Telephonophobia

While I was in high school I spent many, many nights on the phone with many different people. I LOVED talking on the phone. But then something happened. I realized how quickly (quickly might be an understatement. Lets say light speed for more accuracy) I could talk and that made me uncomfortable. In an effort to slow down my constant ramblings, the speed shifted into stuttering. I think my subconscious treated the stuttering as verbal speed bumps. The problem is that instead of the speed bumps slowing me down, it just broke my verbal axel and ripped it right out from under the car. I still can not stop talking fast and now stutter on top of that which makes me a complete spas. All of this has made me rather introverted (I know, this is a complete shock to anyone I grew up with) socially and makes talking on the phone nearly impossible for me. I have decided I would rather go knock on the door of some one in the neighborhood rather than call.

The greatest gift given to me as of late…text messaging. (I discussed with Mari at Wal-Mart so I know I am not the only one who thinks this way) Unfortunately, I still talk about 10 million miles a minute and stutter more than ever. Help.

P.S. This does not mean I don't want anyone calling me. PLEASE DO! I need all the practice possible. Besides, I really like talking to adults once in awhile. Rees just doesn't give me the reactions I am looking for :)

When I Hear Laughter...

Most parents tell me that they can tell their kids are getting into trouble when it gets quiet. I can tell my little tike is getting into trouble when he starts laughing. I was getting ready for the day when I realized Rees was laughing. I turned my head to see him spinning the toilet paper of the roll just as fast as he could (using both hands) and just laughing his head off. I got about half way through re-rolling the toilet paper when I figured I had better take a picture. I put Rees in the hall way and hurried for the camera. By the time I had gotten back (about 30 seconds later) Rees has done it again! I tell you what, this kid is pretty cute but is totally giving me a run for my money. What scares me is thinking about how the messes will be getting bigger as he is getting bigger. I am sure it looks like I don't watch him very well but he is seriously at my side every second of the day. Except for 30 mins, when he is taking his nap. Yep, no sleep and he still has more energy than me.

Radio Flyer

When Benjy was a kid, he had a red wagon. Apparently he loved this wagon alot. As time went on the wagon didn't hold up. Benjy's mom pitched the poor thing and Benjy has never gotten over it. To try and fix the trauma Benjy felt over loosing his wagon Benjy's mom bought him (but really for Rees) a new wagon. Rees LOVED it. Benjy and Rees put it together by themselves and Rees could barely wait for it to be finished. He Kept climbing on and in everything (even the box the wagon came in). I think Grandma Comeau has officially been forgiven now.


Benjy giving me the "no girls allowed" face

Oh boy was he excited

Mama's Little Helper

When Benjy and I got married, we of course didn't have very much furniture. We didn't have a kitchen table or any chairs. Luckily Benjy's Mom has lent us her mother's first table and we slowly bought 2 folding chairs and were given another 2 folding chairs for Christmas about a year later. So for 3 and a half years we have had folding chairs and Grandma Weber's ancient table. We have always planned on replacing them but it has never worked out. I have recently decided that since we are no longer students the folding chairs are no longer acceptable. I have spent lots of time rummaging through yard sales (which are not very good in Utah County. It is hard to find a good deal when EVERYONE is the area is trying to find a good deal or get as much as they can for something) and D.I.s I have finally and slowly acquired four chairs. The thought has been to refinish them in different colors with a black table. Sounds crazy but it actually looks awesome (Thanks for the idea Mandy :). Well sanding has been very difficult because my "little supervisor" won't give me any space or stop trying to eat the sand paper. So here are some pictures of him trying to be helpful.



Aren't we such a cute couple?

Yep, I am a slacker. Sorry this took so long.

Rules: Name 5 random things about yourself, then tag 5 people. Make sure you comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged!
Plus - If you want, add a random picture.. kinda makes it more fun!

The guy on the left is chalk drawing on the sidewalk, the guy on the right is the artist. Cool, huh?


1. I am the cleanest messy person you will ever meet. I actually keep stuff really clean (you know, in the aspect of using cleaners, getting rid of germs, etc) but I am incredibly untidy.

