Can We Just Take A Second to Recognize this Man's AWESOMENESS! And other ramblings from a sleep deprived mom

When Tom and I were first married, he had woke me up sleep talking exclaiming," I'm Awesome, I got the Job!"  And the next day he did!  Unfortunately, no I am not blogging about the fact that he got a job, although we are anxiously waiting in hopes that a call does come Monday from Ernst and Young (cross your fingers for us!).  Rather, I am blogging about Tom's awesomeness in other areas of our life.  Last week on his way home from church (he had to take his own car because he was singing in Sacrament) his driver side window fell down into the door (we won't discuss that the reason his window was down was because the ac is broken, one thing at a time!)!  Well, car repairs do not have any room in an unemployed budget, but lucky for me my husband is awesome!  After viewing a few youtube videos, he ordered a part off of Amazon for $40 as opposed to the $100's we'd pay to have someone do it for us and proceeded to remove the door from his car and take it apart.  Yes, he removed his car door!  I should have taken a picture.  Well, the part came today and he has already fixed it!

I must say that in our society I think handy-men with crafting and building skills are grossly undervalued! Where would everyone live without the home builders? And what furniture would they have and, well, you get the idea.  But when there is a natural disaster and we have to make shelter and find and cook food, I know we will be taken care of (especially with that assault rifle we have)Tommy can fix or build basically ANYTHING!  From building decks, installing cabinets and wood flooring, building shelves, to fixing cars, he is a jack of all trades!

On another note, we may have found the cause for this little boy's lack of sleep: DRUM ROLL PLEASE! A children's version of Sleep Apnea.  After meeting with the ENT today, we are going to have tubes put in because even when he doesn't have an active ear infection, he has a cesspool in his ear of gross brown fluid!  Makes sense why he is super irritable all the time and why he has trouble sleeping.  But even more, he has swollen adenoids.  So what happens is he falls asleep and as soon as he reaches his REM sleep his muscles relax and his mouth closes.  Well, swollen adenoids make it so he can't breath very well through his nose, so he wakes with a start and this happens throughout the night.  I would cry all night too if this was happening to me!  And to top it off, it has caused him to have some "temporary" hearing loss too.  So sign us up for surgery!  Then hopefully this boy can get some REM sleep!  And hopefully we have finally found the ANSWER I have been searching for for the past year!

The last few nights have been really depressing for me.  Aside from the fact that so far we have no job and the anxiety and stress is building, I just felt like by now Jack would have grown out of whatever it was that was causing this problem, and that I would finally get some sleep because waking up every 2 hours is not working for me!  Sometimes I think no one realizes that when I say my baby doesn't sleep I'm exaggerating and that they can relate.  But honestly and truthfully he doesn't sleep and some how Tom and I have figured out how to function from day to day on 4 hours tops with mornings that begin at 5 am. My patience is at an all time low and I hate that I get pushed to the edge so easily with my boys!  I've been praying that we would find the answer to this and bless this doctor I think we have.  Although the surgery is another story.  Sad sad sad, is all I have to say.

Here's What Happens When You Think You Don't Need A Nap

In the past month Porter has become quite accustomed to having naps like this.  Usually he ends up laying on my diaper bag, but Tom got smart this time and brought a blanket.  I may not have been great at schedules with my kids, but it can certainly be said that they are portable sleepers!

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Jack- 15 Months

This little boy is simply scrumptious and irresistible, which is lucky because he is NAUGHTY!  He is starting to talk like crazy now.  Most of it is still gibberish, but here are his favorite words:

Shoe

NO!

Mama

Papa (for my dad)

Ma (that means bottle)

Door

Che Che (don't know what this means but he says it all the time)

Baby

His favorite activity was just discovered today.  He loves to climb up on our tall kitchen table and grab on to the chandelier and swing.  I'd have taken a picture if I hadn't feared for both his safety and my chandelier!  He is constantly climbing on everything and I honestly cannot turn my back for 1 second without him getting into something.  I about had a heart attack up at Park City when I found him on the deck having pushed a chair over to the railing and was going to attempt to climb onto the roof.  And he had only been out there for like 3 seconds.   

He loves bath time, running away from me, peek-a-boo and tormenting his older brother and his dog.  He also loves finding baby dolls and dragging them around and giving them kisses. He is crazy and cuddly, which means he stops to give you multiple hugs, but then quickly goes back to whatever he was doing.  He also loves our almost daily Taylor Swift dance party thanks to Porter's obsession with Taylor Swift songs.

His favorite food?  Dog Food and Legos!  Sick but he honestly tries to eat both on a daily basis. Actually I have yet to find something this child doesn't like but his very favorite would have to be pasta.  He loves to eat which is such a change from Porter.  Oftentimes I eat dinner with Jack and Porter and then Tom comes home from school and Jack will have a second portion with Tom.

The sleep is getting better, it is usually not until 4 am that he wakes up!  I guess I need to be grateful for this considering what it could be. We took him in about 2 weeks ago for a consult for tubes for his ears, but the doctor decided to wait.  Hopefully the last round of antibiotics which came in the form of shots because the previous two rounds that month couldn't kick the ear infections, finally relieved the child from a chronic ear infection.  

