Today's J Jo isms

A couple of fun, new things Jo Jo has been saying and doing-
-Yesterday he started singing to Queen's "We Will Rock You." No one else had been signing it, so it was funny he even did. This is how he sings it, "We will rocketship."

-A couple of days ago B was going upstairs and Jo Jo started to follow. I realized he was walking slowly and carefully up each stair without holding on to anything at all! I couldn't believe how big he was! He still holds the railing to come down, or slides backwards on his belly, though.

-Today in the car the boys were telling him what to say if someone asks your name. Lately if we say something like, "You're stinky" or "You're silly," etc. he replies with "I _____" (his real name). So in the car Bubba asked, "What's your name?" Well, he thought he heard a motorcycle (which was really just a loud car in front of us) so he said, "Motorcycle." Everyone started laughing so then they asked again and he said, "_______ motorcycle." That's the new funny joke for the day that they can't get tired of laughing at.

We have a baseball game tonight for JP. It's sprinkling right now, so who knows what it will look like at that point. We got news today that the game Bubba was supposed to have tonight will be at a borrowed field in the next town over. So they won't be behind actually since the other night was only supposed to be a practice. They have all of the fields cleaned up at our complex, but can't start new construction until Sun. So hopefully we will be up and running for next week. At least it's not until after Peanut's soccer, so we can all go to both. I'm going to remember the camera and video camera tomorrow. I keep repeating that mantra and hopefully it will become a reality.

Another positive-last week I went to one of my doctors and mentioned my insomnia. Our family doctor had been prescribing me Ambien for it, but the last time I called to renew it the nurse seemed really annoyed. Apparently it's also a controlled substance because it's in the narcotic family and can be addictive. So I was going to see if the other doctor would do it for me becuase I didn't want the first one to be annoyed. Anyway, he went into a shpeel (sp?) about how studies have been done showing that you can get more effective results without medication. Of course this is my preferred option, but considering nothing seemed to work, I thought I would always have to take something. So he asked if I was going to sleep and waking up at the same time, etc. So he gave me some tips to try-a schedule, no naps (which I do take a few during the week, but not a daily thing), only sleep for 8hrs. because it actually confuses our body if we sleep more, no computer or tv at least a half hour before bed, and if you can't fall asleep within 20 min. of lying in bed, then you need to get up and try to read again. So I've been adamantly trying all of this-even though I've seriously wanted a nap a time or two. It's been working. I've actually been able to fall asleep, but still wake up a few times to go to the bathroom. However last night, I didn't wake up until the early morning hours to go. Hooray! And it's weird because my body has been waking me up without my alarm all week. I'm going to keep at it and hopefully my insomnia is gone.

Why do I do this to myself-and you? I put it off and then out comes the most ginormous post. I'll try not to go in to super detail to make it better. I realized the other night after posting that I forgot to write about Peanut's first day of soccer last Sat. He was so excited. We had some of those shiny white shorts and shirt from a different league from when Bubba played at this age, so he wanted to wear those, along with shin guards and cleats. He chose the blue team. It's just YMCA soccer so they have several different t-shirt colors and allow the kids to pick. I think they should pre-assign them because now they have more on some teams and less on others, but what do I know. He immediately made 2 best friends as he ran over to a small group and they all started saying to each other, "Hey, I have a 1on my shirt too!" because every shirt had a 1 on it. Then they exchanged names and one of them told him they had a boy with his same name in his class. It was so cute to watch. They put them thru a circuit of the different things they need to learn and I think next time they might actually start playing. Of course I forgot the camera so I'll have to remember for this weekend.


-playing 2nd
JP only had practice on Mon. so we went to Bubba's game and then B went and got JP and came back. The weather wasn't too bad. I kept score and B did pitch count. It was so exciting-they won their first game!!! And it was by a lot-14-9. They were so pleased with themselves. I think this is just what they needed to boost their confidence. Unfortunately, Bubba struck out every time he was up. That ruined his life. He played well in outfield, caught the ball, and made some good plays, but that's not good enough for him. I did remember the camera this time. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but his coach teaches hunter safety and started to notice how late he was swinging. He asked if he could see the ball and realized he couldn't see the pitcher releasing it. The coach did an eye dominancy test and realized he's left eye dominant, which doesn't work when you're a right handed batter. So they worked on him swinging earlier, and tried batting lefty. One of the dads suggested that he open his stance so that he's facing the pitcher more, which seemed to help, but sometimes he still has an off night. He swings with super power, so if he does hit it it will be hard. It's weird because he hit every ball last year and now this. He's so down on himself about it. It must just be that his eyes are at the growing stage and shaping differently because he doesn't have vision problems. Poor little boy. I feel so bad for him because I know how hard he is on himself and how much he loves baseball.

