What a coincidence!

While looking through my Parents magazine I found an article about children with sleep problems. At the end there were some suggested books and this was one of them. . .





I nearly fell off my seat because this title perfectly explains my little boy who of course is named Oliver. I think I will order this book.

New Mexico

It has been a few weeks now since returning from New Mexico, but I figure better late than never. While Mike was in England for 10 days, I decided to take Oliver down to Albuquerque to visit my brother Adam and his family. Oliver did surprisingly good on both flights and we had a great time hanging out with the cousins.

Oliver and Ashton were jealous of Averie's headband so here's a picture of the "girls".

Oliver was loving the rocking horse action.

Oliver and Averie hanging out reading books. When they weren't hugging each other and playing nicely, they were poking eyes, pulling hair and taking each others toys away. I'm pretty sure all of those things mean cousin love.

No, my brother is not a giant...this four wheeler is a small size meant for only children. Oh well, the kids still reaped the benefits of the four wheeler thanks to a wagon and motorbike tricycle. And yes, you're looking at their backyard (about one tenth of it).

These are the neighbors horses which Oliver called "woof" and was loving.

Our little boy

I don't know exactly when Oliver turned into a toddler, but everything he does reminds me of a little man child. Like when he watched me shovel some dirt, next thing you know he picks up the shovel and pushes it in the dirt. He loves brushing his teeth with an electric toothbrush like us as well. He's also tired of his little plastic basketball hoop, he wants to go outside and shoot balls into the real hoop. My personal favorite is when a group of us are laughing and he joins in with his fake laugh. I love the age Oliver is at now, it's so much fun to watch him grown and learn new things. Though I loved it when he was seven months and learning to crawl and ten months learning to walk. So I guess what I'm saying is that I have loved watching Oliver in whatever stage he is currently in.

P-town baby!

It's official, we are moving to P-town this fall because Mike got a one-year position at BYU! Yes, we are pretty freakin' stoked about the fact that Mike will have his first full time paying job in our five years of marriage. (And when I say "we", I really mean ME)! Honestly, it was looking pretty bleak for him getting a job this fall at a university, but fortunately we got the Mormon thing going for us. In all seriousness we are really grateful for this opportunity, something I believe Mike fully deserves for all the hard work he has put into this PhD. All I can say (or sing) is....rah rah rah rah rah rah rah rah rah rah, goooooooo couuuugars!

It's MaDNeSS time!

"This is awesome baby!" Yes, I'm quoting the annoying-but-you-still-love-him, Dick Vitale. That is plain and simply how I feel about March Madness. What isn't awesome about last second game winning shots, or a no name school upsetting a powerhouse? Another thing I love about college ball is that there's no guarantee from year to year on any certain school. Take Florida for example, two time defending national champions, did not even make it into the tourney this year. Even if you don't follow college basketball, go ahead, fill out a bracket and see how the madness consumes you. It will. And you'll probably do better than those experts (or geeks) who spend hours going over statistics to fill out their brackets. So, who is my final four you say? North Carolina, Georgetown, Memphis and Xavier, with Georgetown upsetting to win it all of course.

Tuesdays with Morrie

I read this book a few years back when it was on the bestseller list and really loved it. However, I couldn't tell you the details of the book a few days after finishing it (as is the case when I finish most books). So when I saw it on my mom's desk one day I decided to read it again, though I don't normaly read books more than once. I forgot how touched and inspired I felt as I read about this man, Morrie. He was a complete optimist even in the face of death, which I truly admire. Reading about how ugly this disease is in the end really helped me have more compassion for my dad and the fears he faces. That said, you do not have to know anyone personally with this disease to appreciate the book, I would recommend it to everyone.

24 or The West Wing

We finally watched the sixth season of 24 and I'm glad there aren't anymore to catch up on! We have been addicted to this series ever since we were introduced to it in England. We would borrow our friends box sets and watch an entire season in a single weekend, sad but true. However, this last season was probably my least favorite, especially the ending. Come on, there is suppose to be some sort of cliffhanger at the end, not Jack starring out over the ocean - lame-o!

As much as we liked 24, our favorite TV drama series definitely has to be The West Wing. Again, some friends in England owned all seven seasons and we wasted a lot more time than I would like to admit. I felt like I learned a little bit more about politics, even though everything was ficitional. The series was brilliantly written and the characters were so addicting as well.

If Martin Sheen entered the presidential race today I would vote for him hands down and try to talk everyone I knew into voting for him also. However, if Dennis Haysbert (President David Palmer, 24) entered the race also, it would be a seriously tough decision. But hey, at least the decision would be tough because they were both great candidates...I wonder what that would be like.