My Little Chunk is Six Months Old!

The clock has yet to strike midnight ... so technically, I can still post a

"Happy Six Months of Being a Bost" ... right?

Some vital statistics:
Weight: 15.125 pounds 30th percentile
Length: 26 inches 50th percentile
Head: 47 ???? 48th percentile
Teeth: NONE
Drool: LOTS
Shots: First one today ... the nurse poked him and in typical Eli form, no tears ... he just looked at her ... a bit confused ... but not a hint of anger in his bones! Man, he's laid back!
Words: Ben swears he said "Da Da" today ... hmm, why is that always the first thing to come out of their mouths???

Is time flying by, or what???

That's What I Get ...

I've had these shirts for awhile now ... hoping that at some point, I might get the boys to a professional photographer for a Mother's Day photo session. I have put those dreams on hold as the GERM of the century has passed through our house. I wasn't thinking that red noses were something I wanted to remember for the rest of my life with an 11x14 glossy.

And then ... before the GERM left our house, it decided to have its way with my head! The only benefit I can gather to feeling this lousy is that Joshua's screams are not quite as loud when your ears are clogged. A friend mentioned trying the SinuCleanse (I know ... some of you are getting your inner Christina Aguilera out right now with that genie bottle) ... I'm not sure if it's working or we paid for a bit of comic relief??

So ... since the temperature is rising and putting Eli in that cute sweater might be considered some form of torture if I wait any longer ... I decided to put on my own Mother's Day photo session. Um ... yep ... that went about as well as I was thinking it might! If the above photo is any indication of J How's true feelings for Eli ... this was his response to my request that he give Eli a kiss ... head poking. It went from there to him bending back Eli's ear ... before I excused J How to play and just decided to take on one Bost at a time.

Eli is "speaking" for all of us ... He's much happier that J How has left the couch!

And in a moment of weakness ... or could it have been How giving into my desperate pleas and promises of MANY yum yum treats ... he sat for ONE photo! Yes, I too heard the choirs in heaven erupt with the Hallelujah Chorus ... ONE PICTURE ... PERFECTION!
Now I can go back to my Kleenex and Tylenol PM ...
a much happier (but still mostly clogged up) mother!

WHICH ONE IS ELI?

A

B

A

B

Any guesses?

Bost Jam Session ...

Second to Mook ... J How is IN LOVE with his "tar!" They go everywhere together. Joshua has given concerts to the chiropractor, the neighbors, the fantastically gracious workers at Fresh and Easy ... you name it ... they've all heard his rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Although my favorite song of his is "O Donald had a jaguar!"

Got to love a little father/son guitar playing!

Music to our ears! And yes, I do realize that my child is now calling himself, "Joshie!" Totally not being encouraged ... nonetheless ... it continues!

A very happy crowd! Worth the price of admission!

You're It ...

What Was I Doing 10 Years Ago?
1998 ... I was finishing up my student teaching at Cherokee Elementary School in Paradise Valley. I taught 3rd grade and then a special education class. I had moved back home from NAU and started tutoring our next door neighbor. Which lead to me working in a kindergarten class the following year. To this day, I'm CERTAIN that many of those children will need therapy as adults - directly as a result of my teaching influence! I am NOT cut out for kindergarten. Too many tears, an insufficient use of soap and sanitizer and a total lack of knowledge for tying shoes! One can only take so much torture! Besides ... my sarcasm worked far better with the middle schoolers!

Five Things on Tomorrow's To Do List (It's already 8pm and I'm just ready to move everything over to a fresh day):
1. Try to get both boys completely out of their jammies and into NORMAL clothes by lunchtime. (Yesterday, I was only mildly successful!)
2. Give neighbor boy a piano lesson.
3. Tidy up downstairs so I can fool the people in our Bible study that my WHOLE house is that clean!!
4. Buy bread and salad for Bible study potluck.
5. Take pictures off of camera from Joshua's 2nd birthday ... (Who am I kidding? They'll still be on there when he turns 3!)

Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Popcorn - cooked on the stove with lots of oil! I think I'll make that for dinner!!
2. Mint Oreos
3. Yogurt covered pretzels
4. Tortilla Chips dipped in FRESH cottage cheese
5. Salt water taffy


Five Things I Would Do If I Became a Billionaire:
1. Buy an RV for Ben so we could cruise around the country and serve different golf tours... having BBQ's and a place for the players to hang out. (It's his DREAM to do this ... and I'd need a billion dollars to find an RV big enough to fit the whole crew and all of our stuff!)
2. Buy a vacation home in Idaho and one in Oregon with enough land for our extended families to visit or build a place of their own.
3. Crank the air-conditioning down to ridiculously low levels during the summer months ... versus my current plan of going to the frozen food aisle of COSTCO to cool off!
4. Hire a maid, a personal chef and Clinton Kelly and Stacy London as wardrobe consultants. Can you imagine what one could get done in a day if all of your cleaning, cooking and wardrobe issues were in another's hands??
5. Invest it and send my kiddos to Surrey Garden :)


Five Bad Habits:
1. I tend to express myself quite freely ... occasionally without thinking first!
2. I will vacuum one room of the house, get distracted and leave the vacuum cleaner plugged in for days! (I'm okay with that one but apparently it drives Ben NUTTY!)
3. I'm a stacker. I LOVE PILES! (I really want to get rid of them but they keep coming back ... so secretly ... I must love them!)
4. I am awful at answering the phone and not so great about returning messages. Which could be why when a friend calls and I actually pick up they say, "HOLY COW!"
5. I procrastinate like it's a full time job!