I had a cleaning (my teeth) on Mon. and my dentist (who is also my neighbor) found a cavity. I told him I was too old to get cavities. I only have one other one and I didn't get that one until I was 29. Anyway, I got the filling scheduled for the next day. I should've waited awhile because my teeth were still aching from the beating the wicked witch of hygienists gave me the day before. My dentist actually asked me about that and told me he would put me with the gentle girl next time. Even his assistant who was helping him said she had been really rough on her, so it wasn't just me. Anyway, they put that bite block thing in your mouth to keep it open, and it was way to big. I have TMJ and I can't keep my mouth open that wide. So he told me I'd just have to hold my mouth open. Um yeah. So of course my mouth was as dry as Arizona because they kept spraying that air thing in there to keep it dry. Then she kept sticking Mr. Thirsty (the sucker thing) into the back of my mouth where the bone is behind your very last tooth and I was gagging. Then, my cavity ended up being bigger than he thought. It still wasn't deep, but it was in 3 spots rather than one. Needless to say, I felt like complete crap when all was said and done. My jaw hurt, I had a migraine, and I was dizzy. This is what happened to B when we first moved up here, but his dentist noticed that he was pale and ready to pass out so he gave him gas. By the will of heaven I won't have another one, but if I ever did, I'm getting the gas. I realized when I got home that for my last one (he had to replace my old filling not too long ago) he had given me one of the children's bite blocks after the other one was too much.

And finally, Bubba had no practice last night so we went to JP's game. The reason is because the complex where he plays was completely destroyed by a mini tornado the night before. It was around 5 pm-ish and Bubba and Peanut were over at the neighbor's and JP was hanging out with me and Jo Jo was still up napping. It had been raining a little on and off all day, but out of nowhere he comes this wind storm and serious hail, thunder, lighthing, the whole thing. It didn't last very long. Well, the baseball complex is about a half mile up the road from us and got hit with a microburst directly over it because it doesn't look like there was much damage to the surrounding area. All of the wood fence (that had just been put in before the season started) was ripped out and flew around hitting everything else. There was wood up in the backstops (50 ft. up), one of the backstops was bent, one of the pitching cages was destroyed (chain link fencing ripped right out), and the batting cage nets were completely gone. A couple of dugouts got hit and are now slanted. Our coach emailed that night about it, then it was on the news that night, and then on the radio in the morning. They started a bank account for donations, asked for materials, and anyone who could help went over yesterday at noon to start clean up. So his season is on hold. I really hope they'll start where they left off and just extend the season in to June.



JP won his game (although they don't keep score). He hit both times he was up, and made an awesome play at 3rd when he caught a grounder and got to his base to get the kid out. It was an ugly day, but when we first got there the sun was out. There were blacker than black clouds to the south of us, but I couldn't tell which way they would go. I was prepared. I know that the weather changes every 5 minutes here and I've been freezing at plenty of games so I had-long johns, jeans, boots, long sleeves, sweatshirt, coat, gloves, 2 blankets and scarf. Good thing. It started to sprinkle first, then came wind and hail (smaller pellets this time). We were still playing and Bubba had gotten the umbrella out for us. Peanut and Jo Jo had gotten in the car during the sprinkling and were watching a movie. Then the rain started. They decided to stop it at that point, but I was just happy they at least got to play for 45 min. I keep wondering if winter will ever be over. This is getting seriously ridiculous. I'm going to move.

We went to Baskin Robbins for 31 cent scoops afterwards because Alicia had called me earlier to tell me about it. There was a line, but really not any longer than waiting in line for food at Disneyland. It was a limit to 3 scoops per person, which I think is a lot, so we let the two oldest get 2 and the two little ones get 1 (which is a treat for Jo Jo since he's always had to share), and when B got 3 I realized I wanted 3, so we got 12 scoops of ice cream for $3.94-about the price of a regular 2 scoop cone. Woo hoo! Thanks for the tip sissy!

So I'm sure you stopped reading a long time ago because once again this has gotten out of control long, but sometimes I just don't have time everyday to write, so this is what happens.

Only picture of the week-watching tv together.

Baseball was much funner (I know that's not a word) the other night. Bubba was extremely grumpy while getting ready (what else is new). He was upset because his coach had put him in outfield the whole game before, and because of the time he had to sit on the bench. I tried to tell him that outfield was just as good because he needed people who could catch out there. And also that there are only 9 players on the field and he has 12 on his team, so at some point he'll have to sit on the bench for an inning. None of this helped. He contined to yell at me about it. I kept saying, "Stop" to get him to stop yelling. I finally (after the third 'stop') said it with a loud and firm voice, to which he started to say that it's not fair that parents can yell at their kids. I assured him that I was NOT yelling and that he was actually the one yelling at me. I let him know (again) that it's not okay to yell at adults-or anyone for that matter. And told him that he wouldn't play sports anymore with this kind of attitude and that there was no way his coach would play him if he talked to him that way. I know he never would-he saves all of his disrespect for mom and dad. Anyway, we get there and he goes to put his stuff in the dugout and I went up to the coach and just said, "FYI he's in a bad mood" and told him about our conversation. It was funny because the coach said he was actually on the roster to be the starting pitcher. So he went and told him right away and Bubba said, "Oh good, it won't be a bad day after all." I wish the outcome of my days depended on something so frivolous. JP didn't have a game and didn't feel like supporting his brother so he stayed at the neighbor's house. I ended up keeping score because B ended up in traffic and late to the game, but he took over pitch count from one of the other dads when he got there. It didn't help that I forgot my phone at home so he didn't know which field we were at. He missed the first 3 kids that he pitched to. It was the most awesome thing ever. He walked the first boy, and then struck out the next 3 in a row! I wish I would've remembered the video camera, or even the still camera, but I'm a tard and haven't remembered to bring it to a single game so far. His face was intense and concentrating, he took his time, I could see him take in a deep breath, and then he threw it with tons of power. Way more than last year. He was so focused. And so proud of himself afterwards! What a great boost of confidence it was for him. The next inning he walked a kid or 2, but still struck everyone out before they could score. We still lost-our 4th game in a row. I don't know if we're the bad news bears or what. They are at least improving, but I wish for their confidence they could win at least one. JP only has practice tomorrow night so we're both going to go to Bubba's game and then I'll pick up JP and we'll come back to the game. So I will definitely be able to take pictures. Let's hope I finally remember the camera. Oh, after the game coach asked Bubba if he had a good day and when he told him yes, he made him come apologize to me for yelling at me. He really is a good coach. And the coach also told me that the other coaches have also had issues with the one we were against the game before. The team who played them Fri. started to walk off the field. The bad coach wanted to keep playing because his team were losing and he was being a serious jerk. Our coach was planning on talking to the director to get him removed because people had serious issues with him last year as well.

