So much has happened since my last post! I can't believe it's only been two weeks.
Haircut
First of all, I gave Ezra a haircut! It is so cute, but I am so sad about it. I buzzed it using the longest of Tanner's buzzers, and in my mind it was going to be about an inch and a half longer. I didn't want to cut off all his hair; I just wanted it to be a little bit more even. He's had a curly little mullet going on for a while and I just wanted to fix it up.
I started in the front, and when I saw how short it was going to be, I wanted to cry! But it was too late. There was nothing to do except keep going. And as cute as he is with his new haircut, I can't tell you how much I miss it. But it will grow back, of course! And (silly pun), the new haircut is growing on me anyway.
Here are the first couple pictures after the cut. He was tired.
And here are some, a little while later, of him just being silly:
Fracture
Well then, a couple days after his haircut, Star and I went on one of our usual walks. Before we went walking, we stopped at the park near her house to let the boys run around. Ezra climbed up one of the tallest towers, and I followed to make sure he wouldn't jump off. He wanted to go down the slide, so instead of leaving him up there, finding my way back down to the bottom, and risk him falling off somewhere, I just put him on my lap and went down with him. I tried keeping all his limbs on my lap, but somehow, his little foot flipped out and got stuck inside the slide and my leg. We moved forward, and his leg twisted. It was awful. I pulled it out as quickly as I could, but of course the damage had already been done.
He cried for a couple of minutes, but let himself easily be soothed by some Pirate Booty in his stroller. He fell asleep for the walk. When we stopped by the park again after the walk, he didn't want to stand on it, but it only bothered him when he tried to stand. Tanner and I kept a close eye on it that night and the next morning, thinking it was a sprained ankle.
I took him in that morning at the first doctor's appointment I could get. After 10 hours at the doctor's office and two different hospitals an hour's drive apart from each other, we were home with a cast on his fractured leg.
Luckily, it's a very small hairline fracture, and it should heal very quickly and easily. The cast is just to keep him off of it. We can get it off the day we get back from our Christmas vacation.
Here are our pics from the day we spent getting his leg looked at and fixed. As you can see, he was a pretty happy little guy except for when he was actually getting the cast on. (Or x-rayed.) And now that it is on, he doesn't seem to mind it at all. He can do pretty much anything he could without it.
He can even walk, although he doesn't attempt it very often. So after all, it hasn't been that bad.
He loved this clipboard they gave me for filling out paperwork.
The Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital is awesome. Everything
is so kid friendly, including the amazing staff who really went
the extra mile to make a hard day a better day.
On the table right before the cast.
The guy who put Ezra's cast on was so nice, but
Ezra was done with lying on tables for getting
his leg x-rayed. So getting it on was a little
traumatic for him.
Here he is just waiting to be x-rayed one last
time. Still a little upset from getting the cast on.
But the next day, it was all better! He was up
to his usual activities, just a little impaired.
Finals
And then there was finals week! What a hard week. Hard on Tanner, hard on me, and hard on little guy. I am glad it is over.
Ezra helping Daddy study.
He is really, really good at using the computer.
Ezra, my good friend Donna, and I made it down to Miami's
annual Friends of the Library book sale. It was so fun! There
were a lot of people, but children's books were only 25 cents,
and I got a lot of really beautiful books for next to nothing.
This box is of foreign language books--see anything familiar?
Our friends Ashley and Parker moved last week. We were so
sad to see them go! We will miss them so much. They left Ezra
some of Parker's little toys, and he couldn't be happier to have
something new to play with.
Christmas Break!
It's started! Finals are over, and we have time to just be a family again. We get to go on adventures and have fun. And we've already started. Yesterday, we came out to North Carolina to spend a week with my sister Jocelyn and her family. And from there, we'll fly to Texas to see Tanner's family for two weeks. Basically my mom is the best ever for working for JetBlue and giving us her buddy passes so we can fly for free. We could not feel luckier for being able to travel and see so much family when we are going to school and have no money. Thank you so, so much, Momma & Grandma. We are so lucky to have you.
Here are the pictures of us on our way! And excited to enjoy our Christmas vacation.
And last but not least, here are some videos of Ezra playing (for the grandparents). We love you!
These past two weeks have been nothing but fun! I feel like it's just been parties, parties, parties.
