Until Greg can convince me to stay home for Christmas (which if it were up to me wouldn't be at least until 2022), our home has adopted a rather unorthodox tradition. Enter Pre-christmas.

The definition of Pre-Christmas is as follows:

Celebrated just as you would Christmas eve and morning. Leave out cookies for Santa, and go to bed with visions of sugarplums. Wake up and do Christmas morning traditions as normal. Decide before hand which gifts are going to be opened here (large or breakable gifts) and which will wait until actual Christmas day (can fit in a suitcase). Stockings are not filled until actual Christmas.

This years pre-Christmas went great. The only glitch was that Greg and I don't actually have a set idea for what a "normal" Christmas morning should be, and we just celebrate it how our host that year would celebrate it.

So when I mentioned pre-Christmas morning that I wanted to shower and could he bathe the kids, I got this look that said 'obviously we should have discussed this in advance.'

So naturally we did pre-Christmas my way.

After the kids (and us) were bathed and dressed, we headed down the stairs into the kitchen to eat breakfast before seeing the spoils that Santa brought (breakfast before Santa gifts?? Another misunderstanding that our wonderful video camera caught on tape for posterity to remember always). It was fun to watch the excitement as we ate our traditional cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast (the only thing we agreed upon).

The kids LOVED their toys. Jackson had a hard time "remembering" the one gift at a time rule, but it was an overall success. These last few days have been blissful as I have listened to the happy squeals of uninterrupted play.

I almost think everyone should do pre-christmas. I mean how wonderful is it to enjoy this experience twice?

For the past year or so I have been working on and off with Jackson on his reading. I got a recommendation for this book from a friend and it has been the best thing to hit Jackson since Uno cards.


He's been interested in reading for what seems like forever and has always had in insatiable thirst for learning. (Mom can you teach me how ice freezes? Can we practice adding with tiles? Tell me the story of Adam the prophet...) Since we started this book his reading has really taken off.

The book is organized into 100 lessons, each about 10 minutes long (although Jackson is so anxious he can usually get through one in about 5). We can easily do two in a row in a single sitting. It's written in a script format so it tells you exactly what to say and how your child should respond. Simple, yet genius.

I am amazed as I have watched Jackson go from reading short words (am, it, cat) to now reading full sentences. He's even working on harder sounds like the "th" sound. It's almost like watching magic in action. Today he read me "that ram is sad." We are on lesson 20.

So if anyone is looking for a way to introduce, or supplement your child's reading, this book comes highly recommended! I will say however, the lessons are a bit repetitive and not terribly exciting, so I would wait until your child is really excited about reading instead of introducing too early and have them get bored.

It's only a few more lessons until he should be reading pretty substantial stories and I am so excited! I hope he's this excited about reading once he can ACTUALLY read!

Usually I leave the ultra corny portion of our lives to Greg. He loves to crack corny jokes. He's known for his slapstick musical performances. He loves to make people cringe. But when he came to me with a plea for help, I just could not turn it down.

Greg has an upcoming work party where the theme is, of course, 'ugly sweater'. So With Greg's desire to make people cringe, and my desire to make things cheap things with my hands, we came up with this little beauty:





By far the best $10 I have spent this Christmas. I don't think the world is ready for this ugly sweater. But ready or not, it will be unveiled for the world to see on Wednesday. Let the cringing begin.

In case you are wondering what is important enough to Jackson to document for posterity:


His playroom.


His Uno cards.


His masterpiece.


His Hoop.


His view from the balcony.


His little brother, AKA his own personal chalk canvas.

Looking at the lens of life through the eyes of a four year old makes life seem so free. I'm sure my lens would be full of laundry, papers that needed sorting, unfinished checklists, coupons, concealer to cover the bags under my eyes and pictures and pictures of dirty dishes. But everything Jackson thought to document was what he thought was the most fun, the most important and dear to him. I could learn something from Jackson I guess. Maybe I just need a couple more pictures of my view from the balcony.

