Pajama Games

One morning, I thought I would try and get pictures of the boys in their pajamas.



Finally, success!

Reverence and Faith

My husband got a blessing from our home teacher a week ago.

This morning while A-- was swinging in his swing, S-- came up to him, placed his hands on A's head and said a prayer. "Heavenly Father, bless this good baby. In Jesus name, Amen."

It was sweet to see S-- trying out the idea of priesthood blessings. As girls, my sisters and I regularly would bless and pass the sacrament during Sunday playtime. I see it as a sign of reverence and faith.

Toilet Update

It is working. Fixing it was harder than we thought. It involved multiple phone calls to my father-in-law, who is a contractor, borrowing saws from our neighbor, and trips to the computer in the basement to watch the YouTube video.

The problems (besides the toothbrush):

• a spinning toilet bolt that needed to be cut off
• the toilet water lever not turning the water off completely
• leaking pipes
• dropping the bolt into the sewer main
• no snake
• losing the plastic snapper part to the poo-filled garbage can

The solutions:

• turning off the water to the whole house
• a hack saw for the bolt and cutting our grabber tool up so it would function sort-of like a snake
• lots of towels while we figured it out (thanks YouTube)
• pushing from one direction with a flashlight and chop stick and the other using the modified snake
• lightly caulking the bolt cover to the toilet

The funniest thing is that until I pulled out the flashlight, we were literally fishing in the dark. The flashlight showed us exactly where the pink Snoopy toothbrush was. I grabbed the chop stick and pushed it the only way I could--up from the bottom. Then the toothbrush got lost in the bowels of the toilet. My husband pushed the snake-like thing from the bowl to the bottom, but the toothbrush didn't come with it. We looked and looked from the bottom up. Then he looked in the bowl and there was the disgusting pink toothbrush, lying in the bowl.

I now can take off a toilet. I hope we never have to do this again.

I didn't want to re-learn that.

***WARNING. UNSANITARY POST**

Growing up with small bathroom where the toilet was adjacent to the sink, I learned early about unclogging toilets and how important it is to pull out foreign objects (like hair brushes) before flushing. My mom tells a story about the time she had to pull the toilet off the floor to retrieve a stuck hairbrush.

This knowledge was reinforced on my mission when a stray pen fell from the hair of a visiting sister as she was flushing. We didn't think it was a problem until the toilet stopped working. Our landlord threatened us with a huge fee if it were our fault (he really was a nice guy). But after multiple tries snaking the toilet, he decided to try one last time (and if it worked he promised God he wouldn't charge the "sisters"--it worked [don't ever tell me God doesn't watch out for Mormon missionaries]).

Fast forward a number of years. F-- has decided that the toilet is cool. He likes pulling out the plunger. He likes treating them as garbage cans, disposing of diapers and other rubbish in the bowl--but not flushing, thank goodness. I have taken to keeping the bathroom doors shut.

Today S-- and F--switched toothbrushes and brushed their own teeth. I heard a yell and "toothbrushes don't go in the potty!!!!" from my husband. Then S-- ran to the same bathroom to relieve himself--on top of the toothbrush. Then my husband flushed. I was nursing, so I vowed to take care of it later--I would reach into the pee water, retrieve the toothbrush, dispose of the toothbrush outside so no one would be tempted to use it, and then wash my hands well. But when I was done nursing, burping, dressing, brushing teeth, etc., the toilet toothbrush had slipped my mind. It was out of mind until hours later, I went to use the toilet.

As I flushed I remembered that the toothbrush was stuck down the hole. I hoped that it would pass through the P-trap without problem, but I soon found out that that wasn't the case. Now the plungers we inherited with out house are not the best plungers in the world, but I went at my job, shooing my husband (who is too sanitary to stick his hand into pee-water) and children out of the bathroom so I could work in solitude.

I plunged, and plunged, and flushed.

No success.

I repeated plunging and flushing.

No success.

I repeated again.

No success.

My husband retrieved the grabber tool and I attempted grabbing the still unseen toothbrush.

No success.

I came downstairs and googled "toothbrush stuck in the toilet." Then I called my husband, who had left for work, and asked him to bring a wax toilet ring home with him so that we can take the toilet off the floor tonight after the wee ones are in bed. (Quite a date night, right?)