I am in love with this baby boy and can't believe how big he is.  He keeps me on my toes every day but leaves a smile on my face by the end.  

Summer So Far-In Pictures

Bear with me, but my picture procrastination sometimes leads to picture overload.  Despite some of the more unfortunate events in our life, namely no job yet, we have had quite an enjoyable summer: from Zoo visits, cousin playdates, park playtime to soccer games (more on that later) cabin campouts and family reunions.

Here's what we've been up to:

ZOO-RASSIC PARK

at Hogle Zoo with Tils

Tommy and Jack on the Carousel

T-Rex, Jack and Mana

(Jack was incredibly fascinated with this, Porter was terrified!)

WHEELER FARM

My Highschool Friends-

Love These Girls and the Friendship we Still Have

Crazy that we all have (or will soon have) kids!

Whitney, Laura, Ang, Me and Sheena

Porter Driving the Tractor in his Jessie Hat

Yep, we still love Hats!

On Our Way to 

LAGOON!

Jack and Finch driving.  

My anxiety level was high for fear this crazy 1 year old who can unlock doors and 

climb on anything would crawl right out!

Porter, Tommy and Bentley

Porter and Mommy on Dinosaur Drop

The LeBaron Cousins competing in a rousing game of Water Blaster, 

all soaked from Rattlesnake Rapids.

The LeBaron Crew at LAGOON

THE SUNDANCE CABIN

STEWART FALLS HIKE

Jess, Porter, Maddie, Evie, Luci

The Falls- Yep that's SNOW!

We didn't even make it too the top because it was slippery and icy and I couldn't help Porter without falling myself.  We did come down part of it on our bums (on purpose).  Jack didn't appreciate the spray and cold air up there!

We also spent the weekend before the 4th up in Park City with my extended family.  I didn't snag very good pictures, but here's our car on the way home!  Porter played to his hearts content:  legos, coloring, tie dying shirts, water balloons and swimming.  Jack is tired because he played and didn't sleep at all at night.

We had a lot of fun crammed into the condo playing games and eating as well an enjoying beautiful long walks along the awesome Park City trails.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

We headed to the Bouchers for a Hot Dog's Around the World BBQ

We enjoyed delicious hot dogs (yes even I who hasn't consumed a hot dog since I was 10) with unique flavor combinations from around the world: Thai, Swedish, German, American, Mexican and more.  

This little boy was in HEAVEN!

Jack enjoying his hot dog just before an unfortunate tumble down the rock stairs and a face plant leaving a nice cut on his nose and some road rash.  Still a miracle we haven't had stitches!

We then headed over to enjoy the Holladay City Fireworks.  It was a great show, but was super long.  My kids both fell asleep half way through.  We had a wonderful 4th of July and found it quite difficult to face reality the next day.  

Happy Father's Day!

Despite the dreary weather, we had a wonderful Father's Day!  It started with me waking up to play with Jack at 5 so Tommy could keep sleeping.  However, I can't complain because that meant Jack slept through all of sacrament which is an incredible blessing!  Porter loves any kind of celebration so we have been making decorations for the last week including a tie banner and these cute cards:

Our menu was fabulous if I do say so myself.  It included onion and blue cheese stuffed burgers with sauteed mushrooms.  Delish!  We had a great berry salad with poppy seed dressing, pineapple and corn on the cob since it is my dad's favorite!  And finally the dessert:  Maple Bacon Cupcakes and 2 kinds of homemade icecream: Cinnamon (which btw is AMAZING!!!) and Peanut Butter.  As you can imagine we all probably gained 5 pounds just today, but sometimes the splurge is worth it.  Tomorrow feels like a detox is coming on!

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing father in my life.  I have always been a daddy's girl so my father holds a very special place in my heart.  We have a unique bond and look out for each other.  I try to keep him in line with his diabetes and he gives me advice about almost everything.  He has always played an important role in my life and even in the lives of my friends.  "Papa English" as he is fondly called took the time to learn the names of everyone of my friends and all about their lives and truly looked out for them as a second father.  (I even remember him having to discreetly buy sanitary supplies for one of my friends on Concert Choir Tour when she was in desperate need of them, and that is saying a lot!!) He is great with kids (which must explain why at least 15 years of his church life have been spent in Primary and another 10 spent in Young Men's) and it has been great to see what a great grandpa he is.  My boys love him to pieces and I would venture to guess that Papa is Porter's best friend.  It has been really hard to see my dad have to close his business, but the silver lining for me is that I got to have my dad back.  For the past couple of years he was working so hard he could barely pay attention to anything else.  And now he has time to talk and go on walks and enjoy life with me and my boys.  I love my dad.  He is a great example to me of hard work and determination.  He taught me how to save money and budget things.  He shares my love for lists and organization and order.  (although we both obviously must do it wrong or else we wouldn't have to keep organizing again and again)  My dad has a positive outlook on life, despite the many trials he has faced and his testimony doesn't seem to waver.  I love my dad and feel blessed to be raised by such a great man.

