Wyatt (aka Dennis the Menace) might end up in Military School or the Penetentiary

Okay I am in the blogging mood tonight.  This is completely gross.  If you are even slightly the type to get sick to your stomach then stop reading right now, I warned you.  I have determined Wyatt is going to military school or possibly prison.  Kids who do the stuff he does don't end up anywhere else.  I know, he is not even 18 months old, right? I can already see this kid is going to have a rough road. 
Wyatt is sweet, don't get me wrong.  He is lovable, sweet and charming.  However he is also the one kid in the room who looks around thinking "what can I do to create maximum damage/chaos?"  You can SEE it in his eyes.  He has that glimmer, that mischevious look that you see in that kid in school right before someone gets hurt and sent to the principal.  That kid is Wyatt James, my heart and soul.  Every day he tortures his sister in ways I would not expect at his age!  If we tell him he can't have something or do something, he is instantly furious and throws whatever is in his hands or closest to him.  He will throw, hit, he pinches.  He is a holy terror.  Now this might seem normal to most moms of boys, but I have Taylor.  She never did this stuff!  So the night before I head to my first day at work this is what happened to solidify my belief that my sweet baby boy is headed for a rough future:) I say this all tongue in cheek, just so you can tell these words are dripping with sarcasm.
I hear Wyatt rustling from a nap.  He starts kicking his crib against the wall, he does this frequently.  He isn't crying, so I think I have a few more minutes to get some last minute chores done.  Finally he starts making some noise so I go in.  I walk in to the grossest scene yet in my days as his mom.  Wyatt had taken his diaper off, which had contained a poo.  The kicking I heard was him presumably kicking the diaper off.  At some point, kicking the poo onto the back of his crib and all over the matress.  Then he must have pushed himself over to stand up, so yes, it was all over him and his hands.  He was sobbing.  So I put this child in the bathtub right away.  About the time I get him cleaned up and in a diaper, and start to clean up the mess my Mom shows up.  I march her in and say "Look what your grandson has done".  She gasps as Wyatt watches her.  She looks at him and says "Wyatt that was very naughty, that is not good Wyatt."  To this Wyatt, giggles, points to the mess and starts laughing and sticks his tongue out. 

Kids who play with their feces end up in bad places.  It makes me think of mental institutions and prisons.  I know that it is pretty typical of many kids.  I just never thought mine would be one of THOSE kids.  Therefore I am researching military nursery schools.......;)

Working Again

So I made it through my first few days back in the working world.  It was a bit of a culture shock!  I have been mostly at home for the last four years and have enjoyed every second of it wholeheartedly.  It has been an amazing gift to be home with the kids since their births, playing with them and watching them grow.  We had planned on me staying at home or going back part time until Wyatt was at least two years old.  However this opportunity at American Express was a rare one that we felt was meant to be, and one I couldn't pass up.  I re-entered the work force, a little worried about how the kids and I would do.  We came through our first half week unscathed!  Wyatt did amazing, which was a feat of magnificent proportions.  He hasn't been the kid that is really comfortable with people other than Chris and I, and he is finally very comfortable with Uma and Papa.  I was very concerned he would be a disaster.  Just to prove that Mom's definitely don't know everything, he did marvelous.  He played both days he was at daycare wonderfully, ate and napped.  I was amazed.  I can watch him on a camera from my computer at work, so I got to check on he and Taylor both days.  We adjusted this last week fairly well, with lots of help from my Mom!  She watches the kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So Thursday we came home to a clean house, with dinner on the table.  WOW!!! 