Grateful

I'm feeling very grateful for our health insurance today. And especially grateful that it's much better than last year, with a much lower deductible. I just tallied it all up so far.
Bubba's collar bone total-$2123.34
JP's arthritis (so far)-$2776.94-that doesn't include his cortisone shot yet.
I just paid the rest of JP's stuff and had a couple that were in the $30 range. It's pretty lame that in addition to hospital fees, you have to pay for the doctor and also the radiologist separately. The hospital gave us a 10% discount so we ended up paying $284 out of a total of $1500! Phew! I'd say that's pretty good.
Unfortunately JP's knee is now gigantic. His ankle looks totally normal, but last night at bedtime B noticed how puffy and swollen his knee is. I think it looks bigger than before, or at least the same size. It worries me. I don't want him to have to get another shot and I'm sure he doesn't want it either. Poor little guy. I'm so grateful, though, that it wasn't anything worse. I have a friend whose little boy has rheumatoid and she has to give him shots every other day. She said when they finally got a diagnosis (after several months of trying to figure out what was wrong with him) she was thrilled that it wasn't something like cancer. I felt the same way. It really could be so much worse and if this is all he has to deal with, even if it's long term, I feel okay about it. I feel totally calm about the whole thing.

I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who looks out for us when we need it most. I'm grateful that I have been blessed with the gospel my entire life. I'm grateful for my awesome husband who helped me have a desire to find my own testimony when we were dating. I'm grateful for an eternal family. I'm grateful for the scriptures that teach me the commandments and of Christ's love and example. I want to be more like Him when I grow up. I'm grateful for pioneer ancestors who first believed in the prophet Joseph even before Nauvoo days, and for their sacrifices in coming across the plains. I'm grateful for the boy Joseph who had the desire to know the truth. I'm grateful for the priesthood in my home and a wonderful husband who has set an example by serving a faithful mission. I'm also grateful for the added example of my 2 younger brothers who have served/is serving now. Everyday my Heavenly Father blesses me in some way and most of the time I don't even pay attention or notice. I am trying to pay more attention to these small miracles. I pray that you can know of the truth of these things for yourselves too, and notice those daily miracles.

Tonight JP doesn't have a game so we will all be able to go. I hope it's better than the other night. Our umpire will be behind the plate tonight and he knows what he's doing so the kids shouldn't be confused as to when to swing and when not to. As long as they have fun and improve their skills, that's all that matters. I had a discussion with Bubba at bedtime the other night about this. He's so hard on himself, especially since he's been having trouble seeing the ball leave the pitcher's hand. At least we've figured out how to open up his stance so this should help him. He hit every pitch last year so I know it's really frustrating for him. I keep telling him just to have fun, and also to pray for help to improve. I want him to know that he can pray for anything at all-even if it's something small like that. I just want to see his confidence come back. Don't you wish you could keep your kids in a bubble so they would never be called names, made fun of, hear bad language, or have low self-esteem. Do you think low self-esteem can be somewhat hereditary? We do everything we can to let them know how great and special they are, but most of the time they don't feel that way. I felt that way my entire life, but I never had positive reinforcement so I figured that was the cause of it. Any thoughts?

So last night at baseball got a little ugly. The other team's umpire was behind the plate. Ours was between 2nd and 3rd. So every time ours made a safe call out there, their coach would argue. And their ump was awful. He was all over the place with his calls. There were several that flew OVER the kid's heads, yet he called them strikes. Are they supposed to jump in the air? Anyway, there was a really bad call that all of our parents and coach argued about and their coach of course agreed with his ump. It got worse from there. We were down by 3 and it was the bottom of the 5th (we were in outfield). It was 7:55 and the coaches are supposed to come out and talk about whether they want to start another inning after 8 pm. They agreed they would. So our pitcher was pretty good at getting them out quickly. It was 8:02and they went out to warm up. We were all ready to start batting when out of nowhere, the ump calls it as the end of the game. Our coach of course was upset and trying to figure out what was going on. Apparently (even though he agreed to a new inning) their coach decided he would call over the director and he, in turn, decided we should end the game. Our boys were devastated. They would've had a chance to score and maybe even it up, but now they wouldn't have that chance. Our coach and ump lost it. It got ugly. Their coach tried claiming that he was willing to play (when our ump clearly saw him call the director over to call it). Not cool. They were claiming that we couldn't start another inning after 8 pm. But our other ump (who was just watching last night) told me that he talked to the head ump and he told him it was 8:15. Which is also what our coach was arguing. Anyway, to make a long story not really short-our coach sent out an email apologizing and saying that it apparently it wasn't in the by-laws online. And basically said we need to remember to have fun and not make it about us, but about the kids. Which is right, but sometimes it really seems unfair and as a parent I want my son to have a fair chance. Our ump also sent an email apologizing, but also mentioned that no one-not coaches or directors-have the right to override umps. They have the final say, so he was very upset. Anyway, I came home and told B all about it and he checked on the league's website and looked at the by-laws for our age level and guess what? It has the time 8:15 in it! So he sent it to our coach, who of course was very pleased and sent it on to the directors so we'll see what they decide to do about it.

