Christmas

This Christmas was awesome, but a bit different than others we've had. First, I've been really busy with work. That threatened early on to invade on my vacation time a little, but then I had a final call on my last "half day" (in quotes because I worked 8 hours) that made me basically turn off my work cell, and just be with my family.

Once we got going, it was a good time. Pretty quickly, poor Mikey got croup worse than he ever has, and we had many sleepless nights with that. He then got strep throat and the flu at the same time immediately after the croup, so he was also exhausted on Christmas. We took 3 hours in the morning to open 4 presents, then Mikey took a nap. When he woke up, he was more interested in opening stuff and getting all the paper ripped up, but it was a very low key day. Jared and Liz visited to see Mikey's toys (their blogs are linked, but they don't blog anymore, and Jared's is private, so I can't even see it myself anymore), and he loved playing with cousins up to the point where he decided to just lay flat out on the floor, hands tucked under his tummy, and watch Bradley play with cars and trains. It was cute.

My mom and dad visited, too, and brought McKay and Sindi along. We had a nice visit and a tasty meal with them. Earlier, a 4-pack of Martinelli's fell out of the back of our car and only two bottles survived, so we only had the two to share. The steaks made up for that, I think.

During the two weeks I was off work, we stayed inside mostly, but Mikey and I played in the snow all bundled up (see my last post), and made snow angels and a snowman. Once Mikey got sick, going out wasn't really an option, but we went driving to see Christmas lights around the neighborhood and he LOVED it. We even found a house that had a whole thing going with music. Here's a little clip of that:



You can hear the music (they had the radio station to tune into shown on their lawn), and you start to hear the camera noise when Hayley started taking pictures. Mikey hears that, and starts saying, "Cheese!!" Man, is he cute.

We also had to make sure we kept Hayley resting and off of salt. I think it was a little rough for her, but we will probably make up for it in January when the baby is here.

During Christmas is when it really started to become a real thing that Henry was going to actually be here. We looked at old pictures of Mikey, talked about all the stuff he did as a tiny baby, and even about what next Christmas might be like with him here. How crazy will that be!

Anyway, hope you had a great Christmas, too!

Snow Day

It snowed on Sunday. Mike was really interested in looking at it, so I asked him if he wanted to go out and play in it, and of course he said yes. We went out, stomped around for a while, then I took him over to see how snow-covered the playground was. Then I took some videos. Enjoy.

First video. This one is long

Going down a snow covered slide

After the first slide, he went down this bigger one. I didn't get the first attempt on video, but this second one was funnier

This is another long one. I wanted to see if he'd go down the big slide covered in snow, but I think it was too much. I was nervous with him being that high with the slippery snow, too, so when he didn't go down, I put away the phone

Hope you enjoyed! This kid...

P.S. Yes, I'm aware I skipped the number 4 in numbering my videos. I lost count when uploading. There is no video 4. Oh well.

No one is going to read this

I don't get too political very often. I hope this "Kony 2012" movement actually works. I really do.

So lots of people are talking about Joseph Kony today. Well, they've been talking about him for longer than that, but I just found out about him today. And I'll be honest, I finally watched the video because two of the celebrities I follow on instagram posted something about him. Don't know who Joseph Kony is? Here's my own personal recap of what I have found out:

• Joseph Kony is a rebel fighter in Uganda. He is supported by no one. He doesn't have much purpose besides just having power. He's gone into peace talks a bunch of times, but then goes back to violence. 
• Kony kidnaps kids from their villages at night. He tuns the girls into prostitute slaves, and the boys into children soldiers. He makes them mutilate other children's faces, makes them kill their parents, and then they become his soldiers.
• He's been doing all of this since the 80s.
• The USA doesn't do anything because there's no direct (or even indirect) threat to our country. It's just senseless violence and the killing, rape, and mistreatment of non-american men, women, and children. Mostly children. Like 30,000 children.
• Well, the USA did do a little. Some ambassadors from the army were sent to help look for him. 
• But because Kony doesn't threaten us directly, if there's not a reason to continue to look for and arrest Kony, and the money, resources, and technology needed to arrest him won't be used.
• That shit should stop.

