It's SNOW COLD!!

This winter has been SO COLD and there is SO MUCH SNOW! I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago before the weather got so cold that no one wants to go outside unless they absolutely have to and I thought I would post them because they are so cute. We had so much snow that we were able to pick up the kids and throw them in the snow bank where they sank into soft fluffy powder. They loved it! We had a great time outside with them. Now, we just sit inside and wonder if the weather will ever warm up again! I usually enjoy the winter while it is here but I feel like it is such a hassle this year. I can't go snowboarding and I feel like I may break my neck anytime I walk outside. Here's hoping that the groundhog will not see his shadow in a couple of days and that summer will be "just around the corner!"

The Baby's Room

Well, I have finally finished the little details of the nursery so I think that we are ready for the baby to come! I love the new room. I feel so happy in it. Len's brother Kelly came over and saw it last week. (For the record, he came over because we invited him to dinner, not so he could see the nursery!) Anyway, he said, "Man, this kid is spoiled already!" I said, "This room is for me, not the baby!" That is how I feel. I know that I will be the one spending the most time in the room for the next year so I want it to be a place for me to be happy and peaceful. I love it and I think it is beautiful. Len works at night so during the day I plan on using the bed to sleep while the baby is napping because he will be sleeping in our room. It will also be used as our guest room for the next year or so as it will be easy to move the baby to our room whenever someone comes to visit. I made the bumper pads for the crib and the quilt in the bed. I also made a skirt for the crib that is chocolate brown that you can't see in these pictures. I bought the curtains and I found the bedding for the bed on ebay. I got a great deal and I really like the set - it was totally worth it! I plan on painting white letters of the baby's name once we name the baby and hang them over the crib. Then it will be finished. For the record, these pictures do not do the room justice. It is so much better in person! Anyway, baby, if you are listening -- WE ARE READY!

The lessons we have to teach...

Some of you have heard this story lately but I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget so you will just have to indulge me. It's pretty entertaining anyway so maybe you won't mind hearing it again. The other day I made a steak stew. It was pretty basic and not too fancy. Kaydra really liked it and she ate hers pretty quickly. Kanyon was another story. He is having an issue with meat lately. This is not good for us because we eat meat with nearly every evening meal. Anyway, he wouldn't eat his stew. Len went to work and Kaydra asked if they could have some hot chocolate before bed that night and I said yes since you ate all you dinner but Kanyon can't because he didn't eat his dinner. Kanyon said, "That's okay" and got down from the table. I told him I would save it for him for when he was hungry and he said, "okay". So they played for about an hour and then it was near bedtime. Kaydra asked for her hot chocolate and I said that would be fine. Kanyon, of course, wanted some. I reminded him of our deal and he said, "If you warm it up, I will eat it." So I warmed it up. He sat down at the table, with spoon in hand, and said, "Well, here goes nothin'!" Where does he get this stuff? Anyway, I watched him eat for a little while and he seemed to be doing just fine. He didn't have that much left and was eating it without complaint. I got up to use the bathroom and noted that everything was REALLY quiet. When I came out, both children were in the hall and reporting to me, "Kanyon ate his dinner all gone!" I knew that he had not had enough time to eat everything so I said, "Did you really eat it or not?" Kanyon just looked at me and Kaydra, feeling guilty said, "He actually threw it away!" I looked at Kanyon and he said, "Kaydra told me if I threw it in the garbage I could have hot chocolate!" I looked back to Kaydra and she said, "No, Kanyon decided to do it by himself." What's a mom to do?!
They continued to blame each other back and forth until I said to Kaydra, "Kanyon is too little to make up that you told him to do it so I know that you are not telling me the truth." I was pretty sure that Kanyon would not have thrown it away on his own. He never would have thought of doing it and he really wanted some hot chocolate. Kaydra just looked at me. I said, "You will have to go to bed without a story tonight because you lied to me. Please go get your pajamas on." Without complaint she just went to her room. I was then at a cross roads with Kanyon. He didn't eat his stew but the only reason he threw it away was because Kaydra told him that if he did he could have hot chocolate. So I talked to him about lying and he said he still wanted hot chocolate so I said that he would have to eat more stew. He said, "okay". So I warmed him up more. Again he says, "here goes nothin'!" and starts eating.
I went to check on Kaydra and she was crying in her bed. I said, "What's wrong?" and she said, "I can't be with my family!" They know just how to break your heart! I talked to her about how she is a big sister and a teacher for Kanyon and that if she tells him something, he doesn't always know if it's right or wrong, he just believes her. So she needs to help him make good choices. We also talked about lying. Being a mom is so hard sometimes! I just want to hug her and say everything is just fine but I feel like she needs to learn this lesson too.
Back to Kanyon. He has finished all his soup except for two pieces of meat. I said, "Just eat one and you can have the hot chocolate". He said okay and put the smallest one of the two in his mouth while I made him his hot chocolate. He then proceeds to chew on that piece FOREVER! He says, "It's yucky, I can't swallow it". I am pretty sure he chewed for about 5 minutes before he finally managed to get it down with a glass of water. All for some hot chocolate!!! I don't know if I have the stamina for this sometimes! They both went to bed good, even without a story and they both seemed to understand that I had the most trouble with them lying to me -- but who knows what they remember now. It's times like this that I think, "How am I going to make it through the teenage years if I have trouble with this stuff?!" For now, it's just one day at a time!

Slacking

I have been slacking in the blogging world lately. I could blame it on many things but mostly it is just that I haven't had anything "blog worthy" to post. I decided today that I should at least write something so that the few of you that do actually read my posts won't think I have disappeared, or worse -- had the baby early! I am still pregnant and everything seems to be going rather normal in that department. I am really starting to hate bending over to do anything! (pick up toys, put on shoes - mine or the kids, ect) Kanyon prays every night that the baby will come out of mommy's tummy so I am sure it will happen sooner or later. I still love my kitchen floor and we have moved on to the next project of getting the baby's room ready. It is painted and I finished making the new bumper pads yesterday. They are so cute -- I really like them -- and the matching quilt I made last week (yes, I may possibly be nesting!) I will post a picture when it is all put together. Len painted the walls last week and just finished the trim today. I cleaned the carpet yesterday with a cleaner that Courtney had rented just because it felt like I should! Tomorrow we plan on putting the room together and setting up the crib! Only 5 more weeks left! Other than that we haven't been doing much besides day-to-day chores and lots of resting. I am starting to need an afternoon nap again and really notice when I don't get one. I think it's because I am not sleeping well at night - to be expected. Anyway, not much else is happening.

One thing I may want to remember later :
Yesterday, while making dinner Kanyon and Kaydra were fighting about who would take the jam from the fridge to the table. Kanyon got so frustrated with the whole argument that he shouted, "I am outta here!" and ran to the living room. It was really hard not to laugh! I tried to coax him back to the kitchen but he just kept saying, "I am outta here!" I just left him alone and after about 5 minutes he came back to the kitchen and fell to the floor when he realized that Kaydra had taken the jam to the table while he was in the living room. He couldn't even speak! He just got red in the face and screamed and pointed at the fridge then the jam. I calmly said, "Yes, Kanyon, Kaydra took the jam to the table because you told us you were leaving!" I thought that I was funny but HE DID NOT! It was probably not the best "mom" thing that I could have said. He went crying (read screaming) to Leonard and said, "Mom let Kaydra bring the jam over because she thought I was leaving but I really wasn't I just said that I was!" Len had missed the whole episode and was really confused at this point. Anyway, we finally got him to settle down and eat dinner with us - jam and all. What I want to know is where did he hear, "I am outta here" anyway?