The Recipe for Love

Picture a Christmas

2012-01-23T17:50:00.002-07:00

Nativity

At Richard and Becky's with Bagley cousins.

Gifts are Love

We accentuated gratitude during our gift exchange

Too Many Presents

We each got ONE gift from Santa and the kids got only one from us, but when you add grandparents, an aunt, uncle and friends, then multiply it by three, you have a whole lot of remote control cars slamming into the walls!

Christmas Prank
Courtesty of Kate, Jimmy Kimmel and Mom.

Carnival Cruise with The Kids

2011-10-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

I would live on a cruise boat if I could. We have decided it is our vacation of choice and unless we are traveling to visit family, cruising might be our only travel in the future. On our first expeditions, I missed the kids terribly and making arrangements for them while we were gone caused mommy-guilt. At the same time I was nervous to have them along; sleeping/loosing sleep in close quarters, getting lost, being exposed to general-public raunchiness, limiting our excursion options... While there are definite pluses to being alone with my Love, having my Lovlies with me was pretty sweet too.

The thing I loved the most was their excitement for every little thing. It was entertaining to see them take in everything as they experienced it for the first time. I have never known a two year old to appreciate a good view, but my baby did. It was also fun to snap a bunch of pictures, especially of Brik because he is so darn cute!

Our pit stop in Indio is always a great idea when driving to California. It breaks up the drive and is a really nice little resort. I loved that we had a walk out patio to the pond with friendly ducks and flirtatious butterflies. Roxwell was thrilled to play here all morning and I was thrilled to just sit.

Roxwell was so confused about the whole boat/ship/cruise thing. He would say he wanted to go on a cruise with us and we would tell him we are on the cruise right now and he would insist "no we're not." Everytime he saw the red wings on the back of the boat he would point and say "There is our boat!" It wasn't until the last day that he asked "are we on a boat?" I said YES! Because he finally got it and he followed up with "How do you know that?"

Our first stop was Catalina Island and everything was absolutely perfect until we stepped of the tender and Layne saw the motor boats. We had an idea what we wanted to do on the island and it did not include having an eight year old drive our family around in a small boat where we were sure to be cold and wet. Layne didn't see it that way. He had a meltdown because we had ruined his vacation. I was so disappointed in his behavior. He should be thinking we are the most awesome parents in the world and grateful to be able to have such and experience, the other two did. Roxwell was pointing at everything with enthusiasm. He spent an hour walking around with me while the others went back to fetch more money (excursions are expensive). He had a blast and we did nothing but look. We ended up renting the golf cart as planned and Layne had another bout of poutiness when he learned he was not allowed to drive the golf cart. He did he usual "I'm going to control the situation weather you like it or not" and sat in the front seat. I let him and that is how we got out of that fit.

The REX was a kid's dance club. I took a picture of it because it in all decorated in animal print and thought my mom would love it. Layne did not, the music was too loud for him, though I have notice he has picked up some new tunes and mad dance moves since we have been home. Layne always wanted to "go explore," "see if the boat is moving," and play in the elevators. Since that is what Layne wanted to do, that's what we all did, most of the time.

At Encinada, Brik wanted to go to Camp Carnival instead of getting off the boat, so we left Roxwell too. Layne chose to go with us. We talked about Encinada being a poor and dirty place, do not drink the water and do not give to beggers. Toting our own water in our camelback and explaining to Layne why we don't want to load our pockets with quarters to hand out to people, we thought we were covered. Right when we got off the boat a dragonfly stung him. Talk about ways to pick up something nasty in Mexico. I remembered I had essential oils in our room, so we went back and took care of his sting before we were off again.

We ended up getting on a bus that took us into town, where they offered the popular blowhole excursion for way less than the ship. It is a three hour tour that we would like to do if we end up going back. Jarom got the price as low as $10 per person, good to remember... This time we just walked around the town with the streets and streets of shops with everyone urging us to "come in and look around," and everything was "a good price."

One good thing about the dragonfly sting is that it calmed Layne down. It has always been like this, after a good cry, especially from pain, he becomes mellow and non controlling. It must be a chemical thing in his brain, boy, would I like to bottle it! He got into the bargaining with us. There were these bracelets that every other store carried that they sold for $3 and the shop keepers were always asking Layne if he wanted one. Layne would ask how much and they would say $3, he would say that is too much and they would say $2. I would step in with three for $3, because I am hard core. Then, we would walk away. After about five times I went up to three for $5 and got a taker. The kids all loved their Mexican bracelets with their names on them and Layne was plum happy to be part of it, he helped pick the colors and gave them to his brothers when we got back on the ship.

Because we had had a talk with Layne about how poor this area was before hand, he was really in tuned to the people around him laying on the street. He kept bringing up this lady who was laying down on the side walk and her daughter sitting beside her holding a cup. I didn't really understand why this stuck with him all day until that evening at dinner when he was telling his brothers about this illustration of the poor people. He turned to Jarom and asked "Dad, why didn't you give her some of your water?" It all clicked; camelback- water- cup. He has such a tender heart!

Brik loved Camp Carnival. He is all about making friends and loved the attention he got walking around the ship with his face painted. They had themes every morning and afternoons and activities that corresponded. I liked that Carnival let them stay on the boat while we got off, I don't think all cruise lines do that. They also changed diapers, so that limited the interruptions, really nice to get some alone time. I hit the steam room, played games with Jarom and went to some shows.

The pools were a joke. The water was freezing in all of them except for this kids pool that was the size of a jacuzzi. The kids still played for a good while, it was nice to be out in the sun and spruce up our tans.

Brik really liked the miniature golf, I can see him being a good golfer, he is so patient and considerate. All I remember from golf lessons are lots and lots of rules on etiquette. Brik also learned how to play checkers while Layne and I were going to elevator rides. He has been begging us to play everyday we have been home.

So sad to get back to reality. I love being pampered. One of my favorite moments on the ship was when our waiter cut Brik's whole steak into bite sized pieces and made the comment that he was taking care of Brik because Mom is on vacation too.

It's Great to be Eight!

2011-09-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

We stayed on the diet for through Layne's birthday and it was no problem. Jarom worked, but Kate was here and we crammed in swimming with friends, presents, interesting bean cupcakes,and going out for dinner. Before heading home that evening, we stopped at the dollar store to pick up some non edible treats for Layne's class and, of coarse, he needed to spend his birthday money. He bought a calculator, stapler, highlighters, clip board and garbage can to set up his own little office desk.

Eight is the year that keeps on giving because even after the birthday celebration he had more excitement that week with his first cub scouts meeting. He got all decked out in his uniform and got to hold the flag. Also, on patriots day he proudly wore his uniform to school and got to stand around the flag and salute it for the flag ceremony and Dad came to school.

The cream on top was this past weekend when family embraced him wholeheartedly in his decision to be baptized. My family,

Dad's family,

and some really great friends witnessed the beauty of a child coming unto Christ.

He personally produced the program;

Opening song ---- Baptism

Opening prayer ---- Kara Bagley

Talk on Baptism ---- Sterling Whal

Baptism

Talk on The Holy Ghost ---- Elaine Bagley

Confirmation

Special Musical Number ---- Kate Kunkel

Remarks from Bishop

Remarks from Sister Burnett

Closing Song ---- I’m Trying to be Like Jesus

Closing Prayer ---- Leisle Decker

and it was flawless. Grandma Bagley shared a special experience she had with the Holy Ghost and Aunt Kate sang “I Believe in Christ,” which was also the special musical number at his my baptism. Layne was recognized by Grandma Bagley for being a leader and by Sister Burnett for being a great helper.

We had pizza and cookies at our house afterwards to socialize with everyone who came. I enjoyed the day immensely and couldn't have been more proud to call him my son. Layne beamed with reverence as he took the responsibility very seriously. Love you big boy.

The Summer of Hard Work

2011-06-26T22:09:00.005-07:00

My kids are probably the only ones in the world who hate doing work. They whine and cry and pout, stomp their feet, slam doors and are really good at dragging it out. Their number one complaint is "it's too hard," said in their best whiny voice. In my experience when something seems too hard, after a bit of practice it becomes a cinch. Let the practicing begin...

I set up a training program for the month of June. I made cards with all of the work and home school tasks I feel they are ready to do. Wrote out exact instructions, attached a picture and a star value, then laminated them for the long haul. The first three weeks of summer break I kept our schedule clear so that they would have enough opportunity to complete their daily assignments of three chores and 3 school tasks. Stars were awarded for completed tasks that were approve by Mom or Dad.

Once they earned 8 stars they got to choose a prize from the grab box, 18 set up a play date, 30 toy from the dollar store, 40 carousel ride at the mall, 50 late night movie with popcorn and 60 - 10 tokens at Chuck E. Cheese. Each week started over with the star count. All tasks had to be completed by dinner to earn stars and dinner could only be had if all tasks were completed before bedtime.

The single best piece of advice I have taken from the Love and Logic discipline series is that a time limit has to be set and a natural consequence has to follow. Just like you don't get a paycheck (which buys dinner) when you don't show up to work. I can't make my kids do the work I ask of them. It has to be done and I know it is easier to just do it myself. Yet I have a drive to instill a good work ethic in my children. I feel my dad did that for me and when I look around at the other people in my generation, I see that lack of motivation is a big hardship later in life.

The kids were excited to get started, especially Brik. When someone would ask him what he is doing this summer he would excitedly tell them about the work and the home school and the stars and the prizes. They both earned more that 50 stars the first week and enjoyed the rewards. By the second day of week two, Brik lost some motivation and missed his first dinner. I was proud of the way he handled it and though he cried some, he took full responsibility for his sadness. Week 2 Layne earned more than 60 stars, we were impressed with his drive.

In the third week of training, I met resistance. Lots of crying, whining, pouting, procrastinating and so on. Jarom thought this was the end, but oh, no, I am a fighter. I know a dinner or two was lost for the both of them and they earned few rewards, but we kept trucking on. It was nice to have Papa drop in for the weekend to give us all a reprieve.

Week four was the hardest yet. The kids each started a 3 week Monday through Friday summer camp. Brik attends 3 hours in the morning and Layne 4 hours in the afternoon. We bumped the work load down to 2 school and 2 work assignments. We added the option of bonus tasks that earn double stars that neither took advantage of. The kids had a really hard time managing their time and earned less than 30 stars all week.

There are two more weeks they have to learn to manage their time better, then they are off for a vacation in Iowa. We only have 3 weeks before school starts to finish up the training. Once they are in school I will expect one job a day with their teacher's homework assignments to be completed before dinner and three jobs on regular Saturday's.

Despite all of the distress this training program has brought, I am pleased with the many changes it has brought about. Sunday's prove to be a most relaxing day with no job assignments except dishes, which job we turned over to them more than a year ago, when they went through the same ugly process. Now they both do their dishes quickly when told without any hassling (hope that I hold on to). I love to see that they look forward to church and the quiet, relaxing day.

Another bonus is that the kids are not "bored" so they do not fight as much, they seem to play nicer when they are avoiding work. They have become more aware about dirt, clutter and where things belong. I love to hear them tell their friends to clean one thing up before they get another out, show their brother where something belongs and explain to others that when you touch a window it leaves spots. The best is when they call each other out when they see the other making a mess like "Layne, you need to fix this to the way it was" or "Brik, you have to clean that up because I had it all clean."

