Sorenson Boys

Post Traumatic Soccer Disorder

2010-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

David, clad in CYSL Under-6 gear and equipped with a shiny new Size 3 ball, was so excited for his first soccer game that he could hardly contain himself. Jack was excited that I finally conceded to let him bring his favorite (empty) movie cases to play with at the game. He doesn't play.. he collects and carries. He is our hoarder, only interested in objects that can hold others. He cares little for what he collects as long as it fills his container. Once he managed to smuggle every piece of chalk from the gym in his lunchbox. Now, we do a strip search before we leave the Kids' Center. Since cases carry movies, they interest him. He will be one of those collectors that never takes the action figures out of the box but leaves them for display only. Odd.

David's excitement quickly turned to distress when we arrived at the field, where a dozen games were being played on carefully painted fields with spectators lined up to watch on every side. The hordes of people, the sounds of whistles blowing, coaches yelling instructions and the cheers from multiple sidelines overwhelmed him. Performance anxiety quickly set in. He threw himself upon the ground and started to bawl, begging to go home. He refused to join his teammates, apparently oblivious to the pressures of youth soccer. I was relieved that Grandpa Rick and Grandma Pam were there to assist, as Rich was working that day. After much coaxing, we got to the bottom of his fears. He was concerned about winning, that he wouldn't play well and that ALL these people would be watching him. My mind flashed back to weeks earlier when he witnessed us getting riled up over World Cup games and analyzing the various teams' performances. Being the observant child he is, he must have assumed that these soccer spectators would be judging him just as harshly. Poor kid. It took nearly 20 minutes to calm his hysterical cries and convince him that each person was only there to watch their own kid, that his performance was irrelevant and that we only wanted to see him have fun with his new friends. After promising a treat after the game if he merely stood with his team for the remainder of the warm-ups, he wiped his eyes, clutched his ball and trudged across the field to join the other Cubs. Seconds later, a referee called the kids over for the pre-game inspection. Just as I rejoined Rick, Pam and Jack on the sidelines, the coach called me back. Rich had bought David the wrong cleats. We would have to find a way to saw off the front cleat of each shoe before he would be allowed to play. Fighting the urge to punch both the coach and the ref in the face (who had both witnessed his breakdown and knew what it had taken for him to be willing to play), I dragged my dazed 5 year old back to the sidelines. When the situation was explained to David, he burst into tears, begging that his precious new cleats not be mutilated. It took nearly the entire first half of the game for Rick to wander the vast fields, locate someone with a razor and remove the cursed front cleats.

David, ostracized from his team, lay on our blanket emotionally spent. I sat and theorized as to why nothing ever goes smoothly for us... like Kindergarten, swimming lessons, etc. Did marrying on Friday the 13th really jinx us from having normal life experiences.... I mean Rich did buy the wrong cleats but is an abnormally uncoordinated 5 year old with an extra cleat really a danger? Or could they have let him play his FIRST game, then let us fix the problem before the next one? Don't they consider the implications of a child's first athletic experience and the lasting scars it can leave if it doesn't go well?!

To show she wasn't completely heartless, the coach let David do the kick-off for the second half. It was the last time he touched the ball, most likely for the remainder of the season. The ball is irrelevant to him. Soccer is about being around other kids and awaiting that moment when he is running side-by-side with one. His strengths are social, not physical. He has never really played by himself, nor shown interest in activities that didn't involve social interaction. Our soccer socialite spent the remainder of the game getting to know the players on both teams and picking grass, sometimes jogging behind the huddle as if trying to get a glimpse of what the fuss was all about, anticipating the chance to return to the sidelines to sit with the other subs and chat.

The next week, he lasted about 15 minutes of this until he told the coach he was done playing and wanted to go home. After some encouragement, he returned to the field and attempted to lift one of his buddies by grabbing him in a bear hug until they both fell and rolled around on the grass. Not once has he attempted to go near the ball. So we did what new soccer parents do... bought the official soccer pictures, feeling sure that this opportunity would not come again. We now look forward to watching Jack a few years down the road, who has already surpassed his big bro in speed and skills. We are proud of David though because he understand what life is really about... relationships, and the other kids seem to like him for that. He will always have friends. We are grateful for our unique children and the lessons they teach us.

Fort Bragg Weekend

2010-09-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Greatly in need of fresh, coastal air and some time away from the hubbub of home, we headed west for Memorial weekend, determined to hit ocean or bust. This was our first visit to Northern Cal's coastal hot-spot Fort Bragg since moving to Chico four years ago. We were due. It was the perfect mini-vacation. We enjoyed a scenic and surprisingly quiet 3+ hour drive, thanks to a portable DVD player and The Wizard of Oz. This movie became the theme of the weekend. Once we arrived, David assigned us each characters and we spent our hiking time reenacting the movie. Fortunately we heard it play enough times on the way that we were able to do it fairly accurately. David was the expert and was quick to correct us if lines weren't stated chronologically and correctly.

We arrived just in time to catch the sunset over the water and book one of the last available hotel rooms in town. Seriously. It was the only spot with a vacancy sign which changed only minutes after booking our room. For once, luck was on our side. The highlight of the weekend for the boys was play-time in the hotel. We gave them free reign of the room, resulting in serious bed jumping, cap-less markers and coloring books, as well as snacks, strewn about the room, and an underwear party (Jack wore his underwear over his diaper). Much giggling and exclamations of "This is the most awesome vacation ever!" ensued.

The weekend entailed:
1. A night of pizza and games, including a very competitive round of Dance Dance Revolution between Disco Stu and Hipster Jode.

2. Breakfast at a local diner where we were served the world's most delicious omelette.

3. A hike on the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, more commonly referred to as the Point Cabrillo Light House. Along the way, Dorothy (me) picked up the Scarecrow (David), the Tin Man (Rich) who's impression was impressively believable and the Cowardly Lion (Jack). Then we skipped our way to each historical building along the way singing "We're off to see the wizard...." to which Jack would point towards the Light House and yell "Wiz of Oz!" It felt so magical that David said, "You know, I think it's real. I think this really is Oz," as he tripped and casually stuffed his pretend straw back into his clothes.

4. Glass pebble collecting and rock climbing at Glass Beach. We were shocked to see David's sudden Scarecrow-induced bravery. He climbed tall rocks and explored the tide pools unassisted and unfazed when he slipped into one. For those who know David, this is a major improvement. He has previously been deathly-afraid of uneven surfaces, even crawling up the steps at the playground.

and 5. Shopping

Oh, and the fellow tourists at the Light House were forced to endure my spontaneous vocal rendition of "Under the Sea" in my best Sebastian the crab voice. At least the kids enjoyed it... or pretended to. They are very sensitive to mom's feelings when she is attempting to entertain them.

There is never a dull moment on a Sorenson Family Vacation and this one was no exception. The kids were better behaved than ever, and we returned feeling rejuvenated. Few things in life are as profound and refreshing as the feel of a crisp ocean breeze, the shimmering colors of the sun setting over water and the sound of powerful waves crashing against rocks. We all need moments to pause the internal chatter of our minds and actually feel (and interact with) the life around us. Nothing seems as effective for this as the ocean. I want one.

Our Kindergarten Kid

2010-08-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

This is my blog catch-up week before I begin teaching a new set of preschoolers. My old preschoolers have graduated into the big leagues of elementary school. David and Silas both started Kindergarten together last week at Rosedale Elementary, the site of the Spanish Immersion Program. The two boys were elated to discover they were in the same afternoon class and joined by David's long-time girlfriend Lydia (going on 2+ years... minus a few months when he was dating 7 year old Sierra... way to go little man). Apparently, girls are his problem as a couple of parents and the teacher have referred to him as "a big flirt." We're not sure who is more deserving of the credit for that skill, Rich or me... Yeah, yeah we all know it's Rich. :)

He could not have been more exciting for his first day of school, even flossing his teeth all by himself, wanting to look his best for Lydia (so he said). Unlike the kids clinging to their parents, David asked, "You're not staying, right Mom?" When I told him no, he shouted, "Yes!" with his fist in the air. Yep, I was the only one with tears that first day. What did Jack do as David got ready for school? He camped out in the hallway in a makeshift pillowcase sleeping bag. I guess with big brother gone, he was ready to catch up on some much needed R & R.

That first day Jack seemed lost without his big brother, wandering the house calling his name, but since then he has come to enjoy the one-on-one time with mom and the frequent visits to Dad's office, which is just a few blocks from the school. We've been doing some serious play with Cars and superheroes, as well as coloring and doing flash cards. Jack is pretty enthusiastic about learning and will be ready to join the big 3 year-olds in preschool soon.

David was not nearly as enthusiastic when I picked him up from school that first day. He trudged out the door somberly and announced, "The teacher said I was bad the whole time. I got a bad grade. You taught me to be a good kid mommy, but I'm never going to be good. Why is school so HARD?!" This was not encouraging feedback from his first day of Kindergarten. After much explaining of the differences between Transformer Preschool and Spanish Kindergarten as well as some tips for avoiding the "bad list," he was ready the next day to try again. After school I asked how it went. He said he had tried raising his hand when he wanted to speak, but the teacher didn't call on him. After explaining again why that is (33 students and 1 teacher), I asked him what he was going to say. He said, "I was going to say to the teacher: Is all this really necessary?" Ha! I wish she would have called on him. Hilarious. For the remainder of the week, he struggled with his name constantly ending up on the bad list. At Back to School Night, the teacher explained that he wants to roam the class and visit with each kid. Hmm I thought, "The teacher must not know any Sorensons because that is what they DO." None of them can exit a restaurant without meeting and greeting all the guests. I'm not sure how we will work around this. I started volunteering at school to be able to assess the situation and better help David adapt. The spanish is intimidating and overwhelming to him, as is to be expected. The other day he said, "I just don't know what 'como estas' means." When I told him that it means: how are you? he asked, "How do you say: not very well?" Both of his buddies are struggling with the motivation to go to school too, but we are hopeful that things will improve with time. Yesterday he told Rich and I that school made his tummy feel like the "Tower of Terror." Not good. We'll give it a few more weeks and see if things improve. Meanwhile, Rich and I are reading with him at home and giving him much love and encouragement. I guess that's all you really can do. What a brave little muchacho.

the Best Birthday Bashes

2010-08-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

We have the most incredible friends here in Chico, Cindy and Matt, who hosted not one, but two of our summer birthday bashes at their place. They were both the most amazing parties and we will be eternally grateful to them for making our big days so special. For Jack, they did a combined party with their birthday girl Jayden. There was much fun luau themed-food, combined with activities, crafts and a mini-pool with a slide. My mom, who was in town for the event, and I provided deviled-egg boats and apple frogs, bagels to decorate with animal faces and strawberry mice (to contaminate the boats and re-population themselves on the land of their final destination we decided... see, it fits the theme).

Jack loved the panda cake Cindy had made him. He continues to talk about it still calling it his "apple baby cake." ?? That's Jack and his creative language for you. The kid loves pandas and has an uncanny nack of finding one wherever we go. People are shocked to discover Jack finding pandas (toys, pics, etc) in their home that THEY didn't know about.

The day I returned home from the Seattle Ragnar was my 30th birthday. Instead of resting after 3 nights of very little sleep, I decided to live it up. Rich picked me up at the airport, and we headed straight to Lake Oroville to go boating with friends. Naturally, I had to ignore my tired, aching muscles and wakeboard, then attempt to clear the wake by jumping over the it, which I failed of course .... leading to the worst face-plant wipe-out in possibly wake-boarding history. Then we sat in the sun for the remainder of the day watching the kids play on the beach.... still failing to re-hydrate myself after the Relay. Then having not exhausted my aging body enough, we dropped the kids off at the babysitters and hit the town, meeting up with Rick, Pam and friends Cindy and Andy for some appetizers at Crush, then out for karaoke and dancing. Yes, I'm a glutton for birthday fun.

Needless to say, I woke up the next morning feeling far older than 30. I limped to the mirror to discover a split lip, a swollen eye and a large bump on my forehead. Ouch! The next day I was diagnosed with a kidney and bladder infection because of all the running, sun and too little hydration. By the weekend, I was recouped and ready for Rich and Cindy's co-planned 50's beach birthday party. What a turnout! There were decorations, a BBQ, a cake and a dance floor with a smoke machine and strobe lights. DJ Matt had the guests groovin.' We danced (kids included) until 1 AM!

The best part... a surprise visit from my sis and bro-in-laws Kari and Nate from Denver and friends Shell and Mike from LA. I've never felt so loved! We had both parties for the weekend and had an incredible time.

The Ragnar Relay Race

2010-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

For months I had dreaded my upcoming birthday, the big 3-0. I wasn't ready to let go of the 20's and wanted my final act before my birthday to reflect the progress my health has made this last year and to convince myself that I'm still young, numbers aside. My friend Kate gave me the perfect solution... to join her and three of my other college lacrosse buddies Molly, Kim and Denise in Seattle's Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay. Our full team, the Ragnar Schmagnars consisted of 12 people piled into 2 vans. Each person ran 3 different legs between 3 and 8 miles, while the remaining team members would follow along in the vans cheering the runners on. Between the 12 of us, we ran 188 miles in 28 hours down the scenic coastline of Washington from the seaside town of Blaine near Vancouver, through Deception Pass and ending at the tip of Whidbey Island. Adorned in matching hoodies and yellow sunglasses, we were ready to run. My legs totaled 16 miles, the 1st being the toughest at 8.8 miles, mostly uphill in the heat of the day. Having your friends cheering you on makes all the difference though. It was the most fun I've ever had running. It was great to see my friends again, and it felt just like old times. It was the perfect way to usher in the 30's. Thanks girls!!

In the end, we were awarded giant medals/bottle openers and enjoyed a scenic ferry ride back to Seattle. Later, we discovered, despite our incidences of getting lost and having too much fun at the relay exchange points to be ready with our next runner... after all, we were there to have fun and mock the runners who took the competition seriously (though secretly reveling in each opportunity to pass another runner during our legs), we took SECOND place in the relay! Yeah Schmagnars!! I like your style!

the Schmagnars' pimped out van

Deception Pass

A highlight: being bling-ed out with a reflective vest and head lamp. The pic above is my robot impression. Another highlight... between legs we discovered the most delectable soft-serve ice cream known to man. Yes, a return trip to Seattle is worth that alone.

This is the moment I finished my final leg. It felt great! Then we enjoyed some sight-seeing in the city and returned to Kate's house, where her husband Brian cooked the ladies the most incredible dinner. That night, in the final minutes before the clock struck midnight and my birthday began, Kate and Kim humored me with a little Zumba. Kate ignored the cries of her blistered feet and got into the groove. Much laughter ensued and Molly caught the moment on camera. We were so grateful to have our professional photo friend with us to perfectly capture our adventure. Thanks Molly!!

Molly and I holding up Canada at the race's starting point

Akido-land!

2010-08-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

More commonly known as Disneyland, Jack's Akido-land was the destination of our family vacation this summer. We joined our Henrie and Olson friends for the adventure, who hooked us up with a stay at the posh Disneyland Hotel. We could hardly contain our excitement.

After a surprisingly smooth drive down and a music-filled visit with the Christian family, we met up with our friends at our humongous hotel. David lived up to his resemblance of his mom as a child by getting lost in it first thing the next morning. After a panic-filled 15 minutes of searching, I calmed down, listened to my gut and ran up 2 flights of stairs and down a hallway, straight to where he was. He was roaming one of the upper halls with a security guard looking for us. After a tear-filled reunion and embrace, he said, "I knew you'd find me mom." Then the troops headed out, adorned with not one (we were celebrating David's birthday at DL) but 6 birthday buttons. Yep, 6 of our 10 member group had birthdays that month. I'm sure the DL workers thought we were liars. Nevertheless, they all held to their responsibility of giving us all birthday greetings when our buttons were spotted and filling our hotel rooms with 6 sets of birthday balloons.

Our first ride, California Soarin' took us on an incredible simulated flight over the sites of California. We were pleased to see David enjoying it, since he is an extremely cautious child and this was his first amusement park ride experience. This success boosted his confidence enough that when Rich and I stayed behind to watch the little kids at the next stop, the Tower of Terror, David ignored us and ran off to join the big kids on the ride. By the time Rich reached the line in his pursuit, David and the rest of the group had already entered the ride (uncharacteristically short line) and there was nothing to be done to prevent the terror David was about to experience. I waited helplessly in agony as the ride, which simulates a ghost haunted hotel elevator that unexpectedly rises and drops to various floor levels... by far the scariest and most heart-dropping ride in any DL park, introduced our little boy to the physics of falling and the feeling of g-forces. Sure enough, he exited the ride in hysterics and demanded to know why people would "go on a ride like that." Then he told me, "I was hoping you would come save me again Mom like before." Ouch. Then he experienced a breakthrough. He realized that he was fine. He had faced his ultimate fear and conquered. Before each ride for the rest of the trip, there was that initial panic and he would ask whether there would be any falling, but he braved through most of them and has been braver since then. He's a stronger kid than we thought.