Enough rambling about all that nonsense. It just feels good to get it off your chest sometimes.

JP had fun at his game. B said he hit every time he was up. I noticed the other night that since his shot, he hasn't been limping while running. Yay! I really hope he continues to do well. The doctor said unless there's an injury or something that causes it to swell again, he should be good. It rained yesterday, but then by game time the sun was out and it was warm enough that I could take off my sweatshirt. About a quarter of the way thru the game, the clouds came in and the wind started blowing and then it got really cold. My hands were freezing because I had to take score. And since it had gotten warm I figured I didn't need too many layers so I only had a thin blanket. At least I brought that. It's ugly and windy again today. I really need a new inside broom because I snapped the handle off the other one the other day while sweeping out the garage. But I really don't want to leave the house. Perhaps tomorrow. Plus, I got in cleaning mode today and have done bathrooms already and really need to get to folding the evil laundry. I really wish there was a laundry fairy.

Oh, Bubba lost a tooth the other night. He hasn't lost one in forever. He's lost the top and bottom 4, but it ended up being the 4th one over, but he hasn't lost the 3rd one over. Kinda weird. Anyway, he had been complaining of his tooth hurting a couple of nights in a row, but totally thought it was the closer one. I kept trying to wiggle it though and told him it wasn't loose. So we were downstairs and he was up brushing his teeth and met us on the stairs with blood on his hand and cheek and holding his tooth. He realized that all along he had thought it was the other one, but started to feel around and just yanked it out! The tooth fairy has given them a raise (because apparently everyone else gets a dollar and in the tooth fairy movie they got a dollar). I'm not sure how to explain the difference from the other kids, but they haven't ever asked oddly enough.

Oh, and no it wasn't my first poop in the tub incident the other day. I think everyone has done it-except maybe Peanut-I can't remember for sure. For some reason though I just kind of froze, so it's good I have a fast thinking, problem solving Bubba around. :)

Comings and Goings

I guess I really should write more because sometimes when I finally do, I have so much to write that it's probably boring and too much for you to read. Oh well, now I know.

So we went to sign the boys up for football this past Sat. They were having a special day at the university where they could go on the field and throw some plays with the players. Our coach wanted as many people as possible to go together. Unfortunately the boys ended up being next in line when they quit. They had the annual spring scrimmage game starting in an hour, so they had to get ready. They play their offense against their defense. The quarters are shorter, so it's not as long as a regular game, but we decided to go because we got a free family ticket for signing up for football. JP has decided to try flag football this fall. I wasn't too sure about the leg, but B doesn't want us to tell him he can't do something, or for him to think he can't do something. He was pretty excited about it. So the game was really fun to watch. However, Jo Jo hadn't had a nap so he was all over the place, throwing his pacifier and hat at the men in front of us. Towards the end of the game I finally got him to sleep which posed the problem of-how do I sit because there are no backs on these bleachers and I'm going to die. I did it for awhile, but my back was still in knots from the week so B took him after that and by the end of the game his poor back was dead. Peanut complained the entire game that he was "starving to death" because he chose not to each lunch at home before we left. I think he learned his lesson. He kept asking when it would be over and wanting to lie on my lap. JP kept making faces at and poking Bubba. We separated them, but he kept looking at him, so Bubba kept freaking out and yelling about it. For some reason he does NOT know how to ignore his brother, which is what I kept trying to tell him to do. Afterwards we went to Souper Salad. It's a buffet place here. My sister had given us a coupon for a free kid's meal with every adult meal. So here's a yummy picture of Jo Jo eating chocolate pudding. I didn't know he liked it, but apparently he really likes it because he snagged mine while I was getting something and then started on dad's while dad was getting a drink and I was getting him his own. It was pretty cute.




Sunday we asked dad to make steaks that I had gotten at Albertsons on buy one get one free. They were really big, so we were able to split two of them up for all of us. Although, two boys (I'll let you guess which ones) were absolutely freaking out because they were worried they wouldn't get enough. Dad assured them that they would also be getting homemade fries. I made some Outback ranch dressing for them that B had gotten the recipe for awhile ago online. JP wanted to eat outside because it was absolutely beautiful out, so of course Peanut and Jo Jo wanted to as well. JP went out and cleaned the table off by himself and then they went out. I told them they should have a prayer. JP asked Jo Jo if he wanted to say it (because he's been repeating us) and I snapped a picture. I was listening and sure enough Jo Jo was repeating everything JP said. It was SO cute.

Yesterday was baseball practice. So I didn't need to stay at least. I had to pick Bubba up 15 min. before JP had to be at his, but of course we were 7 minutes (yes, exactly 7) and JP was freaking out because his coach was going to yell at him for forgetting his hat (not really, but he's very dramatic) and do he ended up being exactly 2 min. late, which Bubba made sure to point out. Gotta love big brothers. Oh, I won't even go into the freak out that Bubba had getting ready for practice. It was a good teaching experience on the way to practice after he apologized (on his own). I had a talk with him about how Satan is the one who wants us to be angry, NOT Heavenly Father.

