Other Randoms

Today I got to squeeze a huuuuuuuuuuuge zit on one of my patients' back - it was SO AMAZING and totally made my day! Kinda left a crater in her back, but don't worry, I put some antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage on it :)

Kassidy has been receiving a lot of prego clothes from friends/family. Jo fills them out better than she does, at this point :)

I got this amazingly hideous picture of River last week - rivals his 9day old passport picture (the Russian Buddha) - so ugly I wanted to just delete it, but realized I ought to hold on to it in case I need to blackmail him with it some day!
In addition to being totally pottytrained during the day (frequently entirely on his own - from pulling his pants down to dumping it into the big potty), Rio's also been either waking me up to take him pee in the middle of the night, or staying dry all night long for about the last week. However, his babysitter swears he pees all over her house and insists we bring diapers for him. Arrrrgh.

I like this picture of Rio and his Tio Cory in their matching "Seven Years in Tibet sweaters". Not sure why Cory's not smiling, nor why Rio's smile is crooked, but its fun nonetheless.

The Week in Review

River's apparent self-established goal for the week was to learn to use scissors - and he was impressively successful! Sometimes I have to help him hold the paper in place, but he's definitely got the spread-open/pinch-shut/move-forward/repeat action mastered.
Monday I was on-call (how nice to make money while not working!) all day so we couldn't stray too far from the vicinity of the hospital. Tuesday I worked all day then came home and Bobby and I put up all the Christmas decorations around the house and on the tree. When River woke up Wednesday morning and wandered around the house, he was soooooo excited - he did his little patented Riverdance-jig and exclaimed, "Woah! Too much! Baby Jesus everywhere!"

Later that day while Bobby was having her bunion surgery done, Rio and I went downtown to the Air and Space Museum ("Holy smokes! Astronaut fly to the "luna" in the rocket with fire!"), the Botanical Garden's Windows to Wonderland ("Choo-choo train going round and round! Monsters flying!") and once again the Natural History Museum ("I am a dinosaur - roaaaaar!"). He was so excited about everything - I wish I'd brought the camera to capture it!
Thursday night Jo, Kassidy and I joined some friends from church to help kids at a local Catholic church make Christmas ornaments. Friday was a work day. On Saturday afternoon my Birth Assistant made came by to get to know me and chat about my "birth plan." Saturday evening we went to Bobby and Pop's ward Christmas party where Dave was a very jolly Santa Claus - River sat on his lap and asked for a "really Jeep, please."
Sunday morning Rio, Pop, Bobby and I went to Cory's singles' ward near Mt. Vernon to hear him sing in the choir -it was quite an impressive musical showcase, but poor Rio was soooooo frustrated when I wouldn't let him run up to the stands in the middle of the performance to give Cory a huge hug and tell him "Good job singing!" Sunday night we made gingerbread houses, a first in the Cozzens/Romney household if my memory serves me - River was a huge help spreading the frosting and sticking on the decorations... and then pulling it all off to pop it in his mouth - I was just impressed that he didn't make half the mess Bobby did! :)
And that was that... on to the next week of this blessed life!

Winter Wonderland

Wahoooooooooo for HUGE snowflakes falling alllllll day long - five inches on the ground! Cory and I were just talking last weekend about how we'd love to live somewhere with LOTS of snow (for a couple years, at least) - somewhere where its just customary to snowshoe or X-country ski or snowmobile to the grocery store/school/work, where 4WD is absolutely necessary, where people are rosy-cheeked and bundled up 6 months of the year. There's something about playing outside in the cold that makes me feel sooooooo "alive" and invigorated!!! River got a big kick out of it (I don't think he remembers the snow from last year) - he had so much fun making/throwing snowballs and really wanted to build a snowman.

Anyway, Dave has final school projects and end-of-year work projects rapidly approaching so the weekend basically consisted of me trying to keep River entertained so Dave could focus. I think River did a better job entertaining me than vice versa. We made German pancakes together, made Jeeps and camels and sharks and Nike swooshes with playdough, read the Children's Encyclopedia, built and destroyed "torres", made cut-out snowflakes and colored snowmen, went swimming at the gym (this kid is SUCH a fish - he dives, or bellyflops, right in and doggie-paddles with his face submerged to the other side of the lane before I even get in the pool), picked out some new books at the library, and went with Bobby and Pop to pick out a Christmas tree. Sure was a lot of fun just being a kid all day and not thinking about or doing anything "adult" - guess now that he's asleep its time to tidy the house and do some dishes and laundry :(

The Sweetest Thing

What a way to start the day!!!
This morning when Rio crawled into bed with us, he said, "I'n a snuggle mommy" and then he pulled his binky out and puckered up to give me a huge kiss as he wrapped his little arms tight around my neck. A few seconds later - "Good morning, I'm so happy to see you, mommy!"
I wish I could share him with all the lonely, destitute, downtrodden folks in the world - he would surely warm their hearts and remind them that there is still a LOT of love in the world!!!

