Christmas.....one day I'll get all my pictures on the ccomputer.

Our Christmas I'm sure was much like most of yours. We spent it with family, opened presents, and ate goodies. Xander and Hylan's gifts pretty much centered around trasportation, and they loved it. We've had cars and trucks and trains and buses being wheeled all over the house today. They also got in a great game of chase. I loved watching them play together and glad that Hylan is tough enough to handle his older brother. Our family(Mama, Daddy, me, Than, Mad, and David...Jodie and Cliff couldn't make it down this year) played Scene-It Seinfeld and we watched Fred Claus during the calm times. See next paragraph

Oh, we also had our traditional sausage casserole for breakfast, thanks to Than. He was such a great help this Christmas...as he always is. Since my mom is still not up to par (She's been home a week and is feeling better every day) and my grandmother doesn't leave the house much, I got left with all the cooking and gift buying for not just my family but my uncle and his kids and grandkids. Note: This was sprung on me about three days ago by my grandmother. I've been a mad woman. I would think I was done then she'd send me out to do more. I almost strangled her, but that's another story. :) These are relatives we see only once or twice a year. It's always a bit uncomfortable, less so now that we have children but it's still weird. We are literally forced into having this event every year. This year was the best though.

Our Christmas Eve was nice and calm. We watched Luke II (we couldn't find our copy of the Nativity). Xander insisted that we watch it twice because he wanted to see more of baby Jesus. We didn't open any presents. I wanted to try having a more Christ-centered day and then a play day. I think it worked out okay.

Well, it's all over now. We had a good time. My children are asleep and my husband's watching Wall-E. I'm taking a break for a couple days and looking forward to next year........and my spa day that Than got me for Christmas.

Hockey Rocks My Socks!

I decided to tag along on the boy scout outing to a hockey game on the coast. We even took the boys along. It was awesome. I knew I loved hockey before, but I really love it now. Xander and Hylan especially loved the Wolf mascot. Xander shook his hand and gave him five. He told my mom today about the big wolf. They both held their pucks on the way to church and on the way home. We might just make hockey our family sport of choice. One last side note...Hylan loves waving bye bye, but he always waves when we say night night because Xander has to wave to everyone when he says night night. It's adorable.

Snow!!!

It snowed here today. It was actually the second time this year (it snowed in January). It's nearly five o'clock, and there is still a ton of snow on the ground. That has never happened during my lifetime in Mississippi. My dad and Than got a snow day, so we were all home. We took the boys out in it. Xander told me it was too cold but he liked the way it looked. He's not much of a winter child. Hylan seemed to like looking at it but didn't like the cold.

My mom missed it, but she is doing much better. They moved her out of ICU the day before yesterday. I made videos and took plenty of pictures for her. I will post those in a couple of days.

All the snow made me think back to my time in Rexburg.....freezing my patookus off, the sparkling white and stillness right after a good snow, my roommates and I trying not to track all the wet and yuckiness into the Cornerhouse, Than and I dating and getting engaged, and Than making sure there was salt everywhere while I was pregnant so I wouldn't slip. Oh, I love the snow.

Quick updates

My mother is doing about the same. She is still in ICU hooked up to antibiotics and all sorts of stuff. She is feeling better, and the doctors are still trying to avoid surgery. I won't give you details because medical stuff is icky. Everyone is hoping all the stuff they're trying will start working better once the chemo is better out of her system. I miss having her to talk to all day. I only get to see her once or twice a day for half an hour. I didn't get to go today, but I got to talk to her on the phone. Poor woman is bored out of her mind without the grandkids around.

Hylan has learned how to wave bye bye and say it at the same time sometimes, give five, say dada, and clap. He also throws him arm up in the air when we walk past pictures or something else he wants us to point at and talk about. It's really cute. He has also gotten pretty fast cruising around the furniture, and he gets into absolutely everything. I'll think the floors are clean, but then he'll have something in his mouth. Luckily, it's usually a cheerio or something. I have gotten a couple of Xander's stickers out of his mouth though. Yikes.