I really do like shopping. But I must admit, I am not much for crowds and I am REALLY not much for losing sleep.

But it's so hard to pass up a great deal.

So all week and even during Thanksgiving day, I had no plans of getting up at a ridiculous hour to save a couple of dollars. But when I got the tip about 8 pm Thanksgiving evening of a 50% Gap sale, the wheels in my brain would not stop turning. 98% of the adrenaline in our home comes from playing, watching, or following sports. The other 2% come solely from me and my desire to get a good deal.

So I started planning. The information said that the sale began at midnight, but not at every Gap location. But how do you find out which stores are open. Surely there must be a recording. Well there wasn't. I called my nearest Gap store. Nothing. I called the next nearest Gap. Nothing. I called Gap corporate. nothing. I called the mall information. Nothing. I called the movie theater in the mall just as a long shot that the worker may have caught wind of such a momentous sale. Nothing.

So I stayed up until midnight and called again. Nothing on all accounts. I was visibly frustrated. But in my search I found a good friend who was willing to brave the early morning Gap sale with me.

"Don't forget to park close, and stay in well lit areas." Greg warned. It was sweet to see my husband concerned for my safety as I embarked on my shopping trip in the dead of night.

So I set the alarm. at 5:20 I rolled out of bed and quickly threw on a sweatshirt over my pajamas. I called a Gap location and finally got a blessed answer. They opened at 5. Awesome.

So I hop in the car and drove down the dark roads. They were virtually empty and I felt this incredible freeing feeling as I soared along the highway (without the kids) imagining the deals that awaited me.

I park at the mall and by some miracle got a close spot. It was crowded, but not any more than a regular Saturday. I walk into the mall and keep my sights set on the prize. I knew any wandering eyes to the sales of each store could take down even the most focused bargain shopper. I looked ahead.

I was surprised at how many people were fully dressed and ready. With makeup and jewelry. I started to feel a little self-conscious in my pajamas as if I was being followed by some What Not to Wear hidden cameras.

I got to the store and found my friend. The sale was great and I picked up some awesome things. She saved me a spot in line and made the experience so much fun. It was her first time ever out on Black Friday. She even haggled. I was so proud.

We headed to two more stores and I felt like I could have shopped all day, but I knew I had a 25 minute drive home ahead of me and it was only a matter of time before the 4 hours of sleep started to catch up with me.

Well that, and that and I really shouldn't have spent any more money. It's the serious downside of loving to shop.

But I walked out with 3 bags of great deals. Sweaters for Greg, shirts and coats for the boys, and maternity clothes for myself.

As I drove home I was so pleased with the morning. It was not crazy. It was not hectic. The workers were helpful and the other shoppers were curteous. I made great time, and when I got home I even had enough energy to help clean up and play a couple of games of Uno before crashing.

Thank you Black Friday for making my week. I'll see you next year.

And thank you Greg for letting me nap for three hours. Truly a labor of love.

To show my thanks, how about a couple of sweaters?

I have two boys. They are as different as can be. I love their different personalities (most of the time). But when it comes to Christmas presents, it makes it so much harder to buy for their individual interests and personalities. So I am enlisting your help.

Here is the profile of Child #1:

Jackson:

Jackson is an ultra energetic and competitive 4 year old. His favorite activity is basketball, or board games he can win (If I win, life as we know it is over for about 10 minutes). He doesn't like imaginative play, and instead asks ME to make up scenarios or choose the colors he will color with. He likes cars, trains, blocks, legos, and lincoln logs for about 5 minutes. He has an incredible attention span for books however. I am his number one buddy, and Bennett is just a brother who ruins his shots, or breaks his puzzles (he hasn't mastered the art of the benevolent older brother). He likes challenging toys that involve winning something. Like racing cars, difficult puzzles, and has recently delved into the world of word searches. Again, he likes to paint, color, and play with clay, as long as I am there to guide him on what he should paint/color/make and what colors he should use. If he could choose he would watch TV and play computer games or the Wii all day, so I am doing my best to steer clear of any toy that might continue along that vein.

