A couple of Jude things

• He's such a softy.  A few days ago I was hoisting him into his car seat and he bit my shoulder while in a zerbert/tackle moment.  I know he didn't mean to hurt me, but hurt it did, and I said, "Ouch!" and put my bottom lip out into a sad face.  Seeing my reaction, he burst into tears, big fat ones, and started saying through sobs, "Mommy hug!"  This is one of the reasons I love having boys -- they are so rough and burdened by excessive energy, but then they turn around and show overwhelming sweetness. 
• Yesterday we had a contractor (named Sam) come to give us a bid on installing some moulding in one of our rooms.  Once Sam got his tape measure out, Jude high-tailed it out of the room and downstairs.  I didn't need to ask where he was going; in a flash he was back with a tape measure.  He was copying Sam "measuring" spaces, and when Sam was done and clipped his tape measure to his pocket, Jude asked me to help him do the same.  He was looking at Sam with an expression of timidity and awe.  So funny.  And when Sam asked Jude what his name was, he answered, "Bob."  I could not stop laughing; I think he was telling him he was Bob the Builder (even though we haven't watched that show in a looong time).  
• I got a gift card to a juice bar for my birthday and yesterday I cashed in on it.  While we waited for my toxin-flush drink to be made, Jude found a pamphlet to a local gym (owned by one of the Real Housewives of OC, so it must be amaaaaazing).  On the cover of the pamphlet, a body builder man was showing off his shiny physique.  Jude pointed and exclaimed, "DADDY!"  
• He's learned the hard way in the last 24 hours why we are always telling him to be careful on the ladders at the park, while climbing the stairs at home, and why he can't stand on a chair while eating a meal.  He's fine, just a little ego-bruised and bodily bruised.

2 and a half years old this month!

Graham: 6 Months

He's a big 6 months.

He weighs 19 lbs, the weight of the average 1 year old.

He's off the growth charts for length and head circumference.

This stuff mattered to me a lot more with Jude, I really wanted him to be big so I could have physical proof that I was doing my job in helping him thrive, but I'm not taking it all so personally because I realized babies are all hitting their growth spurts at different times.  Some check ups Jude is in the 90th percentile, some check ups he's in the 50th.  Right now he's in the 75th.  But Graham has always been a big, fatty toasted cheeser.  My left bicep muscle is becoming quite impressive.  He's 1 lb away from outgrowing his infant car seat.  He eats so much I can't keep up and have to supplement with a bottle of formula (or two) a day.  I started him on solid foods last week and he kicks and grabs for it when he sees it coming.  

In about every other way, he's up to the same old tricks.  Playing with and staring at his hands, figuring out how to put in his binky, drooling, giggling, marveling at his brother, growling, cough-laughing, sucking on his lips, and swatting.  He's still an easy-going bright spot in my life, a truly selfless soul.  I love him.

Jude (Lately)

- Jude doesn't want to do anything without Graham coming along.  If Graham is sleeping later in the morning, Jude will squirm away and wake up Graham the first time an opportunity arises.  Jude refuses to take a bath unless his baby brother is also getting dunked.  Jude is constantly saying in a high-pitched, cooing voice, "Hi Gam!  Hi Baby Gam!!"  He wants to help wipe his bum, put the binky in, etc.  I always tell Jude if he thinks Graham is fun now, just wait.  It'll be epic once Graham's a little older.  And, of course, Graham just thinks Jude is the coolest one.  He just grins at Jude and grabs at him if he's close enough.

- Jude is very into checking in on all his peeps.  He wouldn't stop asking to play with his friend Oliver one day, and I knew Oli was unavailable.  So finally I was tired of hearing, "Oliver??  Wa see Oliver!!"   and having to respond with the ineffective "Not today, bud." and "Oli can't play today, maybe tomorrow." and so I fibbed and said, "Oli went night-night."  It did the trick but now whenever we're within spitting distance of Oli's house, he reports to all within earshot that Oli went night night.  He will announce "Lyla toots!" or "Baby Gam poop!" at various times throughout the day.

- Jude puts his cars to sleep.  Sometimes they earn a blanket.  We all must whisper during this time, so as not to disrupt their REM cycles.

- Jude loves to read Goodnight Moon at bedtime.  He joins me for random lyrics when I sing I Love to See the Temple or Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird, and just snuggles me when I sing In My Life by The Beatles.  The bedtime routine still means the world to me, and I'm fairly certain it means the world to him too.