Xander is my happy helper. He likes to keep things clean and put away dishes. He is able to "read" more words every day. I guess he just recognizes them. He likes for me to write down everyones' names in our family and write other words that he likes. Today we built a wal-mart and a taco bell out of mega bloks. We even had cars out front. It was bunches of fun. Hylan was the Godzilla and knocked the buildings down (oops). His language is still a bit delayed, and it's frustrating for him, but he improves all the time. He finally made the switch from awu or abu to water (well, almost water. it's really close) this week. We were sad and excited at the same time. He said a great full sentence today while we were building.

Than has somehow found more time to spend with all of us lately...thank goodness for holidays and weekends. He still works long hours, but we are slowly getting more and more used to it. He enjoys his job and often times has some great funny stories when he comes home every day. People will tell him anything, sometimes while wearing nothing. Yeah, he gets grossed out. Today, one of his customers sent him home with a deer roast. We've never had deer, so we're excited.

Wow, I've been blabbing for a while now. Sorry for no pictures, haven't uploaded any lately. Thanks for reading. :)

And the cuteness abounds

New cute things:

Xander has to go to bed with every blanket we own on top of him. We do this, let him fall asleep and then remove most of them. He also wants to eat, not regular tacos anymore, but blue/green/pink/white/yellow.....tacos. It's pretty funny. He has finally reached his automobile phase, especially after spending so much time on a plane and watching other planes at the airport. He like planes, trains, buses, and semis. He does not like boats. Counting to three doesn't work anymore. He just wants to count with me.

Hylan is finally cutting teeth (we think). He always has his hands in his mouth. He would rather use that than anything else. Although his new scream is less than cute, he still has the cutest wrinkled-nose smile in the world. He laughs at everything now...toys, swinging, his reflection, Xander, everything. He tried to climb but can't quite yet. He wants more than anything to be a big boy with his brother.

Well, last weekend my brother got married. It was just lovely. We are so excited to have Jodie in our family. They are really the cutest couple. I've never seen Cliff so happy.

One last thing, my mom is in the hospital right now. She got her next to last chemo treatment on Tuesday, and Wednesday woke up with horrible abdominal pain. My dad took her to the doctor this morning, and she was admitted. They think she has diverticulitis. She is on IV antibiotics. If you could mention her in your prayers or put her name in the temple if you go, I'd really appreciate it. I usually don't like to post like this, but I'm a bit worried, especially with her lack of immune system and all. Thank you.

Food Obsessions

I just think this is funny, so I'm sharing. Xander is absolutely addicted to and obsessed with Taco Bell. He looks for the sign wherever we go. Yesterday, he had a taco for lunch and one for dinner (homemade taco for dinner). Oh, and they have to be soft shell. Than had to take his truck back to Magee tonight, and we drove to pick him up. Magee is a little over an hour away. Xander chanted "Need Taco Bell" all the way there. He did not get a taco today. He had already had dinner. It makes me laugh. I'm just glad tacos are only 89 cents.
Hylan's current food love is popcorn. We break it up into little bits, and there is nothing he loves more.

Taco Bell, no Popcorn, Taco Bell, no Popcorn.......I can hear it now.

Trunk or Treat

My big-boy robot. He loved his costume. I think it will be a dress-up now.

My little lion

Some cookies my mom mixed up, Xander and I cut out, and I quickly decorated. Not my best work, but they sure were yummy.

Hylan likes to ride on Daddy's shoulders. Than enjoys it too, even though he doesn't look like it in this picture.

All of us in front of our trunk

My sister's dog, Leo. He was actually the boys' favorite part of the trunk or treat.

Xander getting some candy. He had finally warmed up to it by this time.

Before we went. They actually smiled at the same time!

