Category Archives: EverettAnd he put his blankie over my legs, then turned and grabbed my hands, putting my two fingers into my own mouth, before turning back and and resting in satisfaction against my shoulder. He just wanted me to relax too. February 15, 2012
“No I didn’t. It’s more of a statement than a question.” On Monday they spent the afternoon preparing our valentines – signing their names, over and over and over again, each one for a different friend.
The next morning, with Olivia at her kindergarten party, valentines autographed from the day before, a special treat for her teacher to boot, and Cal and eJo happy to play with Ila who came to visit, we set about making more cookies. Because who doesn’t need more cookies? Chocolate chip to be exact, Wyatt’s favorite.
Later, Olivia, Calvin, Everett (and Ila) went to a neighborhood valentines party. More signed goodies, more treats coming home!
And when it came bed time the kids went to sleep without a peep, happy and high on sugar, exhausted on activity. That was Valentines Day 2012. as a herse goes by . . . Because, well, you know.
Sweet boy . . . I have this panicked desire to record who you are at age one/two. I want to remember how your legs are so chubby, and your hands are always sticky. I want to remember how you giggle – giggle at everything, and you are most content with a soft blankie and two fingers in your mouth, lounging on your mamma or daddy’s lap. And how you greet people by running at them, full speed, to envelope them with an Ejo hug.
And Olivia, how you love your Olivia. You are always calling and checking for her. Your favorite thing these days is to walk with Olivia to the bus and go to pick her up.
You are so soft and careful with your baby Roo. You kiss him softly and help him with his binkie. I love it when we say prayers at night – you list each member of your family – Say daddy – Dadda You love your family, and we love you – more than I’m afraid you will ever know! Goodness, but you are the shining sparkle that we need for our happiness! Love, your Mamma
For Everett’s birthday we went to South Towne Mall and rode the carousel, and then to BK for ice cream cones and the playground. We also sang Happy Birthday to Ejo until he was grumpy. I don’t think he really understood the what the whole fuss was about. But he did like the part where we all gave him presents. We gave him a set of matchbox cars and several little balls (couple foot balls, couple soccor balls, etc – just the mini type. I figured they’d be good for the backyard.) He LOVED the matchbox cars best of all. He gathered them into his arms – there were so many they were falling out! And then he refused to share with Calvin, which was very hard for Cal, and he just played with them non stop for the next two days. We also invited a bunch of peeps over for some cake and ice cream in celebration of our dear little Everett. We will do another family party later.
Calvin: Mommy, it takes a long time for you tummy to get small. As long as it takes for a new baby to get here. Me: You’re right. But my tummy is already a little smaller right? (I mean, didn’t he notice?!) Calvin: Yeah, (then, pointing directly at my chest) but those aren’t smaller!
Conversation between Olivia and an older couple admiring baby Andrew and baby Mason: Old man: Those are sure cute babies. Where can my wife get one of those? Olivia, matter-of-factly and nonchalantly: At the tummy store.
Calvin and Alexa after primary: Calvin: Alexa, we learned about sharing in primary today. It’s important to share. Alexa: Really? (Alexa’s mom is Cal’s teacher, and she knew that the lesson was on friends, not sharing.) Calvin: Yeah. So you should share your candy bar with me. It’s good to share. (All I can say to this story is: Is that Wyatt’s kid or what?!)