First of all, it's been so much cooler outside, which has been nice because we've been able to open our window at night and we get to save on AC. And it feels soo good! Secondly, we all loved Thanksgiving break and being able to have Tanner home for a few days. (Can we have Thanksgiving every week?) And thirdly, Ezra has just been getting cuter and cuter, as always. So that always makes us glow. Here are our going-ons:
Both Kendra and Greg's and Jeni and BJ's little boys, Emmett and Kai, turned one! We got to go to both of their parties. Emmett's was aviator themed and so cute! Kendra is always such a good hostess and makes the yummiest and cutest food for her parties. I took pictures of the event for Kendra so I was running around the whole time. Ezra had a blast playing with all of the big kids. Then there was Kai's Hawaiian luau. He is part Hawaiian, where turning one is a big deal, so his parents put on a huge party at the church. It was amazing. And the food? YUM. We took home leftovers of the pork and have been living off of them for days.
The last big event, of course, was Thanksgiving! We invited some of our friends (I wish we could have invited everybody but our apartment is just too small) over for a big dinner. It was great. And it was nice that we didn't have to do everything by ourselves. I am so grateful for good friends. Star and Ashley helped me make decorations that Tuesday (see our little turkeys and leaves below), then Tanner and I deep cleaned our house the day before, borrowed some tables and chairs, made rolls, honey butter, and steamed carrots, and let everyone else do the rest. (Brandon and Camille even made the turkey. Champs!) Everything was delicious, and it was a ton of fun.
Our beautiful, beautiful little turkeys
Some leaves & Indian napkin holders
Ezra helping on Thanksgiving day
And the rest of our life? Here are the pics:
Lately, Ezra has had a total shoe fetish. He has always loved shoes, but these past few weeks, he has been all about putting our shoes on and wearing them around the house. I've started taking pictures to keep a record of all of his ensembles.
Converse
Sandals
Sparkly flats
Pink heels (He is actually quite a pro at walking around in heels.)
And lastly, this mermaid fin we found at the mall.
It was a biggggg win. He cried when we left the store.
He also continues to love helping! He found this sponge under the sink (despite our best efforts to toddler-proof it) and immediately started "cleaning the counters."
Ezra fell asleep on the way to the grocery store one day. I carefully took him out of his carseat and put him in the cart, and he still didn't wake up. He slept through the entire store.
Tanner and Trent went running together in training for their marathon while Star and I went to the park, and then they met up with us. I thought he would be scared of it, but Ezra loved the steepest and scariest slide.
Ashley, Star, and I have been doing weekly 3 or 4 mile walks. After, we'll go to the park to let all the boys run around.
Peek-a-boo!
This was Ezra's first time at this park since he was just starting to walk. As soon as he saw this car, he made a beeline for it. Then he played in it for at least twenty minutes before I pried him out and took him to the swings.
Apparently this is Brock's favorite hangout as well. Star says that when she brings him, he could spend his whole time just sitting in the car.
And some randomness!
Ezra studying
Ezra dancing
And Ezra playing with an awesome box!
And you know me--I have to include my random deals. Last week, I got all of this stuff for free at CVS!!! Yay.
And last few random facts: I finished listening to The Hobbit on tape, so I am ready for the movie! But I'm sure the movie will be wayyy better and will have a bunch of stuff that's not in the book. Because that's how both of the others were. Also, I read two more Agatha Christie books: By the Pricking of My Thumbs and Sad Cypress.
The past two weeks have been so fun! I actually wrote a lot
of things down on my calendar so I can still remember what we did. I definitely
want to keep better track in the future.
First of all, here are the pictures from Halloween. I am a little embarrassed about the last two since they are such poor quality but I didn't take my Canon and I was having trouble with the settings on my small camera. Anyways, Ezra caught on to trick-or-treating really quickly. He didn't know what people were putting in his back, but he walked around with his bag over his arm and offered it to the people I led him to so they could put something in. When we got all the way around to our own car, he went up to Tanner several times asking for more. Camille and Brandon were very obliging as well, although Camille decided she needed all the Butterfingers back because she was pregnant and hungry.
Ezra had his 15-month checkup at the beginning of the month.
He had been sick with a bad cold for a whole month that kept him up all night
coughing (and sometimes even throwing up), so the doctor finally gave him
antibiotics. Ezra’s cold cleared up in about three days! I’d been in a couple
times before that because it was awful watching Ezra suffer, and I wish the
doctor would have given him something sooner. I know that doctors don’t want to
over prescribe antibiotics but it doesn’t seem fair to let kids that need them
go without until they’ve been that sick for that long. I’m so glad he’s better.
I’m glad for him, and I’m glad for us. No more runny nose, no more coughing, no
more sleepless nights.
