Home...

...home on the range.

Adoring public: "Erika, what have you been up to since your last post, 5 months ago?"
Erika: "Not much."

Which of course is an understatement. There is so "much" going on in our lives that I tried to hire a ghost blogger (thanks for nothing Morgan) to try and put something down on paper for me (not really paper). Of course the bulk of our time has been spent on "the move." Our new home is in fact "on the range" and there are "deer and antelope" playing as well as bison, snakes, rabbits, voles, hawks and mice. We seldom hear a "discouraging word" because we have to take an ATV to visit the closest neighbor if we desire discouragement.



Living on land is a dream come true, especially with three very active and curious boys. They are literally filthy and exhausted when they come in from outside each day. It is a wonderful blessing to live here in spite of the additional laundry that such messmakers inspire!

So I guess I have been distracted. We are still not finished moving in, so close, but still unfinished. Then there is the emotional drama. I don't want to sensationlize it but I find it is best to deal with rumors straight on, so here is the truth. Yes, Josh has another woman. There it is, the ugly words for all to see. The worse part is that she was supposed to be my woman...but alas, she prefers Josh.



Ha, ha, ha. I couldn't help it. Meet Ichabod, the newest member of the Saunders' clan. Yes, Ichabod is a boy's name, but what else do you name a Halloween cat? "Ichy" loves Josh. Which is so apropos because Josh despises felines. He did buy me 2 cats in college but that's because he thought cats were like goldfish and would be long dead before we married. Ichy is hilarious, friendly and svelte, like a super model. She makes me smile 100 times a day. Which, I suppose, is the reason Josh gave in and let me have her. He is such a wonderful man who really does delight in the happiness of others. Thanks babe, I only hold a little grudge that she likes you better.

Puzzles, pajamas and pink...

..tutus.

That was Finn's wish list for his Birthday this year. Let me explain.

Finn is the next generation Hugh Heffner, minus the porn, money and geriatrics. He only wears pajamas, and I let him. One Friday night we were walking into our favorite restaurant for a family dinner and Finn was wearing form-fitting pajamas and running shoes. My sister said, "Remember when you wouldn't let Cole out of the house unless he was in a matching outfit from head to toe and you were carrying the matching diaper bag?" Yes, I used to care what my kids looked like in public. Now I get immense joy out of just seeing them happy! Finn wakes up in the morning and takes off his dirty pajamas and puts on clean pajamas. After he is comfortably attired he turns to his favorite activity, puzzles.



Finn is the puzzle master. He can easily do a 100 piece puzzle, by himself without looking at the picture on the box. My mom used to tell him, "Finn, you are incredible!" And Finn would reply, "Me NO incredible!" After his birthday Finn finally thinks he is incredible...see why...



We rolled up the rug and Finn completed 25 puzzles. He was so happy.

He didn't however get a pink tutu.

MOM: Finn, what do you want for your birthday?
FINN: A tutu.
MOM: A tattoo?
FINN: A tutu.
MOMO: What color tutu?
FINN: Pink or purple.
MOM: What will you do in your tutu?
FINN: Play the piano and dance.

Happy Birthday Finn!

My funny little...

... VALENTINES!





I think it only right that the day of love should occasionally fall on the Sabbath. After all, the ultimate expression of love was our Savior's perfect example and his atoning sacrifice. I have often testified in my belief in Heavenly Father's perfect plan. We are told to love one another even as our Lord loves us. Unfortunately, I think we often view the act of expressing love as a chore; "he didn't do anything for me, why should I do something for him?" or "she knows I love her why should Valentine's Day being anything special?" When we say those things we are not only denying our loved ones the joy of feeling loved but we are denying ourselves the blessings found in expressing love. How wonderful is our Heavenly Father? He said to serve and take care of eachother, but in exchange we get to feel the warm fuzzies that spread through our heart upon seeing our loved ones so happy!

I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the chance I have to daily express my love for those around me. I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!!


Thank you Willette for the use of the free templates!

Bravery...

Tuesday night was Pappy's birthday (my dad). He wanted thin crust pizza so the whole fam damily met up at Lil' Ricci's NY Style Pizza. After Birthday cheesecake was passed around Pappy invited the boys to spend the night. I said, "are you sure dad, it's your Birthday!" (Because if it was my Birthday, the best gift would be a night AWAY!) But in typical Pappy-fashion he said, "that's right, it is MY Birthday and that's what I want for MY Birthday." Hey, I wasn't going to argue with that!

Later that night my mom called me to let me know that she didn't have any diapers for Finn, only a swimmer and a pull-up from Cole's potty-training days (not a used one). She said she told him he would have to use the potty or he would have to go home. There is no place Finn would rather be then with Momo so that was incentive enough to try and use the potty. Below is a conversation related by Momo...

MOMO: Cole, why don't you go into the potty with Finn and show him how it's done. I will get some Cheerios for you guys to try and sink. (You throw the Cheerios into the toilet and tell the boys to sink them, helps with aim).

Cole and Finn in the bathroom.

