Thanksgiving

Well, Saturday the boys had a brake pad project on little green, then finished up Monday morning (quickly-by going and getting the right tool) Maybe there's a lesson in that??

We had Stake Conf, and an extra meeting Sat on teaching the new Come Follow Me curriculum that I participated in by being part of a panel (but if the truth be told, it was pretty boring) It meant all of us went at 2:30 with Isaac for the Priesthood meeting, then I hung out with the boys, then he hung out with the boys...and the adult session? There will be nursery-NO but there was CHAOS, oh well. We got to hear bits and pieces and it was fun. The focus was definitely hastening the work!
The Turners let us in on the YSA  activity again Sunday, we love it! And really we both spent so much time in the singles wards-we really fill "at home" in those activities, it was really fun. They have a granddaughter that lives with them that's just a little older than Cannon, so he had a great time too.

Monday Cann talked his dad into a quick look at equipment trip-and they totally talked to someone about the church. I was so proud of them! Tues we had the missionaries over but Isaac's friend from school stood us up. Oh well.
Colt got an early Christmas present-a jumper! Cannon was so excited for him. When he has a bottle and its about gone I try to prop it in his hand, the sooner he learns to hold his own, the better. Cannon never did...but I really think its in Colt's best interest. And he's starting to practice the beginnings of a roll. 

Let it be Christmas! Wednesday night before left we had a little Christmas Tree project. Cann loved it. Getting the Christmas tree out from under the bed :)

The Meachams graciously invited us up for Thanksgiving again. SO FUN! We love them and while we are so happy for them to be so close to done with residency we will be sad when the aren't so close. We are thankful for cousins! We had a great thanksgiving and went to the botanical gardens on Friday.

No flash on that phone pic but Ryan and Sarah tended while Isaac and got to do a temple session in the Memphis Temple Friday night. The kids had so much fun I wish I had got pictures of the "trach" operation they performed on Mr. Incredible, it was hilarious, I guess when your dad is a surgeon... Just fun all around and Saturday there was an extra Home Depot workshop for "Black Saturday" we hit it up before heading home.

Can you think of a better place to run into Santa? I can't! Actually the worker lady said I was more excited than the kids. Hey, I BELIEVE!! (That lady was a bit of a nut job though.)
Cannon was all about telling him that he wanted a backhoe with stabilizers that go up, then going back up to him and telling him "and a dump truck for Colt Buddy" and even showing him his cool toolbox he made, but take a picture with him? NO WAY. Oh Well, Max and Calvin were game.

So much fun, I just love Sarah (and Ryan and their kids) she is such a good example!

The boys found a lizard IN THE HOUSE it's a cute picture of Colt I'm just glad I wasn't home for the event, apparently it was a different color but turned green as it warmed up in Isaac's hand.

Life after Grama goes home...

Well it sure helped Cannon take his mind off the situation that his dad took him camping with the scouts!

Cann told me all about the fire and how he had to be real careful. He roasted a hot dog and a marshmallow but didn't eat either one. They shot shotguns the next morning, Cann didn't care for that (don't tell uncle Ky) They had a great time though, Cannon did awesome and Isaac made sure to take care if all the camping mess-because he loves me :) and they are both looking forward to more such adventures! I got a lot of things around the house done but it sure was quiet. -And so strange that the floor stayed looking like I'd vacuumed it :)
We finally got old Santa Claus written this week, and he's got his work cut out for him, those backhoes like Grama has that the stabilizers move on are hard to find, we'll see what his elves cam pull off!

 

I'm totally throwing Isaac under the bus on this one but I laughed so hard it needs documented. Isaac nailed Cannon with what my brothers and I used to call "Silent but deadly"'s Cannon was sitting reading with his dad when all of the sudden he said "Mom read to me, Mom read to me!" and bailed off Isaac's lap running across the room toward me. I was unaware of why he all of the sudden wanted me to be the reader but it was Isaac who asked "Why?" To which Cannon answered "You smell like poop dad" It was so funny I'm laughing again typing it.

Look who's 3 months old!!! Oh we love him!