For Halloween, we took the boys to a Trunk or Treat at the other ward in the county. Xander was very hesitant, but started getting into by about the last three cars. There were two or three he wouldn't go near because either the people or the trunk was too scary for him. We decided to participate and we, with some help from my sister and brother-in-law, decorated our trunk and passed out candy. I took the boys around, and Than manned the van. Here are a few Halloween pictures.

A Pleasant Day

Well, Xander's fits haven't been quite as bad the past couple of days, but they are still quite frequent. I have gotten better at handling them and diverting his attention. I went with my mom to Jackson today to the wig and hat shop. Xander thought it was pretty neat, especially the light switches low enough for him to reach. Oh well, the shoplady was nice about it, and she gave him an empty box and bag to play with. I don't know why, but he enjoyed them.
A little later my mom got a soda and let Xander have a little. You know those little buttons on the top of the lid. Of course, he loves to push those. What child doesn't? Anyway, today I heard him counting one, two, fee, fo. He was counting the buttons. He usually doesn't like counting; he just likes to tell you the name of the numbers when he sees them, so I was pretty excited. My mother also got some popcorn and a cookie. She shared with the boys. Hylan actually unzipped her purse and got one of the cookies out. It was pretty funny. Hylan really enjoyed the popcorn too. I think he might turn into an addict like Than. He got crazy happy eyes when he saw the popcorn. We had a nice day out, even when Xander saw the Wendy's and Taco Bell signs and said those words over and over all the way home (an hour's drive). He's growing up so fast. He also loves Wal-Mart signs and trucks. Mall-Mart tucks are the best.

Xander!

Lately I have had to fuss at Xander...it seems like all day every day. I try every technique I can think of. He doesn't do anything I tell or ask him to do, when not long ago he was the most obedient two year old anyone had ever seen. I try and choose my battles....situations where he could get hurt easily or when he is too rough with Hylan. Well, I digress. He does have his very cute moments though. He has started noticing school buses. If he sees one, all I hear is, "Ride school bus, mommy!" That lasts for about ten minutes at least. It's loud and a bit irritating but just so stinking cute. I have to explain that he's not old enough to ride the school but yet. He can ride it when he's five, but right now he's only two.

He cooks every day. He wants to cook all day...he has thrown quite a few fits kicking on the kitchen floor this week because he hasn't been able to continue cooking after I or my mom or Than was done. He couldn't stand that all I did was put in some chicken fries for lunch today. He wanted to cook! When it's not cooking it's, "Pay awu, Mommy!" which translated is play in the water....the kitchen sink with measuring cups and bowls. We let him do this fairly often, but now he wants to play as soon as we wakes up. Too bad he doesn't understand. I try not to fuss too much but just find him something else to do. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. We are prepping for a higher than normal water bill.

I love my little Xanderman. He drives me nuts, but he is wonderful. I can't imagine my days without him. I miss him every time I go out without him (I miss Hylan too, of course). I just keep telling myself that he won't be two forever and I want to shout for joy and cry at the same time.

Tid-bits

So, I think Xander has officially outgrown his sandbox. He still enjoys it though.

Xander has an array of toys that he sleeps with at night. These are two of his favorites, and they are always kept together. Frog and lizard are a pair.
This is the first Jack-O-Lantern we've had since I was pregnant with Xander. He thought its guts were yudty (yucky). It's supposed to be a redneck. Maybe you'll be able to tell better once he's lit up....maybe not.
Than and I went on a date this weekend. We went and saw Eagle Eye. We were both very impressed.
There's our sweet little Hylan. He's been rather sick this week. Three trips to the ER and one to the pediatrician. Three blood drawings, two shots, and one catheter later, he is doing much better. We will find out tomorrow exactly what the problem was.
He's getting so big. He loves balls, cars, and dogs. Those things can really get him moving. He's trying to get to his Aunt Maddi's dog Leo in this picture.