Today was errand day, although I really need to fold laundry. I will do absolutely ANYTHING so that I don't have to fold laundry. I got Bubba's Yankee hat returned because his friend found one of his at his house. I got a couple of things at Walmart that I needed to. We went to the bread store. Peanut was rather excited because if you spend $10 you always get something free, so we ended up with a box of Hostess cupcakes. We got our Toy Story Mania Wii game returned to the library (a day late). It is such a fun game! It's one we will have to buy. It's just like the ride at CA Adventure. It even has a 3-D option, which is how the ride is.

A few cute things Jo Jo said today-
-He was in my lap coloring while I was on the computer this morning and dropped a crayon. He told me to get it, but I told him to get it. He said no and when I asked him why he said, "cuz (pause) cuz I can't." I always laugh when he uses words/phrases that we do.
-I was getting ready in my bathroom this morning and he was in my room when he came running in yelling "wook it, wook it, duh bug." I asked him where and he said, "In a(the) window." So of course I had to go look and it was on the outside of the screen. There were several, so I had to keep going back in there to see them. He was rather excited about it.
-I was changing him this morning and accidentally got poop on the back of his shorts, so I took them off and told him I had to get him new shorts. He said, "The baby pants." So I asked him if he was mama's baby or a big boy, to which he adamantly replied, "I a big boy!"
-We were in a public restroom today and he wanted to flush it for me. It was one of those loud, high powered ones and he ran into the corner of the stall and was yelling about how loud it was.
-Yesterday we were driving home and on the corner of the street where we turn to come to our house there's a farm with cows. Well, he must've cleaned out the corrals because it really stunk. Our windows were down and he says, "Stinky cows."
He cracks me up.

Peanut also said something funny. We were in the backyard and he was telling me about the bees that were "surrounding" the playground. I thought it was too funny that he knew that word and that he used it correctly. When I told him to get dressed this morning he came down with these cute brown and blue plaid shorts on with gray socks with baseballs on them pulled up almost to his knees, and a black t-shirt on that has orange skateboard signs on it. I finally convinced him to wear his flip flops and let me get him a matching shirt. But when we got home he had to put the socks back on and his soccer cleats. I got the outdoor shoe tote out the other day and went thru it yesterday and we found cleats that fit him, so he hasn't wanted to take them off. He starts YMCA soccer on Sat. He also made a zoo the other day out of Legos for his animals. It's pretty awesome, so I had to take a few pictures because he still has it together (in the hallway for some reason).

Not Too Bad-Keeping Score That Is

Peanut has started having homework. This was his first assignment and he was very excited about it. They have words to copy and then have to draw a picture of what the words say.

He had school pictures. We had already taken ones for his birthday, but I figured I'd do his hair for a class picture. He was actually wearing a really cute red sweater, but he wouldn't smile for me when I tried to take one.

Cute smiley Jo Jo playing with a nerf gun.

JP playing catcher at their scrimmage game last Sat. on opening day. It was FREEZING-hence the camo sweatshirt.

So the other night went well I think. My super fantastic sister got off work at 4:30and came and got the 2 little ones for me. She took them to her apartment and fed them and played with them. She was a life saver. It really took all of my focus to keep score. I kind of made up my own notation for a few things because I either couldn't remember what to put, or didn't know what the sign was. The other team gave me their line-up and then the first kid that was up to bat wasn't even on their list. So I had to add him on the bottom and then they kept adding kids and going out of order, so I was super confused and had to keep looking for their numbers instead of just being able to go down the sheet in order. So it was a little bit of a mess, but ours looked great and that's all our coach cared about and as long as I had the correct official score it was fine. He was right, it was actually kind of fun-except when I would miss which number on their team scored.

