Did they really just say that?

This morning Mark gave me a kiss and then said, "Let's go brush our teeth and then we can kiss."
I guess that was his polite way of tellling me I had morning breath he couldn't overlook and keep kissing me.

While writing our letters to Christ for FHE, Ethan was singing along to the Christmas music playing, he sang, "Glo...oooh.....oooh......oooh oria. In bang shellies say o!" 
Mark started to correct him, when I quickly interrupted and asked him to sing it again so I could transcribe exactly what it was he was singing. I got a good laugh over that one!

Rock on!!

The following photo was in the running for our family Christmas card. I thought it would be rather funny to use it and write, "Hope your Christmas ROCKS!"  Needless to say, this was one of the few photos I found of the whole Gull family from this past year.
Well, I passed and went with a photo of just the boys, because really - who wants to see me on their Christmas card? It's all about the boys!

So here's my early Christmas greetings to the blogging world  -    
I hope your Christmas ROCKS!

Love, Mindy and the Boys

Labeled

They came, they tested, they labeled.
Alex was labeled as developmentally delayed.  Onward and upward.....

Bedtime 101

Having trouble putting those little kiddos to bed? Well I've got it figured out.
After having put the two boys back in their beds for the third time tonight, ( I guess they weren't ready to settle down) I made a wonderful observation --
Since I put them to bed THREE times tonight, I should be off bedtime duty for the next two nights, right? Shouldn't it work that way?! This momma is thinking so!

Is it really only Monday? How many more night until Mark get home?

Glue and such

I think I could fill this blog with daily conversations I have with Aaron. Today's latest that cracked me up:

Aaron was sitting at the table working on some project that required good ol' Elmer's glue. I was on the phone and not paying much attention to what he was doing when I looked down and noticed that he had used too much glue and was getting it all over his page.
When I asked how he was doing, he said, "I think I got too much glue, Mom."
My reply, "I think you're right."
Aaron then tells me, "Mom, I got myself into a sticky situation!"

The B-Word and other laughs

Thanks for all your love and support! Only a few more days until I have my visit with the nurse, therapist, and social worker. They are all coming to our home to check out this little guy and his development. I'm feeling better about things and how he's coming along, even in the short time it has been since my last doctor appointment. We'll see!!!

Funny stories of the week:
After several and I mean SEV.ER.AL. hours of working at the rental trying to get things cleaned up and ready to show again for new renters, Mark said to us all, "What would you guys think if we had to move into this house?"
Ethan quickly replied, "We'll need a lot of Febreze!"
Again I'm reminded why I really hate cigarette smoke. Don't people read their contracts?


I was talking to a neighbor on her porch when a little 3-year old girl came up to me and said, "Aaron said the "B-word."
I stopped and looked at my neighbor, trying to figure out what to say. I really didn't think Aaron had ever even heard anyone use such a term as THE "b-word." I laughed it off and went to find Aaron.
When I found Aaron, he immediately said to me, "Mom, I know the B-word. It is for Halloween. But I can't tell you, it's bad."
I told Aaron, "You can tell me, just whisper it in my ear."
His reply, "BOO!"

Boy was I one relieved momma!!!

Not sure what to think

Today I took Alex to his one-year well-child check up. I left the appointment feeling the worries of a concerned mother. I've learned through many experiences that it doesn't matter the situation, if one of my boys has something going wrong, I want to fix it. I don't want them to suffer, or be hurt, or struggle. I just want them to be happy little boys that love life and their surroundings. After the appointment I felt like the doctor I met with threw a wrench in the mix for my little Alex and me.

Alex is amazing. He's always had this mild manner about him. It seems as though he just watches what's going on around him and takes it all in. Long story short, the doctor was concerned about Alex's gross motor skills and asked me to meet with some health agency to review his progress and check things out more. I have no idea right now what this all means. I keep telling myself this little guy just wants to take his time to do things; its no big deal. I'm sure that's all it is.

But, whatever it is or is not, I know for certain, that I love the way he smiles when he sees me. I love the way he flaps his arms when he's excited, and I love that he is part of our family.

Party Baby!

