Oh My!

So, my friend Brooke said she wanted to see those owl glasses I was talking about in my "Tagged" post. Well, here they are. And, as a bonus, you get a picture of the hideous bow I was talking about, too. :) How embarrassing!

Oh, and here's the awful perm!
I'm beginning to think it's a wonder I had any friends back then. :)

Bugga Scooting

Well, in case you haven't noticed yet, we don't have audio on our camera, so visual will just have to suffice for now. :) On Tuesday this week, Bugga started scooting. It's amazing how quickly he has become quite proficient at it. Tuesday he was really struggling. He would bury his head in the ground and dig his big tow into the carpet and stretch out like a piece of taffy being pulled. Now, two days later, this is how he scoots. Pretty good, huh?! Way to go Bugga!

P.S. The diaper is clean. :)

Black

The Chief's sister, Sooz, was in town this last weekend. She stayed with us, much to Buddha's delight, and we got to hang out all weekend! On Saturday, she dyed my hair for me. I'm starting to go grey, so I wanted to cover that up, and maybe spice things up a bit with a warmer, darker brown. Well, warmer, darker brown ended up being brassy and orange. So, I threw my hands up and said, "What the heck, let's do it black!" I've had almost black hair before, and I really liked it, so I wasn't too worried about this change. Well, Sooz had to dye my hair two more times (bless you, you sweet girl!) before it was all well and covered. I love it! Black is exotic, dark, mysterious, flirtatious, and sexy. It's basically everything I haven't felt like since before I settled down and had two kids (not that I would change that for the world). :) I'm having fun with my new hair and I'm especially grateful that the grey is gone...for now. Sooz also gave The Chief and me the chance to go on a date - something we haven't done for a REALLY long time. It was fun! Thanks, Sooz! Here are a couple of pictures showing how much fun Buddha has with his Aunt Sooz. He adores her. These are from Christmas because I didn't take any pictures when she came this last week.

Tagged

This was fun. I got tagged by my friend, Brooke, and in turn, I am tagging the following people:

Abby
Ember
Kari
Karin
Lisa

If you've already done this, or you don't really want to, just ignore my little challenge/tag. :) I won't be offended. But, I thought it looked fun, so if you decide to go for it, we'll all love being filled in on...you! :) Just copy and paste the following questions and answers into a post on your own blog. Then erase my answers and insert your own.

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was just finished with (or finishing) my sophomore year of high school, and I was getting ready to move to Chile with my family. I was sad and frustrated about having to leave my friends, not being able to get my driver's license after all, and not being able to go on a date with the guy I had a crush on at the time (I wasn't 16 yet). :) I got over it and enjoyed my time in Chile, though!

What were you doing one year ago?
Let's see...one year ago I was toward the end of my first trimester of pregnancy with Bugga. I was probably lolling about on the couch, bemoaning my sensitive stomach and stuffing myself full of Saltines. No, I'm just kidding. We had actually just moved to San Diego, and I was probably visiting Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the beach on a regular basis.

Five Snacks You Enjoy:
- Whole wheat bread and milk and cheese and raisins (I know it sounds interesting, but it's actually really good!)
- Honey toast (on whole wheat sunflower seed bread...mmm...I'm hungry) :)
- Veggies
- Fruits
- Whole wheat waffles with spy maple syrup
- Homemade nutty granola with plain yogurt (sorry, I know I'm supposed to do five, but I'm a HUGE snacker, so I've got tons of favorite snacks) :)

Five Songs You Know All The Words To:
- Bah, Bah Black Sheep
- ABC's
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- The Daddy Song
- The Mommy Song
(Sorry guys, I know this is pathetic, but any other music we listen to is usually just instrumental)

Five Things You Would Do If You Were A Millionaire:
- Definitely get a spacious home with a big backyard in a family-oriented neighborhood
- Buy a whole bunch of baby stuff that I'm always wanting to get
- Shop at the health food stores that I never go to now because they're just too expensive
- Go on vacation to Norway with The Chief and the kids
- Invest in real estate and get even richer :)

Five Bad Habits:
- Staying up too late!
- Cracking my knuckles
- The Chief says I chew with my mouth open, though I disagree. :)
- Reacting before thinking (this one is especially bad when you have a toddler)
- Leaving my kids in their diapers too long

Five Things You Like Doing:
- Reading
- Blogging
- Browsing Craigslist and other Internet sites for great deals
- Walking
- Tanning (I know, I know, beware of skin cancer and all that...blah, blah, blah...I need sunshine like I need air!)