Z is TWO!

I really have a hard time believing I have a two year old son. He's so independent already! How time has flown, and how wonderful its been!I feel like I have grown and learned as much as River has. He has taught me so much about what's important in life and about the deepest meaning of love and joy. He has given me a glimpse of what Heavenly Father must feel for all of us - I just wish I could give Heavenly Father big huge squeezes and smiles and tell him in person how much I love Him, just as Rio does to me.

He's still about 70th%ile for height/weight and 90th%ile for head circumference. So much for the long lean kid he used to be - looks like he'll be lucky to make it to Daddy's height, and he'll have a much more solid build than either of his parents - good to know that brain is still growing in there!

So I was thinking, with the possible exception of the Jolie-Pitt kids, I think Rio might be a contender for the most places traveled from age 0-2 years... USVI and BVI, Dubai, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Germany, England, Switzerland, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda... and of course VA, DC, MD, PA, WV, VT, NH, ME, CO, UT, NV, WY, WA, OR, AZ. Sorry Rio, you won't really remember much of any of it (except the camels) and it will probably come to a relatively abrupt halt now that we have to pay for your tickets and will have Sib to bring along as well!

Let's see, what's new... he can do a forward roll on his own, he has added sharks and skate-/wake-/surf-/snowboads to his favorite things, he likes looking for monsters in the closets and under beds, he's finally starting to sing instead of making me do solos all the time. He has taken himself to go poo a few times totally on his own, without even mentioning it to me until afterwards - unfortunately that's not the case with pee and we still have to ask him every hour or so. But he's totally diaperfree except at nights - wootwoot!

Anyway, he's really been cracking me up lately with the things he says/does. Here's a few examples...........

When I asked Rio what he did today at the babysitters, he said, "I tickled baby Jaycee! I tickled baby Ana! Baby Jaycee, baby Ana laughing!" Also informed me that when the babies cried, he gave them a binky or bottle, and that he helped change their diapers. I think he's ready for a sibling, eh?
When I was getting Rio into bed tonight, he said, "Mommy, I don't want River's room. Mommy room better." Ai yai yai. We've been trying to get him to bed consistently in his room this past week or so, before Sib comes along and needs to take over Rio's spot in our bed, but I'll admit its been a struggle. We've even made an effort to get a semblance of a schedule and routine going (such a rarity in our lives!) - say goodnight and give besos to everyone, brush teeth, put on pjs, snuggle in bed and sing a few songs, pray - but he's suddenly become a very light sleeper and seems to have a 6th sense - though he appears totally sound asleep, he wakes up instantly the second we try to get up. Even naps have become pretty sparse and brief unless it happens in the car. We've even toughened up enough to try out the whole, "Let them cry themselves to sleep" suggestion a couple of times, but it basically makes all three of us (and anyone else around that has to hear it) really miserable and heartbroken. Poor little guy. I really miss falling asleep sandwiched between by two favorite boys every night, and I'm sure he's baffled as to why he suddenly got the boot. :( He has at least finally figured out that when he wakes up in the middle of the night (well, usually its around 6am) he can find us just across the hall in our room, and when he wakes up during the day, he can find us at the other end of the house.

When he puts on a piece of clothing that he knows I like, he'll proudly stick out his chest and chin and announce, "Mommy, my handsome!" Yup, you are one darn handsome kid, Rio - couldn't agree more!

Speaking of looking good, the other day Rio was playing in the sink (one of his top favorite places to spend time - I seriously think he'd sit in the sink or tub all day if I let him), then tilted his head back and started swaying his head from one side to the other, finally saying, "Mama, my hair beautiful!" Ha ha ha ha ha, I was laughing so hard! Where in the world does he get these things from?!?! Oh yeah, and then a few minutes later, he had his hands behind his head and his legs stretched out and announced he was, "Just kickin' it!" Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I think from the babysitter's kid, he's picked up the phrase, "Oh my gosh!" I'm not particularly fond of the idea of him saying that - just too close to taking the Lord's name in vain, ya know - but I can't help but crack up every time he says it. It just sounds so hilarious coming out of his little mouth - "Oh my gosh! Mommy! I found it, Jeep!!!"