His stats were the same as they have been: 98th
percentile in height, 93rd in weight, and 82nd in head
circumference. (He actually did lose a little bit of weight when he was sick
though, so he did go down in weight a little.) The doc said he is now almost
the size of an average two-year-old! I don’t notice it much unless we are
around other kids. Next to his skinny cousins last month, he looked like a
little thug. And I am constantly switching him into the next size up of
clothes, and he’s just starting to fit in 2T’s.
He got a few shots, which, of course, he was not happy
about. At home they turned into big red welts that looked like spider bites.
And the red marks lasted a long time too. I’m sure most parents have the same
ambivalent feelings I do about shots (I say most because I’m sure parents
against shots don’t agree): I feel sorry for my little one about the pain he
has to go through but glad that he is building up immunities to one more thing
that could hurt him.
Anyways, I am also ambivalent to Ezra’s doctor appointments.
I don’t like waiting for over an hour to see the doc and I feel bad for Ezra
about his shots, but I am happy to get Ezra treatment that will help him feel
better and to see his stats. So at the end of it all, the appointment was a
good thing.
That same week, Tanner had a class where they needed people
to bring in their kids so the kids could walk around and the students could get
a look at their feet and the way they walk. Tanner wanted to take Ezra in so he
could show him off. (Tanner never said that but he loves his little mini-him so
much that wanting to show him off is instinctive.) And Ezra was really cute.
The whole time he was in front, he patiently sat on Tanner’s lap at the front
of the class with a huge smile on his face. When Doctor Losito took off one of
Ezra’s shoes to talk about it, Ezra reached out for it with his hand open and
tried to request it back as politely as he could. Tanner gave him his other
shoe, but Ezra kept his arm out and said, “Mmm. Mmm!” It wasn’t whiny, just
expectant, and everyone was laughing over it. Finally the doctor gave him back
the shoe, and Ezra put them on his hands and clapped with them while Doctor
Losito talked about Ezra’s legs and feet.
Then it was time to watch him walk. Tanner put him on the
ground and backed up. Ezra waited for just a second while Tanner backed up, and
then he ran to him and hugged his legs. They wanted him to walk back and forth
so they could appraise his step better, so I came up to the front opposite
Tanner, and Ezra ran straight to me. Then he just ran back and forth, back and
forth, smiling the whole time like it was a really good game. It was perfect
for Tanner’s class, not to mention really cute.
A lot of Tanner’s classmates came up to play with Ezra
afterward. One reached out to give him a high five, which Ezra is a pro at, but
for some reason, he didn’t quite get what the guy wanted. He hesitated, then
ran up to him and hugged his legs.
I was surprised at how well Ezra did with so many people.
When it’s one on one, like in the elevator, he is usually really shy. And when
there’s a lot of people in his face, like in Young Women’s, he gets agitated.
But apparently, when there is a roomful of people staring at him but giving him
space, he is happy and playful. So it was a fun day.
That Saturday, Tanner ran the Tough Mudder! It was such an
experience. It was all the way up in Kissimmee, by Orlando, so it was quite the
drive. We packed snacks and headed up early in the morning. We did pretty well
on time getting there, but the event was so crowded that the last two miles
took us over half an hour and Tanner’s group just made it in time for the last
wave of runners.
Trent was running too, along with a few other of Tanner’s
classmates, so Star and Brock were there, as well as one of the other guy’s
moms, so I hung out with them for the day. We hustled along the spectator route
to make it to the obstacles before the runners did, so we could watch.
Going from obstacle to obstacle was a lot of work! The
spectator route wasn’t always flat—sometimes, it was over deep crisscrossing
ruts in the mud—and I do not own a running stroller! I was getting really
exhausted trying to keep up—I really think I wouldn’t have made it without the
help of my amazing pregnant friend Star who switched strollers with me a few
times, Josh’s mom, and random strangers who helped me carry the stroller
through the hardest parts. We were watching the runners jump into a pool of
ice water, and I was trying to rest my arms for a second before we headed off to
the next obstacle, when I realized that one of the locks on the stroller wheels
was on! Ha. And we had pushed it all that way with the lock on. After taking
the lock off, the going was much smoother. It still wasn’t a cakewalk, but
compared to what it had been, it was easy. So I was grateful I noticed that
before the day was over. And I was happy that I got a workout alongside of
Tanner.
So—now to what Tanner did! Basically what a Tough Mudder is
a 10-12 mile track with obstacles interspersed throughout. So the runners run a
while, then jump over a 10-foot wall. The goal is not to win the race, but to
help your team complete every obstacle. Star and I got some good footage, but
the spectator path didn’t touch all of the obstacles, so there were a few not
shown here. The only one I can remember that I didn’t see was the one where
Tanner had to wade through a stream for about half a mile. (And where he lost
his wedding ring. But it’s okay.)