The highlights of California Adventures for the kids were the shows: Playhouse Disney and The Muppets in 3D and the time when Rich, by conversing (as he does) with a ride worker, got all of us a pass to go to the front of the line of a ride for absolutely no reason. I love that man.

Days 2 and 3 were spent at Disneyland, where it was much for crowded and we became very grateful for the technology of Fastpasses and Kid Swap passes. David's favorite ride was Star Tours, which he was first wary of when he entered a room resembling the elevator from Tower of Terror and buckled our very similar seat belts. After assuring him many times that we wouldn't fall, he started to relax. By the end, he was convinced it was the best ride ever. He shouted, "That was wicked awesome holy moly guacamole! I could not believe my eyes!!" The kids also loved It's a Small World. Jack kept giggling and pointing. He thought the tiny, costumed, dancing children were hilarious. I couldn't disagree.

Another highlight was the Captain EO 3D movie with Michael Jackson. The 25 year old movie attraction was brought back, and I couldn't have been more ecstatic. I remember seeing it during my 1st DL visit as a 5 year old and it had left a big impression on me, so much so, that I got emotional seeing it again. Viva MJ!

Jack was SO into the movie. He kept yelling angry, unintelligible things and shooting Spiderwebs at the scary spider lady. Then, while exiting the theatre (and walking independently for the 1st time that trip), he suddenly halted in the middle of the lane and began dancing his own MJ impersonation complete with a "whoo!" yell at the end. He had everyone nearby laughing. I love that about Jack. You just never know what to expect from him. He and David loved seeing all the DL characters cruising around. After watching Mr. Incredible lumber down the street and smash a trash can, he exclaimed, "You mean everything I see on TV is REAL?!" Oh, the magic of Disney.

Jack went nuts with joy when he spotted the real "Akido." Aka: Mickey Mouse. Yep, Jack has invented his own language, where his words do not resemble the actual words in any way. David usually translates for us. He spent most our trip spotting things with Mickey Mouse on them and yelling, "Akido!!" We spent some of our favorite moments in Toon Town. The kids were able to run around and jump on things and everyone found something fun to play with.

Then Rich and I were finally able to lock up our kids and get some quality vacation time together. :) Nah.... that never happened. Someday. The vacation part, that is, not the locking up of children. We're not that desperate.... yet.

Here is a little video clip of Toon Town and another highlight of the trip: Rich getting his tongue frozen to a popsicle. Like I said, I love that man. :)

After enjoying some incredible Indian food in Santa Monica, our friends headed home while we returned to the Christians' house for a day at Oceanside Beach. After leaving us, 3 year old Nyla said, "Where is my Jack right now? My Jack is not supposed to miss." Jack didn't miss out on some beach fun. It was his 1st time seeing the ocean, which didn't impress him much. What did impress him? The sand. Our little sand crab asked to be buried. He would have been content to remain buried all day if we'd let him. It was the happiest we'd seen him... well... ever.

Jack's sandy toe-head was the highlight of the beach that day for... basically everyone. He had a crowd of tourists taking pictures and video. The other highlight for everyone... Rich in his notorious Speedo prancing and cartwheeling across the beach. Once again, I love that man. :)

Here is a video of our beach day fun:

Rich's Running Results

2010-06-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

When Rich decides to do something, he really DOES it. It's all or nothing for him, and when it came to getting into shape, he gave it his all! He ignored my fitness suggestions and created a sporting activity that is all his own: Speedo-clad mountain running. I'm not joking. After only 2 months of dedicated running, he is enjoying incredible results. Check out the before/after pictures:

Next step: Blow this picture up into poster size, mass produce and sell on E-bay. Edward and Jacob have nothing on you babe! I mean, dang! What a hottie! He is now inspiring others to follow in his path... though I'm sure the running apparel will vary... no offense to the Speedo. It just takes a special man to don one of those. Good work Richard G!

Month of the Mommas

2010-06-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

In the last month and a half, we've been fortunate enough to have not one, but three maternal visits. It could be because it's summer, it could be because our kids are too adorable to resist, or maybe they got fed up with finicky Utah weather and needed some consistent California sunshine. Whatever the reason, we've been loving their visits. The kids have enjoyed music in the park, wagon rides, ice cream, swimming, snuggles and all the love a couple of doting Grandmas can give. The kids also enjoyed some good bonding time with Grandpa Bill. Rich did some bonding of his own, with Momma K. They would make a cute couple. I mean, why should he want the junior version, when the original is still available? :)

Nah.... sorry mom. Rich and I make a pretty cute couple too...

Don't worry. Momma K has the undying love and affection of these two boys. You should have seen the tears they shed when it was time for her to head home. Same thing with Momma C...

We've also been spending a lot of time with friends. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Zumba parties with the Zumba Crew

2. Band gigs with Fiction Millenium:

3. Boating at Lake Oroville:

4. In Motion Fitness party and Guitar Hero with Andy Van Halen

5. Birthday parties:

(We were in awe of the most incredible cake known to man: a white chocolate Spiderman cake.... and we were singing Happy Birthday...)

My baby Jack Jack is 2?!

2010-06-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Jack's 2nd birthday. Has it really been 2 years since the lil' tough guy entered our lives?? Since none of his immediate family was able to be with him on his 1st birthday.... long story involving a trip to Utah and a triple surgery for big brother... we are going big today for the big boy. Rich started the day off with a heaping, hot plate of French Toast, a Jack Jack favorite... his diet consists solely of bread products. Rocky surprised us by giving his beloved little brother his prized possession... his blankie. What a sweetheart! We'll have to see what happens at bedtime though. Jack awoke with a new attitude and strut this morning as if knowing he has arrived at the terrible 2's and plans to utilize his newfound independence to the fullest... as you can see from the video below.

Grandma K has made his b-day special with a weekend visit and the coolest transforming robot truck toy that is so human that it's creepy. Jack's reaction shows how amazed he was with this new robotic addition to the family. Do you feed this truck? He is seriously alive. In the words of Jack, this year will "oke la door" to new toddler possibilities. I can't wait.

Life After 30

2010-04-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know that I have been anticipating my 30th birthday this summer with a mix of dejection, superstition and dread. All that changed last night with a wise revelation from a childhood idol Cyndi Lauper, or as I referred to her back then, Cyndi Lobster (hey... she had bright red hair and I was 5). I was in a state of self-pity over not being able to attend Zumba class because Rich unexpectedly had to work late, when I decided to do something out of character: sit and watch TV. It was during a dramatic scene of Celebrity Apprentice that Cyndi revealed that nothing happened for her until she was 30. She said, "Sometimes life begins AFTER you're 30." A quick Wikipedia search confirmed this. Cyndi Lauper was 30 when her breakthrough album was released, resulting in a previously unprecedented (for a female artist) 5 consecutive Top 20 singles. The multi-colored hair, outrageous apparel, tassel bra worn OVER her shirt, her romp with the Goonies and the release of her iconic anthem of "girls having fun" were all done by a woman 30+. Hurrah!! Not that I have aspirations of becoming a pop icon or that it would even be a possibility. If anything, it validates my current behavior and future desires to adventure and experience life and new opportunities. So my friends 30+ or close to it, enjoy this video with the thought in mind that most likely ALL of the women in this video are over 30. So dress up, run wild, dance while cruising the sidewalk, pursue your dreams and be free because I don't think we should ever grow out of wanting to have fun nor actually having it. Middle age .... bring it on!!

Dollar Store Extravaganza

2010-04-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Since David had diligently completed all the tasks on his chore chart for the last few weeks, he was rewarded with a trip to the Dollar Store. It's amazing how cheap child labor can be! The boys were ecstatic to be able to roam the store and choose any single item they wanted. David carefully took inventory of the store's contents and settled on a bag of bugs, convinced he was maximizing his dollar purchase by getting the most items in one. Jack chose an alternate strategy of piling all of the desirable items on the floor of an aisle (and screaming when I attempted to put anything back) then settled on, amidst many toys and a package of kleenex with Buzz Lightyear on the cover (those devious marketers), a double package of soap. Coast soap. I have no idea why. He ignored my explanations that his item could neither be eaten, nor played with. He was not about to be swayed in his decision. So David and I agreed to let him take home the coveted happy face balloon too in the hopes that it would cheer Jack up once he realized the limitations of his Dollar Store purchase. He loved the balloon but not as much as he loves his soap. Still, a week later, he carries it everywhere tucked under his arm (still in its original plastic wrapping) and snuggles up to it at night. He won't go to bed without his panda bear and his COAST SOAP. These boys never cease to surprise me!

Easter Rocks & Confetti Eggs

2010-04-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Despite the stormy, cold weather, our Easter was bright and fun-filled. The festivities began with egg coloring. Jack took over the task of dropping the egg into the dye, usually sending splashes all over and leaving cracks in the egg (which made the colors look even cooler with lightning bolt-looking streaks). It was worth the giggles, though, that erupted from both boys each time. David considered his placement of face stickers carefully on his eggs, while Jack attempted to cover his solely in multiple pairs of eyes.

Then Easter morning we were surprised to find Grandma Pam and Grandpa Rick lurking in our front yard. They were secretly hiding some Easter treasures until I spotted them out the window. Actually, since my contacts weren't in yet, I spotted colorful blobs who could have actually been bunnies (or our neighbors) for all I knew, so their covert mission could have been completed unsuspected. Thinking the jig was up, they joined us inside for a visit. It worked out for the best because they were able to see the kids' cute reactions and our gratitude over the beautiful bouquet of flowers (for me) and the package of bologna (for Rich). They know what we like!

Then we headed to Uncle Mort and Aunt Lacie's for Mort's savory salmon dinner and an egg hunt that was equally fun for the adults. Jack, still not grasping the concept excitedly darted around the yard, ignoring the colorful eggs and collecting large rocks in his basket instead. We all enjoyed the confetti eggs, which were smashed on heads until everyone was covered in enough confetti to cause us to leave trails of it everywhere we walked for the remainder of the day. David, convinced that ALL of the eggs were confetti-filled was found stomping on and smashing REAL eggs, which everyone found amusing (good thing they were hard-boiled) except cousin Eli who had carefully painted those eggs to display. Lacie provided the kids with surprise filled baskets and these amazing talking eggs that call to you until you find them. We've been simulating hunts with those eggs everyday since. Genius! The boys also received a prize in the mail from Grandma K and returned to little Easter bags from mom and dad (last year they were buckets... one of these years we will upgrade to actual baskets). The hunt included simple readable words for David to put together to discover where the bags were. It was amazing how well he read with such an incentive! (THE BIG BAG IS IN THE CAR IN THE BACK. GO GET IT!)

The Fun Continues...

2010-03-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

I feel really blessed lately. Rich is taking life more seriously by making and achieving new diet, exercise and financial goals. I love goals.... and love even more that he's initiating it. The boys are healthy and at a stage where we can do fun things with them. They are both so animated and make every activity fun. This week they became "secret agent cleaners" as we completed several "dangerous" cleaning tasks. Even Jack got into it by manning the duster, while David took on the spiderwebs. They utilized about half a bottle of Windex cleaning our many windows.. there seemed to be much more spraying than wiping going on, but who can blame them? Windex is fun stuff. Then during our backyard picnic later that day, they decided to put on a TV show for me by running indoors and smudging dirty hands and faces all over the inside windows again... but what a show! I tried to change the channel to a program that didn't involve dirty windows but apparently that's all they were showing. David's favorite job is potty scrubbing... don't ask me why, but I'm more than happy to relinquish that job to him. Jack assisted with door and cupboard shutting as well as TP shredding... what role that played in completing our mission I don't know but the boys were convinced it was essential. The mission was followed by candy eating and subsequently sugar-induced crib jumping.

Jack has begun a very serious phase where he insists on only wearing red colored apparel with either Spiderman, Superman, Lightning McQueen or Thomas the Train on it. This has left us with little choice but to dress him in David's shirts. He also refuses to wear his own shoes. It seems that David's oversized sneakers increase Jack's jumping ability, which seems to be the focus of his efforts as of late. This has led to an appropriate new nickname: Jumping Jack. When he's not jumping, he's shooting spiderwebs or simulating superhero flights around the living room. Funny kid. His new favorite phrase is "Open the door." This applies to anything he wants opened: food wrappers or toy boxes but usually refers to the fridge.

David has been encouraging Jack's behavior and has been more than happy to train him in the ways of the Superhero. He has even taught Jack to hum the Spiderman song, which he now does at every pertinent opportunity.

Also, Zumba is going well. I've had lots of opportunities lately to sub classes and will have the chance to teach a regular weekly class in April. Woohoo!

The best part about Zumba has been the new friends I've been making. A couple weeks ago, some of the other instructors and some friends from class met up for a Salsa Dinner & Dance charity event. It's great to have found a group of friends that love to dance! I'm hoping this turns into a regular thing.

As usual, I was mostly excited about the food. In California, latin dancing means Mexican food. Yea for tortillas wrapped over stuff!!

Top o' the Mornin' to ya!

2010-03-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to forget about our St. Pattie's Day this year. Like most memorable events, this one was centered around food and exercise, my two favorite things. Rick and Pam joined us at the Caper Acres Park, where we chased the kids around the playground trying to get them to eat the delectable dish of corned beef they brought to share with us. It was delicious. The day was complete with David getting into a bark brawl with some kids and a not so humored dad. They were all wearing green so I'm not sure what the problem was. We had the luck of the Irish though and no one was severely hurt... and I got to eat most of the food!! Ha!

Some Serious Ketchup

2010-03-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ok... that got your attention. Actually I meant "catch-up" and I think a woman can open anything. We just pretend like we need our husbands to open the jars so they feel needed with something that's not important enough for them to screw up... just unscrew. Ha! Pun intended.

So I haven't blogged in ages, so I'm going to cram everything into one (hopefully) brief entry. I don't expect anyone to make it to the end. This is for ME. And it's going to be in the form of a rhyme.

JANUARY:
Rich went "back to school, back to school to prove to Daddy he's not a fool." (Billy Madison)
Soon he'll be prez of the world I bet, but for now he'll score us a school loan to help pay our debt.

Transformer preschool is well underway.
They're transforming into readers and learning polite play.
We got word that David was accepted in the spanish school today.
In August, he will become an estudiante.

David's been taking gymnastics. Jack tries to join in.
It will be nice for Jack to have some mommy time when David starts Kindergarten.

BEFORE JANUARY:

Rob hooked us up with a night in SF at the Hotel Carlton.

We ate Scoma's seafood and enjoyed time alone thanks to babysitters Lacie and Morton.

Jack's eating and climbing skills have had us intrigued.
Oh yeah... and last summer we joined a bowling league.

We celebrated the births of our friends Jeni and Tim
by making them a cake resembling Tabletop Mountain.

There were colds, flu and ear infections too.
But I'm going to avoid posting pics of that Wouldn't you?

FEBRUARY:
We joined Tim and Jeni for a few awesome days in Tahoe.
We switched off snowboarding and watching the kids in the condo.

Then we headed to Utah for Kayla & Tony's wedding.
With ice-skating and mountains of glorious food, it was the best reception anyone's been to I'm betting.

Then Rob, Brad, Corey and Angie (still waiting for pics...) joined us for some family snowboarding.
We couldn't get enough and hit a mountain again the next morning.

My mom joined us at "the Beav" for some snowboarding runs
while Aunt Karen watched the kids who had just as much fun.
Then they took the kids sledding and were so proud of Dave,
soon he was sledding alone. He's never been so brave.

These car trips to Utah are just too long.
The kids look happy at first... but a few hours in things always go wrong.

Rich had a birthday and I made the best meal. Since I'm not much of a cook it was a really big deal.
Rich's mom and bro made it later that night. Family and food made his birthday just right.

Oh yeah.. silly me.
Somewhere in there we also had our 6th anniversary.

MARCH:
The next week I finally taught my first paid Zumba class.
My dad and family came to visit us at last.
The boys hit it off like no time had passed.
It was fun having Kathy there for my class.
Our day together just went by too fast.

I forgot to take pics of their visit. Nothing new.

So I stole this from their Facebook page, like most of the pics above. Yeah, that's what I do.

And now my ketchup rhyme is through.

Happy Little Couple

2010-01-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the picture I'll pretend you've been waiting for:

You can't blame David. She's adorable, isn't she?

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

As you can see, the boys are off to a good start this year. My resolution last year was to take them to a dentist for the first time. It never happened. So my goal this year is to brush their teeth enough to not need to see a dentist.

David took the initiative and made resolutions for us all:
1. For Dad: to go to work, then come back home and stay home for a whole week.
2. For Mom: to take me (David) where I want to go on my schedule every day. (He is a planner like his mom and likes to write [scribble] lists of where he wants to go for the day. We are still yet to visit the bat cave or the planet Drool).
3. For Jack: to do whatever he wants to do. (wait... that's what he already does every day)
4. For David: to transform into Krypto the super dog because he wears a cape and a leash with a Superman symbol, to play with Play-Doh next week, and to learn to drive a Bonecrusher (the mere fact that he refers to his desired vehicle as a "bone crusher" is a legitimate argument against child drivers... long live the "legal driving age law").