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again:
- Brooke had it right when she said anything tapered (I agree 100%)
- My first pair of glasses (just picture an owl and you're seeing my frames) :)
- Big, huge, ruffly, clip-on hair bows
- A perm
- My "fat" clothes...I refuse to ever go back there

Five Favorite Toys:
- My books are my toys
- Stroller
- Computer
- Digital camera
- Video camera
(These are all basically the same as yours, Brooke. I guess I just don't have many toys of my own. I love my kids' toys because they free me up!) :)

Bugga's 6-Month Stats

We took Bugga to his 6-month checkup on Friday (one week late...I'm always late). :) He is doing awesome and he is a big kid! He weighs 17lbs. 3oz. (43rd percentile), and he is 28in. tall (91st percentile)!! His head circumference is 18in. which is the 92nd percentile, so he's definitely taking after his Daddy and big brother. :) He's growing like a weed and wants to eat all the time...even with adding solid foods to his diet. The doctor said that once Bugga starts scooting (he's so close) and crawling, he'll probably thin out even more since he's so tall. It's funny how two siblings can be so different. Buddha takes after me - short and stout. :) Bugga has Bagel genes in him - tall and lean. I wonder what the next kid will be like? Maybe tall and stout? :) Here are some Bugga pictures for your enjoyment.

Cute little telephone, eh?

Bugga ALWAYS has his mouth wide open! :)

Check out those teeth!

Bugga and Big Bear

Trying to fly!

Bugga with his much-adored big brother, Buddha. :)

Freecycle

Like our new swing? I found it...for FREE!! Recently, I was told by a couple of friends about a site called Freecycle. The purpose of this site is to keep stuff out of land fills for as long as possible by recycling your old stuff rather than dumping it. The really cool thing about this site is that everything is free - hence the name Freecycle - and if someone wants what you're offering, they have to come pick it up (no more carting loads over to DI if you have something someone else can use). You can go to the link above (or on the side bar) to find your local Freecycle group (they are all over the world) and sign up to start getting rid of old stuff or start searching for things you need. As they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure!" This swing needed a little TLC (and a whole lot of Clorox wipes and bleach) and some new batteries, but after the clean-up, it was as good as new and Bugga loves it. A great find for free if I do say so myself. My back is thanking me anyway. :) Now get Freecycling!

Recap of "Bagels of Our Lives"

Last night on Bagels of Our Lives, Buddha managed to sleep the whole night away without falling out of bed once! Oh, he tossed and he turned. He slept backwards and sideways. But he never fell out of bed! Bugga also had a good night. He didn't fall asleep until about 9pm, but he didn't wake up again all night long. That means that Liz had a great night, too, which is good since she's been sick with a sore throat and cold. The Chief, to round off our recap, stayed up WAY too late reconfiguring his computer, but claims he'll survive. We shall see. So, will tonight be just as perfect with Buddha? Will he remain in bed without a fight and stay there without rolling onto the pillowed ground below? And will Bugga sleep the whole night through again? What about The Chief? Will he stay up to late doing computer stuff, or will the promise of a sunny day for golf put him in bed at a decent hour? All this, and more, coming up next time on Bagels of Our Lives. Now, stay tuned for As the Bagel Turns where we'll find out if Bugga is going to start scooting soon. After that, your local news.

Naughty Spot

Today The Chief and I were having a heated discussion in front of Buddha. We usually try to keep our disagreements behind closed doors in an effort to maintain a semblance of harmony, but this time we were just a little too intense to stop and move. Well, good little Buddha took care of that for us. He suddenly piped up with, "You two need a go on a naughty spot!" So, we did. And we finished our discussion there on the naughty spot (in the entry by our front door) in a much calmer and more rational manner. Then Buddha came and got us saying, "It's 10 minutes! Time to get out." (No, I don't put my toddler on the naughty spot for ten minutes for all you out there thinking I'm a terrible mom - he stays for two minutes...I don't know where he got 10.) It's nice to have children to remind us exactly how we should and shouldn't be acting. Thanks Buddha!

Buddha's Toddler Bed!

Yesterday I went into the boys' room during Buddha's "quiet time" to feed Bugga and put him down. To my dismay, I found Buddha attempting to climb out of his crib! Well, that's it. Bye bye crib. We took off the sides and converted Buddha's crib into a toddler bed right then and there. We weren't about to have him flopping to the floor from his crib rail during a "nap" some time. Buddha has been super excited about this conversion. He often goes running into his bedroom, jumping onto his bed and jumping right back off...just because he can. He gets this little goofy grin on his face as a result of his new-found freedom. Well, needless to say, last night was interesting. When we first put Buddha down for bed, he lasted about 20 minutes before he very matter-of-factly opened his door, slipped out, and shut his door again. He looked at me and said, "I wake up!" I put him back in bed saying, "It's time for night-night, Buddha." A little while later, I heard him playing with the door stop on the other side of his door. Again I put him back in bed, saying only, "It's bed time." I prepared myself for more. I thought it would be a big struggle with a battle of wills. But, happily, there was no more (it might have helped that he hadn't taken a nap yesterday). Buddha was asleep and the rest of the night went as follows:

10:00 pm - Buddha wakes up crying. I go in the bedroom to find him on his knees in the middle of his bed, whining and disoriented. Buddha goes back to sleep.

