Happy Holidays!

Hope you all are having a very merry happy chanu-kwann-ist-mas. (That about covers everything, right?)
Well, come on over to the family blog. Just do it!

http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

See you around!

Come away to the family blog!

Ok... The year is almost done. Time's running out. And I don't mean like the worlds ending. Sorry but the Mayans were telling us about the polar north and south switching... nothing more. And if it does end; well super. I was tired of cooking dinner anyway. *Joke*

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See you around!

We've Moved!

That's a true story. We've moved 2100 miles to the great state of Pennsylvania. Come on over to the family blog and I'll tell you all about it.

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Thanks for stopping by! Remember! I'm only doing this until the end of the year and then finding our family blog will be up to you... all by your onesies.

Oh, COME ON!

Why is it the blog I don't write anymore is rapidly gaining views, while the one I write every week is being viewed... less often? COME OVER TO THE FAMILY BLOG! You'll love it... I swear. Well, I rarely swear... out loud. In my head? That's another story... Anyway. Come over. Just do it. I'm only asking until the end of the year and then you're all on your own.

http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Thanks... by the way...

Almost Turkey Day

Are you guys ready for Turkey Day? I certainly hope so. If I can only give one piece of advice; don't forget something and then go to the store the day before Thursday to get it... It will be absolute chaos and possibly the scariest time to go to the store. What does this have to do with Vash, you ask? Oh nothing. If you want to know what he's up to, come on over to the family blog. We're going to the Zoo this week so they're is bound to be pictures of giraffe and sea otters. Who doesn't love otters?

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Thanks!

Move Over!

Yeah, fans... whoever, wherever you are. Come on over to the family blog will, ya? I'm only going to ask until the end of the year. Then you're on your own.

http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Hey Guys!

Well, still sending you all over to the family blog. I know... it's hard to let go of a good thing. But I promise, Vash is still hilarious, even if you have to read about it in another blog. So... COME ON OVER ALREADY! And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

See you around!

Is Anyone Still Reading This?

Well, if you're out there... and you liked reading this... then HEY! Come on over to our family blog! Vash is still up to his old tricks... and he's learning new ones! Hope to see you there!

http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Thank!

HEY YOU GUYS!

Hello readers. I don't know who you are or why you're reading this, but you know what? I like it. So, since this blog is retired, why don't you come on over and see what the Smith Gang and Vasheroo are up to at our Family Blog:
http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

See you  around!

Hey Audience!

Hello all! This blog is retired, but if you want to know what the Vash man and his family are up to now check out our family blog at:
http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Hello Fans!

Hey fans of the Vashman! This blog is retired, but you can still check out what Vash and his family are up to at our family blog:
http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Thanks! See you around!

Hey All!

Hello fans of the Vash Man. This blog is retired, but if you'd like to know what Vash and his family are up to now, check out our family blog:
http://eopeoplelikeus.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Grand Finale

This will be, I think, our last Vash memory for the blog. I'd set out to write until I couldn't remember anything else about before we started our family blog, and I wanted it to last about 19 months, the age he was when I started all this. I figured a memory a week for that long, would be just about cover it. Especially when you consider how little babies do almost nothing the first three months of life. (Not knocking that either. I know almost no one who adores little babies the way I do.) It's been great reliving and sharing all of our treasured moments about our first child. Vash really is a special and unique boy. (BTW, Rhyla is an exceptionally sweet and sensative girl.) I'm so grateful that he's come first, to set the example and help me with his younger siblings. I've learned so much already, and feel that I'm a better person because I am a mother. I'm even grateful for the hard days. They teach me about true, eternal, everlasting, love and devotion. I understand more fully the love Heavenly Father has for each of His children despite what they do and where they are. I love Vash with my whole being, whether he's spitting at me, or giving me kisses. I know that Heavenly Father loves His children, whether they're singing His praises, or denying He even exists. It's a great privilege to be a part of a family and to see life from this point of view. I look forward to welcoming more children to our family, and learning more and different things from each one of them.
A story for the road?
Vash was in nursery. He didn't want to sing because the toys were much more interesting to him. They started to sing "I am a child of God" one of his favorites. He has the words memorized. In his hurry to protest, instead of saying "No Singing! Not I am a child of God!" He mixed up and ended up hollering something like, "No, No singing! I'm NOT a child of God!"
:)
"Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Where are you going, my angel, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four,
Turn around and you're a young [groom] going out of my door." -Malvina Reynolds

Not so fast, OK bubs? I'm loving you as my little boy for as long as I can!

