inconspicuous. Counting, on the other hand, he has a harder time with. Sometimes he can count to 10 without much problem, other times it ends up being "one, three, seven, eight, nine, ten!" I have also taught him to count to 10 in French and he is actually better at counting in French than in English!





ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Proud grandparents with little Johnny and Lance.



Lance riding the horsie all by himself!


We were invited by my parents neighbors, and our boat partners, the Webber family to go up with them to the land they own near Heber, UT. It was so beautiful. The leaves on the trees are starting to change color and it is so beautiful to be in an area where it it just open land.


Lance riding into the sunset.
Nana and Lance on an adventure.


They have 2 horses and Lance got to ride on both of them! He was so excited to see a "horsie" and really enjoyed going on rides with Papa and Nana. He even got to ride all by himself (with Papa and Nana at arms reach just in case)!


"Roasting" marshmallows.


We ate dinner together and then roasted marshmallows to make s'mores for dessert. Lance didn't eat any dinner (not too surprising) but he absolutely loved "roasting" the marshmallows. By roasting, I mean that he would get the roasting stick, put a marshmallow on it, stick it in the fire, and wait until the flames caught it to pull it out and say, "Mommy blow please!" I would then blow out the mini fire and the process would start all over again.



Mommy, Lance and Nana


Lance has been using the phrase "I try!" really often lately. He doesn't want help with anything and even if he doesn't know how to do something he will get upset if anyone tries to help him. He will no longer let me put on or take off his clothes, get food out of the pantry, or do just about anything else that he thinks he can, or should, do. I am grateful that he is independent, but it sure makes eating breakfast or getting ready for the day... etc. take A LOT longer.



Johnny and little Johnny, the Webbers son, Jacob, Christine and Lance in the Artic Cat going exploring and searching for Elk.

9.26.08 - LAKE POWELL

We were invited to go to Lake Powell with some friends and decided to go! It was a big decision for us because with the complications in my pregnancy it was a little scary, not to mention there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the yard... but we got the okay from Dr. Jones and decided that Michael needed a chance to "play hard" because he had been working so hard lately. It was also Michael's birthday a couple of days earlier and the most we got to do in celebration was have a Sunday dinner with my family.

Beautiful Lake Powell.

We had a huge and really nice houseboat.

The Sunday Birthday Dinner for Michael was wonderful, but not enough for me to feel that we had sufficiently celebrated the special occasion. So, this trip was a good excuse to celebrate his birthday by getting away from the yard, all of his jobs, and his cell phone. It was an Adults Only vacation so we left Lance with our loving families. Thank you to everyone who helped us out by watching him... Kathy, Jennifer, Becca, Angie, and Kathleen. We couldn't have gone without your help.

This is the chair lift Michael made for me!

What a good husband I have! My hero!

I knew that I would have to really take it easy and not do anything more than I was doing at home. So, Michael being the "make it happen" guy he is, figured out a way for me to get up to the top of the house boat so I could hang out with everyone.

He found a metal lawn chair and rigged it up to the Jet Ski Pulley (what they use to pull the Jet Skis out of the water and onto the top of the houseboat during transportation) so it was like a little "sitting elevator" for me! It was amazing! It was sturdy and worked exactly like he planned! Michael is so thoughtful of me. He has really been amazing this entire pregnancy to make sure that I am feeling good and that our little baby is safe. Thanks Michael! You are the best!

Hanging out at the bar on top of the houseboat listening to music and having Virgin Drinks! We had such a great time.

We had a great time on this trip and finally got a summer vacation! Horray! Because of the complications I have been having we have had to skip out on a lot of activities. We didn't get to go to Hebgen and haven't been able to do too much. I was so glad that we were able to go on this trip because I feel so badly that I have held back Michael from a much deserved fun summer.

Michael wake surfing behind the Jet Ski. He is actually holding onto the tube and being pulled around! Impressive!

Michael and I brought our boat and Michael got to go out on it every day. He wake-surfed, wake-boarded, hung out, and even wake-surfed behind a Jet Ski! Wow! Michael can do anything me puts his mind to.

It was really a lot of fun being with other couples for a few days and having some time for Michael and I to be together without any other distractions. We really enjoyed meeting new friends, being in the sun, sitting around the camp fire, eating good food, and reading good books (for Camille that is).

9.24.08 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL

The birthday boys.

To celebrate Michael's birthday we had a couple of family get togethers. We had a Sunday dinner with the Covey family before his birthday, then another Sunday dinner with the Bennett family just after his birthday.

It was so great to get together with both of our families and celebrate such an amazing son, brother, husband, and father.


Lance sitting in a bowl he got out of the cupboard. First it was a hat, then it became his chair. He likes to try to balance in it! Silly boy. =)

At the Coveys everyone shared compliments and memories of Michael. It was a lot of fun to reminisce and hear all of the things that my siblings and parents remember about Michael from when we first started dating. We ended the evening with a cheese cake (just like a couple of years ago in Vacaville, CA right after Lance was born) and presents. He got some really great work shirts, a gift card for 2 movie theater passes, and a DVD of the comedian Brian Regan.