While I miss the kids during the day, and I know I am missing  a lot, I also am excited to start this new adventure.  I have so much to learn at Amex, and there is tremedous growth potential if I just dig in and get to it.  My boss is an amazing woman who has really worked hard and made a great name for herself within the company, and maintains a low profile with humility and grace.  The campus is great, and I enjoyed a nice breakfast and coffee Friday morning with a co-worker-any stay at home mom knows what an amazing event that is!  I managed to go through the day without wiping anyone's nose (as my friend Nancy was afraid I might do), I didn't say I was going to "the potty", and I enjoyed lunch with a friend from high school!  I have real mixed feelings about my decreased face time with my kids.  I know they will grow in ways that were not possible staying with me all day, but I also know that no one takes care of them like I do, and certainly no one loves them like I do.  It is a struggle any mom goes through when making the choice to go back to work or stay home.  We made huge sacrifices for me to stay home, and I made personal sacrifices concerning my career and well EVERYTHING.  It was totally worth it, and I don't wish to take back a minute.  Kids are little for only a blink of the eye, and at least I got to be there for a lot of the beginning ALL of the time.  I feel pretty confident that this is the best choice for our family at this time.  It is good for me personally and professionally, it is good for us financially, and I think the kids are getting opportunities they would lack otherwise.  I know they miss the time we have every morning where we don't rush, and all of our fun adventures, but since the quantity of our time is decreased, I have to put huge effort into the quality of the time we have.  So if you hear less of me for a while, or see less of me for awhile, that would be why.  Don't take it personally, I still love you:) We are just making it through a big transition, and the only way I know how to do anything is to immerse myself completely.  So I am immersing myself completely into this new job and then at home.  Here is to new adventures, opportunities, and hopefully some trips back to Colorado/Wyoming to see those who we love!!!!

Explorer Birthday!

I can't believe that Taylor is almost 4 years old!  She was born August 10th, 2006, and I thank God every day that I was so blessed to be chosen as her mother.  She has started preschool and has already changed in one short week of school.  Today we had her birthday party, and she chose to have a Dora the Explorer themed party.  Taylor is always in Dora mode.  Everywhere we go she says "Vamanos" or "Where are we going?" or my favorite "do we take the minga path or the singa path, minga path, RIGHT!" (Minga and Singa are her version of Spanish.  We planned a treasure hunt for the kids, complete with explorer hats!  Each stop had a clue, and at the end they got their goodie bags.  It was a fun time with pizza, homemade cupcakes that were a complete family effort (Thanks Uma for baking, Taylor helping me decorate and Mandi for bringing her own yummy additions!)  The kids all seemed to enjoy the treasure hunt, and Taylor made out like a bandit.  Her friend and family are overly generous, she is a blessed little girl to have such great friends!  Here are some pictures Aunt Mandi took.  We were missing Uncle Matt, Aunt Ivy and Maddy Grace today.  Just a couple days ago Taylor said "Mommy is Aunt Ivy coming to my birthday?" and I told her she was too far away this year.  She said "oh that makes me sad, I wish she could come because I love her".  AWWWWW!

Explorer Hats!

Will, Cheyenna, Taylor and Natalie enjoying some lunch

Ready to go on a treasure hunt?  Here we go!

I was trying to get the kiddos to calm down to go on the hunt, so "where are we going?" clap clap clap did the trick

Wyatt finally woke up and joined us

Taylor in her birthday dress Uma made on Friday!

Brooklynn giving Taylor a hand with her Alice in Wonderland  tea set!

Wyatt and I playing in the balloons

Blessings Abound!!!

I am walking on air today, and very grateful for wonderful blessings!  Most of you who know me well, know the last year has been hard and trying.   I have wondered many times if things would ever turn around!  I feel like I am finally seeing the turn around.  I interviewed for a great position last week and was offered the job today!  I am so excited that I didn't really hear what my now boss was telling me, I was shaking!  I will be the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Technology Transformation at American Express.  I have had great "intel" from some friends that this is a fabulous company to work for, and the vibe I got was amazing.  My boss is from the UK, and she has two small children.  She was so nice and emphasized that she is flexible and encourages growth within the company.  The assistant I will be replacing is being promoted and she lives close to us here in Surprise, hello carpooling!  There is an opportunity for me to "telecommute" or work from home at times which is really exciting as well.  I didn't think jobs like this existed, certainly not for me, and I am thrilled beyond words.  I truly am blessed, and can't wait to go back to work! Wyatt will be in the day care program at our church 3 days a week, while Taylor will stay in her current preschool schedule.  She will go home with a friend of ours on those afternoons, and both kids will stay with Uma Tuesdays and Thursdays for the first couple of months until they get used to this transition and will go to full time.  I toured the Amex campus on my interview and it is truly amazing!  It is a great company that really seems to value its employees and their families.  Anyway, this is a BIG change for me, but one I am ready for and so thankful.  I am excited to be back in the office doing much the same thing that I did for Senator Allard when I worked in Washington D.C. and who knows where this road may lead me next!  Everything happens for a reason, I don't question, just follow faithfully! 