The first obstacle!
(At least the first one we could see.)
And Tanner killing it.
Just look at that pro jumper!
10 point landing
The group after they'd been through a little mud
Jumping into ice water--Tanner's in the back
Josh's mom + Tanner & Robbie after the ice water obstacle
Ezra waiting for Daddy to get to an obstacle. He would point
at a lot of the runners as they came up and say, "Daddy?"
Ezra and Brock having some fun while they waited.
Still a champ.
Tanner did really awesome on this one. It was fun to watch.
This Army wall was pretty cool.
It was neat to see everyone helping each other over.
Tanner helped this guy over. Wow.
It was nice of him to return the favor.
And he made it!
This was pretty funny. Ezra had missed nap time
at this point, and was just really concerned
about what was going on.
We waiting a long time for the group at this obstacle,
so Ezra and I spent our time wisely by taking a couple of selfies.
After jumping in the pit--so much cleaner!
Is it just me or does Tanner look like a Muppet in this one?
p.s. This was posted on the official Tough Mudder site, haha.
Woah, right?
Ezra "hiding" under the banner.
Everest.
I didn't include all of the footage for this one.
There may have been 1 to 3 previous tries.
Just two kids patiently waiting in a field while their daddies climb up plastic walls
and their mommies take pictures.
The last obstacle! Tanner rocked it.
And we're done! Good job, Tough Mudders!
Definitely not the most romantic kiss.
They both fell asleep at the same time at the last obstacle.
We're proud of them for being tough too. They made it through a looong day.
He proudly wears Dad's headband.
After the race, we were both so muddy and tired, and it was
so late, that we decided to celebrate his race by eating out. We had seen
Sonny’s Barbecue in Kissimmee, and having eaten there before and knowing that
it was amazing, headed back.
Embarrassing story: I headed to the bathroom to wash my
hands before we ate, and while I was in there, I looked down at my feet and my
mud-caked sandals and thought, “I should just rinse everything off. No one’s in
here. And I can just quickly slip my foot down if someone comes in and no one
will even know I was washing my feet.”
So I started rinsing. The mud came off my feet and legs all
right, but there was so much mud caked on my sandals that was not coming off.
Instead, the sink and all that surrounded it was getting covered in muddy
water, and when the first lady did come in, and I threw my shoe on the ground
and slipped my first foot in, the mud started getting all over the floor as
well.
How do I describe the expression on her face? Shock?
Disgust? Horror?
I grabbed some paper towels and started wiping up as she
went into a stall. “We just got back from a mud run,” I tried, when she came
out.
“I can see that,” she said as she washed her hands in the
next sink, again with an expression that is difficult to recreate with just a
few words.
She walked out.
Well, I’d “washed” one side. (Mud was still encrusted on the
bottom of my shoe, and every move I made spread it further and further around
me.) I decided to just rinse of the other side, really quick. After all, it
would be so much more bearable on the long drive home. I got busy rinsing.
Another woman came in. Her initial reaction was similar to
that of the first lady. She stared, then hurried into a stall. This time, I did
not attempt conversation or explanation. I grabbed some wipes, wiped what I
could (not very effective, to say the least), and fled the bathroom.
The floor was tiled up until the tables, where a dark carpet
began. All the way across the cream colored tile, I left muddy footprints
behind me. I was so grateful for that carpet, on which my footprints were
entirely hidden. Two women had seen me, but I was so embarrassed, I hadn’t
looked directly at them, and could not have picked their faces out of a crowd.
And whoever now would see that mess, and those footprints . . . at least they
couldn’t track it to my table.
I told Tanner what had happened. And he still had to go wash
his hands! He said that the custodian lady was just opening the women’s
bathroom door as he walked by, and they both saw inside at the same time.
She uttered an exclamation of disbelief.
We left a big tip.
So, um, other things . . . J
We had Dave and Lauren and their three adorable kids over
for dinner on Friday night, and it was a lot of fun. We had bacon, sausage,
eggs, and pancakes and waffles topped with strawberries, chocolate chips,
Nutella, and whipped cream. It turned out to be really yummy.
After dinner, Roxy and Atticus put on quite the show for us.
Atticus would stand behind the curtain, and Roxy would put both her hands out
and up and say, “PRESENTING…. Atticus the AMAZING!” and he would come out and
do a trick. We saw one-armed push ups, somersaults, belly rolls, juggling, etc.
