Boo humbug

Confession: I didn't take my children trick-or-treating this year. We didn't go to our ward's trunk-or-treat. There was no wearing of costumes.

Shocking, right? I do, actually, like Halloween quite a bit, but this year the little boys and I were content to stay home and pass out candy, since Chuck had to work and my mom was out of town and I was lazy/unambitious. Plus Clyde detested his lion costume; I managed to wrangle him into it once last week and he sobbed until I took it off.

So we stayed in and I caught up on some TV! Clyde watched me very carefully when the first few trick-or-treaters came and then decided to take over, much to the other children's dismay since he only gave them ONE piece of candy. After he closed the door each time, he signed 'friend', said 'one' and signed 'candy' - so cute!

We did embrace the Halloween spirit earlier in the day before Chuck went to work . . .

This was the first time Clyde had ever painted (sad, I know) and he loved it.

I painted Will's pumpkin (also notice Clyde's cool sweatshirt)

He got the hang of it pretty quick

I made poor Will wear that bib most of the day

Clyde helped Chuck clean out and organize the garage, and was delighted with a stage to dance on

I was SO proud when Chuck came out wearing black and orange . . . until he told me he hadn't done it on purpose.

This little Halloween outfit was 3-6 months, but I squeezed Will into it for a little bit :)

You'll laugh, you'll cry

As a kid, I was all about playing pretend. House, school, oldest sister of a family of orphans who had to raise nobly her younger siblings, you name it, I pretended it.

Then I was a generic 'movie star' like five years in a row for Halloween. Apparently movie stars in the mid-nineties wore big polka-dot, hoop earrings and feather boas.

In ninth grade I was deemed Most Likely to Win an Academy Award at our 'Farewell to Freshmen' dance. I blinked back fake tears and pulled a speech out of my borrowed dress.

Ultimately, I chose not to pursue acting, opting instead to involve myself in a task that involves more improv and winging it: motherhood. But the dream still remains, and I'm always excited for a chance to use my skills. My nonverbal comm group is doing a presentation Thursday about territory, space, and distance, and when we found the selection of videos on Youtube about 'invading personal space' seriously lacking, it was obvious that we needed to make our own.

Cedric and I were the on-screen talent, although Garcia makes a couple cameos. Zach was excused since a) he had class and b) he would totally have cracked up (this is also why Garcia didn't do more). Cedric's poker face improved with time, but MY performace was Oscar-caliber throughout.

*It should be noted that all subjects were completely unaware of the camera/what the HECK we were doing (that's pretty obvious) but after the desired reaction(s) were achieved - or we felt too creepy to continue - we immediately apologized and explained about the project and presentation. Most of them were pretty cool about it after that. Most of them.

*It should also be noted that my husband is secure in our marriage and supportive of my art and that he understands it's not my fault that the guy in the library thought I was hitting on him.

Without further ado, here's a link to one of the videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyaWJssSzvI&feature=channel. To see the others, just click on 'more from janamarie118' (that's me). And yes, there are a couple of Clyde and Will, too. One I uploaded to test that it worked and the other one illustrates the sometimes lack of personal space in children - Clyde climbing into Will's carseat, although Will does object.

Enjoy!

The latest . . . in pictures

I finally uploaded pictures from the last couple weeks from the camera to the computer, and I'll be darned if I'm not surrounded by the three cutest, sweetest boys around! Chuck and Will taking a nap after a long day at work (Chuck apparently works in construction now, I wish he would have talked to me about the job change first, but whatever).
An example of the fabulous hot chocolate that Chuck makes for me regularly, especially while I'm doing homework. Aren't the M&M's a nice touch? Ten points for plating! Oh, and speaking of homework, thanks to YOU I did fabulously on my paper - 99/100! You're all invited to my graduation party in fourteen months!
Will at the pediatrician's office for his six-month visit. He's a tad over 27 inches length-wise and a tad over 19 lbs weight-wise. I made peace with pulling out the tote of 9-12 month clothes.
Clyde enjoying some yummy Trix cereal that his cousins shared when they came to play last week. I'm still a little bitter that Trix isn't in the shape of the fruit anymore . . .
Will rocking on his elbows and knees, after which he promptly plopped back onto his belly. He gets around pretty well by creeping, so we'll see if he crawls soon. Also notice his cute hair cut (I think it's his third - hard to keep track!) and his cute BSU-ish outfit he wore on game day last week. Go Broncos!
My life is over - Clyde can officially open the fridge. And take out the chocolate milk. MY chocolate milk.
So, Clyde has been doing this for a while but this is the first time I've gotten a picture - he walks around with his head on the floor. He loves it. Sometimes he goes forwards, sometimes backwards. Nut. Also, baby Will got an exersaucer! Thank you, craigslist!

My [anti] political rant

I am a Democrat.





Still there? Here's another shock: I don't hate Republicans. Or Independents. Or Undecideds. Or Apathetics ( I can't hate them - my husband fits into that category).

I am really tired of the political mood right now. When did we decide that if someone doesn't agree with us about how to solve various national problems that it's okay to be mean and nasty and rude to and about them? I understand that it's important for political candidates to talk up their strengths and their opponents' weaknesses, but disrespectful, personal attacks? Seriously not necessary.

And what's REALLY not necessary is the recent round of e-mails being forwarded left and right (literally, LEFT and RIGHT). Don't get me wrong; I'm all for political humor. I even think I can laugh at the gaffes made by Democrats as well as Republicans. But I don't think it's cool to purposefully forward rude, mocking e-mails to people who disagree with you. If you want to keep it within your party, go ahead. My mom and I have all sorts of laughs while we watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But I don't look up the clips online and send them to my conservative friends. What would that achieve? Nothing, except to create more division.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe you and your friends can banter back and forth without feelings getting hurt or comments being taken seriously. That's great. Debate is good; it allows us to more fully understand both what we believe and what the other person believes. But when it becomes disrespectful, personal, and crude? Count me out.