Ideas I have for him so far include: Tangrams, Remote Control Car, a Sled, LED Flashlight

And Child #2:
Bennett:

Bennett loves all types of vehicles. He plays with trains by himself for lengthy amounts of time. He likes to line things up, stack blocks, and do easy (preferably vehicle related) puzzles. He loves toys that make sounds and has incredible stamina for pushing the same button over and over. I also catch him looking out the window on occasion, just for fun. He likes books too, but will usually only tolerate 2 in a row before he's ready for something else. He pays attention to detail and is very sensitive to texture and temperature. He likes to play with me, but also doesn't mind playing on his own for awhile. He likes active games, but only at the prodding of his older brother. He often wanders off without a word. Oh and I forgot, Bennett hates loud noises.

Ideas for him so far include: Ramp/Parking Garage, Airplane, Remote Control Car, LED Flashlight

So considering these two divergent children, what types of toys would you recommend? Jackson is hard. What toys do you have for a child who is mom's shadow who struggles to entertain himself longer than 5 minutes? Bennett plays with every toy we have and then some. And since we have all of Jackson's old toys, I never know what to do for the child that already has so much. I rotate our toys and recently pulled out a new set this week. Bennett is still on cloud nine, while Jackson got bored after an hour.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

Tonight was our family night. It's Jackson's favorite day of the week. He learned all the days of the week just so that he could count how many days until Monday. Tonights theme was gratitude.

Jackson had a hard time grasping what gratitude meant so we tried to put it in terms of a word he already knew -- thankful.

I said "Jackson, there is another word that is like gratitude, it's when you are th---"

I was hoping he would fill in the word.

"Oh thatitude!"

So after a short lesson, I took the boys over to the whiteboard where we could draw pictures of the things we were thankful for, and for the most part, I was impressed by Jackson's thoughtfulness and insight as he came up with his list. Here is a short list of things that Jackson is grateful for:

myself
hands
feet
footballs
basketballs
eyes
shapes
flowers
our home
pumpkins
toilets
toothbrushes
telephones
the sun
windows
the moon
the stars
the rain
doors

And Bennett, although his pictures were hard to decipher, he made it very clear to me what he was thankful for:

Vacuums (he has a love/hate relationship with vacuums-he is fascinated by them and yet completely terrified)
Snakes
Trains
Airplanes
Jenny
Isaac
Nathan

So all in all it was pretty successful. Jackson is just a sponge and absorbs everything we tell him. Last night at dinner he wanted to know everything there is to know about repentance. So it puts a lot of pressure on me for family night, because he has such a desire to learn.

And I guess that is what I am grateful for today.

Today after Jackson's music class, I took advantage of the proximity to shopping to grab a couple things from Wal-Mart. I took my time browsing fabrics and ribbon and picking up this and that.

I check out, head to the car and reach in purse for my keys.

And search and search. Panic sets in.

I didn't find my keys. What I did find were some old grapes that had fermented inside their ziplock bag.

I look through the window to see my keys on my seat. With my cell phone.

What do you do?

So we walk back in the door. I quickly decide I'll ask Wal-mart for their phone and call Greg at work and he will come bail me out.

Simple solution. So I go to customer service. I have to stand in a long line. Apparently Wal-Mart only has one working phone. While I'm in line I realize I don't know Greg's phone number. He recently got a new phone and I hadn't yet burned it into my memory. Aaah! This was awful!

So while I was in line a woman overheard me say I just need to use the phone. This saint of a woman let me use her phone to call my mom to get Greg's phone number, and then Greg at work.

But along with my luck that day, Greg was in a meeting and didn't answer. Now what?

What do you do?

So I wandered around waiting for some inspiration to hit me. I finally walked to the auto department (just key copying, not full service) to see if they had a phone book. They didn't but an older man overhearing me and said to check my car warranty, maybe I have roadside service. Or call the police department. I was kicking myself at that very moment for letting my AAA membership expire.

I finally found a phone book and looked up the number for the police department, the Honda Dealership, and a locksmith, just in case.