He noticed that his baseballs and footballs and some of TioJose's clothes all have a similar symbol on it - and then today he found some shoes (two sizes too big, mind you) that a co-worker had passed down for Rio from her son, and since the moment he realized the shoes have the same symbol on it, he absolutely insists on wearing his "Nike swoosh shoes" all the time. Ai yai yai, how could a 2yo be so brand-conscious already?!?! :)

I love the funky little excited dance he does when he sees me walk in the door (or room), as he exclaims, "Yippeeee! Mommy! I love you!!!" Nothing better, absolutely nothing. And being able to have actual conversations on the phone with him... for example, I called from work tonight and after telling me that the block "torre" he built fell down, he let me know, "Mama, I need go peepee. I need go peepee." Um, okay, how am I supposed to respond to that at work? Start shouting into the phone, hoping Daddy will hear me telling him to take Rio to the bathroom?

Sunny Beach

For Rio's 2yo bday we really wanted to go somewhere, rather than throw a big party with junk food and a million presents; the cabins were all rented out so we decided to head down to OBX and it was wonderful (thanks to the Flanifam who offered up their beach house)! Who knew the beach could be so much fun in the end of November?!?!

We arrived Friday afternoon after an awesome drive with no traffic (it usually takes 6 hours, but it took us only 4.5!) and went straight to the beach til it got dark. It was sunny but windy - perfect conditions for kite flying! Saturday was beautiful as well and we had a great time digging holes in the sand, building castles for Rio to stomp on, jumping off/sliding down the dunes, drawing Jeeps and camels in the sand, finding treasures like conch shell egg snakes, dolphin vertebrae and huge horseshoe crab shells, going for walks, more kite flying, etc. Rio and I couldn't make it on the bike ride so we sat snuggled under a blanket on the porch overlooking the sound, and within a few minutes of singing to him, Rio was sound asleep and I enjoyed a long undisturbed hour of reading as I soaked up the sunshine.... ahhhh, priceless!

Despite my insitence that he didn't need any gifts, some people just couldn't resist the tradition - he got an awesome stuffed animal camel from Uncle Jo and Aunt Kassidy, and a cool farm set-up from Bobby and Pop. Dave and I took him to the store and let him check out all the kites and play with all the matchbox cars, Jeeps and firetrucks for a while as our "gift" :) Then the big boys dragged us all to the local bar to watch the BYU-UT football game and eat cake and ice cream - I was relieved to hear Dave say, "Remind me next time that these games are pretty boring, not worth wasting four hours of my day, and that I don't really care who wins!"
Sunday was so peaceful with a great church service with the local friendly ward and then a long slow afternoon reading books out on the porch in the warm sun and watching the sun set. Monday was Cory's 25th bday which we celebrated with Swedish pancakes, more kite flying and dune jumping, a sea kayak ride out to the duck blind (took us an hour paddling out and only 20 minutes "sailing back" using Cory's jacket and shirt) and hot tubbing - perfect end to a perfect weekend! Happy Birthday, River and Cory!

Thanksgiving Randomness

In honor and memory of all the Indians our ancestors treated so poorly, Rio, Bobby and I made this past Tuesday an Indian-themed day. We went to the NatGeo museum where we watched homemade movies by Indians of different tribes around the country, then met up with Cory and Kassi for lunch at the Indian Museum Cafe (mmmm delicious!). Rio and I read a book all about Indians, but then got sort of off-track with a Butter Chicken dinner - oops, wrong Indians. Oh, and whenever Rio sees a turkey, he says, "Peacock, gobblegobblegobble!" Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Today I was thankful to spend from 6:30am to 7:15pm at the ER - thankful that in this difficult economy I have a secure job that I truly enjoy, thankful that I didn't have to spend the day cooking, thankful that I am healthy, thankful that I am not homeless or drunk or addicted to drugs like so many of the patients we care for, and thankful that I had a comfy house full of people I love to go home to after work.

I was thankful for a low-key day at work - it was surprisingly slow today, which made me suspicious of how legitimate the "chief complaints" are on all other days. Today about 45% of the patients were flu-like-symptom kids (pediatrician offices all closed today), 45% elderly who fell, 5% hand lacerations while carving turkey and 5% penis problems. A sweet concerned mom brought her 1.5yo in worried because he had only urinated once that day, because he would scream and hold his penis every time he tried to urinate, and because his belly seemed really distended - well, yeah, if your foreskin had grown completely closed around your urethra hole, you might have a hard time urinating as well! She was definitely regretting not just getting him circumcised at birth... poor little guy.

I am also thankful for the the sweetness of the human spirit I have experienced of late due to the pregnancy. A few nurses have thoughtfully loaned me larger scrub tops to accommodate my growing belly, everyone has kind wishes of congratulations, doors are held, I am offered places at the front of the line, everyone picks up and pushes everything for me, and a sweet ultrasound tech whisked me over to her lab to do a sonogram for me. The tech was efficient and very informative, unlike the one we had at the 20wk apt, and pointed out that the baby was in an upside-down yoga tree pose, seems to have a lot of head hair already, and is definitively a girl. So now we know for sure, finally. I'm super excited; Dave seems a little worried/nervous even though I keep reminding him of what a ladies' man he is, and that he can treat her exactly the same way he treats Rio, and play tractors and cars and bikes with her. Anyway, if you come across some brown, black, blue, green, red, etc colored girls' stuff, send it our way, but not too much pink please! Oh, and another name contender - Sequoia (in honor and memory, again, of the Indians whose land we stole).