Random Thoughts...

This past Sunday our Pastor tackled the not so fun topic of prophecy.  Mostly we delved into staying positive about prophecy.  I am the first one to admit, I really try to avoid this whole topic altogether.  It is scary, yucky, sad and in my heart I know it is coming.  How can one stay positive about prophecy?  Pastor Lee focused on the amazing gift that God has given us, and that is time.  Time to make sure you are right in your heart and mind so that you can make it to the "big house".  Now I understand that sounds great, but I still get sad about the whole mess.  I get sad about the state of the world, of humankind.  There are some really great things about the world we live in today, but there is also so much evil and desperation.  I guess I am conflicted.  I want God to clean house, literally.  Like Pastor Lee said, in not so many words, this is not heaven!  It is a place fulling of hating, sinning, killing, starving...and the list goes on an on.  So in that way, I welcome and am happy about the extensive "cleaning" that needs to go on.  However, I am sad about it too.  I love living, and I love people.  I love waking up every morning knowing that anything can happen.  What saddens me is that this would end.  Not just for me, I know where I am going :) but for mankind.  I become sad thinking about the desperate times ahead for the rest of the world, and that eventually it will cease.  I know that as a Christian staying positive is my role, it IS in my heart, because I know I'll join God in heaven.  But I also get sad for the end.  I find myself thinking "things will change, things will get better"...when in reality that probably isn't reality without "the end."  At this point, I try to clear the fear from my heart and head, especially when I look at the world around me and realize...all of the prophecies are complete, except the end game.  That sends chills down my spine, both good and bad!  I want it to happen, and yet...I don't.  I can't help hoping the depravity and sickness our country and the world is suffering will turn itself around.  For the sake of my children and their children.  This is a bit rambling, a bit ranting, but it has been on my mind since Sunday, and strangely it was something I was thinking about even before the service.  God always speaks right to my heart, when I am humble enough to listen.  This was a dark topic, with a lot of golden and silver light illuminating it, if that makes sense.  I don't know if anyone else thinks about this, or if everyone else just tries to avoid it, denying it because it isn't so fun to think about.  I see the validity of being positive, but I have great empathy for those who will suffer and are suffering right now.  I guess I am positive and hopeful for myself, but so sad that at some point it has to end.  While I know many non-Christians probably read this and say "Christians have been saying this stuff for years" and many will think I am nuts, I am putting this out there.  If you have a response, send it my way!
"I am the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End. To all who thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge" Revelation 21:6

Ready or not.....

Wyatt loves to play hide and seek, so much so, that he goes and hides without us knowing that we are playing!  He is not afraid of the dark and will hide in a closet with the door shut for quite awhile waiting for someone to find him.  We generally know he is hiding because it is the only time he is quiet when he isn't sleeping, so we know to go "find" him.  This evening he was hiding, and was more than delighted when we found him.  He is such a cute little man, and he recently has started saying "Uma"!  We love to hear him babble and he gets so excited when he can communicate.  His attention span is finally getting long enough that he can sit through some books, and he especially loves a few in particular.  Wyatt has found belly buttons to be fascinating.  He pulls up EVERYONE'S shirts in order to give them a poke, and really loves Papa's.  He is a busy boy who is most happy torturing his big sister, and getting into everything he is not supposed to.

Tiny Dancer

Here is our tiny dancer, our little ballerina!  Taylor has been taking ballet from the Arizona Ballet Academy and has loved every second of it.  They do a lot of "acting" and she is learning the basics of ballet too.  Her final performance is August 17th, and I can't wait to see her.  She is lovely to watch, a true Leo, the sign of the actress/performer.  She loves to be on stage and she charmed us like crazy on parent observation day.