My Stubborn Boy

Based off my experience and interaction with several toddlers over the years, I would dare argue that my son is the most stubborn and strong willed child you will ever meet. That being said, I love him and would never trade him. But sometimes I wish things were easier. Like brushing teeth. Why do I have to sit on him and pry his mouth open to get the job done? Why do we spend an hour fighting to get clean clothes and shoes on to go play while he insists on wearing a dripping wet diaper, pajamas, and flip flops several mornings? Why does he cry when I offer him sugar cereal in the morning, push it away and then scream for sugar cereal when I bring him toast or something else? How many times have I drug him out of a play area and taken him home because he refused to say he was sorry for pushing? If I want a light on, he turns it off. If I keep the light off he turns it on and glares at me, like he's saying "that'll teach you." If there are ten cars and only himself and one other boy playing, why can't they each have five cars? Why does Vash insist that even nine of the ten aren't enough. He needs all ten. He'll scratch and bite when it's time to get into the car if he's not ready to leave. I'll make him sit on the potty for 20 minutes because I can smell that he needs to poop, but he doesn't and then the second he's off the potty and has his pants on, he drops his load without any hesitation. He'll holler at me, roll his eyes, and sarcastically say "Fine," when I've upset him. I'm hoping his teenage years will be better because he's gotten it all out of his system. Anyhow, now that I've painted a picture of our worse days, let me lighten the mood with a funny story. Our bedtime routine consists of getting into pajamas, brushing teeth, reading scriptures, saying prayers, and singing a few songs. Every night when Craig says "Alright it's time for scriptures," or "Ok, let's get changed into pj's." Vash just looks right at him and says. "Vass's aweek." (Vash is awake.) Maybe it's only funny to us... Don't have to say a word about bedtime, but as soon as he knows that's where it's headed, he's ready to alert us to his non sleepy condition.

Too Many P's

Vash is a smart boy. He has a great memory and he loves nicknaming things. He's still learning to talk though, and will make small, but hilarious, mistakes. Papa took Vash to visit Grampi in the Recovery Center after a surgery. Papa wanted to bring Grampi a pepper plant. So if you were to ask Vash what it was they did, he would have told you that Papa took him to give "Peepee" (Grampi) a "Poo Poo" (Pepper) plant.

Relief Society

Before Vash was old enough for Nursery, he used to come with me to Relief Society most Sundays. We'd sit in the back, nicknamed Mommy Row, and snuggle. He's sit on my lap and eat treats, look at books, and  occasionally play with a toy. I remember, I'd always wait until the last fifteen minutes to give him a mish mash, his favorite treat. They're like applesauce in a pouch, but you can have lots of flavors and different ingredients. I remember thinking, if I can just hold him off until then, he'll take the rest of the time eating and then we'll go home without any fussing! It was an art form. Getting through Relief Society with a toddler and no tears or whining. He really enjoys nursery now, and I'm glad he's there. But I sort of miss those days of mish mash. (Rhyla has always just napped or run around during Relief Society. She's a pleasant baby, but there's no sitting there for her if she's not sleeping.)

Who needs an Ipod?

We sing to the kids every night to help them fall asleep now that we're in our new place. We sang before, but they seem to like it better now because it's something familiar in a world of change. When Vash was a baby he loved all the Disney classics, particularly songs from Pocahontas( Colors of the Wind), Hunchback of Notre Dame(God Help the Outcasts), and Willy Wonka's "pure imagination". Now we sing a mix of kid song and adult songs because Vash understands more and wants more complicated words than Twinkle Twinkle can offer. Our current playlist:
You are my sunshine
One Song (Snow White)
Meet me in the middle
Song Bird
Reflection
A dream is a wish your heart makes
Rainbow connection
Death cab for cutie's "Follow you into the dark"
Dashboard confessionals "Hand down"
I am a child of God
As I have loved you (Rhyla's Fave)
If ever I would leave you (Camelot)
When you wish upon a star
and Vash's current fave, the Beatles "Blackbird". He calls it "Black eye." and thinks the words are "fly into the light," instead of "Into the light of a dark black night." *smirks*