Five Places I've Lived:
1. Smithville, MO (where I was born)
2. Parker, CO
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Portland, OR
5. Flagstaff, AZ

Five Jobs I've Had:
1. The Grand Canyon Railway ... "Thank you for calling the Grand Canyon Railway. This is Carrie. How can I help you?" Dumbest question ... there were so many ... Can I take the train from Hawaii? Does the train go to the bottom of the canyon? YIKES, people!
2. Counselor at Eagle Lake Camp ... with The Navigators
3. Private Tutor for autistic children
4. 8 years as a 6th-8th grade middle school teacher
5. Full-time mom to 2 ... definitely the most tired and frazzled I've ever been ... but also the most rewarding!

Tagging .... Rachel S, Ann M, Marianne, Angie, Janna and Amy T.

A Happy Heart ...

Lately, I've been talking to Joshua about having a happy heart ... that Jesus wants us to be kind and loving to others and that we show we are kind by having a happy heart. Basically, having a happy heart means we don't yell and scream and we make sure to listen (and OBEY!!). You get the idea!

So ... the other night at dinner, I was feeding Joshua and he bursts out with a crazy, loud scream. I quickly reminded him about having a happy heart - perhaps in a slightly irritated tone. (Just slightly!!)

Without skipping a beat ... How looks at me and says, "Mom needs happy heart!"

Ahhh ... out of the mouths of babes!

How with his "I Heart Mom" bath tattoo!

HAPPY 60th Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Bella! When we told J How that it was Bella's birthday this morning and that she was sixty ... he said, "Six-tee? No!!!" Hard to believe, huh??!!!

We headed to Joe's Farm Grill for a birthday burger and shake! You can't get any better than a fresh strawberry shake with a blue cherry on top!

Sweet picture of the big boys walking together!

J How and Eli had a race! But when Eli started to win, Joshua quickly went to Ben and asked to be carried. J How needed to make sure that his little bro had NO advantages!

The 30 year photo! To be included ... you had to be 30 years apart from somebody else ...

Eli: 0, Me: 30 and Bella: 60!
My whole life I've been convinced that I was adopted but as I get older ... my mom and I are starting to look more and more alike! Good thing she looks so good at 60!

And what does a gal turning 60 need? A basket bull of PARTY CHICKS! I had a blast making these ... such a change from my typical routine. I got back in touch with my inner-crafter!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA! WE LOVE YOU!

SPRING FLING ... Agritopia Style!

Several times a year, our community has an event ... usually involving lots of games and lots of yummy food! On Saturday, the annual SPRING FLING arrived and the day was filled from sun up to sun down with enough fun to thoroughly exhaust ANY human over the age of 30!

We walked 50 yards from our house, rode in a firetruck, saw a hot air balloon and Joshua licked the entire top off of this very gooey donut! Silly me, I showed him the entire box of donuts and actually asked which one he wanted. Hmmm ... was I kidding myself to think he'd pick anything other than the most decorated one there??

After he was filled to the brim with sugar, it was off for the annual egg hunt. Joshua found TONS of eggs and we left with our fill of anything and everything small that can be purchased at The Oriental Trading Company. You can never have enough Elmo tattoos and fish keychains!

We had a small break in the afternoon ... time enough for a nap and to see Ben before he trekked off to the NASCAR race. Then ... it was back in the wagon and back for more fun!
J How LOVED the slide! He needed help the first time but quickly became an expert! I think I'm going to coordinate his birthday party next year with the Spring Fling ... who would notice 15 more kids?

And then ... came the time we had been looking forward to all day long. FREE DESSERT! Desserts were provided by The Coffee Shop and if you've been there ... you know they serve the YUMMIEST desserts. Joshua picked a cupcake and I got the caramel brownie. We picked our seats right in front of the band and I ate my entire brownie in seconds! Joshua, on the other hand, never touched his! Why, you might ask? I suppose if J How has to choose between dessert and music ... it's MUSIC all the way!
J How brought his own guitar along ... just in case the band needed backup. And ... he got his chance! One of the members asked How to rock out with them on stage!

Eli is obviously not thrilled that he has to endure yet another J How rock and roll performance!

And for your viewing pleasure ... J HOW ... and his plastic guitar!

It Only Took 5 Months ...

