Spotlight on Sophie

Much like this post, I have felt over the last couple weeks that my adorable little girl had been snatched and replaced with a much less appealing clone. The last day or two has given me the slightest hope that my original child may still be in there somewhere, possibly buried underneath 28 lbs of pure chub. It's seriously hard to believe by the following pictures that she could be anything but pure sweetness, but if you don't believe me ask anyone who's been around her lately and they will back me up. Is it possible to hit the "terrible twos" at 13 months? I'm posting these in an attempt to bring my real daughter back, or maybe just to remind myself that things aren't as bad as they seem...

I think she see's them coming to snatch her...

Happiness really can be found in chocolate...Just don't ask how many puddings I let her have that morning, all in the name of getting housework done. I could be turned in.

How sweet are they? In still-life form at least.

Maybe you have to be the same height in order to get hugged. The rest of us, we just get hit. We're working hard on correcting this behavior, though it is the tiniest bit funny when she hangs her head, pokes out her bottom lip and pouts when she hears the words, "Sophie, be soft!"

Maybe today's tragedy will jar a little something and in the morning my sweet lil Sophie will be back. She didn't fare well trying to get out her Aunt Rachy's sliding glass door today, or the other day when her thumb got smashed in the gate, or when her cousin bit her twice in 10 minutes a few days ago...Poor thing. The bruise above the scratch should look lovely by morning.

Up for a Vote

We've recently decided that its time to buckle down and pick out a name for the next baby boy. He'll be here in just a couple months and I don't want to come home from the hospital with "Baby Boy Buchanan." Here's what we're considering...
1) Larson Momake
2)Carson Delmer
3)Shiner Goben
It's up to you to decide which two were provided by Spencer.

According to Spencer

Heres him and Sophie playing under the table at the "shown-in-tell" (hotel)that we stayed at a few weeks ago with my mom and dad.

Here is the "STD" Player (FP3 Player) that he got for his birthday. He LOVES listening to his music on it. It's been great for road trips, cleaning his room, and just being silly.

And here's the "commander" oranges (mandarin oranges) he had for lunch along with his spaghettios. I wouldn't dare serve easy mac again though I'm not sure spaghettios are any better!

We traveled to Boise last weekend to attend Jason's grandpas funeral. At the viewing, Spencer was completely intrigued, and I could tell his wheels were spinning (which they always do). I wasn't sure what direction his little mind was going, he was so quiet and concentrating so hard as we stood there viewing the body. He then grabbed my hand, looked up and said, "But where are his feet, mom?" This was followed by, "Are those the clothes he rides his horses in? Why isn't his cowboy hat a color? (There was one on top of the casket that was a khaki color, he apparently thought his hat should have been blue) Can we touch him?" He also informed us that he thought everyone should carry the casket low so that he could be a pallbearer too.

Celebrations!

I am not sure why there's such a feeling of relief at the end of April and all its birthdays when May comes next and is just as packed. There's Mothers Day, my dad's birthday, my nephews Easton and Trentons birthdays, and prepping for our quickly approaching vacation...Phew! Oh yea, and Kimmie's birthday! I hope I'm not forgetting anything/one. So here's to the "Special People of May"...

My mom for Mother's Day-
Anyone who knows her thinks she's pretty amazing. It's sometimes intimidating to me actually. I feel like I can't keep up with her! It's been incredible watching her over the last year tackle another responsibility- the warehouse. She's done a great job and she totally kicks my butt in her dedication and productivity! I use to think I was a pretty hard worker until working side by side with her. She's also a great source of comfort, strength, guidance, and example for those around her who are having a hard time finding their way. She amazes me in the things she says to people that helps them along their way. I wish I had even half her patience, kindness, and tolerance. Happy late Mother's Day!

My dad...
I use to have to tell my friends in highschool, "He's not as scary as he looks!" And then one day, I realized I had inherited that same look from him. The one that makes people ask, "Are you mad about something?" when I'm really just sitting there content. Once you get to know him you realize how funny he is, what a hard worker he is, and how much he loves his family. Nothing is more important to my dad then our family. I appreciate how much he worries about us (another thing he's passed on to me, I am a huge worrier). I love knowing that if my kids are sick, there will be a call first thing in the morning from grandpa checking on everyone. Or if we go out of town, he'll call to remind us to check the oil, call when we get there, call when we get home. It's comforting knowing that he'll come looking if something isn't right! I also appreciate how him and my mom save all year not for themselves, but for all of us. Our family vacations to the coast get better every year and I love how much he anticipates being all together, no matter how crazy it can get with 2 grandparents, 3 kids, 3 spouses, and 8 grandchildren.

