A Nanny?

Yesterday the Caboose had a friend over who was potty-trained. He was clearly in awe of this, and soon after she left he wanted to wear undies of his own. While this week isn't the best timing for me, I figured we could give it a go.

The first bit didn't go so well. However, once his brothers came home (and demonstrated how they each got a yummy cookie after using the bathroom) he found success. He got pretty darn good too - exerting enough control that he managed to keep up a pretty demanding routine of pee-treat-wait three minutes - pee some more, etc.

Then today.

It was a crazy morning and I didn't even try to put him in undies until close to 11:00 - right before my presidency meeting. NOT A GOOD IDEA.

While struggling to discuss the logistical and emotional needs of the various women in our congregation with three other women, the Caboose had two accidents (which required wardrobe changes) a couple unsuccessful attempts on the toilet and even managed to streak through the house.

Can you imagine if corporate executives were forced to run meetings like this? I can just envision a big mahogany table surround by soft leather chairs with well-dressed business people. A CEO stands up and begins "We have several serious issues arising with our people. Our success or failure in these matters..." Just then a completely naked two-year old comes careening around the corner laughing and shouting "Mooommmmmmyyy!!"

I think I need a nanny.

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Oh, and Diamond is no longer stuck in Canada. The good news was that the last afternoon flight on Saturday was only delayed - not cancelled. He finally walked through the door at 6:30 Saturday night. I still have NO idea where Saskatoon is. Eh, who cares?

Stuck in Saskatoon

Poor Diamond...

While we have been enjoying springtime weather, he had to go up to Canada on business. It was supposed to be a quick trip - leaving Denver Wednesday, home by Friday night. Key words: "Supposed to be"
I got a call yesterday afternoon telling me that his meeting had run late, and he missed his plane. The problem with a small Canadian town like Saskatoon is there aren't too many flights - especially to the States. Nevertheless, he had hoped to fly standby on an early flight this morning. A convention has made hotel rooms scarce, but he managed to find a motel (that smelled like to smoke) and crashed for the night.

I got a call at 9:00am. Despite waking up at 5:00am, he didn't get on the early flight. However he had every confidence that he would be able to catch the only other flight out - this afternoon.

An hour ago I got an automated phone call from the airline explaining that there was a problem with the afternoon flight, and please contact a representative to rebook the flight.

Meanwhile, Diamond has been stranded in an airport in the middle of nowhere, Canada. The weather is miserable: Currently
-7'F with a low of -27'F. He's Big Boy #1 basketball coach and already has missed team pictures as well as the game. He's not going to make BB2 game either.

I'm not even sure where Saskatoon is, and who knows when he will even make it home...

Updated??

Apparently, the weather image that I previously posted continually updates itself.

Hmmm. It was a lot more funny when Denver was 71' and Winnipeg was -20'. Oh well...

A Study in Contrast

Denver's Forecast:

Winnipeg, Canada's forecast (where Diamond is currently visiting):

Have fun on your business trip Diamond. I was thinking of you today when I took the Caboose to park - wearing flip flops.

Love Ya!

Going Pro

While watching college basketball the other night:

Big Boy #1: "Dad, why didn't you play college basketball?"

Before he could answer, BB#1 said "I mean, I know why you didn't play pros..."

Me: "Really, why didn't Dad play in the pros?"
BB#1: "'Cuz they have games on Sunday, and you didn't want to play on the Sabbath."

Yup, that's right son. Diamond opted out of the pros for moral reasons. I mean, he's no sell-out like Steve Young or anything. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he's barely 6'0.

So, how long to you think it will take for the boys to see their father in a more, um, realistic light? I suppose we should enjoy it while we can.

Cereal

I was in the cereal aisle of Target just the other day and the boys were picking out what they wanted. Of course there are rules to this process, one of which is the amount of sugar in the cereal. My thinking goes something like this: Honey Nut Cheerios = reasonably nutritious. Anything with the same amount of sugar as Honey Nut Cheerios is fine with me. This actually leaves room for some pretty yummy things, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or even Honeycomb. I'm not particularly healthy (hello - Chocolate Chip Cookies for Lunch!), but even I have my limits - for the kids anyway.

Now Diamond tends to focus more on price. Anything less than $2.00 a box usually works for him. He tends to come home with Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes and the like. You can usually tell who did the shopping by looking in the pantry.