A few other things from the past week. Than fixed the toilet and the sink in the bathroom. I'm pretty sure he did some more handy work that I just can't think of right now. We had a nice laugh about having to go to Home Depot five times in one day. Luckily, it's right down the road. I made an entire meal with vegetables and everything all by myself. Sadly that is an accomplishment. Than loved it. I actually have been cooking alot lately. Xander has been talking more and more in full or almost full sentences. He still uses one word and two words though. He can recognize and name A-F of the alphabet. Hylan and Xander have been having screaming contests lately. It's no fun for me but lots of fun for them. It's really cute. Hylan has also learned to shake his head and thinks it's just hilarious. I can't believe he's 8 months old already.

The Swing that Than (and his dad) Built

Than's parents have been in Louisiana for the past few weeks doing hurricane clean-up and repair. Lucky for us, they were right near by, and they have gotten to visit us. Mike kindly asked if there were any projects around the house that we needed done, so we found one. Than needed a little help getting a swing built for the boys. We all ended up missing some of conference, unfortunately, but Xander and Hylan now have a great swing that Daddy and Grandpa built, and we all spent a great day outside in the cooler weather. My dad even did some yard work. It's been a good day. Oh yeah, the talks I did hear were wonderful, and I heard some things I needed to hear. Buckle down tomorrow.

This is how it started.

This was the end result. I love how it turned out. The swingset isn't crooked, just my picture taking and the yard are. We have also lowered Xander's swing. Hylan was asleep at this time and tried it out a little later in the day.

These are just some pretty flowers that are blooming in our yard right now. Yay for October in Mississippi!

Ole Brook Festival

Today was the Ole Brook Festival. It's mostly a flea market with lots of carnival type food and live music, but it's so much fun to go. The weather was perfect. This was our town's 150th anniversary. We ate greasy food together. Even Hylan got some. We looked at all the booths, but nothing was that appealing this year, except for some dachsund puppies, but Than told me no. :( We did bring home the best kettle corn ever though. Last night, was the Outdoor/Wildilfe Expo. Xander got to pet a baby alligator and a snake. Hylan petted a turtle. Xander also got a free t-shirt supporting a local politician. It's cute. All in all, we had a great weekend.

Updates

So, updates...

Than and I are once again seriously considering him going back to school. I still don't know if it's the right thing to do, but it almost seems like our only option. We've given ourselves to the end of the year to make a decision.

My mom has completed three of eight chemo treatments. She's doing really well, and the doctors expect her to be totally fine when she's done.

My little brother is getting married in the Columbia River Temple in November, so our entire family is flying out. Somehow, we have come up with the money to go. I have no idea how, but we're excited...except for the 5 hour flight with Xander and Hylan.

Xander knows his colors, shapes, and most numbers (0-10). We didn't know he could recognize numbers until we jokingly told him to turn to a certain channel with the tv remote, and he did it. We have since learned how much he knows. I'm pretty sure he can recognize a couple letters too.

He also said his first prayer a couple weeks ago. "Pray, eat, pray, eat, Amen". He currently enjoys calling me Valerie and Hon because Than does, wrestling with Hylan, and being read to while he turns the pages.

Hylan started scooting today. He's been trying to crawl, and he's been able to get around pretty well, but today he learned a more efficient method. He looked pretty happy. We were excited. His current favorite activities include: laughing hysterically at Xander, tearing up paper, and eating baby snack puffs. He is also now fitting into 12 month clothes. He'll be seven months old tomorrow.

We survived Gustav!

Well, it wasn't as bad as they thought, but our little town ended up being one of the hardest hit in the state. Lucky for us, we were without electicity for less than a day. Alot of other people probably won't get power for several days. Baton Rouge has been a very hard hit area. I'm hoping that the temple didn't flood again, but it's possible. We actually had a friend get married there last Thursday...good thing they didn't wait until Saturday. They wouldn't have been able to get to the temple bc all southbound roads were closed. It's been a very interesting experience. Brookhaven has been trashed in a sense. Louisiana folk don't seem to care too much about littering, so they do it everywhere. Wal-Mart was actually closed today.
It was a bit of an adventure also. We got out a propane lantern, played a couple board games, and got out in the weather a few times because were were stir-crazy. Xander and Hylan loved the wind and rain. Hylan was very interested in it falling on the windows. Xander enjoyed finding out what was battery-operated and what was connected to the wall while the power was out. All the canals and ditches are full or over-flowing. This area hasn't seen this kind of rain in a long time, not even with Katrina. It's actually been kind of neat. Than couldn't work, so I had him home for a four-day weekend... I loved it. Oh yeah, and we got a date in some how. My brother and his fiance babysat for us while we went out. All in all, not a bad weekend.

