Today, I broke up with the babysitter.

At least that is how it feels.
She has been watching Coop for 3 years.
She came to the hospital when I had Jacks and she is all he has ever known.
I have spent lunch Everyday (literally) at her home for the past 2 years.

There have been A LOT of Good times, with several moments of sadness and absolute frustration.

Ultimately the decision had to be to say goodbye because:
   -- I do not want Cooper to attend the school she lives near.

   -- I do not trust her to help Potty Train Jacks, when the time comes.


   -- And she has recently started watching a little boy (and I say that loosely, because he is 2 and fits a size 8 diaper) Who is a Big Mean Bully, and seems to have made it his calling in life to pick on Jacks.  And in turn Jacks has started throwing more tantrums, and in general just being sadder.

She has been a wonderful Babysitter, and She has helped me be the kind of working mom I want o t be, letting me come visit EVERY Day and call repeatedly through the day.
So here is to the end of 3 years at Marilyns' House.

    -

Elementary....I think not!

My employer ( the school district) has made it virtually impossible for me to educate my own child. Not only does Elementary School start 1 and 1/2 hours after I have to be at work, but they get out 1 and 1/2 hours early on Friday. Don't get me started on half day Kindergarten. An hour and a half on Fridays...really.

So here are our options.

#1 Keep him at the same daycare (which we have had problems with) and he can go to the WORST Elementary in the District. (not really an option even though it is close and convenient)

#2 drop him off with a family in the ward so he can go to the school close to our house.(awesome school) Pick him up on my lunch break every day and drive him to another daycare that's pretty close to my school. 2 days a week Nick would have to pick him up, and take him into town, because my lunch is not long enough. (lot of driving)

#3 We just found out he got in the lottery to one of the local charter schools. No idea how we would get him there or pick him up, because it is way out further than our house.(but on the list just the same)

#4 We just found a new daycare near a bus stop for another really good school in the district. Upside is they will walk him to and from the bus stop. Downside we would HAVE to buy a new car cause I couldn't drop Nick off at work anymore.

#5 Skip Kindergarten, since he is a virtual genius anyway, enroll him at the high school and take him to work with me!!!

I know crazy huh. Probably going to end up doing option #4, cause really what family can survive forever with just one car anyway. however if either of the vehicles spontaneously combust again (totally nightmared about it last night) we will just have to make due with only one forever.

But we are open to suggestions ;)

Lets hope her name is not Mary

One day....... far in the future, 

Coop will find a lovely girl 

and Date her than Marry her 

I don't know maybe they will start as just  friends.

Seriously lets hope her name is not Mary, 

Because you better believe 

I WILL pull out 

this little GEM I filmed 

while he was doing Homework tonight!! 

Ok being Honest... 
I'll Probably pull it out no matter what her name is!!

Easter 2012

We drove to Grandma and Grandpas house.

We played on the stairs

Visited Great-Grandma and Grandpa in the nursing home.  Where we saw the Easter Bunny (sorry no pictures) and Cooper got lost and ended up in the Alzheimer wing.

 We drove home Monday and had an Easter Egg Hunt in the back yard with some Friends.

How do you feel about the Jack-o-Lantern Basket!!

The Traveling was horrendous but it was made slightly more bearable by this little addition to our Family.
Nick told me i should give more of a hoopla to my FREE IPAD.
So here I go!!
It was Free, How freaking awesome is that!!
We bought a case that hangs on the back of the headrest, and it is (almost) like having our cool DVD system from the car back again!!

p.s. Cooper is already better than me at all the Games

Sunday I ruined breakfast

I forgot to take the spoon out of the blender and it shattered the glass.  There were glass shards everywhere, in the hash browns, in the breakfast burritos, we had to start over.

Luckily on Saturday Nick got these.

So he was feeling forgiving
Ladies ask your husbands, because apparently "Rims" are really cool. ;)

Conference was wonderful.  the boys played so well together, we made cookies, and went on a walk.

Today we took them "mini-golfing". Our new favorite activity.
Reading Books.. Our all-time favorite activity!!

 Nick turned 32 in March
It was a good day.
He loved his presents and bought his own "Birthday Icecream" (which is still in the freezer)

This is his "Big Present" that I made for him.

They are bookends that hold models of his favorite truck, a 1956 Ford.

Oh and Today I won an I-pad from the District Office!!!

By the Numbers

5- The number of Fruit trees in our back yard

4- The number of times Nick and I have fought about how to juggle our "One Car" issue.

3- The number of times I have smelled pot in the bathroom in my building at work.
2.5- The number of Years Nick has been Scout Master

2- The number of boys that are starting to eat the food they are given. :)

1- The number of times I have broken up a parking lot fight at work (Thursday)

Cooper hates olives!

Like really, they make him gag, but tonight he ate a piece (a really little piece) of one.

My Boys are picky eaters, 

like only meat cheese and bread picky.  

We hate it!!

So we figured Cooper is old enough to try new things.  

So every night for dinner he HAS TO try something 

fruit/vegetable/NEW.  

Only once have we had to "make him eat it for his next meal"  

It was a mandarin orange, 

and when we pulled it out the next morning before he could eat his breakfast, 

he decided we were serious.

And it is working.  

He even tried pickled beet at the babysitters just because it was on his plate. 

The battles are shorter 

and sometimes he even says he likes it, 

although he has never continued eating after the required "try".  

But here's to hopin'.

Things tried so far:

Peas

Grapes

Pickled Beets

Broccoli (raw)

Blueberry

Mandarin Oranges

Olive

Apple

Corn

He likes to dip these in Balsamic Vinagrette

Lettuce (Romaine,Leaf, Spring Mix.)

Cucumber

Spinach (Fresh)

Tomato

Bell Pepper

Sweet Peppers

What a Stud RIGHT?

Jacks hates Carwashes!

So sad.
His eyes were so big and he kept whimpering.  
I had to hold his hand the whole time.

us

We are loving the weather lately!

My boys are Growing and Changing everyday.

Jack has managed to condense 95% of the English language down to one syllable words.  But at least he "communicates"!

Jack was sick again, which meant another day off for me. I have never used this much sick leave.  

Cooper is at the TOP of his pre-school class.  I cannot believe my 4 year-old can read.

As a family we are praying about some pretty big choices right now.  We have been looking around at some plots of land, we have been looking at maybe getting a second car, we have been figuring out how to get Cooper to and from Kindergarten next year, and we are once again trying to figure out our Daycare situation. 

This week is Spring Break.  We have lots of fun things planned!!  I love the extra time I get with my sweet boys.