Since I had mutual tonight, we celebrated Alex's birthday with his two sets of grandparents a day early. And boy did we party!!
We had dinner together. Three words -- MarketStreet Clam Chowder. Yum-mo!! I love that recipe! It's a family favorite. At least Mark and I could live off of it.
Next we let him "open" his presents. I was a little confused at this whole part. Usually this kid goes crazy over paper. He wants it all the time, but not this time. He wasn't having much to do with the whole idea of seeing what was behind that paper. Luckily he had two big brothers that took care of him. Before I knew it, Ethan and Aaron were tearing into the box wanting to put his new walker/bike together.

How many men does it take to put together a baby walker? One daddy, two grandpas and two big brothers.
They finished the toy and Alex was in business.

Here's Alex checking out the goods.

By then I knew this kid needed to have his cake and eat it too. I'll go ahead and say it, I was rather proud of my cake effort.

My cake decorating class is actually coming in handy. We of course sang "Happy Birthday" and then slide the cake close to see what he would do with the whole candle thing. He was the normal one-year-old and stared at it for a minute before trying to grab at the flame. We laughed and then before I knew it, he had grabbed at the the cake and swiped a handful of icing off the edge. He gave those fingers a lick and then wanted to go at it with both hands. I wasn't sure what was more funny, watching Alex eat the cake and ice cream we gave him or listening to Ethan and Aaron laugh at how messy their little brother was. 

But that's not the end of the cake story....there's more.

Friday, is my dad's birthday. So we cut grandpa a piece of cake and put the candle in it and surprised him when we starting singing to him. Once the cake was placed in front of him, he dipped his fingers in the icing and smeared some on both cheeks. Looking just like Alex. What a guy!! Love you, Dad!!

Another Milestone

Is it true? Why, yes it is. I am now a mother of a one-year-old. Alex you are certainly a keeper. I wasn't sure what to think when I found out you were on your way, but there's no way I would change a thing about having you in our family. You bring a peace to our home that I often long for. Your mild manner is soothing to us all. We often wonder how you'll ever fit into this crazy home of ours, but you've certainly gone and made your way into our hearts. You have two big brothers that adore you and often times drive me crazy because they want to be RIGHT THERE with you, BOTH OF THEM, at the same time. They argue over who gets to sit next to you and who gets to make you laugh. Yes, they love you, Alex.
I know you make your daddy's day when you see him walk in the door and you flap your arms up and down in your little excited way. You make our hearts smile, Alex. We love you to pieces.

Aaron took this photo of us.

I know I look like a big cheeser, but hey, this is my baby on his first birthday - October 13, 2009!!!

Look how far we've come!!

Love you, Skooski!!

Good Cup of Cho

Nothing could be better than a cup of hot chocolate in the morning. When we woke up this morning and it was colder than I wanted it to be; we had hot chocolate all around. Aaron, after taking his first sip said, "That's a good cup of cho."

I thought for sure he was trying to say, a cup of joe, like they say on The Polar Express. Then I thought he was maybe just abbreviating chocolate and just using cho.

When I asked where he heard about cho, he said, he didn't know, he just likes making things up.

So here's to fall, colder weather, and a good cup of cho.

Mindy and the Boys

Step aside, here comes Mindy and the Boys! (This is how I always sign my cards, notes and such, but don't you think it would make a great name for a rock band?)

Tonight we played Guitar Hero with some neighbors. We don't have a wii, and I think I have played this game all of about two times before. I've never been much of a gamer when it came to video games; that was always Cameron's department growing up. But after playing tonight I think I could play me some music and rock it!!

FYI - I finally finished my trip log, posted below. You may need to clear some time in your calendar to read it, it's a long one!

In Search of Chocolate

While searching the freezer for some hidden chocolate I found Mark's newest electronic gizmo that had obviously made its way from off the top of the fridge down into the freezer door.

Do I
a. wake him from his Sunday nap to tell about it.
b. grab the poor thing and try to warm it up in my armpit.
c. leave it there for him to find and keep looking for some chocoate.

Not knowing how long the poor thing has been hiding beside the orange juice, I just hope it still works. I'm just upset because my raid of the freezer left me high and dry -- no chocolate here, baby!!

Sunny San Diego

After nearly 1900 miles, 74 Slugbugs, and more pit stops than I wish to recall, I'm finally ready to document our trip to California.
Warning. This really isn't a "quick recap," that would be impossible for me.

