First "real" haircut and Season 4

My title may seem a little random and confusing, but it is just describing the events of the week, so, I guess, a more appropriate title could be "This past week...", but anyway...

Seth has the cutest hair (in my, loving/biased, opinion.) It has been so fun and I love the curls and how cute it has grown. About 2 weeks ago, Matt and I decided he needed a haircut because his bangs were always in his eyes and it had been awhile since Ben's brother, Clark, (who trimmed it in the past) had cut it. Matt, teasingly, suggested we buzz it so it can grow like Wade's and they can have the same style--of course I was horrified at this suggestion because I love Seth's hair so much (not that Wade's hair is bad, I love his style too, but Wade's doesn't have any curl to it, so the spiky style is great for him not Seth!)

After waiting a week for the hair wax to wash out (see two posts ago), I took Seth to a cute little salon for kids. Matt said it would be a waste of time and money and they would end up buzzing his hair because Seth would be too wiggly during the trim and ruin it. I thought that if there was any place that would be able to cut his hair, it would be a kids salon--after all, they have to be used to kids freaking out over hair cutting, right?

The salon was darling and Seth did a great job waiting his turn. The stylist was super nice and patient with him. With some minor resistance we were able to trim his bangs. I couldn't bear the thought of ruining the length and style of the rest so that is all I would let her do. I think it turned out great. Matt thinks he needed a trim on the rest, but I need more time to prepare myself! :) I think Matt made me too nervous at the thought of a buzz, I just couldn't risk it!Wade started his 4th season of soccer a couple of weeks ago and is loving it! As mentioned before, he is EXTREMELY competitive and loves to play. It is a lot of fun to watch how much he has improved over the past year.

His coach (Jackson's dad) even started trying, Wade, out in actual positions. Wade was assigned to defense, which he thought was pretty great. Even though he would be back by the opposing team goal when the teams would kickoff, he still managed to find his way up the field and stealing the ball (from whomever has it--including his own teammates) to go for the goal.

He has a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for the game. We continue to work on his teamwork skills :), but he gets better each game and understands a little more what playing soccer is all about! SO much fun! I guess I better get used to sports with 3 little boys in my family!

Favorite Shirt

Many of you have little girls and many of those little girls LOVE to dress up. I have either read or heard about your daughter's wearing their "princess" gown the second they walk in the door or the outfits they choose to express themselves. As we all know, I just have boys and you may think that I do not have to face any of these "dress-up" situations, but I am here to say it is quite the contrary.Wade LOVES AND ADORES his "Phoenix Suns" t-shirt. You may have noticed him wearing it in many of the pictures I have posted in previous blogs and you may have even wondered if I ever change his clothes. Well I do, but when we are home (like a lot of you with your girl's), I let him wear what he wants and 9 times out of 10 it is this t-shirt.

The moment we get home from anywhere, he beelines to his room and changes his clothes. Unless it is washing, he will always choose his "Suns" shirt. Matt loves this and, actually, encourages it. We LOVE the "Suns" and it is fun to watch our little boy like them too.

I believe Wade loves his shirt as much as he does because it makes his dad proud! He also loves to play, watch and talk basketball with Matt. Steve Nash is a favorite in our home by all of its members.

At this point, it hasn't got out of hand. He listens when I tell him to change back into his other clothes so we can leave our house so I, really, don't have a lot of room to complain. I just thought I would let you "girl" moms out there know that you aren't alone in this boat!

Terrible Two's

I knew this post was coming--especially after the Christmas we had in Utah. Let me preface everything I am about to type by saying that I love my, little Seth so much. He is a wonderful son and is so important to our family. When he is sweet he is like sugar, but when he isn't (which is most of the time these days), he is a handful.

I keep trying to remember when the "terrible two's" started for Seth. Matt and I have decided it was back in August, about two months before his second birthday. I think the reason Seth's "terrible two" phase seems rougher then Wade's is because Seth was SO SWEET for so long. I never thought he would be mischievous, sassy, throw tantrums, hit and pinch or scream, which are the characteristics that describe most of his days right now. I could probably list 20 different stories that would define what I am talking about, that have all taken place the past few months, but I will stick to just a few.

One of the worst moments for me, as a parent, is when my child learns to climb out of the crib. Seth learned this while we were in Utah. He didn't want to go to bed and I can't blame him. He enjoys spending time chasing the kitty and playing with Ampa, but it was 9pm and if any of you know me well enough, you know that is WAY past my kids' usual bedtime of 7pm sharp.

I put him in his pack and play and he was screaming at the top of his lungs to get out. I left him and walked out of the room. While standing in the living room and talking with my family, I continued to hear Seth scream, when all of the sudden the screams started getting closer and closer followed by, a beaming, Seth opening the bedroom door.

It was one of those moments when you want to be serious and scold your child, but it is TOO FUNNY! He caught me off guard and it was REALLY hard not to laugh. Trying my best not to smile, I picked him up, carried him in the room and he went back in the play pen. To make a long story short, it took me sitting in the room for over an hour until he finally fell asleep. If you think Seth is hard normally try him on less sleep--not a fun time!

I thought once we got back home and to our routine, things would get back to normal, but that isn't the case. He was able to climb out of his crib as easy as the pack and play so we have had to take the front of the crib off and turned it into a toddler bed.
He, actually, does pretty well. He will open his door and peek his head out, sometimes run into my room and try to climb on the counter and often spends most of his sleeping time on the floor by his door, but he will stay in his room if we tell him too. I guess it isn't all bad!