Opening presents at the Bennett Family Party.
Grandma and Grandpa Bennett are so thoughtful.

At the Bennett get together we did a group birthday celebration for Michael, Lance, and Debbie at our house. We had a great big dinner together that everyone helped out with. We played the Sign Game where everyone sits in a circle, chooses a sign, and passes it from one person to the next. The point of the game is to have one person in the middle who is trying to figure out who has the sign and touch them before they have a chance to pass it to anyone else. It's a lot of fun. We then sang Happy Birthday, opened gifts, and ate some homemade apple pie that I made from the apples I picked off our tree that morning.

We love our families and are so grateful that we get to be with them so often. Thank you for all you do for us. We feel so loved and so glad we live close by.

9.17.08 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE

Lance and I making the frosting and cookies for his party.

I said, "Lance are you messy?" He said, "Yeah!" and showed me his hand.

"Cheese!" Lance loved all the attention.

"Oooooh!" Lance loved all of his gifts!

This year we had a really fun time celebrating Lance's birthday. He turned 2 years old and had a "FAVORITE THINGS" themed party. His favorite 3 characters and Curious George, Nemo, and Elmo. So everything was based around that.

The curious George Cookie. Lance had been eyeing this for a while!

Finally he gets to eat it!

Nana watching Lance put together his new puzzle!

I made birthday cookies with Curious George painted on one of them especially for Lance. I also set up a few games for the younger kids to play. The games included : Pin The Nose On Elmo, Fishing With Nemo, and Color George. The kids seemed to like the games and it was really cute to watch them try to understand the rules and play.

Lizzy and Ali Coloring George.

Fishing with Nemo. They "caught" little cookies!

The kids playing Pin the Nose On Elmo.

Lance is helping Lizzy put on the blindfold.

We set up Rock Band on the Play Station II for the adults to play while the kids played their little games. The kids eventually ended up in the living room with the adults and wanted to play Rock Band too!

Lance, Ali, and Lizzy playing Rock Band.

John, Johnny, Lance, and Nana.

Lance got a lot of great gifts this year and was very excited about all of them! He got lots of fun books (he loves to learn and read), puzzles (which he can actually do by himself and he LOVES), 2 DVD's - Curious George the Movie and Finding Nemo, a basketball hoop, a tricycle (still a little too big, but he'll grow into it), and winter PJ's and clothes!

The gift that Mommy and Daddy (especially Mommy) was the most excited to give Lance this year was a Potty! =) Now that Lance is 2 he got all the potty training gear you could think of! He got his own potty that Lance and I decorated with George, Nemo and Elmo. He got his own step stools and soap. He got training pants and a chart and stickers to reward Lance with every time he goes potty on the toilet!

Lance was actually VERY excited about this gift and understood that it means he is getting to be a big boy. A couple of days before his birthday while we were decorating all of the potty gear he actually said, "Mommy, potty in the toilet?" and he started taking off his clothes. I thought, why not?! So we took off his clothes (Lance feels that to go potty on the toilet he needs to be naked) and he sat down and went! Wow! I couldn't believe that he really did it! He was so excited that he started jumping up and down yelling, "Potty on the toilet! Potty on the toilet!"

Mommy showing off her baby bump!

Lance is going to be such a great big brother.

He is growing up so fast and really is becoming such a big boy. He is so cute and so much fun. At his 2 Year Well Child check-up they weighed and measured him like they always do and he is STILL in the 90th percentile for head size! =) He is actually in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. Tall and thin... that is what the doctor said. We don't think he looks very thin but that is probably just because he in the 90th percentile for head size and still is sporting those cute chubby cheeks!

Lance we LOVE YOU!!!

9.01.08 - WORKING ON THE YARD

Lance trying to be strong like Daddy.

The latest project at the Bennett home is a big one. one of the reasons we bought this home is because it has a 3/4 acre lot and the front portion is big enough to be sub-divided and eventually sold as a separate lot. The house didn't have a sprinkler system and actually had a goat that lived in the front yard... strange I know.


Tractor Allen's orange tractor.

So, there is a lot of work to be done. The yard is basically just weeds and needs to be ripped out, a sprinkler system needs to be put in, the driveway needs to be ripped out and a new one poured in a different location. 2 trees need to be removed, and the water and sewer lines need to be set up for the new lot... wheew! That's a lot of work! Not to mention planting grass, some flowers, and making the exterior of the home look presentable.


This hole was right outside our front door and was at least 8 feet deep.

That is the project. Michael found this really nice retired man who owns a bunch of farm equipment that has been helping us. Lance calls him Tractor Allen because he has an orange tractor that he has been driving around our yard to rip up the weeds, even everything out, and move dirt and rocks. Allen is really nice and has given Lance a few "tractor rides" (which Lance of course loves and requests often).


