Master

Gary is officially done with school. His assignments have been graded and he got A's on them all. So, although he doesn't have his diploma, he is a master. Congratulations!

Holy Gosh!

Lucy has a few words that she likes to use as exclamations....Oh, man. Are you kidding me? which is a quote from me. And then, holy gosh, that is of her own making and it is so funny hearing these out of her little mouth.
Fisher just says, mo,mo,mo, for more, and mmmmm for moo (what a cow says) actually tonight he blew a raspberry to immitate an elephant, since we blow between our lips to make the sound.
Gary on the other hand, has the best news. He finished all his homework and as long as nothing returns saying he did it wrong or something, he is ALL done with his masters. Now we just wait for the grade and diploma. Yipeee!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving break

We had Thanksgiving at home with the 4 of us. It was nice. I think the food turned out really well. Everyone ate it.









Then we had an early Christmas, thanks to our friend Alana. Fisher got a rockin zebra, and Lucy got a new kitchen with dishes and food. They love them both! We moved things around in their rooms and it looks awesome. Then Lucy helped Gary put the star on the top of the tree. They both LOVE playing with the ornaments. 2 have broken, and they still haven't learned that they can't touch them all. The holiday was fantastic. Only a week until we start the next one in Indiana.

Month 11

My kids love to scare us in their 11th month. Fisher has had more bloody lips and bumps in his almost year of life than Lucy has in her 2 1/2. When she was 11 months old, we had to rush her to the ER. So far, he hasn't been to the ER, but he tried to one-up her today. We got the opportunity to call poison control tonight. Fisher bit open a 2 in 1 cascade dishwasher pellet. I didn't think he had gotten much down and rinsed his mouth out. I could feel the slippery soap, so I knew some of it went down. Then he started to gag and threw up. I was so proud of him. Gary got home right then, and convinced me to call poison control. They told us not to make his throw up and not to give him anything to drink, as he was in Gary's arms drinking water. So we stopped that and waited 30 min until we gave him a little sip, wait 10 min, and give him another sip. As long as nothing happened we were good. Well, he threw up after 15 min, so we called back and were told to start a new 30 min. 15 min later, he threw up again. Luckily, that was the last time and he is fine. I was way more controlled this time around than I was with Lucy, but I was shaken enough that I couldn't remember my phone number to tell the poison control lady.

Here are some pictures that we've taken recently: This was at the corn maze

Fisher and Lucy eating yummy food

The Arizona Botanical Garden. Eventhough this isn't a real plant, it was just as beautiful as the other cacti.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. We carved pumpkins for FHE with our neighbors, the Ellsworths. We were able to carry on our tradition started last year with the Wilstead and Lee families. We attended their ward carnivals. Both kids were willing to wear their costumes all night. By the end, they were exhausted. Who can blame them, we didn't get home until 7:oo.

Glamorous

I was explaining to Gary how fantastic my day was two days ago. I started the day with Fisher and I spending some time alone downstairs while everyone else slept. Then Gary left for work and Fisher threw up on me. So, I took a shower. After lunch Lucy was upstairs watching Lion King in our room and I thought, "she is very quiet and I haven't checked on her in a while". There was a smell as I approached my room. She had gotten everything, out of my bathroom drawer and there was foot lotion on the carpet. I made her wipe it up with the towel, but she thought that was fun. Then after lunch, I was cleaning Fisher's hands and face and some water fell on my foot. When we were done, I realized it wasn't water, but poop. So, I had to change his diaper and clothes. Then yesterday, I got to do that for him again 3 times. Oh, the glamorous things I get to do all day. But he gives the best open mouthed, slobbery kisses.
On Friday we tried potty training again and Lucy didn't have an accident. She still doesn't get the idea that she is supposed to tell me when she needs to go and then do it on the toilet. On Saturday, she changed her pants 3 times during the first session of conference. Gary said he wouldn't continue if he was in charge. Everyone says "when they are ready, they are ready", so I decided she must not be ready. I am, but I guess that isn't enough for both of us. She may not be ready for potty training, but she did say "presentation" the other day. I was shocked and looked around to figure out where she heard that. Then I realized, yeah, we can now watch the "feature presentation". Her other favorite word right now, is wonderful and she tells Fisher to do things with her all the time because they are "pretty fun".

