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.