I have noticed that they are picking up on how easy maintenance is verses waiting until things get out of hand. Some things that were overwhelming and took a lot of time are now simple and fast. One of Layne’s jobs is to wipe his buggers off the walls. It was grueling the first time and he felt cheated that it only earned him two stars. Now he thinks before he wipes and anytime we can help impulsive Layne think before he does something, it is pretty miraculous.

The assignment that has brought me greatest joy this summer is organizing kitchen drawers. They have to pull everything out, vacuum the crumbs, wipe the surface and replace it all in an organized way. Brik especially is fantastic about it and neither mind doing it. It has been one of those deep cleaning things that I have been meaning to get to for more than a year. Now when I open a drawer that is clean and tidy, I can’t help but smile.

Work is good and it only gets easy after it is hard first.

Through Their Point of View

2011-05-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

I love it when what they say gives you a window straight into their brain. I want to laugh, but I know laughing out loud will alert them to their childishness that they want to lose, while I want to hold onto. Because I can't remember the day before, the only way to hold onto these memories is to write them down. But where do my precious moments for daily journaling go to? Other tasks of great importance, no doubt. So here is a peek, because sadly, that is what I have time for at the moment.

As primary president, I was conducting a teacher in service at church. The class rooms we full, so we set up chairs in the kitchen. When we came out Layne asked "Were you teaching our teachers how to cook?"

I was getting Brik's breakfast ready, he stood beside me and said, "It stinks in here." I said, "I'm sorry, I tooted." He looked confused "I thought girls can't toot."

One of Roxwell's therapy activities involves rubbing oil on a piece of vinyl. As I placed his hand in the puddle of oil he said "Yucky." I said "It's not yucky." He looked up at me and questioned "Yummy?"

Children's Museum of Phoenix

2011-04-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

Brik is in an awesome preschool program called First Things First. His teachers are excellent. They love him, naturally. He has great social and listening skills and definitely the desire to learn.

We got to ride a school bus into Phoenix, spend the morning at the museum and eat a picnic lunch on the lawn before heading back. He was more than excited.

I loved this pizza oven and all the tactile pizza makings.

Brik's favorite, by far, was this trike wash.

Happy Birthday Dear Mommy

2011-03-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Roxwell is nonstop fun. His personality has blossomed as his language has emerged. Last November he was only saying a handful of words. Now he is putting together full sentences with 8 plus words. He says things to make us laugh like "The keys are in the gas." (inside joke from Thanksgiving). He doesn't miss a beat when he excuses himself after burping and is always the fist to raise his hand and say "I do" when we ask "who wants to..." He can be caught singing "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere" when it is time for bed. Today he picked up a new tune from his brothers;

White Mountains

2011-02-27T20:57:00.001-07:00

We rounded up our snow clothes again because it was time to get the kids out on the ski slopes. It was a total splurge, but I suppose one needs a good splurge now and then. I am not so keen on trips, you know. The bright side was that it was short, I had a whole morning to get ready with Jarom’s help and we had a comfortable place to stay (although that doesn't mean anyone slept well) I really enjoyed being encircled by the kid’s excitement in the days leading up to the adventure.

Road trip

Layne was sure he was going to speed down the mountain and do jumps and tricks, because he already knows how to ski. This is one of Layne’s many quirks, he is confident he knows how to do pretty much anything even thought he has never had any experience. He knows he can and is very convincing.

We put Layne in full day ski school which included 2-90 minute lessons. I skied with him from 2-4 pm and he had picked up a lot of good skills, namely, staying upright most of the time. After going down the bunny hill once, he coasted right over to the mid mountain lift which took him up to his first green. He did not like the lift ride, the height was a little much for him, it was cold and windy and long. Getting off was a bit tricky for him too, he wiped out the first couple times. I warned him that there were some really scary runs up on the mountain and he needed to stay close to me so that I can tell him which way to go. Turns out, he had no control, he just went straight down with out slowing and finally coasted to a stop at the bottom.

Layne was thrilled with himself and so excited to do it again. I knew he had gotten lucky to have not taken any turns off of greens, but was impressed that he never fell. He got slightly better on the last run at slowing up here and there, but took a really hard fall that did him in. His body was so exhausted and he was freezing because he didn’t want his jacket zipped and took his gloves off because he got snow in them.

Brik had plans to bring his bicycle helmet and thought he could probably snow ski alright when he is five since he did water ski really well when he was three. I thought this was reasonable. He forgot the helmet, but the ski goggles made his day.

We put Brik in full day Fun Zone Kids Care with one 90 minute ski lesson. He never learned to ski on his own, but had a good time through the whole day. When I went to get him at 1pm he was begging to go out and ski again. After a bed wreck with Brik between his legs, Jarom found a new way to keep Brik upright by having him hang on to his ski poles while Jarom balanced him. It took a lot of effort, but Jarom got him up on mid mountain and kept up with us fairly well.

After a crummy night sleep and being left all day in the kids care with strangers while his family skied Roxwell made it all the way to Payson before loosing it. As he was having his melt down I was trying to comfort him. Finally I told him we were going home and he could sleep in his own bed. He got quiet, I kept talking and he wailed again, but when I went back to the part about his bed, he stopped. I went on and on for a couple minutes until he pushed me away and pointed for me to go back to my seat. He fell asleep and was fine the rest of the way. He just wanted to be understood! Roxwell was such a trooper. When we were returning Brik’s skiis he said “I wanna skateboard!”

As for the parents, whew, a lot of work! We reminisced our first time skiing. Jarom’s was at Sunrise too, where his dad started him off (without any instruction) on the mid mountain ski lift. Apon boarding his first lift ever, he dropped his (handmade by Mom) mitten. As soon as they got off the lift, Dad says “I’m going to go find your mitten, I’ll meet you at the bottom.” Jarom does not have good memories.

I remember it being hard, but fun and my gloves got ruined and my hands hurt from the rope pulley that was on the bunny hill. I also remember my fuscia jacket, florescent pink rainbow bright ear muffs and turquoise snow pants, but that is probably because of the pictures.

Eat at Marks

2011-02-13T22:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, my boys play "Chef's." It is like "house," Bagley style.

Step 1; move the kitchen to the playfort. This includes tables and cooking utensils to the upper level.

Step 2; write the menu

Step 3; make the restaurant customer friendly. This includes a board that represents a table on the lookout, which is the smallest area of the entire fort and incredibly difficult for full size people to get in and out of. Also, post a sign in the foyer for guest safety which reads "PLes. Do NoT Go in BAC sind (signed) LAYne"

Step 4; track down customers

Step 5; take order

Step 6; discuss order with su chef, Brik

Step 7; cook. Note; the red side of the lego table was the fire. Layne warned Brik Not to burn himself.

Step 8; serve the customers and watch them eat.

Roxwell ordered pizza, but was served a tissue. He was a good sport and pretended to eat the tissue.

I suggested that since their place is called "Fish Marks," They should have some fish on the menu. Layne added Fish Sticks for today and said when I come back tomorrow they will make me Mahi Mahi.

One Hundred

2011-01-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Layne has his one hundredth day of school yesterday and in it's honor he was assigned to write a book.

It reads;

I wish I had 100 QoDR'S (quarters)
I wish I had 100 SiStrs (sisters)
I wish I had 100 MAGic crisTLs (magic crystals)
But I wouldn't want 100 SCWrPeinS (scorpions)

100 years from now people will Be Mare KinD PePL WiLe Lev AMnS ULon (Be more kind. People will leave animals alone)

I could eat 100 CAnDey Brs (candy bars)
I could eat 100 Pesu's (pizzas)
I could eat 100 reD PePr's (red peppers)

P.S. He has been earning money with orange juice again, outside this time.

The Snow Day

2011-01-23T21:24:00.003-07:00

I don't miss the snow. Ever.

The kids thought it was going to be like Disneyland to spend a day in the snow. They were the reason we made the trip, of coarse. It hardly ever snows enough in Pine, AZ to get a good sledding hill, we kinda felt like this THIS was our chance. Jarom miraculously had a Saturday off work, the stars had aligned.

The night before Layne got sick with a fever. When Layne get's sick he does things like tills the garden and climbs onto the roof. It was such a hard decision to go or not to. A day of Layne whining about going to the snow and Brik sad about the lost opportunity while being stuck at home, again. So we headed out anyway.

I have to admit, snow does LOOK like a lot of fun.

"The Meadow"

But it is hard to drive in.

Not too much fun to dress for.

And definitely not fun to be sick in.

This made my day though...

After the 2 hour drive, I was antsy to go to the bathroom. We got stuck pulling into the drive, so I had to wait longer than I wanted. Roxwell couldn't even walk in the snow and Jarom had already headed up the hill to the cabin, which is a good hike, especially in snow, especially, especially wearing tennis shoes, especially, especially ,especially holding a bundled up 2 year old. I told Brik to start getting dressed and I would be back down when I was done and started up.

It had taken me quite a while and I was pretty sure Brik was going to be half dressed, halfway up the hill, too tiered for another step, crying for someone to rescue him. Nope.

Totally dressed with snow suit, coat, boots, gloves, "snow glasses," bicycle helmet (which he packed himself) and a shovel! The kid was shoveling his way up the mountain! And happily doing it!!

He ended up having a blast and luckily their were cousins for him to hang with.

Rowell was not so fond of the sledding. It could have been that he landed on his face the first time down.

Poor Layne didn't even go down once, but he found a cozy place by the fire. And that is saying something because cozy places were hard to find that day.

Air Hog

2011-01-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

I found some video editing software on our new laptop that is really cool. Don't be fooled, those are real people and a real toy flying around.

SNOW?!

2010-12-30T13:24:00.001-07:00

Today.

In our own back yard.

For all of 30 seconds.

Under the Sea

2010-12-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Third port of call; Cozumel, Mexico

We had the hardest time deciding what to do in Cozumel because there were too many great choices. We had gone back and forth between 2 of the boat excursions; a swim with dolphins, which Jarom pointed out would be more memorable and a boat ride to a secluded island with snorkeling, volleyball and hanging out on the beach one that sounded like a low-key good time. Another contributing factor to our indecision was thinking it might be a better price if we find the same excursion off of the boat.

We ended up deciding not to go through the boat and headed to Chankanaab Park on our own to swim with the dolphins. This place was recommended by Jarom's brothers who had a nice time snorkeling there a few months ago. I was impressed with Cozumel in many ways. The hagglers were less "in your face" than on the Riviera and there were signs for tourist that helped us know upfront how much things like taxi rides cost and what is available for excursions. At the park we found that the price was the same as the boat (plus the taxi ride) so that was a learning experience.