Artist

Vash is really getting good at drawing. He's always been interested in coloring and the like since he was able to grasp a pencil. But now he's actually drawing things that you can see what he's trying to create. When he tells me he drew a whale, I can see the head and tail. He puts the eyes, nose, and mouth in the right place on all of his people. He drew a Vash pumpkin and put hair on top. He draws lines of different heights, and explains that the tallest line is a daddy line, the next is a mommy line, the next a Vash line, and Rhyla is always the shortest of the lines. My three year old is into impressionist art! LOL. His love for art has actually rubbed off on Rhyla. She'll put down her books occasionally to sit and color with us. Sometimes she scribbles all over the pages, but usually she tries to stay in the lines and color like me and Vash. We joke that if he get's an art degree he could go and work as a story board artist for Pixar or something one day. We only joke because as parents we hope his art is a hobby that he finds much pleasure in, but chooses to get a degree and work in a field that's a little more stable. They don't call them starving artists for nothing!

Vash the Builder

Vash loves building things. He loves making legos into a house, he loves stacking boxes and using them as slides. This week Vash got to help Craig build a step attachment that he will use with a ladder when he paints areas from the stairs. Vash enjoyed this activity immensly. He was sweating, handing Craig his tools. He learned what a screw is, he learned that a square is not only a shape but a tool. And he learned to step far back when Daddy uses the saw. (He didn't get hurt, he just knew by the sound it made that staying away was a good idea.) It fills me with joy to see my son spending quality time with his dad while he learns to do something productive and fun. And Craig had so much fun teaching Vash that I think he'll be letting Vash helped whenever something needs to be built in the future.

The Great Protector

Vash's middle name is Alexander, which means defender of the people. I know for sure, after the story I'm about to tell you, that the names we give our children, must have some effect on how they behave. (After all, Rhyla's middle name is Belle, like beauty and the beast, and she LOVES to read. LOL.) Anyway, when Vash is miss behaving, we'll try and talk to him about why what he did was wrong and if he understands why he's not allowed to do it. EX: Vash pushes over Rhyla. We say, "Vash, you need to sit in time out. We never push other people, especially not our baby sister. Do you understand me? Do you understand that it is unkind to push baby Rhyla?" So anyway. Craig and I were talking about something and I got the hiccups. Vash thought I was crying. So he comes running to my side saying, "It's OK mommy. It's OK," then turning on Craig he says," No Daddy! We don't speakin to mommy and crying. Understand me? Mommy's crying." He pulls me down for a hug and I am laughing so hard, that I can hardly breathe. Vash thinks I'm crying more. "Daddy! NO. See mommy cry? Understand me? No, daddy. No speakin to mommy. Say sorry."
It was so adorable. My little defender. We've explained hiccups to him since though.

Lap Sitting

When Vash was just weeks old, my favorite thing to do with him was just sit. We have an amazing rocking chair. So comfortable and the envy of anyone whose's had little babies. Any how, I'd sit there with my legs pulled up, rest Vash on my knees, facing me, and sing to him. (Ok, so I really only know Disney songs, but what's better than that?) He'd smile in his sleep, or watch me intently if he was awake. I'd hold his hands and this is how we'd pass the hours. Just me and my baby.

Pharmacy

Vash's new game reminded me of something that happened a few months ago. (Sorry if I've mentioned it before.) The kids and I were at Wal-Mart and had just switched to them for our pharmacy. So it was the first time we had ever pulled up to their windows. It was lunch time and Vash hadn't really been paying attention. Well, the woman behind the desk asks "How may I help you?" And before I can say I have a prescription to drop off, Vash turns to her and says "Can I have chicken and fench fies pease?" Funny, but I SWEAR we don't eat out all the time. It's something he just likes and has clung to.