- His independence and bravery makes me smile and gives me an ulcer.  I love that now we can go to a park and he will just run and play with other kids, go up and down the slide ad nauseum et infinitum, dig in the sand, etc. and return to me every so often to show me a treasure or give me a frantically enthusiastic report, etc.  It used to be him whining a lot and I had to walk UUPP and DOWWWN every structure, encouraging him to try everything, basically the park used to be something he couldn't live with or without.  Now it's all good.  But back on track: he used to be a bit of a pansy with ladders of any kind and I was totally good with that.  Those days are over.  He will climb anything and everything, and while his coordination is revealing itself to be quite awesome, my mind goes wild thinking of all the ways he could fall and ruin his cute little face/teeth/body.  I'm starting to see what my "Aunt Ruthie" (mother of 3 boys) was talking about when she said she'd see them coming home from playing and just scan their exterior for blood or limbs situated in the wrong way.  I mean really, it seems like just a matter of time before we're setting bones, right?

- Because I'm Jude's mom, I'm getting very accustomed to being outside more than inside.  I keep swim diapers in the car and stroller for impromptu water adventures.  I have sunscreen in my purse at all times, and hats for everyone in the car.  It took a while, but I have accepted the sweat that makes itself at home on my neck every day.  Even though I keep covered, my dear Mother-in-Law took a picture of me and Graham about a month ago and when I saw it I gasped because MY FACE WAS TAN.  My face hasn't been tan since like 1999.

- Jude throws back his head and howls with laughter.  I love him for his premium exuberance.

- Jude throws back his head and howls with laughter even when he doesn't know what the heck is so funny (i.e. the adults in the room are laughing at something).

- With age he becomes so much more reasonable and easy to understand.  That is not to say we're done with tantrums and hitting (in fact, he's taking the hitting up a notch lately), but as the days go by I see greater glimmers of rational thinking in his eyes, and it fills me with hope.

I love my scallywag.

Also I might have just done a stupid thing and watched about 10 videos of him in infancy.  Don't even ask me how it's possible he was ever so small.  He was still loud and rascally, but small with big baby cheeks and wispy hair.  And Graham looks more like him than we think!

While Jude was out with Papa

I got some 1:1 with my cracker.  He is the apple of my eye.

Downton Abbey, you blew it.

Or someone behind the scenes of that monstrous estate blew it.

Downton Abbey had joined the ranks of many audio visual programmes that had my heart.  Some others that had previously attained such status are:

Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Anne of Green Gables
While You Were Sleeping
The Office
Dan in Real Life
Singing in the Rain
The Sound of Music
Moonstruck
Gilmore Girls

Anyway, these shows have all winkled their way into VIP status, dripping with good memories (surely enhanced by the people I love who joined in watching these movies/shows with me).  As I've said before, I watched Downton Abbey during chronic Jude nursing times, watched them with my mom, watched them with Jeff, watched them alllll the time.  I loved it.  I loved the chemistry betwixt Matthew and Mary, Mary reminds me of my cousin Erin, kindnesses shown by and to Mr. Bates gave me warm fuzzies, Robert's squeamishness was funny and his close relationship with Cora was sweet.  I loved the 3 sisters thing, as I obviously also come from a family with 3 girls (now 4 with our amazing SIL Kacie).  And duh, it's a period piece series, and I'm a girl, so I was destined to love it.

Season 2 -- also good.  I didn't like the Branson/Sybil thing; he diminished her work as a nurse as "handing hot drinks to a bunch of randy officers" when she brought it up as a road block to them being together (RUDE).  I didn't like Robert's almost-affair with Jane.  I didn't like a few other things, but hey, nothing's perfect.

Then Season 3 crashed and burned, and someone poured horseradish and cubed bites of Spam all over it.  And then left it out in the Vegas summer sunshine for 3 days.  And now (sigh) I don't see how I can go on.