By now the kids are pretty much melting down. They were hungry and tired. So we detoured to the McDonalds inside Wal-Mart where I bought the kids a happy meal for the first time ever, for the sake of the crappy day.

Back to customer service, where I called the Greg (still no answer) and the Honda Dealership. No luck. I finally called the police and they said they'd be right over. I had no idea they would open a car for me.

So we waited outside (thank goodness for 60 degree temperatures since Bennett and I were both jacketless). The police man came and tried to open the locks with his tool. Turns out policeman can't do that sort of thing and he asked me if I wanted him to call me a locksmith, the one the police station uses.

You mean avoid going back into Wal mart to wait in line to use their phone? YES!

So he called the guy on his walkie talkie and 5 minutes and 45 dollars later my car was open and I almost cried tears of joy.

I'd like to say that I dealt with this whole ordeal with strength and a clear mind. But my muddled thoughts and frequent tears would prove otherwise. Maybe someday I'll be that stalwart mom I have always wanted to be.

But for now I'll be a helpless girl with two kids trying to do things that moms do while breaking down and completely falling apart.

When we first left Utah five years ago, we thought leaving would be a great adventure. We have moved to several different states and lived in areas that we love and met some wonderful people. It HAS been a great adventure.

But having kids changed the adventurous part of me. Once Jackson and Bennett were born, I started to feel nervous. We are so far from family. Will my kids even know their grandparents? Who will help us if we need it? Who do we have Thanksgiving with?

But I must say, modern technology has been wonderful. Our kids talk to their grandparents on the phone, and even on the webcam. And despite my fears that they would take a little while to adjust to family each time they visit, the boys have been SOO great about remembering them and are genuinely excited for each visit. It makes living far away from family bearable. If only just.

This past week Greg's parents came to visit and the boys just LOVED them. They got so much attention and play time. I can't express enough how much my boys just enjoy their family. And although my picture taking has been lacking, here are a few from the week.

Luckily it's only 6 weeks until our Christmas break when our boys will get to see family again!

So once again, I somehow convinced my children to let me pick their costumes this year (although I let Jackson think it was 'his' idea). So to save me a little hassle to prevent any arguing, I opted to make the boys the same costume this year. And although I may be biased, I think these two Cat in the Hats were just adorable.


This was Bennett's first real Halloween where he was able to do some trick or treating. He just looked so cute in his oversized hat I couldn't stop taking pictures. He was the most excited about two things (in this order)
1) His tail.
2) His candy.

He walked from person to person with his candy bag in one hand, and his tail in the other.



Jackson just treated Halloween like he was an old timer. He walked confidently picking up candy and afterwards sat down with his best tinkerbell friend Gracie and just chatted and ate casually. He seemed just like a mini adult.



I love Halloween and the wheels are already turning for next years costume. Here's to hoping my my persuasion skills prevail again and I can dress them up in whatever ridiculous costume of my choice next year.

Happy Halloween!

Well Jackson was wondering when his soccer fame would land him a spot on TV. Well we are still working on an ESPN deal, but in the mean time I'll give him some exposure that will be even better than any TV deal: my blog.

So here is some footage from the first few minutes of Jackson's very first soccer game. Note the 382 parents just standing on the field. Also note the father who is carrying his daughter around the field when she insists on not playing (he held her hand during all of practice). If you have a sharp eye you can watch Jackson pick up the ball mid play so he can get in just the right position. You can also catch Jackson's "oops" goal for the other team, and his all around aggressive play and pretty good ball handling skills.

Enjoy!

