Yahoo Dax is 2!!!

Ok, lets be honest..."Yahoo" isn't the word I personally would choose to describe my feelings on Dax turning two, but it rhymes and I thought it made a cute title... that's pretty much it as far as my feelings on that goes... But seriously, all joking aside, it was a pretty exciting day for Mr. Dax. He got a John Deere themed party which meant he got even more tractors than he already has and he got MANY other exciting gifts. Most importantly, he got his birthday cake...all day he was talking about his birthday cake... I guess at play group, little Lilly wished him a happy day and his reply was "birthday cake"... and yes...he loved that cake.

As these pictures show, there was a little drama. Dax really struggled with his desire to want to share his new tractors with his good friend Noah. He wanted to, he just couldn't bring himself to do it, he wouldn't even make eye contact with Noah the whole time the little tiff was taking place. It really was one of the saddest most hilarious things I've ever seen. If you notice cute Chelsea's reactions in the background of the pictures... I think her expressions capture the feelings of everyone there perfectly...except for Noah of course, I think his face says quite clearly his thoughts on the matter.

Dax wasn't dry eyed for long...when it came time for the singing of "Happy Birthday" he freaked...but once he got to blow out the candles...over...and over...and over again, he was back to his playful self...and if you were wondering, yes, Dax and Noah did make up... the two of them, plus Ty played in the new swimming pool(not with water) for the rest of the party...

All in all it was a good day... not the easiest for me to swallow... but we made it through :)

There are no pictures of Kevin because the poor guy threw out his back earlier that day so any pix we would have had would have been of him all hyped up on loratab...so...that explains that :)

...Treasures...

I often refer to myself as a "Dr. Laura Disciple"... in fact people probably get tired of me constantly saying "Well, Dr. Laura says." or "Dr. Laura would slap him/her over the head" but what can I say, even though a lot of the time I have to turn the radio station because I just can't bare to listen to the ripping she's about to give, I agree with most of what she says.
Getting to the point... I'm reading her new book and in the introduction she shares a letter from a mom that says:
"There were many days where I was pulling out my hair, found myself screaming at them, and was totally exhausted by the end of the day, thinking to myself "any other work would be a pleasant relief." But there were also many moments I would never trade for any job, no matter what the pay. Those moments when your child gives you a smile or a look you never forget, moments when they would give you a kiss, a hug, or just hold your hand for no reason.Those are the moments a mother treasures in her heart forever and they can never be replaced, not even by a grandmother."
This sparked recent memories of Dax, in one of his groggy moments when he wasn't taking a nap... he came up to me, kind of rubbed my arm, and said "I yuv you O much mommy" I COULD HAVE died!!! I think everyone has that moment when it's like "This is why I do this" and they are all different, but that was mine. (well, the newest one) Then there was the time we were in the car and I was sitting in the backseat to comfort Wyatt and Dax said "Hand Mommy"... all he wanted was to hold my hand!!! He fell right to sleep. Kev was driving and gave me this look through the rear view that said "WOW"... it made my day... and he has done that since...those are times I know he needs me or just wants to be close... they can't be replaced by anything!
Wyatt is getting so much more aware and with that comes those moments of excitement when he can see me and starts excitedly kicking...on the flip side, when he can't see me he'll freak and I must admit sometimes it has gotten pretty tiring. But honestly, just the other day when he cried because I was out of his eye line, I thought to myself "There will come a time when he won't care if he can see me or not" clearly I ran right to his rescue and didn't put him down for a VERY long while :) These are just some of the things that make it so worth it! It's sad but sometimes I need those "cheer leaders" like Dr. Laura (that literally are few and far between) that help me remember that being a Mom is the best calling ever. I love my family SO much... and the moments are going faster and faster... some days I can't keep up... but I'll read that quote that I have on here that reminds me that babies don't keep... but the messes do (and some of you who see my house, on some days know I take it to heart) I'm so thankful and so lucky that Kev works so hard so that I can be my boys' "special person"... some days I may tell you otherwise, but my life really is perfect.

As for an update on the bedtime wars... Kevin and I are the winners! At first we were fighting to get him to stay in bed for more than three hours a night... but then one day, as Dax was literally bobbing his head in complete exhaustion in his high chair, I let him take a nap, and I'll tell you what, the two days that I've let him nap... those same nights he went right to bed. Kind of like the nap killed that second wind that caused the disastrous bedtime tornadoes!!! So, we are all sleeping better...
One of my new favorite things is when Dax gets out of bed and I'm already up with Wyatt, he'll come up in the softest, most sweetest voice and say "Hi Mommy"... There are also the days he'll be up first and come to my room...get as close to my face as possible and say "Mommy, Mommy... hi Mommy"
Those are just some of my treasures and they are the absolute BEST!!!!