11:15 pm - I go into the bedroom to check on the boys. Buddha's bed is empty and the room is dark. On closer examination, I find Buddha curled up at my feet on the floor next to his door! :) I put him back in bed.

12:30 am - Bugga wakes up (teething issues, I think). I go in to nurse him and find Buddha face down in the pillow we strategically placed next to his bed for safety. I put him back in bed.

4:30 am - Bugga wakes up again (like I said, I think it's gotta be teething issues). Buddha is just fine! Woo hoo! :)

7:30 am - Buddha wakes up and opens his bedroom door looking quite pleased that he can just wake up and get out of bed himself. :) He said, "I wake up, Mommy!"

So here are some questions for you guys who have already been through all this. Did you find your kids all over their rooms the first couple of nights? Did your kids stay asleep when they fell out of bed? Did you leave them where they were if they stayed asleep or did you put them back in bed? Should I be getting those little side rail things? Will he eventually learn to stay in bed without those protective rails? Ah, what an adventure! :)

20:30 AM

This morning I asked Buddha what he wanted to eat for breakfast. I went through a number of options and he shot them all down. Finally, I came to apple slices. He paused and said, "I eat slices of apple at nine o'clock." I chuckled and told him that it was already nine thirty, so would he like to eat them now? He responded, "No, I eat them at twenty thirty." I laughed and let it go. Seconds later he looked at the clock and declared dramatically, "Oh! It's eight thirty o'clock. I eat apple slices now." I love kids! If it's really true that laughter is the best medicine (and I think it is) then everyone needs kids in their life.

"No, my ball is orange!"

The Chief was putting around the house with Buddha the other day. Buddha has his own set of plastic golf clubs from Wal-Mart with green plastic golf balls. The Chief asked Buddha what color his ball was, and he said, "Orange." The Chief said, "No, your ball is green." Buddha said, "My ball is orange." The Chief then asked him what color his own ball was (he putts around the house with regular white golf balls), and Buddha said, "Your ball is red." The Chief was really confused since Buddha has no trouble with colors. Then a thought dawned on him and he continued asking Buddha, "What color was Mommy's ball?" Without hesitation, Buddha replied, "Green!" The Chief went on, "What color was Grandma's ball?" "Purple." And, "What color was Grandpa's ball?" Again, no pause when Buddha responded, "Yellow!" He was telling The Chief what all the colors of our balls were when we went miniature golfing on April 26th! Granted, it hasn't even been a month, but we never actually noted the colors of our balls around him, and we haven't talked about them since then! Talk about attention to detail. Buddha has an amazing memory. When The Chief was telling me about this incident, Buddha was standing close by and again he filled in all the colors while The Chief related the story. Again, no hesitation, and he was totally right the second time as well! Our son never ceases to amaze me!

Buddha's First Bike!

Buddha got his first bike today! The Chief dropped it off at the house while Buddha was still napping, then took off to the golf course for some chipping and putting. Buddha woke up while The Chief was still gone and boy did he get excited! He put on his helmet right away and set about "waiting" for Daddy. He kept asking me, "please Mommy, please you put it together." When I told him I couldn't build his bike for him and that Daddy had to do it, he said, "please, Daddy wanna come home and build my bike, please, please!" I called The Chief a few times before he realized his phone was buzzing in his pocket (it's always on vibrate) and he called me back. Luckily he was on his way home. He built Buddha's bike for him and told him they could go outside and test it out for a few minutes before dinner, and then go back out again after dinner. However, when dinner was ready just five minutes after they had gone outside, Buddha wasn't having it! He did not want to come back in so soon. I felt so bad for him! He cried and cried and screamed and cried, with big tears rolling down his cheeks. He just didn't get it that we were going to go back out right after dinner. I guess delayed gratification isn't something a two-year-old should be expected to have mastered. :) But the funny part is that when we went back out after dinner, he was more interested in running around than riding his bike. I guess the kid must have been going stir crazy indoors. :)

Random Pictures and Funny Stories

This is how we found Buddha after his "quiet time" one day. He must have gotten pretty bored in his crib (that's his tank top). :)

The other day as The Chief was walking out the door, he asked me to grab him a Slim Fast shake. After he left, Buddha said, "Mom, I need a Slim Fast shake, too." So, I got him one and his breakfast was Slim Fast and "Rachel Ray" crackers (aka Wheat Thins...she used to be on the box, so that's what he calls them).