Walking through the park, we observed the dolphin interaction exhibit for a while. Then, we walked up the beach where there were lots of beach chairs for lounging, snorkelers in the water, a beach-side restaurant, hammocks in the shade and dive huts...3 of them. The first shop offered us a dive for $65, the second beat the first with a $40 dive, but they didn't take American Express. The third sweetened the pot $40 dive, American Express AND pictures! We passed on the dolphins for another chance to dive, which truthfully, was only enticing because I wanted some pictures. My throat was still hurting from the day before, my nose bruised from pinching it to pressurize my ears and I didn't trust that the Mexican guide would be as concerned with our safety as the guide from the resort yesterday. Jarom was confident that he could save me from anything, so I kinda felt better. (Jarom is confident about a lot of ridiculous things, so it was hard to be completely reassured by this.)

The dive was pretty spectacular. We saw eels, stingrays, an octopus, lobster and pretty awesome fish. We also swam into a cave that had fresh water flowing through the top of it, which makes the water look like shimmery, iridescent rainbows. Besides the fact that our guide wasted tons of pictures on having us pose by the underwater statues of the Virgin Mary and having a leaky mask that I had to clear every few minutes and endure the terrible water-up-the-nose feeling the entire time, the dive was better than Roatan.

When we got back and they made our CD and let us use their computer to email pictures to my Mom and kids. We had to pay for internet EVERYWHERE, so this was a big perk too. The day ended up being well spent, we checked out the rest of the park before we headed back to the boat. There were some trails with "flower gardens" and "Mayan ruin replica's" and a small area for sea animal shows where the announcer spoke Spanish the whole time except for after he asked a question and the audience went silent.

The ship really pushes the shopping at each port and I suppose most people enjoy that activity a lot anyway. It just seems silly to me since most of it is junk and mass produced in China anyway. Many of the stores were even chains that we have in the US, I don't see the draw. We did have people to buy for back home, so we stopped in a couple shops before heading back to the ship for a VERY late lunch.

Celebrating Christ

2010-12-25T21:15:00.001-07:00

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the personal reflection that takes place on where we are in the light of Our Redeemer, how miraculous His birth, life and death were and the assurance that He will come again. I do not do shopping, which mystifyingly, works out well this time of year. I spend more time at home baking treats, which is great fun. I think of others all year through by buying gifts when they more or less fall in my lap, and we never over do it in the spending category.

This year, Jarom worked most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We got together with his family for dinner each night. On Christmas Eve, Becky put out a tasty dinner and immaculately decorated dining and family room. Grandma brought costumes for the Grandkids to play parts in the Nativity scene. Layne enjoyed giving everyone a sniff of the expensive perfume, frankincense and playing the part of Joseph, Brik the wiseman who gave the gift of frankincense and Roxwell, the older Christ babe to whom was given the gifts. The Bagley's do a very loose reenactment where the kids take their own artistic liberties. It is always nice to reiterate the roots of the holidays in this humble production.

Christmas Morning, the kids waited for me to arise from my edgy slumber (why on earth am I so jittery about the gifts when I know what every one of them are?) Jarom had a few minutes to spend with us as we found our presents from Santa, unloaded stockings and unwrapped what was under the tree. It was a little face paced for our standard. I grew up where opening presents was THE activity of the day and it was to last as long as possible.

Layne has asked Santa for a ridiculous item each year and has never been disappointed, despite the fact that he has never gotten what he has asked for. He taped a note and a movie to the front door asking Santa to watch it and return it by tomorrow. He also reminded Santa that he wanted " A uledric scodr." He ended up being quite impressed with his Air Hog, though declaring it is not quite as good as a motor scooter.

Brik asked for a robot, which was off the wall. He got one, however. 9 inch, rolls around on the floor with poseable arms. Both of them have already run out of batteries, which is a sign of rotten toys.

The afternoon was full of playing. Nana's trucks were a hit, and those silly little Bakugans. I played Connect 4 with the boys and put together a floor puzzle with Brik. It was nice to just focus on playing and let the rest go for the day. I used to miss my family terribly at Christmas time because the in-laws didn't do it quite right. Now that we have the kids, I love staying put, enjoying the comforts of home and the Arizona weather.

Discovery Dive

2010-12-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Second port of call; Roatan, Honduras

Our dinner table mates had set up a scuba diving excursion through a resort on the island and we talked them into letting us tag along. Scuba diving was always a hobby we had planned to take up once out kids were older and we have more time and money to devote to hobbies. The car ride to the resort was educational, we got stopped by the police, witnessed the crazy, anything goes kind of driving and got to see the heart of the island where things aren’t so glitzed up for the tourists.

The resort, Bananarama, was awesome, very rustic, yet classy and personable staff. We got suited up for our discovery dive, this included wetsuits (long one for me because I am extra wimpy about the cold), weight belt, goggles, vest and air tank. The guide gave us the beginner scuba course, which included how to clear your mask, find optimal buoyancy, equalize pressure, monitor your air and find and replace a lost regulator. It all seemed pretty straight forward until we got in the water…

Jarom went down once and never came back up. I, on the other hand was shooting up every 30 second in total panic. This was a shock to me because I have always felt pretty strong in the water. The main battle was how difficult it was to breathe. I am a nose breather, and to force every breath through my mouth took a whole lot of effort. Then the bubbles and the murky water from all the sand our group was kicking up; iy, yi, yi! I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do it. The instructor was very patient and supportive. His best advice was to just keep going down.

I ended up making it through the entire dive and really liking it. There was a reef that we explored that was basically a huge wall with all kinds of plants and little creatures living on it. The scenery distracted me enough from the discomfort that I was able to relax somewhat. There was one time that Jarom knocked my mask off and I thought I was going to die. Then, when I realized I wasn’t dieing, I was sure I was going to kill him, but somehow we both made it through alive.

The one thing I was bummed about was that, with all of us in the water, our camera was left behind and we were not able to get photos of the whole experience.

Caribbean Blue

2010-12-21T10:36:00.002-07:00

First port of call; The Grand Cayman Island.

Look at that water! It was amazing, so beautiful and colorful. We tagged along with some bartenders from The Royal Caribbean, did a lot of walking and found a good snorkeling spot around a sunk boat. We stayed away from the crowds on 7 mile beach and enjoyed a relaxing sunbathing session on a more secluded beach while our bartender friends chased girls and found us a ride back to the harbor.

We are not too good about remembering to take pictures, we took this one on the tender ride to the ship after our day of fun at The Grand Cayman Island. So there I was fresh faced and fancy free.

Deja Vu

2010-12-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Same cruise line.
Same year.
Same guy.

You are My Sunshine

2010-12-19T21:08:00.001-07:00

5 years ago I endured a super speedy delivery of one precious peanut. Sleeping through the night from the day he was born, no joke! Brik is the most charming of little boys. His brown eyes make my heart melt and his smile warms my soul. This kid has got mad empathy skills, he radiates peace and love. I am infinitely honored to be his mother.

Baby Signing {Play}

2010-11-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Darn

2010-11-28T11:35:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving was extra special this year because I got to do all the cooking and we had wonderful dinner guests. My sister Kate, who is my favorite person in the world. I think she likes me too as I am one of the only people on her facebook over 30 without a limited profile (I did have to fight for it though.) My dad, who is super funny, outgoing and laid back, was the life to our party. Kate's friends Michelle and Abby made the trip from Iowa too and they were lovely visitors.

Our Menu

Free Range, Brined and Oven Roasted Turkey

Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy

Orange-Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce

Multi-grain Yogurt Loaf

Sizzled Green Beans with Prosciutto and Pine Nuts

Sparkling Grape Juice

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Pumpkin Pie

Instead of after dinner TV time, it was after dinner computer time. Oh, how things have changed.

Once the food settled, we headed out for our traditional Thanksgiving hike. We have really only done it one other year, but I really think it will make for a great tradition.

Black Friday was just as pleasant as we enjoyed a horse trail through the mountains by Saguaro Lake.

Afterwards, Dad taught Brik how to ride his bike sans training wheels, as is tradition, set a couple years back with Layne.

Each night we played games, mostly The Great Dalmuti. It was hours full of jokes, texts and laughs. My dad has quite a few phrases that have become part of his everyday vocabulary. Many of them are not the kind that you'd want your kids to repeat. Layne was walking around the house saying "happy darn, happy darn." We asked him what it meant and where he got it from. "Papa always says it." It took us a while to realize that the phrase "I'll be darned, " which Dad says in his Iowan way " All be darn, " was translated by a 7 year old as "happy darn." It was a darn happy weekend, so we just went with it.

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

2010-11-21T22:12:00.001-07:00

Who knew Dyersville, IA could have a museum that rivals the Arizona Science Center? Mom took our family here when we were visiting in September. It was a great find, and I would love to go back.

The inevitable-battle for a family picture

Sharks, Catfish and Alligators

Crawdads

Build and Float your own boats.

Baby Signing {Animals}

2010-11-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Picture Perfect

2010-11-18T22:40:00.001-07:00

At Roxwell's first well visit of his life, his doctor was so intense when he was looking him over. Jarom and I looked at each other with worried glances because he had surely found that something was wrong with him. NOPE. After the thorough examination he announced the astounding perfection that my babe was to behold.

We were shocked to learn at age 16 months that this very perfect being had brain damage from birth. Because of the atypical posturing issues that come with this condition, it can effect the way the bones develop. Roxwell had his first x-rays yesterday and his bones are picture perfect. What's more, the orthopedic surgeon was confident that his sitting posture would easily improve on it's own.

Brik on Allergies

2010-11-17T15:58:00.002-07:00

“I have four allergies and Roxwell has four allergies.”

What are your four allergies?

“I have an allergy to mosquito bites, cats and dogs and wetting the bed.”

What is Roxwell allergic to?

“To mosquito bites, peeing in his diaper using his left hand and using his left foot.”

What about Layne?

"He is allergic to one thing, not being nice to me."

1 Project Down, 789, 341 To Go

2010-11-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to my parents for giving the boys this incredibly generous and equally useful gift for their fall birthday's and Christmas. They love it. Jarom has been building it in every free moment he has had for the past 2 months. They were always excited to play on the newest part, even when it was just a platform to climb on. Today it was officially completed and all the boxes and tools were cleared from the scene. With our shed moved back to the side of you house, the lovely weather we are having, this play-set erected and my garden in full bloom, I find myself being drawn to our backyard continually.

Gone Fishin'

2010-11-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Little by little I am getting to this family record keeping business. These pics are from our Iowa trip back in September. The kids days were jam packed with activities. Papa loves to take them out fishing. He put Layne "in charge of the boat." This is music to Layne's ears as he nuts about control.

Brik was pretty grossed out by the fish and the worms and the water, so pretty much everything fishing. Layne felt okay about touching a fish, but not holding it in his hands.

Layne was okay with touching the fish, but wouldn't hold one in his hands. Papa was impressed with his increased patience waiting for a bite.

Baby Signing {Basics}

2010-11-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

It's True, He's Two!

2010-10-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

Roxwell is progressing so nicely. He is gaining independence and communication skills like a typical two year olds. On our recent visit to an (best in the field) orthotic specialist eased our worries in gait and no bracing will be necessary. Besides being slightly flat footed on the left side, his gait is perfect. He is still pretty unsteady on his feet, which she attributed to the higher concentration skills it takes him to coordinate his movements. He officially received the CP diagnosis, which was not given upfront because the neurologist didn’t want to scare us. We know now that with his laid back personality, he will cope well in his life.