...Ready...Set...BEDTIME WARS!!!!

As many of you know, we finally finished Dax's new room. With that, came the new "big boy bed". This bed has pretty much sat there for show for the past two months. Sure, he and his buddies will climb on it and run their cars along the stitching of the comforter, but that's about all it has been good for.
We were planning on making the big boy bed move on his birthday...you know, buy him a new pillow...make a huge deal out of getting to sleep in it... well, last night Dax moved that date up a few weeks...starting a battle, we weren't quite ready to fight yet.
I took Wyatt down to bed at 7:55, he woke up as I laid him down so it took me a second before I could leave him...because of that Dax didn't go to bed till about 8:05...
After giving D every truck we (my mom came over while the priesthood session was on) possibly could, he finally let us stay out of the room. A half hour goes by and the "Mommy, Choc-in-there" begins... over and over and over, and suddenly it's 10:00.
When I thought he was asleep, I went up to get ready for bed...but as soon as the bathroom light turned on "Mommy, what you doing?" I couldn't help but laugh, so I go in his room, try to tuck him back under the blankets, give him a kiss, tell him to go night night, and went back to getting ready for bed myself. Again, "Mommy where you going?" I thought I'd do us all a favor, get him out of the crib and take him to his new room. We would both lay in his bed, he'd be zonked in a second, I'd take him back to the crib and we would be finished with the whole mascaraed...to my surprise, he didn't want me to stay with him in bed, he even let me turn off the bathroom light(I believe the only reason he was alright with that was because he wanted to stare at the glow in the dark stars above his bed) either way, I made my way downstairs to Kevin. I waited and waited but Dax never came down. It was basically the last check before I headed off to bed that I found him still laying in bed playing with a car....instead of getting to quietly sneak downstairs... he heard me. I quickly ran to hide in the doorway of Wyatt's room thinking there's no way he'll see me... it's SO dark...well...even though I knew he was going to come out, he startled me when he popped out of his room and said, in a whispered voice "Hi Mommy", I smiled, picked him up, and tried to put him back in his crib. He freaked, so I put him in his big boy bed... he said "night mommy...susz you(love you)kissed me and I left the room. It was then that I realized we were in for too long of a night.
Kevin and I were watching TV when through the darkness a little body comes running out of the stairway, right at us...there he was, in all his glory...with a look in his eye of complete invincibility.
We let him sit with us for a bit, but then decided he would just have to deal with being put back in his crib...There was NO way we were going to fight this battle 18 days before we had mentally prepared for it. We thought that was it...he was safely in the crib, he'd surely go to bed now...right?!
Not five minutes later, did we hear a thud and pitter patter of little feet across the room, down the hall and into the dinning area, where he started to make his way down...
OH NO!!!! He figured out how to climb out of his crib!!!!!!

I can't tell you the devastating blow that was! WE LOVE OUR SLEEP! Wyatt sleeps through the night!!! Therefore, WE STILL SLEEP! and with Dax now climbing out of what we so lovingly refer to as his cage... ends all of those sleep filled nights. I know myself well enough to know that even if he does sleep through the night, I'm going to be awake listening to every single sound, making sure it's not him!

After probably 5 attempts of trying to keep him in his crib, Kevin finally just said forget it!!!! I'll sleep upstairs and catch him every time he gets up.
By this time, it's midnight, and the surprise attack that Dax gave earlier, when we were in our bed, woke up Wyatt, so we were all awake until probably 2 a.m. at least I know Wyatt and I were.
Before Kev left this morning(mind you 6 in the a.m.) he said that he and Dax ended up sleeping on the floor in the TiPi...and oh yeah, he's awake upstairs!!!
Needless to say we are all drained...except of course Dax... I feel SO bad for Kevin having to start his new schedule the day after Dax decides he wants to "sleep" in his new room.
He's been all over the place all morning, I can't figure out what has gotten him all wired. Kevin promised he didn't give him any pop!!!
There was A LOT of advice given before we had Dax...so much that I really can't remember much of it. There was, however one piece of advice, that has stuck with me... it was "You will NEVER be well rested again!" Those words keep ringing in my ears and running through my head... and after last night, I think I've finally accepted that fate.