I let go a little

My big boy is camping right now. I can't believe I let Than take him, WITHOUT ME!!! I am a nervous wreck right now, but I'm sure Xander is having fun. Than asks me before every scout campout if he can take Xander, and I always tell him no. I figured that 2 years old is old enough now. I also just couldn't take Xander's hurt feelings today. He has been glued to Than since the day he was born. I am not exaggerating. Of course, I gave Than a long list of instructions and made him promise over and over again to watch him every second. I still can't believe I did it.

I just felt like writing a little today

First of all, let me apologize for never posting pictures on here. If you'd like to see pictures, just check facebook.
Well, lately, amazingly, my life has felt a little less stressed. I don't know how...between my mother's chemo, Xander's new tantrums, and Hylan not sleeping. My mom has been handling it well so far...one treatment down, seven to go. I seem to be doing a little better with more responsibility around the house...it's more like my own house. My grandmother is (surprisingly)loaning my parents money to make it through while my mom can't work. I'm almost glad she can't right now. No more daycare for a few months. I'm getting to spend more time with my children. I get to take Xander outside more and read to him. I'm not completely exhausted by 3 p.m. anymore. It's fantastic.
Also, my boys are so dang adorable. Xander has started talking alot more. Today, he called me Valerie because he heard Than do it. He also told me, "I want a book" while we were at the store. He calls Hylan Hybaby. Hylan just laughs at him all day. I love watching them together.

Ludlow family reunion

I would love to give all the details of everything we did and everwhere we went, but I won't. It's probably only entertaining to me anyway. I will mention a few of my favorite moments and why I love my life...Xander blowing bubbles with his cousins, Than's crawfish boil, Hylan finally rolling over consistently, getting to hang out with Rachel and Matt, going to Matt's [suprise] wedding, Xander's unquenchable thirst for otter pops, Hylan's discovery of his screaming happy voice, and my favorite part of the reunion was my four-wheeler ride with Than through the mountains of central Utah. Yes, it's true; my favorite moment was with only Than, not with his whole family or even with our children, just me and my honeybun. I really love him.

I need to vent a little

For the most part, I love my life. I have a wonderful husband and two great children. I'm even kind of used to not having my own house right now. I can overlook a lot. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I just can't this time. For the past ten years my parents, my brother, my sister and now Than and I have given rides to a particular family in our branch. We never complained even though they have a car. We've given rides on Sundays on Wednesdays and activities on Saturdays...the Sundays ended about three years back, but it's been every wednesday with few exceptions for the past six years. A few weeks ago, the mother of these five boys told a friend of hers (we are assuming) that we could give her son a ride home too every wednesday night. He just happens to live fifteen miles out of town, down a very dangerous road. Mutual ends at 8. We made it home at 8:45. We live five minutes from the building. We had to get gas in order to take people home. Okay, well, we could even deal with that. BUT, one of those boys who we have been nothing but kind to stole my entire CD collection (it was only about 20 CD's or so, but they were mine). I noticed the next morning when I went to grab one. Today, we discovered that Than's mission scriptures (which he only uses at church and leaves in our car bc of limited space in our room; he uses another set at home) also disappeared at the same time. Than told the branch president we would no longer be giving rides. He didn't give him details, but I wish he would have. I had gotten over the CD's. Most of them can be replaced, but Than's scriptures that he used on his mission can't be. They have stolen from my family and other people before. Oh, we have given them tons of stuff. There was no reason to steal. We even could have gotten them a set of scriptures. I am beyond angry.