(It just occurred to me that "Bonecrusher" is a Transformer that looks like this)

Here are some of my resolutions:

1. Spend more time upside down.
2. Make peace with our household electronic devices.
3. Replace our home phone. (Yep, for the last month, I have not had a phone because like all electronic devices I touch, it stopped working. Sadly, I don't think anyone has noticed. Or if you have noticed, sorry I never called you back. I know.. I know... this is nothing new. Sorry about that too. Oh... yeah, I guess I have a cell phone. Ok, if someone could kindly tell me what my # is and where it's been for the last few weeks, I would appreciate it. Yeah... phones are not my forte).
4. Try new cheeses (apparently there are hundreds in existence... just ask anyone from France).

5. Live in the moment, not in several different moments simultaneously that have already happened or not happened yet.
6. Stop adding ridiculous goals to my 30 year bucket list... there are only 6 months left to complete them... and they're ridiculous.
(like becoming a master chef and learning all the latin-based languages). One of my ridiculous goals was actually completed inadvertently... to write a book. As I was uploading my blog to a website that actually converts it into a book: Blurb.com, I realized... hey, this is a book, and I wrote it! Is it a book that anyone other than Rich and me will be interested in?... no, of course not. But that's not the point. So to enlighten all of my blogger friends that have at least a few months worth of posts, YOU have ALL written a book! Yea for us!

Something cool. Remember when I joined a bunch of people from Chico in dancing the "Thriller"? A picture of it ended up in Time Magazine. I thought someone was just teasing me until Rich picked up a copy and discovered it was true. Among pictures from major cities around the world in the simultaneous "Thrill the World" event was a picture of Chico, CA. Somehow our little town made the cut. It's on page 63 of this issue:

This is the picture. I hope this doesn't count as my "15 minutes of fame" as not a single stranger has pointed me out on the street. I guess that zombie make-up was just too good. It was exciting enough, though, to warrant a dance around the living room with magazine-in-hand singing "I'm the King of New York" from the movie Newsies. "Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it, but I was a star for one whole minute..."

Waking up in 2010 to ice cold water & a speedo...

2010-01-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sound like fun? It did to Rich. On the morning of Jan. 1, 2010 Rich awoke with an epiphany. He announced, "I want to do the Polar Bear swim in a speedo!" I've lived with him long enough not to be surprised with these spontaneous ideas. In fact, I should have seen it coming. Although we had never before attended, nor considered the annual Chico New Year's Polar Bear Swim, it suddenly seemed like the perfect way to begin what is sure to be a monumental year (in some way.. isn't it always?). And of course, like his wife, he can't attend an event without dressing unusual in some way. Of course he wanted a speedo. So we quickly gathered the kids and raced to the nearest sporting goods store to find one. Not only do I approve of this behavior, I applaud it. I awake every morning with the assurance that life will never be dull. Marriage for eternity with Rich does not only seem possible but promises endless entertainment. With Rich, there will always be something new or interesting to discuss or do. Sure enough, Rich was quite the spectacle (not only because of his good looks... but because out of about 200 swimmers and even more spectators, he was one of only two who sported the speedo. Way to go hon! He was joined by his pops Rick, Aunt Susie, her daughter Maggie, cousin Chelsea and friends. Watching them emerge on the other side of "One Mile's" pool shivering and blue-lipped, I was actually relieved that keeping watch of the kids (and taking pics of the event) had prevented me from joining them. Yes... those are my excuses.

Pam helped with the kids.... yes, the kids needed BOTH of us... (David commemorates his new "Chipmunks" tee with a chipmunk face of his own)

The only other male crazy enough to wear a speedo. Whoever he is... hats off to him.

New Year's Weekend

2010-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the New Year with our traditional homemade Cafe Rio BBQ pork burritos with the Myers & Co (that would be a good business name... think it over guys).

Cafe Rio... best thing to ever come out of Utah.. except for Rich and fry sauce. My burrito looked like this, except four times this size and smothered with enough tomatillo sauce to drown a fish.

Over the weekend, we also saw some great movies with even greater friends.... the Lugos and then the Olsons. We recommend Sherlock Holmes, Avatar and Sleep Dealer (on video). Speaking of videos, with all the money our relatives gave us for Christmas, we were able to buy a new TV that doesn't reveal everything in a faded shade of red. We are trying our hardest not to worship it.

We also attended a Sorenson family get-together filled with food and volleyball. Sorensons are known for being fans of both. Okay maybe just volleyball. I was the only one who had to sneak back into the kitchen later and re-open all the food for a third helping. And I don't even have an excuse like pregnancy. Must we really need an excuse to overeat? The highlight was watching David interact with his girlfriend. No, he's not dating a cousin. We invited the Lugos who know at least a hundred of the 1,000 Sorensons who congregate in Chico at times. Seriously... Rich's grandparents had 12 kids... you do the math. Since I didn't take any pictures and don't have any recent ones of the pair, I will refer back to a photo of them early in their almost 2 year relationship.

Don't worry. Since David is planning on taking her to the movies soon, I will be sure to get a more recent shot of them. What do you say Annette?

So when David arrived at the party and was waiting for Lydia, he turned to cousin Chelsea and whispered, "Don't laugh when I tell you I have a girlfriend." and then, "Don't laugh when I tell you her name... Lydia." He didn't appear as shy when she got there, making sure to announce her to all, introducing her as "my girlfriend." Her mom Annette later revealed that en route to the party she had asked, "Are David and I getting married tonight?" Even though she was told she wouldn't be marrying anyone until she was much, much older, the conversation came up at dinner. "Are we getting married?" David asked. "Not until we're big like my dad," she replied. They spent the night conversing like a seasoned couple, sharing toys and frolicking around as superheroes. At the end of the night, they embraced in a warm hug before Lydia planted a kiss right on his lips. You should have seen David grin! He looked like he'd just been given a new Transformer (I would know that look since he got a few for Christmas). We are really starting to wonder about these two...

Christmas: Chipmunks & the Gingerbread Family

2009-12-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

With four sets of parents living in different locations, holidays are tricky. We have been on a four year rotation. This was our year to stay home. It worked out for the best as the stress of preparing for my Zumba evaluation crippled my immune system and left me defenseless against the seasonal cold. By Christmas Eve, my voice was completely gone, allowing me to experience a truly "silent night." Thanks Rich for making all the holiday calls for us.

The morning of Christmas Eve, we accompanied Uncle Mort, Aunt Lacie and the cousins to the matinee showing of The Chipmunks II: the Squeakquel. Good recommendation Molly! It did not disappoint. It was a blissful moment listening to Rocky's constant giggles and seeing Jack mesmerized by his first big-screen movie. I've never seen him so still, only moving every 10 minutes or so to rotate between Aunt Lacie's lap and mine. We completed the experience with a trip to the theatre arcade to pretend to play the games. How long can we make this last until the kids will actually require quarters to be entertained?

Then we spent a quiet Christmas Eve at home with just the kids, for the first time. Unsure of how to proceed during this precedent event, we were relieved when my friend Jennifer showed up with a family of gingerbread cookies that bore a striking resemblance to us. An hour of playing ensued as we danced and marched our tiny Sorensons around the table, dipped them in milk and utilized every movie quote that could apply such as, "It's just a flesh wound"..."I'll bite your legs off".. and "Not my gumdrop buttons!" David threw in a few of his own and Jack growled and gave a commendable impersonation of the Cookie Monster as he devoured tiny ginger Jack. David, disturbingly, insisted on dismembering and consuming the Momma cookie.... maybe it's just because it had the most frosting... yeah... I'll go with that. Like the family parades we are known for, this will be another Sorenson tradition from now on.

The kids opened their matching Spiderman jammies, pranced and hopped in a spider-like fashion around the living room then were herded to bed... early! Merry Christmas us!

Christmas morning was perfect! Their reactions to Santa's deliveries were priceless! Jack headed straight for the miniature drum-set ($20 at Walmart!), sat and began drumming like a little dilettante. Our family band is on its way! Every gift that Rocky received was followed by exclamations of gratitude and, "This is EXACTLY what I wanted! This is the best Christmas ever!" Jack reacted to his gifts with giant grins, exuberant pointing, unintelligible excited babbling and a chorus of "Ooooh's!" Rich and I couldn't have been more pleased with our kids. They really made Christmas special this year. I wish we could freeze their current ages forever. I love this stage! Jack's favorite gift was his puppy Scout that was programmed to say, "Hi Jack," play music and teach him things. By far the most amazing toy I've seen and only $15 from Amazon! Santa found amazing deals this year. I recommend this for any puppy-loving toddler. Jack immediately embraced it with unparalleled joy, rolling around the floor with him and saying, "Ahhh..." lovingly. He takes his puppy everywhere. Scout sings lullaby's to him every night, and we know when Jack is up in the morning when we hear his puppy barking and laughing with him. What an incredible toy.

We joined Grandma Pam and Grandpa Rick on Christmas morning for their traditional fried mush and bacon. Then we returned that evening for a Sorenson family Christmas dinner. Then I collapsed in illness for the remainder of the weekend grateful that the kids had new toys to keep them occupied. David made sure Froggy was included in the festivities and helped him open the toy bins he had placed under the tree for him. David expressed confusion as to why no one else gave anything to Froggy but was placated by our assurance that his contributions were enough to make Froggy very happy.

Happy New Year everybody!!!

Chico's Newest Zumba Instructor

2009-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

David took this picture of me last Wednesday, moments before I tossed my early lunch (you all know what I mean by that) from nerves and headed to In-Motion Fitness, my favorite and most frequented place in Chico and the spot where the fate of my dance fitness instructing aspirations would finally be decided. I can't remember when I've ever been so scared in my life, though I can think of a few near contenders... I conspired to hide my lack of confidence behind these bright red snake-skin print sequin pants. Would my evaluator be fooled by the ruse? She sat in the back for the hour-long Zumba class busily taking notes. I planned my competition strategy with the other instructor-hopefuls vying for the open position by bringing something different to the usual Zumba routine repertoire. I added to the latin-based mix a little "So You Think You Can Dance" inspired Bollywood, Beyonce, Michael Jackson and a cool-down to the "Day-O Banana Boat" song resembling the crowd-pleasing table dance scene from Beetlejuice. The risks paid off! By the end, my voice was gone, but the class was exhausted and entertained (which is what you essentially desire from a workout, right?), and I was offered the job!! I will learn more after the new year what classes or sub opportunities my job will entail, but regardless, I get a free membership! Yea!! All the hard work (man, it was a LOT of work) paid off. I'm so glad I've found a way to retain my beloved gym membership... and yet still shocked that I ended up here?! Who would have thought?

Christmas Card

2009-12-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas friends and family!! We really wanted to send you all Christmas cards... really. Unfortunately we've been crazy busy lately (my fault mostly). We did make an attempt at a Christmas card but not a single picture turned out card-worthy. How do you parents take pictures of your kids? What are your magical methods? You can see the progression of our picture attempts above. We wish you all a happy holidays!!!

Our new addition to the family....

2009-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Presenting... Froggy Pumpernicker Sorenson (named by David). When David and Froggy's eyes first met at the discount grocery store, they knew they were brothers from another mother. When they embraced and the chorus of "ahhhh's" from the fellow shoppers arose, I knew something special had happened. With Christmas money from his Grandma, we were able to take him home, with David insisting that we buckle him in the cart, so he wouldn't hop out due to sheer excitement. Since then, David has taken on the role of Froggy caretaker, dressing him by himself, getting him ready for bed, tucking him in, making sure he is fed equal portions at mealtime. David carries him everywhere on his shoulders. Last night, while driving around looking at Christmas lights, he "shhhh'ed" Jack because Froggy was sleeping peacefully in his lap. He takes Froggy's needs very seriously. I can't help but be impressed.

Don't worry Grandparents.... additional Christmas gifts for Froggy will not be necessary. David has assured that he will not be left out. He added bows to several of his toy bins and placed them under the tree for Froggy.

Jack is unsure of this new development, since the new brother is bigger than him and has already joined the family at the dinner table, while he remains confined to his high chair. There may be some sibling rivalry developing as David seems to have no problem playing with and sharing his toys with the new brother. We may need to adopt another furry buddy for Jack to play with.

Decorating the Tree

2009-12-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

It was all very confusing for Jack at first, but soon he and David were meticulously hanging the ornaments with impressive care for such tiny hands. Of course, all of the bows and soft ornaments were chucked at the tree, but that is sort of a family tradition.

Who's Your Mommy?

2009-12-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Confusing times... When Nyla's mom came to pick her up from preschool, she turned to me and said, "Mommy, can I have some milk?" I'm sure her real mommy didn't appreciate this, especially since 2 year old Nyla calls her mom Jeni. She shouldn't feel bad though because Jack insists on calling me "Jodi." His dad is "Daddy" but with me, it is always Jodi. He only says about 5 words total and one of those is Jodi. Why?! I think he knows what he is doing because when I'm not around, Rich claims he calls for mom, but he continues to tease me, repeating it continuously with a clever smirk. He says it so clearly that other people always ask in shock, "Did he just call you Jodi?" Ha ha. He is so independent and disturbingly smart that I often wonder if he is mine at all. He seems like a completely separate little adult trapped in a tiny body and deriving simple pleasure out of life by getting into mischief you're not sure if he's old enough to comprehend and be disciplined for and relentlessly teasing his mother. So my preschool kids calls me mommy and my kid calls me Jodi... go figure.

Don't worry... he actually loves this. He was giggling and yelling "Weeeee...!"

Oh, and in other news, I passed the state exam for my real estate license! Boo yeah! Who's your mommy!

Thanksgiving Food and Giving Food Thanks

2009-12-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

Nice play on words, eh? I mean, it IS all about the food isn't it? Thanksgiving is a day to thank those you love by giving them what they love... food. And this year, for the first time, WE were dishing the "food thanks" instead of just receiving it. It was a daunting task to host the holiday but would have proved impossible had it not been for my mom, who swooped in by train (from Utah) to rescue us from culinary disaster. Rich and I didn't know the first thing about turkey cooking (the first thing being it must be bought and thawed in advance... also that there is a goody bag of organs and entrails hidden within the turkey which must be removed and that Stovetop stuffing does not get cooked inside the turkey... among other things). Of all things this Thanksgiving, I was most thankful for my mom, who took the reins as head chef and guided us through the process resulting in a most delectable blend of home-cooked holiday dishes that even the kids were willing to sample. Our guest list grew from 6 to 13 in the final hours (most likely after they discovered the mastermind behind the meal was my experienced mama). We somehow found room for all, though no more than two chairs were alike but the meal was a success! Now I would like to give thanks to the following foods for being so delicious:

1. Our $4 turkey from WINCO that fed us all for a week
2. My mom's candied yam's with pineapple and marshmallows... pure genious.
3. Our mashed potatoes made without the help of a mixer (which we don't own... and you wonder why I don't bake?) which only brother Rob was strong enough to mash.
4. Mixed vegetables with so much butter and cheese they were tastier than cheese fries.
5. Stovetop stuffing and Road's rolls... why make your own when these are SO good?
6. Strawberry spinach salad that makes you feel like you're eating something healthy but with such a sugary dressing that you are definitely not.
7. Deviled eggs
8. Giant home-made apple and pumpkin pies made by our friend Jeni... what a difference home-made makes.

(Unfortunately, this is the only picture we took of the event... too busy I guess).

We had such a great week with Momma K. When I told Rocky she was coming to visit, he said, "Mom... Guess what it makes me feel when you tell me Grandma K is coming? .... Happy!" When Jack spotted her at the train station, he happy-skipped all the way to her, and I thought he would never let go of her.

Lil' Thug

2009-11-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Check out my cute little thug in his new Star Wars apparel. He also insisted on weapons for his Jedi utility belt and discovered my gym lock and the fireplace key (not near as dangerous as it looks). He really just wants to show the "bad guys" (aka Sith Lords) his new gear, not destroy them. He was inspired by Darth Vader's final turn-around from the dark side to the light and now maintains the hope that all "bad guys" can be "turned" if motivated by the proper tools, or in other words, cool weapons.

Oh, and the lines on David's face aren't cuts from his last gang fight... just chocolate from an ice-cream sundae. They sure add to the look though. When David overheard me complaining to Rich about the mean girls, he said, "Mom... come here for a minute. I need to talk to you." I knelt down next to him and he maturely took my hands in his and said in a serious voice, "Mom, that girl is bologna and you need to fight her." Well said my young Jedi.

Halloween Wedding Trip

2009-11-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

My little brother Daren has met his match... in a good way. He and Noel got married last Friday, sealing the deal with a warm exchange of vows among a few friends and family, followed by a chilling reception Halloween night that proved there is no limit to what two morbid minds in love can create.