I'm excited to vote in the presidential election in three weeks. I hope that the candidate I support wins. I hope I can get my husband, Chuck "Voting is for Old People" Izatt, to the polls with me (just kidding, he already indicated that he's going to vote - he's voted in every presidential election since turning 18). But most of all I hope that we can respect people that we disagree with and start finding common ground to work together.

Obama '08!

Conference wrap-up (it's worth the wait!)

* My sincere apologies to Will and Nate, both of whom I'm sure have been checking my blog every day, looking for this post.

So, we had all sorts of fun last weekend in Utah. We left Thursday morning and drove to Sam and Terri's house where I promptly handed all responsibility of my children over to Terri. She managed to play with the boys AND cook a yummy dinner - proving to Chuck that it can be done, so there go my excuses. Did I mention the homemade cinnamon rolls?

The ball must've been out on Will, since Clyde's throwing it back in . . . Terri and Clyde heading back downstairs after a marathon jumping-on-the-bed session. Clyde would sign 'Terri' and 'jump' then point to the bed - so cute. Will scored some quality time with his aunt, too!

Friday afternoon we left the little napping boys with my mom (thanks Mama!) and Sam, Terri, Chuck, and I gallavanted around Orem and Provo. We shared two yummy caramel apples, unsuccessfully attempted to visit Chuck's sister Amanda (and I think scared her roommate a bit in the process) and Terri and I got our wedding rings cleaned! Yay, they came out SO shiny and pretty and sparkly. This was really special to me because it was five years ago this weekend that Chuck and I got engaged!

Friday evening it was over to the fabulous hospitality of the Smith family for the Semi-annual Smith-Braden-Izatt-Hugo General Conference Weekend Extravaganza. I love how close our families are; we had fun this weekend imagining how crazy our future gatherings will get as our families expand!
Clyde loved playing their piano, although I doubt he'll ever play as well as Ben

All the guys humored me and lined up for a picture after Priesthood session: Chuck, Ben, Nate, Will, and Reed. We had a blast playing Scum, even though Chuck beat us all soundly (after he insisted on hearing the rules fifteen times - "Question: What if . . . " "Question: What about . . ."). A round had just ended when Chuck went to take this picture, so he told us to pretend to play, so Heidi exasperatedly grabbed a handful of cards; I almost died laughing at the expression on her face.

Mom and Nate are political junkies and kept showing each other funny SNL clips. Nate's a freshman in college and we were SO glad he was able to come home for Conference weekend (even if he and Will did mock my blog frequently!)

As always, Gloria's cooking was delicious; Courtney can also handle herself very well in the kitchen! Court and Heidi made yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on Saturday afternoon and since Will missed out on them, he and Heidi made some different pumpkin cookies on Sunday.

Heidi and baby Will

Will and baby Will snuggled on the Love Sac watching Conference; baby Will is very tactile.

We usually have a big, yummy dinner after the afternoon session of Conference on Sunday and then pack up for home. As dinner was winding down and we were enjoying Heidi and Will's yummy cookies, Nate indicated that he would like to say something. He was so serious, so I really thought he was going to deliver a heartfelt speech about the importance of family and friends and traditions. Instead, he whipped out an AWESOME trophy and (pretty heartfelt-edly) gave props to my sweet husband for all of his help prepping for Courtney and Ben's wedding reception this summer! (In my defense, Nate is a debate/drama star, so his initially seriousness was pretty realistic). The trophy is a guy with a basketball (I think that's because Chuck powerwashed their basketball court) and in black pen on duct tape, it reads: Chuck Izatt MVP 2008. Pretty cool, eh?

Posing with the trophy, which now has a home on the bookcase in our living room.

Last but not least, General Conference itself was such a welcome reminder of what we need to be doing and how much our Heavenly Father cares about each of us. One of my favorite talks was from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on Saturday afternoon, 'The Ministry of Angels'. At one point he said: "My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.” [Moroni 7:36] On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal." How uplifting and needed - the reassurance that our loving Heavenly Father 'never leaves us alone'.

Can't wait 'til April! (although we better see you guys again in the meantime . . . )

Procrastinating packing with a pumpkin patch post!

First of all, thanks so much for your fabulous responses to my desperate plea for help! Keep it coming!

Secondly, I should be packing. Or putting away laundry. Or putting away dishes. Or putting away toys. But since I know there will be many fun pictures taken this weekend that I will want to write about when we get back, I figure I should do this pumpkin patch post now. You're welcome.

Every fall Matt and Leslie host a Harvest Party. We meet at the Berry Ranch for a hay ride and pumpkin-picking and then head back to their house for yummy fall-ish food and giggle-inducing games (two years ago, Chuck mummified me with toilet paper, the whole time yelling "Spin! Spin, Jana!" Clyde was only six weeks old - it was the most exercise I'd had in while).

I didn't feel it fair to deprive you of pictures from previous pumpkin patch, uh, promenades (?) just because I hadn't seen the blogging light then, so here's a flashback.

2006:

Chuck and a six-week-old Clyde
We were (and still are!) pretty enamored with our baby boy.
This was Chuck's doing, and crazily enough, Clyde didn't really mind it. Clyde's little Halloween outfit was the first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant (yay for Halloween clearance at Freddy's in January!)

2007:

Obligatory family pic

We did NOT pick one of those pumpkins.

And now for 2008:

Family picture, rocking various shades of orange . . . this was the first time I had tried out the sling that Melissa made me, and I really liked it. I was paranoid about Will slipping out or being too heavy, but it worked pretty well; he fell asleep in it too!

Baby Will and Unky Cody laughing it up at the after-party :)