We are working with a fantastic PT that values Roxwell as a developing toddler above all else. She has great philosophies on development and building the missing skills. We have gotten a good referral for a orthopedic surgeon who is starting a CP clinic here in the valley next year. We will have them do a baseline evaluation with him, so we have some connections built in case anything comes up as he grows. His disability is so mild that his specialist appointments are only yearly check ups.

Roxwell loves to look at books, point to pictures and label things. We are doing baby signs that he picks up on quickly and knows over 100 words. His speech is picking up, suggesting that his disability is not hindering speech, he just has focused so much energy on motor function that has taken a backseat. He speaks about 30 words plus animal and car sounds. He is putting together a few two word phrases and is mimicking others.

We celebrated his second birthday with my mom at the Phoenix Science Center. All the kids had a great time. We ate apple cobbler for his birthday cake and he got some fun new toys. Jarom is working on building an elaborate playset in the backyard that my parents got all three boys for their birthday’s. Roxwell has been out some to dig in the dirt and slide down the slide, but the mosquitoes get him so bad that we mostly keep him inside until the bugs go away.

The Mission of The Church is to Invite All to Come Unto Christ

2010-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Want to learn more? http://www.mormon.org/

Dessert Pose

2010-10-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nana is having a ball.

Roxwell is digging in while he can.

Layne can't take his eyes off the mountain of heaven.

Brik is worried that he is getting left out.

Acupuncture

2010-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

He liked it and is asking to go back :)

Horsin' Around

2010-09-25T14:45:00.001-07:00

Another family trip back to Iowa under our belts. We took advantage of our last opportunity for Roxwell to fly free. Bever Park, shopping, Grandma Kunkel’s, fishing, golf cart rides, horseback riding and packing a lamb in our suitcase.

The kids had wanted to ride horses for ages. Layne was sure he knew how to do it all by himself, which ended up being the case. My dad has a friend who is super gracious about setting us up with riding opportunities. He lives on a huge, gorgeous, well kept farm. A couple times we were able to take them out riding through the pastures sans kids.

His friend, Doug, has a family full of riders who do rodeo events. He borrowed a couple of girl scout camp horses that were used to inexperienced riders for the kids. They were nice, quiet, small animals that gave the kids a great first experience. I got to ride a perfectly broke horse that Doug’s son uses for roping.

We put Layne on with me first; it was tight in the saddle. Layne wanted full control of the reigns and confused the heck out of the horse, but didn’t run us into any walls. He wanted to go faster, of course, but after mere seconds at a gallop he changed his mind. After this he got on his own horse while Doug walked him around with a lead. Once Layne was tired of this he got off and lead the horse around on his own, tied it to the fence, then came back to walk him around some more. When he got back on again, he went all on his own.

Brik was a bit more timid. He rode with Jarom for a short while. When the horse started walking faster than him on the lead, he dropped the rope and ran. We got him to sit with Layne just long enough for a picture. Brik really shined when it came to feeding the horses grass. There was also a cat and newborn dogs that they brought out fof the kids to see, but with Brik’s reactions he has been having with cats and dogs, he could only look.

Roxwell was crazy about the animals, screaming and making animal sounds. He didn’t want to sit on a horse, but he picked up real fast on feeding them grass. He wanted to crawl under the fence to get closer. He loved on the cat a little too much and was fascinated by the tiny heads of the dogs.

Nobody got kicked or bucked, so I’d say it was a day better than most.

In Hope of Better Days

2010-09-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

All the parenting books say 6 is a hard age. I would know, I have read them all. I really can’t say ages 2-5 were that easy, but 6 was definitely hard! Thank goodness for Nana’s who take care of kids while we cruise and Grandma’s who invite kids to stay with her at her cabin in the mountains and school…hallelujah for school.

To mark his 7^th birthday, here are 7 of Layne’s favorite things:

Favorite toy: Legos

Favorite food: Sushi

Favorite color: Orange

Favorite friend: Brandon

Favorite number: Infinity

Favorite book: Dinosaur Roar

Favorite word: Toot

We had small birthday plans to have a special celebration. Layne ended up being invited last minute to Grandma’s Cabin. He loves the cabin and we love the break, so it was win, win. Before he left, Katie made her all-fave Oreo Balls with the boys for Layne to hand out at school. We talked to him briefly on his birthday, but he was much to busy to sit around and chat.

When he came home Monday night we asked him how he felt to be older and told him all the fun things we had planned for him at home; presents, sushi, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Toy Story 3 – 3D. Of course it was not enough and he had a fit that he wanted a party with a billion friends and another cake because the cake and party with his cousins at the cabin didn’t count…Maybe technically his is still only 6 years and 366 days?

We still had a fun day with all that Mom had promised, but still waiting for the magic.

Shhh

2010-09-12T21:46:00.001-07:00

We snuck out last night.

You know way back when you lived under your parent’s reign, feeling a little feisty and just HAD to get out? Some how, the role is reversed now, but I still get those feelings. Only now it is lying to the children instead of parents, doing something edifying instead of naughty, feeling satisfaction instead of guilt and speaking Spanish instead of Pig Latin.

We made plans to see the music production “The Lamb of God” at Gammage. We invited Katie to join us and had cued her in on the sneakiness of the evening’s events. It took some extra thought when plans were being made in the present of little ears. Sometimes we had to spell out words that would cause questions or reference things in a round about way. The conversation at dinner the dinner table was most interesting with Jarom’s fluent Spanish, Katie’s broken Spanish, My limited Spanish, the kid’s pretend Spanish and Roxwell’s jabbering.

It all went off without a hitch (except for the moment of panic when Jarom noticed our tickets were for Friday night instead of Saturday, but they still let us in). The house was as we left it, kids fast asleep, the babysitter had a peaceful evening and there were no bad reports to apologize and stress over.

A Day at the Beach

2010-08-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to San Deigo for the Marcus and Ashley Neilson’s wedding. It was crazy and fancy and romantic and whimsical. I took zero pictures because I was too timid around the paparazzi who’s clicking was in surround sound minute by minute. Why bother with my cheap point and shoot when there are 20 fancy camera’s all taking the exact same shot? Here is one I stole of facebook because we are smoking’ hot.

And one of the newly wed because they were pretty cute too.

Next we did The Mormon Battalion Center with the whole Bagley lot. It was amazing, and excellent for kids. It was very well done, interactive and informative. Of course the missionaries were super friendly and it was all free. I would call it a trip highlight.

We followed that up with a day at Legoland, where the kids had a blast. Layne couldn’t fathom how they made the logos so big. I couldn’t fathom the time it took for people to construct so many life size, intricate and detailed replicas of cities and buildings and people. All in all, if all it were was the Dragon Roller Coaster, the Race Track and Duplo Land, we would have been better off. It kept the kids busy and entertained though. They never complained about being tired of walking or hungry or even asked for us to buy them something while we were there.

Finally, a day at the beach. Mission Beach. It was covered in sea weed, cloudy and cold, which didn’t put a damper on things at all.

Layne worked on digging a hole to China.

Brik can have fun doing anything, at this particular moment it was running from a wave while holding up his elastic bare hand-me-down swim suit.

Roxwell is obsessed with birds (eww).

There were plenty of those around.

He tried his darnedest to catch one, but they just liked to tease.

Jarom found clams. Roxwell gave us the idea to eat them.

So we did.

The were really sandy, there must be a way to clean them.

Evidence

2010-07-01T14:56:00.002-07:00

He’s here, he’s there, he’s loud, he’s obnoxious, he’s missing, he is talking and talking and talking… Basically, he has been in every corner of the house inside and out before I have breakfast ready. Then there’s the chatter; it goes on and on “Mom, what does this spell…” “Mom, I know what 20 and 20 is. Am I right?” “Mom, when are we going to go to the dollar store?” “Mom, guess if I have to poop right now or not.” Seriously. Sometimes I just shut down from the chaos that is Layne’s life. You know, tune him out, ignore him, hide, it’s a built in defense mechanism.

Yesterday morning Layne was rambling about some “bad guys.” I was in my defensive “half-listening mode,” that must have seemed to Layne like my “I don’t believe you mode.” That’s when he brought in “the evidence,” which is just how he presented it to me; An empty carton of ice cream and two large QT soda cups by our front door. Layne pointed out that this evidence could only mean one thing; two bad guys were eating ice cream and drinking soda on our porch last night. Now THAT was worth listening to.

Wiggly

2010-06-25T13:18:00.004-07:00

I thought I would cry the day Layne lost his first tooth. A milestone that says "I am growing up and leaving babyhood behind --worse-- in the trash." I like babies. However, I didn't realize that teeth could be wiggly for 3 months before coming out. That is a lot of time for a mom to prepare herself.

At first the wiggly tooth was exciting, of coarse. We would wiggle it every couple days and talk about if it was more wiggly than the last time, Layne was always sure it was. Then, he got a surprise, the new tooth began growing in behind his old one, shark style.

Once the pictures started, we had to include everybody. So here are Brik's darling teeth, which he better not ever lose.

And then the true baby who is still getting his first set, 13 and counting.

So that was freaky, right? His tooth is coming in in the wrong place. On top of that, he is complaining about it hurting every time he eats and uses it as an excuse to not eat celery or cucumbers. I wanted to pull it when I never thought I would. The best tooth-loosing experience was the one tooth that just fell out with no Dad pulling involved.

We played around with it. "How far can you move it this way, that way, how about pushing it with your tongue, let me tie a string around it and you can wiggle it." We got him excited about the tooth fairy. "She leaves twice as much if you loose it on a Saturday since she doesn't like to work on Sunday's." Then came threats. "You are going to swallow it in your sleep and it will hurt your throat or you will lose it in the swimming pool and never be able to find it."

Lastly, bribes. "If I pull it and it doesn't come out, I will give you $5. Let me put this pliers in your mouth and I promise I won't pull it, if I do I will give you $100. If you let me pull your tooth you can stay up for 20 more minutes, otherwise it is bedtime right now."

I gave him a popsicle and told him how cold makes things numb so that it won't hurt him. Jarom got the pliers and he ran away. Jarom looked in his mouth while he hid the pliers. Jarom found the pliers and Layne cried. Enter; Bribes. Layne decided to have it pulled and pop, it was done. Layne laughed, "it didn't even hurt." I took a picture and told him I would send it to Nana and Papa. He wanted to look at it first to make sure they couldn't see his tears. I guess he didn't care so much about the popsicle on his face.

Therapy, Save Me.

2010-05-21T21:17:00.002-07:00

I know this looks bad and we really don’t know what we are doing. No therapist to work with still, so all we got are Mom’s bright ideas. This is an effort to force him to use his left hand for fine motor functions. When his right arm is free, he won’t use the left at all. You got a better idea? I thought it would be good to have a video sample showing Roxwell’s dexterity. In a few years we will be saying “Remember when you could barely use your left hand?” and it will all be a distant memory.