Michael chopping down 2 trees.

Lance has really enjoyed watching the "guys" (as he calls them) working in the yard during the day from his bedroom window. It is nice because it keeps him quite entertained!


There used to be 2 trees right here...

Michael has been putting a TON of work in on the yard and has been doing a lot of it by himself when he comes home from work at night. He will set up his bright tri-pod light outside and work until 11:00 PM. He is amazing. I don't know how he does it. He works for 3 different people, is a scout leader, and a realtor and still finds time to do so much in the yard. He has basically trenched and installed all of the sprinkler system (and this is his first time ever learning)! He has also bee working a lot on the driveway. We ripped out the old driveway and broke it into pieces (using tractors) and now Michael is laying it on the South side of our house to create a boat pad and also laying it along side the new driveway to make it wider and more decorative. It looks so great and I can't believe that he has done all of it by himself!


Looking out over our front yard.

It is pretty funny because since all of the yard work has begun Lance has started calling his Daddy "My Michael." It is so cute! I think the reason he picked up on it is because I will call for Michael to come and eat dinner and say, "Michael! Michael!" so I can figure out where he is (because it is usually dark outside). Lance will copy me and yell, "Michael, Michael are are you?" (translated to "where are you?"). Now Lance will call him by his first name on a regular basis and almost always calls him "My Michael."


This is the driveway they are about to rip out.

I am so grateful for my hard-working husband. He does so much and never complains. He is such a good man and a great father... I am so lucky. =)

8.01.08 - SNEEKY SNEEKY

INTO TROUBLE AGAIN

Lance is tall enough now that he can open up the drawers in our bathroom, pull out whatever he wants, and try to be like Mommy and Daddy.

He loves to reach in, pull out Michael's deodorant, and put it under his arms. It's funny because my deodorant is right next to Michael's and he never once has reached for mine. He wants to be just like his Daddy!

One thing of mine that he does find intriguing is my mascara. This is the second time I have caught him on camera with my mascara all over him! His hand-eye coordination is improving at least... last time he mostly had it on his cheeks and tummy!



Lance is really starting to speak well and can tell us just about anything. He will even tell other people about the things he has done during the day. He often will want to talk on the phone to whoever I am talking to and he will tell them about his activities. Here is an example of a typical conversation...



"Hi Nana (or Grandma, or Collette, or Katie). I ooove you. I see George! Mommy... Rolley Polley come out please! On my hand! I play Lizzy-Ali house!..."

Translation = "Hi Nana! I love you. I watched the Curious George Movie. Mommy and I played outside with the Rolley Polley bugs. They roll up and I say "come out please!" until they unroll and walk around on my hand. I also played at Lizzy and Ali's house today..."

He gets so excited to tell people about his day and he is pretty good at talking on the phone. He definitely knows all of the family members and often asks for them by name. He will say, "Aunt Becca - Angie go?" (Where did Aunt Becca and Angie go?) or he will say "Gama home?" (When is Grandma coming home?). or "Nana - Papa's house?" (Can we go to Nana and Papa's house?).

Angie moved in with us a little while ago... so she and Becca share a room and Kathy still has her room. I counted today and we have 7 adults and 2 babies, not including the one on the way, living in our house right now! Wow! It's a good thing we all get along! =)



He really is so spoiled and loves to be with the Covey's and Bennett's. He will even walk around the house looking at the family photos and point and everyone and tell me there names. I am so glad that we live here and that he has a relationship with all of his grandparents, aunts and uncles.


IT'S A GIRL!!!

At my 18 week appointment we had another ultrasound done to see the status of the tear and take a look at the baby.

Baby looks good and they were able to see the gender... A GIRL! We are so excited! I thought that it was going to be another boy (because having a boy is all I know!) but Michael thought that it was going to be a girl all along. He was right and I am very, very excited!

Michael teases me that the only reason I'm so excited for a girl is because I can pretend she is my little doll and dress her up. Exactly Michael! But it won't be pretend, it will be real!!!! =) I was such a girly-girl when I was little, it will be fun to see what this little one is like. I am already imagining what she will look like and planning on all of the pretty blankets and bedding I am planning on making. I definitely have time on my hands, so I will put my sewing skills to work.

The ultrasound came out looking really good. The tear looks about the same and our baby girl looks healthy and happy. Everything looks to be developing well and there are no problems with her. We are so grateful and pray that my body will hold on long enough for her to be born and to be healthy.

I am still taking it really easy at home and I spend a lot of time reading and sewing. I am finally able to eat more than just cold cereal for every meal (literally) and it's nice not to feel so sick. I am still definitely very sensitive to smell and we actually do all of the cooking in the garage so the smell doesn't linger in the house all day!

Kathy has been so incredibly helpful and has done all of the grocery shopping, cleaning, and a lot of the cooking too. She also hangs out with Lance in the mornings so I can sleep and is always willing to help me out in any way possible. She has been my angel. I am so grateful that she lives with us. Thank you Kathy!