Stats

Ethan

• Potty trained last month and did amazingly well--only a handful of accidents since the first day.
• Best big brother ever--will do anything to entertain "Dan" (his name for Gavin); he can't stand it if Gavin's not around to play with and begs for me to wake him up from naps.
• Curious as a cat--almost everything I do is met with the question of "What you doing mom?" "Why you doing that mom?" "Where you going mom?" "What that sound mom?"
• Very good boy--rarely gets in trouble because besides tantrums when he's tired, he's really well behaved.
• LOVES trucks and tractors--all our errands now include detours around town to drive past construction zones so he can stare at the tractors working.
• Picky picky--from being an Extremely picky eater to loving the chance to pick out his own and Gavin's clothes every day, he is starting to relish independence and the chance to say "No, I do all by myself, Mom!"

Gavin

• Angel--the most content, happy, independent baby ever. As long as he's fed and had a nap, he'll scoot across the floor exploring everything around the house for hours, thoroughly entertained.
• Claps his hands excitedly every time he hears praise for him or Ethan.
• Finally decided a few weeks ago to return to the habit of sleeping through the night since he last discovered that talent at the age of 2-3 months old.
• Tries SO hard to crawl, rocking back and forth on hand and knees, and to pull himself up to standing; it's so hard to do!
• Just a little guy: his 6-9 month clothes seem to drown him even though he's now 10 months old! 20th percentile in weight compared to Ethan's chubby 95th percentile at this age.
• Loves to watch Ethan play and giggles now that he can travel across the room to knock over Ethan's towers and steal other toys away to Ethan's dismay.
• Curly hair???? I don't know how, but it's so stinking cute!
  

My days with these two are wonderful (ok, mostly, I won't deny having some of "THOSE days"). These boys are best friends already and I'm so glad they have each other, I think they'd each feel deprived without the other. And of course, we all love our favorite boy: Daddy!

4 days that made our 4th of July GREAT:

1) FRIDAY: Local "singing showcase" and evening at the park. It also included a carnival, which didn't really add anything to the night--once we talked Ethan into riding one of the kids rides, we stuck him on the ride, the carnival worker started it, and Ethan SCREAMED in fear as he started moving at a rapid, mmm, let's say 5 mph. The ride was promptly stopped, the carnival picked up our panicking child and handed him to us. What a wasted $2! Luckily the singers were performing at the adjoining park, so we had free family fun on slides and swings while being serenaded by Nashville-star hopefuls.


2) SATURDAY: The evening was spent at a minor league baseball game, complete with access to the all-you-can-eat baseball buffet of brats, burgers, and drinks. We had great fun, but decided to end the night on a good note by getting our kids to bed at a decent hour and as fair-weathered-fans, we snuck out of the game during the 5th inning.


3) SUNDAY: Inspiring church meetings included many reminders of the blessings of living in such a wonderful nation, blessed of God with all the freedoms we enjoy and the obligations that come with the stewardship of those blessings.

Coming home from church, we parked a block behind our apartment, and walked home to find the city's PARADE going right past our FRONT DOOR! Crowds had been saving areas to watch the parade for the past 4 hours, so we were excited that we could just walk up and watch it from our front yard :) Ethan was a little unsure about being allowed to go off the sidewalk onto the edges of the street to pick up the armfuls of candy being thrown our way (did I mention it was the BEGINNING of the parade route--you know, the part where they throw candy like there's no tomorrow, then run out of it two blocks down?). After hearing about runaway horses in another Iowa parade, I was grateful Ethan and Gavin were happy to sit right by us on the lawn. Though the weather had been predicted to be rain all day, the storms stayed at bay during the parade, and EXACTLY as the last float drove by, it started to sprinkle. I guess IT CAN'T RAIN ON OUR PARADE!

A big rain storm came that evening but luckily stopped an hour before fireworks, so when darkness hit, we woke our kids up from bed, and walked a couple blocks over to the park where we had a great view of the fireworks. Apparently the kids weren't quite as impressed with the fireworks as we were; Gavin seemed unsure about them and Ethan constantly complained "It's too LOUD, I don't like it so LOUD." Luckily with a little help from Brian's hands, Ethan seemed to enjoy them much more if his ears were covered.


4) MONDAY: A nice day was spent at home together and then we went to Toy Story 3. We loved it, Ethan was glued to it the whole time (I was surprised some of those mean toys didn't scare him), and though Gavin struggled, he eventually fell asleep in Brian's magic arms.


If only EVERY weekend could be 4 days and filled with fun! Happy 4th of July!

A Note from the Munchkins

Happy Father's Day!
We love you Daddy!

Father Toddler Campout

Brian (and Ethan) survived the annual Father Toddler Campout!
Last year, they only stayed at the campout until bedtime, but this year Brian braved the terror of getting a two-year-old to sleep in a tent (an accomplishment since it's quite the feat sometimes to get a two-year-old to sleep in his own bed at home) and off they went, leaving poor me and Gavin to widdle our night away alone (GIRLS NIGHT! filled with good food, guitar hero, and Lars and the Real Girl).
What is camping, this child wondered? To prepare Ethan for the big event, a few days before the campout, I went to the library and checked out all the children's picture books about camping. Thus, Ethan's camp literary education could be summed up with these "facts":

• When you camp you get to live in a tent, sleep under the stars, roast marshmallows, go fishing, swimming, and tell ghost stories.
• Garbage Can Monsters like to eat up little boys who camp out.
• Only "scaredy cats" give up sleeping outside in the middle of the night.
• 5 raccoons whirr-chirr and 1 frog barums on a quiet night.