Progressing

Well, Lucy did go to the bathroom in the toilet, once. The count was potty 1-pants 2 today. She went about 4 1/2 hours without going at all this morning. Is she holding it? I take her to the toilet multiple times all day, like every 15 min-1/2 hour and yet, I usually miss the important time. We'll try again tomorrow, and then I have to do her laundry. She has almost gone through all her clothes in the past 2 days, tomorrow will be the last of them.

Potty Training

As Lucy was getting dressed this morning I asked her if she wanted to wear underwear and then put on her pants. She said yes, so I jumped on it. So, officially we started potty training today. Lucy successfully wet her pants 3 times and never went to the bathroom on the toilet. Potty 0- Pants 3. But, we will continue tomorrow and see how she does. She doesn't like being wet, so that is a good thing. We'll see if she connects the thought that she doesn't have to be wet.
Fisher pulled himself up to his feet last Friday for the first time, but waited until today to do it regularly. He is so happy that he can see everything from a different level. His favorite after bathtime game is peek-a-boo. His towel has a large hood and he discovered that he can pull it over his eyes and back. Love it!

Fisher cut his 6th tooth on Friday. He finally has the second front tooth, he got the two outside teeth on the top after his bottom middle teeth.







We went to the park and fed the ducks and played on the playground during FHE last Monday. Now Lucy thinks we need to go feed the ducks all the time.








So,I really couldn't tell, for a few days, exactly where Lucy cut her hair. As I did her hair Sunday, I realized everyone would be able to tell exactly where she cut. (The front right side, as you look at the picture) Notice the other side has hair pulled all the way from the front, this side doesn't.

Code Yellow

So, let me tell you what my little Lucy is up to. We were at Kohls last week and we turned around to look at some shoes while she was staring at herself in the mirror....and....she disappreared. We looked for about 10 min. all over, until I told costomer service that I couldn't find my 2 year old. They immediately called a "code yellow" and started helping us. The lady called it a second time and more people showed up to search. She was on the otherside of the store, which Gary had checked, and she ran from the lady who found her. The lady chased her my way and I picked her up, eventhough I had Fisher in my arms as well. Gary was so mad. I started to cry and had her look into my eyes as I sternly told her to never leave us again. She stared at my eyes the entire time and said "okay" like she usually does. Then, Friday she was upstairs watching Robin Hood and I went up to check on her. There was a chunk of hair on the ground and I thought, this is strange. Then I found another one, and another. And I realized she had cut her hair. I gathered all the pieces I could find, you know to keep for posterity, and then went to check her out. I was nervous. I took out her clip and more hair fell out. Her hair is so curly that you really can't tell, so lucky her. As I was trying to get it all gathered she shut herself into our toilet area and when I opened that door, she had unravelled all the toilet paper. She was escorted out of our bathroom after that. But, oh, that kid makes me laugh. She is talking so well and can cary on a conversation with herself. And, she sings all the theme songs to the PBS cartoons and the songs from Lion King. Well, enough that you know what she is singing. Today she was playing with Fisher in the landing/hallway and he would start to fuss and she would thrust a book in his face and say, "Fish, look at this" or "Here you go, Fish". Already she is starting to try to keep the little one from crying so she doesn't get into trouble. Atleast that is why I used to do it.

Fisher gets around. I can't explain how, because it isn't always crawling on all 4s, but it isn't army crawl or rolling either. It is like magic, pooof and he has made it across the room. He and Lucy will play together sometimes and those are the times that he really gets around. He has started smacking his lips when he wants to nurse or right after, or sometimes just for fun. His favorite way to tell me it is time to nurse is to headbut my chest. He started clapping on Friday. He still has one hand in a fist, since he has been tight fisted since birth, but he knows what he is doing and claps at appropriate times. He also gives 5 when you ask for it, but he has been doing that for about 6 weeks. He finally cut one of his top middle teeth and therefore now has 5, which he loved to bit me with while nursing last week. It was soooooooo, incredibly painful, but I think we are over it.
I wonder what this week will bring.

Our summer vacation

School has started again and so we are into a new routine. I haven't been able to get caught up from all our vacationing. But, we enjoyed going to Indiana, Utah, and Washington and seeing all the grandparents.

Girl's night

Fisher went to sleep early tonight, so it was just Lucy and I. I asked if she wanted me to paint her toes and she said yes, emphatically. Well, when I was done with her, she wanted me to do mine too. Then she decided she wanted to help and so, Lucy painted my toenails and fingernails. Then she decided she wanted me to spend time with her in her bed too. She cried when I left and later I went back in. I told her she was okay and to stop crying. Then I asked if she was sad and she said yes. I didn't even know she knew that word. Each day she surprises me with words I didn't teach her.