And he needs a hair cut, here's a few of the reasons I should buzz it:

But they don't show the spikey part that is ALWAYS sticking strait up in back...

and tickling my neck when I hold him, I love it.  I can't bring myself to cut it yet, I love the red, (Have you noticed Cannon's lately, its not even red!) Plus I feel like Colt's hair his distinguishing feature! 

We talked about being thankful for spiritual blessings in primary last week and spiritual gifts,

"And to another, exceedingly great faith" Cannon has it! The faith if a child I guess it is, but are we all not children? Randomly while playing in the living room this week he said "I wanna do what God wants me to do." Umm great news buddy! My task as a mother is to keep his faith bright and strong and growing! He loves the scriptures, and picks up on things if I re-listen to the conference addresses, its awesome. So here he is showing off (we made a deal that he could watch Samuel the Lamanite on the tablet if he'd help me read the story and let me film it) oh and I should've picked up around the apt before filming, oh well, we got this:

When its rainy and we don't leave the house (or when its not rainy and we still don't leave the house) we sometimes entertain ourselves by taking pictures...its rubbing off on Cann

Other Canntics: "Hmmm maybe they don't fit" while waddling around in Isaac's boots. Certain that Colton's cool baseball swimming suit will indeed fit him! (I thought it was big for a size 0-3months but still! Skinny little Ison boy!) Turning his dump truck into a riding dump truck. And counting down the days until we get to go to grama's house. 

I love these boys. 

I feel pretty up and down as a mom, for example today I didn't realize it was way past nap time, and he fell asleep standing at the side of his bed...whoops

...but we'll get it figured out.

Oh and the new AP in our mission (they come to our ward) I taught him math at PVMS, not the first missionary we've known-we did follow Uncle Shawn here, but the first former student. Small World.

Hammering brother's chair...while he's in it...and mother of the year here stops for a picture before I stopped the hammering!

Fact: I love it when Grama comes! So fun. Last June when Grama's birthday was rolling around, as always, Grampa called me to see if I had any ideas. I said Southwest is having a sale, how bout a weekend to see me and my boys. And he went for it! Yes! So we bought tickets for a weekend in Oct. But when Oct rolled around and Grama had been here all of Sept we decided it was too soon. I stalled as long as I could but we ended up canceling the ticket :( -but we'll use it another time- Grama and I were both bummed though. However, last time we went home and had the 24 hour travel day Allegiant Air compensated us for our inconvenience with some travel vouchers...WELCOME GRAMA! We'll take a free flight! Okay, she had to rent a car and drive across Louisiana, but we do it :) It's SOOOO worth it! We've had such a fun week with her here, the week flew by, and now as I type she's driving back across Louisiana. I can't hardly think of what to type, we did so much, but I'm kind of bummed, I struggle with that Goodbye nonsense! Cannon had big crocodile tears and cried "I don't want Gwama to go away." Yeah buddy, me either. But so thankful she got to come, and for longer that just a weekend, and really its not long until we head that way for Christmas. We'll make it.

 