It was, by far, the most gruesome and ingenious wedding reception in Halloween history. I'm convinced these two should be making horror movies in Hollywood. There were giant spiders, severed and bleeding corpses, a blood-sucking baby and a foggy laser tunnel Daren designed himself.

Rich and I joined the party as Aristocratic/Victorian style vampires. Due to a quick make-up job and adhesively-challenged teeth, I named us Dusty and Lone Fang. The favorite costumes of the night were Aunt Karen and Uncle Wayne as Adam & Eve.

Lone Fang was pleased to find the wedding cake dripping with blood. The food tasted much better than it looked, and I eagerly wolfed down my tapeworm sandwich. Congratulations Daren and Noel!! I'm so glad these two found each other and added two adorable kids Jessica and Joshua to our fun family.

Before the reception party, we took the kids trick-or treating with their Sorenson cousins who just bought an awesome home in Bountiful. Rocky adores his cousins and its easy to see why. Jeffery helped the kids put on their costumes, then Gabriel had his arm around Rocky's shoulders nearly the entire trick-or-treating route. Once, while the other kids hurried to grab candy from a neighbor's bowl, I caught Gabe patiently putting Rocky's fallen shoe back on before claiming his treat. It was ironic that Rocky chose to be Dash from the Incredibles, since speed running is definitely not his forte. Jack, caught up in all the excitement covered the terrain quickly with his one leg happy skip. He impressed us all by consuming 4 lolli-pops in mere seconds. He has yet to learn the art of savoring.

Beyond the wedding, a highlight of our short trek to Utah was our date night on Friday. My high school buddy Julie and her husband Spence joined us with Rich's high school buddy Clint and his girlfriend Bethany. We had dinner at the Skybox at the Gateway Mall, then hit the arcade for some competitive air hockey and other games. It was the most fun we've had in ages with some of our favorite people.

We're so grateful for Momma C, who watched the kids during all the festivities, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Jack-O-Lantern

2009-10-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

There are two reasons that there is such a large time gap between the last few posts.
#1 - All the pics I took the last month got erased from my camera. No pics, no posts. You don't want to hear about Jack's toothy grin, you want to see it. And the chance of capturing it twice is unlikely. I'm no photographer. It requires yanking that binky out of his mouth and trying to get him to smile, instead of screaming for it back. No easy task.

#2 - We have been crazy busy. Between teaching preschool, Real Estate classes, and livin' it up this October, there has been little time left for blogging. But I will do my best to catch you up with the pics I attempted to take yesterday.

Since his surgery this summer, David has morphed into an active, reasonably daring boy. He announced one day, after seeing a clip of it on Playhouse Disney, that he wanted to "do gymnastics." This is perhaps the last thing on earth we ever thought he would want to do seeing as until recently he was still crawling up playground equipment steps and deathly afraid of the "playcenter" at McDonald's. He begged us daily for two weeks until we consented to sign him up. We were elated to discover his best friend Silas in the same class. It's been a month and he is LOVING it! He refuses to participate in half of it but has mastered the somersault, which he proudly demonstrates every opportunity he gets.

Jack clutching his beloved blankey that my brilliant friend Jaime gave him and reaching for his binky that I popped out of his mouth momentarily in attempts to catch a photo of his toothy pumpkin grin. This is as close as I got. Wait... I found one taken a while ago, I will post it at the top!

Jack often imitates his brother's gymnastic skills, already being an equally fast runner and nearly as physically agile as David. He spends the time during Dave's gymnastic lessons yelling "DAVID!" and attempting to break his way into the class. Jack is nearly always dancing, swaying back and forth as he walks and giggling. He is a silly one. Unless it's nighttime, then he is screaming. The kid has never been much of a sleeper. He now has 4 teeth, which he is quite proud of, touching them often and attempting to bite you with. All he wants to eat is cheese and his favorite phrase is "All done!"Yesterday he started saying "Hot dog!" He is always mumbling something seemingly serious and important with great hand gestures, though we are yet to decipher any one these messages. If he wants something he gets it himself. He has the strength of Bam-Bam from the Flinstones (which happens to be one of his nicknames), opening the fridge and hoisting out 2 gallon cartons of milk. The other day, he brought me an entire unopened box of Capri-Suns. His little arms were shaking! I was shocked. Those things are heavy.

Rich is awesome. He continues estimating with accuracy with Sorenson Moving & Storage and has become quite efficient at eliminating the enemy on his XBox games. He supportively cares for the kids and home while I am out on my "Bucket List" adventures and inventively solves every mechanical problem we face as well as cleaning up the messes of my frequent Amelia Bedelia moments, like last week when we ran out of dishwashing tablets, so I poured in a hefty amount of dishwashing soap and watched as piles and piles of bubbles oozed out of the dishwasher onto our lovely rented kitchen carpet.

Jodi completed another item on her "Bucket List" a couple Saturdays ago when she got certified as a Zumba aerobics/dance instructor. If you haven't heard of it, it is the latest craze in fitness, combining latin-based and international dance with aerobic moves to create the ultimate body shaping work-out. I discussed it in greater detail in an earlier post. I'm addicted to it and have gone to so many classes this past year, my gym instructors have encouraged me to start teaching my own. Maybe they were being sarcastic (I've never been good at catching that) or it was a collaborated joke, but I took them seriously and traveled to Redding for the day to get certified. It was intimating, since most of my classmates were fitness instructors, dancers or both. I am neither. But I passed! Now I can start putting together choreography for my first class... I plan to integrate my high school group's signature moves: the Russian, the Skankin' Step, the Floppy Arms and The Lumber. If LuAnne Preston could see me now!

(I had some pretty funny pictures of this endeavor as I never miss an opportunity to dress up silly, but unfortunately, they got erased with the rest. You'll have to use your imagination).

Thrillin' the World

2009-10-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

For 23,000+ people around the world, it started with a love of Michael Jackson's craft and a desire to honor his work this Halloween by re-creating his famous dance of the un-dead that became an 80's phenomenon, when his album stopped selling as a leisure item and started selling like a household staple. It consequently became the best -selling album of all time. Groups of participants around the globe joined "Thrill the World" last Saturday to dance their way into the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest simultaneous dance.

My journey to the Underworld began with a 30 year bucket list. Not that turning 30 is death, but I thought I might make a list of things I wanted to accomplish in order to ease my transition from the beloved 20's. One of these list items was learn and dance the "Thriller." A week ago, I was still unsure as to how to complete this lofty goal until I heard about "Thrill the World" and discovered that Chico was participating. Not knowing anyone else in this MJ fan club, I sought them out via internet, apprehensively crashed their next practice and was pleased to discover ANYONE, including inflexible, uncoordinated, non-dancers like myself could join the fun. On Saturday, the boys and I visited the Salvation Army in search of some attire that we could dirty, destroy and bloody-up. Rich expertly painted my face, turning me into the fearsome zombie that had to relentlessly reassure David that she was not dead, nor evil and had absolutely no interest in consuming his brains. Jack was skeptical.

My face turned out to be the darkest green-grey of the zombie bunch. The next day, I ended up in nearly half the pictures on Chico's online news site proving that the longer you look like you've been decomposing, the more attention you get. I won't be modest and pretend like I didn't love all the attention. Having perfect strangers ask to take my picture was exhilarating, to say the least. I may just continue to wear my make-up like this. If you would like to see the pictures, visit: Chico ER. Here's the video of Chico's Thriller. You will find me in the first official row, directly behind the mentally challenged guy. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

End of Summer

2009-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

The air is crisp and cool, the yard is strewn with autumn leaves and the Sorensons all have runny noses (except for me.. I am in bed with the full-blown seasonal flu). Sweatshirts and pants have been dug out of the winter clothes bins and the neighbor's kittens are clawing at the back door begging to be let into our heated home, which they usually are. (More on that to come). Bidwell Park is vacant except for the occasional sweatsuit-clad jogger and from one day to the next, the forced air system is switched from "cool" to "heat." Summer in Chico ended as abruptly as it began, and I find myself feeling extreme relief and gratitude that the debilitating illness I've felt this October weekend is not from pregnancy (though it feels so much like it... so much so that I had to take a pregnancy test just to be sure). Two Octobers in the past HAVE commenced that way. I'm so relieved this feeling won't last more than days. Life feels bright and hopeful again, and I can't wait to watch the metamorphosis of nature this fall nausea-free, chase my boys through piles of leaves at the park and enjoy David's favorite time of year with him (Halloween). We're really going to live it up and enjoy each healthy moment we have. While reflecting on Summer's end, I realized I still haven't blogged about the Sorenson's final summer event, the Moulton Family Reunion.

Our extended Moulton family has always been close. I've always seen my cousins more as siblings. With the frequent moves growing up, extended family members were our consistent friends and confidants and Logan, UT our place of refuge, where our relatives gathered and became one loving family. Even though our family has grown to over 70 members, all were present at the reunion except one cousin-in-law. We all had an incredible time, renewing those bonds and watching our children form new ones. There was a potluck dinner at the park, a pancake breakfast, and a day of swimming and games at the Campbells. The highlight for the kids was a four-wheeler driven train the Campbells had put together. It was so fun that the adults including Grandma and Grandpa had to take a ride too.

Thanks to our talented cousin Gina, we got some great family pictures taken too.

Momma K's grandboys

Here is the Kathi Petersen family. We're happy to announce that my little (though not so little any more) bro Daren is getting married Oct. 30th to his girlfriend Noel! Woohoo! She has two kids (in the pic above) Jessica and Joshua. Our little family is growing!

Transformer School

2009-09-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Preschools are ridiculously expensive here, so I've been teaching Rocky at home in the hopes of preparing him for Kindergarten next year. Rocky's home preschool was just becoming too much fun not to include more kids, so a few weeks ago Rocky's best friend Silas and his little sister Nyla began their training at Jodi's Transformer Preschool. (I'm thinking of patenting this). The picture above is the cover of the boys' lesson worksheet binders. Because of recent birthdays and the plethora of people we are proud to call the kids' grandparents, we have acquired a decent collection of Transformer toys that are now displayed at each lesson as bribery for the kids' participation. For every lesson they complete, they get to pick a Bot for playtime. It has amazed me how well this has worked. I have assumed the role of Optimus Prime, commander of the Autobots and master of letters and numbers, valuable tools to equip them in their fight against the evil Decepticons (so I've told them). To call them to their seats, I don the Optimus helmet, speak through the robotic voice mechanism and introduce the topics for the day. The altered voice is effective in getting their attention, and I feel cool. I always did like to dress up.

(David took this picture... intimidating, eh?)

We meet for 3 hours a day, 3 times a week. Activities include playing Optimus Prime Says, Optimus May I, Transformer Twister, Decepticon Charades, Autobot Aerobics and Find the Cube (Hot or Cold) as well as robot-related crafts. Yesterday, we made Transformer mirrors with cardboard and aluminum foil that (to my pleasant surprise) actually made our images in them look distorted and robot-like. During the lessons, I have designed a Superhero method of teaching vowels and action figure cut-outs help us form words. I think I am having as much fun as they are.

Nyla is in Robot mode. She prefers to assume the identity of Bumblebee. Her lessons are simpler, consisting of colors, animal identification and shapes.

Jack runs around giggling hysterically, holding his mini-board books up to his ear, talking to them like a phone. I'm happy if I can keep him from climbing onto the table and flinging all crayons and worksheets to the floor (which happens often). If anyone has any ideas of robot or superhero related activities or teaching methods, please let me know! For now, we will do our part to protect the universe with the "power of reading."

Weekend Chores

2009-09-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday mornings are usually spent undoing the damage done during the week. In other words, we clean the house. In order to divide the weekend tasks fairly, we write them down on bits of paper and take turns pulling them out of a box. Today, Rich initiated the ritual by jotting down each job and preparing them for picking. Rich is notorious for making every event, including housework, fun and interesting, so I expected a few surprises. Sure enough, the first tasks plucked from the box included "lick the bird feeder" and "feed the giraffe," which I did using a bucket of corn flakes from the pantry.

Why was there a bucket of corn flakes in the pantry? Only Jack can answer that question, since he's the one we found sitting next to it this morning, along with an empty cereal box and a large pile of flakes on the floor that had apparently missed their mark in the bucket dumping. Then, distracted by the camera, I wasn't aware of the fistful of flakes Jack shoved into my mouth until it was too late. Maybe the bucket of corn flakes was intended for mom-feeding all along. After all, Jack HAS witnessed the amount of food I can consume at a time.

I thought these tasks were the extend of the silliness and that the real house cleaning could begin, until I pulled out "punch self in the face," followed by at least 5 minutes of contemplation over whether I would in fact prefer to punch myself in the face or clean the kitchen, which was the task Rich offered to trade me for it. In the end, I made the trade because although punching myself seemed preferable at the time, it was also less productive. By midday, the house was cleaned, the fake animals fed and the family thoroughly entertained. Well done us.

Constant Battles

2009-09-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the kids. I'm referring to the battles we consumers are forced to fight daily due to growing incompetence and negligence of the very people who specialize in customer service. It seems you not only have to PAY for services and products but you have to fight tooth and nail to receive what you actually paid for. You all know what I'm talking about. We have to hound our physicians for test results, demand pre-paid warranties to be accepted, altercate with insurance companies to pay their pre-determined share of the bills and compromise with our car mechanics and utility companies notorious for overcharging. We expect to get ripped off and grow weary of spending half the day "on hold" in attempts to resolve the injustices. After all, time is money, and we spend far more than the original service or faulty product was worth. Today, I am on the front lines with two foes: the e-bay vendor who never shipped the item I ordered and has now sold out of it (of course, it had to be the transformer toy David painstakingly earned through completing his home preschool lessons and has pleaded with the mailman to deliver every time he arrives at our front door mailbox... it's been three weeks now...) and the online school that enrolled me in the wrong class and is now resisting relinquishing the refund for it. We expect far more courtesy from our children, forcing them to hand over the toy they've agreed to trade. Yet, we're not surprised when the adult/customer service rep wants to keep both toys to himself. Are there any salespeople out there who still care about making the customer happy, or at the very least, care to GIVE them what they paid for? I know my husband tries, but in all fairness to salespeople, there are a lot of greedy consumers too. Perhaps the callousness shown by our service providers is due to the influx of dishonest consumers. We need to take responsibility for this too. Their skepticism may de drawn from numerous examples of incorrect claims and scams. I challenge you all to a moment of reflection and resolution, regardless of which side of the battlefield you are coming from: seller or consumer, to fulfill our commitments to each other and maybe our kids will learn from our example, growing up to service a smoother society.

Camping... tent or cabin?

2009-08-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Or cabinet... as David calls it. On our drive to Eagle Lake this past weekend, David spontaneously announced to all, "I can't wait to escape the world and stay in a cabinet!" I mean, where does he come up with this stuff?? So after 5 years of city and small town dwelling, we finally fulfilled a long-time goal and took the family camping... twice... to ultimately determine which method of camping better suited our family... tent or cabin. Our first excursion took us to Buck's Lake in the beautiful forests of northern cal, accompanied by our seasoned camping crew: cousins Jason, Jessica and Stella Sorenson and friend Jane.

Buck's Lake

Jack and Stella (buddies since birth being only 5 days apart) instantly acquainted themselves with the dirt while David meticulously tried to maintain his cleanliness while attempting to invade the other campsites seeking new friends. Pretty soon, he too found nature appealing as he engaged in rock skipping and fire stoking with dad. David and I shared a bonding moment as I awkwardly taught him how to pee standing up, something he had previously shied away from. He was pleased to discover the powerful stream that his little fire-hose could produce and proudly, and to my amazement and horror, successfully sprayed everything (and himself) in sight.

Jack felt right at home in the woods trampling expertly over the uneven ground at a rapid pace. With an endless supply of rocks and sticks, the toddlers were easily entertained. Nighttime proved more difficult as we'd underestimated the chilly temperatures of high altitude camping. When the boys WERE asleep, they were rolling and flailing and left mom and pop little room for our evidently aging bodies that revealed aches and pains the next day that we'd previously never experienced. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all, so we couldn't resist when our camping crew invited us to Jane's family cabin a few weeks later. With a promise of beds and a bathroom, we were sure the boys, as well as our bodies would fair better. Eagle Lake was captivatingly beautiful and calm and the cabin was only a small hike away.

Eagle Lake

We spent two days basking in the sun and swimming in the lake while the kids splashed on the shore and romped around the sandy beach. Jason, Jessica and Jane surprised Rich and I with gourmet meals. Who knew camp food could be so good? And I learned how to chop wood and miraculously managed to do so without severing any limbs... though there were some close calls. At an equally high altitude and no more prepared for cold temperatures (as last minute packers, we often forget essentials like sweatshirts and blankets), we feared another sleepless camping night, but the well-insulated cabin kept us sufficiently warm, and we slept well, minus an brief incident when David somehow fell off his King size bed and subsequently joined us in ours, securely contained between us. Jack, also managed, in his moments of exuberant play, to throw himself off the bed and down some wooden stairs, leaving himself a nasty goose-head and some bruises, but these incidents didn't seem to deter his aggressive play.