Prego Stuff

Tuesday at work was officially dubbed VagBleedDay. One lady 15 weeks pregnant going into labor. Another lady had a miscarriage a few days prior but not everything came out so she was bleeding like crazy and needed to be scraped out. Another one was having crazy heavy periods every two weeks... oh yeah, and her husband has stage 4 brain cancer (they're in their late 20s and have an 18mo son). And then there were the two women across the hall from each other who had both had two ectopic pregnancies. It was heartbreaking, depressing and could easily have freaked me out in my pregnancy had I dwelt on it.

Thursday night Dave came to the birth center to meet the midwives, see the facility and familiarize ourselves with the "processes and protocols" the group adheres to. Its an interesting group - definitely more "old school" (and cheap, in the sense that they haven't updated any of their pamphlets/videos/furniture in a long time) than the midwife group I used with Z - I always feel like I'm in a time warp there, going back twenty years, with the old slide shows they show, the birthing bedrooms that look like a grandma lives there, the blood draws sans gloves, the 1980s couches and furniture and decorations and wallpaper, etc.
Anyway, it was nice to be there with Dave and it made the whole thing a lot more real and got us excited about it - haven't really thought that much about it to this point - 2nd child syndrome I guess. My heart literally breaks knowing that I won't be able to give Rio as much of my undivided attention, but at the same time I know that my heart has grown tremendously ever since Rio was born and I feel like I have so much more room in there to love more children. And just in the last month I've finally felt like I was ready, even anxious, for another baby. I think its because Rio is so grown up now - so independent, communicating so proficiently - I've found myself recently almost missing him as a little baby!

Anyway, I'm 35.5 weeks along and things are really moving (ha ha, pun totally intended). Its all coming back, all coming back to me now (remember that song?). Getting to that point I had somehow forgotten about, when it becomes difficult to put socks on my feet, when I can only eat small amounts at a time or the baby gets squished up into my ribs and I can't breath, when there's that frequent acidic feeling in the back of my throat, when the baby spends the entire night bruising my right side ribs, when I accidentally bump into people with my belly because I forget its sticking out that far, when strangers finally feel confident in asking when I'm due, etc.
Differences this time from last - gained more weight (I've gained 25 lbs so far - last time I gained a total of 27, so unless I come to a sudden halt over these next +/-5 weeks, it looks like I'll surpass the previous record), boobs smaller but not leaking nearly as much, a little more tired during the first trimester, not as much leg cramping at night, sprouted some hideous varicose veins at the top of my R thigh that I pray will go away postpartum or I may never be seen in a swimsuit again, back doesn't seem as achy, but bellybutton as massive as last time! :) But I tell you what, I'll just keep counting my blessings because I'd definitely take any of those things over stretch marks, oedema (water retention), morning sickness or being bedridden! Oh, and this little girl definitely hasn't had the hiccups like Rio did, almost incessantly. Anyway, it will be interesting to compare the two labor/deliveries!

Everyone's asking about names... so far the top three I think are Nya (Dave's preference, from the Marley song Jump Nyabinghi, basically meaning African Queen), Zion (my preference, from Lauryn Hill's song about her son and of course the peaceful intimation it carries) and Journey (Bobby's suggestion). We shall see... suggestions are always welcome. Oh, and this is assuming she is indeed a girl, not a supremely modest boy.

Its going to be interesting to see how Rio handles the arrival of Sib. He definitely loves babies, loves being around them, kissing and hugging them, holding their hands, etc. But he definitely a) doesn't understand their fragility and b) gets jealous when I'm holding them. Should be quite a transition. We're just hoping to get him into his own bed (steeeee-rug!) and 100% in underwear by then (we have one package of 7thGen diapers left and I refuse to buy more!).... countdown is on!

Can you guess what each embryo is???

