100 things (I have or haven't done)

I copied this from my sister Tovi's blog, I thought that it was a very fun thing to do, and I decided to highlight the things that I have done, I have done 55 of the 100. I also decided to add some other things on to the end which I have done that I think are just as cool. Try it yourself and see what you have done, I know that my friends Kriss A and Crystal would have amazing lists of their own (Crystal has lived in Antarctica for starters... how cool is that!), I bet everyone has a cool list of things that they have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (Do The Seychelles count? Or seeing Somalia and Egypt on radar and through helicopter camera feeds from mere miles away count?)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (my husband was an extra in Pearl Harbor... but I think his scenes got clipped...)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (I saw whales on a radar but never got out on deck in time to see them with my own eyes...)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (again my lucky husband got to do this one!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (not all straight through, but here a little there a little and eventually it ended up being the entire Bible)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own
Now these to follow are a list of my own conjuring:
101. Kissed the Blarney Stone
102. Seen a missile launch
103. Snuck into a castle (remember in Cardiff Cami? tee hee)
104. Received a college degree (which I don't use)
105. Been lost in London
106. Been held for questioning by police in Singapore
107. Been hit by a car
108. Been on the road to Hana (very beautiful)
109. Seen a purple cow (true story)
110. Driven past a rainbow (again true story)
111. Eaten snail (tastes like chicken)
112. Seen Loche Ness (but not Nessy... unfortunately)
113. Been cliff diving
114. Climbed the Stairway to Heaven
115. Swam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
116. Been stung by jelly fish
117. Rebuilt a school in a wartorn country
118. Come in dead last in a race
119. Been through Boot Camp
120. Got a gold tooth
121. Found a four leaf clover
122. Gone swimming in the rain
123. Hiked in a rain forest
124. Been vaccinated for smallpox
125. Fed a giraffe

I will probably think of others while lying awake tonight...
Tovi could have listed seening the "No Fire Zone" in Korea, and being in Mongolia which I think are also pretty cool. My mom has been to all 50 states which I also think is pretty cool.

Updating this blog at long last

So, if anyone was wondering if we dropped off the face of the planet, sorry to disappoint... we were just being lazy and distracted.

Here is what will hopefully not be too long of an update... James came home from deployment in September. We were all very happy to have him home. Eden didn't take very long to get used to him, and soon they were both in Love with each other, just like Daddy and Princess ought to be. We had counted 144 days from when he left to when he returned by making a paper chain which we had hanging in the living room of our little apartment:




In October we moved (7th time in 5 years) to Great Lakes Illlinois. We drove from Logan with our two vehicles and Grandma's wonderful company. We had planned on going to Adam-ondi-ahman, Nauvoo and Carthage on our road trip... but providentially one of our cars broke down in Maryville MO. It could have been a disaster, and we are gratefull the Lord blessed us to breakdown where and how we did, we ended up staying there an extra night waiting for parts and postponed our church history tour for another time, opting instead to take a more direct route to Chicago. In all we spent 4 nights on the road. The kids were wonderful throughout the whole trip, and I attribute that to Grandma's ministrations and to their own wonderful spirits.

Here are some pictures of us playing dress up with our old pirate costumes, a couple of days before Halloween. Eden looks beautiful with long hair... I can't wait 'til she actually has some!





Next came Halloween itself...

Isaac was Batman, very intimidating...


Jeremiah was Black Spiderman, he is shooting you with his web...


Eden was a pink bunny (and of course, in her mouth is her favorite toy the legs from Zoomorph animals)


Since babies are so adorable and Eden is no exception, here are a couple more cute pictures of her that her daddy took.

This one, she is in a jacket and hat that were mine when I was a baby.


And here Eden is blowing a kiss to her daddy, in a dress she got from Aunt Tovi (Thank you Tovi, it is so beautiful).


Here is Isaac with his Super powered smile!


And Jeremiah with his pet black panther


And here Grandma is a video of Eden and her new found talent of walking, with the bucket hat that she likes to wear and the inevitable Zoomorph legs in her hands.