My nephew, Easton-
The thing I love right now the most about Easton is how much he is like his dad. Someone warned him the other day about not doing something so I wouldn't get mad and his reply was, "I don't care if I make Aunt Amy mad, I think it's funny." That is so incredibly Steve it's ridiculous! He has a big heart and a big smile. I love hearing him laugh. He's grown up so much lately and it makes me a little sad. But I love knowing that he's not so old that he doesn't want to come with me, or Rachael. It will be nice this summer when we don't have to tell everyone, "Sorry, it's a school night for E." Spencer said he loves when Easton plays with him. I know how much the little boys look up to him. I appreciate how kind he always is to them. It will be fun to watch him continue to grow up.

My cousin Kimmie-
I so dropped the ball on this one, even though she plastered every calendar in my house with her birthday. I am SO SORRY I "fregot." Kimmie is the best when it comes to children. She loves being with them so much and takes them on the best adventures. The first thing all the kids ask when they are here is, "Is Kimmie coming over? Can we call her?" I don't know what Spencer would have done without his "Mimmie" or as we called her, "His real mom." Kim, you are a great example to all the kids in our family. You love them unconditionally and there is nothing greater than that. You make them feel important and loved. Thank you SOOO much. And please, please, forgive me for being a horrible, horrible cousin, especially missing the big 18.
(Sorry, I don't have a picture of Kimmie...How sad is that!)

My nephew Trenton-
Oh, what shall I say about the 3rd of the trio o' boys. Trenton has the most adorable smile and an outrageous set of ears to go with it. His little voice cracks me up! He's changed a lot in the last couple of months and it's been way fun. I'm now realizing that I need to start having him over more...he's quite the entertaining little guy. I love how excited they all get to see each other and its been great having him and Spencer in preschool together. Whenever Spencer is on the fence about something I just remind him that Trenton will be there too. I can't wait to watch these three grow up together. I hope they become the best of friends.

So "Happy Whatever" to all you May people...Thanks for keeping me so busy! And for being such great people!

A Mom Moment

I actually had a few mom moments today but I can't share them all right now since I can't load the pictures that accompany the stories. So for now, here's the picture-less one. I had been up cleaning the house like mad (possibly nesting finally but I'm not ready to go that far) and I had been talking to Spencer about cleaning his room before Colton and Aubrey came over. He of course was giving me attitude. You know, slumping his shoulders, practically dragging his hands on the ground complaining. Much like he's 14 not 4. So typically I would give him some long, harsh sounding speech about how I don't like my jobs but I do them and he has his own jobs to do, blah, blah, blah. You know the kind that never really work. So instead, I remembered a little story I had read in the Friend magazine we just received. It's about a little boy who didn't want to clean the playroom and so he said a little prayer to try to feel better and then had the idea to sing while he worked. I sat down and read this to Spencer and asked him what he thought we should do since he was feeling sad and angry about cleaning. Luckily he was paying attention and said that we should say a prayer too. We did, and then we talked about how music helped the other little boy so I suggested getting his FP3 player out so he could listen to some music. He was pretty excited about this idea and it was great to watch/hear him in his room cleaning and singing along with the music. He did a great job cleaning until it was Sophie's nap time (they share a room) and even reminded me when she got up that he wasn't done cleaning!

I am grateful for the times that I remember to think outside the box. Not that this was some grand idea, but it sure beat my usual tactics. I am also grateful for my mom who is a great example of thinking outside the box when it comes to teaching children. Her energy and resources are endless and I am always overwhelmed when she humbles me by her example or suggestions. Any of you who have had your children in her primary class probably know exactly what I am talking about. She is amazing when it comes to teaching children and I admire that greatly. Thanks Mom.

ATTENTION!

The host of this blog is not celebrating Mother's Day at its usual time. There has been a delay due to unexpected traveling and tiredness. We will resume our celebration on Sunday, May 18th. Potentially sooner if host feels inspired.