Ways that it ruined itself:

- The biggest reason, is the 2, possibly 3 major character deaths.  I read that Maggie Smith, the backbone of Downton humor, would not be returning for a 4th season.  That would be a pity but it would be easy to pull off -- she's no spring chicken and life expectancy was not incredibly long back in them days.  I could've let that loss go with an understanding heart.  But when Sybil, AND Matthew both want out of the series to pursue other roles, you don't kill them off and carry on with a crap show.  You END THE SERIES.  Downton Abbey, like the show LOST, was only expected to go a season or 2.  Then it became a smash hit, and so they kept going because, hey, aren't we all here to make money?  But without Matthew, Sybil, OR Lady Violet, the show just CAN NOT be any good.  You can't have them all move to America, you can't kill them, you just look at the glorious 3 seasons of critical acclaim and cash that came in hand over fist, and you say, "Hey, it's been a good run.  Let's call it a day."  END SERIES.  But I'm assuming the powers that be wanted to squeeze some more money out of Downton fans, and thus kept going.  Understandable in a way, but the minute Sybil died, a huge part of the show's lovability died too.  I sat with my jaw dropped all the way down to the floor when blood trickled from Matthew's non-functioning ear.  Horrible, horrible, horrible.  The show just could not recover from that.

Just to be a little more specific, as if Sybil desperately passing away as her loving family watched helplessly was not heart wrenching enough, hearing her newborn daughter cry from down the hall, that was "just beyond" (as a drunk Reese Witherspoon is known to say).  No more trio of sisters, a big hole was left.

And they decided killing new parents is awesome, because watching Matthew hold his new precious baby and then in his excited state drive recklessly to meet his doom -- i just can't even handle it.

"They" must have sensed the uproar this would cause, but decided the uproar and compromised path of the show was the better choice.  Why, I will never know.

I did read an article that talked about how Mary was getting boring as a happy housewife, which could be true, but it would be impossible to watch her as the widowed mother trying to find love again.  Nope, there will never be another besides Matthew.  They were MFEO.  If Mary was getting boring, again, END THE SERIES WHILE IT'S STILL GOOD.

- The new characters are obnoxious.  Especially the niece that is a bit of a trouble maker.

- Bates and Anna as a married couple were totally impossible to wrap my mind around and made me dry heave.

- Lady Edith -- come on, guys.  You were EXCESSIVELY cruel to her.  Being left at the altar?!?!?!  Then being loved by a MARRIED MAN????  You gave her not one muscle for her to hold her head up.  And I didn't even like her very much, but still felt that it was over-the-top-unkind.

- There were some responses to different issues that were in no way culturally accurate of the time.

- The general classiness of the show just started to deteriorate.  I felt like it was getting a little too close to Grey's Anatomy, even before all the death.

In sum, you lost me, Julian Fellows.  I'm sorry, but it's true.  And since Jeff would have only watched it at my urging, you lost him too.  Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.  The Police and Jerry Seinfeld had it right -- stop while you're at the top of your game.

The End.

Father's Day

I knew a girl named Courtney who once was talking about her "amazing" brother-in-law.  She hoped to one day find a guy as nice as he is, and to prove just how far his niceness extended, she told a quick story.  "Once we were all sitting playing a board game while their toddler Annie took a nap, and all of a sudden he shakes his head and says, 'Isn't Annie the best?'" And that DID sound awesome!  A dad so whipped he couldn't even take his mind off his little piglet while she took a little siesta.  And I thought to myself, "Sheesh, I hope I can find a guy like that!"

Well folks, I did.

Jeff does not stop talking about how cute our kids are, how much he loves them, and how happy he is that we have them.  While they're sleeping he says he wants to go give them hugs and wants to play with them.  He is completely owned by them.  Jude was asking to "Go go" at like 6:15 yesterday when I was starting to get ready for him to go night night.  But such is the whippedness of Jude's father, Jeff looked at me and asked, "How do you ever say no to this guy?  Look at that face??"  (Jude was, I'll admit, pulling his best puppy eyes and had his ample bottom lip in a barely-there pout.)  I am definitely the bad cop. :)

I will say, though, that when Jeff was on paternity leave I was taking a nap with brand-new Graham up in our room and after a little while I woke up to Jeff saying loudly and sternly downstairs, "NO, Jude, NO NO."  I don't even remember what it was about, but I chuckled to myself and was pleased that Jeff was realizing that our firstborn can, in fact, push buttons and/or be naughty.

Anyway, since Jeff is as loving, affectionate, patient, all-around caring Dad as ever shuffled the Earth, I love Father's Day.  This year it was filled with the staples, breakfast, a good dinner (in LA with my parents and Sarah+Harry), and urging Jeff to put his feet up, etc., but I hope this guy feels appreciated and loved every day, because we do.

Happy Father's Day to a good one.  Here's to the materialization of the husband and father I dreamed of with Courtney back in 2006.

