Our Uneventful Week (Finally)

Our lives have seemed to be busy and crazy lately, which is why it was nice to have a bit of a break this week. Yesterday our little town had a festival that I took the boys to while Adam was working. They had booths with crafts, and food and other services that we walked around and looked at. Brody got to sit in a fire truck with a fireman and was given the opportunity to jump in a cool castle bounce house but decided that it was way too terrifying for him. We wanted Adam to come and meet us there for lunch ($1 hotdogs!) but he wasn't able to make it so we just decided to bag the whole lunch thing and go home and have our own fun picnic. It was indeed fun until a HUGE bumblebee invited itself and wouldn't leave us alone at our picnic table in the backyard. We moved to the other side of the yard and had our picnic on a blanket. It was so nice outside and peaceful without the bee bumbling around.

The other pictures are just fun pictures of Bridger being cute. He'll use anything as a Superman cape- here it is a kitchen towel. He also is a really good kisser. It is usually pretty hard to get a good willing kiss from him but when he is gives them out, he gives them out generously. Kisses all around!

Today Brody said the words to me that any parent dreads. "I don't like you!" It was pretty random, too. I had just given someone a ride home and had gotten back into our car and he said it. I didn't hear him at first- I just heard Adam say, "Brody- don't say that. It's not nice." Then he said it again so I could hear him, and again, and again. I asked him who had said that (we had just left church where he had spent 2 hours in nursery with a lot of other kids) and he said, "I say that." It really hurt my feelings! Adam told me he didn't know what he was saying but it still was painful. I'm sure it's not the last time he'll say it, and when he learns the word "hate" I'm sure he'll throw that in there too. About 2 minutes after he said it, we found a turtle on our way home and Adam picked it up so we could take care of it. Brody was so excited so I asked him if he liked me again and he said yes. Fickle boy. Our new turtle is very shy. I forgot to take pictures of it but it's a box turtle and his name is Boxer. Brody loves him (apparently more than he loves me).


Enjoy this video of Bridger spinning himself sick!

Another Trip to the Zoo

(Adam and Bridger making elephant sounds)


Yesterday we took another trip to the zoo, only Adam was able to come this time. It was Brody's friend Hayden's birthday so we went to celebrate Hayden turning 3. Bridger was well-rested this time (for the beginning of the trip at least) so he really enjoyed it. Brody was really excited as well- he ran from one exhibit to the next so fast that we almost lost him a few times. Our favorite parts were the same as last time- the huge gorillas being fed and being able to feed the giraffes. We also enjoyed the penguins, who were especially playful and the birdhouse, where the boys kept trying to have a bird sit on their hand. We were all so exhausted when we left- the boys (all three of them) slept on the way home and I crashed and took a nap when we got home.

If you are ever in the South Carolina area, I really recommend going to this zoo. It is really interactive and there is a lot for the little kids to do.

A few of you have asked about how Adam is doing. He gets his bandage contacts out today and is really excited for it. His vision is still blurry and one of the drops he has to put in is a white liquid, which makes his contacts white and hazy, which is annoying. Last night he was trying to read the guide on tv and said excitedly, "Hey! If I close one eye, squint the other and tilt my head a little, I can see that clearly!" How sad is that? Also, if you are wondering why he's not wearing his glasses in any of the pictures at the zoo, it's because he's naughty. He said he was fine but I'm pretty sure his vision will never be right now and that his eyes are going to have holes burned through them from the sun.

I also want to throw out a CONGRATULATIONS!!! to my little sister Audrey, who is engaged. We are really excited for you and are so glad you found Mike!!! I can't wait to meet him.

Just Fix His Dang Eyes!

I try to keep my posts as positive and uplifting as possible, which I realize doesn't always happen. Life is hard sometimes! This week was one of those hard ones. We decided to look into getting Lasik for Adam a while ago since he has terrible eyesight and his glasses are a huge pain. We got the surgery scheduled for this last Friday the 18th, and he just had to request leave from work for a couple days since the place is in Atlanta. He thought it was taken care of until Wednesday when he was told that his leave paperwork had gone through incorrectly and that he didn't have the military's permission to have any surgery performed. They actually told him that once he signed up for the military, they owned his body and therefore had to get permission to do anything to it. Whatever. He then had 24 hours to get the medical people to sign it and also had to get the head Navy officer on base to sign it. About 20 hours before the time the surgery was scheduled for, he had all the signatures and paperwork he needed. It was about that time that he got a message on his phone from the Lasik center saying that they didn't have him in the computer as having an appointment on Friday (you know- the day that he had gone to you-know-where and back to get leave for?). This is where I really panic. He called them back but they were closed for the day and didn't open until the next day- an hour before we were supposed to leave for Atlanta. 9am came and Adam decided he should call them instead of me, which was probably a good idea since I was hyperventilating by now. He calmly told them everything and they were kind enough to get us in anyway. This is where I start to calm down and be slightly more pleasant to be around. We drop the kids off at our GREAT friends house so they could watch them overnight (Livseys- you really are the best!) and we were off.

We drove the 2 1/2 hours to Atlanta and arrived at the center 30 minutes early. More annoying things happened that aren't really blog-worthy (maybe none of this is but I need to vent) and then they informed Adam that he couldn't get Lasik because his corneas are too messed up. He would need a procedure called PRK in order to permanently correct his vision. Thanks for telling us 3 weeks ago or yesterday when we had our other appointments! It is a quick procedure, just like Lasik would have been, but causes more discomfort for a longer period of time. The difference is that with Lasik, they cut a flap in your cornea, laser it and replace it. With PRK, they take a rotating electric toothbrush-looking thing, rub off the top couple layers of cornea, laser it and then put temporary contacts in so the cornea can heal itself. 3 1/2 hours after arriving to the office, we left. It took about 4 of those minutes to do the surgery. Since it is harder on the eyes, Adam was pretty miserable the rest of the day (and kind of still is a 36 hours later). That squashed our plans of going to the Cheesecake Factory and to the temple. We went to a close restaurant near our hotel and then Adam crashed at the hotel while I went to IKEA.

