Gone Tomorrow ...

I did it. I didn't think I'd be able to, but I finally got Evan's hair cut. Casey and I decided on "The Beckham" (a cute little faux-hawk) as the haircut of choice. Evan was pretty good this time, considering it took a lot longer than usual and she used the clippers on him. He usually cries the entire time (even without clippers!), but this time I really prepped him on how much fun it was going to be and how it doesn't hurt and such. He was good to go until I got him dressed about 20 minutes before we had to leave. Then he said, "Shelby can't cut your hair." We tried our best to keep him thinking and talking about all sorts of other stuff during the haircut. But Evan drew the line with the clippers. He protested and cried and got only very slightly violent (poor Shelby has gotten severely kicked and hit and screamed at in the past), but she pressed on and in the end Evan was none the worse for wear. I think it turned out so cute. Here is Shelby, working her magic:





And the end result ...



Thanks, Shelby. Another job well-done.

Note: I just want to be clear that I did NOT cut his hair because of pressure from all those who think boys should only have short, clean-cut little missionary haircuts (you know who you are). I love his hair long (and I realize now it makes his body-to-head proportion a lot less noticeable). I just wanted him to be able to play hard outside in the miserable Utah heat this summer without getting a bright red face and sweating head (well, no more than any normal 3-year-old, anyway). So until the next snowflake falls (um, just ignore today's weather), the faux-hawk will stay. After that, maybe it will be the Brad Pitt or the Johnny Depp or maybe just the king of the world. We'll see ...

Hair Today ...

By the way, that weird, brown, ugly mole-looking spot under his left eye is also courtesy of T-Em ... but not on purpose. That's what happens when someone waist-high walks toward a hula-hooping adult.

New 'Do

Courtesy of T-Em, aunt and hair-styler extraordinaire.

Addendum: I forgot to list a few things about Owen in his 10-month pictures. I just need to put these down "on paper" before I forget about them. Owen is obsessed with doors. He loves opening and closing them ... until he closes himself in a room. He loves throwing balls and chasing them around and throwing them again and ... etc. This is especially fun on the hard wood floor where the balls go every which way. Lastly, he hollers loudly in short bursts to get someone's attention when he's dropped his binky out of his crib. (Think of an impatient child yelling, "Mom!" ... "Mom!" ... "MOM!" ... That's what it's like, only he doesn't actually say the word.)

Studio Update

If anyone wants to see the latest progress on the art studio, check out Casey's blog.

Go Fly a Kite!

I could say that to Evan now and he would be totally thrilled and glad to do it. We finally broke out the Spiderman kite on Tuesday. It was cloudy and gloomy and windy, but the perfect temperature for a little kite-flying. Evan was so excited he was just laughing hysterically. It was great. He actually got pretty good at flying it, too. Cost of Spiderman kite: $1 (plus tax). Cost of cheap thrills that keep a 3-year-old entertained for a good half hour: absolutely priceless!

Rest In Peace, Sharkbait (HOO HA HA!)

No, he isn't going to sleep with all the fishies up in that big ocean in the sky. He's just resting ... I think. I'm not really sure what he's doing, but we often find him belly-up like this and think he's headed for the porcelain tomb. Then he just flips over and starts swimming again. It's weird and creepy.

Notice the low water level in the above photo. Harriette drinks poor Sharkbait's water. This is her right after we got him, caught with her paw in the cookie jar (literally!). Maybe that's why he plays dead ... "if I don't move, she'll never notice I'm here and she'll go away." Poor fish. He's just scared ... to death.