Graham: 5 months

• He is completely in that chubby, rolling, gurgling, squealing, sticking-your-legs-in-the-air, swatting, chewing, drooling, grabbing baby phase.  Slush and gush.  He especially loves to chew on fabric.  The cotton on his binky clip, blankets, burp cloths, my shirt, he wants to shove it all into his mouth and gnaw and hum.
• His name is finally anchoring.  I feel like Jude and Graham's names have been what we wanted, but it isn't until some time has gone by that I feel the name truly attaches.  I remember calling Jude "baby" a lot in the beginning.  The past couple of weeks I see him and the name "Graham" at the same time.  Does that make any sense?
• He reminds me of Jack-Jack on The Incredibles.  There will be some level of chaos going on around him but he is just smiling, laughing, and drooling through it all.  Like Jude's tantrums are this hilarious joke and he just is so excited to have a front row seat!!  Which makes sense, because they are so totally fun!
• He snores like an old, old man.
• If you get any part of you close to his arms or hands, he coils around it fast and death-grip-tight. If I reach behind in the car to put his binky in, suddenly my wrist is on lock-down.  I love it.  He just wants us close.
• This is coming to an end, but even if he is not tired, if you lie down with him and face him, your head right next to his, and close your eyes, he'll go to sleep too.  He just wants to go along with what's going on.
• Last week Jude was standing next to him pointing upwards and downwards and saying, "Up, down, up, down" and Graham was laughing hysterically.  Clearly he is easily amused -- a true Eaton trait if ever I knew one.
• Sometimes I rock him to sleep and get teary-eyed over this unicorn baby in my life.  He is so sweet, we can't do anything but love him.  

Next month is that crazy milestone of solids and "big binkies" -- say what?

Jude (lately)

Jude is a hoot.  He is becoming more independent and verbal, and that provides a lot of comic relief.  I find myself thinking a lot lately, "This is a really fun age."  Of course we still have our share of tantrums, but we're getting a little better.  I have started reading Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child, but of course this morning as I was trying to glean knowledge from it, my strong-willed child ripped it out of my hands and chucked it across the room.  I get my best reading done during nap time (although nap time is usually when I want as much of a break from the rigors of toddler land as I can get).  I'll say it again, his improved speech has made wiped out a lot of frustration, and added a bundle of good times.

Jude loves the beach.  He asks to go almost daily.  We go to a little pocket off of Doheny that has no waves, so it's appropriately nicknamed "Baby Beach".  It's also paddle boarding central, and we'd love to put Jude in lessons when he's old enough (I think they start at 3).  There are little kids who are about 49 times better at it than I was last time I tried.



Jude has decided being tickled is a great way to spend his time.  When he wants a tickle fest he goes over to the couch and lies down on his tummy.  Then he looks at me (or Jeff if he's home) out of the corner of his eye with a silly grin full of anticipation.  And then I pounce!

When he gets a bonk or scrape he wants a "night night" which, besides meaning sleep time, means getting snuggled.  He puts a couch pillow on the floor, grabs one of Graham's blankets, wants it wrapped around him, and then he collapses onto the pillow.  He's very particular about the blanket covering his feet entirely, and then after about 10-12 seconds of recuperation, he's up and at em again.

He figured out if he wants something out of the fridge above a certain drawer, he needs a height boost.  He stood on the Boppy and was very proud of himself.

He's starting to do this really sweet thing where, if he means business, grabs my face with his hands and says/asks most sincerely, "Go go?  Peas?"  or "Park?  Mimi?"  On Father's Day we were Sarah and Harry's in LA and Harry was sitting on the floor reading.  Jude wanted to show him a car and, sensing Harry's focus, bent over to catch Harry's eyes before proclaiming, "CAR!"  So sweet.

He recognizes the quiet electric engine sound of the Mailman, whom he calls "Money!"

He looooves to get lotion applied after the bath, and when we are at the park he is always ready and willing to get his slathering of sunscreen.  Hey, one less battle!  I'll take it!  Same with his current obsession with his fedora hat.  Let's keep that skin cancer at bay.

I got him a "wiggle scooter" off of Craigslist and he lives on that thing.  He rides it all around at the parks and in the kitchen/family room.  He takes the corners of the kitchen island at break neck speeds and has this nonchalant posture while rip snorting on that thing that makes us laugh.