Now Adam has to wear sunglasses outside at all times for a few months and has to wear funny goggles (pictured to the left) to sleep and in the shower for a week or two. Also, his eyes are still red and puffy.

At least he never has to wear glasses again!

Our Photo Shoots

I know we have posted a few of our picture the Johnsons took of us but they just posted more on their photo blog and some of them are of just Brody and Bridger. We haven't posted those on our blog yet so if you'd like to take a look, go to http://picturethepossibilities.blogspot.com. They are really talented and have such a great family. Thanks, Jay and Sherrie! You are AWESOME!

Brody's Interview

Adam sat Brody down yesterday and interviewed him. These are the results:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRl3Hv1frY

Seriously?

I know it is completely normal for toddlers to throw tantrums. Brody throws at least 3 a day and Bridger is closer to 5 a day. I just think they should choose more important things to get upset about. Some examples of reasons for everyday outbursts include having the wrong color of spoon for breakfast, wanting each other's sippy cups, not being allowed to go play in the sandbox when it is raining and thundering outside, not being allowed to play with the knife that Mom gets to cut with, and other really unimportant things. When one of them is freaking out, I really do just look at them and think (or say), "SERIOUSLY?" In this video, Brody is getting upset that Bridger doesn't want him to zip up his backpack. This is a very mild incident. I wouldn't even call it a tantrum- if I posted a full blown tantrum, no one would ever come back to look at my blog.

Spring Projects and General Conference

Sometimes I get into a mood where I want to start a bunch of new projects so I get stuff to do them and they never get done. The last few weeks I have been itching to get them done and I am well on my way.

We have been wanting to paint our living room/entry way/hallway for a long time since the builders here won't allow the painters to use anything but flat paint (more like primer) on the walls. Having small children makes that really fun because any time they touch, rub up against, or look at the wall wrong there are marks that you can't clean off without scrubbing the paint off too. They even used flat paint in the bathrooms and kitchen- who does that? Adam repainted those areas soon after we moved in but the living room was a daunting task because of the vaulted ceilings and lack of a ladder. We decided to just do it last week and so we borrowed a ladder from our friends (thanks, Mitchells!) and painted for a few hours every night after the kids went to bed. I think it took 4 nights and it was done. Most of the walls are a dark beige (see picture) and then the two accent walls by our couches is chocolate brown. I really like the way it turned out. Now we just have to finish hanging pictures again.

Another project that I completed was my St. Patrick's Day blocks. I know it's a little late, but at least they will be ready for next March! I have been making blocks like this for every holiday. I really liked the LOVE blocks for Valentine's Day but the EASTER ones I made weren't so cute. Next up is LIBERTY for July 4th. I am pretty excited.

I got this "L" at Michael's and decided to cover it with patterned paper (from Stampin' Up obviously) and then I sponge inked the edges. It's really simple but I like how it looks in our entertainment center.

I have been trying to make the boys' room a little cuter since it has always been so plain and boring. I can't spend a lot of money so I have been looking for things that are easy to alter. I got $1 frames at Michael's, painted them, and then cut out pictures from a Curious George book to put in the frames. Then I found these plain letters at Michael's for a dollar or two each and covered them with paper and embellishments. I still need to make Bridger's but at least Brody's are done.

I have been working on scrapbooking lately since I have fallen ridiculously behind. I know everyone says that but I am so far behind that I couldn't catch up with an entire team to help me scrapbook. I have started to just put my pictures in albums and whatever pictures I don't get into scrapbooks (most of them) will just stay in the albums.

Lastly, I really enjoyed General Conference this past weekend. My friend Rachel came over for the Saturday morning session because our husbands were both working. It was the session that our new Prophet and First Presidency were sustained. It was really neat to see all the difference quorems and auxiliaries stand one by one to sustain our new leaders. When it was time for everyone to stand together, Brody stood with me and raised his hand in sustaining President Thomas S. Monson. It was so sweet to see him looking at the prophet and raising his hand (mostly because I told him to, but still). He knows our new Prophet's name and what he looks like. For the Saturday afternoon session, I said, "Brody, it's time to watch conference again!" and he said, "I don't want watch my prophet" in a very polite voice. At least he's nice about it.

One of my favorite talks was by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who is an Apostle in our church. He talked about gaining a testimony of Jesus Christ and then sharing it with others. He gave the steps we need to take to do this and talked about the blessings that would come from gaining and strengthening our own testimonies. I am thankful to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and to have a Prophet and Apostles to provide us with new revelation that applies to us today. If all people knew what General Conference really was- hours and hours of modern-day revelation from Heavenly Father straight to us- I think more people would be interested in it. I love it and I am thankful that we have the resources to be able to watch it in real time every 6 months.

As a side note, I'm also thankful for my mom, who always made General Conference weekend something a little more special by making us yummy cinnamon rolls every time. I have continued the tradition and I know it will be something my kids will look forward to.

If any of you are interested in watching Conference, you can go here and click on a talk that you'd like to listen to.
This is our new First Presidency: Presideny Henry B. Eyering, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.