Then they would switch. It was better than Cirque du Soleil, because it was
free, in our own living room, and just as, if not more, entertaining.
We all talked for a long time, and Lauren and I decided we
need to hang out more. So we came up with a plan of hanging out at the same
time on the same day once a week, whether or not it’s at home or at the park of
if we have anything special to do. And anyone who wants to is welcome to join
us.
Our first time doing it was a couple days after that, and it
was really fun. We spent the afternoon at Lauren’s house (with Brittney and
Star too) just chatting and watching the kids play, then eating chili,
cornbread, and brownies. It was so fun and I am so happy we are finally doing
something like this. It’s been difficult (at least for me) this past year
trying to get to know all of the families in our ward and I am excited to have
a catalyst. It’s nice that it’s planned into the week too so that my sometimes
over-anxious brain can prepare for it and I can get all my other errands done.
Star, Ashley, and I have been on a couple walks, around the three-mile loop by Star’s house and on the four-mile trail by us. (Ashley has been here for about a month and will be here for one more while her husband does his rotations.) It's been good to get outside after Ezra being sick so long and being mostly cooped up. Star also hosted a great girls' night on Friday. We walked the loop and went back to her house for smoothies. So fun to be with people and to leave Ezra at home (as much as I love him).
Star, Ashley, and the three babies. Ezra was so happy to see those ibis. He calls birds "bis" or "bidibidibidi"and points at them in his books or in the sky or on the trees or on the grounds. He is definitely an animal lover.
We also had an Enrichment Night that was a lot of fun. Tanner watched Ezra
and I went with Ashley and Star. The food was really good and it was nice to just relax with the other
sisters in the ward. And Brittney gave me her marigolds that she won because
she didn’t want them (Yay, flowers!) And
we played Two Truths and a Lie. Mine were: 1) I discovered a new species of
spider, 2) I’ve eaten a sea urchin, and 3) I’ve ridden a camel. Can you guess
the lie?
Other than all this stuff, Ezra and I have just been having a good time together while Tanner studies for tests. (As I type this Tanner is conked out on our living room rug after a late night of studying. And Ezra has finally begun his nap after a good hour of chirping away from the bedroom.) I've read a lot lately, since our apartment library is getting rid of all the books and we are allowed to take whatever we want. Most of the books are 30 years old but we found some good ones. I read City of Ember because I saw the preview a long time ago and was intrigued. It is a young adult fiction book with an interesting premise but the plot seemed dragged out and I thought it wasn't very interesting after all. I also read The Joy Luck Club, which took a while to get into because it is so Chinese, and I don't have a Chinese background at all (have you ever realized how Asia is almost completely left out of our education? We Americans are so Westernized.) But I loved it. Once I was into it, I could have read on and on and on. If only it had been longer. I also read some Agatha Christie, which is more like an addiction than anything else. I was obsessed with her in high school and probably read about 40 of her 80 books, as well as a couple of her plays, and even saw The Mousetrap in London (thanks to my dad, of course). So now I am a little addicted again since I found about 6 of her books down in the library. I read Death on the Nile and Curtain, and I'm currently in the middle of (and fascinated by) The Hollow. So that's been fun.
And lastly, Ezra developments! He's started saying a lot more "words." Like his words for birds. Mostly his words consist of the first sound of something. He calls his bath toy octopus "Ah" and his duck "duh." He says "Aah" for apple and "ba" for "ball," "buh" for "book," and "meme" for "monkey." And "bobo" for bellybutton. And he said "Hippo!" We were watching his Baby Einstein movie (pictured below), and the narrator said, "Hippo." Then I said, "Hippo." Then he looked at me, and very clearly, said, "Hippo." I tried getting him to say it again but the closest he got was "bobo."
Other than that, he is very good at elephant noises, he can howl like a wolf, and he can hoo like an owl. And just this morning he learned how to hiss like a snake. He knows where his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, tongue, hair, and bellybutton are. And he understands so many things. If I ask him to get a book and come sit in my lap, he will go to his little bookshelf, pick out a book, run back, turn around, and back up into my lap. He will knock on a door if I tell him to. And the list goes on. He is the cutest, happiest boy and we love him so much and feel so grateful to have him in our little family.
His first word!
He is the worst with our computers.
This is just one of many reasons.
For being 15 months, he is a pretty creative little guy.
He figured out about 15 different things to do with this pot.
He loooves wearing our shoes around the house. They always trip him up and
it makes him sad but it is a hobby he is not willing to give up.
Somehow he got ahold of my Ghiradelli....
He spent quite a lot of time trying to get as much
chocolate out as possible.
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