A few weeks ago on one beach day, he and Lyla just kept escaping together.  They kept going over to the lifeguard tower to sit underneath and jabber and talk with each other, playing in the sand.  No matter how many times we'd bring them back to our camp, they'd just try to sneak away again.  I kept having visions of them sneaking out as 16-year-olds on warm summer nights to go get slurpees.  Now it's their new thing; whenever they get together, they want to have their own secret little hang outs far away from everyone else.  Now that I'm writing this it's making me stressed out....

Jude gets to go on weekly toots with my dad/Papa.  Jude sees him coming and runs to get his shoes out of the shoe basket, and brings them to me yelling, "Toot!  Bye!  Papa!"  Thanks, bud.

He is not interested in potty training, but my next door neighbor whose last 2 sons are the same ages as mine said she just pulled the plug on her 2-year-old anyway.  I think in a week or two I might do the same; changing his diapers is getting OLD.

He now says, "Love you" which was one of the all-time best moments, period.

He says "boat" like "butt" which always makes me think of Finding Nemo.

Speaking of Disney/Pixar, I think we're going to take him to the theater when Planes comes out.  I think he might like it just a titch.

He counts to 2, which is pretty cute.  He gets a gummy vitamin every day, but always asks for more.  I've been saying, "No, you've already had yours, and you just get one today."  Then one day he responded to that with puppy dog eyes in full effect and a "Two??"  No buddy, but I'll definitely use gummy bears as your potty training reward.  He'll point to himself and Graham, saying, "One, two, one, two."  Ug -- I am going to maybe eat him, he's so cute!

He greets absolutely everybody that passes by, and usually wants to show off his cars to people.

His cheeks still jiggle when he runs.

He walks around with a purpose 90% of the time. 

If I ask him where something is, he always says, "Hmmmmmm" even if he already knows where it is and is heading right for it.

Before I can even get him out of his crib in the morning he is asking to "Go go??"  Being at home is torture.

His voice volume (near constant yelling) is still sometimes more than I can handle by 10 in the morning, but luckily if I start whispering to him he'll usually whisper back (for a few sentences at least).  I can't wait to show him videos when he's older of him living life at a SHOUT.  "I'M NOT SHOUTING!!! ALRIGHT I AM!!!  I'M SHOUTING I'M SHOUTING I'M SHOU--(thunk)."

Jude, high 5.  You're awesome.

ME

What's been going on with ME lately, I know you are ALL dying to know.

When I wake up in the morning, I think, "Man, I am TIRED."  But then a split second later I'm already wondering, "How can I keep Jude and Graham happiest today?"  The key to Jude's heart is to remain in motion and, even better, do so outdoors.  Usually we are outta the house by 9.  Doing anything.  I'm walking with Graham strapped to me while Jude rides his scooter around the neighborhood, and we stop at a few parks along the way.  We go to Pretend City, or a splash pad, or the beach.  We go to our favorite park a couple miles away and meet friends.  We go to this one so often I've gotten to know a few of the moms that are also regularly there.  This week when there were some older punk kids (probably ages 7 and 6) who were bossing around Jude, scolding him, and otherwise power tripping on him, I felt totally comfortable dishing it back to them because I sort of felt like the park was my turf (and my son is definitely my turf).  Jude, by the way, didn't really seem to notice that they were being rude, but I guess this is protective me.  ("He already has a mom, you don't need to boss him around.  If you don't want to share your toy, you don't have to.  Don't go on and on about it and lecture him."  ETC.  The nanny seemed pretty checked out, too.)

Anyway, I am lucky to have good friends in the area with kids that Jude loves to play with.  I feel like I'm getting a little collection of activities that accommodate all of us.  That is solid gold, and I'm so grateful.

I've also changed my seasons tune.  I have always been a winter girl.  I may be evolving into a year-round girl.  I'll never stop loving the fall and winter holidays and the coziness thereof, but the kid-approved activities that are what summer is ALL ABOUT are just tickling my fancy.  And hey, I'm not pregnant this summer, so I have nothing to complain about with the weather that keeps getting toastier.