BD

Dave and I went downtown to the 9:30 Club to see Brett Dennen perform. It was such an unusual treat to have so much time with just each other! We arrived shortly after 7:00 like total nerds, not realizing that it'd be hours before Dennen actually stepped on stage. First we enjoyed the heartfelt unpolished music of Robert Frances and his band (a kind of country/alternative rock sound). Then Grace Potter and the Nocturnals graced us with their wild tunes and flashy dance moves - a very talented group, but we were frustrated with her because she kept squeezing in "one more song" while we kept glancing at our watches wondering if we'd even get to hear BD perform before we had to hurry back to pick up Rio. Thankfully, TioJose saved the day and picked Rio up for us and put him to bed. Being the old farts we are, we were pooped by the time BD hit the stage around 10:15, and his lulling voice didn't help the situation much, but we had such a lovely time just swaying in each other's arms and getting a kick out of his "low-key-ness" and slick stealthy dance moves (especially in comparison to GPN!).
Love that his entire message is about love and peace, that the whole band was dressed like dorks with button-up shirts and ties, without anything skanky or inappropriate - very refreshing! Minus the wine-drinking on stage, we really like him and are happy to support his good-cause efforts. He's this awkward 6'4'' kid (30 years old still counts as a kid, right?) with a huge mop of bright red hair and a pretty unique/bizarre voice but somehow it all works together and he makes some pretty good music. He founded The Mosaic Project which "work(s) towards a peaceful future by uniting children of diverse backgrounds, addressing issues of difference, and building self-esteem and community in our unique human-relations outdoor school." Everything started with him totally loving to chill in the wilderness, then becoming a wilderness camp counselor for troubled teens, and learning to play guitar and sing around the campfire. Wouldn't mind chillin' with him some day. Here's a link to a cool article about him in Backpackers Magazine.

Weekend on the AT

The two handsomest boys I know

Friday was rainy Rio pretending to pout

so we spent the day cleaning up the house and organizing Rio's new room while Dave blew the leaves, painted the entrance area of the house and put electricity in the kitchen island.Saturday morning we dragged Bobby and Pop out to the Appalachian Trail near Purcelville, where we went for a fun little hike with lots of rocks, an old homestead "ruin", a lovely waterfall (always need a water feature!), and a decent lookout point at the summit.

Then we met up with Missy and Nate and made our way over to Raven Rocks to check out the climbing potential there (about 30 top-rope routes) and to camp. All the wood was still damp from the weeks' downpour, so we made do with a variety of soups on our stove for dinner. Besos in the sunset

We all agreed, however, that camping just ain't the same without a campfire with marshmallows and hot chocolate. After an hour or two of stargazing and talking about embarrassing moments, we crashed early (around 8pm!) and slept soundly for the next 12 hours!

In the morning we ate oats, were entertained by Rio playing in the moss, jumping through trees, Peekaboo!

playing with stick bugs, filling the holes in the trees, and proclaiming himself "King of the Mountain!" By the time we went for another hike along the AT, the sun was out and it had warmed up to 70 degrees and we were all admittedly tempted to skip sitting inside church for three hours... but the Spirit called and we made it back just in time.
Yahoo for beautiful fall weekends!!!

Rio - TRG Winner!

We went to the Teton Gravity Research show on Thursday. The movie and entertainment quality were pretty poor though the skiing was absolutely stunning and made me feel like a total pansy. The next day Rio had a lot to say about the skiers jumping in the snow - hopefully we'll get him on some skis this season! Funny thing, though, was that somehow he missed out entirely on the fact that he was the raffle winner - $25 gift card to the Ski Chalet for River Romney! Nicely done, little man!

Another Great Day with Z

Woke up around 7 in time to see Daddy off to work, played with a variety of balls and read some books, had a smoothie and oats for breakfast, tidied the house, then headed to the gym. Next stop was the library for storytime - Rio was more interested in the little baby girl next to us than the books being read, but he did have a great time saying "gobblegobblegobble" and decorating his turkey. Then on to the National Geographic museum for the The Real Dragon Emperor film about Qin Shihuangdi (the commissioner of the Terra Cotta Army) which was fascinating. Rio somehow knew we were near the Smithsonians because he insisted on going to see the animals at the Natural History Museum. Rio trying to spread his legs like the giraffeHe was so intrigued by the giraffe spreading his legs to drink, by the live butterfly tunnel, all the skeletons, $5 to anyone who can guess what this skeleton is...

and found a new best friend. Back home Z took a nap while I got some work done, then we made dinner and dessert, ate with the fam, went swimming at the Y and then to bed. Excellent.

My Handsome Handyman

Dave woke up Saturday morning uber-motivated and was like a little Energizer bunny all weekend long. That boy amazes me! He started off by vacuuming and sweeping the entire house, followed by taking out all the trash and replacing some of the trash cans that were either filthy or falling apart. Next he changed my car oil and tried to fix Bobby's brakes but ended up having special order some of the parts. He harvested and dried the remainder of our peppers and reorganized all our storage tupperwares in the barn. While I was on a hike with Rio, he put in new lights in the garage (its so bright and cheery in there - I'm about ready to move in!), then he played with Rio all night while I was at work. On Sunday he made some fancy Book of Mormon reading chart for his Young Men's group. After church, he youtubed how to tailor his dress shirts, fixed his sewing machine, and got straight to work (they look GREAT!!! really accentuate his broad shoulders/pecs and trim waist!!!). Rio was fascinated watching Daddy work all weekend long and I was in awe of what an amazing, handy, helpful husband I've been blessed with!

