Happy Birthday, Granny!

That's not really what Kyle calls her - she's simply "grandma" to him, but Kevin's determined to make my mother feel like an old woman. Therefore, each and everytime she calls, Kevin's in the background, quietly encouraging his son to use that nasty nickname.

And today, "granny" turned one year older and one year wiser. And even though Kyle was sick and unwilling to send her birthday wishes over the phone, we send our love over the internet. Maybe Kyle will treat you to a rendition of a belated "Happy Birthday" when we see you in two weeks!

We love you!

Indecisive

I'm often called "indecisive." It's a rare occurance when I can decide which eating establishment we should dine at, which shirt is more flattering, or which family photo I should put on the annual Christmas card. That's not to say that I don't have an opinion. I simply need the opinions of those around me to help me decide how I truly feel. For example:

Ruth: Which shoes look better? The brown or the black?
Kevin: The black.
Ruth: No, I think the brown ones are better.

It drives Kevin crazy, but it's the way I operate. And it appears that a little certain someone has inherited this indecisiveness. Lately, when I ask Kyle what he wants for lunch, he says, "I don't know. You choose." When I ask him which movie he'd like to watch, he says, "Umm, I don't care. You choose."

He values my opinion right now, but soon I'll simply be a sounding board to help him decide what he really wants.

On top of potatoes...all covered with cheese!

Just moments ago, Kevin and I were sitting at the table eating lunch. As we were laughing and joking, I must have said something sarcastic, because Kevin took a swipe at the baseball cap on my head (which happens to be his), knocking it off.

Anybody that knows Kevin knows exactly how important his baseball caps are to him. And as someone that is still being accused of losing his prized Red Sox hat while we were dating, I know better than to mess with them.

So imagine the look of shock on his face when he looked down at my plate of cheesy, au gratin potatoes and saw his baseball cap nestled right on top! And imagine the laughter I dissolved in when I saw his cap covered with gooey cheese and knew that the catastrophic mistake was all his own! It was a priceless moment. One that I'm still laughing about...

Surprise

Like millions of other Americans, we spent the day after Thanksgiving trudging from store to store, in search of perfect Christmas gifts for friends and family. Or more specifically, for Kyle. And as we trudged from store to store, dragging Kyle along with us, the poor boy was forced to admire and subsequently fall in love with a "cool" toy in every store.

"I want this!"
"Mommy, can we buy this?"
"Daddy, this is really cool, isn't it?"

And each and every time, we said, "Kyle, we aren't buying any toys until after Christmas when we see what Santa brings you."

This morning, my mom asked Kyle over the phone what he wanted for Christmas. Imagine my amusement when he said,

"Umm, I don't know. Why don't we just wait and see what Santa brings me."

I guess we know he's not picky.

Who's the boss?

It's something every parent experiences - that scary moment when your words burst out of your child's mouth.

Tonight Kyle requested his basketball jammies and being the good mother that I am, I obliged. After he was dressed and ready for bed, he turned to me and exclaimed, "You're so good, Mommy! I told you what to do and you listened to me!"

I guess he's heard that "positive reinforcement" a few too many times lately.

Down, and give me twenty!

Kevin's been going at the push-ups and sit-ups for two weeks now. His random fitness bursts rarely last this long, so it leads me to believe that he's pretty serious about this.

I'm similarly motivated lately (nothing like all of your pants being too small to motivate you). Although, as anyone who knows me can tell you, my fitness bursts are just as random as Kevin's.

It looks like someone else wants a lean, mean physique as well. I returned from my jog this morning, and as I was laying on the floor doing half-hearted sit-ups and push-ups, Kyle came to join me. Normally, he likes to sit on me or jump over me as I exercise. But this morning he lowered himself on all fours, and started doing push-ups!

Arnold Swarzenegger's got nothing on him!

Turkeys

In honor of the upcoming holiday this week, the subject of Family Home Evening tonight was Thanksgiving. We told the story of the first Thanksgiving and talked about the pilgrims and Indians (Native Americans?). We especially focused on religious freedom and thanking God for all that we have.

However, Kyle always has his own agenda.

Tonight was the first time that he made the connection between the cute, little turkeys that go "gobble, gobble" around the zoo and the roasted bird that sits on our table every November. I wondered when this moment would happen and dreaded the trauma I knew it would inflict upon him.