I'll post pictures of the process, just in case any of you have the same problem in the future.

I think this time I've learned--get the item out of the potty ASAP!

Goldilocks and the three little boys . . .

Once upon a time there was a little girl who had golden ringlets, at least when she slept on pink curlers, she had ringlets; at other times she had braids. She was a beautiful little girl and so kind to those around her, but don't ask her younger sister who might show scars that would suggest otherwise. She loved wandering through the neighborhood, spreading joy to all around her. One day she wandered into a house she had never seen before and met a handsome young prince. Now, this young prince was often sleepy--he could fall asleep anywhere and at anytime--but Goldilocks loved him and decided to spend the rest of time with him.

(The so-called "sleepy" prince would like to add that the little princess had, unbeknownst to him, procured the services of a rather shadowy figure (a witch, not doubt)--the identity of whom has remained mysteriously concealed to this day--to cast a wicked (and wickedly effective) little incantation on him. Contrary to what she would lead you to believe, the little prince could not fall asleep "anywhere and at anytime"; rather, it was only when visiting her home that he would fall into a suspiciously deep and peaceful sleep. Indeed, the specificity of such soporific spells is rather suspect, is it not, dear reader?)

Well, time passed and before they knew it, Goldilocks was returning from the hospital with a little boy. This little boy (#1 or S--) was a joy. He was interested in everything around him. He ate like a champion. He was a fantastic traveler (and travel he did--by the time he was 18 months, he had visited Utah twice, Arizona twice, Massachusetts twice, England once, and lived in Spain for 6 months).

Time passed again, and Goldilocks and her sleepy (ahem, "sleepy") prince came home from the hospital with another little boy. This little boy (#2 or F--) was also a joy, but in a different way than his brother. He was a picky eater (no veggies except sweet potato french fries) but loved following what his older brother would do. He didn't travel as much (once to Utah and once to Arizona) and he didn't sleep as much, but he loved inviting all things with him on trips around town ("Book come?")

Time passed again, and Goldilocks and her sleepy prince were surprised by another little boy. This little boy (#3 or A--) came bigger than his older brothers and looked a lot like #1 did as a baby. Initially Goldilocks and the prince were overwhelmed. Goldilocks was anemic and dealing with postpartum emotions. #3 was a good eater like his older brother, but he had a hard time burping. He grew quickly, but leaked through the disposable diapers that seemed a necessity for proper c-section recovery.

Before Goldilocks and her prince knew it, they were the parents of three little boys. Not only were there the typical difficulties of new babies--always hungry, always sleepy, always wanting to be held--but it was complicated by two older brothers who loved kissing, petting, helping, and mauling Baby A--. The older siblings started acting up a little, especially because they were off schedule and stir-crazy from being home for so long. F-- woke up every hour one night, until Goldilocks and her prince brought him into bed with them. He also protested more at bedtime, and since he was no longer in a crib, would go for midnight strolls through the house. There were a few days when Goldilocks was sure that she was the worst mother in the world, but she tried taking a step back and following the advice of a friend--do the things that make you like being a mom--and that made it a little better. (She also started feeling better too, which always helps.)

Goldilocks and her sweet family haven't quite made it back to normal. The prince returns to work full-time this coming week. S-- will start preschool again sometime this month. But with the c-section recovery, Goldilocks still avoids lifting things (including children) and bouncing up and down the stairs too much (and engaging in a certain activity that shall not be mentioned in this family-friendly blog--wink, wink). She is over three weeks in and all seems to be going well.

And they all lived happily ever after . . .

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

Meeting Santa for the first time at the ward Christmas party.

Santa brought more trains for the boys to share.

Santa baby
Grandparents with Santa baby

Every baby in our house gets a puppy. Meet Taca.

A teepee from Mom and Dad and Grandma Nicci and Grandpa Harold.
(Note. Don't buy this pattern!)

We went all out for the table. Notice my birthday tablecloth, the monogrammed napkins we received four Christmases ago, and the china I never pull out.

If you want to see all our Christmas pictures, click here.

Pre and Post

5:00 am on Dec. 16. I am 39 5/7 weeks pregnant.

Little boy #3
7 lb. 12 oz. 19 1/2 inches.

Meeting the new brother.

Coming home.

The only current family picture. Don't mind the flat hair--I wasn't up to blow drying yet.