So this lady overheard me telling the boys to check the sugar content on their proposed boxes. She came up to me and congratulated me on being such a conscientious mother. Then she started to talk to me about health drinks and supplements, and all sorts of crazy things that I didn't understand.

Thing of it was, that VERY afternoon the Caboose had eaten Lucky Charms for lunch.

Although I did nod politely at this healthy stranger, I was thinking "Um, I think you must have confused me with a completely different kind of mother. So sorry!"

Yet another reason I'm not Mother of the Year. Add it to the list...

Got Cars?

Christmas has long been taken down by now, but I'll give you one guess as to who lined up all his little Hot Wheel's cars in front of the Christmas village? Hint: it's the same boy who made me give his car a hug and a kiss tonight, because it was "sad."

Oh do I relish in my little boys...

The Cost of a Kiss

About a week ago, Diamond was feeling pretty sick. When I went to kiss him (a good kiss - or two), he advised against it, but did I listen? Of course not.

Shall we add up the actual financial cost of my hard-headedness?

$50 Urgent Care visit: By Friday afternoon I was SOOO miserable I needed to get in to a doctor ASAP.

$4 Amoxicillin: For the strep throat

$5 Vicodin prescription: And I'll tell you, I still feel pain when I swallow!
$15 Humidifier: Our old one had broken a couple years ago.

______________

$ 74 stupidity bill.

No, Diamond didn't have strep, but really? he NEVER gets as sick as I do. If he had a cough, I'd get pneumonia. Therefore, since he had a sore throat, I now have strep. Of course HE realized all of this on the night of the kiss. One day I'll learn to listen to my husband...

Good Riddance '08

I had a fabulous New Years Eve this year. Diamond and I went downtown and had dinner in the kind of restaurante that doesn't even have a kids menu, then we strolled the 16th Street Mall enjoying the lights and people watching. There were fireworks at 9:00 & again at midnight, but we opted for the early show - less vomit. Nanna & Grandpa had all three boys overnight, so we were able to really relax and enjoy the night.

As we were waiting for the fireworks to begin, we started our annual "Looking Back/Looking Forward" conversation. There is nothing formal about this talk, but it seems we do it every New Years Eve, and as a result of our chat, I've come to this conclusion: Good Riddance 2008!!!

Really, it was a hard year. I guess we knew it would be. Before we moved we fully anticipated that the first year would be hard - all the adjusting to new schools and churches, all the yard work, etc. But, to be honest, it was more difficult than I expected.

-In our old house, I had managed to commandeer a circle of women that were beyond fabulous. Our kids all loved each other, and many an afternoon was spent consuming microwave popcorn and diet Coke while the kids played. I am still friends with those ladies, but I'm too far away to enjoy the casual nature of our friendship. While I realize I could never replace them, I had hope that I would find something at least a bit similar. I am making friends. Good friends. Fun friends. But I worry I've missed that window for the kind of friendship built around lazy afternoons.

-School was SO hard: I've already written about it, but it seeped into virtually every facet of our home life. It was exhausting. It was scary. I could never have foreseen the depth of what resulted from a rough year. (That was the part of our little converstaion that brought me to tears. Crying on New Years? Yeah, I'M the life of the party!)

-Church was crazy.: We had been in our old ward close to ten years. I knew the people, their children, their stories. Here? I felt like I didn't know a soul. And then I was asked to head up the women's organization in February - just four months after moving in. How in the world was I supposed to nurture and care for over 100 women when I didn't even know their names??? Eleven months later, and I am feeling much more comfortable in my role. It still overwhelms me on a regular basis, but I've got amazing women helping me, and I've managed to find a rhythm - however insuffient it may be.

-The yard: Geez! Practically every Saturday was spent working on the yard - and the weekdays were spent researching the best prices, etc. It was so much work! But, the yard is just about done now, and I am sooo looking forward to a summer where we can enjoy the fruits of last year's labors!

-The economy: Really, I don't need to say anything about that right? I just hope to make up some of that precious financial ground we lost.

So the good news? 2008 is over. We are truly feeling settled into our new home. We have a yard, good teachers, friends and things are looking up. I am just praying that 2009 works out better than '08.

Happy 2009 everyone!