Rio at 23mo

Talks NON-STOP. Picks up everything everyone says immediately (for better or for worse - gotta be extra careful now!). Practices saying his words/phrases a lot, mumbling under his breath when he thinks nobody is listening, until he perfects it, and then shouting it out with such tremendous personal satisfaction. One example - trying to put him down for a nap (but there was lots of noise going on throughout the house) and he started whispering to himself "i-ba, ite-ba, i-back" until finally he remembered what mommy always tells him, "I right back!" and then jumped off the bed and ran out the door (pulling it closed behind him, as always). Another example - we passed some huge fancy building and I hear Rio practicing, "ampo, empo, emple" and then finally, "Mommy, that is Jesus' house temple!" Oh, and as the talking increases, so does the exertion of his will and expression of his opinions! :)

Really catching on to opposites (hard vs. soft, big vs. little, dark vs. sunshine, hot vs. cold/freezing, happy vs. sad, tired/night-night vs. awake, fixed/working vs. broken, over vs. under, on vs. off, up vs. down, in vs. out, etc.) and adjectives in general (spicy, sour, rainy, windy, bumpy, pokey, fun, funny, ugly, stinky, etc.) . The other day after daylight savings, when we were driving home, he asked, "Mommy, where the sunshine? Why dark?" Oh yeah... the incessant "why" asking has begun!

Starting to recognize the difference between boys and girls. He'd mastered a ton of verbs a couple of months ago, but now really grasps the idea of adding the -ing suffix - working, riding, driving, eating, sleeping, jumping, skipping, dancing, singing, crying, running, walking, dancing, fixing, making, drawing, reading, skipping, laughing, hiking, biting, pushing, kicking, swimming, going, doing etc.
He understands the concept of counting and "how many?" (but always uses "two!") and colors (but always responds "blue!") and letters (usually says "double u!"), but hasn't really made any progress in terms of counting correctly or recognizing colors or letters accurately.

Has just about perfected his pronouns, though he does on occasion get confused, and can't seem to break the habit of "Ina carry you" instead of asking "Will you please carry me".

Favorite songs:
Umph ch-ch-ch-ch (Amos Moses) is pretty much the only one he sings along with - for the most part, Mom does solos on demand. He'll join in with "beam!" (Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam) or the animal noises in Old McDonald, and does hand motions for all the songs, but doesn't seem to like to sing all that much. Other favorite songs include "Book of Lawlen" (Book of Mormon stories), Spider (The Eensie Weensie Spider), Popcorn (Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree), Flowers (I Often Go Walking), Daddy (I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home), A-E-C (ABC's), Baby River (Rock-a-bye Baby, sung while I hold/rock him like a baby), Mommy (I See My Mother Kneeling), Raining (Rain Rain Go Away or Its Raining Its Pouring), Following (Do As I'm Doing), AllFallDown! (Ring Around the Rosie).

He's become less picky and is generally open to eating whatever everyone else is eating, but still really loves his smoothies, yogurt, berries, oats and "pancito" (toast). Seems to have acquired mom's love for chicken and ketchup recently, but can eat much spicier food than Mommy can handle.

Total boy - obsessed with cars/Jeeps/trucks/tractors, skate-/wake-/snowboards, dogs, balls. Loves pointing out the chassis, engine, hood, doors, windows, bumper, "luz", steering wheel and tires on vehicles. Runs everywhere. The other day we went to the park - he went down each slide once, then suddenly took off running down to the sports field where he pretended to throw balls into the lacrosse nets, then sprinted tirelessly from base to base on the diamond, encouraging himself saying "Faster faster! Keep running! This is a pillow [the base], I made it!" I was so amused. My little budding athlete. And our budding personal trainer - he more often than not makes us run with him.

Total neat freak - well, in the sense that he loves getting dirty or making a mess, but then always insists his "manos" be brushed off when he falls in the dirt, or his shirt wiped when he spills, or the table cleaned up after he makes a disaster.

Does this really cute "nice, gentle" stroking on our cheeks - and really focuses intently on what he's doing - so sweet!

Doing great with the potty training! I'm still not brave enough to leave him in underwear during the night (I really want to have to get out of bed to take him to the toilet), but during the day he wears his big boy underwear sin problema. This whole EC thing has been such a wonderfully easy calm natural experience - no fighting, he's totally comfortable using the adult toilet, and I am so thankful I haven't had to change more than a handful of poopy diapers since he was 3 months old!!!