Stella was good-natured and pleasant while our boys seemed to struggle with every aspect of the cabin camping experience. After two days, they were done and spent the final hour at Eagle Lake strapped in their car seats while mom and dad attempted to enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility. Consensus? 2 votes for the cabin. But next time, we'll leave the boys at home.

My Weekend Warrior

2009-08-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to assure those who may not know Rich that well that his T-shirt in no way represents any political endorsements but is worn merely in mockery of our nation's great leader and those who support him.

Final Results Tonight

2009-08-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

(Brandon is unsure... of his deodorant at least)

I can't believe tonight is the "So You Think You Can Dance" finale. What will I do Wed. and Thur. nights until it starts up again in September? Ok... I'm not that pathetic. I think Brandon will win, but my vote was for Jeanine. Her tango solo was most impressive and props to a girl that matches her male contestants in sheer muscle strength. She's one tough chica. I also have to say this show surpasses any other in quality of judging. Nigel Lythgoe is the fairest, most loveable, witty, accurate and professional (except when making psuedo-sexual remarks about the young girls and their clothing and/or lack of) judge I've seen. I wish I had Nigel as a British uncle. Why don't I have a British uncle? I think everyone should. Would any of my current uncles be willing to speak with a British accent?

Sorensons Gotta Dance

2009-08-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance is perhaps the greatest show ever broadcasted on network television, if you ask me. I am seriously obsessed with it, as much as anyone with no dance talent or experience can be. It is the most inspiring thing I've seen since working at the 2002 Olympics... my last great obsession...ok.... not the last. Let's face it, I get caught up in and passionate about a lot of things, like food. Food is still #1. It's just very uplifting to see people excel in their craft, create moving, musical portraits of life, share their passions so expertly and develop skills in areas previously foreign to them. It's empowering to watch. What?! Melissa, the ballerina, danced hip-hop? Salsa dancer Janette aced the disco routine? Yes, I CAN cook a meal with eggplant. I can learn! I CAN juggle 2 kids, a home, a husband and studies. The choreography is so good that sometimes, instead of watching a dance number, I feel like I'm having an experience. Melissa and Ade danced a Breast Cancer-themed routine so well that I felt like I actually knew what it was like to face such a trial. Every season (I've seen EVERY one. I didn't even miss an episode the day Jack was born but checked ahead to make sure I could watch it in my hospital room... you think I'm joking...) there is at least one dance that makes me cry. This season I think there were three. With all that said, I've decided to change the program's name to "So You Think You Can Charge A Fortune To Watch You Dance." My dream, going on five years now, of seeing them live on tour was crushed when I checked the ticket prices. Every seat was over $85, with the best seats ranging from $250-$800! Are you kidding me?! I don't think even Cirque Du Soleil costs that much! Does it? There's another show I would love to see someday if I don't have to sell a kidney to get there. It's not like these kids are Michael Jackson!! Needless to say, I'm very disappointed. I REALLY wanted to go this year. Still, the show is awesome. Even though Justin is the one in the family with all the dancing talent, the show has inspired me to try yet again to fulfill a longtime goal of learning the entire "Thriller" dance. Cuz-in-law Jessica Sorenson has agreed to accompany me on this quest. Meanwhile, here is some dancing you can watch for free:

The boys dance to their new favorite song. Rich and I approve, as it accurately encapsulates the values we are trying to instill in our young children.

Carrot Poop

2009-07-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Actually, this post has NOTHING to do with poop. I just wanted to see who would read it. :) Carrot poop is one of the many nicknames David has for his little bro (the potty talk phase is in full swing), along with Banana Head and Scooby Doo.
Now that he is 1+, I want to document some current Jack facts. My favorite memory of him, as of late, was about a week ago, when Rich, unbeknowest to me, pulled him out his crib early in the AM because of excessive crying. I peacefully awoke later to discover David and Jack silently staring at me, standing side by side next to my side of the bed. It was a "children of the corn" moment until I noticed Jack casually chomping on an entire piece of pizza. What?! I was equally bewildered and amused, to say the least. I mean, the kid doesn't even have teeth and its not like we keep our leftover pizza in an accessible place.
Jack loves life, learning and exploration. He is fearless and full of energy. When he wants something, he finds a way to get it. He is as determined and ambitious as a baby can be, pushing himself over and through obstacles to his destination. On the flip side, not getting what he wants results in red-faced shrieks, shrills and tight fists. He runs, he climbs, he dances, he observes and imitates. He is aggressive in play and soft in his snuggles. His play is divided into intervals of exploring household objects and tracking mom down for a hug or cuddle, usually accompanied by an "ahhh" from Jack, then he is off again to play. He follows his big brother around giggling, then hides between my legs. Steps or uneven paths no longer slow him down, and he doesn't hesitate to throw himself into a body of water, much unlike his older brother. He requires much more supervision and care than David ever did. Yet, we love his enthusiasm and the enjoyment he finds in simple pleasures, like a new food or object. He is always on the prowl for food and finds it in the most obscure places, keeping us on our toes at all times. He jabbers constantly, with hand gestures and pointing. He definitely has something to say, and we can't wait to find out, in due time, what that is.
Jack is skilled with his tiny fingers, carefully turning book pages, unscrewing lids, using utensils and turning on and off tv's, music players and other electronic devices. He is a stacker and organizer and my best helper when it comes to cleaning up the toys. Now here are some known stats (since we are unsure of height/weight etc. being between pediatricians):

1. Favorite item other than pasaphires: Blue blanket given to him by Jaime when he was born. He carries it around the house, takes it with him in the car and requires it for all naps and bedtimes. Washing it is tricky.

2. Favorite food: Bread... just can't get enough of the stuff or anything that accompanies bread, and ice cream. He screams for ice cream. If he spots it, he seriously goes berserk until it is all consumed as quickly as possible... by him. If not, major tantrum ensues. He also insists on doing everything, especially feeding, himself.

3. Favorite activities: Brushing with David's toothbrush... even though he still has NO teeth to brush (how odd is that?). Kicking David's swim ring into the pool then jumping in after it to retrieve it, so he can throw it out of the pool and begin the process again. But don't try confining him in one. It is only for kicking. He also loves dancing. He puts his whole body into it. If the music is not loud enough, he turns it up himself. If he doesn't like the song, he turns it off. He prefers music with a good beat. Michael Jackson is a favorite and no, he is not merely influenced by all the hype.

4. First words: Mama, Daddy, Day (David), woof woof (dog) and "uh Ja" (a Jack). "A Jack" is his new favorite thing to say. He thinks it is hilarious. He also knows some official signs but has several of his own creation. He never seems to have a problem communicating what he wants.

5. First tooth: still working on it. I take that back. I just checked and two teeth have surfaced the bottom gum. Hurrah!

"Jack feeling his new teeth"

David & the Dunking She-Devil

2009-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

I was so excited! It was more than I had hoped for. I had dragged David to his first swim lesson and countlessly reassured him that it would be FUN and that he would not get water in his eyes. He didn't want water on his body either. "We'll just start with you LOOKING at the water," I finally consented. But when angelic teacher Katie swam towards him donning a warm smile and cool red sunglasses, David reached right into her arms and allowed himself to be pulled into the water. I almost burst from shock and joy. For those that know our cautious little guy well, he is afraid of nearly everything but especially WATER. He still screams every time we wash his hair. This has happened since birth. We've tried every trick in the book a.k.a. world wide web but the panic prevails. Like I've said before, water in the eyes means certain death to David. So we sought the help of a professional, giving her sufficient background to prepare her strategy. She was amazing. At first he clung to her and spewed every reason he could think of as to why he shouldn't swim, such as, "I'm a Transformer and too heavy to swim. I turn into a road vehicle." But she worked her magic, referring often to his Transformer status, and within minutes had Davey kicking his legs and blowing bubbles in the water. She even got him to lay on her shoulder on his back, a definite first. He had an enormous smile on his face the entire time, especially when she pulled out the superhero water toys to play with as a reward. The next lesson went just as smoothly with small progressions. Katie knew just how to build him up and coax him into performing. There were no tantrums, no screaming. There was no going under the water either, which was fine with me. At least he was in the water and happy. He couldn't wait until his next lesson.
On Day Three, everything changed. Apparently, Katie was only the sub while the real teacher was on vacation. Who switches teachers on a fearful new student after the first week? Really?! The new teacher didn't share Katie's enthusiasm for teaching, nor Katie's expertise with fearful new swimmers. In an annoyed tone, she told David to get in the pool. When he didn't, she sighed and grabbed him, never greeting him or even using his name. When he asked if she knew about Transformers, she said, "No." She made no effort to connect with him. I mean, REALLY?! He was terrified. After a minute of leg kickers and carrying him across the pool, she said, "Time to go underwater." He said, "I don't want to." So she DUNKED him! Then she did it again! He was screaming and crying and clawing at his eyes. REALLY?!!! All my hopes of David learning to enjoy the water were dashed. He was traumatized. For the remainder of the lesson, he cried and screamed at her every suggestion, throwing tantrums of epic proportion that could only be the product of absolute terror and the survival instinct. She became stern. There were no games and no superhero toys. At the end of the lesson, she lifted his arms and plopped them on the side on the scorchingly hot ground next to the pool. He yelped. I dashed to his rescue, hoisting him out of the pool and into my arms. We then had an interesting conversation, where the teacher claimed she didn't know David was scared and thought he just didn't want to do what she asked. REALLY?!!!!! I gave her another chance. David didn't want to go saying, "But teacher doesn't listen to me." Ouch. I convinced him that she would this time. She didn't. The lesson was worse as each suggestion was met with screams of protest, then she would do it anyway. That afternoon, the swim school got a phone call from a disgruntled mom, who had previously made it quite clear that the intentions were for David to become COMFORTABLE in the water and enjoy himself, not to be traumatized beyond repair. At this rate, I knew he would never go near a pool again. I could have done that for free. Actually, I didn't have to say any of those things. The head swim lady had been in the pool teaching during David's lesson and had witnessed "it." She immediately suggested that we switch our lessons to a different day and time, so that Katie could continue to teach David. I enthusiastically agreed. So here we are. To our detriment, David is still terrified to go but relieved every time he sees teacher Katie. She is disappointed to see the renewed fear in him and has patiently resorted to sticking with the basics of the first lesson, as David refuses to try anything new. Hopefully, time and encouragement will undo the damage of the Dunking She-Devil.

Birthday Bot

2009-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

My Rock-Bot (the Transformer name I came up with for him because we ran out of real names; every day he asks me what Transformer he should be called for the day and the names are never to be reused again... thanks to Internet searches, we have used them all) turned 4 years old on Tuesday! I asked him what he wanted to do and gave several suggestions. He said, "Go to the gym." He really loves that place, even more than me. So we went to the gym. Then we played games, toys and did puzzles all day and had a Transformer party that night. I was planning on making him a cake, but eons ago, when he saw the cakes at the grocery story and wanted one, I dissuaded him by saying they were for birthdays. Unfortunately, he remembered that. When I told him his birthday was coming, he quickly replied, brimming with excitement, "So I get to go the grocery store and buy a cake!!" What could I do? Luckily, Safeway had a Transformer one, as well as Optimus Prime plates and cups, so we were set! Even though his buddies Lydia and Silas were out of town, as well as his grandparents, we had 20 friends and family show up for our last minute shindig. All the time Rich and I spent blowing up a roomful of balloons was not in vain. The balloons, combined with the bubble machine our next door neighbor Lori brought produced the perfect Transformer battle arena. Kids, toddlers, teenagers and adults alike joined in the melee. It was a sight to behold. Thanks to Grandma K and Jared & Ally, Rock-Bot had the perfect Bumblebee gear. Thanks for everyone who made his birthday special and for humoring us in our crazy birthday party activities. It was a blast!

Baby to Boy

2009-07-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that what started as the "peanut" in my tummy is now a full grown boy, with an endless stream of questions that keep me on my toes and a creative imagination that keeps me entertained. Thanks David Rocky for all the good times we've had these last four years. There has never been a dull moment. You are definitely your dad's boy! I love you.

Continuation...

2009-07-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

Let me finish yesterday's "noun" account:

Toys. Playtime. Music. Dance. Boys. Giggle. Chase. Giggle. Dinner. Pot. Stove. Water. Burn. Leg. Can. Lid. Hand. Bruise. Failure. Pain. Blood Vessel. Pop. Truck. Rich. Home. Can. Lid. Success. Dinner. David. Jodi. Toy Store. Money. Birthday. Toys. Indecision. Transformer. Bat-mobile. Glee. Home. Rich. Bowl. Jodi. Dance Show. Kids. Bed. Darkness.

Fun and Challenging!

Today

2009-07-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Molly and Emily have done this on their blogs, and I think it's cool. You describe your day using only nouns. Here goes:

Jack. Cry. 5:00. Jack. Sleep. Jodi. Morning. Insomnia. Textbook. Online class. Park. Run. Sunrise. Breeze. Peace. Tranquility. Breakfast. Zoo. Yogurt. Fruit. Kids. Leftover pizza. Jodi. Messes. Cleaning. Game. David. Winner. Preschool lesson. Jack. Markers. Face. Laugh. Mess. Bath time. David. Cry. Jack. Splash. Jack. Finish. Towel. David. Shampoo. Cry. Jack. Poop. Bathroom floor. Scoop. Potty. David. Towel. Jack. Shoe. Throw. Tub. Markers. Tub. Jack. Nap. David. Cartoons. Jodi. Textbook. Online quiz. Cleaning. Jodi. Tornado. Gym Bag. Diaper bag. Snacks. Race. Clock. Swim lesson. New Teacher. Satan. Dunk. David. David. Scream. Cry. Teacher. Fear. Hate. Loathing. Lesson. Disaster. David. Trauma. Jodi. Hug. David. Gym. Kid Center. Exercise. Relaxation. Home. Boys. Naps. Jodi. Phone call. Swim school. Discussion. Teacher. Satan. Dismissal. New lessons. Old Teacher. Resolution.

That's it so far. The day is half-over, but I think this will suffice. More on swim lessons later. It's quite a story. David's birthday was yesterday, so more on that later too.

A Good Lie

2009-07-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the pic at the top of the blog, Jack's nose is cut and bruised. He looks like he lost a boxing match... lost it bad. Considering his big bro is Rocky, I have my suspicions. The day it happened, I was doing major housecleaning with the world's loudest vacuum, commonly referred to as "the cyclone." It emits a shrieking roar at such a volume to strike fear in the hearts of even the bravest of children. Jack and Rocky were playing in their room (cowering in fear more likely). When they reappeared, Jack's nose was cut, puffy and deeply bruised, but he seemed unaware of it as he was not crying. I was perplexed. So I asked Rocky what happened. He explained in great detail how Jack had lunged at Rocky's miniature wooden chair thrusting his head into the edge. I might have believed it except that the story incorporated an invasion of Decepticon robots, whose mission was thwarted by the butting of Jack's hard cranium.
When the story had ended, I asked, "Is that what really happened?"
"No," he said. "I made it up."
"Ok," I responded calmly. "Will you tell me what really happened? I want to know what happened to Jack's face."
"Sure," he said. Then he began to tell an even more elaborate tale involving a daring swoop of Jack from the sky as he was engaged in a rescue mission of some kind. Rocky included in his story every object he saw in the room, like Kevin Spacey's character in the movie "Usual Suspects."
When he finished, I asked, "Is that what really happened?"
"No," he said. "I made that up too."
"So you told a lie?" I asked.
"Yeah, but it was a good lie. It was a really good story."
Hmm....
So what really happened to Jack... we will never know.

Back in Business

2009-07-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Our desperate flight to Utah in search of a cure for David resulted in the birth of a new boy, figuratively speaking that is. We returned home just as hastily to take care of another sick boy, Rich. He doesn't do well without us. I guess we're just that great. Making the 12 hour drive alone was tough, to say the least, but empowering to have survived... there were moments that I doubted we would. After the McDonald's stop where I had to rescue a panicked David by quickly squeezing my way up the tunnels to the top of the playcenter while Jack screamed unattended below, I determined not to stop again, so we barreled through the next 6 hours. The pivotal moment came on a busy, winding mountain road, when I was sandwiched between a wall and a line of semi's. Jack began to scream, so I threw David's half-eaten sandwich at him, which seemed to appease him for the time being and set the system I employed for the remainder of the trip. If the kids complained, I threw food at them. Either they were really hungry or just enjoyed the spontaneity of it all, but it seemed to do the trick, about every couple minutes or so. Of course, cleaning the SUV the next day was not pleasant. Just ask Rich. It was a good thing I drove home when I did though, because a tire blew out the very next day. Apparently all four tires were the originals from 1997! How is that even possible? Big O-mazing!