2. I LOVE my birthday. Seriously, I usually start a count down to my birthday around September. Yep, crazy since my birthday is in November.

3. I am a planning freak. I have everything written out, decisions are made based on the easiest manner of execution, plans are made early, the whole nine yards. I think I get this from my mom. When we would go on vacations, she would have a Trip Binder. It had everything broken down into days, budgeted to the hilt, maps, mileage logs, brochures, everything you could think of. I do this to but with almost everything. My laptop is LOADED with spreadsheets to keep me organized.

4. Before Rees was born, I would watch movies like "Starsky and Hutch" and "Saraha" at least once a week. The dumber the movie, the better. They are my go-to-movies when I want to watch something but don't necessarily want to get emotionally involved.

5. I LOVE to play games. I could play card games and board games all night long. Some of my favorites are NERTZ, Settlers of Catan, and all the Rummies.

I would like to tag Esther J., Sami C., Mandi B., Cassidy (soon to be Cassidy T.), and Lindsey T. Have fun girls!

My Daily Life

Rees has totally gotten a very firm grasp of object permanence. He now that even though he can't see behind or in drawers, doors, and cupboards it doesn't mean there isn't there that he shouldn't play. He is CONSTANTLY emptying shelves, cupboards, you name it. About two weeks ago he was happily sliding the frying pans around when all the sudden it got kind of quiet. I was right there washing dishes so I just looked over my shoulder to see what he had gotten into. He had not only emptied the Ziploc drawer but was pulling the Saran Wrap out of the box as fast as he possibly could. By the time the struggle of prying his little fingers off the plastic wrap was over, he had successfully pulled out about 30 feet of the stuff. Luckily we still have lots left due to the fact that the plastic wrap came from Costco but still! Needless to say, I have been rearranging which items go into what cupboard/drawer.



He doesn't even look like he cares that he is in trouble. I guess that does mean he is my son.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

On Friday, we took the last of the Hawkley family to the airport. They are now officially all living in Ohio. We were so sad to see them go. We have spent so much time with them and have been through ALOT with these guys. We are so happy they are able to move on with life but we wanted them to know that we will miss them like crazy!

Allie being a little cutie!

Rees

Friday evening Benjy got to come with Rees and I to Orem Park. Until lately Rees has been to little to do anything really except sit in the stroller while I walk laps on the walking path. He is now big enough to swing on the baby swings but unfortunately all the swings were full (the park was mobbed). We ended up just hanging out on the grass so that Rees could experience some quality grass time (the grass in front of our apartment is the worst. I can't even set Rees on it for very long). We had a good time and I got alot of really cute pictures of our little man.

Mr. Helpful?

Every time any one is doing anything Rees is RIGHT there. I tell Benjy that Rees gets his "supervising" trait from him. Benjy was cleaning his work boots in the bathroom tub while Rees was in the kitchen. He heard the tub water turn on and hauled it to the bathroom. We had to keep sliding Rees back to the end of the tub because he was trying to get as close to the boot situation as possible and we didn't want Rees getting dirty. Funny kid.

The Bean Museum

Benjy and I have always had a very long list of stuff we have wanted to go see in the area. Before we had Rees, working and school schedules always prevented us from sight-seeing.
It never really bothered us because we added everything to the ever-long list of things we would do when we had kids. Well, time to stop procrastinating! We took Rees to the Bean Museum at BYU. It was actually pretty fun. We were a little disappointed because Rees wasn't as interested as we had hoped. He was way more motivated to watch the people walk by. The next place we want to take him is the Aquarium in Salt Lake.

Benjy and Rees with all the Mountain Sheep. Benjy has always had a fascination with Dall Sheep because of his Dad. When Dad Comeau was growing up in Alaska, he shot a Dall Sheep and still has the horns. Almost everytime we go to Benjy's parents house he runs into his dad's office to look had the Dall Sheep horns on the wall.

To everyone in the whole, wide world

Introducing...
The new
Field Engineer for Plant Construction...
My husband...
Benjamin Comeau!