Thursday night - Sept 3 Mark drove home our rental van - a 2009 Toyota Sienna. Two words - Storage Space. This rental van was a lifesaver. I couldn't believe how much more room we had compared to our 97 Honda Odyssey. We drove to Mesquite and stayed the night in a cheap hotel.

Friday - We drove to San Diego, checked into our condo and stocked up on groceries. Costco and Albertsons, I felt right at home. The boys went swimming at the pool there which was filled with salt water. Never heard of such a thing and not sure I'm a fan.

Saturday - Legoland.

Big hit with the boys. They LOVED checking out everything. They were amazed at the first thing they saw made out of legos and had to just run up and feel it and make sure it was really made out of legos. They loved Miniland, USA. They got to play in the water too. Fun time for two little boys!!!!
Needless to say, they spent their vacation money at the Lego store and our condo became Legoland that night. They spent nearly 3 hours putting their new toys together and then playing with them.












Sunday - We needed some down time and that's just what we did. The temple was beautiful!


Monday - Sea World. Another big hit with the boys! How great to see and touch such things as star fish and bat rays. Although Ethan didn't think sitting in the Soak Zone was such a great idea, in fact he was crying about having to sit there. Granted, it was 8:30 at night and getting a little cold, but it was a funny moment watching Mark carry Ethan down to the soak zone and Ethan crying that he didn't want to get wet.








Tuesday - Beach Time. Mark's friend Matt lent us some boogie boards and before we knew it, we had two surf bums on our hands. It didn't take too long before they were hitting the waves. I learned that an 11 month old either loves or hates the sand. Alex had a love/hate relationship with the beach and I soon realized I did too. Walking in the sand is one thing, having it in places it shouldn't be is another. Try nursing a crying baby in your swimsuit when you are both covered in sand -- another great adventure for me and the little guy!!!






Wednesday - San Diego driving tour compliments of Mark and Callie (we named the GPS system my parents' let us borrow, another must have for long road trips). I also learned that with boys, shopping is definitely not on the itinerary. Pretty sure I didn't step foot in one gift shop except for the Legoland one. Seaport village was a quick walk through to the harbor where we checked out all the boats and cool sculptures along the walk way. We drove over to Coronando played on a cute playground with the beach and bridge as our background.







The boys really just wanted to hit the beach again, so we did. This time we went to La Jolla Cove. They were quickly disappointed when we were told they couldn't use their boogie boards. So, out came the snorkle gear. Both the boys did great, I guess I wasn't surprised; they really like the water. We also checked out the tide pools and saw little fish, crabs, and such. It was a beautiful area!!!







Thursday - Our last full day and I bet you can't guess what the boys wanted to do? BEACH DAY!! We spent more time boogie boarding this time at Torrey Pines State Beach. Again, they same story: sand, sand, and more sand, no more happy baby, no more happy mom. I loved watching Mark and the boys play out in the water. They were loving it! Holes were dug, bridges were made, feet were buried.





Mark also got to go on a 14-mile bike ride with Matt that afternoon. He did take a spill or two but couldn't stop talking about it afterward. I was glad he had such a great time.



The condo we stayed at had a nice club house with grills out by the pool too. Mark cooked us up excellent dinner that night, we watched us some Sandlot in the clubhouse and even played some pool and pingpong. I must say I was pretty good at playing pingpong with the boys while holding Alex in one arm.

Friday - We packed up and headed for Las Vegas.


It wasn't too bad of a drive. We got there and checked into our hotel and went out to dinner. Mark and I thought it would be fun to just drive the strip. The boys did enjoy looking out the windows and seeing the big buildings and lights and such. We all loved the fountain at the Bellagio and the ships at Treasure Island. Of course, a trip down the strip wouldn't be complete without a little spice. Needless to say, Aaron thought the scantily clothed girls on the truck next to us were a little funny and fun to look at. What better time to have a little lesson on modesty and respecting women.

Saturday - The final leg of the trip. We were getting anxious to get back home, and I know Alex was ready to be OUT of that car seat. We pretty much drove straight through, stopping only for ice cream in Beaver, this of course was on my scheduled itinerary.

It was great to pull into our drive way and know we were finally home. Whenever I am gone from home for an extended amount of time I always come home and find myself walking around and just staring at everything. It is hard to explain, but it always seems to happen.