Calvin seems to have (FINALLY) moved out of the stage where he needs constant supervision. He seems to know the rules, and doesn’t destroy everything in his path (very often). But just as he’s moved out of that stage, Everett is moving right on in. Last week I was upstairs feeding the baby, while everyone else was downstairs. When I came out, I heard water on. I went into my bathroom to find the water on, the sink clogged and water spilling over the sides, down the cabinet and onto the floor. I went downstairs to find Wyatt and found that it was raining in my downstair bathroom (directly below the upstairs one). Last Saturday night Wyatt and I went downstairs after the kids were “in bed.” When we came upstairs we found a trail of Fruit Loops down the hall, culminating in an entire spilled box in front of my bedroom door. The next morning I was half asleep, but heard Calvin and Everett get up. Remembering what happened the night before, I got up, and went and tied up the cupboards and fridge, before returning to bed to sleep in. Later Wyatt got up and got the kids breakfast – cereal and milk. But he forgot to tie up the fridge when he was done. Later he found Everett, covered head to toe in sour cream, an entire block of cheese in his room, and an entire box of margarine (that I had just bought the night before for Dutch Oven Brownies that we were supposed to have later that day) in various clumps around the house. Well, lovely Wyatt cleaned the boy and mess up, but he forgot, again to tie up the fridge. Later, just as it was time to get ready for church, I came around the corner to find eJo happily cracking the last of a dozen eggs on my kitchen floor. Good times.
I went {a little} crazy at the end of my pregnancy with Everett. I was so excited but had some severe nesting issues (my next post will be about how I decided to repaint the entire living room (in the exact same color) two weeks before I was due). Kellie offered to take the kids to the zoo for the day so I could get some rest, but I decided it would be better for me to walk around the zoo for the day. Hopefully that would put me into labor, and/or get my mind off all the many projects at my house. Well, it accomplished one of the two.
July 7, 2011  Olivia and Cal with baby Everett the day after he was born.  The anesthesiologist When the nurse finally said I could start pushing, I asked Wyatt to hand me my camera. I had already been instructing him on some pictures I wanted – you know, where to stand, how to zoom etc. He got a kinda confused look on his face -  My nurse, Codi. She wasn't the intense nursery nurse that took Ev away.
“Wait, why do you want the camera?”  Wyatt, waiting to become a new daddy.
“Because I want to take pictures.”  Dr. Larsen and my nurse laughing at me.
“But you have to push.”  Dr. Larsen catching baby Everett.
“I know.”  Everett And so I pushed while holding the camera up and taking pictures (it actually took more concentration than I thought).  Sucking out Everett's mouth and nose. Dr. Larsen laughed. He said in all the births he’s ever delivered- over his 30+ year career, that it was the first time he’d ever seen a mom take pictures while delivering the baby.  Baby toe As soon as little Everett was born they gave him to me for all of 30 seconds, then took him over to the bassinet to start the whole new-baby-test stuff. They decided he wasn’t pinking up fast enough and took him to the nursery.  Everett in the bassinet. (Wyatt has the camera for these ones). This is where I got really annoyed. They took him, and wouldn’t bring him back! I had to go down to the nursery to see him for the first day. Other than that first 30 seconds I didn’t get to see him again for another couple hours until they had me all ready to move around. I think the nurses were being a little over-zealous. But it’s always better safe than sorry.  Everett receiving oxegyn in his bassinet They also decided to keep him one extra day. So I had to check out of the hospital and leave while he stayed. I drove back and forth every two hours to nurse and cuddle him. All I wanted was my sweet baby boy in my arms, but everyone (nurses) was being all bossy about it.  Everett was 8 lb. 14 oz. In the end though we brought home a healthy baby boy. He was my biggest, at 8 lbs 14 oz.  Me holding Everett in the nursery. June 29, 2011
Everett was due October 1st, 2009. I was greatly anticipating his arrival, and was – perhaps – the most antsy I’ve ever been with the anticipation of a birth. Olivia had come right on her due date. Cal came a few days early with a scheduled induction. I decided I wanted Everett to come on his own, but also didn’t want to push my luck in the health risks (plus, let’s be honest, I just wanted him here!), so I decided I would wait one extra week. If he didn’t come, then I would schedule an induction for one week past his due date. On the 7th I went to the Dr’s, and with no signs of going into labor, I scheduled an induction for the following morning. It wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t look like I had any other choice. That night we were all ready to go. Olivia and Calvin were going to Kellie’s in the morning just until Lois could come get them. I was to call the hospital at 7 am to see if they had room for me (inductions always take second priority to natural labor, go figure). Bags were in the car. At 11:00 I ate my last bowl of cereal (you can’t eat after midnight), kissed Wyatt and went to bed. At about five thirty or six, after having tossed and turned in bed for a couple hours, I decided to get up and take a hot bath. I just couldn’t get comfortable, but then – I was over 9 months pregnant, so I didn’t think too much about it. I also figured the excitement (like Christmas times 10!) of what was coming was keeping me from sleep. A nice hot bath helped me relax. Then I got up and helped the kids get ready to go to Kellie’s. I called the hospital and they told me to come on in. I remember shuffling the kids down the hall, and I turned to Wyatt and finally admitted – ‘I think I might be in labor anyway. I really hurt.’ Still, there was no sense of urgency, so when we stopped at Kellie’s, Wyatt took the kids and their supplies in, and stopped to chat while I waited in the car. That’s when I really started to hurt. It finally dawned on me that it wasn’t constant pain – it was pain every few minutes. Not sharp, not overwhelming, just achy exhausting sort of pain. I waited for Wyatt . . . and waited, and waited, and waited. He seemed to take an aweful long time. Finally I called him on the phone and told him he needed to come NOW. I was more curious if this was what labor was like (see, even though this was my third baby, I had never really felt labor pain. With Olivia, my water broke, but I didn’t start contractions until they gave me pitocin – and then I got an epidural; and with Calvin, I was induced, so again, I didn’t have contractions until after I already had an epidural). When we got to the hospital, they checked me in, and came in to start my induction, but first they checked me. I remember Dr. Larsen laughing and saying – ‘No need for an induction, you are well into labor.’ (Ok, I was at a 5, which is only half way, but still . . .) So instead of inducing labor, they actually had to try and slow it down. I was Strep B positive and needed at least 4 hours of antibiotics before he was born. Once that 4 hour mark hit, they said I could start pushing, and Everett was born about five minutes later. So – basically, it came down to a game of Chicken – Everett wasn’t going to be born unless we made him. But once we tried, he wasn’t going to let us have the satisfaction. He was going to do it on his own. Silly, sweet, lovely boy.
Wyatt came home early, ready to play! We rode 4 wheelers up and down the street and around the neighborhood looking for people to play. We found Jill and Alan, who came over and had home made ice cream in the shade of the tree, and the kids ran around playing freeze tag in the sweltering heat.
The kids enjoying torturing each fish with pokes, and prods before throwing it victoriously back into the pond.
On Monday; when the sun is hot
On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,
On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,
On Thursday, when it starts to freeze
On Friday—– “Yes, it is, isn’t it?” said Kanga, not waiting to hear what happened on Friday.
This is boy, Everett. He is: well, he’s a lot of things. He can kill you with his withering scowls. He can warm you with his mischievious grin. He has the most frustrating sense of independence. He is my most cuddly baby ever. So, for the past little while – few months, eJo has been very uninterested in his mamma. He is all lovey dovey for his dadda, he swoons over his dog, Daisy, and he can’t resist tagging along with Olivia and Calvin everywhere. But when it comes to his mamma, he seemed to care less. First, I have to say, I’m used to this reality. All of my children prefer their dad to me. I chalk it up to the novelty factor. Second, I understand that the other kids (and even the dog) are more entertaining than me – all I ever do is clean and cook and cook and clean. So it doesn’t surprise me that I’m trumped by pretty much every one else. But that’s not to say it doesn’t hurt. Now I know, you’re thinking what I thought: “Get over it, self, you can’t go around having your feelings hurt by an 18 month old baby!” Still, when we had a Girls Night + Everett, and Olivia, Ejo & I cuddled under the blankies for an evening of “How to Train Your Dragon” and Everett kept climbing away from me to cuddle up to Olivia, I couldn’t help but tear up . . . just a little. When Wyatt asked about it later, (as I was still tearing up at the thought of it) I lied. I made up a lame excuse of something or other. Because what mother wants to admit her baby doesn’t want her. And what mother wants to add to the humiliation by admitting it makes her insecure. So that’s why when one Sunday three weeks ago, when the nursery leader brought a hysterical eJo to Sunday School, and that truley distraught boy refused even to go to his daddy, instead clawing his way over to my arms, I felt a little redeemed. I felt a little happy. Not at his unhappiness. No, I cuddled and cooed and patted him to comfort. But I felt happy in my own mother-ness again. It was a good reminder of what motherhood is: the last one your child wants to turn to, but the first one they do turn to when things really go wrong. And I guess that’s kinda the goal anyway: to raise children who are strong, capable, and independent, who no longer need their mothers to stroke their backs or their egos, but instead to cheer them on as adults, ready for their own flight in this world. But I’ll always be there for you, Everett, when things really do go wrong. I will always be cooing and cuddling you in my heart.