Hair cut

Fisher got his first hair cut today. His hair was really short on top, he has a bald spot in the middle of the back, and then a row of longer hair that circled the back. So, he looked a little like a balding man. And, after his nap yesterday the hair on the back stuck straight out, so I knew it was time for a trim. I used a #1 for the back and a #2 for the top. Nothing came off the top, but there was plenty off the back. We put it off a little because we didn't think he would like the buzzing or the tickling the vibration would make, but he didn't care. He just sat there and chewed on the cord like a good boy.

Lucy wanted to cut her hair too, but that wasn't about to happen. So, instead, she got into the cabinets under our sink, which she never does. I smelled windex and was about to ask Gary if he was cleaning something when I realized what it was. She had gotten the spray commet and was in our closet spraying it on herself. (We recently got a water bottle to spray down her hair in the morning and she loves to play with it. What is the difference, right.) I had just filled the tub with some water to give Fisher a bath when I found her so we threw her in instead to rinse her off. She wasn't too thrilled with it, but no other harm done.

Fisher is grabbing everything, with both hands. I put a toy in front of him today and he tucked his knees in. I could almost see him make the connection.....I can get that. He didn't go anywhere, but he is a smart one. He decided he wanted to start spiting today, while I was trying to feed him plums. It got everywhere, and I couldn't get him to stop spiting. I know he likes them, because he has had them before, but he was sure excited about his new discovery.

We were reading the BoM title to Lucy. "Another testament of Jesus Christ" to which she immediately said "amen" She is so reverent. Right after the opening prayer in sacratment meeting Sunday, she jumped on Gary's lap and started shouting "bread" and "water". We talked about the sacrament a few weeks ago during FHE. Although, we talked about reverence last week. I guess that didn't stick as well. She started getting restless as soon as we sat in the pew, and Gary told her we just had to sit reverently for an hour. To which she replied "no hour, no hour". They were both crying yesterday and I said "come on guys". Then she started repeating, "come on guys, com on guys" I LOVE the mimic phase. She was so proud that her ring pop made her tongue blue. She had to stand on the counter and look at it over and over.

Fisher fell asleep on me while feeding yesterday while Lucy was taking a nap, so I just slept too, downstairs. I thought I heard Lucy get up but then everything was quiet again and so I thought I was wrong. Well, I was right, she did wake up and get out of bed, but it didn't last long. When I finally took Fisher up to bed, this is what I found on the stairs.

Too bad

Gary just told me this story about how he tried to film Lucy last night but she stopped as soon as he grabbed the camera. I guess she was spinning and counting to 4 and then running over and giving Fisher a hug. That would have been some "sweet action"* to film. He said she even counted to 11 once. What child counts to 11?
*quote by Courtney Miranda

White girls can't jump

Lately Lucy has been able to be spacially aware of things going on around her. She was saying something to me the other day and I thought she said kite, so I repeated "kite?" Then she stopped, looked at me and must have changed her topic to a kite and said "cousins" I said, yeah, you flew a kite with your cousins. And she responded, "and Gant". Then the next day, we had just finished watching Seasame Street and she was singing "Elmo's World" and then she started saying mine over and over. I then realized she was re-playing the show in her head. Everyone on Seasame Street had mine-itis that day. What a smart girl. Her favorite thing to say right now is, "stop it". If she is doing something she shouldn't I will say "Lucy" and she will hold her hand out behind her, as if to tell me not to come over there, and say "stop it". She told the neighbor boy, Ethan, to "stop it" today when he was trying to take a toy away from her. He got very offended and told her not to tell him to stop it. So, she said, "okay". We were so happy they could handle that dispute on their own.

Lucy can not jump. Elmo was talking about jumping, so she ran over to her toy box and searched for her jump rope. This is how she jumps rope. She actually made it off the ground 2x that day. That is the only time she has ever left the ground while jumping.

Fisher is grabbing at everything! He talks, or makes noise, all day long and has recently decided that he DOES NOT like it when Lucy holds him. I guess his patience has finally worn thin. She on the other hand has decided that she wants to hold him all the time. And when she does, we need to take a picture.

Gary read in the newspaper that we could go to our zoo for free last Friday with our grocery club card. It was great. Plus, it had rained all the night before and wasn't even 90 degrees.