My other favorite part of coming home from a long trip --- unpacking and laundry. Now that the boys are in school, I'll add HOMEWORK....Ethan and I are just barely catching up on all the homework his teach sent home to him the day he got back to school.

Eleven Years and Counting

Today marks our 11th wedding anniversary. We were even married on a Thursday. My little brother Cameron was on his mission at the time, and knowing he wouldn't be there for our wedding(my brother that is, not Mark), I thought it would be appropriate to choose his "number" and thus is was, our wedding date, August 27, 1998.

My dad has this joke about a couple that said they had been happily married for 24 years, married for 30. I would have to say that although our lives together haven't always been easy, they have all been happy and worth it all. What a blessing it is to be married to man who loves me so much.



I realized while looking for a recent photo of just the two of us, that they are few and far between.

And so, I wanted to remind Mark of some of the reasons why I love him (in no particular order):
1. He gives the best hugs. There is no comparisons when it comes to hugs. He's got it.
2. He truly makes me laugh. I always tell him that he really isn't as funny as he thinks, but without him, life would be pretty boring.
3. He is always looking for ways to improve; whether it is himself, our family, or our budget. He continually wants to be better.
4. Because of #3, Mark helps me be a better person. I have to admit that I'm not always a fan of this, because I have to face my imperfections, but in the long run I know it's good for me.
5. Well, he is the dad of three adorable boys. I have to love him for helping them become a part of our lives.
6. He is a great dad to those three adorable boys. They look up to him so much and want to be just like him. Sometimes it is a little unnerving when Aaron's clothes HAVE to match dad's.
7. He calls me up in the afternoon just to see how my day is going and if I'm surviving another day with the boys.
8. He repeatedly reminds the boys to "treat mom like a princess."
9. He can fix anything. At least that's what he's got us all thinking. His handy man skills have certainly been used around this household a time or two.
10. He's a hard worker and is trying to instill this same characteristic in our boys.
11. Probably one thing that I love most about him is his selflessness. Mark always puts others before himself. He is definitely a GIVER.

I love you, Mark! Thank you for eleven wonderful years!
Your little Biscuit

Penny for my thoughts

More like -- A quarter for my blabber--

My younger brother and his sweet wife just welcomed their first child into the world on July 3rd. Whitney Elizabeth came ready for the world, weighing in at 9 pounds 9 ounces. It is a little crazy for me to imagine Cameron as a dad. He was always just "my little brother." I am so excited for these two. They will certainly be great parents. Whitney is one lucky little girl.

It hit me the other day when I was talking to my oldest neice, (on the Woolf side at least) Brittney is 13. Wow, Brandon has a kid that's a teenager, this beautiful and quite mature young lady sitting next to me belongs to my brother; how did this all happen? Brittney was born the day after I went into the MTC. How have I let time pass by me?

Next month Mark and I will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary and Ethan will turn 8. Somedays I find myself sitting at the dinner table just staring at everyone and trying to figure out how I got to where I am and why have I been blessed with so much?

I have three amazing boys to call my own. How they bring so much love and joy to me. They also drive me crazy and make me second guess myself, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't be the person I am without being their mother. But last night, I didn't want to be a mom. Alex hadn't been feeling well, and I had to decide whether or not he was sick enough to take to the doctor. He's nine months ,and I hate not knowing exactly what's wrong with the kid. He was just miserable. Anyway....the doctor said he has an ear infection and has since lost his voice from crying so much. I think the antibiotics are finally kicking in and he's finally able to get some sleep.

Looks like I need to run, Batman, (aka Ethan), Darth Vadar, (aka Aaron), and one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, (aka our neighbor Isabelle) just ran out the front door. It's off to save the world!!!!!

A few firsts....

Fashion 101
This morning as Aaron was in the shower, I performed one of my motherly duties and picked out some clothes for him to wear. When he looked at what I had chosen for him he said, "I can't wear that. Mom, you don't know fashion."
He then proceeded to pick out his own outfit, I was awaiting his return with great anticipation, wanting to know what is the latest in fashion for 5-year boys going to preschool for the day. He brought back a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He then began his explanation of why these clothes were a better choice.
"See mom, these underwear have white on them, this tag on my shirt is white, and these shorts have a white stripe."
Makes sense right!!?? This kid wants to match EVERYTHING. So you'd think he would look okay, right? Not always the case, but he really goes for matching outfits. I guess I should look into the Garanimals line of clothing for him. Sounds right up his alley. I just wonder what he thinks about what I pick out for myself to wear. I'll have to ask the kid. Guess it's good I don't go to preschool with him, I'm sure I'd embarrass him for sure.