*So here are the details. Benjy will be starting the September 2nd. His first project is the Nordstrom's at the Fashion Place Mall in Murray. The department store is building a whole new building for the store. One of my buddies thinks that since Benjy is working on a Nordstrom's I should get an employee discount, I have to say that I agree.*

Anyway, I just wanted you all to know our great news and give a shout out to my Love. He is such a hard worker and has done an amazing job at everything he tries to do. I am so grateful he chose me for eternity.

**Special thank you to our families for their support, and the Brown and Carter family for the jobs. We are so incredibly grateful and couldn't have asked for better friends. Thanks

Where Are That Kids Parents?

Benjy thinks that it is hilarious to put Rees in those huge bins in the stores (you know, the ones that are chuck full of some kind of trinket the store way over bought on). This is our little munch kin in a bin of dragons at Ikea. He actually did look pretty cute.

Holding Down the Fort

Some of Hayden's methods of entertaining Rees included pushing
him around in a box, building forts, etc. Rees had a blast.
Hayden was an awesome babysitter. I did think a riot was going
to break loose between him and Chris when Hayden said he was
Rees' favorite babysitter. Apparently those are fight'n words!


Ham'n it up

As you can see, still no teeth

Miss Cooper

Last week, my family came up and we spent the weekend helping Christine get her class room ready. We decorated boards, hung posters, wrote the kids names everywhere, etc. We had a lot of fun and Christina's room looks great. My Dad and Hayden even helped. Hayden's #1 job was to entertain Rees, which he did really well. Rees even let Hayden stuff him into one of cubbies. Rees didn't like it at first but once he realized everyone was laughing at him, he perked right up.

2008 Beijing Olympic Games

I love the Olympics! I especially love the summer games. Growing up, I was obsessed with the all the gymnastic events, the swimming, the diving, etc. Christina and I were so into it that during the Olympics one summer, we built our own "mini balance beam" in the back yard. Yep, good times. This summer's games are extra special because we know one of the Olympians! That's right people, everyone needs to watch and cheer for Josh McAdams who will be running the 3000m Steeple Chase in Beijing. Josh is currently one of our neighbors and is in our ward. He and his wife are the nicest people so we REALLY want him to win. We have been watching Josh run past our building for months while training for this. It has been really fun to watch. A little while ago we even had ESPN camped out in the cult-a-sac trying to catch Josh. Funny, huh? Anyways, good luck to Josh and we hope you totally kick butt!

Our life at the moment

Remember when Benjy wrecked his truck and I said that we had bought about a million tires? Well, we are at it again. Benjy and his one of his buddies (once again, sorry Abbey!) were out blowing off some steam the other night in the canyon. During their adventure they blew a tire on Benjy's truck. Of course, I was ticked because I am soooooo sick of buying tires. Benjy spent most of Monday calling and scavenging everywhere (including junkyards) trying to get two tires that were decent but cheaper in price. In the end we ended going to Discount Tires like always. I think we should be given a VIP discount at that place. I think these are tires 17 & 18 that we have boughten there in the past 4 years. kjajhsfdiahjniu is all I have to say about it.
While Benjy was out joy riding, I actually got pretty motivated. I made and canned apricot syrup and jam. Thank you to Sister Lewis for the apricots! Growing up, canning was one of the worst punishments I could think of. I felt like my summers were wasted helping my mom can peaches, salsa, tomatoes, etc. I can't believe I am actually going to admit this but I am really grateful for those times and memories now. I feel so blessed to have the know-how to do this. The even stranger part is that except for peeling the peaches, I don't mind canning. So the point of the story...thank you mom for teaching me how to do this. It has been incredibly useful and great thing to learn.

And last but not least, my little Reesie. The kid is going to be the death of me and yet I love him to death. I am having to re-figure out how to put him to bed at night. He was doing so good. I would rock him for 2-3 mins to settle him down and then lay him in his crib while he was awake and he would just jabber away to himself until he fell asleep. Those were the good ole days. Since he has learned to stand up in his crib all hell has broken loose. He now just stands there and screams his head off and won't go to sleep because he is standing. He cried for an hour last night! Then the only reason he actually went to sleep is because after the millionth time of lying him down, he was too tired to get up that time and just conked out. Seriously, I don't know what to do. Anyone have any suggestions?