Outgrowing beds

Both my kids got upgrades today on their beds. Lucy sleeps on our full that was once the guest bed, and today, we took the side rails off. She was quit ready. Since Fisher is rolling around so much and he spins on his belly, I took off his bumper pad. Now it just looks like a jail. He loves it!

Communication

Fisher rolls over from his back to his front, both sides and last night he rolled from his front to his back. I don't think he can replicate that yet, but it has happened once. He has also started making raspberries and sucking in air with noise to communicate.
Lucy started singing the songs from the movies she watches. I borrowed Mamma Mia from one of my YW and she watched the beginning with me and then started playing. She walked by at one point and started singing "honey, honey", that is the first song. Then today she re-enacted Sesame Street to herself. She was singing the Elmo's world song, better than ever before and then started saying "mine". I didn't get it at first, but everyone had "mine-itis" today and the only cure was for Oscar to share with them. She is speaking so much better too. She tells me all the time that "Sisher hungy" or "I hungy, mama." She also said her first prayer last week. As we prompted her she said a loud "Dear" then she whispered "Heavenly" and then back to her loud voice until "Jesus" which she whispered again. As I prompted her to be thankful for something, I said "thankful" (me), "thankful"(Lucy), "for" (me), "six" (Lucy). She always skips five as she counts.
Gary finished another Masters class, so we get him every night of the week until June. I am so happy and yet dreading June. Then he will have class Mon-Thur evenings. I dread until June 15th when I will be going to see my family in IN and then I think Gary is dreading being alone.

Help

I can't see so many people's pictures on their blogs. I just have a red X in a box in the top left corner. Doesn't anyone know how to fix this. I feel like I am missing out.

New tricks

Since not many have seen Fisher smile, I decided to film him. Today was Lucy's first solo moment in the pool.

Easter Break

The Kleinhenz family came to visit us this last week. Lucy loved being with her cousins all the time. When we got back from church Sunday, and they were gone, we drove into the garage and she said "cousins". It was so sad to tell her they were gone. I guess it was tough on them too. She got a phone call yesterday from Emma and Maggie, just to say hi, especially since Lucy doesn't have much of a vocabulary. We had a great time while they were here. I didn't take pictures of everything we did, since Paisley had her camera as well, but here were some highlights. We hiked the wind caves, climbed indoor rock walls, went to Montezuma and Sedona, swam, went to the park and had a picnic and flew a kite,











and celebrated Easter. Since they live where there are lots of farms, Fisher got some cool John Deere pants and Lucy got an adorable jumper. It was wonderful to have them visit us again.

So strong

Fisher is such a strong boy. Our neighbor gave us a super saucer last week and he will sit in it for 20-30 min. Today, he was sitting up the entire time. Lucy also LOVES to get pictures taken of thetwo of them. He can just sit there and she puts her arm around him. I tried to take a picture last week, but the camera was on video. I figured it out, but not before a short film. After our walk last week, they were both asleep. True to form, as soon as we stopped and I brought them inside, he woke up. She let me take her upstairs to her bed for a nap.

Spring Break

Gary has been off of work for Spring Break this week. He has been sick the entire time, but his brother, Jared, and his wife, Lisa, and their baby, Layla, came to visit us. It is already hot, so we went hiking, swimming and shopping. The shopping trips were money well spent, as both girls got to wear their hats on the hike. Lucy wouldn't wear hers until I put Fisher's on. She wanted her sunglasses when she saw I was wearing mine. Thank goodness for positive peer pressure. We took a 3 mi hike up and back to the wind caves. We got quite a few comments as the parade of parents carting babies went by.

Gary's body has finally recovered. The kids loved it, for the most part. Lucy fell as she chased a chipmonk at the top. It was a little scary as she went head over heals a few times towards the brush and edge of the trail. Again, she ended up with scrapes and scratches. Her head is healing quite nicely from the last tragic accident, so I am confident she won't have scared knees or arms. Fisher just slept. He LOVES to cuddle so he slept the way up facing me. I figured that was it for the naps and faced him out on the way down. He loved to lick the textured carrier, but again fell asleep. What a good boy!

Busy, Busy

I don't know what I have been so busy with the last few weeks, but it hasn't been blogging. We hosted a Murder Mystery dinner for the staff as Westwood High School seminary. It was a 50's theme and tons of fun. Lucy wore her hair in pig tails for the first time and had to look at herself multiple times in the mirror. Lucy LOVES to hug Fisher. It usually means she is laying on him, but he doesn't usually mind.