Not sure these were an accurate description of the night (really, what kind of people try to put scary monster thoughts into a child's mind?), but they had a great time anyway.Here's proof SOME sleeping took place between the late night and early morning (luckily not TOO early as Ethan slept through the 5 am wake-up call from the wild turkeys unlike some of the other light-sleeping toddlers).

An Angel Mother

Dear Grandma Cheney,

We love you.

And we'll miss you.

And we are so happy we get to see you again someday.

Love,
Ethan and Gavin


Two weeks ago, Brian's mom, Eileen, died of breast cancer at the age of 55. She is an amazing woman. From the first time I met her 6 years ago, she became a heroine of mine. Everything I ever saw her do or say was always with the most Christ-like love; I never felt her judging or criticizing me (or anyone) in any way. We love her so much and are grateful for the love, support, and prayers others have given her and us. We have been so blessed and comforted that family relationships can be eternal and that through the Atonement of Christ, we can be resurrected and meet again. "The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally." (The Family: A Proclamation)

I could write endlessly of how special Eileen was in our lives and the lives of others; really anything I attempt to write just seems inadequate. I heard a quote last year that describes Mom perfectly:
"When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us.... Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind." --Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Eileen's funeral was beautiful and the Spirit of God was strong there. How grateful we are to have had an angel in our lives and to continue that relationship with her in the future. We love you and will miss you Mom.

So Mud Fun!

Adventure I
A few weeks ago, Brian participated (ran?) in the Iowa Mud Run--a 3 mile run through mud pits, crawling through tunnels, and hiking up probably the biggest hill Iowa has,and to top it off, instead of being the warm 70 degree weather it'd been for weeks, that day had a high of 50 degrees. Check it out.

Goofy dressing must have been part of the event , as Brian ran with his brothers, sisters-in-law, and good friends.

I Love those hot legs.

The girls were good sports when the boys ambushed them and dragged them through a giant puddle right before the finish line.

I "sacrificed" my fun by leaving the boys with Grandpa, while I ran and jumped around the mud pits to get some good photos of the event. Maybe next year I'll join in if weather permits, but I wasn't sorry to be bundled up in layers of clothes to stay warm while watching the runners shiver and turn purple.

Adventure II

While running around getting pictures, I remember hearing jingling in my pockets. After the run, we were in a hurry to get to the car so Brian could clean up and warm up. Hmmm. Suddenly, I couldn't find the car keys. Not in my pant pockets. Not in my coat pockets. Not in the stroller. Not in the parking lot. Not in the unlocked car. Hmmm. And we were 45 minutes from Brian's parents house where we were staying for the weekend. And 2 hours away from home, where our spare car key was.

Ahhh, talk about being frustrated with myself! How could I lose our keys (oh yeah, remember the jingling sound in my pocket? Apparently they jiggled out along the way...?) So, Brian (a seething look of frustration in his eyes, but a calm facade otherwise) and I (wanting to cry and just apologizing a lot) retraced ALL my steps around the race. Through the woods, the field of mud a foot deep, the parking lot, and finish line. No luck.

Finally, after an hour of looking, we gave up. Luckily Brian's dad volunteered to drive us back to Ames instead of him going straight to a meeting as was planned. Brian and I were discussing what to do: have the car towed to a dealer and pay the additional $100 for getting a key made --by the way, I hate how these new cars have such expensive keys, or having Brian drive back to Iowa City to get our spare, or have our spare overnighted to us by a friend with access to our house. Hmmm.

I got into Brian's dad's car and with a sigh of giving up, unzipped my coat, took it off, and unconciously stuck my hands in the front pocket of the hoodie I wore under my coat. And.....
There were the keys! I'd totally forgot that I was even wearing the hoodie under my coat, where I had stashed the keys before putting my coat on. AHHH!!! I don't know if my happiness/relief or my shock/feeling of idiocy were stronger. Suffice it to say, I was glad but felt dumb that ALL that time and effort had been wasted since I had the keys all the time. Oh, and the prayer I kept repeating in my mind to be able to find the keys? Answered. Just not in the way I expected.

Law and Order: Vehicle Victim Unit

Family X gets rid of Clunker Junker (Exhibit A)

Exhibit A

Family X buys new car (Exhibit B)

Exhibit B

Trusty Rusty (Exhibit C) gets demoted from primary family transportation to Hubby's commuter car.Exhibit C

2 Months Later:
Wife goes outside, sees new car has been victim of ruthless crime, screams for husband, and presents said husband with new car's graffiti: scratches all across passenger side of car (Exhibit D).

Exhibit D

Investigation begins: fingerprints taken, security tapes reviewed, and witnesses interviewed. No luck. Conclusion: Key evidence found in Exhibit E. Suspect and weapon apprehended. Suspect given house arrest and community service, with possibility of parole at age 18 for good behavior.

Exhibit E

Mystery Solved. Welcome into the Cheney family, Mr. Car.




In all actuality, when I found the scratches all over our new car, I called quickly for Brian to come look. He asked what happened and I told him about how apparently when Ethan was riding his bike next to the car the day before, a metal piece of the handle must have been scratching it! I was upset, but my wonderful husband just took a deep breath, shrugged it off, and said, "Well, these things happen. Good thing we won't be selling this car and needing a good resale value on it in the future." And a new rule of no riding bikes close to cars was implemented. Can I just say how thankful I am to have a husband who doesn't sweat the small stuff? He sees the big picture more often than I do, so I get good reminders like this once in a while that says , 'yeah, that stinks, but what can we do now? Let's prevent it in the future and move on without worrying about it.' Note to self: remember this when 16-year-old Ethan comes home having backed the family car up into a telephone pole.