Pancake Breakfast Observed

Shannon's observation: 
3 boys x 3 very different tastes in food = interesting choices in during a simple pancake breakfast

The breakfast offered:
- Honey wheat pancakes
- Slices of bacon
- Syrup
- Fresh homemade whipped cream

Isaac, age 5 years, eats: 
- 3 pancakes with fork, cut-up.
- Uses a syrup dipping spot on the side, and a large helping of whipped cream (also on the side).
- No bacon.

Eli, age 2.5 years, eats:
- 2 pancakes with hands, and not cut up but left whole.
- 2 slices of bacon.
- No syrup on the pancakes, and does not dip whole pancake in either syrup or whipped cream.

Titus, age 16 months, eats:
- 1 pancake with fork, cut-up.
- 1 slice of bacon.
- Pancake lightly drizzled with syrup, but also uses the syrup dipping spot. Whipped cream untouched.

Ordinary Days

Our days are ordinary, but when strung together seem a little extraordinary. Here is a glimpse of what our lives are like, moments at a time:

• Wednesday nights from 7 to 8pm are dedicated to Mythbusters.  This show is a favorite in this household, and is throughly enjoyed by all the males. Bowls of popcorn add to the splendor of watching Adam and Jamie blow things up! 

• Me and Matt often get an after dinner show, with lots of tumbles and tricks. One might be surprised at these little ones' grace and agility! 

• Most mornings squirrels come and stare at us through the patio door. Titus really enjoys their company. Sometimes the squirrels climb up the screen door. It's quite a sight, and brings lots of joy and happiness in our home! But I think Titus connects with the squirrels more because he is part squirrel. Always moving, jumping, and getting into little things. 

• Eli likes to "help" make lunch. This is done by eating all the grated cheese for quesadillas. Love our chunky monkey! 

• Eli and Titus sometimes struggle to take naps. Eli more than Titus... I think Eli is starting to grow out of naps. Drat! Often Eli pulls a toy in his bed to help him pass the time, and sometimes he shares the wealth with Titus. (Mattress on the floor because we are working on the bunk-beds.)

• Isaac continues to be a good big brother, but he deals with worry and anxiety over his brothers' actions. I may just have to use the line which my mother used on me all the time: "Shannon (or now Isaac), chill out or you're going to have a heart attack by the time you're 16!"   Oh, and we are still Boise State University fans. Go BSU! 

• The boys love to be spoiled by both sets of grandparents. Lots of love, lots of toys, and lots of... costumes? Yup! This package of Transformers' BumbleBee and Spirdermen came this week from Grammie and Gramps in Alabama. For the last few days our home has been filled with super-powered youngsters.... And me, as the Evil Mommy Megatron! Our battles have been epic--all over the house, and all over the complex. 

• Titus is a wonderful little eater. His favorites are peas, beans, and now edamame! He often sits in his chair, eating away, while I clean the kitchen. Now if he could just teach his brothers the secret of loving small green things. Maybe that should be his super-power, so forget "spidey sense," it's "eating sense!"  

PS, from the "High-Desert Air" post, my leg hair was actually really long. Mmm, just a three week growth right there. 

And from the "Shan When 'BAM!'" post, my head has healed! It is a bit itchy, but I can wash my hair and brush my hair without pain. Hooray!

High-Desert Air

Dear Rexburg, Idaho,

I visited you this weekend, by myself, and had a very enjoyable time. Both my sisters (my only siblings) are living in your boundaries--one is a freshman at BYU-Idaho, and the other is in her last year at the Paul Mitchell Hair Academy. I spent lots and lots of time with them; laughing, shopping, eating, and signing at the top of our lungs.

But I also checked you out. You know Rexburg, Idaho, I haven't always been a fan of you. One, you are very high at 4,800 feet above sea level, and two, you are very different than what I grew up with. But in the 5 years that I called you home I learned to appreciate you.

And after this visit I wonder if I even love you. As I ran your streets I realized that you are beautiful, and that I have missed you. The peaks of the Tetons peep over the ridge to the east, the sand-dunes roll gracefully in the north, other snow-capped mountains line the western skyline, and the south's fields of wheat go on for miles.

So even though you snow in every month of the year, and your unforgiving wind never lets up, you are majestic. And I'm very glad that I had the privilege of getting to know you, your low density people population, and your dollar bag of 10 lbs potatoes.

Always,
Shannon D


PS, Your wind is ridiculous.  I could distinguish wind patterns through my leg hair as I ran! So either my leg hair is too long, or your wind is too crazy. Which do you think is most likely?!

Shan Went "BAM!"