PS. Sorry about the hair flying the video. My hair has gotten a little out of control and I was totally unprepared for my role as "video mom"

I want to start today's post off with a story. When my youngest sister Hannah was born, I was eleven years old. When we were deciding on a name for her, my parents brought us all to the table with a list of names. I think by the tenth child they had exhausted their list of names. So we all essentially "voted" on the names they presented to us. Hannah was the winner. But my younger sister Kim was five. She had an idea of her own. She was very much into watching a live action version of Sleeping Beauty at the time. In the movie, they name Sleeping Beauty "Rosebud" as a baby. Kim was adamant that Hannah was not the name, and that the baby would be named Rosebud. She continued to tell others about her new baby Rosebud and pretty much ignored the fact that the unanimous family vote said otherwise. I thought it was such a cute story that she had such strong opinions at such a young age. Well she didn't win out in the end, but it is a funny memory of my childhood. I think after 16 years though, Kim has come around and I think she's okay with the name Hannah.

Today after Jackson woke up from his nap we were still waiting for Bennett to wake up from his. So I took advantage of the one on one time and attempted some quality conversation with this story in mind.

"So Jackson, what do you think we should name our baby?"

"hmmmm....Tar. Kind of like Tarzan, but just Tar."

"Is the baby going to be a boy or a girl?"

"A girl"

"Tar for a girl?"

"Yes."

No laughter. Not even a smile. Tar was his legitimate name nomination. Veto.

"Okay Jackson, I hear Bennett, and before I get him up, I want you to think of the three best names you think we should give this baby."

"Okay hmmmm. Frost, Gut, not like gum, but like Gut, and Baaa.

Veto. Veto. Veto.

Are those even names?

Well I guess it's safe to say that Jackson doesn't have strong opinions. At least not opinions I (or anyone) will be seriously entertaining.

Although Frost does sound kind of sweet...

Finally after months of "winging it" I kind of felt like our parenting decisions just weren't cutting it any more. And after a particularly traumatic Costco experience complete with kicking and screaming, I felt like something drastic had to be done.

So I did the most drastic thing I could think of- I made a chart.

But enacting positive rewards for good behavior has not done me well. We started with "Penny Points" a couple of years ago. The idea was simple. Good behavior means adding pennies to a jar. When Jackson reached a certain line he got a reward.

The problem: It took too long to reach the line, so he lost interest in the reward and the whole thing became ineffective.

Then we did "obedience marbles" which started off okay. But the temptation to play with them was too much that he stopped looking at them as a rewards system and decided to play with them every day, removing and adding marbles at will. So this didn't work either.

So this time I decided to stay away from jars altogether. But it still had to be cool. Because if Jackson didn't think it was cool, it was sure to flop just as the others had. So for weeks I have been weighing this in my mind. And I think I came up with the perfect thing for Jackson.

Enter, the space chart:



With a cool thing like outer space, I knew Jackson would think it was awesome. There is a rocket at the bottom with a mission to reach the moon. But instead of making this a single reward chart I added to smaller rewards along the way to keep him motivated and excited about the idea.

So Jackson is able to add foil stars on the rocket's path. Once the foil stars reach the first reward, he gets a chocolate ice cream cone (his choice). The second reward is attending a basketball game with Greg, and the final reward (the moon!) is a trip to Kid's Junction (a glorified, cleaner version of Chuck E Cheese). He can earn stars by staying in his bed, being kind to mom, and being kind to Bennett. Each day after work Greg asks Jackson about his day to see if the star was earned.

So far so good. If you look closely you can see his first three stars already proudly placed on the rocket's path.

Here's to hoping this chart works and that Jackson reaches the moon. Because if not, I am completely out of ideas!

I am now officially a soccer mom.

Yesterday began like any other Saturday, with the kids jumping on us in bed while we pretended they weren't there and wishing them back to sleep.

But it wasn't going to happen because this Saturday was special. This Saturday was soccer Saturday.

While Greg got him dressed, Jackson asked him with such sincerity "Dad, are we going to play in some kind of stadium?" Oh boy, this kid was in for a world of disappointment. All week he's been asking when he's going to play on TV. I guess the World Cup has given him a skewed idea of the soccer scene.

"Do you think that my face is going to be up on the big screen?" he also asked. Oh no, the dinky soccer fields with the portable nets were going to seem pitiful to what he had envisioned in his mind.