School Days

2010-05-16T20:15:00.006-07:00

Layne's second year of kindergarten is coming to an end. He has had the same teacher in the same classroom for two years. He has brought home many of the same things. Though he doesn't complain that he is bored, he doesn't show as much excitement as before. He is a little bossy bully, but at least he keeps his anger at bay. Here is his n0-drama performance as Papa Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears;

And him as The House of Sticks in The Three Little Pigs;

Brik is scheduled for a early admission evaluation in June so that he can go to half day kindergarten in the fall. When I filled out the paper work, the only thing he got low marks on was pumping a swing and covering his mouth when he sneezes.

Layne is taking care of teaching him on the swing;

Brik said he will teach himself to cover his mouth, and he actually is doing better :)

And THIS is what gets us through those months in between;

Green Stache

2010-05-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

money, Money, MONey, MON-EY!

2010-04-24T21:15:00.004-07:00

Layne fell in love with my grandma's old electric juicer. He started up he own juicing business by selling his orange juice for $2 a quart. I think he ended up making over $50 over the last month and now he is burnt out.

Jarom did most of the picking, but Layne did most of the bagging. At home he washed them, cut them, juiced them, poured the juice in jars, sort of cleaned up (it was the month of the fruit flies) then called people to buy them. I was mostly impressed with his system, except for his phone skills. The worst being when he was talking to one person on the phone and someone rang the doorbell. People at the door are the most important people in the world to Layne.

He put about half in the bank, paid tithing, spent some and gave away the rest.

Record Keeping

2010-04-18T22:11:00.002-07:00

Time is so hard to keep track of anymore. Someone asks when did he start doing this or when did you notice that? I don't have the foggiest idea. But I have found scrolling back through this blog (and emails) quite helpful in pinning down dates. So let it be known that 2 days after taking his first steps, we got Roxwell to crawl.

During his AZEIP evaluation on Friday the therapist made mention of his weak core and upper body muscles because of his lack of crawling. She discussed how beneficial it would be to his strength to do such an exercise that forced him to bear a heavy load on his left side like crawling does. Now, in addition to all the other things we have been working on, we are on the floor with him encouraging him to crawl and using the exercise ball to strengthen his core. As exhausting as a newborn, but very rewarding.

Milestone

2010-04-14T13:17:00.005-07:00

Roxwell took his first steps today,just shy of 18 months. This is quite an achievement for out determined little one. He has been working so hard these past few months, but progress has been slow.

After taking him to the doctor last month for delayed motor skills, getting an MRI and having it all translated by a pediatric neurologist, we learned that Roxwell has a small amount of scar tissue in the right-center (semiovale, corona radiata and corticospinal tract) part of his brain. It is the result of bleeding in the brain which most likely occurred around the time of birth and the cause is indeterminable. His grey matter (the area that tells the body what to do) is well developed but the scar tissue interferes with the transmission of information to the spinal cord. While the spinal chord naturally tells everything to be stiff and the brain tells everything to relax, this affected areas are rigid. The technical terms are; hemiparesis from hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

We are so fortunate that it is mild and feel very good that he will able to fully recover. I have been working with him a lot; immobilizing his right hand while initiating play with his left, massaging his left side 2-3 times a day, using essential oils and cold laser therapy at the chiropractor. Hopefully we will start formal therapy soon, he is being evaluated this week for that.

It is possible for his brain to heal, but the main focus is for his brain to be made aware of the connections that are missing. Even if the scarring does not heal, young brain cells are very capable of taking on extra duties when there is a need to. Before three years of age the brain can rewire when given the right stimulation, so physical therapy is key right now.

Brik is the supportive big brother behind the camera. I didn't even tell him to cut me out because I hadn't showered yet, but he did anyway, he is so thoughtful. Roxwell got bitten up by misquotes, that is what is on his head and why his left arm is covered (to keep him from scratching.)

Almost Free

2010-04-05T13:19:00.002-07:00

“Hey lady.” Buy this dress, buy this, hammock, buy this rug, buy this jewelry, buy this Mexican junk. For real.

Those locals were really creative in finding ways to make a living off of all the tourism.

Pay me for throwing this sedated donkey on you and taking your picture.

Pay me for making sculptures in the sand.

Pay me for stacking rocks.

I will put some iguana’s on you, grab the camera out of your hands, shoot a picture and tell you, you have to pay me. For real.

Excursion Versions

2010-03-28T12:02:00.003-07:00

Mexico is not really the place to go if you want to wander around and find your own fun. It is more of a “stay with the pack” (of tourists, that is.) I would have loved to see where the locals shopped and ate and lived, but my gun-less companion would not comply. We opted for Princess Cruiseline coordinated excursions to entertain us on land.

They had offered many different cooking oriented options. Many of them included tequila drinking. We figured the prices on those excursions reflected the drinks, so the most bang for our non-drinking buck would be the one that did not advertise the alcohol. We were wrong. In Puerta Vallarta we rode a tour bus from port into town where the guide pointed out every large hotel and American business. While I looked the other direction and saw empty store fronts with bashed windows, covered in graffiti. The tour guide was rambling about how Puerta Vallarta was such a paradise and declared there was no crime. I wondered who was doing all the vandalism, Jarom guessed it was the tourists.

Unnerving...

We were dumped off in down town, where thousands of tour buses drop off. It felt like Sun City more than Mexico. We tried to haggle in the shops to no avail and paid American prices on sunglasses, a bottle of vanilla and souvenirs for the kids.

Then we were led to a restaurant for out cooking “class.” It was an upscale tourist restaurant similar to our Café Lorado. The tables were set up with a small assortment of ingredients, a cutting board and a bread knife. We were instructed to chop the small amounts of ingredients and mix them together to make pico de gallo and guacamole. Next, two tortillas, a bowl of mole sauce and a chunk of cold chicken. Cut the chicken, put it on the tortillas and spoon cold mole sauce over it. No recipes. The tour guide told us to make the mole sauce you by a can of it from Wal-Mart and add water.

That night Jarom looked for an excursion to sign up for in Mazatlan, rather than going off of the alcohol promotions he found one with a recommendation from previous Princess passengers. This proved to be better criteria since we had a blast.

We took a catamaran to a small island, laid on the beach, played some sand volleyball, rode some horses and had lunch at a clean but very rustic restaurant. The horseback riding on the beach was such a good time. The guide only spoke Spanish, so it was fun trying to communicate and having Jarom to clue me in. He got off and took pictures for everyone and had a great sense of humor. It was a short walk on the beach and the guide let us run back. The horses were so engrained with the route that there was no steering that they would adhere to. It was a beautiful day and we were having so much fun that we lost track of how much sun we were getting. We both got a terrible sunburn that was hurting for the rest of the trip.

The next day at Cabo we had to stay out of the sun because of out stupidity, so we didn’t do an excursion. We got off the boat for a short time trying to find a phone to call home and got to do some haggling in the shops. By then were so done with the men on the streets trying to get us to ride on their boat that we just went back to the ship. It was a beautiful place, and we could see that just as well from the ship’s deck.

Culinary Adventures

2010-03-16T19:26:00.001-07:00

The biggest surprise of my first cruise was how extraordinary the food was. Being a total foodie, having high standards for freshness, striving to use the highest quality ingredients and favoring whole foods, you could say I am “picky.” I expected cheap cafeteria and diner type food that was soggy, greasy and, uber-processed. I expected the apples to be mealy and the green beans frozen and microwaved. I admit to bringing my own homemade granola, a bag of AZ oranges and organic apples for survival.

I was skeptical when I read the first dinner menu; they made it all sound so excellent. But excellent it was!

Pan-Fried Barramundi

Giant Perch with Green Asparagus, Brown Butter, Lemon and Rice Pilaf

Cajun Spiced Crawfish Crockpot with Black Mussels and Tomatoes

Creole Rice

Moroccan Vegetable Ragout with Pita Bread and Read Oak Leaf Salad

Cauliflower, Carrots, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Pea Pods and Potatoes in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce.

How on earth was I going to choose? Oh, how I wished my stomach was stretched out more that night because I could have had all three, if I had room. Each night they had a completely different selection of about 4 appetizers, 4 soups and salads and 6 main courses. They also offered 2 pastas (one that was the same every night) and 7 alternative choices that were the same every night.

Yes, my stomach stretched and accumulated some extra “padding”, but a week of culinary adventure drove me to set good judgment aside and enjoy the ride.

Breakfast was the trickiest. I started off having a lot of poached eggs. Scrambled eggs are often made with powdered eggs, so I stuck with what I could see was real. I don’t do homogenized dairy, non fat yogurt, cold cereal or sugary pastries. A couple mornings at the buffet I stacked an egg on a small waffle with a slice of smoked salmon. By the last few days I was eating my (dry) granola and a couple oranges. I was fine with eating light in the morning, because dinner was always over the top.

Lunch:

Doesn’t that salad look amazing? It was! I also tried borscht for the first time, which was not bad and had a very tasty blueberry roulade (yes, dessert at every lunch, shame.)

Finally, here is what I learned at the dinner table;

I don’t like pate of any kind (seafood, meat or vegetable.)
Frog legs have the texture of chicken and the flavor of crab legs
Escargots is delicious (but likely anything doused with lots of garlic butter would be.)
Caviar is worth eating again if I get the chance, but not worth the hefty price tag.
Soufflé’s make great desserts after a hefty meal, they are light and not too sweet.
It only takes sharing three meals with someone before I feel comfortable asking them for the vegetables off their plate.
Thankfully, the bread was awful.
Jarom can eat a lot of meat L
Spending 2 hours at the dinner table never tired.
Six days of stomach stretching allowed me to enjoy a soup, salad, pasta, entrée and 2 plates of lobster in one sitting.
Although I was over eating every day, I felt good and never had digestive problems.
I love seafood.

Ship Bliss

2010-03-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am typically not a vacation type of person. I don’t like to be away from the comforts of home. I like my soft water to shower in, I like my kitchen to cook in, I like my bed and dark, quiet room to sleep in, I like to have my clothes in drawers and hangers… I hate the hassle of preparing for a trip, trying to remember everything that I might need or will surely need, getting the house and kids ready for a lengthy departure, making travel arrangements...

For the first time, it was all worth it!

First off, after years of traveling with small children, traveling alone was not so bad. Packing snacks; simple, Airport security; a breeze, Waiting to board; almost peaceful, Carrying our luggage; no problem. We had super helpful family members that took great care of the children. They all enjoyed the week, got spoiled with toys and fun activities and ate their vegetables.

Aboard the ship, I really didn’t know what to expect; what we would do, how we would feel and if there would be any food worth eating. We quickly found out that you sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry and look in the Patter (the daily schedule of activities and shows) when you are bored.

I was most impressed by the clean entertainment and delicious food (which will get a lengthy post all of its own). They had dancers, comedians, an awesome illusionist and showed mostly PG and PG-13 movies in the theater. We participated in a latin ballroom dance class each day we were at sea. There was a fruit and vegetable carving and culinary demonstration that we enjoyed. We played games, took naps and met some really great people.

It was relaxing for sure, we didn’t have to lift a finger. Joselito made our bed, folded our clothes, wiped down the counters, took out our trash, got us ice, changed the toilet paper roll, wrapped up the chord on my blow dryer, washed our towels. We were able to truly enjoy every second.

Happy Anniversary!

