me at thirty-something

me at thirty-something is filled with a variety of aging indicators: unexplained injuries (usually back and neck pain); being called 'lady' at the grociery store; experiencing a second generation of 80's wear (once known as 'pegged'- today known as 'skinny'); changing taste buds (craving chix salad sandwiches and loving lemon bars); dabbling in retinol; and (my most recent thirty-something indicator) another attempt at earrings!

a break from george

stover boy has a problem with baby talk. for no apparent reason with no apparent threat or trigger, he'll begin responding with grunts and 'eeh's rather than answers. it's been a problem for quite some time and stover mom and dad have attacked it with a variety of creative punishments and incentives with no result. out of answers, the standard response has been something like: 'i can't understand baby talk- use your words' (on a good day) or 'stop talking like a baby- you're 3 1/2' (on a bad day). yesterday morning (a good day), i actually got a reply from stover boy: 'i'm not talking like a baby- i'm talking like george.' it finally made sense... my curious george watcher imitating his monkey friend. AND i finally have a solution- my new standard and effective reply will be 'you can't watch curious george if you're going to talk like that.'

(mr monkey dressed up like a 'stranger')

stinky book motivations

stover girl and mom have been spending nights cuddling up to this literary classic. growing up in little house country, mom read and re-read every book in the series. she also spent many after-school minutes watching the tv show. and she visited the 'prairie' sites a few times as well. but mom retrieved this book mostly because she wanted to enjoy some much-needed nurturing time with her schoolgirl. up until tonight, stover mom was sure that her 21st century child merely pretended to enjoy the old, 'stinky' book to either please or simply as a means to stay up later. however, tonight when mom decided to forego reading and opted to chat instead, stover girl was missing the book*. she insisted that mom resume the story as normal the next evening!

*of note: there is still the option that she missed the book merely because she remembered my mention of a tv show and is dreaming of a tv series at the end of all this reading.

love this pic

or as stover boy would say 'lub' this pic

fir the stovers

introducing the very first stover tree:

(bedazzled with ornaments past, including: meticulous cross stitch ornaments handmade by grandma, a few gems from mom and dad's school years, a collection of yearly ornaments from omi, unique felt ornaments from grandma jack, a variety of porter's purchases, and recent additions from mom's ornament exchanges)

stover baby stats

-pulls herself up to the tv buttons

-demoted to the jumper after knocking herself over in the bumbo

-getting her second tooth
-20 pounds of pure chunkiness

-has incredible hand-eye coordination
-adores a morning wakeup from her siblings

bless you fellow photogs

in light of recent events that would remain unpictered if not for fellow photogs, i give you a post dedicated to the latest moments captured through the lens of another:

thanksgiving in st. george (lovingly provided by aunt 'jord')

ward christmas party (courtesy de 'mom of 9')

and a big salute to 'mama megs' whose photos comprise 25% of my picture library and who was unfortunately awol for the 2011 ornament exchange... leaving it a pictureless memory! (boy your hard core photog skills were missed!)

finally, a shot out to myself who actually remembered my camera for a fun gingerbread house party!

nephi the superhero

singing 'nephi's courage' is stover boy's new hobby- at night with every bedtime and during many daytime hours as well. i'd love to share his vigor and vim with you but blogger has taken away the option to post a video. so instead, you'll have to just imagine this cute 3 year old singing about his new favorite superhero.

ps. his thankful headpiece is courtesy of preschool and it showcases his other recent obsessions--- boats and 'fourwheels' (aka the quad he's been hoping santa or some magical birthday messenger will bring for the past 2 years!)

random musings from a hustle bustle mind 2011

you may remember the post with an identical title from last year...motivated by the same busyness, i give you the 2011 installment:

stover girl is breezing through kindergarten but the rest of us are still adjusting to her absence. i.e. with a new pseudo-maturity in tact, how will she get enough nurture? how can the after-school routine be structured to avoid her fatigued grumpiness? how will stover boy occupy his time when mom is busy, stover girl's gone, and it's not computer or tv time? when will the routine of school pickup/ dropoff feel normal rather than like living in the car?