Buddha saying his prayers. He has a hard time closing his eyes (I think he's afraid he'll miss something), so he's squeezing them shut here. :)

Cute boy! You can see his two bottom teeth (little white buds). :)

I'm not sure if you can tell because I had to resize the picture for the blog, but Bugga has green eyes. They're pretty awesome!

Mother's Day

I just wanted to put a little blurb on here to thank all you mothers out there and let you know how loved and appreciated you are! In particular, I want to say how much I love, appreciate, admire, and hope to someday emulate my own mom, Mom; my sister, Auntie; my Granny; my Grandma; and my mother-in-law, Grandma Bagel. You are all wonderful, inspirational people. Thank you for "putting up with me" (that's for you, Mom), loving me, teaching me, guiding me, helping me, disciplining me, and shaping me to become the person I am today. I have gleaned vital information and life lessons from you all. I love you and hope you have had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Short Video Clip of Bugga

Here's little Bugga playing with one of Buddha's monster trucks. I love this video because it was shot just after Bugga had a bath and he has his little fro hair. :) At the end of the video, when he looks up, he smiles because he's found Daddy grinning at him.

Crazy Sacrament Meeting

This last Sunday we were invited to the baby blessing of Halle, Lisa and Kevin's baby girl. Lisa advised us to arrive early since there would be five baby blessings that day!! I have never, ever been to a sacrament meeting with five baby blessings, but it turns out there were actually six! Lisa let us know that their ward extends into the cultural hall on a regular basis, so you can all imagine what it was like with the added volume of visitors for six baby blessings! By the time all the blessings were over and the sacrament had been administered (water had to be blessed multiple times), there were only six minutes left for testimonies. There were four or five testimonies, one of which was a lovely, heart-felt testimony from Lisa about her love for her family and her gratitude for the eternal nature of families. The other testimony that I remember, in fact, it's one that I don't think I'll ever forget, was offered by a boy who looked about 10 or 11 years old. He stood up and began with, "I'd like to bear my testimony about my dog. One of them died." He proceeded to inform us that they had taken the dog to the vet and the vet had told them the dog was going to die. "No he's not," the boy replied, "I'm going to pray." But the dog still died, the boy admitted. So, what does he do? "I prayed for the dog to come back to life." But it didn't, he admitted. Why? "Because that doesn't exist." And here, the boy turned away from the podium and made like he was going to return to his seat. The Bishop quietly prompted him to close properly and the boy hurriedly mumbled, "in the name of...." Honestly, I still don't know what to make of it. It was bizarre, to say the least. But, I commend the young man for his bravery! Thanks for including us in your wonderful, happy day, Lisa and Kevin! We had a great time. We love you guys.

Another Tooth!

I found Bugga's second bottom center tooth trying to break through his gums on Sunday! I can't believe how fast he's getting teeth. It seems like it took Buddha so much longer. Well, I guess he started getting teeth later, but it also seems like his teeth took longer to actually descend or ascend through his gums. Bugga's mouth can't be feeling good right now, and it's fairly obvious that he's affected by his teething since he can't put himself to sleep lately. I have to bounce with him and pat him until he falls asleep. I think he can't calm himself through the pain. I guess I can't blame him. I may not be able to remember what teething felt like, but I can only imagine it's painful when you think about bone tearing its way through your gums! :) Happy teething, Bugga!

Hmmmm....

Nice pictures. We'll have a talk later, Chief. :) Just kidding! I'm actually really flattered that my husband is so proud of me that he'd put my pictures on our blog...that he hardly ever checks unless I pester him to participate. :) Thanks for all the nice compliments and comments, everyone. It has been hard work, but definitely worth it. I feel better than I have in a long time!

Pictures of Liz

Okay, this is probably going to really embarrass Liz, but I think she is amazing and I am really proud of all her hard work. I think you guys will be amazed at the change she's undergone, too. She asked me to take some pictures of her today so that she could always remember where she's been and that she doesn't want to be there ever again. These are the pants she was "squeezing into" (her words, not mine) just after Bugga was born in November last year. Crazy. She has cut out most unhealthy food and she added regular exercise to her routine. That isn't easy with everything else she has on her plate: one husband, two kids, and a household to take care of. She has worked hard and I think she's awesome!

Hmmm...What to Eat....???