Mexican Riviera

2010-03-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Aboard the Sapphire Princess

Puerto Vallarta

Mazatlan

Cabo San Lucas

Love is in the Air

2010-02-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Happy love day to everyone. We are enjoying extra hugs, extra sweetness and extra cards from each other.

Layne gave me a pencil he got from school, his Mexico money for our cruise and 2 quarters because I was all out last time he earned one.

Brik had a creative drawing of me by a rock. I had mistaken my head for the sun, but Jarom pointed out that it was just hair coming out of my chin.

This sweetness cuddles his teddies at night, which we encourage simply because it is cute.

LOATHE

2010-02-10T12:17:00.001-07:00

Fuming. Rage. Wrath.

Pure hatred for these vermin. I want this

To break their grubby little necks.

Then I will skin them and hang their hides as a warning to all their kind.

"This lady is cRaZy about her vegetables, you DON’T want to mess with her garden!"

UP

2010-01-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Last year's Christmas present

reinvented

Chewing

2010-01-18T10:12:00.002-07:00

food

with only

eight

front teeth

is REALLY

hard.

The Shopping Event of the Season

2010-01-13T20:43:00.002-07:00

Around mid-December out whole family went out for a day of Christmas shopping. Brik had $5 to spend from a birthday card that was burning a hole. Layne had earned a handful of quarters from doing extra work and found a few pennies for a total of $1.27, which pretty much was engulfing him in flames. With two die-hard savers for parents, these boys were itching to experience the other side.

Our first stop on the trek was to Power Square (formerly VF Factory) to the kitchen stores. A man overheard Layne blubbering about what he could buy with his measly $1.27 and quarrelling with his brother to share some of his dough. This man proceeded to had Layne a $10 bill and told him to split it with his brother. Layne was all about to give Brik all of his money and keep the 10 for himself. The man set him straight and the cashier split the money for them to share.

Brik spent most of his now $10 on a miniature cheese grater, measuring cup and a plastic straw with spoon. As we walked between stores, Layne wanted to spend all of his money on stupid ride-on toys. Luckily he only had two quarters and that is all they took. He decided to hold out for toys which he found later at Big Lots a.k.a A Lot of Junk. He took forever looking down every isle asking if he has enough for this or that. Once he found what he was looking for (a complete piece of junk) his heart was set. So, toy in hand, I told him to get out his money -- which he was explicitly told ,at least 5 times, to keep it in his pocket after seeing him transfer it between ever crack and crevice known to man. He looked up to me with guilty eyes and said it was under Roxwell’s seat. Roxwell was sitting in a shopping cart and was brought in by dad, while I came in with my own cart with Layne and Brik, later met up with Jarom and ditched my cart.

Layne bent down and looked up under Roxwell and of course it wasn’t there. TEARS. We retraced out steps all over the store looking for an abandoned cart. Layne was checking other customer’s carts as they strolled by. Hopeless. We made our way to the checkout counter. A woman was standing there by a cart looking at the wrapping paper, I leaned down to take my first glance at someone’s cart. There it was, folded and tucked in between the metal and plastic flap of the child seat was the $5 bill. That is insane.

Layne got his stupid toy that didn’t even work and I had to return it the next week anyway. We walked that returned $5 directly across the parking lot to the dollar store where he spent every bit of it.

Out With the Old, In With the New

2009-12-31T16:21:00.005-07:00

9 Significant Bagley Family Records From 2009

Brik is allergic to dogs.
We enjoyed an increase in visits from my parents.
Completed our bathroom remodels.
Jarom and I attained regular free bimonthly therapeutic massages!
We entered the realm of cloth diapering.
Discovered Brik’s inborn ability to water ski.
I was called to serve as Primary President.
Our household transitioned from eating factory farmed meat in moderation to eating wild game/pastured meat sparingly.
Accomplished my first year of blogging.

10 Things I am Looking Forward to in 2010

Growing a garden that produces like gang busters.
Replacing the carpet with wood flooring.
A 7 day cruise alone with a hunky guy.
Roxwell’s first steps.
Brik starting kindergarten
Reaping the rewards of cloth diapering by easily potty training Roxwell and having 0 children in diapers.
Starting up more cooking classes.
Katie moving to Arizona.
Enjoying a backyard complete with grass, a play set and swimming pool.
Dancing on Dancing with the Stars

Merry Christmas To Me

2009-12-28T09:07:00.002-07:00

Me likes me a nice slow, quiet Christmas. No chaos, no rushing around, not a lot of show. My dad used to have this thing with opening gifts, he would draw it out as long as possible. I can appreciate that now. It is the event for the night, so we revel in it.

This year we had a dinner at our house with Errol, Elaine, Reachel, Andrew, Coco, Leisel, Sterling and our family. Simple potluck with salad, roasted vegetables, ham, baked potatoes and apple crisp. The kids did a cute story telling of The First Christmas, we sang songs and enjoyed the gifts. I thought this year was modest. Jarom and I are planning a cruise this year for my 30th birthday, so our goal was to apply for passports by Christmas and call that our gift to each other; check. Roxwell got all regifted items from storage. I gifted Layne and Brik with their own stuff they had lost months prior because of bad behavior...How did we end up with so much stuff!? I was astonished with the pile that towered beside me as we finished. It was a great time and I am grateful to feel abundance and love through my friends and family.

Layne wasn't sure what to expect from Santa. We never got out to have the kids sit on Santa's lap and ask him for anything. Everyone who asked Layne what he wanted received the answer "a trumpet." Layne also is very aware from all the songs that Santa brings toys to good boys and not bad ones...uhhh. He knew he may not qualify. My favorite was when we were delivering Christmas gifts to friends and one asked "Are you on Santa's good list or bad list?" Layne replies "I'm on his kinda good list, but my brother (pointing to Brik) is on the REALLY good list."

Brik was also asking for a trumpet and sometimes would decide he wanted a new battery for his power wheels. He was pretty sure that Santa would not be leaving any gifts for Roxwell because he wakes mom up in the morning (big no no in our house.)

Christmas Day I got up and fed Roxwell. Brik was up with me, his room faces the living room where all of Santa's loot was laid, unwrapped. He never even noticed, it all blended in with the piles he remembered from the night before and all he was thinking about was the new toys he knew and had dreamed about through the night. Once Layne was up we lead them in and checked out the new stuff. We spent the morning finding batteries, playing games and planting my indoor starter plants.

For lunch we went to Grandma and Grandpa Bagley's. The kids got to sit at the adult table since our numbers were so few. Layne asked why there were little rugs on the table (place mats). He is really funny when he is not throwing a fit. Earlier that day, he walked by Jarom as Jarom was pointing at something. Layne said "Oh, I though you were going to give me a high five. That's disappointing." We laughed and he retracted "Actually, that doesn't make any sense, since you laughed." We assured him it did make sense and I was kinda sad that he is becoming so perceptive. Soon he is going to grow out of using his childish verbage that is so endearing.

I did miss my family, but it was so nice to stay put and not be thrown around from place to place. Travel is not my thing. I like to be home, I like to be warm, I like to relax. So this year -- Merry Christmas to me.

Rewind

2009-12-27T10:15:00.002-07:00

We need to rewind and cover Brik’s birthday before we do Christmas as he is a pretty special little guy. He always wears a big smile and his excitement is contagious. Brik has been talking about “when my birthday comes up,’ since Layne’s birthday in September. For a while he though he got to choose what age he would be turning and he chose 5. He eventually came to terms with a year of being four, but is still looking forward to the golden age of five years old.

The week before and the week after the big day we had gone out to eat and both times Layne told our server when Brik’s birthday is/was and they brought him a dessert, so he got in some extra celebrating. On the day of his birthday, Brik was so excited to do a Krispy Kreme run in the morning to get doughnuts for breakfast. Apon awakening, Jarom was able to take a 15 minute break from work that we utilized to open presents. Once the presents were unveiled there was no parting him from his new toys. Layne was distraught when he learned I was abiding by Brik’s wishes to play instead of go. All day of offering a trip to get doughnuts and he never wanted to until bedtime.

Usually Layne is able to talk Brik into doing what ever he wants, like the day before when he talked Brik into a lemon cake for his birthday dinner dessert instead of cinnamon pizza, which Brik had originally chosen. It went like this… “Brik, cinnamon pizza is not even cake, you have to have cake for your birthday. Mom, Brik wants to have lemon cake for his birthday instead.” I asked Brik again what he wanted and he said cinnamon pizza. Now Layne is whining, “Brik, you are a mean brother. I don’t want cinnamon pizza for birthday cake you have to choose something else.” Brik says no and an all out fit breaks loose with stomping and crying. Quickly Brik says in a submissive voice “Okay Layne we can have lemon cake for my birthday.” Sad isn’t it?

So the lemon cake was delicious, I made it with sprouted flour, the filling was lemon curd made with honey and the frosting was powdered rapadura and kefir cream cheese. A recipe for the books! Brik wanted his name and the number 4 on it and Papa had sent licorice so we used that for the letters. I am not a good cake decorator and it is hard to make a pretty frosting with natural sugar and no food coloring, but I sure felt good about my family eating it.

I love that the day felt special even though we stayed home all day with no parties or friends, just the family, a few toys and a lemon cake.

A Christmas Story

2009-12-24T22:47:00.002-07:00

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-23T16:14:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? December has been full of great memories. Mom came again for another quick, but very productive visit. I learned that having her here to prepare for Christmas is just as good as having her here for Christmas. Decorating the tree has never been more enjoyable, that’s for sure. Brik was our typical kid decorator that only saw one branch fit for ornaments.

We also got in a good shopping spree at Macy’s. I have not been much of a shopper in the past two years and tried hard to make up for it. She even squeezed in a patience-trying gingerbread train project with the kids between a pedicure and a nice dinner out. All that in two days with three kids; what a feat!

Our long loved Canon point and shoot has laid to rest. Our first replacement was terrible (Nikon CoolPix). So we went straight back to Canon and have a lovely orange camera that we are very happy with. These two pictures were taken at the same time from the two different cameras. We messed with the settings and could never get the Nikkon to take good pictures. They were blurry with the kids and had bad color with the food.

Adventures in Self Feeding

2009-12-14T13:18:00.002-07:00

Eating broccoli is just stinking cute!

2 raspberries + 1 baby = a really big mess!

Check me out, I'm a rockstar!

U want some?

Spoon optional.

After meal clean up.

Gobble, Gobble

2009-11-27T19:02:00.003-07:00

Jarom is thankful for job security.

Layne is thankful for as much freedom as he can scrounge up.

Brik is thankful for a Mom that lets him talk her ear off.

Roxwell is thankful that his brothers are in bed so he can finally play with their trains.

I am thankful it is orange season.

Wrap It Up Already

2009-11-25T11:17:00.003-07:00

Here is the rest of the pictures from our photo shoot. Roxwell was uncooperative as all he wanted was to be put down so that he could eat the rocks, in a few pictures that is what he is chewing on. When he was sitting on that rusty ladder I was freaking out that he was going to fall, but he didn't. Layne and Brik were great with posing for about 15 minutes, that is when all their best pictures were. The farmer whose farm we were trespassing on came to kick us out when we had barley started, but Jarom talked him into letting us finish and we promised to never come there again. Brik loved holding his acorn squash that he had selected at the market the day before, while Layne oogled over the lollipop that came and went with the photographer. A big thanks to Ashley and Marcus who gave of their time and talents, we love how they turned out.