Poop

We see a lot of poop in this house. Changing on average, 2-4 poopy diapers a day between two small children. And it's rarely funny. But once... I have to admit it was. Now, last Halloween, as you may well remember, was dressed as Perry the Platypus from P&F. It could have been that he ate to much candy or it could be that he was catching what I was sick with, but anyway, he accidentally pooped on the floor at Nana and Papa's house. We cleaned it up and went home. Now, the funny part. Papa called Nana at work and the following conversation ensued.
Nana: A platypus visited me at work.
Papa: Oh yeah? Well, a platypus pooped on my floor!
Nana: *Laughs* Did he now?
Papa: Yeah, it was Platy-poop.

Good times. Good times.

More Disney

It took me two hours to write the blog about our Disney trip, only to finish and then remember even more things I needed to write about. So, here are a few more stories from our trip, but they are here, in Vashies blog because the last story is all him, and it's easily the funniest moment from the trip.
1) Rhyla was so unafraid of Haunted Mansion that she actually fell asleep in my arms, during the ride.
2) We rode Winnie the Pooh only twice. The 1st time Vash fell asleep in my arms while we were waiting in line and slept the entire ride. Rhyla loved it. The 2nd time, Rhyla was asleep when we got there and slept through the ride. Vash recognized everything and sang along.
3) Of all the food we ate at the parks, the only meal the kids really seemed to enjoy and eat a lot of, was the turkey leg we ate for dinner the last night we were there. Talk about carnivores! Vash sucked on the bones after picking them clean. Rhyla dripped with grease from eating big handfuls of the hot, soft meat. (Personally, I liked our desserts from the Jolly Holiday bakery best. Flour-less chocolate cake and mini cheesecake with blackberries, YUM!)
4) Josh, who is exactly two months older than Rhyla, loves her with all his baby heart. Every time we met up with the Barneys, Josh would smile at her, run up to her, wave, and do all he could to impress her. While Rhyla slept in my arms before Fantasmic! Josh came up and leaned over her, all smiles. Kelly and I laughed that he was about to re-create a scene from Sleeping Beauty.
5) Disneyland has a lot of live ducks roaming the parks. The kids got excited every time they saw some, and Rhyla would say "Dockee" which sounds like her word for doggy. (But she means duck, I promise!)
6) When I took Vash on Toy Story Midway Mania, he understood that he needed to aim his cannon, but I couldn't get him to pull the string (which fires the darts, balls, etc.), more than a few times. He would aim at things on the screen, see MY darts flying towards our targets, and I guess he thought it was his doing. My score was upwards of 150,000. But Vash did get 500 all by himself!
7) We would frequently part with our friends because of the height and gender differences of Sam and Vash, (Sam HAD to see princesses, while Vash needed another Pirate fix) but they apparently missed each other during these breaks because they asked for each other!
8) Even though Craig gets claustrophobic when we ride Nemo, he braved it twice because Vash asked to ride it again!
9) When we rode the Autopia, I rode with Rhyla and Craig rode with Vash. Craig said Vash's driving is worse than riding Mr, Toad's wild ride, and Rhyla is so small that she couldn't see anything over the steering wheel. Luckily, she was happy to just have her hands on the wheel while I did the actual steering.
10) The Magic Kingdom must have inspired Rhyla. She's been more chatty and vocal since the trip.
11) Even though she had just accidentally got kicked in the face, (Craig was taking Vash out of the stroller a little too quickly) she was all giggles and grins when she saw the flying boats of Peter Pan. She laughed all the way through the queue.
12) Our first day there, the kids cried when we got in the car to go get dinner because they thought we were going home already.
13) Vash kept all the 3D glasses on without any complaint. Rhyla actually did pretty well for her age, but only saw the first 5 mins of Muppet Vision 3D in 3D.
14) Vash asks if we can drive Papa's car all the time now because he thinks it means we're going to Disneyland.
15) Rhyla wanted a balloon so bad that she tried to take every balloon she saw. Out of other kids hands, off their strollers, even out of the big bunch they are trying to sell. She'd cry and point so finally we bought her a purple mickey balloon. She loved it, kissed it, bounced it around. I wish it could last forever, but it is a balloon and didn't make it home without popping. Good news is that the air is letting out slowly so he's not completely deflated yet.
16) Yes, sweet sixteen. The mother of all Disney stories. Vash, as mentioned before, wanted a green pirate gun for his souvenir from day one. So the last day we finally bought it for him and he was shooting up a storm. He loved the sound it made and the fact that it shot a pirate skull cross and bone image wherever you pointed. So we told him not to point it at people but trees and posters were fair game. So we rode pirates and Vash was ready to shoot up the villains. But Craig thought the light would be distracting to other people so Vash was forced to put it away for the ride. Again, Craig had Vash stow his weapon while we visited the happy haunts in the mansion. But when it came time to ride Small World, we figured it was so loud and bright, no one would notice Vash's pistol. Well, here we had depraved him of taking out plundering pirates and grim grinning ghosts, but were now letting him have free range on the happy singing children of the world. His first victim: a happy Mexican boy with a balloon. Next, a group of dancing penguins. Then a yodeler, and Cinderella's mice. No one was safe from his fury. We watched as countless paper mache animals, and bejeweled instruments were blown to bits in Vash's imagination. I imagine, had it been a real gun, people would wonder what prompted such violence on an innocent, albeit annoying, ride.