Dinner is the Dumps

It's usually just me and the kids for dinner. Which really translates to: I fix whatever quick and easy kid food there is in the house and then I either just snack, or make Jason bring something home later. I'm sure most of you understand the reasoning behind this. It's really hard to motivate yourself to think of what to make, make it, try to eat it, and then have to clean it up. Without anyone else around over 48 inches tall. So tonight, for the first time in longer than I am willing to admit, I made a semi-real dinner. And I thought it was gross. I think that is the hardest part. After all, even if Jason was home I would still be the one to think of what to make and make it, and realistically be the one to also clean it up. But why can't it taste good? It makes me feel like those 35 minutes I actually put into it was all for not. But hey, at least there's left overs for Jason and the kids, they never seem to mind what I make. But now, I'll start snacking just like I would have had I thrown some easy-mac in the microwave.

Blog Roll Cont. (Read this after "Tag, Im It")

So this will be take three. Every time I try to post it shows up in the hugest letters, no matter what I do. I'm not even going to mess with changing font sizes for headers. It's just not working.

Something nice about the 18th?
What isn't nice about Ms. Kristen. She's a great preschool teacher and Spencer adores her. She also has one of the fun, friendly, down to earth personalities that leaves you thinking, "I want to be friends with her!" after the first time you meet her.

I'm tagging Rachael, Lisa, and Heather.

And now, I'm must do a special tribute to the first person on my blog roll. When I did my post on connections, she said she had the lamest connection of all. Without even talking to her, I knew she would feel left out again, so, I'm going to answer all of the questions about my dear Rachy.

What do I like best about Rachael?
Since I already mentioned her peanut butter cookies, I'll have to come up with something of real substance. I don't know how to answer this question without sounding all sappy. Oh wait, I think one of the best things about Rachael is that her and I have a complete understanding of each others moods. We can be total jerks to each other, and just shrug it off. Or we can call each other twelve times in a row saying "Oh yea, I forgot to tell you one more thing..." without getting annoyed, most of the time. It's so nice that we're not only sisters but the best of friends, the type of friend where there is almost no such thing as being "high maintenance." We just take each other as it comes, or goes.
What impresses me most about Rachael?
Funny enough, I think her blog impresses me the most. It's so fun to read, and usually makes me feel inadequate. Which is funny, cause she's blamed me for making her feel that way most of our lives. She always has way funny stories or even short quips about the things her kids say and do, even though she claims that most of the time they drive her crazy! And her volume. Her loudness impresses me, and the fact that her children seem to have inherited that from her.
A memory of Rachael
I have a gazillion and one memories that involve Rach. But for some reason, some of my favorite ones involve a trip we took with Josh. The three of us provided the childcare portion of a National Right to Life Conference in Pittsburgh. Some time soon I'll post pictures. It was a great trip. And I should mention the time she beat me up. That's always a good one. Or when her and Josh froze my underwear and made me cry. Or when her and I fought on a trip and one, or both of us got banned from future family vacations. Ah, what good times we've had...
Something nice about Rachael
Rachael is the best person to talk to when your having a crisis. Especially if you can't stop crying. Or when you need someone to laugh with you, or at you. And she's super non-judgmental when your in full crisis mode. And sometimes she'll even drive to your house, just to make sure you're really okay.

So there you go Rach. This should make up for the previous one liners!

Tag, I'm it!

About a week ago I was tagged twice. I was super excited until my crazy life happened and I couldn't seem to find the time, or mental energy, to answer either one. We'll see how many times I get interrupted while trying to post this. I'm starting at 5:30...