I, Shan, had a big 'ol "BAM!," right on top of my head.

Me and the three boys are at a park with some friends and their kids. Isaac doesn't want to share his Transformers, I try to talk to him, he runs away. I don't want to make a big screaming scene, so I decide I should run after him playfully, grab him, and then talk to him in private. I don't get too far into this plan of action before it all falls apart.

Isaac goes down the slide, I follow. Isaac runs under the slide platform, I follow.  I duck, and think to my self "DO NOT COME UP TOO SOON!" But guess what? I totally do. And I totally knock myself to the ground.

I see black, I see stars, and I realize that I'm on all fours looking at wood chips. I comprehend that I am very embarrassed, and I'm very much in a lot of pain. I discern that a random Asian woman screamed in shock when I hit the steal beam, and that my two friends are asking me if I'm okay.

I get up, no longer in the "play mood" with Isaac, not so gently grab him by the arm (sorry dude!), and take him to the van to sit and chill out about the Transformers.

I walk back to my friends, still thinking that we can recover and make this a good playtime at the park. I'm asked if I'm okay, and say, "Yeah, but I feel like I've been scalped." I take off my hat, and the random Asian woman screams again, and my friends say, "Oh there is blood."

I try not to freak out, and friend Helen calmly starts to look at my head and through my hair. She finds the wound and says that there is a gash about an inch or 2 long. For me and my boys play time at the park is officially over.

My two friends (Helen and Jamie) help me gather our stuff, the two little boys (Eli and Titus), and help me to the car. I try to not cry in front of them, thank them for their help, and tell them that I'll let them know when I get home... That part is all a little bit of a blur, actually. Thankfully they were their to help! And poor random Asian woman. I think I scared her to death!

On the 4ish mile drive home I cry. Hard. I'm scared, I'm hurt, and Matt is not answering his phone. I know he is home but can't hear his phone, because 1) he is sanding the bunk-beds down, 2) he has his earphones in and listening to some rock music, and 3) he has a 10% hearing loss from Iraq. But I make it home, Matt takes on look at me and starts his military training. We rinse off the wound in the tub, and apply lots and lots of pressure.

That evening Matt about takes me to the ER on 4 or 5 different occasions to get staples or stitches. I said that I rather not, and lets just see how it goes. I was able to see a doctor that night, because my mother-in-law asked a doctor friend if he'd mind taking a look. I met him down at the Church building (I think he works with the Young Men of the Youth Group), and he told me the following:

• I could go either way with stitches. It'd only take 2 or 3 at the most. 
• If I don't get stitches the gash will leave a scar and no hair will grow there.
• If the scar bothers me, then later I can have the scar stitched up.
• I can't wash my head for 3 days, it help let the wound set and heal. 

Despite all of this, we actually had a lovely evening. Time spent together around the dinner table, eating penne noodles with red sauce and ground turkey...

And of course checking out Mommy's sweet, bloody owie!

As of right now I haven't gotten staples or stitches, my head still hurts, and my hair is a complete mess! 3 days without a washing is. not. good. Thanks to my dad, and his genes, I have a very greasy head. VERY! And the only hat I own is covered in blood, which is in the wash right now. So on top of this I don't want to workout, or run, so that my hair won't become even greaser. To sum up: I feel yucky, lazy, flabby, and head-achy.

And Isaac said that he'll now share his Transformers. Thanks dude. 

Our 3 Babies' Faces

Titus (age 15 months) had one yummy cookie, and as he enjoyed this cookie I decided to take some pictures of him. He smiled and smiled, while I was trying my hardest to get the right exposure. At last it came to me, "Make the aperture (or F stop) lower, dummy!" 
I got the exposure right, and voila, Titus stopped smiling. 

   

I looked over these pictures and it got me pondering about the other two boys when they were around this age. I realized that there were a lot of similarities between all of them. From the posed happy face, to the sad face, and the shades of emotion in between. 

I've put together a few pictures that I hope show case these emotions, and are a good comparison of Titus' photos above. 

Here we go! 

Isaac's posed smiling face at age 9 months (first two smiling photos) and age 17 months (last smiling photo). Then Isaac's serious face, age 14 months (the two photos in the green hoodie.)

And here's Eli! At age 15 months, eating a cookie. He's trying to decided if he wants to pose for the camera or not. The first two are him contemplating the camera, the third is his posed smiling face (with his eyes shut, haha!), and the last two are him being very sad and upset... WAIT! I found some from his 1st birthday were he is officially pose smiling. So the last three in the bunch are him at 12 months old.

 

Oh boys, you guys have grown so much! So please stop, okay? I don't think my heart can handle all this change.