Tease

So this is a Vash AND Rhyla memory but it's too good to not put in this blog. When Vash first broke his leg, we were told he'd have to keep off of it for a whole week! That may as well be YEARS for a 2 year old. But we were able to keep him off with the help of Nana and Papa who brought over new coloring books, magic books that read to you, and new movies. But while it kept him off his leg, it couldn't keep Rhyla off her able legs. And she wanted Vash's toys. Toys that were ordinarily off limits were now her's for the taking. At least a little. She was happy as a clown and Vash was angry as a hornet. Vash would sit on the couch with his leg all propped up, surrounded by new things, hollering as loud as he could at Rhyla who was playing, completely oblivious to his cries. "Stop Ya-ya! NO! Dose are Vass'es. Let go! Let go!" And she'd smile, come near to him like she might hand the toy over, but then turn and run away as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. Then Vash would yell louder and the process would repeat.

Spring Sing!

Vash has learned to sing a variety of songs lately. He started off with the Honey song from the new Pooh movie.
"huh huh Honey, huh huh see! huh huh Honey! huh huh Me!" Then the Pooh theme song.
"dee in duh hon huh huh huh woo, huh .... Pay! Hmmmm, Hoo, ...... day! Winnie da pooh, winnie da pooh. Hmmmmmm, stuff ... fuf... winnie da pooh, winnie da pooh, see ..... bwear!"
Now he sings twinkle twinkle "tinkle, tinkle, it da sta! Hmmm, are! Hippo bov da wer so hi! Like a demon in da sky! tinkle tinkle it da sta!"
And Pirates "Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates .... a me! Oh...... Loot!........ Mommy and daddy, dink up,...... HO!"
But the one he knows the MOST words to and sings with a Mickey Mouse hat on is Mickey Mouse club
"Mic-Key Mouse cub, Mic-Key Mouse cub. Who's da itter oh da cub, hmmmm, Me! M-i-c, k-e-y, M-O U- C! Mickey mouse, Don uld duke! Mickey Mouse, Don uld duke! Hmmmm, HI HI HI!"
We were trying to get him to sing it to Nana and Papa and he actually joined in JUST to tell us it was "All done."
"M-I-C-K-E-Y... All done all done!"
It's hilarious and I'll actually be a little sad when his speech fully turns over and he starts singing all the words correctly.

PJ's

Babies are adorable all the time. Sleeping, eating, whining. They make it lovable. But something about those ridiculous footy pajamas make them SO MUCH CUTER! Their little chubby tummies poking out through silly baby patterns like polka dots, animals, or Disney characters. Our favorite pj's were his Winnie the pooh ones. They were brown and white striped with Pooh's head on the toes. We'd be buttoning him up and he'd be making popping noises with his mouth and staring down at his tummy. Just remembering the look of his face and his chunky baby thighs in his pj's is almost too cute to bear.

Give him to me!