Baby Owen ~10 Months Old~

Baby Owen turned 10 months old last Saturday. He is still such a baby to me. I need to find pictures of Evan to compare him to one of these days because Evan had a full head of hair by now and looked like a toddler. Owen loves "table food" and eats a lot of it, giving his 3 (so close to being 4) front teeth a lot to do. He even loves fishy crackers and gets very mad when you try to take them away from him at church. He eats anything and everything he finds on the floor. He crawls at lightening speed and loves to go where he's not supposed to and play with things he shouldn't (remote controls, phones, pens, etc.). He's a sweet, happy kid and likes to cuddle a little more than he used to. He loves to play with his big brother and still shakes any toy he picks up to see if it makes noise or waves around or does anything else cool. He loves toys that play music and dances (bounces up and down) when he hears them. He loves to be outside, hates getting his diaper and clothes changed (I'm so glad onesie weather is almost here!). Here's the cute kid in his Anaheim Angels outfit (for Pata Jones).

Random Pictures

I'm not really sure what to say about this first picture. Except that I am definitely for sure going to have Shelby cut Evan's hair short next week ... maybe ... I think.

I just love Putty. He's a big, fat, dumb, sweet teddy bear of a cat. Look how cute he is cuddling his favorite mouse. Awwww ...

I'm not much of a nature photographer, but look at these gorgeous tulips. And they exist in my yard!

Can you believe how perfect this one is? The perfect square of petals with the 3 petals on the outside, all pristine white ... amazing. I love my tulips.

People Are Mean

This is what happened to my sister's car a couple weeks ago. Nothing stolen, no rhyme or reason to it. Just some idiot thinking it would be great fun to bash in a windshield.
But no worries ... Big Al's Auto Glass to the rescue! I highly recommend their services for all your auto glass needs. Let me know if you need their number.

P.S. I did not try to swear in the post below. It says "darn," not "dam," which would be incorrect anyway. Just had to clarify.

Mother's Day

Thanks to our great friends, the McRaes, for a great Mother's Day. They invited us over to join their family for dinner. It was so yummy and so much fun. I brought the camera, but didn't take too many pictures. (I'm getting better, though--at least I brought the darn thing!) Here are a few I did take:

Evan loves the trampoline.

Sophie and Evan.

Evan and Sophie. (I love trampoline pictures!)

Even Owen loved the tramp.

Still not sure about the grass, though.

Owen really loved Rosie (sp?) ... and Rosie really loved him. Or whatever was on his face. :)

Here is Jennifer's mom with 3 of the 4 grandkids that were there.

Thanks again, McRaes. I couldn't have asked for a nicer Sunday afternoon. And let me put in a little plug for Joseph's restaurant, Pizzeria 712. If you haven't been there yet, go now! The panini sandwiches are made with the most amazing bread you have ever tasted and the braised beef is to die for! It is such a great restaurant. They support local farmers and local artists. Thanks for letting Casey be a part of it. (And I'll really try to get Casey working on your painting, Joseph!)

Kid Catch-Up

Here's what's been happening in the lives of the children lately. I (stupidly) let the boys bathe together. They had a blast. I had a shower. Owen showed Evan (yes, you heard me right) how to produce Shamu-size splashes and he willingly joined in rather than set a good example like I asked him to. (What was I thinking?)



Here's Owen playing one of his favorite games, Peek-a-Boo Kitty. I'm not sure why Putty keeps coming back, but it keeps Owen entertained (and out of most trouble), which I appreciate very much.


Here's Evan on his new 3-wheel Spiderman scooter (even though he can ride the 2-wheeler razor scooters just fine). As we were heading to the park (Evan on his scooter and I pushing Owen in the stroller), Evan said, "This Spiderman scooter is very cool, Mom." Even more cool is the fact that the newest park in the city is less than a block away, and all we have to do is take a quick ride/walk around the trail and he's happy! (There's no playground equipment yet ... it's great.) I've discovered, though, that I get a much better workout when he rides fast on his Big Wheel; but his speed on the scooter is improving.

I looked downstairs to check on the boys the other day and saw this ... Owen has learned how to pull himself up to standing (already!). He now greets me standing up with a big grin on his face (the kind of grin that says "you're in for it!") when I go to get him out of his crib.