24 Things About Me
Four Places I Go Over and Over:
*Pasco - Rachael's House
*Pasco - Preschool
*Pasco - My mom's House
*Walmart - Sometimes in Pasco
Four People Who E-Mail Me:
I don't get many 'real' people e-mails, I'll just tell you what seems to occupy most of my inbox
*Any comments made on my blog, or Rachael's, or Lisa's (We're pathetic, I know!)
*Blockbuster (keeping me updated on the comings and goings of our movies)
*My bank/bills (reminding me when payments are due)
*University of Phoenix (Jason's online schooling)
Four of My Favorite Foods:
*Chicken Tacos from Chico's
*Tostadas from just about anywhere
*Rachael's peanut butter cookies (I'll never admit how many of these I can eat)
*Day old Rice Krispy Treats
Four Places I would Rather be Right Now:
*Oregon Coast
*Out shopping
*Anywhere eating dinner someone else prepared
*Hanging out with Jason
(Notice the lack of exotic places everyone else lists? I HATE flying, so I don't want to go to any of those places.)
Four People I Think Will Respond/Tagged:
I'm skipping this one. I think everyone I know has done this already, but if not, feel free to feel tagged!
Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
*You've Got Mail
*Pride and Prejudice (The 6 video A&E version, I really need to upgrade to DVD)
*Batman Begins
*Elizabeth Town

Tag #2, My Blog Roll
1. Answer questions from your blog list of friends and family.
2. If you don’t have 18 names on your list, just pick one for the last question.
3. Tag 3 other people.
When did you meet the 1st person on your list?
Oh, about 27 years and 8 months ago. She's my little sister, Rachael.
What do you like about the 3rd person on your list?
Hmm, definitely his sense of humor. That's why I married him!
What do you like best about the 5th and 6th people on your list?
Oh man, I wish I would have had time to find a picture of these two boys in their short shorts and tall socks. Josh is the BEST at helping me with all my computer illiteracy, I also thank him for my love of Mac computers. He's also the king of chicken nugget, corn, and mashed potato dinners. But his laugh is probably the best. He has one of those full body laughs where he doubles over, slaps his knee, puts his hand over his face and just laughs. It's great. And Jared, he's the best at cracking me up. His sarcasm kills me, and I'll never forget the time he told me that he had just read a study that said that couples who use sarcasm when communicating are doomed, informing me politely that Jason and I probably won't make it. Thanks Jared. Oh yea, and he was the best babysitter when he still lived here, Spencer still loves talking about Jared.
How long have you known the 9th person on your list?
I have technically known Geriann her whole life since she is a cousin of mine. One of those second, or third, or sometime once removed kinda thing. But I really have "known" her in just the last few years. She totally rivals Jared in the humor department! And now that she's a fellow blogger, she rocks even more!
What impresses you about the 11th and 12th people on your list?
Mitch and Nan. What a crazy, fun couple. I think what impresses me the most about these two is how the make you feel like you are one of the coolest, funnest people they know when they talk to you. No matter how long its been since you've seen them, you're suddenly important. The 4th of July parade last year was way fun thanks to them. We look forward to this year!
What is a memory of the 16th?
So I've only known Kim a couple of weeks, and have had tons of fun hanging out with her. I don't really have a great memory yet, I'm just glad that the first two times I hung out with her I didnt REMEMBER her post about her eyebrow fetish. It wasn't until last Friday, when I was sitting across the table from her that I remembered, but by then I was pretty secure with our friendship so it wasn't excruciating to finally remember!

Check back for my continuation of this post, my computer was freaking out.

"J" is for Jellies

Both of my kids have, at some point in time, had a thing for "jellies." Last summer (or has it been two summers ago?) our cousin Jared, who lives in Hawaii, got stung by a jellyfish while surfing. It was a super hot topic with Spencer for weeks. He would request the story over and over. One night, as you can tell by the terrible lighting in the video, Kimmie got him to tell the story in his own words. Hope you can understand it, there's something in there about Jared throwing up, thinking he was going to die, getting the leg out so he could walk...
Now Sophie has her own kind of jellies. They were really the first pair of shoes I was able to get her to wear. Whenever she sees them she gets excited and wants us to put them on. Today for some crazy reason, she slept with her jellies. As I was rocking her to sleep, she would wake up if her hand relaxed and her jelly slipped out. At one point in time, she even tried to suck on it like it was her bottle. She gets complemented every time she wears them out in public, seems every girl wants to reminisce about her own pair of jellies! Lisa took this picture this weekend, I absolutely love it.

My Week LONG Update

So for the one, maybe two people who might be wondering, I am still here. This week has been crazy since returning from Spokane. I have thought many times about some fun blog topics, and have been anxiously waiting for the right time to sit down and respond to the two tags I recieved earlier in the week. And now, its Sunday morning, I'm getting a quick break away from a sick Sophie now that Jason's giving her a bath and I still don't seem to have the energy to really write anything real. This is how exhausting my week was:

Tuesday- Returned from Spokane to the Mount o' Clothing and much to Jason's surprise, I grabbed a blanket and just laid on top of it all. That only lasted a minute or two though cause there's just no comfy give in a pile of laundry.