The Revolution: A Manifesto

So as you can see by the little picture of Ron Paul for President that I have attached to my blog, I have been converted to the Ron Paul cause. Now before you Pooh pooh this fact I would strongly and highly recommend anyone and everyone to go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul and do a little research into the doctrines of government which he espouses. I believe that for anyone who is a student of the Book Of Mormon Another Testiment Of Jesus Christ you will be able to see many parallels between the doctrines of government espoused my Dr. Ron Paul and those of King Mosiah, who I believe to be one of the great politicians of all time. But most importantly I believe that if you are an American Citizen and believe in and personally uphold the Constitution of the United States you should not, in all honesty, go into this upcoming election with out investigation Dr. Ron Paul.

With this in mind go to a local library or book store and check out the book The Revolution: A Manifesto by Dr. Ron Paul. It is a very short book, which is very clearly and well written, and even if it doesn't change who you intend to vote for at least it may open your mind to important issues which ought not to be ignored or passed over in conversations if our country is going to avoid the fate of the Nephite Nation, the Roman Empire and so many other great and now extinct governments.

Moving AGAIN

So, although his ship is going to stay on deployment until around Christmas, James has received his orders and will be coming home at the end of September. How excited we are to be reunited with him!!!! On October 13th we will be embarking on our 7th move in 5 years, going from Logan Utah to the Naval Training Center at Great Lakes Illinois. Although we are not looking forward to a Chicago winter we are looking forward to the adventure that is always entaled in a move and change of this type. It will be a challenge, but we are expectant and hopeful. We will hopefully be able to stay put for 3 years, as James will be a division commander at the Navy's Boot Camp.

So although we are sad to leave the beautiful and close-to-family Cache Valley (there really isn't anywhere on earth quite like this place... although I detest the sidewalks and traffic lights here) we are glad to be moving so soon. And we would like to extend our invitation to our friends and family...
If you ever find yourselves out near Chicago, our latch string is always up for you, and we love nothing better then friendly reunions... so come visit and stay as long as you like.

As soon as we get an address we will post it here, but our phone numbers will not be changing.

Daddy's Reenlistment, Sept 3 2008

When James first joined the Navy he was straight out of High School. He dreamed of becoming a Navy Seal, but the Lord had other things in store for him, such as going straight to the fleet and meeting an LDS family in Australia and subsequently learning about and joining the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints... and of course meeting me.

When his obligated service to the Navy was over in 2001, he opted to get out in order to serve a full time mission for the LDS church, wherein he was sent to the wonderful country of Japan to learn the language and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our brothers and sisters there. Two weeks after getting home from that mission he and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple, and so began our family. James always insisted that he did not want to return to military service... but sometimes the Lord has other plans for us then we have for our selves, and after lots of prayer and fasting, we finally came to the conclusion that He did indeed need James to go back into the Navy, for reasons yet unknown to us. And so in January 2005 James enlisted in the US Navy for his second time, this time with a wife, a son, and another one on the way.

When it became obvious that the time to either get out of the Navy again or reenlist was upon us, James and I did a lot of soul searching, pondering, talking, and of course Praying. We weighed the pro's and con's... my list had a lot more pro's then James list had, but I wasn't the one who would be doing the work, which in my mind made his list weightier... Ultimately we decided that nothing we could do or think made any difference if it wasn't what and where the Lord wanted us. So during a trip to the Temple, the Logan Temple this time... we both went in to the session in the Spirit of Humble Prayer and Supplication, and as a result, independantly of one another, we left the Temple that day with the clear understanding that the Lord wanted James to reenlist. He again did not reveal to us His reasons, but Hey, He doesn't have to, although we Must exercise Faith in Him continually.