I love giving Joshua a bath.  I think of it as a 40 minute water retreat.  He's occupied, quiet and getting clean ... why not leave him in there?  But Eli ... giving Eli a bath is another story (shh ... that's why he hasn't had very many of them in his short life!)  Ugh ... the shrieks and screams that come out of my normally MELLOW YELLOW child are ear piercing.  There is no soaking ... no delaying ... no cooing or enjoyment.  You have to be prepared.  Have the water ready.  The diaper off.  The towel in place.  The whole process is painful enough and I'm a master at getting him in and out in less than a minute.  (Is there a fast bathing baby contest I can enter??)  So on Thursday ... I made all the same preparations.  Everything was set and in its place for the bath experience.  And then ... Mr. Water Hater decided to play nice.  He laughed.  Squirmed.  Kicked his feet.  He actually looked like he might be enjoying himself ... Of course then J How came in and sang (or should I say screamed) the lyrics to this weeks favorite Backyardigans song "Riding the Range" (Mikele ... I know you're singing along now!!) at the top of his lungs which sent him into hysterics ... but we might be making progress.

Look closely ... I think he might be getting hair?

WORK CAMP ... PART TWO

This week ... another business trip and can you believe ... my family came back for more WORK CAMP torture!  

J How and Big How are getting the trellis ready to dig into the ground. 

Stirring a bit of cement for a fence to block the blue and black trashcans.

And since I'm such a thoughtful task master ... I did allow everyone a break to place a phone call to my grandpa's sister ... who turned 90 on Tuesday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Aunt Olive!

No before pictures ... just the finished product.  Joshua's NEW ROOM!

Complete with a chalkboard wall :)

He's so excited his room is "a green and a yellow!"  His room still needs a couple of shelves and a few pictures ... but it's SO MUCH better than the boring tan it was a few days ago! 

My grandma thinks we should start a reality decorating show but in order to make it LIFE LIKE ... you'd not only have to decorate but entertain 2 children, invite the neighbor kids over (while their dad has an interview) and give a piano lesson.  Sound like fun?  I'm game ... as long as the kids like to be stuck in front of Jack's Big Music Show for HOURS!

WORK CAMP ... PART ONE

When the cat is away ... the mice will play.  Or as I like to put it ... when Ben goes on a business trip ... it's time to bust out the paint cans and REDECORATE!

We started in the master bathroom.  We tried to take this mirror down in a more gentle-like fashion ... but I think my mom really wanted to get out a little pent up aggression.  So ... out came the tape and the sledge hammer!  Note to self ... she might look tiny ... but watch out!
And at WORK CAMP (as my mom likes to call it) ... there is no age discrimination.  I take workers of all ages ... and as you can see ... clothing is optional. 
My grandpa (84) informed me that he wouldn't paint this room again if I paid him $100.  Good thing I got him for FREE this time around!!
And I'm all about SAFETY at work camp as you can tell from the above picture ... J How climbing the ladder ... with a screwdriver in his hand.  PARENT OF THE YEAR, I tell you!  You all might as well stop trying ... I'm totally going to win!!
The finishing touches ... the new light fixture is in ... the mirror is up ... (like the red clearance tag that's still on it!)  As for the rest of the room, I'm almost done!  Just need to get a new bedspread, a few new pillows and some stuff on the walls.  I wonder when Ben is going out of town again???

Does It Appear That He's Helping?

Look closely ... 

Exhibit A:  J How is holding Eli's bottle ... Eli is quietly munching on a plastic seahorse.

Exhibit B:  J How is contemplating his next move.  

Exhibit C:  Seahorse is abruptly removed from Eli's mouth and bottle is SHOVED into the now wide open hole (thanks in part to Eli SCREAMING!)

Ahh ... should I just be thankful How at least acknowledges Eli's existence?  Right ... I'll just count my blessings :)

Baby Audrey

I came across this blog today.  Angie is married to Todd Smith who sings with the group Selah.  She will be having a c-section on Monday to deliver Aubrey ... I highly recommend reading her blog.  Go back to read the beginning posts ... and get ready with a few Kleenex.  I sent her an email tonight .... I was so moved by her trust in the Lord and her perspective.  Really made me think ... especially in light of how I often still grieve for our Gracie Anne.

Audrey Caroline

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling ...

The Latest in Potty Training ...

Ahh ... the time spent cramped in a little bathroom just HOPING that the spirit might move J How to do a little something.  J How's attention span is a bit limited and he tries SUPER hard to distract me while he tries to slide off the toilet and sneak out of the room.  Bummer for him ... I only fell for "Look, mom.  Right der!  A window!!" ... one time!

To keep him in one spot ... I've tried many techniques.  We sing songs, count the numbers on the clock, name the animals on the towels and yesterday ... J How wanted a bit of "rock and roll."  "Tar, tar, tar!"  Apparently, a little "Old MacDonald" was just the ticket!  Yeah, J How!

I think this will make the wedding slide montage ... 20 years from now!