As always Grama left her touch (EVERYWHERE, oh I love it, its so great. I just kind of live in the "this place is temporary in we'll just make it work" mode, and she shows me how things could be a lot better with a few -mostly simple- adjustments) We have an organizer on the back of our coat closet door (and pantry) the tennis rackets are now hung up, there's an extra shelf so its not a 100% junk closet anymore. She hung the shelf I bought (right after she left last time) above our washer and dryer, you can actually see the top of our dryer now, it had never happened since we've lived in Mississippi, there was always too much junk stacked on it. She bought Cannon a stool for his bathroom, I had one, it just wasn't tall enough-so I'd turned over a big tote and had him use it instead, it worked, but the stool, lets just say I should have made the purchase a while ago :)!! Its great! We live on the bottom floor and there is an apt above us that is exactly like ours minus the master bedroom. So our bedroom kind of hangs out there with no insulation, plus the last 4 feet (random) toward the outermost wall, has a vaulted ceiling. So see ya later any warm air! Even though we live in Mississippi and the term "freezing" is relative, our bedroom was always freezing (or sweltering in the summer). Seriously though a 15 degree drop just walking in there. So Grama figured out a way to "wall" off the vaulted part with curtains. She's a genius! (that's what Cannon and I tell her anyway) It's not the prettiest but SO FUNCTIONAL, so nice, we LOVE IT. Oh and we put up curtains in our bedroom and the boys bedroom too, I'm telling ya, the place is just spruced up! Some early Christmas for us, its great! THANKS Grama! Some big projects, some little ones, like silly little over the door hooks that just make a nice pleasant difference, and I haven't mentioned it all, she also organized the shed, and I can't forget that Isaac and I got to go out to eat and have a fun little date. There's more, and lots of fun Grama time for my boys -and me- such a good fun week.
Pretty much we did a project of some sort everyday so I really have summed up most of the week.
It wasn't all good news, there was a stink'n Possum in our garbage. (Outside garbage that is) I'll leave it at that I want to gag just thinking about it. SO GROSS! And I didn't even see all of it.Thank goodness.
As far as a little faith in the post this week: I want to share some of Isaac's. (And hoping I can get a video of Cannon reading the Samuel the Lamanite story for next week, we'll see, but its darling!) Anyway, Isaac is in charge of getting speakers for sacrament meeting this month, last week both of Isaac's speakers stood him up. Well really he had 3 but the 3rd one was the high counsel. Luckily we had a couple of new missionaries he was able to pick on and hey they were coming to our house for dinner that night, of course they were willing :) But as he was scrambling or "Enhancing" the program, sharing some of his own thoughts on service and serving in the church,  Isaac said  "it wouldn't be worth it if it wasn't true, but it is true, so it is worth it"  it was a great thought, the truth makes hard, or inconvenient, or mundane, or stressful things worth it! I'm thankful for a husband who loves to serve!
Some pics:
Aunt Kami sent my boys some darling baseball ties, why wouldn't you wear your baseball helmet with your baseball tie? Cann would! And I caught Colt's smiles this week!

Cann got to play a little baseball with Elder Chadwick, one of Uncle Shawn's old mission companions!

 

 

And that last one is a picture of Isaac's office, Cannon and I snuck away one morning while Grama was tending Colt and ran some errands, then we went in to see Isaac at school. I was so impressed I thought his office seemed HUGE compared to his little cubical last year! I no more had seen it, took this picture, and got excited for him then those stinkers moved someone else into it and now he has to share--bummer. (I think they must have been eves dropping on all my excitement! just kidding)

Until next time :)

Isaac was in on the youth temple trip last weekend so that left me to man home depot day by myself but since Cannon looks fwd to it all month, of course we went for it. And the nice worker lady patrolled Colton's bink for me when I just didn't have quite enough hands. 
Last Friday I sat down by Cannon and he looked me right in the eye and said "Mom, you so pretty." It was the sweetest thing,  he's done it a couple more times since then too. I won't say I looked like crud (but only because I taught the "my body is a temple" lesson in primary last week) I had showered but rest assured I was NOT looking good. Hair up like it always is, just doing the mom thing...and having the sweetest little boy tell me that. I love that kid.  And really its hats off to Isaac, Cannon is so observant and attentive and he's watched how his dad treats me, then copied it. It was just a sweet thing that I hope to always remember, and need to remember when he's being a stinker. He sure has a defiant streak these days.
Below you will see a picture of me trying to be a good mom, going to look at equipment with me is just not the same, but we tried. 

Colt buddy has started giving me those cute baby coo's and goo's and such with the smiles. Oh I love it, he's so fun. For whatever reason though, he is a carseat pooper, must be the angle or something but I leave the apt...and that kid takes care of business. Oh the joys, right?
Since I don't do baby books I'm throwing the pics on blurry or not! I put a hat on Colton this week and thought he looked a lot more like Cannon as a baby than I usually do-kind of like this one where he looks pretty bald.