I want to try to gather and share some of the thoughts that came to me after having watched this video. I agree with that last bullet there. When you watch the movie, it may seem a little dramatic, but think of all those kids that he has turned into monsters. It's nuts. It's not overly dramatic. It is really that intense.

I also think it's great that something is being done! In a situation where the normal people see tragedy and evil, and they found a way to actually make a difference. I can share this on facebook, and while I usually make cynical remarks about supporting a cause on facebook, the whole point is to just have it talked about. If it is still in the public eye, the politicians who can do something about it will keep doing something about it. It feels like a big "we the people" moment, and it made that cynic inside me shut up for a while, and be excited that something could be done.

Then, that cynic started sneaking its way out again. Why can't we do this about issues facing america? Why can we all rally around this idea and make it better? I guess it's because the outcome we want for "Kony 2012" is pretty cut and dry. No one can seem to agree on how to rally around our issues at home. Feeding the hungry and housing the homeless, let's say. Oh, let's just go CRAZY on talking about food stamps, shall we? Should there be drug tests? Shouldn't anyone, even if they are unfortunate enough to be a drug addict, be able to eat? Aren't the homeless just lazy people who won't take a job at McDonald's? Why should MY tax dollars go to help people who do drugs and are lazy? Why SHOULDN'T my tax dollars go to help them? Who else will help them? Doesn't improving those people improve society as a whole?

Then, I start to think why I'm not an activist about anything. Why I don't dive deep into the issues. Because deep down, I don't think I can really make a difference. If I vote democrat in Utah, does that even matter? If I vote republican, does that even matter? If I don't vote at all, does that EVEN FREAKING MATTER? All politicians are made from bags of dirt and lies. As prim and proper as they look in a suit and tie or pant suit and heels, they're going to disappoint, come short of promises, and the end result--no matter who it is or what party he or she is from--will be about the same. Some things fixed here, others worsened there. Some left alone, and others dealt with. The political party only changes which batch of things go in which pile. But this movement... can it really mean I could actually help something?

Maybe it's because Uganda and the Invisible Children are so far away. Maybe because kids are dying and we all know that's inherently wrong, so that's why we can rally around it. If it were happening at home, we might see things differently, or just differently enough to form two large opinions--parties, if you will--and debate the best way to go about it, and how to spend the money. But as cynical as I might get, or as much as I've been let down by politics and politicians in the past, I want this to work. 

Catch that sonofabitch. Hold him accountable for murders, assaults, rapes, prostitution, slavery, and crimes against humanity. Because if we all didn't talk about it, no one would care, and nothing would be done. And if something CAN be done, and we do something about it, maybe we can do more. Maybe we can do more at home, even if we can't always agree on exactly how to go about it.

Spaghetti!

Mikey is pretty good at stuff. He's even gotten pretty good at picking up little pieces of spaghetti that we give him for dinner, so I wanted to see how he'd do with a bowl of it. He really likes spaghetti. And this kid has never tasted anything but whole wheat, so hopefully we can just keep that trend going.

You may notice that he doesn't get quite so red as you might think a baby playing with spaghetti and sauce might. That's because I make our sauce with canned or bottled tomatoes. It's still messy, but doesn't stain so bad. You'll see him dig right in to eat, then start to realize this could be a toy. He makes piles to his left, swings it into his eye. It's all good fun



Also, I hate my voice.

I don't get it

So, I read Mindy Kaling's book, and it's funny for sure, but as I finished the book last night, one of the final chapters had this sentence in it:

I love shopping and fashion, as anyone who has read more than a paragraph of this book will know.