So it's been a while since I have updated this blog. I could blame it on busy boys, endless housework, or the fact that Rich's Xbox is temporarily out of order and the time I had to myself is no longer existent. I'm not complaining. The truth is that the boys and I have been having far too much summer fun to spend any time at the computer. Since David regained his health and Jack can do, well, just about anything now, we have been on the go. The last few weeks have been jam-packed with trips to parks, trips to the gym, preschool lessons, camping trips in the living room, costume creating, trike and wagon rides, swim lessons (more on that when I have pictures) and my attempts at keeping the house clean and the boys fed. There have also been bowling league nights (to our fellow leaguers amusement or dismay), daytime dance parties (kid collisions to music mostly), backyard weeding, episodes of So You Think You Can Dance, and online course studies. Needless to say, it's been busy and wonderful. All is well when all are healthy.

Jack Jack's Birthday Bash

2009-06-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Or bashes, I should say. Lucky for him, we were in Utah where most of his extended families live. Unlucky for him, because of "Prime's" surgery, none of his immediate family got to see him on his birthday. Lucky for him, we made up for it big time. The first party was with Rich's family: Grandma Coralie, Grandpa Bill, Kayla, Tony, Joe, Julia and his cousins Jeffery, Aspen, Gabe, and Miri.

Aunt Julia made him a tie-dye colored cake. He sauntered towards it, timidly at first. Next came the tiny probing fingers and finally, a face plant into the cake. Well done Jack Riley.

Party #2 took place last Sunday night at Grandma Kathi's house with Great Grandparents Karen, Evva Jean and Tom, Aunt Karen and Uncle Wayne and my cousins Jared, Ashley, Kyle, Celeste, Sharli and Mariah. What a party! Rocky was there for both, but the second one seemed louder to him with his new super hearing. Jack, now an experienced birthday boy knew how to perform. Stripped down to the diaper, he toddled his way to his giant portion of chocolate cake and ice cream, veering at the last second and reaching for Aunt Karen, who proudly exclaimed, "I'm better than cake!" No one disagreed. Jack was also quite taken with my mom and has been since we arrived. Jack relished in all the attention and gifts, but he threw us a skeptical look when we sang Happy Birthday. I guess it would seem odd witnessing it for the first time. It was as if he was wondering what all the fuss was about. So happy birthday Jack! One year and two parties. Yea for family! Congrats my tough and cuddly one! Say goodbye to the baby days and hello to independence, which Jack is already vigorously working towards.

Happy Father's Day Rich!

2009-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Rich, check out the Spiderman David drew all by himself. He said that Spiderman (aka: him today) loves you. (click on it to see larger version)

As an aside, David asked if the word "father" was "dad" in spanish.

Rocky road to recovery

2009-06-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our Rocky is finally on the mend after MONTHS of infection-infested illness. Where can you find a competent doc? Not Chico, CA apparently. Fed up with Dr.******* , the worst pediatrician ever (more details on that to come), and after 4 hours on the phone trying to find a new one, we journeyed all the way to Utah, where in two days and one visit to an ear, nose and throat specialist revealed that I am (direct quote from Dr. Bennion) "not a crazy mom." What a relief. Apparently there was a reason Rocky was suffering so. His tonsils were ginormous and infected, almost blocking his airway, his adenoids were ridiculously enflamed and his left ear has been filled with infectious junk for so long that a hearing test resulted in no tympanic vibration whatsoever. So for Jack's 1st birthday, June 11, we commemorated the occasion by returning to a hospital for surgery and shipping Jack down to SLC to spend the day with his step-grandpa Bill. Rocky was a trooper, sporting his new Transformer shoes from Grandma C, he marched into the hospital in a robotic fashion announcing to all that he was to be called "Prime," then requesting the Transformer mask that would slip him into blissful sedation and transform him into a healthy boy. We forgot to mention the recovery to him though and it has been rough. Grandma K was there for moral support and then took the reigns on his care and medication administration as five consecutive sleepless nights had rendered me useless. In 20 minutes, Dr. Bennion expertly removed Rocky's tonsils, adenoids and put tubes in both ears. Now that he no longer needs Loritab, the semi-psychotic episodes have ceased and we are seeing a remarkable difference in his confidence and activity level. For the first time ever, he is walking stairs by himself and jumping on the trampoline. Today, in the middle of a conversation with him, he suddenly announced, "Hey, I can hear!" It brought tears to my eyes and much anger towards our inept pediatrician, who is really going to get it from me when I get home. Rich better hold me back! Rich is home, missing us almost as much as we miss him. Today Jack was wandering around Grandma's house yelling, "Da da!" I asked Rocky if he missed Dad and he said, "Of course I do! I love my daddy!" Hang in there Rich. We will be here monitoring Rocky's recovery and returning to the only doc we trust right now for a follow-up appt. and will return home in a few weeks. That's enough for today. I'll share the T****** tales at a later time, maybe while I'm compiling the law suit.

Parenthood - the Ultimate Adrenaline Rush

2009-06-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

It didn't feel this way until I had two boys, and more accurately, until both of them were cruising independently on two feet. I have learned the meaning of "busy" on an entirely new level. We go to the gym daily for one reason: my survival. Not just for an hour or two of quiet, reflective time to myself - usually spent exercising myself to death with upbeat music pumping at full volume - but to build the muscles and stamina necessary to survive the daily demands of two little boys. With Jack's fearless, ambitious activity and the unstable nature of his toddling legs, it's not unusual for that solid noggin' to be flailing towards hard, sharp objects, such as coffee tables and bed frames. Not a day has gone by since those first steps were taken that Jack hasn't sported at least one cherry colored bruise to the head. I must be on my toes at all times ready to spring across the distance of the room to his rescue. There is much squatting to retrieve the never-ending supply of bite-size inedible objects that Jack is in constant search for, not to mention the bending and scooping of the contents of all drawers and de-shelved books. Then you have the heavy lifting, since both children demand to be carried simultaneously whenever in public, and you find yourself doing nearly anything to avoid a scene. Then you have the sick days when they both want to be carried around at home too, and you have to use your remaining limbs (toes) to straighten up the floor. Then there are the Yoga postures you assume to search for binkies under the bed and other tight, oddly strategic places that your child chooses to hide them. Pushing yourself in aerobics class helps you pull that last bit of energy after the house cleaning to crawl around on the floor wrestling and playing monster trucks with the kids and later to carry them both home from the park because the stroller no longer cuts it for the exhausted ones. Every day, from the time that Rocky bursts into our room loudly announcing "It's morning time!" when the lack of sunlight proves otherwise until the kid are tucked in at night, and I achingly crawl back into bed, I feel that life is moving in fast motion - like "The Christmas Story" montage where the kids run back and forth from school with overly bundled "lay there like a slug" Randy lumbering behind - glimpses of the day's activities, complete with rapid, high-pitched squeaky voices. My heart pounds constantly, the adrenaline rushing up to my ears in the attempt to complete all the tasks I've assigned myself for the day, all while preventing the kids' utter destruction of our home and each other, gearing up for Jack's two brief naps and the only time many tasks can be completed such as all housework and David's preschool lessons. Nothing riles Jack up more than not being included in a preschool lesson. He literally flings himself at the lesson materials and yells unintelligible sounds whenever I ask David a question. We've resorted to taking him out of the equation completely. Needless to say, time since the addition of Jack to the family has flown. I have blinked and the baby days are over. How did this happen? This next year of his young life I hope to loosen my grip on the daily task list and spend more time in the "cat/cow" posture playing with the kids because when all is said and done, that's what really matters to them, right?

Jack Walks!

2009-05-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

He's been doing it all week, so he's pretty solid now. Here is a video of his first 2 days of walking we were able to witness after we returned from Colorado. Go Jack! Time to start baby-proofing on a whole new level!

20 Year Flashback

2009-05-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

In my quest for the perfect law school graduation gift for Kari that would be both sentimental and completely random, I decided to compile a mix of the music we all loved 20 years ago. What better way to celebrate a monumental achievement than by reliving the childhood moments that made us who we are today. Plus, I knew she would need some hot tunes to blast this summer while studying for the bar exam. If you would like to sample some of this music, check out our new player at the bottom of this page. Enjoy your blast to the past and have a totally radically bodaciously awesome summer!

For some extra fun, click on the pic below and try to identify everything 80's.

Words from the Masked Man

2009-05-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

In answer to his inquiry concerning the planet Earth, I informed him that all human beings live on this planet. He then asked me, "What planet does Grandpa live on?"

The other day, Rocky announced that he was going to make yogurt. I asked him how he would do that. He said, "Actually mom. You pour some milk in a big box. Then you put in some grease and stir.... and YOGURT!" (with arms up in exclamation)

Rocky confronted Rich and I one evening and said, "Guys. I want to go to a spaghetti & meatball restaurant. Do they have one of those on this planet?"

He likes to confuse the "teachers" at the kid's center at our gym. Every time I drop him off, he walks in boldly announcing to all what his name for the day is, and usually, what his mom should be called. He has been Batman, Superman, Ironman, Bolt, Shoeshine aka. Underdog, Spiderman, Bumblebee (transformer), Buzz Lightyear and today... Robot Boy. He usually calls me Optimus Prime, Woody, Robin, the "Black" Spiderman (I'm not sure what he is implying with that) or (my favorite) Supermom. Jack, for some reason, is always Scooby Doo.

One day, while I was making lunch, he said (out of the blue), "Mom. Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes." Then he left the kitchen.

He is convinced that his dad is a superhero. I don't disagree.

Legally Blonde, Beautiful & Brilliant

2009-05-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not talking about Elle Woods but my sis-in-law Kari, who matches Elle in style but far surpasses her in sophistication and smarts. We got to see her receive her law degree from Denver U last weekend, and I couldn't be more proud of her for all she has accomplished. Rich's whole family amazes me. They are all such fun, clever, gifted and attractive people. For those Twilight fans out there, they are like the living (and very non-vampiric) version of the Cullens, fortunately without a Rosalie. I feel honored to be a part of their family and love it every time we are able to get together. Our trip to Denver was no exception. In fact, the 2500 road miles were worth it just for one of Nate's irresistible rib omelettes. I'm salivating right now just thinking about it. So we dropped the kids off with Grandma K in SLC on the way and thoroughly enjoyed the two days of toddler freedom and familial celebration. Until, of course, we discovered that while we were away, Jack started WALKING! Yeah... the most important milestone of his young life. And we missed it. Fortunately, Grandma caught the ten step trip on camera. And unfortunately, he hasn't done it since. If Grandma didn't have proof, I wouldn't believe her. Not that I should be surprised. After the intensive walk training I had previously put Jack through, he had refused to take a single unaided step until he was in the audience of his beloved Aunt Lacie and Uncle Mort. While we were away bowling our little inexperienced hearts out in the league we recently joined (another story for another time), he took his first few steps (a few days before our Denver trip). So now Jack is holding out for another relative to impress. Maybe next time Uncle Rob visits, he will walk again.

Lax and Relax

2009-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Chico lacrosse season officially ended this week, and I couldn't be more proud of my Rebels. They finished in a close second place in the league after trailing Napa by one goal in overtime. After 3 back-to-back games in 102 degree weather, I am amazed at how hard they fought until the end. Helping coach this team has been an honor, and I hope to arrange things with my kiddos to be able to help out again next year. They are incredibly driven, athletic and upbeat girls, and they remind Rich and I why we so badly want a daughter someday. If we end up with another boy, would anyone be willing to trade?? Preferably a relative of some kind? The most exciting moment of the championship tournament (which we were in Denver for, so I'm going off of the accounts I received from coach Becca, parent Nini and player Lexi) was when we defeated our great rivals in the semi-finals...the Gold Country team coached by my former HS teammate Michelle Dean. We did a major double take when we first saw each other during the end-of-the-game hand slap. So now it's time for some summer relax, except for the fact that per pediatrician yesterday, Rocky once again has an ear infection and bronchitis, and so do I. We are considering having our walls checked for mold. Being sufficiently stocked on probiotics, I'm suspicious of some external factor causing this chronic immune deficiency. Any ideas or suggestions?? On another note, does anyone else deeply loathe their pediatrician?

Will the flu season ever end?

2009-05-03T15:17:00.001-07:00

Apparently not. Jack and David are finishing up another week of vomiting, diarrhea and coughing (which induces more vomit). Rich and I are exhausted, along with our washer and dryer. The kids went through every blanket, towel and sheet we have.. many times. We're just glad we have so many. Jumbo Jack has been reduced to a small fry. Our emaciated child is now holding down his fair share of Pedialite, but we're not out of the woods yet. Forget swine flu... it's the good ol' fashioned stomach flu that worries me. In other news.... well... I guess there isn't any. We're just hoping this is the last plague of the season and that we can get back to doing what we love best: playing, dancing, giggling and straightening up everything in our tornado toddler's path.

Letterhead & Alphabet Boy

2009-04-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

It was a noteworthy day. Rocky finished his home preschool program, solidifying his recognition of the upper and lowercase letters with a basic grasp of sounds, as well as colors, shapes and numbers. All the parental patience and toy bribery has paid off because he is starting to sound out words! When he read the word "Batman" for the first time, he beamed with superhero pride (with his hands on his hips just like the cartoon version's classic stance), and I nearly cried from joy. He's now that much closer to the wonderful world of reading. He is just like I was as a kid, always with a stack of books. When I check on him during his naps, I often find him snoring beneath a mountain of them.
David then decided to commemorate the occasion by covering his baby bro with letters during bathtime. David would sound out the letter, then slap it onto a giggling Jack. Who knew letters could be so much fun?

The Egg-cellent Hunt

2009-04-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Illnesses aside, Easter weekend was full of fun and surprises. Grandma K and Anne braved the notorious night train to Sacramento, where we picked them up for a day of trekking the downtown shops and eating buckets of seafood. Seriously. They made Anne wear a bib as she cleverly cracked a concoction of crab legs in a tin bucket. Naturally, Rocky roamed the restaurant meeting the other guests and Jack devoured any chance of leftovers. If we lived in Sac Town, I would be working at Joe's Crab Shack for sure. I realized this after the staff spontaneously broke out in disco dance when Stayin' Alive played. It took all of my willpower (and determination not to humiliate our table) to keep me from joining in. Over the next few days we laughed, rocked out, visited the Farmer's Market in search of local allergy combatting bee pollen, colored eggs and partook in Grandma K's egg-citing Egg Hunt Eggs-travaganza. Rocky was egg-static about it as we egged him on. No one was allowed to read the clues egg-cept for Grandma. He hunted the eggs egg-ceptionally well as we egg-spected. It was egg-hilirating for Grandma to see the egg-stacy Rocky felt each time he found an egg. Alright...I think I've egg-hausted all the egg words, so here's a clip of the hunt:

Since we had inadvertently tossed Rocky's Easter basket prior to the hunt, he ended up with an Easter bucket. It's a new Sorenson family tradition. We also discovered that brave baby Jack actually has two fears: bubbles and beach balls. Needless to say, he was terrified by the contents of his Easter bucket.

Buzz cut, cars, lacrosse and very deficient immune systems

2009-04-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else noticed I haven't written about anything since mid-March? Let me explain. As much as I don't want to complain, I feel I should fill our online diary in with some factual accounts of our recent whereabouts. Between the kids and I, we have experienced 4 different flu's and colds, 1 stomach flu, bronchitis, strep throat, sinus infections and ear infections all in the last 3 months. Ok... actually the kids have suffered a couple of those and I have had them ALL. Antibiotics have become my daily supplement. So can anyone think of a minor illness I have not yet experienced this year because I just want to be prepared for when I get it? So for all of you wondering why I've been MIA and haven't returned phone calls, now you know. The kids are troopers though, and there have been good times too. Let me catch you up...

1. Yes, we bought a Toyota Landcruiser! We're already wondering how we ever got along without this sweet ride. It's a 1997 but in great condition. Rich's aunt Janice hooked us up with an incredible deal. We love her.

2. On the days that I'm not deathly ill, I've been assistant coach for the Chico Rebels Lacrosse Team. One day I was wearing my lax apparel to the gym, the next I was helping coach a team. Go figure. Just when you think a chapter in your life has closed for good. It's been great though. The girls are a dream to coach and there is always a parent there to babysit the kids. It's been good for us.

3. On a sick day that Rocky and I desperately needed to get out of the house, we went on a movie date to see Monsters v. Aliens in 3D. Rocky thought it was "so amazing." It was pretty incredible. We highly recommend it. Rocky wore his glasses the entire time, and since the creatures looked like they were right in front of him, he kept trying to communicate with them. Fortunately, our fellow viewers found it hilarious.

4. We buzzed the boy. Bath time was getting tedious. Instead of teaching him to overcome his fear of hair washing (believe me, we've tried), we just eliminated the hair. As long as Jack doesn't splash water in his eyes, the tub terror is history. I do miss the blond locks though, but now you can really see those baby blues.

Aggie Fans in Reno

2009-04-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

On March 12-14, the Utah State Aggies played in the WAC tournament, seeking the title and a ticket to the NCAA. The Sorensons joined the Campbell family and Momma K at Circus Circus in Reno to support the team and cheer them on to their goal. Ok, maybe the Sorensons really headed to the "biggest little city" to see our Aggie fan family, but once we arrived, the basketball bug bit us and we found ourselves infected with fan fever. Donned in matching USU blue t's, we chanted, cheered and danced my alma mater on to victory, while having an incredibly exciting weekend adventure that can only be expected when vacationing with the Campbells.