stover dad has new bragging rights after hiking the grand canyon rim to rim in 10 hours.

stover baby is thrilled to be acquiring mobility- scooting, crawling, and pulling herself up on EVERYTHING. (as i'm writing this post, she is pulling on the computer cord anticipating it'll pull her up like a waterski rope.) she is wildly content when within arms reach of mom but left alone to move and explore.

the inner yogini in mom will eventually enable her to do a headstand!

last night, i giggled when the neighbor and i literally passed children over the backyard fence for a playdate at dusk!

priceless

cost of one broken doll stroller= $8.50
the joy of 3 children laughing together= priceless

a word from the wise

'holy cow mom. i look so old in these clothes... like seven!'

a sweatshirt tribute

today, the thermostat looked like this:

so i looked like this:

this sweatshirt has been with me to greet cooler weather for the past 14 years. it has helped me survive 3 pregnancies and post-baby bodies (it's 1997 style fit is quite forgiving); it has accompanied 14 seasons of holiday baking (without a stain i might add); its functionality for bra-less door answering is unmatched (info you didn't want to know but crucial); it has served as thermal layering for a variety of blizzard-like conditions (think breckenridge and the canyons) not to mention its operation as a winter coat (desert dwellers needing cold-weather clothing).

i'll admit even to its nay-sayers (aka stover dad) that it is tattered and ill-fitting. but i have yet to find a suitable replacement. so until then... cheers to year 15!

this old house

this old house has seen 5 years of use- much more than originally intended. the cheap carpet of this old house was never meant to be as dirt-stained as it is. the oversized wall hanging that looked great in our 2006 living room doesn't look so great now. this old house has an unbearably loud dishwasher we planned to live with for a short amount of time. this old house was never supposed to need a major home repair (stinky bathtub drain- don't ask!) on our watch. the porch on this old house was never meant to hold 5 kiddie pools over 5 summers. this old house's garage was never meant to store as much as it does now. and this old house was never intended to board a kindergartner.

nonetheless, this old house has been good to us. we've grown from a family of 3 to a family of 5 in this old house. we've maintained job stability and even promotions while here. we've moved from 2 standard sized cars to a motorcycle and then on to a van in this old garage. we've been blessed to have many lifelong friends enter in its doors. and we have learned to more valiantly serve the Lord here. yes, this old house has been and continues to be a blessing!

halloween duds

this cupcake costume melted mom enough to break her preference for traditional costumes only.

since stover girl was very indecisive about her costume, mom opportunistically convinced her to be a fairy (aka. the cheapest costume available). she was sold easily when learning that sparkling eye makeup and a pink mani/pedi were part of her costume.

stover boy was immediately convinced he wanted the incredibles costume but as luck would have it- his size wasn't available. then upset and refusing to find another option, mom dictated the cowboy costume we already owned. he loved saying 'howdy partner' so much that he didn't even notice a friend wearing the exact costume he coveted.

and stover dad couldn't pass up a good joke for halloween.

little miss scrunchy face

little miss scrunchy face smiles more with her nose than with her mouth:

a great plus grandparents

another great visit from grandparents!

this was great:

this was great:

again, great:

another great:

an additional great:

one more great:

but this great plus grandparents was THE BEST:

mawage & tru wuv

this morning i told stover girl about her upcoming playdate with her friends that she doesn't see much anymore (darn school). she quickly announced that she is going to marry henderson. she then commented, 'i can't marry amelia. if two girls marry it will be too expensive.' i geussed at what she meant- afterall, she is the daughter of an accountant but decided to get clarification by saying 'what do you mean?' her response was: 'two girls together is too much money and we will be poor so i will marry a boy.'