Anyway, with all these awesome circumstances, here are things I need to figure out, and/or complaints:

- Complaint #1: My hair has been falling out for almost 2 months now, in true post-partum fashion.  Buckets of stupid hair shedding all over the place.  Please, make it stop!
- Complaint #2: Remember how disciplined I was ALLLLL during Graham's pregnancy?  I worked out 6 days a week, ate reasonably, and gained 30 lbs.  Well guess what: it was lame, because both pregnancies now, I've just lost everything but the last 15-20 lbs pretty much immediately, and as long as I'm nursing those lbs won't budge.  The only incentive to repeating the pregnancy health fest with the next baby is just that it was easier WHILE I was pregnant to live life with 30 extra pounds as opposed to 70.  Hmph.  I am actually very frustrated about this, but I've had a few months accept it and am sucking it up for the sake of not paying for formula, and oh, the additional health benefits of breastfeeding my infant as long as I can :).
- Complaint #3: I AM TIRED.  Lately I feel more tired than I did when Graham was a newborn.  I texted my mom a few weeks ago, "I don't remember feeling this tired with Jude, but could it be because of nursing?  I feel like I've been hit by a Kenworth most of the time."  My mom said, and I could hear her laughing in her text, "Merzy!  It's because you have 2 small children!  You're 'on' ALL the time."
- I-MUST-FIGURE-OUT #1: how my morning routine can include working out, showering, and getting out the door for errands and/or to a play date before 10am.  I have never been able to do all of those things successfully together.  Come on, people, it's been 4.5 months.
- I-MUST-FIGURE-OUT #2: I'm trying to get meals planned for the week so I can grocery shop 1-2 times a week instead of like 4 (which is what happens when I decide what to make for dinner at the beginning of every day).  It's pretty crappy when you have to run to the store at 4:30 to grab something to schlep something together.  It's so much easier to have it all planned in advance, but that means 1-2 LONG grocery store trips, or trips to multiple stores if I want to get the best deals on different items, and some days Jude just BRINGS IT and I have to not pick that battle.

Not withstanding these lame-o things, I am really happy.  I'm trying really hard to just enjoy my days and let the things I can't control roll to the gutter in the bowling alley of life.

Ok based on my last sentence I think it's safe to say bedtime has come.

Melissa's Bridal Shower

My friend Melissa got MARRIEEEED!!!!  I can't remember when I've been so excited for a non-family wedding.  This girl has been through it, and after some rough trials in her life, so many wonderful things have fallen into place.  The wedding was a couple of weeks ago, and every time I see her pop up on Instagram, my heart sort of swells because she is GLOWING.  More to come on the wedding, but we loved hosting this bash at my house.  Lisa and I have done 7 (or 8?) showers together in the last 2.5 years, and the next one is up in August or September!  We are getting a system down that helps cut unnecessary costs, my house is a pretty good central location since we're typically inviting people that live anywhere from LA to San Diego, and we love to shower people for whatever event needs showering.  I used to feel embarrassed or guilty when I'd be on the receiving end of a shower.  It's a lot of attention and I'd feel bad for putting people out.  But now I've realized it's GREAT to be on the hosting end!  It's GREAT to attend these things!  It is gratifying to know that someone is getting an easier start to motherhood or marriage, and of course to feel some of that love from friends and family as the big day draws close.  

And that is how I feel about Bridal and Baby Showers.  Happy Shower, Mel.  We ALL love you.

Eaton Family Reunion 2013

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Eaton family had its first Family Reunion in Duck Creek (Crick?), Utah.  It was strange that we've arrived at this phase of life, but it was so much fun, I'm glad we're here. Here are some pics:

I always catch Harry giving Sarah the most adoring looks.  Loooove is a many splendored thiiiiiing.  This is how they can often be found: sharing a couch and reading.

Classic mom.

Ian's presence turned Jude into a much more independent tike.  Usually Jude wants me to be in his line of vision at all times.  After this family reunion, he's much more comfortable to go play in the backyard or at the park without me at his heels.  They had so much fun throwing things off this deck to the ground (or parked cars) below (like about 7 cans of Coke Zero and tons of Hot Wheels), riding their cars, sliding, and engaging in other forms of mischief.

I had a box full of jewelry I hadn't opened in about 3 years, so I brought it and let my nieces Sadie and Julia have at it.  Who's their favorite aunt now??  Holler!

Of course we dibble dabbled in hair and nails.  Kacie's blonde hair is inspiring me to lighten mine....
Also I did some bomb manicures and pedicures on Sadie and Julia (also why I'm the favorite aunt -- holler!).

Cozy naps.  I could go for one right now.

We had a brief run with Family Olympics.  I was "in charge" and hacked 2 events from my SIL Angie from my OTHER family's Family Reunion in St. Jorge last summer.  Yes, only 2 events.  And they were the only ones involving food.  But the wood floor in the cabin would've resulted in some broken angles (and beyond) if we'd done a gunny sack race, and also, I'm lazy (or tired and busy). 