Remember a few years ago, when I first found out SuperCal was on his way? I was so overwhelmed . . . what would I do with a boy?! Turns out Boys are a TON of Fun! Whether it’s being met at the door with a handful of worms, or searching the car for three days for “what on earth is making that smell!?” only to be asked by Calvin as we’re in the car – “Mom, did you take my pet snail?” Boys are fun. They are full of adventure and good nature. They are skinned knees and big tears and bigger grins. They take giant bites of everything. They act first, think later. They have hearts of gold. They really are made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails. And I love having two. I can’t wait to have three! I had a great idea – pictures in the orchard when it was in full bloom. The only problem – I live forty miles from the orchard, and I never know when it’s in bloom. I drove down one day with high hopes – after all, everything else was in bloom – only to find it dull and lifeless still. So we went to the castle up the road. And the kids played, and I conned them into sitting for a few pictures against the beautiful rocks of the castle.
April 26, 2011 If you have a hankerin’ for S’mores
And bedtime stories by the fire
And the company of a trusty ol’ pal And a brother If you want to sleep in a bag right on the ground . . . but the spring weather just won’t cooperate . . . Try camping in the living room. This camp out brought to you by fire-maker-tent-setter-upper (and-taker-downer) Extrodinaire : Super Dad.
She was very excited. She got to wear a special zoo day shirt (to help teachers keep track of kids) and bring her own lunch (a Lunchable, no less, Olivia has only been asking me to get her one of those for like, forever. I am cool mom).
But Friday came full of sunshine (deceiving, because it was cold!) so I announced to Calvin that we were all going to the zoo! We packed up, loaded the wagon, and headed to the zoo in great excitement (got there 25 minutes early). But I was confused at Calvin’s lack of enthusiasm. Didn’t he get it? Didn’t he understand that we were GOING TO THE ZOO? I finally asked him, “Calvin, don’t you remember when we went to the zoo?” The last time we went was October 1st, 2009 – I remember because it was Everett’s due date, and we walked and walked around that zoo, hoping it would push me into labor. It didn’t. After that our zoo pass expired, and we haven’t been back since. “No.” Calvin said. I was shocked. I mean, we had a pass, we went like fifteen times in 2009! But then I thought about it – he was barely two that summer. I guess it made sense.
“Remember when we used to go to the zoo?” She thought about it. “No.”
