Rex's hair has always been out-of-control; even his first hair cut at three weeks old couldn't tame the craziness. This morning, Adam and I had taken all we could bear and decided to get a jump on his Halloween ensemble by giving little Rexy a killer mohawk. He held very still and looks uber cool.
Rex loves to reach up and feel his spikes, and he gets a kick out of seeing his reflection in the mirror. We can't wait to see Coop's mohawk!
Look how brave she is!
While hiking, Amber was Dora and assigned the roles of Boots and Swiper to Grandpa and Adam, respectively. She had a grand time leading them all over the place on an exploration.
Amber found a perfect stage and made Adam and Grandpa be the "yellers" in the audience while she performed. I love the attitude!
Isn't she a cutie?! I can't believe how quickly she's growing up.
As most moms of small children know, cell phones have a short and miserable life in our clutches. I first realized this universal law when Amber was two years old and my prized phone fell out of my pocket and into the tub while bathing the girls. Since I'm too cheap to buy a phone that costs more than $25, I quickly rescued my SIM card and plugged it into a twenty-dollar GoPhone from Walmart.
Adam was kind enough to give me his used Razr when he was eligible for a new, free phone, and that one met its fate one night when it fell into the toilet (yet another bathing-of-the-children incident). You can bet I wasn't going to use that phone again, and luckily I was eligible (finally) for a free phone. I was thrilled to get the updated version of the first phone I had baptized; it's a great model by Sony-Ericsson and it's so green and cute!
Last Thursday as we prepared for cheer class, I repeatedly asked Amber to refrain from filling the bathroom sinks with water. As I picked up the laundry from the bathroom floor, my phone flew out of the pocket of my sweatshirt and right into the full sink. It sank before I could grab it and the malfunctions began immediately.
I quickly removed the battery and SIM card and put the phone in a bowl full of dry rice. 24 hours later, I could receive calls on it, but couldn't use the "back" button. After a few days, it was as good as new and I was so relieved.
Can you imagine my horror when last night, as I washed my hands, my phone jumped out of my sweatshirt pocket and right into the sink again?! What is it with me and phones in bathrooms? I never actually use my phone in the bathroom, so why am I cursed to have it leap from its protected surroundings and into any body of open water?
Panic mode struck as I hurried to disassemble the phone. I remembered that my sister-in-law told me how her sister's Blackberry took a dive in the pool and was resuscitated by a stint in a warm oven. I was so skeptical, but honestly, what did I have to lose at that point? I heated the oven to 200 degrees, made a nice and comfy bed from a cake pan lined with paper towels, and tucked the poor, water-logged body of my favorite phone into its place. I turned off the oven, threw it in, and hoped for the best.
Success! My phone works like a charm, all the buttons have their original functions, and all that's left of the water is a few droplets under the screen. Thank the heavens!
While at Kangaroo Zoo, Rex experienced the not-so-fun phenomenon of sharing playspace with much older, rowdier boys. He left the infants' jumping area in a heartbroken huff, and on his way out was greeted by an adorable girl of about two and a half. I thought she was going to Rex to offer him some consolation, but instead she put a hand on each of his shoulders and shoved him to the ground. Rex couldn't believe anyone would do such a thing, and he sat on the ground and sobbed. A few seconds later, though, he stood up, put his nose an inch from the girl's, clenched both fists, and screamed as loud as he could. His hands shook and his eyes blazed with rage. I was so proud of him for 1) standing up for himself and 2) letting that little girl have a piece of his mind without inflicting physical pain. It was just awful for me to have to get up and tell Rex and the little girl to be nice, because inside I was thinking, "That's what you get, you little brat!" Aren't I terrible? Bottom line: don't mess with Rex...or his mama.
Today we were busy, but it was good business that kept us hopping. We woke up early and got ready for Karli's cheer class. The girls all did a wonderful job and things went fairly well even though I lost my magnificent assistant and desperately feared teaching the class by myself. They're learning a routine for competition season and they are adorable! Karli balanced in her headstand all by herself and only threw one major fit...isn't it sad that one fit at class is an accomplishment?
Next, we came home to eat a yummy lunch of sandwiches and tomato soup in sippy cups. That's right, even I had my soup in a hot pink sippy cup to promote cleanliness at the table among my children. I felt so weird, but Karli got a big kick out of it. Plus, anything to save a mess is worth a little shame on my part!
Then Karli and I headed to my 28-week checkup. I only gained two pounds over the past month (YAY!) and got to set my induction date for December 17th (even bigger YAY!). Nurse Hailey and Nurse Deana were super nice to Karli (as usual...they are the best!); she got two Ariel stickers, paper and a pen, a special assignment from Deana to hug me every day, and she even got to press the button on the Doppler to measure baby's heartbeat. I scheduled all of my appointments up to my delivery date, and they are all printed out on a long strip of paper like a grocery receipt. This means I now have my own count-down chain just like those that elementary school kids make. Only 11 weeks left!
Upon our return, we got a call from Leslie with news that we were invited to Kinzie's birthday dinner, so we packed up and left for Winger's. Rex and Karli wolfed down their "baby hot dogs" and fries, and I got to enjoy a whole plateful of sticky fingers. Leslie wrangled Rex during dinner and my meal was fairly peaceful. It was grand.
After dinner we all ended up at Kangaroo Zoo. To my delight, Karli was 100% more brave than she was at our last visit; she went on all the slides and even climbed the tallest tower all by herself. Rex had a blast, too, and when it was time to go home, I had to pry both of them out of the building. As I buckled Karli in her seat, she happily exclaimed, "Mom...this was the FUNNEST day!" I have to agree...it was pretty great.
Adam took Amber to Saint George with him for business meetings this week, so Karli, Rex, and I are hanging out and having fun. Last night, we went for a walk to wear off some of the pent-up energy that seems to be constantly brimming from Rex's little body. Karli rode her Dora tricycle all the way to my parents' house and back (okay, okay...it's not far!), and she was so proud to go faster than Rex and me. Then, Angela, Marianne, and Kinzie came over for a "Hannah Montana: The Movie" and, according to Karli, "apple caramel" party. We used pre-made caramel and dipped some yummy Fuji apples; it was both simple and delicious. The best part about the whole evening: the morning after. Both kids are still asleep and it's well past their usual 7:00 a.m. wake-up time. I love it! Hopefully I'll be able to get a few projects finished before I have to go back to caring for three kids, one of whom is an early riser and likes to spread the joy of awaking before 7:00 a.m.