When I was pregnant, I remember feeling like Vash would never come. I had been so sick and so bored for SO LONG, that I never went through that almost-a-new-mom-nervous-can-we-put-a-hold-on-this?-because-i'm-still-enjoying-work-and-school thing. I was sitting around day after day and week after week, month after month,just puking and laying and crying my way through life. I was home alone most of the time and I felt like I was accomplishing nothing. I wasn't going to school or work. The most I did was dance a little in my first trimester because my doctor thought doing something physical might help with the morning sickness, make a wedding picture scrap book, and organize a yard sale to make some room for baby. Not a whole lot in 9 whole months. But I was growing a baby. And I suppose that is a lot of something in a way. Anyhow, my due date came and went and still NO BABY. We couldn't take it any longer and we made an appointment to be induced. And isn't the luck? As soon as you make an appointment to see the doctor, you feel better. Yep. My water broke the night before I went in to be induced. So Vash entered the world. Glorious and BIG and crying and healthy. We took him home. We loved him up. We kept his bassinet in whatever room we were in. But Craig would look at me and ask, "Do you want to let him sleep in the bassinet? Or do you want to hold him?" ARE YOU KIDDING? I wanted that baby SO BADLY. You can guess my answer was always, "I want to hold him".

Boss! Boss! Da Plane, da Plane!

One day, when Vash was maybe 14 months old, we went over to visit Nana and Papa. For whatever reason, I don't think Craig was home and I had taken Vash there to see if he would be calm for someone other than me. I was 4 months pregnant and having a hard time keeping up with him because I was still sick. Well, Jen was over and offered to take Vash for a walk to burn some of his energy. While I talked with Nana and Papa, Jen said Vash was pointing to every dog he heard bark and every plane that passed by. He didn't have many words at that point so pointing was the best he could do to acknowledge something. It's an adorable memory for me even though I wasn't the one walking him. And it's sweet because Rhyla is an expert pointer too. Only now, when she points at something Vash usually wants to tell her what it is, before we have a chance to. "Dat's a heli-tract-too, Ya-ya."

Odd Combination

My parents and I took the kids to Paradise Bakery for lunch on Saturday after swim lessons. Craig had a training meeting so he was unable to help me with the kids at swim lessons, which is why I needed my parents along since, at the moment, I have two children that need to be carried everywhere. Anyhow, Rhyla ate well. Vash ate almost nothing expect a chocolate chip cookie which got chocolate all over his cast that looked like poop smears. Yummy. (Don't worry, we covered it up with a sharpie and some artistic artwork.) But eating there reminded me of something I had completely forgotten. For a couple of months, when I was pregnant with Rhyla, I had a frequent craving for a tuna sandwich and broccoli cheese soup from Paradise. So since Vash was in swim lessons at the time and Craig was at school all day, my parents would help me with Vash at swim, then we'd follow it up with lunch at Paradise. Vash didn't like the sandwich, but he loved the soup and would eat lots of it. Actually, he liked it so much, he would dip his chocolate chip cookie INTO the broccoli cheese soup and eat it that way. You'd have thought he was the one having pregnancy cravings.

Take Me Out OF The Ball Game

This week, being emotionally rough in nature, brought to memory another Vash "ouchy Boo boo" story. Long before Rhyla was born, Vash and I were playing outside in the back yard. We were kicking balls, chasing each other, and generally having a high old time. But for some reason, our baseball bat was out, laying on the porch. Now if Vash took it out and set it down because it was heavy or if it was out already because the neighbor kids we share a back yard with took it out and left it, I honestly can't remember. All I remember was time changing to slow motion as I watched my baby boy run and slip on the baseball bat, fall, and smack his head on our concrete porch. I was crying and crying and called Craig to see if I should take him to the ER. He said to call and ask his mom, who is kind of like a Doctor. So I did and we went through the list of questions: Did he black out or throw up after he fell? (No.) Is he still crying? (No.) Is he bleeding or does he have a bump? (No bleeding, A bump, but it't turning PURPLE! *sobs*) Vash at this point wanted back down and kept playing as if nothing had happened. "Well... If he gets lethargic or wont eat, try taking him to the ER. " Obviously everything was all right. He didn't sleep to much and he ate tons so we never had to take the trip. The bump went away over night and the bruise was gone a few days later. Although his speech is still somewhat indiscernible to others, he's still an incredibly smart boy, so no permanent damage. But I hate it when my babies get hurt and I have been extremely cautious since then.