And she's right, she has mentioned fashion a bunch in her book. I don't know why, but lately, I've been aware that people talk about fashion. it's been in a couple books I've read that were written by famous people, and on a few TV shows, I think. The thing is, I don't get how anyone can love fashion. I'm not saying this in the same way my oldest sister would say, "I don't get how anyone can love pickles." She means pickles are gross, vile, and she could never love them. I'm not saying fashion is gross, vile, and no one could ever love it, I'm saying I genuinely don't understand how it is a thing people can love. I truly don't understand how one might love it.

Do fashion lovers discuss pleats and shoulder pads? With whom do they discuss said pleats and shoulder pads? Girlfriends? Designers? Maybe that's the kicker right there. It's a rich person thing, and I've never been rich, don't think I'll ever be rich, and can't fathom the type of things you will obsess over when you don't have to worry if you have enough money for milk this week. But that said--and realizing I will never quite understand it because I'll never be in a position where I'll have the time and money to try to understand it--how is loving fashion different than loving clothes, or liking to look nice or fancy? I know people who love clothes, and people who like to look fancy. But does that mean they love fashion? ...maybe, I don't know.

I do know that I don't "love fashion," (in quotes because I'm still not sure if it's a thing) but I don't like to dress like a slob... at least not in public. But from reading the whole of Mindy's book, she's fine with wearing old T-shirts and sweat pants (also known as yoga pants for women) in her home, or sometimes to work. So what does this even mean? To me, it's like a cook saying, "I love ingredients." ...uh... don't you just love cooking? Or flavors, maybe? Maybe it's just a way for rich people who think they're more enlightened than me to let me know they think they're better than me.

And in the words of Happy Gilmore, "You think you're better than me?!?!"

So mad!!

Mikey gets so mad sometimes! Not really, it's like he's playing at yelling. Because we'll both laugh, and he keeps doing it. Hayley posted some pictures of how mad he gets. I recorded this video and started asking his opinion on a few things. Seems like between the GOP depates [sic], the state of the economy, and potholes, the thing that gets Mikey most riled up is potholes. Take a look. (And please excuse the camera work. I was holding the camera away from him, so he'd still look at me or Hayley, and it went a little off to the side at times.)

Woah!!

When Mikey gets too excited, he's started saying, "Woah!" a whole buncha times. It's dang cute. In the tub tonight, he was going nuts! I pulled out my phone and took this video, and of course because there was a camera, he didn't do it quite so much. This video does, however, show a few other Mikey-isms.

• 0:03 -- you can see and hear him do this little mouth grunty noise he makes when he's hungry. I can't even mimic the sound
• 0:15 and 1:35 -- he claps with toys in his hands
• 0:31 -- he sorta does his "woah!"
• 0:44 -- he does a fake cough
• 0:47 -- he lets out a loud "aaahhhhhh"
• 1:42 -- he gets so excited, he has to smile big, kick his feet, and bounce
• 1:50 -- he gives a better "woah! woah!"
• 2:06 -- his dad says "oh, goodness" in baby talk for the billionth time
• 2:16 -- he gives a little more concerned "woah!"

Yeah... I know I'm a dork, but I just love everything about this kid!

Happy Mother's Day, Hayley!

I just love ya! You're the best Momma for Mikey boy that could ever be. You love him so much, it's palpable at times. Just the mere thought of him can make you cry, laugh, or just smile. You love him, smile at him, play with him, feed him, change him, and protect him. You let him nap on you, play with you (even when he gets rough and goes for the face), and you can tell how much he loves you. You don't need to do anything but walk in the room and that little guy lights up, smiles, laughs, and gets so excited he can't help but get those hands and feet going.

We love you so much and hope you have a great day today!

Love,

Your boys.

And here's one of my favorite videos of all time. 

A couple Mikey vids

If you don't regularly check out our YouTube channel, what's wrong with you? No, but you're missing out on some grade A awesomeness. Seriously. This is Mikey just after a bath, checking himself out in the mirror, drooling on his newly cleaned baby chest.


And this one is him playing baby piano on iPad.


See the kind of awesome you're missing?