I help my mom run a home daycare. Honestly, I hate it, like really hate it. I want to be able to spend my days with only my two children. There are so many things I want to do with them that I don't get to do. Today I left the main room and took Xander and Hylan with me. All the others were throwing fits at the same time, and I had to get out. We went to mine and Than's room and just played on the bed. It was wonderful. Hylan isn't much of a laugher, but everytime Xander touched him or rolled on or got in his face, he laughed hysterically. I hope they continue to get along that well. I look forward to more of those moments with my two boys.

Our Fabulous long weekend

We had a wonderfully relaxing day Friday. Than had the day off, so we got a few things done around the house and watched a movie. Saturday, we took the boys to Lake Lincoln. Than and Hylan stayed under the shade of a tree, and Xander and I splashed until we couldn't splash anymore. I heard Bish and Beash all day which are Fish and Beach. It's a really good thing that Hylan isn't that great at rolling over yet because Than had him laying on top of a picnic table. FUN FUN.

Bite vs. Lick

One of the children that my mom takes care of is a biter. She is a really bad biter...will pretty much go after everyone for anything, even if their hand just gets a little close to her mouth. She has gotten all the babies at some time or another. She's only gotten Xander one good time, but I think he finally forgot because he saw her going after someone, and we guess he thought that she was licking them. He is now a licker. It's gross but hilarious. He licks me; he licks Than; he licks Hylan...and laughs the whole time. At least he's not biting.

Last Saturday we had family pictures taken. We just went to Sears. Professional photographers cost too much, and I don't know anyone who takes pictures that I like. I may try my sister or her mother-in-law. We'll see. I really wanted a good picture of my two boys together, but that didn't happen. We did get several fantastic ones of them apart though. Xander hammed it up for the camera. He's been really shy lately but not for the girl taking the pictures. He wanted to be in every picture. She even let him press the button and take some. It was really cute. Hylan really liked her too and smiled like crazy.

Sidenote: Than got a big raise, but it's still not enough for us to move out... :( It's alot closer though.

I need to load some more pictures onto the comp, but for now, I'm just going to write. Xander's newest favorite activity is watering the garden. It's a very pathetic garden, at best, but he enjoys playing with the hose and spraying the plants. He ends up completely soaked every time. We also tried fingerpainting for the first time. I think he liked it. We kept his work and put it on the wall (it has since fallen down). It will be back up soon, but he likes to point out his and my handprints.

Hylan has rolled over a couple of times but doesn't get much floor time because of the home daycare and a rough older brother. He prefers to be where he can watch everything. The walker/bouncer is a life saver. He is such a happy baby. He smiles at us even when we're not looking at him. He just loves people.

Bye bye to the taurus

Today, we sold our car. It stopped running a couple of months ago, but we just found someone to take it off our hands. It was the first car that Than and I owned together. We had a lot of great memories in that car... in Idaho, Nevada, Mississippi. We're happy to be rid of it, but it's still sad. Our BYUI parking sticker was still in the windshield. You could still see "I love Than and Xander" on the inside of the windshield where I had written it in the fog on the glass. I'll miss seeing that. Oh well, at least we got a little money that will help fuel our minivan this summer. I'll still miss that old ford taurus.

Night night, Dada.

If you read and remember my first post, you know that Xander doesn't talk much. He only says a few words, but he has been trying to talk more and has said a couple new things. I just got him some play-doh, and he held it up while he was playing with it and said bay-doh or pay-doh or something like that. I was excited. I think that's the first time he's said a word in reference to an object. He also grabbed my dad's hand and pulled him toward his room and said "my room". Yay for two word phrases. And finally, tonight, he said Night night Dada to Than. Than teared up when he told me. He doesn't get to hear him talk much because he's at work so much, so he was pretty excited. Also, my mom just read a book about smart children who are late talkers, and Xander fit it almost to a T. We knew he was bright and social and happy, so we didn't get why he wasn't talking. I'm probably just worrying too much. That's what I do. Silly me.