I mentioned Lizzy's Blog a coulple weeks ago, (see the small seed on the right bar over there) it was so fun to email her and feel reconnected! Anyway, my blog is a little different-the family journal as we call it, but I would like it to be more laced with faith too, so now, and sometimes (maybe not every time but I'm going to try) I want to include things I learn or know or want to be better at...its and important part of the family history too!

So I've been re-listening to conference (that was inspired by blogg'n buddy Emily see her and Burke on the right side bar over there too) Anyway the other night Isaac was  helping with the boys and I was just getting ready for bed writing in my journal and such, I was tempted to just go to bed but then I could pretty much hear the crack of Pres Packer's voice in my mind from this last conference "it really doesn't matter" in response to a question of which scriptures "begin to read...inspiration will come" I used to be ultra regimented in my personal study, but these days I'm not. BUT, I resisted the temptation to just go to bed and flipped open the D&C. I read section 89 because we were learning about our bodies in primary. Then I turned back one page, for who knows why, except to learn a BIG lesson. Without totally condemning myself,  it was a powerful lesson because I did feel totally condemned but I think it will help me remember it better. Anyway, without getting into the detail I will admit to having been "finding fault" with Isaac, even if it was something he sometimes does, he was 100%  innocent in this moment, all he was doing was helping with the kids and letting me rest! (Such a good husband/dad!!)  And I had let my mind wander to a time of "fault" I guess Heavenly Father had a lesson for me to learn because this line was NOT EVEN underlined in my scriptures, but it jumped off the page and might as well have been in a size 120 font! I got the message!

So simple, so profound, and I'm certain it is a key to helping us find "happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come." It was a little bit (or a lot) of a punch in the gut. But I'm so glad I found it, and thankful for it,  and like I said I think a more powerful lesson because I was guilty. Anyway there's a little thought for the day, because therein lies a little trick for happier marriages, and families, (and societies) I'm sure of it. And I'm going to do better!

The other thing that was OH SO EVIDENT this week was my need for patience. I'm really nice the first time I ask Cannon to do something, but by the end of the day, when the "Canntics" have been at a peak, sometimes I'm only nice that 1 single time.  So I have a lot to work on :)

And I was so happy I found these scriptures because that night was HORRIBLE as far as the going to bed routine but having read those scriptures-and a few others, it was like magic, I just dealt with things and didn't get so rattled and frustrated like usually happens! (...and those flowers my mom bought them for our porch when she was here in May and Isaac has nursed them along -I take no credit- it was a fluke that they are what I used a picture of when making the sign but when I realized it... impatiens... I thought it was fitting.)
Happy Week!

Halloween!

It was easy to get excited about Halloween for Cannon but I was worried about Colton getting a lame Halloween costume, Cannon got to be such a cute little Lion  (See here) his first Halloween, and big bird was kind of a big deal last year but I found myself thinking "Maybe Colton could just be a pumpkin." But it was so lame and I felt bad. Anyway,  as I settled on "Monkey George" for Cannon and realized we could pull off Hundley (a weener dog is hardly Colt Man's shape) but anyway, I ended up pretty happy with little Mr. Hundley! So that was fun.

When Cannon and Isaac were out looking for equipment one day they found a flea market that is only open Saturdays and Sundays, I love myself a good yard sale (between Grampa Cottam and Grama Frei I was doomed, it's in my blood) anyway because I love good yard sales I thought it sounded fun (but really I had more of a swap meet in my mind) We didn't go that weekend because we read on the website and it said if you went this last weekend and your kids were dressed up you got in free and they got to trick or treat at the booths, it sounded great and it would mean I got the costumes done in plenty of time for the ward shin dig and Halloween. So I'd been playing around with them but I really turned it on Friday night and Saturday-most of the day. Hundley's feet didn't get done but we pulled off pretty much everything else. The putting them on...