Mmmm, carrots

Mikey got his first taste of carrots last night. I never thought of carrots having a strong flavor, but when all you ever eat is milk with the occasional super mushed up rice, I guess the flavor might be strong. :) Check out 0:45, 0:55, 1:16, and 1:59 for some really great faces.



Also, if you haven't checked out our youtube channel in a while, you really should. There are some great videos of Mikey there. (click here in case you're looking at this in a reader and can't click the button to the right)

Bullying

Someone shared this video on facebook...

What do you think?

Fun with neti pots

Before seeing an episode of Cougar Town, I didn't even know what a neti pot was. Bobby was a little skeptic at first, but then finally tried it out. See?



(The "Hero" song playing in the background makes more sense if you watch the full episode...)

Then, a day or so ago, one of my friends on facebook said how glad she was she had a neti pot, or what a life saver it was or something. So I had to ask if it really worked. She said it was great. Didn't take away your cold if you have one, but it lets you breathe for while.

I did a little online research (consisting of googling "neti pot," visiting two sites, and watching one online instructional video) and found out people have been using them for a long time, and they can help clear sinuses when you have allergies, too. So I asked Hayley if she's ever used one, and she looked at me like I was crazy, then composed herself a little more and said, "No, but Heather and her family use one." Now I was more intrigued. So when I went to get milk last night, I checked out the neti pot isle, and decided to try it out.

It definitely feels weird the first time or two, but you can breathe after! With this cold I've had since getting home from my last work trip, I've been trying to keep my voice and be able to breathe. This little pot totally helps. If you were skeptic before (or had never heard of the thing like me), come on over and I'll let you try it out.

And for your viewing pleasure, here is me trying it out for the first time. I was pretty sure it needed to be documented and shared on the interwebs.

Oh, and I made Hayley do it, too. And I recorded it. :)



Best Laughing ever!

Mikey gets so excited in this video, he's screaming! It's pretty awesome. Most of you may have already seen this, but it's one of my favorite videos, so I'm posting it. So there.

Spitty McSpitterton

Mikey is learning how to give raspberries. He's cute. That second video has more spitting. There's spit running all down his face.

You asked for it

Ok, most of you read Hayley's blog, too, but I think there are some that don't. Based on the comments on my last post (feel free to continue to make requests. I'll be working on them), no one seems to mind Mikey, so here's my latest favorite video of him. Hayley already posted it, but it's so cute! I was recording, trying not to catch his attention because if I did, he'd likely stop laughing. There were probably 3 times I almost stopped recording, but then he'd make some happy noise, and I'd just let it keep going. So here's Mikey laughing with his mamma.



There are a bunch of other videos, too. I'm going to add a link to the side of my blog to the YouTube channel where we're posting all his videos, in case all y'all want to check out the other cute videos of mikey. And a few from  a couple Christmases ago. And a couple concerts we went to. But it's mostly Mikey.

Conozco Erik Estrada

Some of you may remember this post from a while back. Well, this morning, one of my friends posted some of the lyrics to the "One Semester of Spanish, Spanish Love Song" so I had to go watch the video again, and of course, it was still pretty dang funny. Then I read the comments on the video, and it turns out there is a song for the second semester. And while this isn't super holiday oriented (although there is a line "Feliz Navidad con Erik Estrada"), it's still pretty funny. I know lots of folks liked the first, so here's the second!




And Kudos to Erik Estrada for being a part of this. :)

Mikey laughs

While we were at the Verizon store waiting for Hayley's phone to get fixed, I stared laughing at Mikey, and he laughed back! Hayley came over to watch, and was smart enough to ask for my phone so she could take some video. The video quality isn't great, and you'll need to make sure you're speakers are up, but here are a couple videos of Mikey laughing. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Not looking forward to my business trip next week

Whachawdano

This is pretty great.



Apparently there are more videos from these guys. Some about texting and driving, free WiFi spots, and even Linux. But go check those yourself. I only have so many labels for my posts.

Cutest video ever

Hayley already posted this, but I assume I have a couple readers that don't also read her blog, and this HAD to be shared. More baby Mikey. Enjoy.