two thumbs up

stover boy has been sucking his thumb A LOT since the arrival of stover baby. i didn't notice it right away but it has escalated from being an occasional coping mechanism to now being a recreational favorite. in his free time (which is abundant for the older sibling of an infant and the younger sibling of a new kindergartner), he'll grab a pillow from his bed, find a nook to lie down, systematically wrap his right finger around his blankie, and suck his left thumb for long periods of time. once seen as a cute quirk, it has become excessive and is causing problems. instead of talking or answering questions, he sucks his thumb. instead of creative play, he sucks his thumb. instead of running around like a little boy should, he sucks his thumb.
on a whim, i tried the old bandaid solution. i wrapped his left thumb and he confided- 'you better get the udder one too cause i'll suck it.' so stover boy is double bandaged daily except during quiet time and at night. he is motivated by 2 shiny quarters at the end of a successful day. it is day 3 and i'm so proud of him- he's learning other ways to soothe (he asks for a hug, he reads books in his room) and i must say he is so much more enjoyable to be around (he talks more, he's more helpful and involved, and he deals with problems rather than retreating)!

a big girl scenario

just as i'd dreaded, i saw IT... my kindergartner in despair in the lunchroom. i raced in 2 minutes late for our lunchdate to see her sitting with a red face buried in her hands. when she looked up at me with a tear-stained face and relief in her eyes, my heart sank. i wished i could've blamed difficult-to-open fruit snacks for her torture but that pathetic look was my fault. i should've been there early. i should've known that her 5 year old brain would overload with this very big girl scenario- what she thought was a mom who forgot the date she'd been begging for and no lunch arriving for her hungry tummy. i hugged and kissed her 20 times- her whirlwind of emotions allowed it despite being in the company of peers! that scene lingered in my thoughts all day (i hugged her over and over) and night (as i recounted it with tears to stover dad). yes, i felt guilty but it was more upsetting to know that stover girl has a whole lot of big girl scenarios ahead of her.

warning: shocking pic

i opened up stover girl's school pictures anticipating i'd have to hold back a tiny giggle (considering the volume of super cheesy smiles i have on my personal camera). instead, i was speechless... who is this mature looking beauty capable of giving a genuine, picture perfect smile?

dear stover boy:

a few things i want to remember about who you are right now:

- you want to be just like your sister and it drives her nuts. if she wants milk but changes her mind to oj, you do exactly the same.
- we're actively working on listening the first time!
- you always hold the doors for mom
- you are almost daily badgering mother by 7:30 AM to watch a show. your current request is busytown mysteries.
- you share well with friends but are caught taking toys from the baby often
- mom can't help wondering if you have a hearing problem with your constant 'what?' use
- you are trying hard to decrease thumbsucking as mom has requested
- you earn quarters (which is almost always spent buying gum) by folding the towels load
- you still need a nap but you're up reading books for hours if you do
- per your own initiative, you are diaperless at night
- resist mom styling your hair
- a new digital clock helps you wake up at 6 AM daily and not before then
- have this hilarious voice dad describes as what a girl imitating a deep boy voice would sound like
- you are enough like your father (in looks and personality) that i accidentally call you by his name
- you melt my heart with your 'cute' compliments

a few of her favorite things

the bin of crayons (that is always out due to stover girl's self-imposed 'homework'):

the blankie/ pac combo:

being held (often):

and drinking from a regular cup:

CA dreamin'

just back from a silly, carefree getaway with some very dear friends.

the mature newborn

there's something about moving past 3-6 mos. size clothing that is always a tear-jerker to me. with every child, the physical act of putting away this clothing size is a symbolic rest to the baby phase i'm most emotionally attached to. i love that they are still so small, portable, and content/ still (newborn) but have the maturity of a budding personality and predictable sleep cycles. weighing in at 16 pounds and 11 ounces at her well-check, i was prematurely reminded that i only have 1 month left of this precious window in time. thanks for the heads-up (and tears) stover babe!