Well, we bought another pass. We’ll go at least fifteen times this summer. And maybe, just maybe, Everett will remember it in a few years. December 1, 2010 TRAVELOGUE – very boring, unless you’re me and want to remember these details forever. AND EVER. Sometime back in February I think, I made a vague mention that maybe we would go to Disneyland . . . Of course, never make vague mentionings to a four year old girl with a heart of gold and a belief that her parent’s word is law. She latched onto that like a newborn who hasn’t been fed all day. How’s that imagery for you? Anyhow, it became “the thing.” “When we go to Disneyland we’ll . . . “ or how about “At Disneyland they have . . . “ or “The Princess’ at Disneyland . . .” you get the point. We decided to wait until the fall – better weather, more time to prepare. We first thought we’d go in September, then maybe October. Finally we decided Thanksgiving weekend would be the perfect opportunity to steal away to Southern California. We’d already be half way, with our Turkey Feast taking place in Saint George this year. Bright and early Friday morning we woke, shuffled the wish-they-were-still-sleeping-but-now-they’re-awake-and-going-to-need-attention-the-whole-drive kids into the car. We made it to Anaheim without much ado. My arm was numb from sitting twisted in the front seat so I could hold Everett’s bottle for the last hour and a half – but hey, that’s normal. We checked into our hotel, climbed out of our PJ’s, and made a mad dash (pushing 3 kids in two strollers, you can imagine how fast we went) for the park. We got into the park about 2:30. We hit the merry-go-round, the boat ride, and the kids favorite: Toon Town. The crowds weren’t bad. Our longest line was about twenty minutes – very manageable. As the evening wore on, we even walked onto a ride or two. But alas, seven thirty came early that night, and Calvin turned into a pumpkin promptly. He fell asleep in his daddy’s arms, and not even the excitement of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride could rouse him. We called it a night. The next morning we headed to the park first thing. Olivia had been asking for the Dumbo ride, and where the day before the line had been an hour long, that morning we walked right on. Dumbo is a great ride. We finished up the fun rides at Fantasyland before heading over to Frontierland and Critter Country. Olivia discovered a new love: Roller Coasters. Her favorite was Splash Mountain, which she rode several times with her mama and daddy. The little buckaroos enjoyed canoe rides, and a ride on a pirate ship, and exploring in Tarzan’s tree house. We enjoyed a jungle river boat trip, cotton candy, and some adventures with Winnie the Pooh. We really did a lot, and by 3:00 the kids were close to melt down. We decided to head back to the hotel for naps. “We’ll come back tonight. We’ll watch world of color, and ride more rides.” But that night it rained. I mean, it poured. We rode the swings in California Adventure, then stood 20 minutes under an awning waiting for the World of Color. But by then we were so cold we decided to just bag the whole thing. We walked home across the park as World of Color splashed in magnificence behind us. The next day the park was dead. I mean – we walked onto the Matterhorn – four times! Around and around and around we went. Wyatt would ride with Cal while O and I stayed with Ejo. Then O and I would go while Wyatt and Cal waited. Over and over again. Calvin LOVED the Matterhorn. We rode on Autotopia, where Calvin got to drive the car all by himself. We went on a submarine voyage to find Nemo. We rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple times, and even hit Splash Mountain again. We were walking onto all of these rides. The lines were just non-existent. We finished up all the rides we wanted to go on, went to California Adventure for a few attractions there (ironically, the scariest ride in the whole place is the Ferris Wheel at California Adventure! Ugh). And then we circled back and hit all our favorites again. And by 3:00 the kids were mo’ done. As we left, each child chose a souvenir. Calvin chose a sword to “lead the way” aka- stab the back of Dad’s seat the entire drive home. Olivia chose a Princess Aurora doll, which she contentedly cuddled with in the back seat as we drove again across the wilderness of the American Southwest, and headed home. PS- Pictures coming soon! Look closely at this pile of laundry.
Happiness is a baby boy who sucks on his fingers. Happiness is stopping by the store to find Christmas gifts on a great sale! Happiness is having Carrie come over for a few days.
Happiness is playing in the leaves. Happiness is home made corn chowder and corn bread. And candy cane hot chocolate. And home made carmel popcorn, and pink white chocolate popcorn. And lasagna. And not thinking about the calorie count until blogging about it two days later.
Happiness is looking up to see Olivia leading Bullseye down the paddock by herself with all the confidence of a girl who is meant to ride. Happiness is having the toilet set and the bathtub working in the downstairs bathroom. Happiness is a Super Calvin who wakes up at 7 am on the dot – even with the time change. Happiness is a hot date with a man who loves me. Happiness is My Family every day. What is Happiness to you?
 A Princess, Gorilla and Racecar Driver at the Christensen home.
 Happy Birthday DEAR Olivia, happy birthday to you.
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As a final hurrah we went to the Dinosaur Museum one last time. It was, as always, tons of fun. Afterward we got ice cream played in a kid water feature that I never knew existed until Emmett showed it to us. Lovely end to summer.