And so on September 3 2008, on board the USS Halsey DDG 97, James Lawrence Bangert reenlisted in US Navy as an act of Faith in his Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ. As his best friend, wife and companion I have absolute, unwavering, faith in this decision, in fact I have a testimony that the Holy Ghost has directed this decision, I felt it and I know it... I am not unquestioning... certainly I have plenty of questions... but I know that this is where we are needed. And we know He will not lead us astray.

We will go and do as the Lord has commanded for we know that Lord giveth no commands unto His children except he prepare a way.

Choose ye this day whom ye will serve... but as for us and our house we will serve the Lord.

We will go where you want us to go dear Lord, we will do what you want us to do.

Memory Game

I saw this on my sister Tovi's blog and my cousin Elaine's so I decided I had better play along too. Thank Goodness for fun people like you or boring people like me would never have any fun!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Since this is our family blog, feel free to leave a memory about any of the five of us.
   
   
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you

They growing up so fast

Jeremiah and I have been talking a lot about growing up lately. Jeremiah thinks that he will be all grown up when he turns 5, then he will be a man like his Daddy. He says that then they can do things together as "grown up man Banes, and grown up man Dermiah." (Oh, it is so funny, he says his Daddy's name Bames Bamburk, and Mommy is Lela; and of course he has started to call us by these names instead of Mommy and Daddy, as a sign of how grown up he is.)

• 
  Jeremiah and I love how grown up Eden is getting. She demonstrates her new maturity by rolling from her back to her tummy and back again, and lately she has been practicing sitting up on her own. She isn't any good at it yet, only staying in a sitting position for 2-10 seconds before toppling over. Every time she does it though, Jeremiah points it out to me with great pride and says, "Look, Baby Eden is growing up so fast."
• 
  Isaac has been making leaps and bounds in his language development. He loves repeating sentences back to me, and his pronunciation is so clear. Sometimes he uses words that I had absolutely no idea he even knew, let alone would be able to use correctly in a sentence, well a2 year olds equivalent of a sentence. And his imaginative play is so fun to watch, sometimes he and Jeremiah can sit in the toy room playing with their animals and I will just stay out in the hall listening to the conversations their animals have. But any unexplained noise Isaac hears his imagination automatically translates as a T-Rex, which makes it hard for him to sleep at night with neighbors below, above and behind. He wakes up convinced that a T-Rex is trying to break down his wall and eat him, so he usually ends up in my bed with me.
• 
  Jeremiah and I have been having lots of fun talking to each other this last month, really since he became 4 he has grown so much. He will often say to me, "I want to talk to you." Then he will ask me questions such as, "If Joseph Smith was a prophet why did those men do mean things to him?" or "Do Heavenly Father and Jesus live far far far far far far away?" or "Does the Holy Ghost live in a haunted house?" or "Why do we read the Book of Mormon?" But his favorite topic is to ask me why this person or that person is a hero, and also to point out to me how some times in movies the "mean man" can "become a hero" and do something good even though they were bad before. I hope that he will be able to retain this ability to see good in people even when the world would say they don't "deserve" it.
• 
  And this one is for you Tovi: Yesterday Jeremiah was in the other room when suddenly I heard him say, "Oh my dog!" I called him to me and asked him what he was talking about. He said, "I said, 'Oh my dog!' that's funny isn't it? Like 'Holy Cow!' chuckle chuckle." I thought it was very funny, but I didn't say so, and of course I sat him down and talked to him about what the phrase 'Oh my dog' actually said and why we, in our family, don't say it. And that anything that we say if it makes us feel bad, like the Holy Ghost isn't making us happy, then we should never say it again, because we always want to feel happy. Then I told him some fun phrases I would allow him to say, that were fun and wouldn't make him feel bad, such as 'krimanitly' or 'good grief' or 'for goodness sake' or 'what on earth'.
• 
  They grow up so quickly, like a flash from a camera, by the time your eyes clear from the glaring light they aren't little babies any more, then flash, and they aren't toddlers any more either.
  
• Here are some pictures of Eden and her very first attempts at sitting up.
  