So we did a donut eating contest, one round with the big kids (Sam, Sadie, and Julia), and one with little kids (Jude and Ian).  We picked up the donuts in Cedar City right before we went up the mountain to Duck Creek, and since we were close to the end of the drive and the kids were getting cranky, Jeff offered to run in and get them while we kept the kids contained in the car.  He came out with a box of very fancy and glorious donuts, and since there were some without holes and thus couldn't be strung up, the adults had their own "contest" after.  And when I say "contest" I mean we enjoyed them without any strings attached.  And in true Eaton girl fashion, about each of those donuts were siphoned away at until they were gone.  Because things don't have as many calories when you only cut a piece off every 7-20 minutes.  The other event was blowing bubbles with frozen Bazooka gum.  Kris won that one -- the prize was the rest of the bag of Bazooka :).  

Sam won this event.  He's a 10 year old boy with a 6'6" dad and 5'10" mom.  His scarfing skills are well-honed.

I love my Sadie girl.

Cameron, if I had a nickel for every time you pulled this face in a picture last-minute, I'd buy a house in Bermuda and only let you visit if you promised to never pull this face in a picture ever again.

Jammy time.  And then Jeff and I can sit down time, because bedtime is just around the river bend.

Donut Eating Contest for the little kids: hilarious and cute.  They were thrilled at what was before them, puzzled for its presentation, and then annoyed that it made life difficult.  Cheating quickly happened and obviously no one cared.

Your donut ship will come in, my child.  

I never had to look very far for someone to hold and entertain G while I had to go do _____.

I always felt bad for Elizabeth's kids being so much older than any other cousins, because they'd get so bored at reunions.  Actually, all of the big kids are very good with babies and Jude, and they give such sweet attention, they never acted bored or put out.

Twins!  And I have to give props to Aunt E: Jude woke up anywhere between 5:30 (so 4:30 California time) and 6:00 each morning.  Since all 4 of us were in the same room, he'd wake up and be like, "Oh YES!  There's mom and dad; they can't hide now!  Party time!"  And since he'd wake up Graham if I let him cry for any amount of time, I had to appease him.  Each morning when Elizabeth heard my pitter patterings in the main room, instead of barking to keep it down from her own room (which would've been fair/understandable), she'd mosey on up to help me.  She'd help me put on movies, get breakfast for Jude, bring me a Diet Coke, etc.  If it were me I'd have taken the sleep :).  Thanks Elizabeth!  And also, then we got more time to talk.

Mom, J, and Kacie post-church.  We went to a local Branch which was so highly attended that day we were put in an "overflow room" down the hall from the chapel with the meeting coming through the intercom.  We were all dying laughing during every hymn because the organist was playing like a death march and every time we'd finish a verse, we'd realize everyone else in the chapel was at least a line behind us. 

Who wouldn't want this guy fighting Orange County fires??  (That's his career plan -- and I think based on this picture alone he could get a job at any station he pleases.)

I could not love him more.

Motherhood looks good on you, Sar!

And here's the whole kit and caboodle!  A bunch of people I love to love.  Until next time!  And thanks, Reynolds Fam, for letting us use your awesome cabin!

Graham: 4 Months

My cracker is doing great.

Compared to Jude he still seems so tiny, so I was surprised to find out at his check up that he's off the charts in length, in the 85th percentile for weight, and 99th percentile for his head.  "It's like sputnik!"  Quoting that movie makes me feel old.  At one time it did not age me to know lines from that movie.

He continues to be pretty awesome.  Graham currently

• sleeps through the night.
• ate rice cereal once so far with a puzzled expression.
• loves his binky but also his hands.  This never appealed to Jude, and as far as I know, any of my parents' children.  Before I sleep trained him, I went in one night to feed him and he had begun sucking on his thumb.  Full on, Linus style thumb slurping with his index finger resting against his nose.  I pulled it right out and put in the binky.  I do not want to have to put quinine on his thumb at some point like Rhett Butler did.
• sits facing forward in the stroller.
• smiles at Jude and watches his every move.
• belly laughs with Jeff.
• is becoming a distracted nurser.
• loves to stand and climb up on my hips when I hold him.  I love this stage.
• and one of my favorite things, grabs things and brings them to his mouth, thus squishing squishy objects into his squishy face.  There is something so endearing to me about the chewing and slurping on little toys.
• rolls over from his tummy to his back, and scoots all around.
• has sprouted his first 2 bottom teeth!  It's drool city around here, no surprise since he's my offspring.