On Friday, we headed to the hills with half a dozen motorcycles and a couple quads. The Cambells aren't novices when it comes to tough terrain. At least they didn't appear to be. (Aunt Karen is fearless... though my mom isn't far behind. They ARE twins. Click on Karen's pic to see how tough she really is).

Cousin Kyle's girlfriend Celeste amazed us by quickly mastering the moto then patiently showing me the ropes. Needless to say, I was not as skilled on the bike, unlike Rich, who was a natural and had a blast testing his limits. I can see why he wants one so bad. I'm just glad he didn't break anything.

I determined that when it comes to off-roading, for me, the more wheels the better.

With much coaxing and encouragement, Rocky finally found the courage to walk up and down the slopes and play in the dirt and patches of muddy snow. It was a major victory for him.

Jack was content to be outdoors, donning a cap Sharli knit for him.

Having their beloved Gwamma K & the girls there (Ashley, Celeste, Sharli & Mariah) made carting the kids around a breeze.

They were showered with attention and performed accordingly. It made me realize that we should travel more often because that seems to be when they behave the best.
On Saturday, the boys headed back to the mountains, while the Campbell girls hit the stores. Momma K, the kids and I left for the Reno zoo. ALL of us discovered the hard way that GPS units don't work in Reno. After traversing in and around the city, the Campbells finally found a mall and we found an unimpressive and very closed "zoo." Nevertheless, good times were had by all. That night was the culmination of the weekend as the Aggies expertly creamed Nevada (despite their overwhelming number of fans present in their home stadium). Utah State won the WAC title, and we joined the ecstatic students on the court to congratulate the players with an enthusiasm my die-hard Aggie fan Moulton grandparents would have been proud of. What a night!

With high spirits, we hit the Circus Circus game floor. I was feeling especially lucky as an unmatched winning streak ensued, so my mom, Karen and I pooled our remaining quarters, and I was designated to play a round of Deal or No Deal. Naturally, I chose #13 as my personal case (it had been lucky to me thus far in life). Taking risk after risk, we played until the final case, which revealed lucky #13 containing the grand prize! You would have thought we'd won the ultimate jackpot the way we celebrated, as 200 tickets poured out of the machine. Looking back, I wonder why I didn't hit the casino? You can't beat that kind of luck. I wasn't alone. Sharli won big too, taking home a bag of stuffed starfish. We ended up with a couple cuddly snakes, fuzzy dice, a starfish, candy, a puppy, a pillow, a pocket car bearing a striking resemblance to our new Landcruiser and memories to last a lifetime.

Bully Baby

2009-03-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

This scenario happens several times a day. Jack lives to torment his big bro and seems to be taking advantage of his nonpunishable stage of development. Let it be known that I did NOT plan this or consciously allow it to happen, though I should have seen it coming. I am only guilty of snapping the picture before coming to Rocky's aid. I guess it's the journalist in me.

O' Toothless One

2009-03-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

So our garbage disposal (aka Jack) has yet to cut a single tooth. Being halfway through his ninth month, we are beginning to wonder. Every time that piercing scream reverberates our walls without an apparent explanation, we brace ourselves, thinking the time has finally come. Yet, a tooth never emerges. How long must we puree his every meal? How long will he continue living, unaware of the pleasures of texture? How long will be remain separated from his Cheerio chomping peers? When will he be able to enjoy the delectable addition of hotdog pieces to his mac & cheese? Don't get me wrong. He eats well, gumming his large portions like no other. But chewing is an essential part of life, right? How else could humans consume meat in such large quantities and little time? Is it possible for kids NOT to grow teeth? Jack shouldn't be walking around toothless until he's like 97. I did a Google search for toothless toddlers and discovered Jack is not alone. They recommend introducing tofu into the diet. This makes me wonder if that is the type of child I want to raise... We will hold out for the teeth. Until then, we will continue to throw every meal into the blender and love our chew challenged child for who he is.

Pretty maids all in a row...

2009-03-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

During the rare moments that Rocky plays by himself, this is what he does. He's meticulously precise with his toy line-ups. The kid gets a kick out of organization just like his ol' mama. He's also into puzzles right now and can put a 60 piece one together by himself. Is that normal for a 3 year old? It's all about neatness, order and organization with him. Gotta love it. I can't wait until he can read so we can alphabetize our movies together!

A Night in the Park

2009-03-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

I know I always write too much, so I will try to keeps this short. For family fun, the kids and I often cruise a few blocks over to Bidwell Park, the second largest city park in the U.S. after New York's Central Park. Cool huh? Just a perfectly good reason for you all to move to Chico because it's the greatest place on earth. Ok.. maybe we just want more of you to live closer...
So anyway, we often travel by wagon or when mom is in need of exercise, we take the jogging stroller. Pushing 2 kids while running definitely does the trick. Then, because I'm usually too exhausted to make the trip home in this fashion, we hang out at the playground until dad gets off work and can pick us up. It is usually dark and cold by then, but Rocky doesn't tire unless we are the last ones left. The playground is all about socializing for him. He is more interested in acquainting himself with all children and parents present than actually playing. He sticks to the sandbox, which is extremely difficult with Jack, who has to be moving and thinks sand is delicious. Playground equipment like slides, steps and bridges are still too scary for the Rock.
The swing is the only place where Rocky's courage soars. He can't get high enough and giggles every time we do the "under dog." Swinging is a little too boring for Jack, who would prefer to throw himself against concrete slabs and growl at the children.

Side note: To Rocky's credit, he can swing by himself in the big kid one, but when this pic was taken, only the baby swing was available. Apparently there are other cold-acclimated families that brave the park at night.

Rocky's Gifts for Dad

2009-02-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

So I took the boys to the Dollar Store to pick out a birthday gift for Dad. I let Rocky wander the store uninhibited to make his choice. He carefully examined the toy and toiletry aisles, almost picking a triple pack of pinwheels. You know, the essentials (Dumb and Dumber reference). After much thought, Rocky settled on a jumbo pink princess pen full of glitter that featured a handbag stamper on top. "Dad will love this!" he yelled triumphantly resulting in snickers from the surrounding shoppers. Meanwhile, unbeknowest to me, Jack (who was propped in the front of the shopping cart) had yanked a stuffed monkey from a hanging rack. By the time I realized this, he had chewed up the paper tag and spit up white chunks all over the animal. Needless to say, we bought that too. As excited as Dad was sure to be with his princess pen, I thought maybe we should pick out one more gift. So Rocky chose a porcelain statue of a bear with tools. A builder bear is what he called it. Then Rocky insisted that he needed to buy his girlfriend Lydia a present too. "I like her a lot Mom," he said. Ok. He chose an oversized gooey bug. So I gave him a groundbreaking lesson on impressing girls, and he replaced the icky insect with a glittering wand. This morning Rich was tickled pink with his presents... or thoroughly confused, but he was pleased to discover that his pen could also blow bubbles and stamp a picture of a handbag. Rocky reminded him about 7 times to take his pen to work and put his "builder bear" on his desk. Rich will be the popular one at the office today. The first one to get handbag stamped was Jack.

Happy Birthday Rich!

2009-02-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, today is Rich's birthday. He is now as old as me! Ha! To honor Richard G. I'm going to share some things you may not know about him.
1. He wails on the guitar (the video game one of course). He plays on level "expert" and sings at the same time. You should see those fingers fly. He can even flip the guitar around and play left-handed. It's inspiring. He had a crowd gathered at Circuit City the other day watching him in awe. Yeah. Coolest dad ever.
2. He's the coolest dad ever. Ok, you knew that. But seriously, he gets the boys giggling hysterically like no one else can. They do lots of boy stuff together, like wrestling and growling and fixing things.
3. Rich is an inventor. Almost daily he exits the shower (creative ideas flow faster there for him than water) with some new, brilliant theory or invention. Ask him about his anti-PC t-shirts. Let me tell you, if we had the means to implement his ideas, the world would be a different place. Interpret that how you like.
4. He's extremely intelligent and politically savvy. I'm thinking President of the US in 2038... if our country is still around then.
5. He's a man of many talents: snowboarding, paint-balling, kung-fu, rich-ing around. But he also does incredibly accurate impressions of people and singers and could easily have starred on SNL if given the opportunity. He has me laughing constantly. If we lived in LA, I would fully support a career in acting for him.
6. What he really wants for his birthday are a motorcycle or a gun.... and I'm a little relieved that he's not getting either.
I love you Rich!

Jack's Antics

2009-02-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

At 8 months, Jack continues to stray from the cautious ways of his older brother. Knocking over house plants isn't the half of it. He rolls, dunks and splashes in the bath (Rocky still cries every time I wash his hair because heaven forbid a drop of water land on his vulnerable little face), he climbs everything, and he throws himself haphazardly into people and objects, sometimes sharp and solid ones, just for the fun of it. He's always bouncing, twisting, grunting or drumming. He has recently been referred to as Bam-Bam. Perhaps it's because his mom utilizes the Guitar Hero World Tour drum kit as her daily method of stress release and jamming is a nightly family ritual. Or it's because Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Corey appropriately gave him a toddler drum, sticks and other percussion instruments for Christmas. Now, he carries at least one of those sticks with him wherever he goes. Notice the picture from the last blog post. His drumstick must accompany him to all meals, so he can bang it to summon more food. He drums on everything but prefers Rocky's head. It seems to make the best acoustical sound. It actually serves him right for all the times he has head butted me in the past with that solid noggin' of his. It's like an orange on a toothpick. Ok, I don't condone drumming on Rocky's head but Jack is unstoppable. I've never seen such determination. Rocky has learned to keep a safe distance when Jack approaches him with a stick in hand. The boy is good with his hands. He typically totes a handful of binkies, flipping and popping them in his mouth like a cowboy slings a gun around his holster. He usually keeps one handy to pop into his mouth between meal bites. It happens so fast! He thinks it's hilarious. Try to feed me now Mom! His teasing nature is emerging. He's always splashing Rocky to get a reaction. Changing his diaper is nearly impossible. He wriggles, twists and rolls effectively insuring that if a diaper does end up on his bottom, it is contorted and off-center enough to guarantee leakage... and another impossible change. Once, I was so frustrated that I scolded him in the sternest voice I could muster. He looked at me and laughed out loud. Yeah. He laughed at me! I can only imagine what disciplining him is going to be like in the years to come. Does anyone have diaper changing suggestions short of recruiting an assistant to pin him down? Rocky has tried.

Rocky's favorite activity is playing "Jack in the Crib." Every time we put those two to bed, Rocky lays in anticipation of Jack's head popping up. When it does, they both giggle, then Jack throws himself back down for another pop-up. This can go on for an hour. Sometimes, Rocky sings the "Jack in the Box tune" until the mischievous little head emerges. He will do anything to make Rocky laugh, even falling backwards and hitting his head on the crib wood. I wasn't prepared for such an aggressive, ambitious baby. I predict he will be walking within the month. Isn't there a stage where the baby just sits there and plays quietly? That was Rocky until he was one. Man, I miss that baby.

Here's a little video update of the boys.

Kitchen Calamity

2009-02-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

I'm finding it difficult to type this tale. You will soon find out why. When Momma C was here a few weeks ago, she inspired me to cut down on the costly canned baby grub and cook my own. After all, Jack eats like a pregnant woman. I had also expressed my frustration of preparing separate meals for everyone... you know... the strain of opening three different TV dinners. Ok, I'm not that bad, but we were in need of healthier, simpler alternatives. She divulged a recipe bound to satisfy all for days... homemade beef vegetable soup, as it could also be blended into a scrumptious mush for our toothless one.

Unfortunately, this involved actually chopping, dicing and mincing (yes...I now know what all those words mean) several different vegetables. Feeling ambitious yesterday while Rocky napped, I tossed Jack into the pack n' play. When left to wander, he systematically topples both standing plants then proceeds to tangle himself in our computer desk cords, ripping many from their sockets, when he's not busy clinging desperately to one of my legs, grunting, while he balances precariously on one leg of his own. Not wanting to spend the time prying myself lose from his iron grip, I ignored his whimpering pleas for freedom and began browning the beef. Then, while chopping the onion, the 2nd of 7 vegetables, I slipped and sliced some finger instead. Since my pale skin resembled the opaque onion shards, I may not have noticed if it weren't for the blood that began streaming down my hand. After a moment of reflection, it occurred to me that I literally had chopped off a piece of my middle finger.. luckily not my favorite. So I rinsed the raw flesh, threw a band aid and an ice bag on it and went back to the beef browning. Clearly lacking experience with open flesh wounds, I solved the whole blood-dripping-down-the-arm-into-the-meat-dilemma by tying a towel around my wrist. That should soak it up, I thought. It didn't, so I took that arm out of the equation by holding it behind my back. Finishing the vegetable chopping proved more difficult minus the stabilizing appendage, so I called EMT Rich and returned to the sink to sanitize and redress the wound. Lest you accuse me of exaggeration, I will assure you that it was a small slice of skin. I don't know why it bled so much. After work, Rich walked in to find Jack wailing in the pack n' play (what was I supposed to do... saturate the kid in blood by hoisting him out of there) and me, holding a bewildered Rocky in one arm while the other arm dangled, still dripping, over the bloody sink. Vegetables lay unchopped, but I had managed to brown the meat. He did the unexpected... snatched the cayenne pepper from the spice cabinet and poured it on my throbbing finger. It felt like how you would expect from such a spicy substance. It BURNED. It seared as if someone had lit my finger on fire, after slowly peeling the skin down and shoving tiny daggers underneath. It was like rubbing sand paper over raw flesh. Not recommended. But it cauterized the bleeding, so the cooking continued. Needless to say, Rich chopped the remaining vegetables. Today, I'm realizing how underappreciated middle finger guy was. He was useful. I won't make that mistake again. Nevertheless, the soup was a success! Delicious! Jack gulped his blended version down with a smile. Let me know if you would like the recipe. I would invite you over for some, but we never did find that bit of finger. Oops.

Tempting Fate

2009-02-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th. For most, this is a day of superstition, irrational fear and apprehension. Ironically, these are the feelings that the idea of marriage conjured within me until Friday the 13th, 2004. That is the day my fears were swept up into blissful happiness as Rich and I consummated our marriage in the Salt Lake Temple, the place where we had met. Surrounded by loved ones, we wept tears of joy and floated on clouds in the frigid winter air we were oblivious of. That is the day our journey began. Since 13 was our number and we chose to avoid the clique of Valentine's Day, by mere hours, we formed our union on this ominous day. Looking back, perhaps we had tempted fate. Externally, our challenges have been numerous, comically so, yet our feelings for each other have remained intact and have only solidified as we have faced life's blows together. Marriage has become the beacon of light in a world of darkness, the refuge from the storm, the force that drives us forward despite the odds stacked against us at times. In five years, we have moved 7 times. Rich has held 6 different jobs and we struggled through 2 extremely difficult pregnancies, to name a few challenges. Despite this, we laugh constantly and enjoy more marital joy than I imagined possible. Surrounded by three vibrantly spirited boys, there is never a dull moment in the Sorenson household. I wouldn't have it any other way. Rich, I love with all my heart and soul. You're my best friend and companion, my media naranja, my soul mate. Happy anniversary Richard G. Let's continue tempting fate another five. Bring it on!

Anniversary Trip to Tahoe

2009-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

This being our first trip ALONE together since our honeymoon, FIVE years ago, we were pretty excited. Momma C, who loves us like only a mother can, used her vacation time to fly out here and watch the kids for the weekend, so we could make the trip. This relieved us of any worrying about the kids we may traditionally have experienced because we have complete and total confidence in her. After all, she raised Rich. So carefree and completely alone, we embarked on our trip. That day, Rich discovered that, reminiscent of our wedding night, our hotel reservation had been lost. Having learned from our previous experience, Rich fought the company he booked with (*cough* Heavenly Resorts, *cough*) with such powerful eloquence and stern diplomacy that I fell in love with him all over again, a near daily occurrence. His efforts earned us a discount, a suite on the TOP floor of Harvey's already impressive hotel, free shirts and free passes to the Blu night club. I nearly exploded from excitement. We did what we loved best.. ate good food, danced, sang our little hearts out at a karaoke bar and struck up conversations with everyone we saw. Most know this as typical Sorenson boy behavior, but I actually enjoy it and engage in it just as much as Rich. I live by the philosophy that you cannot get embarrassed in front of people you don't know and will never see again, which makes hanging with such people so inviting and explains the karaoke. Rich stole the show with his rendition of LA Woman which lead many to believe he was a Jim Morrison incarnate. That was the highlight for me.
Neither of us could sleep that night in anticipation on the next day's event.. snowboarding!! We unanimously determined that there was nothing we would rather do on our vacation than this. Due to winter pregnancies and job schedules, we hadn't been snowboarding together in years. So we anxiously awaiting morning, hoping for the snow to continue to fall.