PB&J
I know this sounds so un-American, but I don't like peanut butter sandwiches. The thought of peanut butter spread on two pieces of bread just never did it for me. I have no recollection of having them as a kid, although I'm sure mom made them for me. Eating them as a child has been suppressed from my memory.

Fast forward 30 years....

The other day I was making sandwiches for the little guys and thought, why not? Live on the wild side here Mindy. Mark said if I was actually going to try this out, I would have to use the crunchy peanut butter, not creamy. SO on went the CRUNCHY peanut butter and next came the strawberry jam. I laid it on thick, the jam that is, I thought I might need to ease into this peanut butter thing. Mark also said I would need a glass of COLD milk to accompanying this virgin sandwich. As they say, the rest is history.
You ask, what did Mindy eat for lunch today? Why a peanut butter sandwich of course. And all along I thought this PB&J thing was for the birds.


Let's play HOUSE!!!
Being the mom of three boys I never thought I would hear these words coming from them. Then a little girl moves into the neighborhood that my two older boys are smitten by and the next thing I know my boys are playing house. Today they actually called it "Family." Maybe that's more politically correct, I'm not sure, or maybe that sounded more manly for them. Either way, all I have to say is that they play for hours and they have quite the imaginations. It's getting a little confusing for me when I hear them calling for "Mommy" and they really don't want me but the aforementioned little neighbor girl.

Sign me up for Summer, maybe?

Here I sit on the verge of summer vacation, and I'm not quite sure I am really ready for it to finally hit. You know the scenerio, no rush to eat breakfast or get out the door in the morning, kids riding their bikes in the street, playing in the sprinkler or splashing in the slip n' slide with the rest of the neighborhood kids, Otter Pops and more Otter Pops, lunch at the park, dirty little feet and sweaty faces. The list could go on and on. But this summer is different. This summer I have three little boys to hang out with, one of which that needs a bit more attention.

Now all I need to do is figure out how am I going to keep up with two little boys who want to be outside playing and their baby brother needs his mother inside. Somedays I wish I really was Elasti-Girl and could stretch myself a little bit further.

Sonic Good

I just enjoyed myself a free rootbeer float -- compliments of Sonic. And did I mention that I L.O.V.E. rootbeer floats? I love them so much that when I (well, really my mom) was planning my wedding, I told my mom I just wanted to have rootbeer floats and popcorn at my reception. She even made it come true -- I know it sounds a little crazy, but she pulled it off in class.
So thanks are in order here -
First to my little sis, Marty, for giving me the heads up on FREE floats at Sonic.
Second to my lovely husband Mark, for driving to Sonic to get me a float when I know he really wanted to be in bed sleeping.
Third to the people at Sonic - and just like the cup says, it really is "even sweeter after dark."

Billy Blind Cleaners I'm Not

I found time today to actually do the some "Spring Cleaning" that's been on my list of things to do for a while now. As much as I dislike cleaning windows and blinds, I really love the end result, just wish it would last longer.
I had to laugh though, as I was cleaning the blinds in my bedroom window, I couldn't believe what I saw. Pulling up to my neighbor's home was this big ol' white truck with "Billy's Blind Cleaner" plastered on the side. For a split moment I thought my dreams had come true and someone else was coming to clean my blinds for me, but alas, it wasn't true. If I wanted to have clean blinds, I was going to have to do it myself. To all those lucky people out there that actually have someone else clean their blinds, "Can you really enjoy your clean blinds as much as I enjoy mine?"


Just because it made me laugh....and I didn't want to forget it!
Yesterday Aaron was outside playing on the playground when he dropped something and exclaimed, "CRAP!"
I quickly turned to him and said, "Aaron, I don't think that's something we should say."
Aaron looked at me and very seriously said, "Okay, how about 'HOLY CRAP?'"