Every once in a while he'll tell me, "Nice shirt [dress, shoes, whatever], mommy! I like it shirt!" Melts my heart - nothing better than getting a compliment from your 23mo son :)

Has some seriously natty dreadlocks in the back. Every once in a while Bobby gets motivated and amazingly tolerates his screaming in protest while she patiently brushes the knots out, but I've pretty much decided its futile. We'd have to go through a bottle of conditioner and a bottle of leave-in-no-tangle spray stuff every few days just to keep his hair tidy, not to mention the tormenting torture he would have to endure on a daily basis. Just not worth it in my opinion - so bring on the dreadlocks - like mother, like son!

Haven't measured his height/head lately, though I think he's pretty average/massive respectively - guess we'll find out for sure at his 2yo apt in a few weeks. Still hanging out around 28lbs. Seems like he's starting to grow out of his 24mo pants and his size 7 shoes. Still has a very solid build (not scrawny like his parents) but he doesn't look bow-legged anymore.

Kaniela Ka Lei Ali’i ‘O’ Kalani Kala’i

I randomly found out that Kalai would be performing at a nearby university so I dragged by husband and siblings to his concert at 9:30pm on a Wednesday night. We were all SO glad we went! It ended up being almost a private concert, seeing as how our little group of 6.75 was about 25% of the entire audience. In addition to his tremendous guitar playing and singing ability, we found out he is also incredibly hilarious!!! He went on random tangents in between each song and had us all laughing hysterically.

After the show, Dave appointed himself Kalai's personal manager and sold a bunch of Kalai's CDs and stickers to everyone else that was there, guaranteed a huge turnout next time he comes to DC if he gives us a little heads-up, and even had him crash at our house to save $ on hotels - go Dave - ha ha! Anyway, it was nice to get to know him a bit more - fascinating life story thus far, so extremely chill and down-to-earth. I have a personal fondness for people who are good at laughing at themselves and who are honestly friends with people of all walks of life and thus don't have to be anally PC :) Also admire people who talk about God/Christ in such a "realistic" way, and who can laugh at the oddities of the Church yet be so faithful. Good times for sure.

Treehugger

Today on our hike down to the river, Rio randomly told me, "Ina love tree" and then ran over to the nearby large tree and wrapped his little arms around it with a huge smile on his face. Then he noticed a little indentation on the tree and said, "Tree owie, need beso" and give it a few tender kisses. Not until after I gave the tree a hug and kisses did Rio softly caress the "owie" and say, "Tree better, vamos." Such a thoughtful little guy!

Speaking of trees, have you seen these sweet "whole tree" houses??? I seriously want to live in a treehouse some day!!!

Energy Efficient Housing

Playing catch-up here...

A few weekends ago, there was an energy efficient housing competition held on the Mall in DC. It was frigid and pouring rain, but we braved the storms to show our support for the effort these colleges made to contribute to the sustainability of our future.

Loved all the funky designs, sliding walls, murphy beds, recycled materials, natural lighting, etc.

The coolest thing was this magnetic stove - the pots are magnetic too so 100% of the heat goes directly to the pot and whatever is inside, and the stove surface itself remains totally room temperature!

Can't wait til we get to build our own super green enviro-friendly house!