Pics of Briks

2009-11-24T21:42:00.001-07:00

Kiddo Portraits

2009-11-24T09:59:00.002-07:00

Pic-a-Portrait

2009-11-23T09:31:00.004-07:00

Just Eat It

2009-11-20T20:10:00.001-07:00

A Closet Full With Nothing to Wear

2009-11-16T16:56:00.002-07:00

Jarom had two shirts that were worthy of family pictures and neither went in the slightest with what I wanted to wear to match our living room. Ashley appeased me by taking a few of just me and the boys before the wardrobe change.

Quite the Character

2009-11-14T21:02:00.002-07:00

Got some professional pictures taken by Betty Photography. They are great fun. I'll share a bit at a time as I don't seem to have the attention span needed to deal with blogger lately.

I Like the Way You Move

2009-11-10T14:57:00.002-07:00

Two Week Rush

2009-10-31T21:12:00.009-07:00

We only have to celebrate Roxwell’s birthday for about 15 minutes each year since he was born just before midnight (who keeps track of the exact time by the third) on the eve of October 22. It is fun to have a little dream just for him though.

Actually, we just turned everything fun that we did that week into a birthday celebration; like Layne’s fieldtrip to Superstition Farm, I bet you wish you spent your first birthday with the entire kindergarten! Or our dinner out to the swanky Scottsdale restaurant Arcadia Farms…too bad I forgot the camera on both of these occasions (and Layne’s fist day of school, and the science center and a dozen other important events).

So I redeemed myself slightly by taking home one of Arcadia Farm’s “baby cakes,” fitting, eh? Now all you mommies listen up because we discovered something that is going to change the universe. First we put the kids to bed, then we poked a candle in the cake, sang happy birthday, took pictures all in peace. We let the baby dive in with his hands while we civilized adults used forks and only occasionally picked piece off his face and shirt. Then it was off to bed for baby. Did you get that!? No kids, just baby. No tummy ache, just sleep. Peace. It was the best 3 day after birthday party EVER!

We leave the real spoiling up to my parents. Dad was here the week before Roxwell’s birthday and brought him this cute Hawkeye (the kids call it “hockey”) outfit with football that he has really taken a liking to. Here I think he was posing as a football player might.

Dad further dove in to the spoiling category when he bought all three boys Christmas bikes complete with new helmets lights, horns, bike locks and knee pads. Unfortunately Roxwell has tipped over a few times on his and now cries every time we put him on it so we are in the process of finding him an alternative Christmas gift. Dad’s visit was fun, be sure to ask him how he did in cribbage though.

Mom brought a lovely gift that Layne and Brik monopolized for the first couple days. She also bought us a generous amount of home décor which the kids and Jarom graciously accepted as their Christmas presents. I am so looking forward to Christmas; it is going to be so simple! Even Jarom’s family is taking about cutting back on their usually over-the-top gifting.

Since Jarom is a Halloween-pooper, Mom made the most of his costume and played Raggedy Andy to my Raggedy Ann. The boys costumes turned out really cute. Brik lived the face paint and was worried about it all night. Layne did really good dealing with the irritating eye patch – that he ended up just wearing on his head and uncomfortable earring – that found comfort inside his ear. Roxwell was not too fond of the big dragon hood that weighed down his head.

Growth Chart

2009-10-29T17:14:00.003-07:00

No doctors. No percentile charts. No child to child comparison. Just good old healthy growth.

The Iowan Shopper

2009-10-16T21:46:00.004-07:00

Dad wanted to "get back at" the kids for surprising him on his birthday in August. He arranged a surprise meet at the corner grocery store. They were pretty surprised to run into an Iowan shopper at Bashas.

I was so happy that Dad was able to bring us some more deer AND happy that we found freezer space for all of it! Thanks Dad, you're the best.

The kids got lots of fun stuff too; a Genetic's choice calendar (that the each have hung in their rooms), a framed picture of Papa (that they are taking turns displaying in their room's), a very educational book about pig farming (that we read at bedtime the past two nights) and University of Iowa Children's Hospital sweatshirts that are really quite nice (thanks Monica.) This is very typical for dad to unload company memorabilia for Christmas, birthdays and visits.

We haven't gotten to play cribbage yet, but next week--it's on!

Vegetable Treat

2009-10-12T18:14:00.003-07:00

To increase excitement for vegetables the kids get to have whipped cream on them.

Great idea, right?
When my dad was annoyed with our table manners as kids he would ask "don't they teach you how to eat at school?" When my kids are playing with their food I say "Papa would freak if he saw you doing that." Tonight there were noodles swinging and Brik said "Papa is freaking out."

Go Away, Big Green Monster!

2009-10-11T19:01:00.008-07:00

So they are not big, or green, but I do want them to go away. They are tormenting me, I hate to itch! Now they have gone too far. They are attacking the littlest Bagley and I am furious. Not just a bite here and there, 20 at one time, he looks diseased.

Roxwell is having a terrible reaction to mosquito bites. They get huge and inflamed, then bulge with a fluid-filled blister and finally a large open sore that heals to a lovely scar. Every day I am redressing his bandages to keep out infection. I have to keep him in pants day and night, otherwise he goes nuts with the itching and rips the Band-Aids to shreds. Poor guy, the itching, the sweating, the “ouch” of pulling 5 Band-Aids of in one sitting…
At least he is getting some teething out of the way through his misery. One top tooth is through and the other is close. They are big, this makes me happy, let’s dwell on the happy.

Grease Monkeys

2009-09-27T20:41:00.005-07:00

Layne got this Power Wheels truck two years ago for his birthday from my mom. I would say he averages 10 hours a week in it. Driving has become one of his most time consuming hobbies. He has worn holes in the tires and is on his second battery. He has been asking for a real car that runs on gas for almost a year, but for now he blows off steam in his electric vehicle.

Layne has convinced Brik that he is completely incapable of driving. Brik gets all nervous when we ask him to park it or even drive it across the yard. He pushes the pedal in 2 second intervals to make sure he is never going too fast or about to hit something. He is a great passenger and always makes sure to buckle up with the Velcro seat belt. Some days they just pull out in the middle of the yard, crank the radio on the Spanish station, fill the cup holders with their Diego sippy cups, flip down the tailgate and chill.

Saturday while I was running around to meetings, Jarom got some yard work done and the boys gave the truck a tune up. Layne was enthralled with the jack and Brik was tickled to be assistant mechanic.

It won't be long before this little guy is squeezing in beside his brothers. Already perfecting the sounds and actions of cars, Roxwell has proven to have a boy's heart. Notice the gurgling from the back of his throat. This sound is reserved for playing with cars.

And those are misquito bites all over his arm, he was completely attacked!

Herbivore

2009-09-20T19:11:00.002-07:00

Roxwell is nearly 11 months, still working on the crawling thing, but he rolls all over. Still a happy boy, content, sleeps 11 hours a night and puts up with Layne's rough handling. He still loves his baby swing as the motor can barley sway his 21 pounds. Only two teeth have made their way into his gummy grin.

Although he is my third boy which is old hat by now, he has a few quirks that are totally original to himself. Roxwell has a very developed palate and much prefers whole food over pureed. Often times he will refuse his own food if you are eating real food in front of him. I am most amazed at his ability to enjoy leafy vegetables and strong flavors from herbs, spices and garlic! How I love to see bits of myself in my child, finally.

Remembering Bugles

2009-09-08T14:46:00.002-07:00

The boy's raspberry eating strategy reminded me of when my brother and I used to put Bugles on our fingers. We were limited to man-made finger foods because we lived in Podunk, where raspberries didn't even exist in real life. I mean, Bugles are clearly better in every way; they last for months without going bad, they don't stain your clothes, they don't have to be washed before eaten and they are cheaper. Remind of why we even eat raspberries at all.

I got these big, honking, delicious raspberries at our favorite produce market where prices are amazing. At the typical grocery store they will go on sale for $2.50 for a 6 oz. package, a warehouse store will have them for $9.99 for 6-6 oz. containers. These were 50 cents per 6 oz. container. I am recording these exciting facts for posterity...I wonder what raspberries went for in 1985.

When did nutrition get thrown out the window? I am looking forward to the day when the snacks and refreshments dished out at school, church, meetings, parties, ect. are a little less Bugle-ish (goldfish, Graham crackers, cookies, "fruit snacks, Little Debbie's, wheat thins, Gatorade...) and a lot more like plain old, God-made raspberries.

Looks Older Than 6

2009-09-06T19:27:00.004-07:00

It seems like Layne has been 6 for awhile, but technically he just turned yesterday. He is so dang tall! He had a fun day.

Since he was born at 9:19, we used it as an excuse to not start 'the birthday until after breakfast. This saved us from getting up extra early and having candy for breakfast. We had planned on going to the pool, but the weather was too rainy.

Layne started out by opening presents, his favorite being the one Brik chose...a truck with a trailer and jet ski ($10 no batteries!) Next, we took him to Toys R Us so he could spend his birthday coupon and money. He bought some cars and a gum ball. We stopped by Cold Stone where he chose banana pudding and sweet cream ice cream with a pound cake mix-in.

On our way home from the toy store we were stopped at a light and a bird flew into our window. A few seconds later the electric window went down, after trying to put it back up we realized there was no bird and the window just gave out. Lucky for Layne because while his brothers took naps and I made birthday cake, Layne and Dad got to go to the car dealership. Sulking about the $300 bill, Jarom let Layne climb in and out, push all the buttons, check out the trunk, under the hood and the driver seat of the shiniest cars (Shiny cars are Layne's favorite.)

We ate cake before dinner and let the kids run around in the fountain after eating at Liberty Market. He loved his day, it was so simple. Happy Birthday giant six year-old.

How Sweet it is to be Loved By You

2009-08-30T22:55:00.008-07:00

Layne's first baby sign was "food", Briks first sign was "more", Roxwell's is "I love you." This kid is so sweet. He throws out the sign when he sees us in the morning, smiles when we sign it to him and he will sign it right back. So now you know when this munchkin is gazing your way with his arm in your direction and his fingers all funky -- that just means he is sweet on you too.

All by Myself

2009-08-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

This Little Piggy Skipped The Market

2009-08-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hobo Days

2009-08-20T21:35:00.004-07:00

You know how cities have random celebrations; Renaissance Festival, Country Thunder, County Fairs? Britt, Iowa, my parent's hometown is a teeny, tiny town in Northern Iowa that actually celebrates hobo's. This is the point where originality crosses the fence to absurdity, I know. Hobo Days is actually a long time tradition in the area and besides the exceptional friendliness towards hobos, is most like any other small town festival.

We do not make it out to many parades, so it was a novel experience for the kids. Especially MY kids, who are candy-deprived, where the most they have ever had in their possession was from trick or treating less than 20 houses. They ended up with over a gallon of candy, mostly tootsie rolls since the bigger kids grabbed the bigger stuff. This parade was an hour long, and every other float threw a couple fistfuls of candy.