Another fun weekend

Last weekend we were able to go to my parents' and spend time with Cameron and Miranda as well as see Margett and the kids before they all headed back home. Our stay included good food -- of course, playing grandma and grandpa's new wii (thanks to Cameron and Miranda), four-wheelers rides, Car Legos, throwing Easter Eggs up on Giraffe Hill, and stringing beads.

Mom made sure we enjoyed ourselves and let the girls make a beaded watch. They turned out super cute, at least I thought we did pretty well. I didn't even think about getting any photos of most our activites. I think we were just having too much fun.

Alex loved meeting his new cousin. They were born all of 14 days apart. The two boys got all decked out in their matching outfits. They were funny to watch with each other. Get them too close to one another and soon one would be sucking on the other's fingers or one would be pulling on the other. I'm sure they'll be great friends as the grow up.

After weekends like this, I really wish that my siblings lived closer. We are all spread out across the nation...good thing are hearts are knit together with love.

My New Adventure

I flew under the radar for six months and enjoyed just going to church and not having to worry about Sharing Time or if all the Primary Teachers would be there. It was good while it lasted. One Saturday morning about a month ago, I received a call from the Stake President who asked that Mark and I meet with him later that evening. Needless to say, that's not my way to start off a Saturday. The rest of the day was filled with worrying about what it was he wanted to see us for. I was convinced that he was giving Mark a new calling.

As it turned out, the calling was for me. Uggggh! A new program would be implemented for the Young Men and Young Women, and I was asked to help out. Our stake has very few youth, a total of 32 MiaMaids. Our Stake President has asked that we combine the mid-week activities or mutual with the six wards and do this by age-groups. I am the Stake MiaMaid Committee Leader, which in short means I oversee the MiaMaids' weekly mutual activity, and chair a committee of six Young Women 1st Counselors from each ward.

I haven't been in Young Women's for a while now...it's been fun to back. We've only had one activity so far, but I look forward to working with the MiaMaids. Haven't served with them before, always been with the Beehives.

If anyone out there has any great ideas they would love to pass on, I'm all ears!!

6 months old

Is he really 1/2 way to one?
Here's the little guy's 6 month stats...
Height: 27 1/2 inches
Weight: 16.7 pounds



Today I retired his swing and in its place is his highchair. I didn't think the house was ready for one more baby item without getting rid of something first. This little guy is taking over with all his contraptions!
I also fed him some rice cereal for the first time. He wasn't sure about it all at first, but then he seemed to enjoy it more as he continued. All this means to me is that he isn't going to stay my little baby for long...

Playing Tricks

I thought I learned my lesson way back in high school, that some April Fool's jokes are just not that funny. Apparently, I forgot.

I don't remember whose idea it was, Meridee's, Anneke's, or mine. All I remember is that I was the one chosen to talk, or should I say, cry, on the phone to Meridee's mom. After we let her in on the joke, she let me know that we weren't funny at all. I think that was the only time I ever heard Sandra raise her voice. She wasn't impressed by our April Fool's joke.

Today Ethan told me he didn't think my joke was very funny either, and he didn't want me to play jokes on him again next year.

Dinner time rolled around and I told the boys since it was April Fool's Day, we could eat backwards and have dessert first. Yes, we would start with dessert - cupcakes!!! Ethan thought this was GREAT, until he got a closer look. They were very suspicious and soon realized these were not your ordinary cupcakes -- they were "beefcakes." Yes, a yummy meatloaf cake topped with mashed potato icing. I thought they were actually rather tasty!! Ethan just couldn't get over the fact that we really weren't have cupcakes....

I told them they HAD to eat their dessert in order to get their dinner. They thought that was funny! I didn't have any complaints tonight on "dinner." Dinner was complete with mashed potatoes and gravy (ice cream and grandma's caramel sauce) --side note here, Aaron and I pulled this one last year, and Aaron thought it was the best joke ever!!! I had to do it again! -- fish sticks (cream wafer cookies covered with icing and graham cracker crumbs), and peas (Apple AirHeads, shaped into little balls - or what was left of them after Aaron found them and shared them with his friend Isabelle).

Overall, I still think I'm pretty funny, and I had a fun time doing this for the boys, even though I'm beginning to think it was all just for me. Either way, I'm guessing this time next year I'll be trying to think of something else to feed my boys on April Fools Day!!