5 Year Anniversary and Halloween

Warning - Soapbox Moment (feel free to skip):
Call us J-dubs, Scrooges, party-poopers or just plain ole' cheap, but Dave and I have found we're not huge "Hallmark-holiday" celebrators. I appreciate the importance of family traditions, but I have a feeling ours won't be the typical pointless and pricey ones that seem to abound. How about soup kitchen work every Thanksgiving instead of spending hundreds on a meal that takes all day to prepare, twenty minutes to scarf down, and the rest of the weekend to clean up and get rid of that "I ate wayyyyyy too much" sick feeling; something actually Christ-centered for Christmas; doing proxy sealings in a different temple every year for our anniversary; backpacking trips for the kids' birthdays; planting trees for Easter; and for Halloween, take advantage of awesome fall weather/foliage!? Just some ideas off the top of my head. We'll see... maybe someday the kids will insist on doing what everyone else is doing, but in the meantime, its nice not to have to stuff Rio into some goofy outfit (though I admit the kids look awfully cute!) that he doesn't want to wear and parade him around the neighborhood just to get a bag full of candy that I don't really want him eating in the first place, or to have to plan some huge birthday party for a two year old who doesn't know the difference between today and tomorrow, and is happier going for a hike or reading the Children's Encyclopedia than playing with toys; its nice to know neither of us expects any expensive gift for our birthdays/Christmas/anniversary; some sort of activity/adventure we can enjoy together is so much more desirable! Please note, this is just a personal preference - I really don't mind/care how everyone else chooses to celebrate holidays, so go on dressing up for Halloween cuz its fun to see your pics! :)
So for our 5 year anniversary/Halloween, we went backpacking in the Shenandoah National Park. Dave found a great 8.5 mile trail that took us up a challenging climb to a lovely waterfall (where we camped Friday night), across the mountain ridge, through a meadow, along a river, past some potentially decent climbing rocks, and finally to a swimming hole to cool off. Rio did a great job hiking (or running/jumping/skipping) at least a couple of those miles, which was a great relief to his 8-mo-prego mom who thus had 30lbs less to carry on her back. The night was perfect with pleasant weather, a full moon (a tender mercy from heaven since we'd forgotten our headlamps) and lots of stars, and the next day was just warm enough to make the swimming hole refreshing. We cruised along Skyline Drive in the afternoon to get some pictures of the last of the fall foliage season, and made it home just as the rainclouds rolled in. Rio found some "oso poopoo" and subsequently insisted on walking like a bear for at least a few hundred yards :)
Rejuvenated, refreshed, revived, in awe of God's creations... instead of fighting off cavities and tummy aches from candy, and wondering what to do with costumes we'd spent too much time/money putting together... my kind of holiday!Thanks Dave, for the best five years of my life!!! Can't wait for the next million or two with you!

NW Roadtrip Part 4: OR Coast and Olympic NP

Beautiful Rhys

We finally arrived in Portland late Sunday night and Rio and I had a great time hanging out with the Aidas. On Monday we drove out to the coast, stopping first at the Tillamook Cheese Factory which offered some tasty samples and a birds' eye view of the cheese-making/packaging process. Next stop was to a little slice of heaven... we walked about a 1/4 mile through the Oswald State Park forest following a babbling river that emptied out into the ocean and landed us on the gorgeous sandy beach in a perfect cove complete with, what other than a waterfall! I wanted to sing the hallelujah chorus or something when the skies turned blue and the sun came out just long enough for us to play around on the beach until dusk. It was perfect. We stopped at Cannon Beach to get a pic of the sunset and the infamous Haystack Rock before driving the rest of the way to Seattle.

On Tuesday Kelly, Rhy, Rio and I drove over to Olympic NP where we caught some glimpses of the peaks (really bizarre to see huge Alps-like peaks on a peninsula), hiked to a waterfall, ate dinner on the port, came close to where the Twilight series is set, and finally took a ferry back to Seattle so we could catch our red-eye home. Rio insisted on holding Rhys' hand the entire hike - so cute :)

What a fabulous little roadtrip - I told Dave I'm ready to move out there whenever he is!
Many more pics: www.picasaweb.google.com/dcromney09/Oct09NW

NW Roadtrip Part 3: Mt Hood-Bend-Portland

We couchsurfed in Hood River with an awesome family - Dad is a paramedic and kite-surfer, kids are Alta skiiers, they built a chicken coop out of recycled mahogany and their garden boxes out of recycled apple boxes, they made scrumptious pasta for dinner with salad from the garden and steel-cut oats for breakfast, and they were absolutely awesome with the kids.
We went for a nice little hike along the Columbia River Gorge Saturday morning - 4 waterfalls in 1 mile ain't too shabby! Once the kids had released some energy, we loaded up in the car and made the drive past Mt Hood down to Bend. I think I decided the valley area 20 minutes above the Hood River riverside and 20 minutes from the foot of Mt Hood is THE place to be - just think - skiing, mountain biking, hiking, windsurfing, kayaking, endless orchards, etc within 20 minutes, and Portland just an hour away. I'm pretty sold.
Bend on the other hand wasn't as impressive as we were expecting. I think ever since Outdoors Magazine rated it in the top 10 places to live, it sprawled way too quickly. Plus, its kind of in the middle of nowhere. And maybe our opinion is slightly tainted since we got a flat tire on our way up to check out the ski resort at the top of Mt Bachelor :) We did, however, get to couchsurf with an awesome family with two of the sweetest tween boys I've ever met - go figure, they're unschooled! Woot woot! It was so great to meet a "real live" unschooling family and see how well its working for them. The kids take art classes, music lessons, have culture days, go to tons of museums and on roadtrips and travel to Europe and lived on a sailboat for 3 years and do community volunteer work maintaining trails, etc. I'm so excited!
Anyway, on our way up to Portland, we stopped off at Silver Falls Park upon the wise recommendation of many folks and were definitely not let down. We didn't make it on the entire 8mi loop for obvious reasons, but we did make it to two fabulous waterfalls and loved the Japan-esque scenery.

Me and Z behind the North Falls in Silver Falls Park