Swim Lessons with Grandma and Grandpa

Last week we were lucky enough to have my parents visit for a couple of days so we packed in the fun. We went bowling, out to eat and to Joseph's first swim lesson.
The boys LOVED bowling!Can you see it's past Justin's bedtime?Meeting Darren downtown for lunch.Joseph's first lesson was great! He was very nervous and very hesitant to get in the pool. I walked him down to the pool and stayed by the side while he got in, looking terrified. I didn't dare leave him for fear he'd jump back out after me. Then to test the kids' ability levels, the first thing they did was ask everyone to dunk their heads. Joseph just stood there and shook his head. It was pretty funny. About this time, one of the coordinators came over and shooed me away to the bleachers, telling me he'd do better if I was out of sight now. She was right. Joseph was coaxed into kicking his feet behind him and laying on his back to kick. He'd look over at us once in awhile and smile with a thumbs up. This is going to be a very good thing!

It was so great to have my parents here. They make my life easier when they're here: doing my dishes, giving me a break from the kids, taking us out to eat. Joseph had a hard time saying goodbye so quick and Justin hasn't stopped talking about Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!

Curious George and the Dentist

We've been enjoying our Children's Museum membership once or twice a week lately because 1)our membership ends at the end of the month and 2)there is the most adorable Curious George exhibit on display there that my boys have been loving. It's getting tricky to take both my boys there these days because they often want to go in opposite directions. So Justin and I have been going on our own during Joseph's preschool so he can run the show. It's been so fun to spend that time with him and be able to give him my full attention. And it feels relaxing to only have one kid to keep track of!Joseph just keeps showing me how grown up he's getting! I haven't taken him to the dentist in a year and a half because the last time we were there, he was a wreck. He clung to my leg and buried his face and wouldn't sit in the chair. It was pretty pointless. So I didn't know what to expect when we went yesterday. I asked a friend to watch Justin and prepped Joseph as well as I could. He was determined to be brave and even sounded sincerely excited about it all day. When we drove up, I could see him getting uneasy about the whole thing, but he did so great! He was very quiet, but was a perfect patient. Except for the fact that he spit his flouride water all over the hygienist before she had the spit cup up to his mouth. It was hilarious. As we left he told me that the dentist was "the funnest thing ever!" What a turn around! We'll see how long that attitude lasts. I think he was mostly just proud of himself, as was I. The next test: swim lessons! He starts next week and he has a couple of friends in his class, so here's hoping I'm pleasantly surprised again!

Spring Fever (and other musings about my kids)

We enjoyed the most beautiful weather this week! It was such a wonderful taste of spring. But of course, it was just a tease, today we're back to the rain and wind and I'm blogging about it now to remind myself that it wasn't just a dream. We had such a great time playing at the park and in the backyard for three days in a row. Joseph put his Christmas scooter to useand Justin found out he can make the big wheel go with his feet like a big boy now.
The kids were just as rejuvenated by the weather as I was. They were giddy with excitement at the park and because it's been months since they've been there, they were pleased to find that they could do more than the last time they were there. Joseph was brave enough to go down the fire pole all by himself for the first time and he couldn't get enough of it.Justin was just one of the kids, navigating the stairs and the slides like a pro and on a high from his newfound independence. He thought it was great that he could look down on me from up on the play structure. Where did my baby go?!I've never been so happy to see grass stains on Joseph's jeans and pick up pieces of wood chips off my rug! But my boys are also finding fun stuff to do inside. Here are their new favorite things to do. Joseph is getting ready for scouts by experimenting with knot tying. He uses his jumprope to tie up people, toys, furniture, etc. I'm glad he's moved on to furniture because a couple of weeks ago, I was getting tied up multiple times a day. Justin will line up his cars with intense focus for the longest time, just changing their configurations.Tonight we had the best time together playing with Legos. That sounds silly, I know. But the legos get pushed far under the bed and only get found every couple of months, so it's like they're new everytime they come out. We were sitting in Joseph's room after dinner and I was wondering how we were going to pass the hour before bedtime when I got them out. The three of us built tower after tower and they went to bed late because we were giggling and just enjoying each other so much. I would build the base, and then Justin would build the tower straight up while Joseph filled in around the tower and provided the imagination. We built a control tower for space ships, a temple, Daddy's building, and when we ran out of legos, we'd knock it down and start over. The boys were so cute working together and actually conversing. It's so fun to see them start to be able to communicate! Joseph would praise Justin or laugh at the excited noises he kept making. And Justin kept laughing and saying, "funny shuh shuh" (the adorable way he says "Joseph"). It was just one of those times when it feels so good to be a mom. I thought I should record it so I can go back and read it when I'm having one of the times it doesn't feel good to be a mom.

More fun in Utah!

Yes, we are so spoiled. We (me and the boys, we left Darren home to work), took another trip to Utah just to hang out with family. And that's just what we did: hang out with each other and enjoy each other. I got a new camera and it's taken me awhile to figure out how to get my pictures off of it. But I finally did it. So here's my favorites.
Look at these cute kids! These girls are the reason I love to go to Utah often. They grow and change too fast.4 generations of Mangums.My Dad and Justin in that beautiful Utah snow.Playing Guitar Hero at my sister's house. So I know I'm way behind on this Wii thing. I'd never played Guitar Hero before this night, but it was so stinking fun! I wasn't very good on the guitar, and Joseph on drums kept yelling at me because I kept making us lose. It was so funny. Justin and Joseph LOVED the drums. But look at what a cute guitar rocker Joseph is too.Justin was mesmerized.We also had the opportunity to go to the Draper Temple open house and it was the most beautiful experience! My mom watched the two littlest grandkids while my sister, Michelle and I took our oldest kids to the temple. (Thanks, Mom!) It was so amazing to walk through that temple with Joseph and talk about the rooms and how special of a place it is. Joseph kept saying, "It's so beautiful!" My favorite part was the sealing room. To look in those mirrors with him, the place where my sealing began, and talk about being a forever family was something I'll never forget. It was a literal reminder that I need to be living worthy of the blessing of being with that little boy forever. I am so grateful for the blessing of temples on this earth today and for the opportunity to have felt the Spirit in the temple with my son.