So I decided to buzz Peanut's hair pretty short because it was too long and when it gets that way, it's super duper poky. I've only cut hair once at it was Bubba's and I had the shortest guard on and went straight down the middle and realized too late that it was going to end up like an army cut. He was about Peanut's age I think. Anyway, I started off with a bigger one and started on the side to be safe. It turned out okay. It's pretty much just the same all over. So I had to give him a bath and of course I have to put Jo Jo in because that would be unacceptable not to. While they were in, I had to help Bubba with a math problem, which I never got to because Peanut was screaming like he was on fire. Bubba ran to see what it was and Jo Jo wasn't in the tub and Peanut was balled up in the corner because Jo Jo had pooped in the tub. I ran in and stood there like a deer in the headlights trying to figure out what to do. Bubba was quick on his feet and asked if I wanted a plastic bag so I had him get me a shopping bag and a rubber glove. That was a special experience. Peanut was freaking the whole time. It was kind of funny. So then I had to drain and re-fill it. But then as it was filling again I realized how full of hair it was, so I decided I wouldn't plug the drain and we would just wash and rinse while the water was running. So my sister got there just in time to help get them dressed and out the door. Then we had to be to Bubba's game like 45 min. early so they could practice, so I had to send JP to the neighbor's early. It's so nice that we have friends on the team to help us out in a pinch.
We discovered during practices awhile ago that Bubba is left eye dominant, but he's a righty so it means he can't see the pitcher release the ball. I thought it was a little bit of hooey and told the coach as much, but he teaches hunter safety so he knows about that and one of the other dads concurred that that was why he hadn't been hitting this season. Last year he hit almost every ball. It must just be that his eyes are growing and changing. So the dad who noticed told the coach about widening his stance so that he's almost facing the pitcher and it worked. He was able to hit the ball at one at bat and was walked once and struck out once. They were tied in the 5th inning, and Bubba pitched a little towards the end and due to a few errors behind him (kids throwing to the wrong base), the other team scored and won. Tonight he actually scored so that was great, but they lost 5-11. He was so upset about that that he didn't even tell me about him scoring. B was the one who told me. I went to JP's game tonight while B scored Bubba's. Our game was called in the last inning due to lightning. The ump thought it was getting a little too close and better safe than sorry. Bubba's game went the whole time though.
Tomorrow we have football sign-up already. We are going to the university to sign up with other team members so we can be together.
Yesterday was really nice out. I took the two little boys to the park the day before and it was breezy so it ended up being a little chilly. That didn't stop them, though. I took them again yesterday and it was nice and warm. I didn't even think of sunscreen since it was the first nice day of the year and could feel my arm burning, so I moved to the half shade. I noticed that night that my forehead, cheeks and nose are all red. So were my feet and my left arm. Jo Jo's cheekies were a little red too. Oops. Learned my lesson. Then we came home and I did lots of weeding, though I didn't even make a dent in our huge front yard. When the big boys got home from school, they felt the need to play with water guns at the neighbor's house. I didn't think it was warm enough for freezing hose water, but that has never stopped them. Today we went to the mall to return an icing decorator that I have exchanged once already because it keeps breaking. They wouldn't even give me store credit without a receipt (which I didn't have since I've already done it once before). So they gave me another one. Hopefully it doesn't break this time. I really would rather have something else, but I guess it's better to at least get something for it. Then we came home and played outside again. When the big boys got home, they forced me against my will to fill up water balloons. I decided that 4 each was as many as they were going to get out of me. Seriously like 15 of them popped while I was filling them. And the water was freezing. And my hand hurt afterwards from tying the stupid things. Oh what a mom does to please her boys. Peanut got beamed pretty hard from one of Bubba's, but I explained that that's what happens when you throw water balloons at each other.

Busy, Busy

JP had his appt. today. I wasn't planning on the shot because of baseball, but the doctor assured me it would only hurt for about a day and that he should be good to go for his first game tomorrow night. I guess it will only be a little tender today. Anyway, he was brave so we got a donut afterwards on the way to school. I can't believe I got everyone up and dressed and Bubba to school on time and to the doctor on time this morning. It was a small miracle. I forgot about it last night so after I put the two bigs ones to bed, I gave the little ones a bath. Hello, the big boys couldn't fall asleep because of loud and louder playing cars in the tub-which I had told Peanut he didn't need any because I don't want them to rust. Good thing he listens to me. AND he was freaking out that he only had 6 and not 8. I don't know why that was the magic number, but when we cleaned the playroom yesterday (actually when I mostly cleaned it), he wanted to leave out the track and exactly 8 cars. I definitely think he's got my OCD problems. Some of my little quirks-I guess you'd call them-seem to be getting worse, or at least I'm starting new ones. Fabulous.
At the moment, Jo Jo has the big blanket from the living room on the tile floor and is rolling around in it with just his head poked out. Peanut is using his tokens to play on the Wii and keeps giving me a play by play. It really annoys me when people talk to me while I'm doing something. I feel bad about it, but that's just one of my many faults. B can testify to this because if he trys to hug me when he gets home from work and I'm in the middle of cleaning or cooking I get annoyed. Very sad for him and I always feel bad, but I'm moving around and focused so it's hard for me to stop even for a second.
So the love of my life is gone in New Jersey this week. I guess technically it's a good thing because he was invited back for a second training because he's doing well in his job. The guy they hired before him was NOT invited back because he's lazy and almost never does anything, and therefore only has like two clients-one of which are his in-laws. Anyway, he took his own car to the airport since he doesn't get in until 11:30 pm on Thurs. He left Sun. after sacrament. The kids were great that day, but last night when it was time for b-ball was a different story. Bubba freaked out once we got in the car because he didn't have his water and even though I had told him to get his own water ready, he was annoyed that I hadn't done it. He thought we would be late if he went in and got some. (Great now Jo Jo is walking around the kitchen with the blanket over his head. He's already knocked over a kitchen chair and just now almost walked into the corner of the granite countertop that is just his height). So anywho, there was a fit when I honked the horn because we found one in the car. I guess I startled him. It became a rude match aimed at mom with a boy who was annoyed that kids aren't allowed to be mad at parents. Which I told him he can be mad all he wants, but he can't yell at me and be disrespectful. No Wii for a day. Then we had a "where's my other cleat?" incident with JP when I was taking him and his friend to practice 20 min. later. Mind you we were already in the car and halfway down the block. Really? How did you get in the car with only one? So he couldn't find it and luckily we were only halfway down the block. Although, he was insisting I didn't need to drive ALL the way back home because they would be 10 min. late. I should just drive his friend. Really? Like I'm just going to take him all the way there and not you when we're two feet from our house. So I went to go inside and I hear a yell "We found it." It was under the seat. Good thing he looks really hard (sarcasm here). I have such dramatic children. I really didn't need any girls. So hopefully today will be better so I won't have to hide in my closet with the bathroom door locked.
I have to figure out how to keep score for Bubba's game tomorrow night. B did it on Sat. for the scrimmage and said his back was in knots by the end because he was so stressed out trying to figure it out. So I printed a blank sheet off the computer last night and looked at some instructions. It's really easy the website and coach both said. Whatever. All of the abbreviations look like Korean. I borrowed the book from the coach last night during practice and I think I've got the main things down, which he said is really all that's required. But at the same time I have to do pitch count. Oh, and did I mention I have to do the other team as well, so there's no break to make sure I have it all down right. Awesome. Why did I volunteer us to do this? I totally thought it was only pitch count like last year. NOT! There are seriously no parents who volunteer. You're supposed to do that or pay an extra $50, but no one wants to pay that, so they sign up for something, but don't do it. That's why I'm team mom for both teams. And I'm supposed to email the umps each game to remind them of who has it that day. And I had to set up the snack shack work schedule. Luckily we only have it for two nights in May, but we have to have 3 people for each night. I also decided it would be a good idea to make up a little roster for each team (like a small laminated bookmark) with their numbers so the parents would know who they were cheering for. Oh yeah, and I put the snack schedules together and seemed to miss signing someone up for last night, so at the last minute I luckily had 11 packs of fruit snacks (meaning if everyone showed JP wouldn't get one). This was already my 2nd snack day and I'll be doing a third since everyone else is already signed up for two. Sweet. We have football sign-ups on Sat. We're going to the university to do it so we can all sign up together. Football doesn't start until the end of Aug. Really? So it's a busy life, but that's what you get when you decide having four kids would be a great idea. And they turn out to be all boys who like sports.