Some of the other things Seth spends his time doing are: getting knives out of the drawers and the dishwasher and running around with them. I have had to resort to keeping all my knives in the upper cabinets and leaving them in the sink until I start the dishwasher where I immediately put them away when the wash is done.

He also scooped 80% of Matt's hair wax into his hair and it took about 20 washes, a special shampoo and a week's time until it was gone! He moved a chair to the counter and got a packet of "Carnation Instant Breakfast", took it into the living room, dumped it on the chair and was licking his finger and dipping it into the pile of chocolate powder (thank goodness for scotch guard--it all came out!)

Each day he tries a new trick and I try to stay ahead of him (or, at least, keep up) to prevent him from hurting himself or others. The best thing about all of this is that I know it will pass. Wade was just as "terrible" and he has grown out of it, so there is hope!

Although, he is a handful, I wouldn't trade it for anything. No one can hug and love me like Seth. It melts my heart when he talks to me with his little voice and says "I love you, mom", or when he folds his arms for a prayer and blesses Jack Sparrow (his FAVORITE pirate!), or when he reaches up and says "Hold ya me" and just wants to be held. All the "terrible two" behavior is worth it when we have those precious moments (no matter how far and few they may seem, right now :)!)

Christmas

I kept thinking that once January came, my life would suddenly be calm and back to normal, well we are a week into January and I have yet to feel any of those feelings. Hence, my Christmas post a mere two weeks late. I am sorry, to be posting about Christmas, but I can't let our trip to Utah go undocumented. So for those of you who have put away your tree's, recorded your memories and left all thoughts of Christmas for another year--here is one last blog post to keep the Christmas spirit going for a little longer :)!

We were able to spend Christmas in Utah this year. I completed all of my pre-Christmas duties (mailed Christmas cards, handed out neighbor treats, Christmas shopping and preparing my house, calling and kids for a two week vacation) by December 14th. It was a challenge, but I managed to do so without too many problems!

We packed up and headed for Southern Utah. After spending the night in Cedar, getting my hair colored (finally!) and eating at the BELOVED "Pizza Factory," we drove to Delta, UT and met Matt's family at his sister, Elaine's, home. After a day of catching up, a cousin gift exchange and chocolate-making extravaganza (these are my sister-in-laws who are caramel/chocolate pretzel connoisseurs) we made our way over to the annual "Roper Family Christmas Party" at the Oak City Town Hall.

As always, it was so much fun to visit and catch up with Matt's extended family. They had a band this year so the kids enjoyed dancing around and learning some moves from Granny Roper! This day was, also, significant because it was Seth's first time seeing and touching snow in real-life. It was no surprise, that he LOVED it and had no problem with the cold. To him, snow is an added accessory to his world of fun outside!

Following the party, we made our way to, good ole', Sandy, UT. Matt flew home to work and I stayed behind with the boys at my dad's house. The boys spent the week chasing Ampa's kitty, playing in the snow, pulling down and terrorizing all of Paula's Christmas decorations, getting babysat by Ampa and Paula almost each night (thanks you guys!) and playing with our family and friends in town.

It was a challenge to be on my own because Seth is EXTREMELY busy and kept me running! Some of the greatest moments in Salt Lake were: going to dinner with Okubo and Cone--my best friends from high school, going to dinner with some of my other close high school friends and their wives, visiting the Salt lake Temple grounds with my kids, Jess, Ben and Logan to see the lights, doing a temple session with my dad and Jess and, the best part was, when Matt flew back on Friday (the 21st) and we went to the Rasmussen family Christmas party at my grandma's house!

Just about every Christmas I have ever had has been at my Grandma and Grandpa Rasmussen's house, so it was a real treat to be with my dad's family and celebrate our tradition! The food and company could not be beat!

The next day, we packed up again and headed back to Cedar. That night, we had a reunion party with all of our old college friends (Matt's friends he grew up with!) This was SOOOOO much fun! Matt and I are proud alumni of SUU and a lot of our amazing college experience is due to our wonderful friends we were able to attend school with. There is not another group of people (aside from my family) where I feel so comfortable, loved and can laugh with like these friends. It was so wonderful to see everyone and to know they are all doing so well!

Christmas Eve was busy and fun! The kids decorated cookies for Santa, played "Christmas Bingo" (thanks Mer!) and had a wonderful time running around with their cousins! Gary and Shirley prepared a delicious meal and served quite a crowd. Following dinner we had the annual "Roper program" where the grandchildren (and adults) can showcase their talents for the family. Wade and Seth sang "Jingle Bells", the other kids played the piano and also sang.

The spirit was so strong and I felt so blessed to be there with my family and share the true meaning of Christmas with my children. It was incredible to sing Christmas hymns with Matt's family (his Mom taught choir and his family is all musically blessed so everything sounded so beautiful!)

Christmas morning was a lot of fun! The kids were so excited with each present they opened. They gleefully screamed and thanked whomever the gift was from. Wade was, especially, excited that Santa ate the cookies he had decorated for him! The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing Matt's Christmas present: "GUITAR HERO!" (Thanks Ju and John!) He was thrilled to get it and it kept all of us busy and entertained!

If any of you are still reading this LONG post, I am sorry, we were gone a long time! The day after Christmas we made the drive home. Although it was a wonderful Christmas, there is no place like home! We were so happy to be back and get back to our routine! So, belated Merry Christmas, hope it was as great for you as it was for us!