  
  

A departure from my usual posts

I haven't posted any thing in a while, not because I haven't had things to say, rather because I have been too tired and distracted to figure out how to say the things I have been thinking about.

I have been thinking, and feeling, a lot about getting my family prepared, and establishing a food storage and a finacial reserve. The First Presidency of the Church has said,

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.
"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.
"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1

So with this in mind I have finally started our first "real" food storage. We have "started" out food storage lots of times, but I have now revamped everything, sat down and actually made a plan, it is by no means a finished or perfect plan, but it is a start... I have worked it out in my budget in a way that I can't circumvent, I have designated a place in my house to store it, and I have actually gone on line to LDS.org to the online food storage store and actually ordered something... I have a plan that will give us a complete 3-month supply of food before Christmas. Anyone reading this blog, if you have advise or experiences or tips please leave a comment to that end, I would really appreciate it.

The second thing that I have been thinking a lot about lately is definately political. I apologize if anyone feels their toes getting stepped on, but I just feel that I have to voice my feelings.

This is a very important year. In November we will be voting, not just for the next President and Vice President, but for National, State, and Local leaders who are supposed to represent our best interests, protect us and protect our Divinely Inspired Constitution. I once swore an oath to protect that Constitution, when I joined the Navy, in 1999. I remember very clearly the powerful feeling that I had as I raised my hand to the square and made that oath. I don't believe anyone who is honest, and has personal integrity can make that oath without feeling it. I am not in the Navy but any more, but I still feel that I am obligated to that oath, and my husband is still in the Navy so through him I also feel that obligation.
In the Doctrine And Covenants section 101 (which is an amazing section, full of great parables) it says:

• 77 According to the laws and aconstitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the brights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
  
  78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral aagency which I have given unto him, that every man may be baccountable for his own sins in the day of cjudgment.
  
  79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in abondage one to another.
  
  80 And for this purpose have I established the aConstitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the bshedding of blood.

Now, as my Mother could tell you, I have always been kind of a hot head, and I tend to get passionate about what ever I am thinking about currently... I am NOT trying to promote one political party over another, or tell any one who to vote for or how to vote... I just had to be on record as saying, "Find out what is going on, get informed, contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them what you expect of them. Register and make sure you vote." I remember when I was a kid, sometime between 1st and 2nd grade, when Ronald Reagan was first running for President. I was SO MAD that I wasn't allowed to vote, just because I was TOO YOUNG! I really wanted to be involved in that election. The irony is that I am not currently registered... some how it is something that between our last two moves and this one I allowed to slip past me. But I certainly Will Be registered next week, all the things that have been swarming around in my head, keeping me up at night, wont let me procrastinate it any longer.

For several months now I have been getting weekly updates emailed to me, to let me see what Congress is voting on, and how I am being represented, (yes, even though I haven't been registered for 2 years.) Here is a resourse that I have found very useful:
http://search.campaign.com/pennfuture/megavote/

This is some resent activity in the House Of Representatives which I found VERY interesting:
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=8583196
and related information http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#25085356.

Also, (thank you Alexis):http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173&hl=en this is about 2 hours long, but it is also interesting, and thought provoking.

I have always been a HUGE fan of Captain Moroni in the Book Of Mormon. I KNOW that he was guided by Inspiration and the Holy Ghost in all of his actions as an elected official in his government. And I guess if he were head of a political party today, that is the party I would affiliate with. As it is I have to feel my way around and pretty much let the Spirit guide me, and hope that I am listening.

I wrote this 5 years ago. It isn't really very good, I have never been very good at writting. But it was heartfelt and I thought that I would share it now.