Wednesday- Tackled the mountain and the rest of my bedroom leaving it all sparkly clean. Too bad it took all day! Tried to run a quick errand and grab McDonalds before t-ball practice, only to have that back fire. By the time we got to the field, Spencer had spilled his sweet and sour sauce three times down his sweats. We had been 5 minutes early but I just couldn't send him out there. After running home and changing, we were 10 minutes late. I came home exhausted and it was only 7 o'clock.

Thursday- Preschool in the morning, hung out at Rachael's. Went to my mom's and ran an errand with her and the kids and started to notice that Sophie wasn't her usual self but didn't think too much about it. Enjoyed the beautiful weather and this cute kid playing like a real boy. You know, climbing trees, saving the world, using sticks to be Harry Potter casting spells.

My mistake was in thinking, "Wow, this has been a nice day. Maybe I'll actually blog about it." By the time I made the 15 minute drive home and got Spencer ready for his t-ball game, Sophie spiked a fever and wouldn't leave my lap. And the Tylenol I had carried all weekend in my bag was gone. Oh wait, I remember telling Spencer that it wasn't something to play with...Wonder where it ended up. Knowing my parents were on their way to the game, I put in a request for some Pedialyte and Tylenol, looking like a completely ill-prepared mother. They of course saved the day but you always have to add a little drama. As I'm waiting for them and Spencer had been taken to his game by Grandma Goude, I looked down and realized that my daughters feet seemed purple. Like the way newborns feet look. Realizing they had been tucked in a funny position while I held her, I moved her around a bit, but a minute or two seems like forever when your holding purple, freezing cold feet and the rest of her body is burning, so, I panicked. I call my parents and get my dad all worried. He suggests taking her to the ER. In a moment of sanity, I call my aunt and ask her to see if she thinks they look purple. She said they definitely didn't look right. We massaged her feet for awhile and got them looking normal. And suddenly, she seemed like a completely fine lil' girl. Running around, smiling, just how kids do. But sickness reared its ugly head again, and by 8 o'clock her and I were exhausted.

Friday- We make it through the night, and by the morning her fever is gone. We had plans to go to the museum that afternoon and since she seemed really good all through the day we decided to go. They all had so much fun and it was great for me to get a chance to hang out with some adults! We spent the rest of the evening at my mom's again, and I went out that night with the girls. Friday was pretty good but by the time I got home at midnight, I was exhausted!

Saturday- For some crazy reason I decided to get up at 7:30 and go hit some yard sales. After I got home we headed back to my moms to help out with some yard work before our Summer Garden Boutique. Again the kids had a great time playing her in fabulous yard and things seemed like they were back to normal. Except for the continuous horrible diapers Soph had. No big worries though, she was super happy running around the yard.


Jason made plans with Steve and Kent to go see a show, something that happens maybe once a year. We get home, he takes off, Spence is in bed, me and Sophie are hanging out in my room while I'm on the phone, and suddenly, I receive another check mark on the initiation list to motherhood. I get puked on. Not just a little, or just once, but 5 massive times. Oh good, at least I just found out that I am NOT the mother who pukes along with her kids like I always thought I would be. It all happens way to fast and the shock takes over before your own stomach can even lurch. Grandma Goude comes across the way and helps out as I change my clothes, my bed, and get Sophie in the bath. We give her a little bit of pedialyte and she loses it again. By midnight when Jason gets home, I am of course, once again, EXHAUSTED!

Sunday- Getting through the night this time was not so much fun. She was up a few times puking but by 10 a.m. was a happy, chipper little girl. She definitely doesn't take after me in that department. When I'm sick, I wallow. She's been back and forth all day between nasty diapers and vomiting, but at least she's been happy.

So these pictures weren't posted in the happy, what a wonderful life way I had originally hoped for and after this therapeutic novel of a post, I still don't feel up to listing 24 things about myself or going through my blog roll and describing all the great people on there. I will do that as soon as my life returns to normal... Gives me something to look forward to!