Still icky weather here. When will it be spring? No, seriously when will it? It rained this morning. You can kinda see the sun now, but it's windy.

So I found out that the boys both have games the night of Fathers and Sons, so no fun girl night for me. I'm really depressed about it and trying to convince B to take them anyway. If not, I'm going to see if they can go the first weekend after school gets out. And I still haven't set up my massage. I really need one, though. I felt a twinge in between my shoulder blades the other night when I turned and asked B to rub it for a second. He discovered the biggest knot ever. He said my entire back is knots.

Last night when I was asking Jo Jo if he was ready for bed I asked for a kiss. He was standing on the couch next to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck, gave me a kiss, and said, "I love you," and then "I love you mama." My heart melted. That was the first time he has ever said it without someone else saying it first. He's so sweet-when he wants to be. He's been going to bed much easier lately. He went through a funk for a few weeks where he wanted us to hold him and rock him and if we didn't he would scream in his crib for 30 min. or until we couldn't take it anymore and went and got him. Then he would wake up in the middle of the night and get in our bed. He's been letting us put him down again, without crying and last night when he asked me, "You there?" I said yes and then told him it was time to go night night though. He said, "Okay." I can't describe the accent he has when he says it, but it's really stinkin' cute.

Some funny JPisms that I keep forgetting to write down-
-deesgusting instead of disgusting
-ugnoring instead of ignoring
-eenoying instead of annoying
-albow instead of elbow
If you tease him about any of them, he gets really annoyed with you. It's pretty funny. His ankle still seems to be swollen about the same. His appt. is next Tues. and he's pretty freaked. B realized the other night that we probably shouldn't get an injection until baseball is over because it might really hurt to run on it for awhile. We also decided that even though he's going to really freak and we would prefer sedation for it (which the doctor suggested for younger kids who can't handle it), we're going to have him do it at the doctor's office. We started to think about hospital cost, sedation cost, etc. Because even after the insurance pays 90%, it's still going to be a lot. He did just fine at the hospital the time they took fluid from his knee with me holding him and not letting him look. So I don't see any reason he shouldn't be brave enough to do that again.

B will be leaving on Sun. afternoon for New Jersey. He'll be gone until 11:30 Thurs. night. I'm not sure how I will survive. I think I'll have him give me a blessing before he goes. I went to the gym after baseball practices last night and he seemed overwhelmed when I got home. I told him that at least I know he appreciates me while I'm gone and he has to deal with them going to bed, etc. He told me that he appreciates me no matter what so I don't ever need to leave the house again. I was like-yeah whatever ;)

So Alicia and AJ (my sis and her husband) were here for Sat. conference. Alicia thought it would be a good idea to put Jo Jo's hair in pigtails while I wasn't looking. I'll have to admit it was pretty dang cute, and the closest thing I'll ever get (besides the polished toes) to having a cute little girl.