• The Price of Peace
  
  Peace is not a state of being, it is not a liberty or a right, it is a commodity, purchased in international and domestic markets. It must be bought and sold, produced on a demand basis only. It is always custom made. It is never prefabricated. Mass quantities cannot be kept in stock for later shipment. You cannot buy it on the black market, in the flee markets, or on line. Consumer demand and the unpredictable life expectancy of this product ensure that the price will always be too high to be paid lightly. It cannot be bartered or exchanged; it cannot be charged or billed. There is no layaway or installment policy applicable. It must be purchased, full cost, up front before the product can be received. Ownership is temporary and liquid. The manufacturer retains the right to reclaim and redistribute without prior notification and without refund. Renewal of ownership is on a first come-first served basis, but may also go to the highest bidder at the manufacturer’s discretion. Those who are unable or unwilling to pay the price may experience it, but only on a limited, trial basis. Only those who have paid in full can ever understand its value.
  The price: Human Blood…
  Dedicated to the defense of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…
  For ones own People and for all Humanity.
  -LeahCim Bryson
  15 May 2003

Happy Birthday Jeremiah

May 29, 2008 was Jeremiah's 4th birthday. We had a very nice birthday party out at the picnic area of our apartment here in Logan.

We had a Spiderman birthday cake for Jeremiah, which he loved.








Isaac spent more time under, on, and every where else except sitting at, the table. But of course he had plenty of fun too.






Jeremiah got some very neat gifts and he loves each and every one of them, even a week later. Afterward, everyone had fun flying two kites Grandma bought for the boys. It was almost too windy for kite flying though, particularly for a 4 year old and a 2 year old, but they did their best and had a great time.

In attendance at the party were Uncle Jon, Aunt Holly, Ady, Uncle Mike, Grandma and Grandpa Bryson, and of course Isaac, Eden and Myself. Thank you everyone for showing Jeremiah how much you love him. He was thrilled that each of you were able to be there.

And he missed everyone who was not present: Daddy; Aunt Tovi and Uncle Miki, Kylie and Sadie; Aunt Cami and Uncle Brian; Ava; Aunt Tabbie, Brittany and Logan; Meme and Robbie; Aunt Sandy and Sarah; and Grandpa Bob. Jeremiah knows all your names, loves you, and misses you.

Cool Cake

This is a picture that my friend Crystal emailed me this morning. She is an avid cake decorator, and always produces the most amazing works of sugary-sweet art. I told her that I wished she were here in Utah to decorate Jeremiah's cake for him... oh well.
This cake was for her friend's son's 2nd birthday.
Keep it up Crystal, you are great!

Picture from James

James emailed us a picture today. In his email this is what he said about it...


"Today was a busy day. We had a gun shoot and I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. At least that is what one person told me I looked like. But other then that things went well. I had a fun time and I even got the chance to shoot."



James is in a supervising and instructing position for most of what he does now, so he doesn't get to do the fun stuff very often any more, since he usually has to make sure that other people are doing the fun stuff safely and correctly.



We are glad that you had fun Daddy, stay happy, and stay safe... Love your Offical Fan Club.

Lots of fun lately

We have been having some fun lately.

When ever it hasn't been snowing...yes SNOWING... or raining

we have been going to the playground. Isaac doesn't have any problems giving

Mommy heart attacks. I try really hard to be trusting and just let him have fun.

Jeremiah was pretending that he was a jaguar jumping out of a tree.
Yes, he dressed himself, the orange shirt and red FLOOD pants were all him.

Then of course, after about an hour playing on the playground, it always turns to bug watching time.

Eden loves playing at the playground too...
And then, inevitably, Isaac finds the mud holes. Going home means bath time. I usually just let him play and get as dirty as he can, until he starts trying to put his mouth in the mud, I have to put my foot down at that.
Thursday we went down to Ogden to the Dinosaur Park there. We went with Grandma, Uncle Jon, Aunt Holly, and Baby Ady. The boys were having a blast seeing all the skeletons. At first I had Isaac in his stroller, he was sitting quietly as we went through the museum. Then I decided to let him down and see how he would behave. Wow, it was a crazy transformation. He and I went back through and it was as though he hadn't just seen everything already, everything was new and VERY exciting from the perspective of his own feet. So he got to stay out of the stroller through the outside, 5 acres part of the park too, since obviously he "saw" things better that way.