Idol Worship

I've identified a few cases of idol worship going on today, starting with myself:

I confess, I adore American Idol and I'm so glad it's back! It really is the best reality show on TV. I'm loving the new judge, Kara. Isn't she just fitting right in? After 8 years there's been some years that have flopped and some that I've loved. I'm not a fan of Fantasia or even David Cook. But how can you not love the show that gave us Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood? (Yes, I love Clay Aiken!) Not to mention some of my lesser-known faves that have done well: Elliott Yamin, Josh Gracin and Jon Peter Lewis. Ok, so Jon Peter Lewis didn't really hit it big, but I think he's adorable.
So now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me tell you about a little more idol worship going on in my house. In this case, Joseph is the idol and Justin is the worshiper. These days they're either giggling like girls or fighting to the death. Which leaves me either smiling in complete motherly love, or pulling my hair out. Can I expect this to just continue no matter how old they get? Anyway, Justin copies EVERYTHING Joseph does. If Joseph gets a car from his room and starts racing around the rug, Justin follows. If Joseph says something that gets a laugh, Justin repeats it as best he can. If Joseph is laughing at the cartoon on TV, Justin starts laughing too. But my favorite incident has to do with Joseph's beloved blankie. If you didn't already know, Joseph has a fleece blanket with tied tassles that he's loved since he was a baby. He holds on to his favorite long tassle while he sucks his thumb. So the other day while Joseph was with his blankie on the couch watching TV, Justin took off for his room, came out with a fleece blanket with tassles of his own, got back on the couch and held onto a tassle while he sucked his thumb. It was hilarious. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture.

And finally, I'm thinking about our historic inauguration day today. It seems as though celebrities and the media all have stars in their eyes for Obama and I'm annoyed. It's like the man can do no wrong and he hasn't even done anything yet. Although I didn't vote for Obama and I heartily disagree with him on a lot of points, I don't get a bad vibe from him. I get the feeling that he is truly invested in what's best for America, has good leadership qualities, and is a decent, God-fearing man. So of course as an American, I support him as my President and I hope that he really is able to bring about positive change for our country. But sheesh! The people who rule the airwaves sure made it known today that they're thrilled they got who they wanted in office! How many red-carpet parties and concerts were going on today? Celebrities were on every channel tonight, going crazy for their new main man. I get that they're expressing their patriotism, but it's just obnoxious how they can all get together with a bunch of televised parties to do it. It's like the celebrities have welcomed our new President and First Lady into their popular clique, and I'm very wary of who celebrities choose to put on their pedestals.

What to do on a rainy day?

Living in Seattle comes with its share of rainy days, especially this time of year. And it's about this time of the winter after the holidays, that I long for spring. So I've been compiling a little list for myself of fun things to do on "rainy days" when I'm stuck inside the house looking for something to do with my boys other than sit in front of the TV. Some of the ideas are from magazines or friends and some of them are Joseph's creations or really simple things.

1. Bowling. You can use empty water bottles or 2 liter bottles. Set 'em up and knock 'em down.

2. Build a fort with chairs, couches and blankets. We like to read stories in ours or play Uno.

3. Make "spider webs." Joseph loves to tape yarn up across doorways and furniture to make spiderwebs.

4. Good old fashioned hide and seek.

5. Sock war. Also a Parent magazine idea. Grab a bunch of rolled up socks and throw them at each other from behind couches.

6. Dance Party! Very good for getting energy out when stuck in the house.

7. Bathtime in the middle of the day. Why not? And I don't know why I never thought of this, but someone told me they blow bubbles for their kids in the tub. I thought that was brilliant. I hate blowing bubbles in the house because they make the floor sticky, and outside they blow away too fast. The bathtub is the perfect place!

8. Inside picnic. Lay out a blanket in the living room and eat sandwiches. Joseph likes to pretend we're at the beach. :)

9. Play with flashlights in a dark room. Show off your shadow puppet skills.

10. Play dough. I've found that if I put on some kid music, Joseph plays longer as he sings along.

11. Why not go out in it? Joseph loves to hold his own umbrella and we count snails as we walk the block.

What do you like to do on a rainy day?

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

What a wonderful Christmas season we had! I never wanted it to end. We spent Christmas in Oregon with Darren's parents, two sisters and one brother. It was so fun to be with family and my boys loved playing with their cousins. We got out of Seattle right before the last bad snow storm that cancelled our church. Halelujah! It only rained in Eugene. We talked and played games, went out to eat and saw some movies. It was so relaxing and fun. Check out all these boy cousins:
Joseph was pumped about Santa! Justin was a little overwhelmed. But once all the toys were opened, he was in heaven.
New Year's Eve was fun too! My old roomie, Jessica and her husband Jason came over after the kids went to bed and we played cards, ate junk food and drank sparkling juice from our wine goblets.


We are so grateful for fabulous famiy and friends to share the holidays with and we wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2009!