COLE: It's not hard Finn. Why won't you do it?
FINN: Me 'cared (I'm scared.)
COLE: Do you want to say a prayer?
FINN: Yes.
COLE: Dear Heavenly Father, please make Finn brave. Amen.
FINN: ammmamm (Amen).


Sad to report, no potty use yet. Finn did attempt to pee by pulling and pulling on his penis, but nothing came out! But at lease he was brave enough to try.

PICTURES UNRELATED TO BRAVERY. JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE FUNNY AND THAT RED-HAIRED GRANDMA WOULD LIKE THEM.

Durable...

...beauty.



How many times have I walked passed this little patch of pansies? They line the pathway to our front door. The little English garden is dead/dormant...except for this remarkable beauty. The weather this winter has been dry... but at times, bitterly cold. How amazingly beautiful and durable is this amazing plant?

Allow me, if you will, to be sentimental. Seeing this flower, smiling at me in the morning sun, reminded me of the durable beauty of the women in my life. How many women do you know who endure bitterly cold trials in their lives while maintaining amazing grace and beauty? Life around them may be falling apart yet there they stand with a smile on their face, if only for the benefit and morale of their loved ones. In Austenland (not the book but the general genre of literature) men described women as delicate flowers requiring careful attention and handling, YUCK. Women are, in fact, flowers. But the kind that push up through frozen earth, the kind that emerge unscathed from under three feet of snow, the kind that may go unnoticed because they don't need to be carefully attended to, they can handle themselves. I am grateful for these flowers in my life.

Nothing worse...

...than a sick baby.

Though he's not a baby anymore, Cole has been sick for five days now. It's heartbreaking and exhausting at the same time. Is that so outrageous to say? He is super-cuddly when he is ill, he just wants to sit right on top of me and watch movies and doze. I enjoy his little bony body nestled against my side and I love the smell of his pina colada shampoo. I really don't mind his being sick until he turns his head TOWARD my face and open-mouth coughs all over me. It happens 100 times a day and each time I say "please cough into your elbow, not into my mouth." It quickly diminishes any revery I may be enjoying on the topic of motherhood. Sometimes being a mother is just kind of...gross. Then again...


No he's not watching tv...

...he's so sick that he's asleep...

...sitting up...with his hand in his pants.

I love this little boy.

If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet...

...you'd best teach it to dance.
George Bernard Shaw



That's the skeleton in our closet and he can certainly dance. Cole's X-ray from his 3-day hospitalization at Halloween. I came across it while putting out a HOT SPOT. I realized that my blogging decline started then and I never shared these funny pictures either.





Cole didn't want to leave the Children's Hospital despite the lung treatments, shots and exams. Why? He had his own personal Wii, unlimited yummy treats and concerned-mommy and daddy all to himself.

"Me got it...

... me get it." Do you know what this means? If you don't, you are obviously not fluent in FINNISH. I will offer you a pocket-size translator to the veritable lexicon of Finn.

"Me got it, me get it" -Finders keepers. Used to tease Cole.

"ench eyes" -french fries. Finn's preferred "vegetable."

"Me wuv you, you wuv me" - "Me love you, you love me." Said only to Momo when trying to manipulate her for more "nanny" or candy.

"doo doo hane" - Choo Choo train.

"I cared" - I'm scared. Used to think Finn was really empathetic, so sensitive. But really he was just scared. (Nothing scares him more than Uncle Marc...lol...so funny!)

"Me no wike gogs" - I don't like dogs. Said everytime he sees a dog.


Yes, Finn has a tattoo "sleeve." Thanks Daddy and Uncle Mo-gone (Morgan)

"You lift me and I'll lift thee...

... and together we'll ascend." I don't know who said it but I think it applies beautifully to marriage. Josh and I celebrated 8 years in December. I would like to say it was a perfect anniversary, it would have been except for the "unfortunate" incident of 2009. And that's all I am saying about that.

Let me share with you the two most intimate secrets behind our marital bliss...

He likes the leafy part of the broccoli and I like the trunk.

He likes the center of the brownie pan and I like the crusty edges.

That's why we work. I love you, babe. You are ascending much quicker than me,you might have to air lift me to your celestial plane.

My blogging avatar...

... check her out here!

Laena is my holiday-blogging avatar. She blogged about our extraordinary holiday including the 6-course holiday dinner presented by Laena and myself. Please check it out and "ooh and ahh" about our splendiferous culinary offerings. It's the post entitiled "And a partridge in a pear tree."

Halloween costume ideas...

... for 2010.

We went to see Avatar last night, in 3D.


Mr. Saunders in his 3d glasses. Total hotness, he looks like Buddy Holly.

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

It has inspired our costumes for Halloween this year. Josh has decided that we should go as avatars and Joey and Anna Ocasio should go as our human selves. Thoughts?

(For those not on the "inside"... the avatars are monstrously tall especially when compared to their "short" human counterparts. Ocasios are like midgets...maybe smaller.)

Thanks Swede-o-ricans for the awesome mid-week date night. See you in 5 months for the Ironman 2 premier!