This picture is Jeremiah, Isaac (still in the stroller), Grandma, Eden, and our friendly neighborhood T-Rex. Oh, and Uncle Jon in the background.

Here is Isaac during his "down period". He is exploring a dinosaur foot print, with Grandma's help.

Out side, the dinosaurs are life like reconstructions of what they might have looked like. I guess this is a trophy wall...

Uncle Jon was offering Isaac up to the carnivore, I expected Isaac to be scared but he wasn't.

I guess this picture explains itself... Oh, and yes, they are wearing dinosaur shirts to the dinosaur park! How could they wear anything else? It just wouldn't be right.

We had a blast and I took 153 pictures and videos. Some day when I actually get around to scrapbooking again, we will have plenty of dinosaur memories to go through.

Two new things

Eden has reached the milestone of having her first bowl of rice cereal, which so far she likes, when I put a little sugar in it, she gives me dirty looks and spits it out if I don't.

Plus, the first time I found her sucking her thumb. Jeremiah and Isaac both took pacifiers. Our princess only likes her pacifier when she is sleeping, usually she would rather suck her fingers. I guess she got tired of gagging herself with her fingers going down her throat, and discovered that her thumb didn't have that problem. When I took her thumb out of her mouth she told me off, I think she might have been swearing but I'm not sure.

Isaac's Birthday

Now this is really late getting posted, thanks to the move and that I had trouble getting some images to post.

We had lots of fun on April 3, which was Isaac's 2nd birthday. We rented a bounce house and had some of Isaac's friends come over and help us celebrate by jumping and eating cupcakes. It gets pretty crazy when you have so many toddlers in one place! The boys had fun playing in the bounce house with Daddy too.

scared of the dark

I have discovered in the last couple of days that my little monkey, Isaac, is afraid of the dark. 3 nights ago he indicated to me that he didn't want to go to bed because he was afraid something would crawl up the wall at the top of his bed. So I told him that his Teddy would keep him safe, Jeremiah was in the room with him, and that his toy puppy loved to eat bugs and would eat anything that tried to climb anywhere near him. That seemed to settle him for that night.

Then 2 nights ago he ended up in my bed with me at some point. I had not closed my closet door when I went to bed, which is something that I usually have to do... I have a thing about closet, bathroom, and sometimes bedroom doors being open anywhere in the house when I am sleeping. Anyway, Isaac indicated to me that the closet was open and told me that it needed to be closed, then he proceeded to get down and close it himself, before he finally went back to sleep.

Finally, last night, he was being playful and not staying in his bed. After several attempts to tuck him in I finally did the tuck and run thing, hoping that if I got the light turned off and the door shut before he got out of bed he wouldn't move again. It usually works, but not that time. He got right down, I could hear him laughing. Then his laughs became sounds of concern, "Oh oh, Oh oh mommy!" So I went in and searched for him in the dark. When I couldn't find him, I turned the light on to see Jeremiah pointing under his bed. I looked and sure enough there was Isaac. He said, "I'm locked in!" Apparently, in playing around, he got down and hid under Jeremiah's bed in an attempt to trick me, but once there discovered that he didn't dare get out again.

I don't know if it is the dark he is scared of, or what might be in the dark that he can't see, or maybe even what he can see in the dark. And I started to wonder today if maybe he doesn't think that Monsters Inc. is a documentary, after all, what is reality to a 2 year old?

Where did this kid come from?

I sometimes think that my kids are so strange... adorable but strange. They didn't get any of it from me of course. What Eden is doing she did to herself. I set her propped up against the boppy pillow and she maneuvered herself to this upside down possum position. I tried to help her sit up straight again 4 or 5 times but she kept pushing herself upside down, so I decided to leave her like this and grab my camera. She was perfectly happy for along time, playing with her brothers and sucking on her fingers... When she was done she didn't even cry, she just started doing crunches trying to sit back up, and told me that she wanted to go to bed now... I don't know where she comes from...