Trauma? Yeah, right! My child has no qualms with eating those cute little birds. He listened carefully, processed this new information and had only one question for me:

"Mom, why don't we eat the feathers, too?"

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Today we'd like to pay tribute to "Soldier Grandpa," as Kyle oftentimes likes to call him. 49 years ago today he was born in Roswell, New Mexico (UFO and alien sightings at that exact time and place a coincidence? I think not). And we just happen to think he's the world greatest dad. Sure, we like to tease him about all of his shortcomings, but in all reality, I couldn't have asked for a better dad.

I have memories of daddy-daughter dates to basketball games followed by a McDonalds sundae, driving lessons (who else but a dad could endure those?), and a trip through the Wendy's drive-through for 42 junior bacon cheeseburgers the night before my wedding. He treats Kevin like a king whenever we visit, and humors my 3-year-old by playing Playstation NCAA football for hours.

But most of all, he's been an example of all that I would hope to be. He's an example of kindness, compassion, and service. He's softhearted and quick with an apology. But most of all, he never fails to tell us how much he loves us, which means the world to a child, no matter how old you are.

So grandpa, even though you're far away in "A-raq," we're thinking about you and want you to know that we love you. Here's to you, Soldier Grandpa!

Professional Bowler

Kyle and I went bowling with friends today, and the boy just about knocked my socks off.

He bowled a 129. A 129. Without bumpers. I'm not kidding; I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. He used a ramp, which obviously steered the ball in the right direction, but the kid bowled a 129!

Mom scored a 63.

When I grow up...

Today Kyle experienced a day in the life (or 10 minutes in the life) of just about every possible career he could have. We visited Discovery Gateway, or the new Children's Museum of Utah. Kyle loves the children's museum, but today was our first visit to the new building downtown. And this place was three-stories, and four hours of pure heaven on earth.

We worked in the construction zone, shopped at the market, played house, rode a horse, visited the farm, played in the water, and in a huge ball maze. And that was just the first floor. Upstairs there were magnets, blocks, art projects, fossil-digging and much, much more. Introducing Kyle Turner (and two of his best friends) as the new evening news anchor!

Mom's favorite benefit? Learning and having fun at the same time.

Property of the U.S. Air Force

Okay, we're not official property yet, because papers haven't been signed (or however that works - we're not quite sure!) but we've accepted an invitation to join the U.S. Air Force. For most people, including us, this comes both as a surprise and new development in the life of the Turners.

More information is soon to come, including where we'll be stationed, when we'll be reporting for duty, etc. But in the meantime, Ruth will start whipping Kevin into superb physical shape. No more popcorn every night, Kev. Now you have to do your sit-ups and push-ups before the popcorn.

Ma'am, yes Ma'am!

Simple pleasures

It's often said that no matter how many toys your child has, they'll always prefer the common items you have laying around the house. The pots & pans, buttons & loose change, and a good ol' spray bottle will beat out those battery-eating toys any day.
Kyle recently discovered the joy of a
box. We made cars out of boxes. He made a house out of a box. The house turned into a teepee, which turned into a jail, which turned into a soccer goal. That 2' by 4' piece of cardboard kept my boy entertained for hours.










Now who says you can't capture magic in a box?

Indian Summer

Although we had a brief cold spell with rain and snow, we've been lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful fall. The last few days have been particularly lovely and Kyle and I have spent 90% of our time outdoors. This was probably our last warm trip to the zoo.

Chores

We recently decided that perhaps Kyle was old enough to help out with a few things around the house. Now, we're not talking dishes or cleaning the bathroom (sorry, Paul), but a few simple things. Among these are brushing his teeth and washing his hands in the morning, and helping mom clean his bedroom and make his bed.

We started this a few days ago, and he's caught on quick. Now he wants his room clean before he goes to bed, so he doesn't have to clean it in the morning (can't mess with cartoon time). And apparently he thinks he's got the bed-making thing down, as he kicked me out of his bedroom this morning so he could do it "all by himself."

Here's the product:

Not bad, eh?

True Happiness

What I'm about to publish isn't mine, but a friend's. I read it on her blog and have thought about it often since. I feel the need to pass it on, so I hope she'll excuse the plagarism.

"One of [my husband's] colleagues reviewed a personal statement written by an anesthesiologist requesting tenure. Near the end of the physician's essay, he summarized the three most important lessons he has learned throughout his life:

1. Never underestimate the happiness that family, religion and health can add to your life.
2. All of the elements mentioned in Point #1 can be stripped from you at any time.
3. Due to the risk in Point #2, enjoy every healthy minute you have with your family and God because you may never have the opportunity again."