So we got him all dressed and drove to the soccer fields. We found his team (in Kelly Green) and they started practice (30 minutes of practice followed by a 30 minute game). It was clear that Jackson was not only aggressive, but actually... pretty good.

His coach kept calling Jackson "David Beckham" because Jackson had insisted on a mohawk that morning.



Once the game began I flipped on the camera to catch three goals in a row ... for the other team. I turned off the camera so as not to catch the carnage. I guess in "little nipper" soccer they don't keep score, but of course we were, and we were losing bad.

So Jackson got right in the middle of action to take matters into his own...feet, and scored right away. For the other team.

Mental note #1: Teach Jackson that each team has a goal on the opposite side.



As the game progressed, the bunchball was moving slowly up the field towards our goal, but Jackson struggled to get the ball out of the mass of kids into the goal. So naturally he grabbed the ball with his hands, placed it in front of the goal and kicked it in. Twice.

Mental note #2: Remind Jackson that soccer is a feet-only sport and that goals may NOT be acquired by any means necessary.


After a quick talking to, Jackson seemed to understand the rules and kicked the ball for a kick off, dribbled straight down the field and kicked it right into the goal. All legitimately. It was AWESOME! After that he self proclaimed himself the forward and kicked each kick off from then on. I'm sure the other parents were angered by his audacity.



But we were still getting killed. Even with Jackson's 4 goals (one for the other team, two handballs, and one legit) we were still down by more than double that. One kid on the opposing team was good. I mean really good, and scored goal after goal. So during a water break Greg said "Jackson, you've got to stop that guy from kicking it in the goal."

So he did. By tackling him. Twice. I don't know if Greg was more embarassed or more proud that his son was such a budding football star even on the soccer field.

Mental note #3: Teach Jackson that while a viable use of your body in football, tackling is considered bullying in peewee soccer.

But the goals against us did not stop. So Jackson took it a step further. He sacrificed his body amidst a swarm of size 10 cleats by throwing his own body on the ball to keep it from getting kicked into the goal.

Mental note #4: Teach Jackson that shin guards are to protect our lower extremities from getting the brunt of 4 year old kicks. There is nothing to to protect your head in soccer, so lets keep it away from the ball.

So I think the game ended up being something like 12 to 3 (but who's keeping score?). But Jackson had the best time of his life and cannot WAIT to get back at it next week.

Something about just sitting in a folding chair at the soccer field felt so comfortable, just the way I spent every Saturday of every fall of my childhood.



No wonder being a "soccer mom" has such a cool stigma. It is cool right?

This post is most definitely the last post of the "first day of school" barrage of posts.

But even so, it still happened. Jackson started preschool yesterday. Yes preschool was at my house, and I was the teacher, but he was still as excited as ever. So I thought a picture was still in order.

So no, he doesn't have a backpack on. And no he actually isn't wearing shoes either.He chose his own clothes, and by no small miracle, they actually match.

Although Jackson is chock full of personality and bursting at the seams with energy and charisma, he decided to bottle it all up for this rather stuffy picture.

So I thought I would try for one more with a little more personality.

And this is what I got.

Congrats on your first day of preschool bud.

Yesterday was a sad and momentous day in the Rose home. In 2002 I was blessed with a lovely of a car. It was a 1996 Nissan Sentra and I loved it. Clark and I drove it together at BYU for quite some time. Although the car didn't look like much from the outside, she was reliable and caused me almost no problems.

She was affectionately dubbed Blue Steel by my roommates and I and was the location for many important occasions.

When Greg and I first met, he didn't have a car, so all of our dates started with me picking him up and dropping him off. I don't even think his manhood was threatened.

I got in my first (and last) accident in this car. It was after this accident that my cousin Lisa told me the best and worst joke of my life.

This is the car we took on our honeymoon.

The Sentra transported our family of four often.

It has driven across the country several times. From Oregon to Wisconsin. From Utah to Denver. From Utah to California. From Wisconsin to New Jersey and back.