Be careful what you wish for. We had snow, but failed to consider the dense fog that would accompany it. This picture fully illustrates our visibility that day. There was just enough snow to convert the groomed trails into bumpy ones. We blindly raced down the mountain unaware of speed or destination anticipating the next collision, playing the odds that it would be an icy chunk of snow and not a tree. At times, we weren't even sure if we were on a legitimate trail. Though exciting, it wasn't exactly what we had hoped for. So the next day, with encouragement from Momma C, we put off our departure a few more hours and, ignoring the astronomically high lift ticket prices, headed up the mountain once more. Boy, were we glad we did! Visibility made all the difference and the clear skies left us with a breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe from the gondola. See how happy I was...
It was a perfect trip!

One Smart Little Cookie

2009-02-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

A few mornings ago, I relayed the day's plans to Rocky. We would go to the gym, then to lunch with dad and Grandpa Rick. Afterwards, we would go to Walmart to buy blank DVD's. He asked if we could get him a Bumblebee Transformer toy. (He has been asking for one since Uncle Daren bought some for our little bro's Brandon and Evan for Christmas). I reiterated that there would be no purchasing of toys, a daily reminder. Throughout the day's activities, he continued to talk about the Bumblebee toy he was going to get at Walmart, despite my rebuttals. After we had located the DVD's, we passed the toy aisles. "Can we just look at them?" he pleaded. " Why not? Harmless, right? I suggested that maybe when he had completed his preschool workbook (that should take a few months), we could return and purchase the toy as a reward. When he spotted it, he began to beg. He waited until the last moment, as I began to turn the cart away, to reach into his pocket and pull out a $20 bill! He thrust it at me and announced, "I'm going to buy it!" What?! When I asked him where he got the money, he told me it came from his piggy bank at home. Uncle Rob had added it to his bank months ago, and he had saved it for just this occasion. I was shocked. This is a 3 year old we're talking about! So he had ignored the dollar bills and change in his piggy and had stuffed the $20 in his pocket before leaving the house that morning. He had kept it tucked away secretly all morning, then waited until precisely the moment when he knew it was his only option. I was blown away! So he bought his Bumblebee Transformer. What was I supposed to do? Sure enough, when I got home I found his piggy bank with the remaining contents dumped out on my bed. Smart cookie.

I should also add that while Rocky has blown us away with his clever scheming, Jack has blown us away with the amount of food he eats. On a typical night, he now consumes an adult size bowl of barley cereal, half a can of baby food, a whole container of pureed fruit and an 8 oz. bottle. And he STILL wakes us between 4-5 AM wanting to be fed!?

Walmart to the Rescue!

2009-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Look what I found while shopping at Walmart on Saturday! ON SALE! I couldn't believe my good luck. Rocky has been so excited about his official "Batman uniform suit," as he calls it, (NOT pajamas... so don't even try to tell him that they are) that he has refused to take it off the last 3 days. He even had to wear it to the gym yesterday. I was quite proud to be the mother of the Batmen, but I could tell by the looks of everyone else that they thought I was just a lazy mom who didn't bother to change my kids out of their pj's. Who needs them? Rocky was glad that his sidekick Scooby Jack had a uniform suit too, but that only HIS had the utility belt. He thought it was very appropriate since he is the boss... according to him.
And just in case you didn't believe me in the last post when I said I used to wear a cape... here is proof!
(You can click on the pics to make them bigger)

my friend Jaime and I at Girl's Camp.... Jaime, I think I've discovered where Choobie got his pencil up the nose trick!

Also, this last weekend, we took the boys up to see this cool old wooden bridge over a large creek. As you can tell from Rich's attire, we also traveled back in time to when the bridge was built. Jack slept through it, and we discovered that not only does Rocky have a fear of water, but also of bridges that go OVER water. Here are the before and after bridge crossing pictures:

Colds, Chitis & Caped Crusaders

2009-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

That just about sums up our last few weeks, and it should explain why none of you have heard from us in a while. What began as the common cold quickly developed into something far more sinister... Chitis, which is Sorenson slang for bronchitis, because we are on such intimate terms with it now. Rocky and Jack have almost completed their physician prescribed amoxicillin, while I am just starting up on Mexican-manufactured Penicillin, which just reminded me of the "Found a Peanut" song.. Of course, didn't that person die anyway? Don't worry, my chitis isn't that dire, but I'm starting to wonder if these monthly infections the kids and I have been experiencing for quite some time now indicate a larger problem, such as an allergy to oxygen?? We exercise, take our vitamins, eat healthy and laugh constantly. Doesn't that guarantee moderate immunity? If any of you have theories or miraculous cutting-edge cures (that we haven't already tried and deemed ineffective), please let me know.

(Dad has taken good care of us all)

Rocky's recovery convinced him that he had attained superhero status and he, unexpectedly one morning, demanded a cape. Then, since Jack had greatly reduced his number of coughing spells, Rocky determined that Jack needed one too.

It was at this moment that I realized, without a doubt, that these children are genetically mine because I have been known to spontaneously don capes too... like at Girl's Camp during high school for no apparent reason. Rocky then informed me that he was no longer to be called Rocky OR David, but Batman. He pointed to his caped baby brother and called him Scooby Jack. I fail to see the connection. Robin seemed the obvious choice, but I applaud his creativity. I am also pleased with his choice of Batman, because I think that's what I used to call myself too (when I was 16). By the time Dad got home from work, Batman had decided that his cape was lacking and asked dad to make him a REAL Batman costume. After 15 minutes of scavenging around the house, this is what he came up with...

Best Buddies

2009-01-10T07:58:00.001-08:00

This is how I find them every morning now. Yes, our six month old baby crawls and stands by himself. I still can't get over it. Shouldn't teeth and hair come first? So, yesterday I was writing an email updating my Grandma and Grandpa Moulton on our kids' collective antics and thought maybe I should be sharing these things on the blog. When deciding to conceive Jack (I won't go into the details), we were concerned that 3 years was too big of an age gap, that a second child might not give David the playful distraction we so desperately desired. Our fears were unfounded. Six months after Jack's birth, they already do everything together. Every morning, Rocky gets out toys for Jack first. Then, while Rocky tries to play with his toys next to Jack, Jack crawls all over Rocky, slobbering and clawing at him, but Rocky just laughs then screams in pain when Jack grasps a handful of his hair. I spend most of the morning pulling Jack off of Rocky. Despite this, Rocky insists on being wherever Jack is. If Jack is taking a nap, Rocky is in his room pretending to be tired while hoping Jack will wake up. He often loses patience and wakes him up himself. This is how I found Jack during his nap yesterday:

Please note that NONE of those toys were there when I put him down for his nap, just the regulation standard stuffed animal and blanket. Rocky said he needed all those toys to sleep. Since Jack wasn't asleep when I put him down, I'm assuming Rocky was right!
In the middle of the night, when Jack is screaming at the top of his lungs, we often find Rocky awake trying to help him. When I showed up the other night to take baby hyena away so Rocky could sleep, Rocky said, "No, don't take Jack away. I want him to stay here!" Yesterday, Grandpa Rick took Jack to the doctor's for his immunizations for me (an activity that I enjoy just as much as stepping on sharp objects in my bare feet or being punched in the face... actually I would prefer those things). After about 10 minutes of moping, Rocky said, "Mom, Grandpa took Jack away. Can we get a new baby? A new Jack?" I explained that we would keep the Jack we had and that he wouldn't be getting any more babies for at least... oh five years, if ever.
Jack also likes to participate in Rocky's home preschool lessons. In fact, to keep him interested, I pretend like I'm actually teaching Jack. Sibling rivalry for mama's attention is a great way to motivate. We've been working on letter sounds and sometimes Jack is the one to answer first! I about died laughing hearing him make the "A" and "B" sounds on cue before Rocky. Maybe I WILL teach Jack to read before Rocky. If only he would imitate his big brother by sleeping at night! So these rascals have a lot of fun together, always making each other giggle. There's no greater sound to warm a mother's heart than to see their children laughing and playing together. Now if only Jack could answer all of Rocky's "why" questions for me!!

A New Year... and Jack is crawling!!

2009-01-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

Money is the root of all evil... and a great way to get your baby to crawl! Yesterday, I was doing some end-of-the-year organizing. Rocky was occupied and Jack was finishing his bottle and assumedly immobile, so I thought it was safe to go through the jewelry box and clean out drawers. Brightly colored objects and shapes were strewn everywhere, but off to the side was some cash I'd been collecting in a drawer. Jack caught sight of it, threw down his bottle, flipped over, lifted himself onto his knees and determinedly crawled his way to, you guessed it, the cash...a good 5 feet away! He clutched the wad of cash with a triumphant grin on his face! It's all about the benjamins.

Interestingly, the other night when Rocky ended up in bed with us, he tossed in his sleep and exclaimed with panic, "I need money!" I just about died of laughter. I swear that Rich and I don't talk about money all the time... or maybe we do. Something to look into. Well, Santa knows what to get the kids next year.

P.S. You're probably wondering why I've had so much time to catch up on blog posts this morning. Answer: Rich got an Xbox 360 for Christmas...

The Year of Jack

2009-01-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

So I asked Rich what the best part about 2008 was, and he said, "That it's over." He had a point. Other than the family-filled finale, this year has been a tough one, between a sick pregnancy, rough recovery, rough economy, the loss of my grandpa and Jack's sleepless nights. So this year we had Jack and did jack. Double meaning. Not that we are ungrateful... it's just that we hope this next year is a little healthier and happier. You can always hope, right? But the year did go out with a bang!
A couple days ago, we had Grandpa Rick and Grandma Pam over for a late Christmas celebration.

Then last night, we brought in the new year with the Myers family and some good old fashion Guitar Hero jamming!

Rocky loves Santa

2009-01-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house while we were in San Diego, so when we got home Rocky discovered a few surprises waiting for him in the living room. His face was priceless. It contained a permanent toothy grin for the remainder of the evening.

Since then, Santa has become his favorite person. Over the last few days, out of the blue, he will get a starry eyed look in his face and say out loud in a voice of awe and reverence "Thank you Santa." We've had to "call" him on the phone a few times to let him know our appreciation, since Santa didn't get the loving hug of thanks that he was able to give his grandparents or the kiss he blew Grandma K's face while chatting on the computer. He looks at the sky when he thanks Santa, though, so maybe he correlates him with God, or Jesus, since it was HIS birthday. That was a little confusing for him. When I explained Christmas, Rocky asked, "Is it Jesus' birthday or Santa's? Who is Santa? Does Jesus bring toys? Why does Santa bring me toys?" Good question. I'm still trying to figure that out. So Santa is cool because he brought toys (not that I blame him for that.. he did find him a Toy Story Woody doll... not easy), while mom and dad gave him the boring stuff like bed sheets, socks and underwear. Next year, we will be the cool ones. Watch out Santa.

(Rich is sporting the new hat I bought him for Christmas. My plan to turn him into a "newsie" is almost complete!)

Santa brought Jack some of Rocky's old toys I had boxed up a year ago. Apparently, one year is the limit of Rocky's memory because he was equally excited about Jack's gifts. He kept saying "Wow Jack!" and debated who's toys he preferred. I'm going to continue this recycled toy plan next year. Sorry Jack.

Christmas with Family

2008-12-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

This year, the holidays really flew! We were lucky to be able to have lots of family in town for Thanksgiving, then the Sorenson cousins got together to celebrate Katie's graduation. She got her bachelor's degree in nursing!

Then we headed to San Diego to spend Christmas with my dad, stepmom Kathy, and my three adorable little brothers. (I also have 2 older brothers, though I would no longer call them adorable... handsomely debonair maybe). My grandma Petersen also came down for the holidays. We always have so much fun together. Rocky had a blast playing with his little uncles. They were like the three amigos... or stooges maybe.

Jack followed little Dylan's every movement and even picked up on the word "ma ma" while we were there (a Dylan favorite). We also got to see 2 of my best buds Melissa and Jaime. It was fun seeing all of our kids play together and interact.

Kathy was an incredible hostess cooking a delicious multiple course French feast! It was TRES BIEN! We were impressed with the decorations and centerpieces too, along with the cute kid's table she had set up. Among many, many other items, the meal included cassis, coconut shrimp, lamb, caviar, foie gras, pate, and pumpkin pecan pie all prepared by Kathy with assistance by Grandma.

The kids were so fun to watch the next morning opening up their presents. This was the first year that they were really aware of it all and looked forward to it. Kathy and my dad spoiled us. We loved it. Kathy is such a fun, thoughtful person and really made the holidays special for us. I'm so glad that she is a part of our family. And we couldn't get enough of Brandon, Evan and Dylan. They are such sweet kids. We are blessed to have so many loving family members on all sides of our family. Now, we are looking forward to spending New Year's Eve tonight with Uncle Mort and Aunt Lacie's family, where we will be debuting our Guitar Hero World Tour game we got from Dad and Kathy and eating homemade Cafe Rio pork barbacoa burritos! Life is good!!
As an aside, do you notice how often I mention food? You see where my focus is...
Here are some more pictures of our holidays of 2008:

Rocky's Sorenson cousins at Thanksgiving

Cousin Gabe & Rocky

My awesome sister-in-laws Kari & Julia and I dressed up for Julia's B-day

Jodi & Cousin Jason at Katie's graduation party

Cute cousins Chloe & Chelsea... who is always great with the kids

Cousins Brad & Angie in town for Katie's graduation

Jack & his awesome uncle Rob

My little bro Evan all dressed up for the Christmas Eve dinner

Dylan & Jack bonding in their high chairs during the Christmas Eve dinner

Brandon excited about opening Santa's gifts Christmas morning

Crazy big sister Jodi reading stories to all the boys

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

This was Jack's gift to Dad... a little more than he was expecting! And yes, the spit-up went IN his mouth.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Stay tuned this week for more holiday updates...

Rocky's Infectious Laugh

2008-12-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 6 Months Jack!

2008-12-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

He turned 6 months yesterday. It continues to amaze me that he is so different from his big brother. That's an understatement. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they are complete opposites. Let me give you some examples:

1. David was a docile baby content to lay there and smile. He didn't CRAWL until he was almost a year old. Jack is always in motion, flipping around, rocking, bouncing and is on the verge of crawling already! He scoots pretty well and many have witnessed him taking on the yoga "down-facing dog" position that even I find difficult.

2. David was a clean baby. I didn't understand how baby clothes could get stained or worn out. Jack, also known as geyser, spits up (or should I say gushes) his milk after all feedings, soaking all people, sheets and blankets present. I do AT LEAST 2 loads of laundry A DAY! Workers at the gym kids' center have started bringing extra clothes to work just because of him. If you visit us, I suggest you do the same.

3. David was a quiet baby, when he wasn't doing his squirrel giggle. You could barely hear his cry and it was rare. Jack's cry resembles a loud, piercing, unearthly siren call. Those who have heard it don't soon forget it. His cries go from 0 to 60 in 2.2 seconds. When he's mad, he's MAD. And he was pretty mad the first four months of life.

4. Jack is brave, while David is still very timid. We've never had to worry about David jumping into pools, falling off jungle gyms or tripping down stairs. Jack, on the other hand has flipped himself off the bed so many times that he doesn't even cry when it happens. It doesn't faze him. We're the slow parents who are still expecting the same leisures we enjoyed with David.

5. David has always and still does fear baths. He is so sure that water dripping into his eyes while his hair is being washed will mean certain death. Jack LOVES baths. He splashes, he kicks, he coos. Rich even dunked him in the pool once, and he didn't mind a bit.

6. As a baby, David hated rice cereal and consistently refused it until we gave up trying. Jack loves the stuff and can't get enough. The first time we hovered a spoonful near him, bracing ourselves for the battle, he surprised us by grabbing the spoon, shoving the cereal noisily into his mouth and swallowing with ease.

7. With David, new stages took training and patience such as nursing, using a bottle, swallowing food, rolling over. Jack handled it all like a champ. He's gotten everything the first try easily, as if he had done it all before. Except for smiling and sleeping. David dazzled us in his first few weeks of life with both, while those have taken Jack much, much longer.

There are many other examples, but you get the idea. We are learning how little control we have over these little personalities. I know you're not supposed to compare your children, but it will be fun to look back on this and see if their stark differences continue.
Most amazing of all... we love them both equally!

To celebrate Jack's 6 months of life, I made a little video I like to call
"60 Seconds with Baby Jack." Oh, and I didn't add any sound effects. What you are hearing are authentic Jack sounds.

Christmas Card

2008-12-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

We hope you enjoyed it since we are not mailing out real cards this year. Too busy and way too lazy. Kate did this on her blog, and I thought it was awesome. So we did it too. You may have noticed that Jack is on it twice. We needed 5 elves, and since he has 2 distinct personalities: extremely happy Jack and extremely grumpy Jack... I thought he could represent 2 elves. We love you all and hope you have a merry Christmas!!

Christmas Card

2008-12-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

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