Safety in Numbers

We put 3 binkies in Teagan's bed when he goes to sleep so that when he wakes up throughout the night he can always find one. By the morning they all end up on the floor around his crib. After he had his bottle today I set him down in his room and went to clean the bottle. He came walking out of his room with all 3! I guess you could say he likes his binkies!

Gettin in trouble

We tried to babyproof our kitchen with the cupboard latches, but the ones we got didn't work with our cupboards an so Teagan currently enjoys the luxory of opening and emptying my drawers and cupboards. Luckily his favorite drawer is my overmit drawer so that is pretty easy to clean up.Teagan can be across the apartment and if I open the dishwasher he hears the click and comes runnin'. He runs into the kitchen with a huge goofy smile and tries to get to the dishwasher before I close it. I accidentally left it open yesterday and this is how I found him. He is so funny!
Do you like the color scheme for my bedroom? I wish I had this one on video. We keep our cell phone chargers back where Teagan is sitting and he is not allowed to suck on them, obviously. I moved the chair so he couldn't get back there, but nothing can stop this kid. I walked in on him throwing himself against the chair and doing a sort of flip/somersault over the edge into the corner where he is sitting. I should have stopped him, but it was too funny and I had to watch.
He loves it when we put our couch pillows on the floor and he can run and jump onto them. Whoever says he is still a baby is crazy, this kid is going at full speed all the time! It is so fun to have a little guy with all that energy, until I completely worn out. Luckily he plays so hard that he naps about 4 hours a day and sleeps 11 hours at night.

We went to the beach with some friends on Saturday and while Zac was out learning how to surf (what a stud!) Teagan was rolling around in the sand, trying to run/walk down sandy hills and doing lots of screaching with the birds. We had a lot of fun, even though it isn't really beach weather anymore with our friends. Me and Bethany went on a walk on the pathway that follows the beach and it was so fun! I love walks on the beach and I love watching Zac play in the water. Life is good, Zac is good, Teagan is crazy!

Update on Bike Trailor

So, as we all know I bought the bike trailor as a surprise for me without consulting Zac first. I really don't do that usually. So I convinced him that it was a great idea and that it was going to be a way for me and Teagan to have cheap fun while I get in shape. So now I have to ride it around all the time to show him how much I'm using it.

I forgot to check out the roads around our house first!!! HOLY COW! It doesn't matter which direction I leave in I have to go up and down hill after hill. I had no idea we lived in such a "hilly" area, but we do and my legs and hind end are feelin it! I am so sore! Today we rode to the park and then to Vons and my legs feel like complete jello. I can't stop now though, cause I'm still trying to show Zac how much I love riding it, but packin a 20 lb kid around is TIRING!

It's like that Friends episode where Monica buys the SUPER expensive boots against Chandler's will and she finds out they're WAY uncomfortable and gets blisters, but she still has to wear them to show Chandler that she was right...I'M MONICA!!!

Budgeting for Christmas.

So I've been doing a lot of research on inexpensive Christmas gifts and I found a GREAT one! Everyone always loves getting slippers for Christmas, so I found instructions for making your own. I was so excited because I already have all the supplies that I need to make them, leftovers from when Teagan was born. Here are the instructions for anyone else who is in need of a cheap Christmas present idea.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.

Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.

The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.

Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.
Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most Aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:

* Soft and Hygienic

* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh

* No more bending over to mop up spills

* Disposable and biodegradable * Environmentally safe

* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the Nifty slippers for yourself....
Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each One of you.

Cute Cute Cute

So I totally splurged, and I got a lecture because of it, but it was totally worth it!!! I've been eyeing bike trailors since Teagan was born and I have wanted one badly. When I found out that they were about $200 new I started looking on Craig's list. All of those ones were usually really NASTY or still out of our price range. Yesterday I found one that was priced at $40. It was in great shape, but pretty dirty so I offered $30 and she sold it to me! YEAH! We have a rule about buying ourselves presents near christmas, but I kind of forgot and got caught up in the moment, I told Zac that it can count as my Christmas present!

I spent the afternoon scrubbing it out and trying to polish it up and today we had great adventures!

Can I just say that we have awesome neighbors? The little girl with Teagan is Kylie, I think she is 15 months or so and she is so cute with Teagan! They had a blast riding in the trailor together and they were so nice to each other. Kylie kept telling Teagan Hi! over and over, so cute! Her mom is Megan and I love having her live close by so we can hang out all the time!

The neighbors right across the way are awesome too! There are 3 kids, 16 (Mariella), 14(alexis), and 11 (Yesenia) and the 16 and 11 year old girls watch Teagan for me almost every day, the 14 year old boy helped me fix my bike so I could ride it around last night. Their parents make us YUMMY Mexican food and give us free treats from Albertson's bakery (the dad is the manager). We are so lucky to live in such a great community. Friendly neighbors are the greatest!

Quiet times

Ever since Teagan started walking we have discovered that as long as he can wander around he is exremely happy and well behaved (if he is in a child proof environment of course). Now we are facing the time when we have to decide what to do with him during church. On Sunday I took him out because he was being wild during sacrament meeting. While we were out we were joined by at least 5 other parents taking out their kids. Teagan was the youngest and the oldest was 3. They all ran around and played and had a blast and then it hit me....I FELL INTO THE TRAP.

Zac and I always told ourselves we wouldn't be the parents that let their kids run free when they were being bad in church ( now I COMPLETLY understand why they do!!!). Then our kids would learn that if they are bad in sacrament meeting we'll take them out and they can run through the halls. We would be teaching them that it is okay to behave badly.

I believe that my brother Brian used a method with his kids that worked fairly well. While in Sacrament meeting they could color, play with toys, and walk around within their own pew. If and when they misbehaved he'd take them out and slice off a finger. They seem to do pretty well now. hehe jk No, he would hold them on his lap and not let them go, even if they were screaming (in a classroom or something). Eventually they must learn that it is better to be in the meeting than alone with dad.

I want to implement something like this eventually to teach Teagan that he simply must behave in church, but I'm not sure if he is old enough.

What have you tried, oh ye wise ones? When did you start teaching your kids that they have to be quiet in church? If you are the family with all the children quietly sitting in a row coloring or even listening PLEASE share your wisdom. I know Teagan is a baby and babys are babys, but I want to teach him to be well behaved. Now is your time to brag about your excellent parenting skills. :)

The Book