Yesterday we said goodbye to the beloved Sentra. I wasn't quite ready to get rid of it, but having 3 cars for 2 drivers just didn't make sense. Less than 12 hours after posting it on craigslist a nice man came and drove it away.

Guess why he bought the car? His youngest daughter was starting her freshman year at college. At least this car will continue to make some good memories for someone else.

The other good thing is that this man only lives a few miles up the road, so maybe I'll run into Blue Steel again.

Thanks for 8 great years.

Today we became the proud owners of this:


Because we need to be able to fit one more of these:


Because at the end of March we are going to be upgrading our family to include one more of these:



Get ready for the mayhem.

I am the mother of two boys. I am a girl. Yet I am doing my best to raise two very boyish boys. The first two years of life are easy. Toys are relatively gender neutral. Puzzles, balls, barns and shapes are methods of play I can really get into. Yes maybe the puzzles are truck and train themed, but the concept is simple.

Even girls like puzzles and shapes.

As the kids have gotten older the toys have become more and more gender specific. Play becomes more rough, and pretend activities seem so foreign. But I have resisted to give into the aggression and masculine toys. Now I'm not saying I make them buy toys from the "pink" aisle at the toy store. Instead I have tried to settle on toys and activities we have in common. Painting is something I can get into and my kids enjoy the creativity. Legos are fun, and they can make their buildings and trucks while I make flowers and rainbows. Play animals are still relatively fun for boys and girls.

So far I have kept myself involved and interested in the activities they do each day.

But now we are entering a new realm, and it's breaking my heart. While I can relate to puzzles, shapes, painting, legos, and animals, I am baffled by how to play with boy things. REAL boy things. Swords (I don't buy them but anything long and skinny becomes a sword), superheroes, action figures and wrestling. I just pray that he never finds out about army guys.

I grew up surrounded on all sides by 4 brothers. But I am still a girl. While I saw them play with swords and pretend to be Superman or Batman, I never understood it. And now I have Jackson who loves anything that fights, shoots, dropkicks, or stuns.

I feel like we had a good run. But I just can't get into pretending to be a superhero.

So I introduced him to Uno. It's a great game for both of us. I just hope he forgets about the superheroes and decides to stick with something a little more tame for now.

Some may say this is selfish, but I disagree. For now, Jackson wants to be just like me. He relates to his mom and I still have him under my wing. Once he branches out into the "boy world" he leaves my realm and crosses over into idolizing his dad and all things boy related. Forever.

Is it so wrong to hold on to it for just a little longer?

Ever since Jackson was born he's always been more of everything. He was louder, faster, more energetic, more demanding, and more stubborn.

Well the trend has continued to his four year old self. we can just title this set of pictures as "more persistent." If I hadn't have physically dragged him away from the sword in the stone, he would have spent hours there trying to pull it out.

I have a love/hate relationship with vacations. I'm sure we all do. Here's why.

Hates:

1. 6 hours in a plane is the nearest thing to child abuse in my book. Even armed with movies, coloring books, new toys, and snacks to feed the masses, it's just TOO long to sit in one place with two wiggly kids.

2. My kids have some kind association with vacations and gum. Grandma do you have gum? Mom do you have gum? Stranger at Disneyland, do you have gum? They can't get enough of it. We are now on the gum detox program and it's not going well.

3. Coming back to a "boring life" after one filled with trips, hikes, treats, and Disneyland is never an easy transition for them. They wake up and ask "what are we doing today?" When they find out it's laundry and vacuuming, the stink eye comes out in full force.

Loves:

1. Coming home from vacation is usually a hard transition for most kids. But my kids have been getting up at 8 9 or 10 all week, so I have really been enjoying the extra sleep (although laundry would have been a good idea too).

2. Even with all the craziness, spending 3 weeks with family is always wonderful. Just wish I had a husband who could have come.

Here are some pictures from the trip. The first week was spent visiting Greg's family in Utah, and attending a family reunion in Salt Lake. The Second week was spent at 10,000 feet at a cabin in Brian Head with my immediate family, and the last week in California just playing at my parents house. Here are a few of the highlights.