Junk

I feel so badly about this, I don't know why I am even retelling this sad tale, but I thought of it today and I decided it was a memory after all so... (Craig accidentally pinched Rhyla while putting her into the car seat is what made me think of it.) When Vash was about four months old, he started eating solids. I know I said this before but I have to preface the New story. So anyway, that means he had to sit in a highchair. Well, I was a new mom and putting him into the highchair was still new to both of us, and I did something dumb. I had Vash safely buckled into his chair and I was trying to slide on the tray. It kept sticking. So I gave it a good shove and ticked it into place... a little too far into place. The tray has a bar on it that goes in between the baby's legs so they don't slide out if you don't buckle them in. Yeah... I accidentally pushed that right into Vash's baby boy parts. I can't believe I'm telling you this! Yes, I feel terrible! I junked my infant. But he only cried a little and Craig promises me he'll still be able to have kids one day.

Meatless

I've been on the Atkins diet for almost a month now, and while I've lost a lot of weight and will be on it a while longer, I think when I'm done I will be a vegetarian. What does this have to do with Vash, you ask? Well, when I'm pregnant I practically AM a vegetarian. With Rhyla I could eat a BLT occasionally and with Vash a Baconator now and then was ok, but for the most part, more than one or two bites of meat sent me to the bathroom. I always wanted bean and cheese burritos when I was pregnant with Vash. Or rolls with cheese and mustard. Ice cream and milk. LOTS of milk. With Rhyla I wanted milk too... And peanut butter and jelly. Oh, and with Rhyla I also wanted cheese and broccoli soup... all the time! Meat just wasn't on the agenda. Anyhow, the point is, to this day Vash really doesn't like a lot of meat. He seems to like Ham at Christmas but otherwise, the kid could do without. And we knew that before he was born.

The Three Little Bears

Sorry folks. This story has nothing to do with Goldie Locks. This is about Vash's first swing. His baby swing. It was roundish, with blue and brown checks. The mobile had three tiny bears on it. Vash LOVED those bears. He would watch them go 'round and 'round. Smiling, babbling. Heck, not even babbling. Craig and I swear he was having full on conversations with those bears. (Any one who knows Vash knows he's a big talker. Even if you can't understand what he's saying.) So we decided to name them. Barry, Bernard, and Bernadette. Or maybe it was Beary, Bearnard, and Bearnadette. I can't remember for sure. I only know that he loved those bears and we were sorry to give up that swing when we moved. I think he missed them. The bears. But that's why I made him the Christmas stocking that I did. It's a blue stocking, with snowy hills and sequins all over. The best part, and the main point of the stocking, is a sled with three tiny bears riding down the hills.

Let's Dance!

As part of trying to lose weight, I've started putting Pandora on and trying to bounce around and sweat for about 20 minutes each day. I tell Vash we're dancing. The kids like it, so when Craig comes home Vash says "Dancin? Dancin?" Then we have a family dance party. Vash then says" A mommy dance, A Ya-Ya dance. A daddy dance? Vash-a-dancin!" before he busts a move. Rhyla always wants to be held because she's not as coordinated yet and she knows it. This will be a great memory 10 years from now when Craig and I are still having dance parties with our littlest babies and almost 13 year old Vash will be passing through, rolling his eyes and saying, "My parents are so weird."

Christmases Past, Routine, Birthday Boy, and You Again.

Christmases Past:

On Vash's first Christmas Eve he didn't sleep at all. He wanted to be home in his bed. But we were in Queen Creek having a few different Christmas parties. First at my parents home, then at my cousin's home, the back at my parents but with my Grandparents there too. It was a fun but long day and Vash passed out in the car on the way home. Our truck bed was literally full of toys. ( I remember my sister got a "wreck this journal" and we tied it to a string and walked it from my parent's home to my cousin's. LOL.)  The next day we went to Nana and Papa's house where Vash crawled madly to try and keep up with the cousin brothers. He got more gifts but fell asleep in Nana's arms at some point. We played a game where we tried to balance the stacking rings on our head. Vash wanted to play too and laughed a lot when he knew he had a ring on his head like Daddy and the cousin brothers. Last year I was super pregnant and did almost nothing. We didn't go out to Queek Creek because I was so far along and so dilated that my Doctor told me not to be more than 15 minutes from the hospital. But we did have my grandparents and parents and uncle over for Christmas day to visit and exchange gifts. But it ended up being more watching Vash open gifts than anything else and I felt so bad that everyone else was gift-less. Hopefully that will be rectified some Christmas in the future. And we were also at Nana and Papa's for a while too. We bring stories to Papa every year as his gift. They can be memories or made up, whatever we like. I wrote a poem about being pregnant and sang it to the tune of "A few of my favorite things." I have to say it was hilarious, and probably the best thing I've written so far. Vash was a expert present opener at that point and tore through everything. I remember Doug, our brother in law, was in Iraq that Christmas and we had him on Skype so he could watch his boys open their gifts. I remember Kristen crying and saying that they hadn't planned on coming but Polar Express had changed her mind and she wanted to be with family for Christmas. I know Vash was happy to have his favorite play mates around. And Craig and I were happy because he always sleep so soundly after running around with his cousins. I remember them coming to the hospital when Rhyla was born, on their last day in Arizona, and wanting to stay one more day to visit with their new cousin a little longer.