We colored eggs after the 2nd session-2 per boy so we wouldn't have too many to eat. They always have so much fun. Then while the boys went to the Priesthood session, my sister and I took the 4 boys to Deseret Book for their ladies night. It actually wasn't too crowded to move like the one closer to our home. They had pound cake, super good cookies, and mints. They also did drawings, which of course we didn't win. The lady let Bubba do a round of drawing. We were planning on leaving before the final drawing since we weren't winning anyway, but JP announced that he was doing the final round of drawing. He was very sorry he couldn't win us the grand prize, which was a nice framed picture. I did however, get the free gift at the door. It was a pink and black address book, notebook, sticky notes, and pen. Was it worth it? Probably not, but fun anyway. Fathers and sons campout will be in May again. Why they do it then while it's still freezing in the mountains is beyond me. I think it's really stupid. Plus, it's on the weekend of our anniversary/my b-day. Obviously we can't go out on a week night, so I'm not sure what we'll do. B has announced that he will be taking ALL of the boys this year since Jo Jo can run around and has already been on one camping trip last summer. HOORAY! Can I tell you how excited I am? I think that should be my present. It will be a nice payback since he will be going out of town to New Jersey next week for 4 DAYS! I'm not sure how I'll survive or if I'll even be here when he gets back :) Janet, since you asked, yes we can go together! Somewhere warm like Mexico :)
JP and Peanut decided Sat. night to both sleep in Peanut's room-in the same bed. Peanut was a little squished when we went in before we went to bed. Peanut has been having problems going to sleep by himself lately. It was very sweet of JP to think of it all on his own. When Bubba asked him why he was sleeping with him JP said, "I like to hang out with my other brother sometimes." He said it like-duh why wouldn't I. Pretty sweet. So JP claims that they woke up at 2 am, but I'm not sure about that. They must have been mushing each other. I'm guessing that they woke early-whatever time it may have been-because they were uber tired. Luckily we got them both to fall asleep during the 2nd session of conference.



Peanut has stayed dry at night for 7 days in a row now, so we are getting him a "prize" when we get groceries today. He already knows that he wants a color changing car to go with his collection.
Jo Jo has started telling me when he poops, so I'm hoping this is leading to potty training. There have been a few times when he tells me he wants to go pee. However I do not have the time or patience to sit with him for 20 min. while he gets up and down off the stool and picks little pieces of toilet paper off the rool to throw in the toilet. Heaven forbid he should sit on the potty seat. I guess with 4 other males in the house standing up to go, it is unacceptable to sit down to go.
JP's ankle is still really swollen. It hasn't been affected at all by the ibuprofen. I teally hope he won't have to get a shot next week.

Or Not...

So it snowed last night and this morning. Our zoo trip has obviously been cancelled. The rain came and washed it all away, but it's still freezing outside. I'm very sad, but also very mad. So much for the last 2 days of Spring Break. We were going to Wahooz tomorrow, but snow is in the forecast and there's no point in going if we can't do all of the outdoor stuff. Sat. is conference. Next Sat. is our opening day for baseball. Bubba's project is due on the 13th. What to do? I can take just him to the Discovery Center tomorrow maybe since it's way too expensive to take the whole family. My kids are driving me insane. Besides the usual screaming at each other, so far today JP has ground Peanut's hand and foot into the carpet, and kneed Bubba in the nose. The nose was an accident as he was trying to shove Bubba out of the room while he was in time-out from hurting Peanut. They hate being caged up. So I think we'll head out to Big 5 to get the under armour. It wasn't as expensive as Sports Authority. Thanks Justin for rubbing in the nice Texas weather. And Janet I would take 80 degrees right now! I love when it's warm. I prefer when it's in the 70's rather than when it gets to be 100 in the summer, but I'd take anything warmer than this right now. We even had a few days last summer that were hotter than AZ. Last summer I took the kids to the pool (neighborhood) like 3-4 days a week because they would wear me down until I did. It was so much work with Jo Jo because he would stand on the top step and jump in-all the way under the water. I'd lift him out and he would repeat-over and over and over. I'm hoping this year that I can just throw the floaty on him and he'll go for it. That means we'll for sure teach Peanut to swim. AJ (my BIL) taught JP to swim two years ago, so hopefully I can convince him because I'm really not a good enough above water swimmer to teach him.
Well the market is closed tomorrow so at least we get an extra day home with dad. I'm very excited. I LOVED when we lived on the farm the first 2 yrs. and all I had to do was go out back to see him. I would ride the loader or feed truck with him and help him milk sometimes (although the novelty of that didn't last very long). Then even when we moved up here to finish school after Bubba was born he had a job where he went around to all the different office supply stores to make sure all the HP stuff was organized and set up correctly. So I still saw him throughout the day, and occasionally (I can never spell that word without spell check) go with him. So I miss him during the day, so any extra day home is a treat. Man I'm freezing. Even in my own house. I keep the heat at 65 (which has saved us about $200 a month this year), but then I have to wear 2 layers in the house and walk around with a blanket. And my hands get especially cold when I'm on the computer.
I forgot to mention one of Jo Jo's fun things he said the other night. B was getting some ice cream out of the freezer and he was standing right at his feet and very clearly he said, "cookie dough!" I realized that I never even paid attention to when he started using the /k/ sound. But then I thought of how well he says, "chockit nilk." He's actually asking for ice cream right now. He has been refusing to nap on occasion, yet he acts like a grumpy head and screams to lie in his bed when he gets that way. It would be wonderful if he would actually let me put him in his bed.
So I tried the baking soda. Thanks for the tip. It helped a tiny bit, but my car still stunk yesterday. Last night after the gym I went to Target and got some pet odor remover stuff. I figured if it can get rid of urine and feces, it has to work on sour milk. For the most part it's gone. You can still smell it if you get your nose close, but I don't plan on doing that everyday obviously.
So when the kids found out today was April Fool's Day (does anyone know where this holiday came from?) Bubba had water on his face like he'd taken a drink and said, "Mommy I just drank out of the toilet." For a milisecond I thought he really did and then when he had that silly grin I realized he really hadn't.