The kids got the wave down pat

Even Roxwell learned real fast.

Collecting their loot

This is what happens when they actually throw candy AT you...stinking hobos.

At the end of the morning when we were heading back to our car (because that is all we could stand of the blasted humidity) I told my mom that I hadn't gotten a picture of a hobo. She looked around where we were and turned to a man with a long beard and asked "Are you a hobo?" I was mortified. Luckily he was and he graciously posed with the kids. So here is "Jump Off John" and all hobo pride. Notice how Brik kept a stroller's distance, that was on purpose.

"I Skieded!"

2009-08-16T20:13:00.006-07:00

We really thought Layne could have fun water skiing. Dad pulled out his kiddie skies, the same Mickey Mouse ones that I learned on at a young age. They are short, wide and tied together with the handle connected to the skies. A rider on the boat holds the other end of the long rope and lets go once the skier falls, lest the kid be drug. Dad worked on pulling Layne off the shore with the jetski while Jarom arranged the skies and I readied the camera. Each day we worked with him we could only talk him into a few tries before he was adamantly done.

On our first day working with Layne, Brik agreed to giving it a try. With low expectations,we were set to grab him within the first few feet of the shore so that he wouldn't get freaked out when he fell. With sheer amazement, we watched ort little three-year-old effortlessly ski a circle the width of the river and with confidence bounce his skies on the water to add to his enjoyment. First try, every try.

A bit timid when it was go-time, but after one sucess he was all smiles.

After that, Brik was an expert on the subject, telling anyone else that skied "You have to jump so it is more funner." He was sure to tell every one "I skieded." By our last day he was waving at us from across the river while casually gliding across the water.

Brik was very encouraging to Layne, always telling him how good he was doing on every try. Eventually Layne was able to go a decent distance before wiping out, on the last try of the third day he actually skied too. Fun memories.

Murky Glory

2009-08-13T15:52:00.005-07:00

It is obvious that we trek our family of five (quite a load and expense) to Iowa (a very unglamorous destination) for the sole purpose to unite the grandparents and grandkids. It is no secret that as parents we are only in attendance for transportation purposes. Even still, I have many memories of my old stomping grounds; Manchester, Lake Delhi, The Country Club, Britt, Hobo Days...It is invigorating to remember childhood.

Lake Delhi was where I first learned to ski and spent many a weekend being pulled behind the boat via various blow-up devices (inner tube, ski rocket, torpedo). Engine Joe is the cliff we jumped off of when I perforated my eardrum in middle school. Freddy's Beach is where we built castles, moats and rivers in the sand, jumped on their super bouncy trampolines or swam out to their floating dock with a slide, rope, trampoline and diving board (I wonder if that is still there).

Dad now has a condo on Lake Delhi with jet ski and pontoon. We got out in the boat most every day. Layne, of coarse was into driving as much as possible. Roxwell was not too fond of the life jacket so we tried to make arrangements so that he would not have to be along for the ride. I gave skiing, knee boarding and tubing a go and was pleased to still be able to hang on with minimal day-after-stiffness. Jarom absolutely loves hanging out on the Lake and participating in the various water sports. Brik, well, we'll get to him next post.

P.S. My husband is hot.

Stress? What Stress?

2009-08-12T15:47:00.002-07:00

As if packing up one city girl, two monkeys and a baby for a 10 day trip isn't hard enough...

Throw in a car accident,

A storm that lays trees across the road, causes a full (Sabbath) day power outage and 3 stir crazy kids pent up in a non-child proofed house,

An allergic reaction,

A teething baby,

Falling down the stairs in the middle of the night while tending to awake kids,

Getting to the airport late after the flight is closed and not even having to pose as a pathetic family with small children because we already were that family,

Loosing every card game known to man

And juggling face time between divorced grandparents.

Yeah, I'd say that is stress.

Hickville

2009-08-09T21:13:00.005-07:00

We are wrapping up our trip to Iowa, yay. No, really it was fun just A LOT of work, stress and sweating. I am looking forward to wrapping myself in a dry towel after showering and getting my hair flat again.

We surprised my Dad by coming in a few days early for his 50th birthday party, a big outdoor celebration for the ultimate redneck. Complete with homemade yard games, raunchy gifts and coolers of party beverages.

In this game you take turns hitting a nail with a hammer, first one to get it all the way in the stump wins.

You all know the Hawkeye bean bag toss.

Ahhh, a normal game--volleyball.

AH-MAZE-ING!

2009-08-06T17:13:00.002-07:00

Gone on vacation, too busy to properly blog.

Here is a sample of our day...can you tell who this is?

Tan Lines and Water Slides

2009-07-28T20:47:00.007-07:00

Ahhh, beating the heat is no easy feat unless you have this wet wonderland at your disposal. We know these super nice people that built this incredible backyard and pretty much beg people to come and use it. We can't thank them enough.

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

2009-07-26T20:39:00.002-07:00

Yes, it just a tooth folks, don't get too excited. I guess I need to work more on my foreshadowing skills. Congrats to Mrs. Fish who has been making secret guesses via email (lame). She wins a family swim pass to the pool we are sitting for.

Guess What

2009-07-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

No really, GUESS.

Here's the Story, of a Nine Month Baby.

2009-07-22T21:49:00.006-07:00

I have had a little tradition with my babies where I take their picture at newborn, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months with the same stuffed animal. I know I should keep going each year but those stuffed animals can be hard to keep track of! I always have to take a gazillion by the time they are 9 and 12 months because they are getting too active to sit nice for a picture (not that Roxwell is mobile yet, but he is active none the less.) What was amazing is that he never touched the bear once.

These pictures are fun to see how he has grown and changed through his first year. Now I share the castoffs, as I think he was trying to tell a story in this photo shoot.

I want that camera, I want that phone, I want the keys, I want to dump that bowl of cereal, or that glass of water, or that box of blocks...

My brothers think I'm naughty, but I don't get in trouble when I spit, just they do.

Check this out-no teeth! Pretty amazing right?

Don't worry, I'm working on it. These things take time (and drool).

Still spitting... because I can.

I love pat-a-cake, but you already knew that.

Be sure to check out my hair, it is funny.

My brothers are way more interesting than you.

We Ain't Barbie Folk

2009-07-20T21:50:00.007-07:00

As a girl, every Christmas I could count on getting at least 1 Barbie. I never tired of them, doing their hair, putting together fashionable outfits and accessories, making them dance, or talk, or fight, or make out...(Oh, I know your Barbies made out).

Well, we are all boy around here and boys aren't so into Barbie. However, they are into these little chunks of metal they call cars. So, without hair, or clothes, or making out, what fun is a car?

Here we have the run-of-the-mill pass by.

Next, road rage.

We might happen upon the occasional pig in the mud.

It may seem leisurely until this guy shrieks “Help! I am falling. Stop. This is scary. Oh, no.” from the roof of a race car.

If a brotherly giant is causing a roadblock, we might have to build another road.

Then, the perfect spot for nap time.

This Just in from The Baker's Man

2009-07-11T15:16:00.005-07:00

We interrupted our regular scheduled programing (which was unpacking from Pine) to bring you this latest development.

The Grand Finally

2009-07-08T20:18:00.006-07:00

You know the fireworks show is too long when the kids are asking "when is it going to be over?" 40 minutes--seriously. That is too long! They all start looking the same and the oohing and ahhing are long gone after 20. What were they thinking? The evening weather was nice and we got a good parking spot at least.

This was our third year spending the Fourth up in Pine at Jarom's mom's cabin. It is just too stinking hot down here to enjoy anything outdoors. Layne is still on his terrible behavior streak, so it wasn't as fun as years past. I think we will give it one more try before we nix the tradition.

"I Hope You Fall to China."

2009-07-01T15:14:00.007-07:00

This is Layne lingo for the typical kids' "I hate you" (which would get him a dash of Tabasco). I think it has a nice ring, definitely more pleasant than the alternative. He has been beyond difficult, but I have kept my cool (except for that once, er or twice.) Okay I have not been all that cool, but today I'm doing better, really.

In other news, this kid has turned over a new leaf and is loving the water, even when he isn't clinging to a noodle. No real swimming yet, but he has all the motions and just needs some time to put them together.
And this little poser just learned pat-a-cake, which means it's time to break out the baby signs!

Slobberize

2009-06-28T16:02:00.003-07:00

If you ever are looking for natural moisturizure, we have loads. Roxwell loves to share his slobber and Brik can attest "it is like lotion."

Mermicorn Pride

2009-06-24T14:18:00.011-07:00

The 2009 Bagley Family Reunion was a hit. We all spent three days up in Pine at Jarom's parent's cabin. The accommodations were as good as it gets with 8 families in the same space. The weather was so perfect. The best thing about this reunion was having it catered. Preparing food for 50 people is time consuming and stressful which often delivers pretty awful meals. We were so lucky to have a friend of the family who was willing to do all the work and put together some delicious stuff. My favorites were the homemade bread sticks with caramelized onion and feta , strawberry cheesecake pancakes, breakfast burritos (especially loved the salsa, I got the recipe), and homemade caramelized onion mayonnaise. And we will never forget the experience while sporting these reunion t-shirts.

HIGHLIGHTS

Jarom

Nightly Laser Tag
Reminiscing
Playing Badminton

Kara
Playing Ticket to Ride
First time ever avoiding 24 hours of car sickness after the drive up (thanks essential oils)
Sister Spa Night (facials, massage, pedicures)

Layne
Shooting BB guns
Shrinky dinks
Picnic in the park

Brik

Jumping on the trampoline
Playing in the waterfall
Squirt guns

Roxwell
Lots of attention
Looking at Baby Charlie
That's about it before he got sick the second night.

Activities that were probably highlights for other people
Montezuma's Castle; sight seeing is not our thing
Jewelry making; I love to make jewelery when I have one on one assistance, too amateur to make along side my exceedingly creative sister in laws.
Monday Night Devotional; Bagleys can be a little long-winded and there are a lot of them, so it was a L-O-N-G one.

My Sister is Cuter than Your Sister

2009-06-21T19:59:00.001-07:00

Katie and Mom came down for a college visit at the beginning of the month. Katie is looking at attending ASU's School of Journalism in Phoenix. She is applying for some scholarships and we are crossing our fingers because we all know moving to Arizona after high school is a good way to go.

We had a delightful time being spoiled throughout their visit. Mom bought us a 15 foot backyard pool, which gets tons of use by the boys and their neighbor friends. The pool didn't heat up quickly enough for Mom and Katie, so they took the kids to Monte Vista for an afternoon of swimming. We went out to eat at my favorite Red White and Brew one night where I ordered their Halibut Cheeks Specialty. Seriously is like lobster but better. Katie kept Brik busy with LOTS of Wiki Sticks. Us girls got out and enjoyed pedicures at nap time, then for kicks we took the kids to The Rainforest Cafe where Nana bought Layne a fun juice drink in a light up souvenir cup. After dinner we all got to see Up 3D, which we loved. We always end a visit from Nana with an uncooperative photo shoot of her with the kids, it is great fun.

Just In Time For Father's Day

2009-06-20T21:33:00.002-07:00