I'm taking a poll. I want to know if anyone else out there has the problems I have with meal time. First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I aspire to be the perfect homemaker, wife, mother, lover, etc. However...I am far from it. I like to think I'm domestic. I clean the house, take care of the kids, grocery shop, do laundry, yada yada yada. But I want to be the perfect little domestic woman, and every day I get stumped by one thing...you ready? Dun dun duh....Dinner. I know, anticlimactic, isn't it? My biggest problem is figuring out what to make. Can anyone out there relate? No, you all probably have this down to an art. I've been married four years and I still can't figure out what to make for dinner. Pretty pathetic. But it doesn't stop there. I also struggle with having preparation time and timing my preparation so it's not during Bugga's feeding or Bugga's bed time. And then there's the clean up! Oh but that's a whole different story. When preparation, eating, and clean up are done...I want to kill myself...but I'm too exhausted by then. :) So, let's address the first problem - what to eat? I spent 20 minutes tonight surfing different recipe websites, trying to find something quick, easy, and meatless. My goodness, there's hardly anything out there that's meatless!! What do all you vegetarians eat?? I finally gave up and made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches...hardly your health fest, but dinner nonetheless. I was quite proud of myself for whipping out even that. I get pretty ashamed of myself when I think about the women who crossed the plains during the pioneer era. They made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for their families. And they were life-sustaining meals! I can't even get dinner for my family, and I know it's important not just for the meal, but also for the "together time." Sometimes I resent food when it takes up too much of my time, but the amount of time I spend on food doesn't even come close to the day-long rituals followed by pioneer women. They planted their food, cultivated their food, harvested their food, prepared their food, cooked their food, ate their food (probably the best part of the whole process), and cleaned up after their food...only to start all over again for the next meal. Again, I'm ashamed. :) So, I want to know what you all do. I'm sure you're all way ahead of me on the road to domestic perfection. So, come on, let's hear it! I need all the help and ideas I can get! Calling all domestic goddesses....

From My Brother-In-Law...

My name is Jarem Frye. When I was fourteen years old I was diagnosed with bone cancer. This was a shock to my family whose only experience with cancer was the death of my grandmother ten years earlier. She had fought a painful battle with cancer and lost. Now my parents feared the same for me.

Thanks to a decade of advancements, however, I had better fortune than my dear grandma. After enduring nearly two years of intense chemotherapy, and the amputation of my left leg above the knee, I can gratefully say that I am alive and well. I am also proud to announce that I am a new dad! This means a lot to me because my treatment left me with very little chance of having children.

Sadly, several friends I made during my time in the hospital didn’t survive to live their dreams. Even now cancer kills as many mothers, fathers, siblings and friends as we lost in the terrorist attacks of 9.11 every two days!

Since I beat cancer I have accomplished many things I was told would never be possible. I became the first above knee amputee to telemark ski, wakeboard, and rock climb on the pro level. 
This summer I will be riding in a 100 mile bicycle ride called the CT Challenge to raise money for cancer research. I have set a goal to raise $10,000 dollars to help make our future safer than our past. I am working hard to raise this money and to reach the level of fitness it will take to ride a hundred miles with only one leg.

I am trying to raise money for cancer, not because I am a cancer survivor myself, but to honor my grandmother's life and to improve my new son’s and all of our children's lives. I would be greatly honored if you will help me reach my goal of raising $10,000 for this effort. Donations are tax deductible and you can donate securely by visiting my page on the CT Challenge website.

Please consider donating to my ride by contributing just $1 per mile of this ride. If you can donate more, please do. You can donate by going to the CT Challenge website http://www.ctchallenge.com/ and entering Jarem Frye as the rider you would like to sponsor.

Thank you so much!
Jarem Frye

P.S. All proceeds will be given to the Yale Cancer Center for research.

Whose Shorts are These?

So, The Chief and I have been making a strong effort to get into shape, and we've seen some really great results! The Chief is down to about 190 lbs. from 220 lbs. and I'm down to 129 lbs. from 148 lbs! Yesterday, The Chief decided he was going to go golfing in the morning and the temperature has really been rising rapidly here, so he opted to wear shorts. When he came out of the bedroom, he was grinning at me with this really goofy grin. I asked him what was up, but he remained silent. So, I set about studying him, only to realize with a jolt that he was comfortably wearing my shorts!!! I had purchased a pair of men's shorts for the summer after Buddha was born because women's shorts are rarely modest. The Chief actually bought the same style (just larger) when I bought mine. Since we've both lost so much weight, however, he now fits into my shorts. I promptly made The Chief strip down and when I tried them on, there was enough extra room for another whole person to fit in there with me! Woooo hoooo! I am so proud of us!