When he wakes up in the morning he scrunches up his face all disoriented and I smile at him waiting for him to stop long enough to see me there.  When he does, his sweet Graham grin spreads across his porcelain face and we beam at each other.  I don't want him to ever grow up, but thinking about his latest milestones reminds me that he just is.  I had no idea every day I schlepped through my pregnancy that such a feeling of fulfillment would come with this addition.  My friend Annie told me days before Graham arrived that you think that with the baby that makes you a mother, you have no more room in your heart for another one, but your heart grows, and love is a crazy phenomenon (or something like that).  It's too true -- I didn't think I needed anything else besides Jude.  Now, a life without Graham wouldn't work.

Thanks for being our baby, G.

TV

1. Avoid these movies like the bubonic plague:

• Hemingway and Gelhorn (awkward and flat)
• Pitch Perfect (obnoxious and flat)
• Broken City (horrible and flat)
• The Hatfields and the McCoys (depressing and flat)

2. I'm still on a Mindy Project kick.  Jeff never saw this invasion of Mindy Kaling coming.  I can't help it, I love it.  Jeff surprised me with her book and it made me chuckle out loud, I related to some of the things she had to say, and despite a few bad words it was a great, quick little thing.

3. See below for more details, but after nixing Thomas the Train from our house, Jude's riding the Bob the Builder wave.  When the theme song comes on he gives me his "OH MY GOSH!" face, and then shakes his booty.  It is perfect for him.  Construction cars and heavy machinery galore.  Plus, it showcases a couple (Bob and Wendy) that work well together, and they get into specifics of Bob's contract jobs.  "I was up all night laying linoleum in City Hall!" or "We still have to install the pergola and fence!" Jude thinks all those projects are awesome.  We turn it on as we do diapers/get dressed/breakfast in the morning, and if there's time before bed where we're waiting for Jeff to get home.

4. Thomas the Train -- what the heck??  As a teen, when I babysat children who watched that show, (then narrated by Ringo Starr) it just seemed creepy.  Then when Jude wanted to watch it, and I started paying attention to the dialogue, it was all sorts of horrible. Forget the fact that it uses really cheesy phrases endlessly. It is, in every episode, all about a bunch of insecure, scene-stealing, jealous, passive-aggressive, gutless anthropomorphic trains.  And I hear myself say these things and know I must be crazy, to be so wound up over a kids' show, but who is writing this stuff???  And for kids?? The characters are constantly being rude and condescending to each other, and then ruining things by trying to sneakily get ahead of the other trains, and when they are caught and chastised, they say "Oh dear, I am not a very useful engine."  THE END.  And next episode, start it all over again, because no one in this show can do anything else besides be lame-o.  It's been banned at our house, because it's so obnoxious, and I can't think of a single thing I want Jude to take away from this show about idiot locomotives.

5. Downton Abbey.  Sigh.  I am just now able to write about this.  First season = gold.  Second season = gold.  I waited impatiently for Season 3, which turned out to be the season that saw a parting of the ways.  For Lady Sybill, Matthew, reportedly Lady Violet, and (sniff sniff) me.  I don't think I can bear to watch Season 4.  

But actually, this deserves its own entire blog post, for there is much to say.  And right now I'm sleepy.

6. I'm also on an on-again, off-again Gilmore Girls stretch.  How many times have I seen each season now?  I don't know, but it's a lot.

7. The Office.  It's been horrible for the last 2-3 seasons.  They had to start trying much too hard, stretching things much too far, and I only hung on this season because it was the last.  But I will say that when Steve Carrell made his cameo in the finale, I was suddenly tearing up!  I know, I know, I surprised even myself.  Oh wait, I cry at the drop of a hat ever since having a baby back in 2011.  I think I cried because I love the idea I have in my head of who Steve Carrell is.  One of my favorite movies is Dan in Real Life, a movie in which he is a totally hilarious sweetheart.  And in Mindy Kaling's book she goes on and on about how kind and warm he is, and how patiently and graciously he works.  I think I've started to think of him as a version of an uncle.  My family and I used to religiously watch Seasons 1 and 2 the summer before my mission, and that's made it sentimental.  Anyway, there you have it, it got to me all over again.  The show wrapped up nice and tidy, and even though I winced through a few seasons, the finale resonated with my tear ducts.  

The End