Joy

I have exciting news that has nothing really to do with me or my family. My husband's friend Darren was sealed to his wife and son this morning...oh, and the son that Tamara will be delivering any day now. Than's mom told us this afternoon. We were so happy for them. It was a complete shock because Darren hasn't been active in the church for years, but apparently he's come back along with his family. I'm just happy about the whole thing and wanted to share with everyone. I only wish I had pictures of them at the temple today.

"Don't Cut Your Hair"

You'd think by the title of this post, it would be about Xander, but no, it is about Than. Than hates having his hair even an inch long. He'd like to shave it bald. I won't let him of course. His hair looks so much better a little longer. It's still clean-cut. He looks in the mirror and sees the shaggy dog. I don't know what to do with him. Usually, he'll hold out until I feel like cutting it because I'm pretty good at it, and I cut it just the right length (for me). Well, two days ago, he went into the bathroom and cut his own stinkin' hair. I couldn't believe he did this. It looks awful, AND HE DOESN'T CARE!!! He thinks people don't pay attention to hair. He is wrong. He won't believe me. We are looking for a new job here, people. I love him, but that just gets on my nerves.

A Fun and Feverish Weekend

Well, this weekend started out great. We took Xander and Hylan to the aquarium in New Orleans. Xander loved it, mostly staring and pointing. Hylan actually really enjoyed it too. I couldn't believe it. He tends to get fussy kind of easily but he loved looking at the water and the fish. He stayed quite content almost until the end. Luckily my mom was there, and she took care of him while Xander played in the children's activity area. It was a great day. Oh, and Than got to experience a little of that horrible city. We drove him down Bourbon Street. It was my first time seeing junkies. That probably sounds horrible, but we did get to hear a little jazz (coming from bars). The boys were asleep.

The next morning, I woke up with mastitis, yet again. It hit pretty hard this time, and I am still not recovered. Than came home from church early to take care of me. We also celebrated Xander's 2nd birthday Sunday afternoon. By this time, Xander had developed a nice little fever. Hylan had a little bit of one. There were no other symptoms, just a fever. He still enjoyed blowing out candles and being sung to and opening his presents. He's doing better now. He even went swimming today and sat in the water. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but he hasn't sat down in water in probably a year. He has just refused. It has made for some very dangerous bathtimes. So that was our holiday. Full of fun and fever.

Blogger illiteracy

So, to those of you who have commented on my blog, I thank you. Hello. Unfortunately, I do not know how to comment. I think I've gotten a bit spoiled by facebook. I'd appreciate a little help. :) Thanks so much.

My first post

Well, I have finally decided to blog...a little. What's happening now? Well, Than is still working for Schwan's, and we are still living at my parents'. We thought we would be gone by now, but that hasn't quite happened. A couple of weeks ago, Than and I decided that he would go back to school. We would take on the extra debt and everything. While going through the process of deciding whether he would go for a graduate degree or just get another bachelor's we talked to a few people from BYUI. They encouraged him to just shoot for jobs based on one of his minors from there, so that's what we're doing now. We are looking for an IT job. Hopefully that will lead to something, and we can all get out on our own.

As for our children, Xander is turning two in a week. He is some character. He loves cooking and playing outside. Many a tantrum as come from going back indoors. He has learned how to trick Mama and Daddy and gets a really big kick out of it. We don't like it quite as much. He still prefers gestures and noises to words, but he is starting to talk a little bit more. He actually said a three word sentence a couple of weeks ago. "Where my mama?" No sentences since, but there is hope. I think he is happy not talking because he communicates so well without language. I am trying not to worry. My mom says I was a late talker, and I guess I believe her. Hylan is three months old and loves his big brother, even when Xander gets right in his face and gives him "head hugs" and kisses. He is starting to smile all the time and is actually trying to sit up already. It's nuts. He still won't sleep without being swaddled. We figure that's okay for now. We love our little fellas.