I hope they call me on a mission...

Ask Kyle if he's going on a mission someday and without hesitation, his answer will be an emphatic "no." Grandma Turner's doing her best to change this and each time she gives him a quarter, she says, "You can put this in your bank and save it for your mission." And each time, Kyle replies with a "No! I'm going to save it for video games!"

We tried to sneak in a teaching moment by having the missionaries over for dinner tonight. We told him that missionaries teach about Jesus and The Book of Mormon. We enticed him with promises of brownies and ice cream once dinner was over. The elders even did their part by playing and wrestling with him. It's safe to say that a great time was had by all.

Apparently not good enough for Kyle. The missionaries weren't gone for more than 5 minutes when Kevin asked Kyle if he'd changed his mind about a mission someday. Kyle's reply?

"Nope. You can go, daddy."

I wanna be a supermodel

In a world where beautiful women are portrayed as 5'10", 100 lbs., and wearing a size-2, it's difficult to remember that most of us beautiful women are a little shorter, a little heavier and our pants are a little bigger.

Fortunately, my self-esteem was boosted a little last night. Kyle's a daddy's boy, pure and simple. And most nights of the week, Kevin's the one to read him stories and put him to bed. That's the way we all like it (or at least Kyle and I do...). But last night, Kyle decided to switch it up.

As Kevin was herding him down the hall to bed, Kyle let out a protest.

Kyle: "I don't want you to read me stories. I want mommy!"
Kevin: "You want mommy? Why"
Kyle: "Mommy's SOFT! You're hard, but I like mommy because she's soft."

I guess sometimes it's nice to have a little extra padding.

It's the moment we've all been waiting for...

...my first blog on our new notebook PC!

Yes, it was 4 1/2 weeks of waiting and more headaches than I care to recount (for me and the folks at Lenovo), but it's here. It's finally here! Even our wireless internet's all set up (thanks to a few brainy neighbors). We're in the 21st century, baby!

Best thing about this? I can keep Kevin company on the couch and blog at the same time...

Halloween Hangover

I don't know about all of you, but the Turner family is suffering from Halloween Hangover. The problem: this year's spooky night of Halloween fun turned into two weeks of Halloween festivities that ended last night with an anti-climatic thud.

We started with a halloween party with some of our favorite friends. Friends + food + candy + watching toddlers decorate sugar cookies = Good Times. The Halloween season was off with a bang.

Then came the children's carnival. Face painting + storytelling + fish pond + candy = Afternoon of Family Fun. But then we decided to add on trick-or-treating at the zoo, which was absolutely the most crazy, chaotic experience I've had in my life. Candy + 2 billion kids crammed in a zoo = Not Such Great Times.
So by the time we got to the big day, we were already burned out. Even Kyle's little pirate costume (Arrrr, matey!) wasn't looking so cute anymore. Don't get me wrong, we had a good time. We added to our candy collection and enjoyed some more games, just not with quite the same enthusiasm we had two weeks ago. And what's worse, as we spread out our candy and organized it (don't even pretend you don't do that...), it didn't even look appetizing! And this coming from the Candy Queen. I think next year we'll save our halloween merriment for the big day.

Hi-ho, Hi-ho...

...It's off to the dentist we go.

Kyle made his first trip to the dentist's office today. Truth be known, I was more nervous than he was. Afterall, I rarely gave him his flouride drops as a baby. We're not always diligent about brushing his teeth before he goes to bed. And he eats candy almost on a daily basis. Let's face it, we're not exactly poster-parents for childrens' oral hygiene. When you add that to the statistic I recently read in Parents magazine that "60% of 3-year-olds have cavities the first time they visit the dentist" (can you believe that???), I'll admit I was more than a little nervous.

But it turns out it was all for naught. As luck would have it, Kyle's favorite cartoon was featuring a trip to the dentist's office today. He must've watched it closely because he was the perfect model of bravery. With his shoulders and neck all tensed up, he quietly laid back in the chair and let the hygienist "count" and polish his teeth. The reward: a clean bill of oral health and a prize, and bragging rights of bravery.

We must've caught a lucky break. Either that, or all of those little cavity bugs are hiding in between his teeth and won't show up until they take X-rays in a year or two. Until then, I'll just play ignorant and count my (our) good fortune.