And in honor of Father's Day I cannot forget to express my gratitude to Tommy.  He is an INCREDIBLE Father!  If I had to choose one word to describe Tom it would be patient.  He has exceptional patience and with kids like ours that is hard to come by.  He will drop anything to play with his boys and they love him for it.  He plays legos and superheros for hours on end, takes Porter to the hardware store with him every chance they get, and in case you didn't know, Tom is an awesome story teller.  I use to think that my boys seemed to prefer Tom over me because he was more of the novelty as he was gone so much of the time.  Since he has been out of work I have realized that is not the reason.  They still prefer him over me!  I feel blessed to have a worthy priesthood holder be the head of our family and am so grateful for the influence and example Tom is setting for our children in all aspects of his life.  He is a hard worker and has a positive outlook on life.  He never says no to helping people, even though sometimes I wish he would!  He fulfills his calling and is ready to substitute for any one at church, even when he realizes after he said yes that it was the chastity lesson or when he had to speak in sacrament and sub Gospel Doctrine in the same day!  His example, I'm sure, will help set a precedent with his children of the importance of service help influence their testimoney.  I feel blessed to have such an incredible man raising our children and couldn't ask for anyone better! 

Lake Powell, Captain America and Praise to the Man

Well, we survived Lake Powell!  I was hesitant to leave Jack with anyone considering his sleep habits and craziness, but if anyone could do it I knew my Aunt Jenny could and would!  She said he did quite well, he is completely crazy and must have a death-wish the way he climbs things, and had some rough nights.   But he obviously loved it.  I mean, who wouldn't love being an 8 year olds personal Baby Alive?  To be doted on and entertained by 5 kids isn't such a bad deal.  When we went to pick him up, he would have chosen to stay with my Uncle John had I let him.

As for us, you may wonder why we would possibly go to Lake Powell when we don't have a job?  Well, the truth is, my parents have awesome friends!  The Redd's let us stay on their house boat and fed us who can pass up a trip like that?  Porter was in heaven as well.  With 16 adults who take turns entertaining him, who wouldn't?  The day we got down there Haven Redd (age 8) promptly asked me where Porter was in his dinosaur learning.  Hmm, um well, he's not.  She then informed me that she quite conveniently had the Dinosaur Encyclopedia with her so she could further his dinosaur education.  And that she did.  She would sit across from Porter on a stool with her legs basically trapping him in and read to him verbatim out of the Encyclopedia!  He would start to show a painful look of boredom on his face after a few sentences and then would start singing, "Praise to the Man" (more on that later).  But still he would sit.  It cracked me up to watch, but every once and a while I would need to intervene to save him.  His favorite activity?  Paddle Boating to find pirate treasure in what he named "Masagna Cove".  Some change buried in a plastic cup made the perfect treasure!  Oh how I love his sense of adventure and awesome imagination!

The water was FREEZING in Powell, which is to be expected at this time of year, but the weather was a welcome 80 plus degrees during the day and I ate it up!  The first few nights were beautiful down there sleeping on top of the house boat, the perfect temperature to sleep under the stars.  However, Saturday night was MISERABLE!  I have never seen a wind storm down in Powell like that.  Alan sat up all night being sure that our anchors were secure to the rocks, the boys got up more than once to re-tie the ski boat to the houseboat, pillows were flying, sand was blowing, everyone was fighting to sleep, and Porter, he was fast asleep and had no idea!  We are taking 30 mph winds people!  It shouldn't surprise me when the child can sleep just about anywhere.  Case in point:

However, even Jack has managed to fall asleep in quite odd places.  I guess that is what you get for not sleeping at night and being crazy during the day!  He has done this on a few occasions where he will be crying as he pathetically crawls across the floor (yes he can walk) and all of a sudden, mid cry, he basically passes out.  Is that normal?

Well, back to Powell, it was fun and a welcome break, and nice to not have to face the reality that is mine for now.  And as you can see, we totally slacked and didn't take one picture.  Remind me why Tommy has such an awesome camera again?  

No news on the job front for Tommy and me being crazy busy with work, Relief Society, and mommy.  The one upside to Tom being home?  He makes awesome pancakes and waffles and feeds the boys every morning.

And now let me introduce you to Captain America, whom we refer to as Cap and who Porter will inform you is really Steve Rogers.  This boy loves his comic book heroes!  Unfortunately his mommy is not allowing her 3 year old to see all the new movies coming out that he is dying to see:  Thor, Captain America, X-Men, no matter how many stickers he earns on his chart.

  Thank you Justin for getting him hooked!

As for "Praise to the Man"?  Porter is learning that song in Primary and has taken it upon himself to learn the entire thing.  A few nights ago Porter asked Tom to tell him the story of "King Shalleck".  Tom was so confused until Porter further explained that King Shalleck killed Joseph Smith.  WHAT?  To make a long story short, Porter was referring to this song, "Praise to the Man" and King Shalleck isn't a King at all, but rather the phrase, "kings shall extol him and nations revere."  As for killing Joseph Smith, well, we have now corrected that.  We sit for hours on end watching youtube videos of the Tab Choir singing it as Porter mouths the words and he is now obsessed with the "Hero Prophet" Joseph Smith and wants to know all about him.  How cute is he?