And it was off to the flea market. Yuck, it kind of gives me the creeps just thinking about it again.
The flea market ended at 5, we got there at 4, and as it turned out, that was about an hour sooner than we needed to be there. UG! It was nasty, like a horrible hoarder's yard sale. But not only that NO ONE was dressed up (we saw one other little girl) but the people were like "Have ya'll been to a party?" And we smiled and said "We thought this was the party." Or they'd say "Ya'll should come back tomorrow for our party." So I guess what happened was the Flea Market organizers put it on the internet that it was Saturday and Sunday but when they gave the flyers to their vendors it only said Sunday. Anyway, it was super lame, but still a fun day as a family, it was fun looking forward to it, and Isaac was such a sport and humored me and totally played along and got Cann Man excited too. He stayed in his Monkey Suit all evening :) We topped off our family day with Pizza afterward. The flea market experience was so lame, and so different that I expected but I'm still happy with the day!
Monday we hung out with and tended our new friend in the ward Jeremy, he's a year younger than Cannon but we're so glad he's here! I was nervous cuz sometimes I can't handle two, but he and Cannon played so good, it really wasn't too bad and especially easy when Colton was asleep :)

Wednesday night for the trunk or treat I stole Isaac's costume because he had class he couldn't miss, and really, why would Professor Wiseman show up if the man in the yellow hat wasn't there? Comparatively no one knows who she is!

I made the little fish pond because primary was in charge of that and I had to help ahead of time. ( I stole my idea for the fish here.) Cannon loved fishing!
That little fur dog suit was miserably hot, not a good Mississippi costume,  so Colt spent all of his time looking like this: (unless we were taking a picture)

At the Trunk or Treat Cannon was most concerned with keeping up with his new friend Jeremy, who was far more motivated by treats, but when Jeremy had ditched him and we had been around the parking lot we were headed  back to Glenda's car (who was tending Colton and handing out our candy for us) I got the "Holds me, Holds me..." whine. I caved and picked him up and asked "Why do I have to hold you?" To which Mr. Smarty Pants replied "That's what  man in hat do's." He so funny.
Thursday, because Cannon's two and we'd already trunk or treated and we could get away with it our plan was just to take some cookies around for Halloween. We did, but then the Turners also invited us up to a little Halloween party at their house. It was a blast and super fun (she went to sooo much work!) It was extra cool though because Bro Turners dad was our neighbor in Ivins and kids always love to trick or treat at his place, he always gives out the best treats :) just a fun connection, but we had a really good time.

 

A little Google Image search to show you what we were supposed to look like. I forgot my "lab coat" and Isaac forgot his tie for the family pic but oh well we took it. (AND I'm not going to lie I'm glad Hundley's little tail showed on my lap, It doesn't curl like the "real" one but I loved getting as much detail in as I could! It's just fun for me.)

Just a couple more pics I want on the record :)

Monkey George (and the Man) LOVE Excavators. We had to swing by the CAT dealership after the flea market was such a flop. (Actually Cannon asks to go regularly.)

Not a great picture of Colt but the only one that showed his little feet-I did get them done!

I had fun coordinating Halloween and Isaac was a such a sport....and it reminded me of the first time we coordinated costumes, a little throw back from when we were dating. He was Kramer and I was Elaine from Seinfeld :)

Really Halloween was most of the week! But there were a couple of other things. Last weekend Isaac decided it was time to be done with the silkies except at bed time. I agree but...maybe it was my crutch too. He's also weening Cannon of one of us having to lay down by him when he's going to bed, he just tells him he can have one of us, but then NO silky and instead talks him into laying down, with a silky while he gets "real tired" then we'll come in, but...he falls asleep and we don't have to go in. So far its working. He's doing good though, he wanders into his room just to lay down (and have a silky occasionally, but still doing good)
In contrast to the days when I'm certain I'm the worlds worst mom, I do have some great days too where I just sit back and realize I'm living the dream. Sure, I'd change some things, if you read my blog much you can probably guess what, but I love these boys, I love their dad, I have a lot to be thankful for!

 

I like to make collages because somehow I think it minimizes the picture overload but...it takes time and the missionaries are coming for dinner so, deal with the overlaod :)

Cannon is such a good helper he assured me he could tend (hold the bink in) AND watch the tablet. Then in the next one he wanted Colt to lay down by him, then I got invited to leave. When I checked back Colt was asleep.

 

And these last two are just playing and singing "I am a child of God" to him. So cute.