Routine:
Vash is a boy of routine. He wont sleep at night unless we've done everything in order, and everything is in place. Bedtime routine begins with family scripture study and prayer. Then he gives kisses to me and Rhyla and Craig takes him to brush his teeth. Then he hops into bed and has to have his binky, a sippy cup with water, his winnie the pooh blanket, which he calls "TuKu," and whatever his favorite toy it at the time. He lines all those things up along the side of his bed, we cover him with his Toy Story comforter, (It can't be any other blanket) then we ask him what color he wants his turtle light to be. He always wants purple. So with everything in order, Craig kisses him goodnight and he "goes to sleep." Once the door is shut, he gets out of bed, turns on the light, plays with previously stated toy, reads himself a book or two and falls asleep an hour or so later. It's always the same and Vash wont have it any other way. I wonder what will happen when he had to share a room someday?

Birthday boy:

Vash's first birthday was a little hard for me. I was pregnant and sick, and my first baby was turning a year old. I almost cried when we sang Happy birthday. He was so big! Walking, running even, saying words. Eating a cake all by himself. Well, just the icing really. He's always been more interested in the icing than the actual cake. We had everyone over for a potluck style lunch. Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, salsa and chips, corn bread, potato salad... just mountains and mountains of food. My grandmother made a small cake for Vash to destroy and a large bear cake for all the guests. They were almost too cute to eat. We played outside in the sprinklers until everyone was soaked. Vash stood right in a spray of water, laughing and laughing. My mom was afraid he was going to get cold and sick even though it was 104* outside. We opened gifts, but Vash  didn't really know how to open them himself so most of the older kids took turns opening the gits for him. He shared so well, and I wonder sometimes where that little boy went when he takes things from his sister and yells "MINE!" Just a two year old thing, I guess.
Some of my most vivid memories are the first times I saw my babies. I remember everything about those two moments. The color of their skin, the looks on their faces, the way their cries sounded... the lighting in the hospital room, and how tired I felt but how happy I was when they handed me my infant. Vash stopped crying as soon as he heard Craig's voice. The nurse had to rub on his legs to get him crying again so she could do the Apgar score. (Cant give a score on the lungs if you can hear how they work, can you?) It's interesting to have such a distinct memory of Vash as a new born and then look at him now. Listening to him tell stories, watching him color and solve puzzles. Seeing him praise Rhyla for her accomplishments. "So big, Ya-Ya! YEY!!!!" It hasn't gone by quickly, despite what people say. But it seems like a miraculous change for just 2 1/2 years.

You Again:

We didn't know what Vash was going to think when he saw Rhyla for the first time. Would he be confused? Jealous? Disinterested? We thought it might take some time for him to realize that she belonged to us, to him, and that she was always going to be around from now on. But we never imagined that he would just love her from the start. He walked in and without the slightest hesitation, hopped onto my lap and smiled at Rhyla, who was in my other arm. He looked at everyone proudly, like he was saying "this is my sister". He kissed her and they looked at each other. From this experience I know now, more than  ever, that there was a pre-mortal existence. We were all together, preparing to live on Earth. I know that Vash wasn't confused or upset by the arrival of his new sibling because he wasn't meeting her for the first time. He was just saying, "Hey, it's you again!"