Malcom's Birthday Party

We had Malcom's birthday party on Saturday, and it was SO fun! It was really simple, just some friends, food, and for the kiddos I made little train boxes that they could color and wear. Our good friends Erin and Andrew brought their great dane puppy, Atlas, too!!! Malcom loves dogs (or what he calls "woof woofs"), he had such a great time and most of my favorite pictures from the afternoon came from the two of them as they played. I'm so glad Ben was willing to take over the camera for the afternoon, I was really tired by the time the party started. We have a ton of pictures, so I'm only going to post a few (relative term.. haha), and not any of the other kids because I'm not sure if it's okay with the other parents or not... plus it cuts down drastically on pictures I can post, which makes my job that much easier. :)

Malcom and Atlas! 

Here he is coloring the side of his box train:

Wearing it backwards:

The front of the train:

 Ben's fabulous sister Betsy and Malcom. She came early to help us get the food together and decorate because she's stinkin' awesome. Sadly for us, she's graduating in April; we already miss her. :(

Betsy and Becca (my bro Kevin's wife). I have the best in laws EVER, on both sides! We're lucky like that. 

 Did I mention that our friend Erin cut Malcom's hair for us on Thursday? She's amazing. Seriously, everyone should go to her for all of their hair needs. :) We kept it just a little longer on top (you wouldn't easily notice it if we didn't style it)... now we can make Malcom into a thug if we want to. Haha, it's too fun!

I forgot to to take pictures of our cake! Dang it. That's okay, we can always make more. Last Christmas my mom sent us a silicon train cake mold, and it's the coolest thing ever! The mold is super detailed, and after many, many, many attempts we found that pound cake was the best at holding the shape and showing detail. Since we didn't want to have to spend the time to decorate it, we just served it up plain with sweetened strawberries/glaze and whipped cream (just like a strawberry shortcake). It was great! Ben and I want to try making the mold with different colors of jello sometime. Wouldn't that be fun? 

Thanks for everyone who showed up to have some fun, and for the few presents Malcom got (though you really didn't have to!!). He's been well occupied in the last few days, it's a wonderful thing. :) Now I have to clean the apartment up from the weekend. Oh my. I tell you what! This place is a complete disaster, and sadly most of the disaster areas are on the floor. Booo!!! I can't wait to move around like a normal person again. Soooon!!! We have a doc appointment tomorrow, hopefully I can report on some good news. We had Malcom exactly at 38 weeks, and that's this Thursday. I was induced early for a few little issues, but I was super close to going into labor on my own anyway. This time around everything's been much easier health-wise, but I still wish I could get induced early. It was soooooooo nice!!! Any pregnant woman can tell you that the last few weeks are so uncomfortable. Ugh. I just have to remind myself that it'll come soon enough, and then I'll miss the ease and quiet of just having one little kid to chase after. I don't remember a ton from Malcom's new born days due to the lack of sleep that just comes with babies, but I do remember that I once had a dream that I went back to the doctor and put him back into my belly so that I could have some peace and quiet.. So strange, haha!

Anyway, back to cleaning the apartment. Wish me luck!

Malcom Turns 2!

Malcom turned the big T-W-O on Wednesday!

I know I'll be saying this during all of his birthdays, but I just can't believe how quickly time goes by. Honestly I don't want to think about how fast he is growing up because it turns me into a blubbering basket case. Ridiculous! For now I'm going to blame it on the crazy pregnancy hormones.

Anyway, we decided to hold off on most of the birthday celebrations until Saturday, when we're throwing a little party for him... plus he's two and has no idea what a birthday is yet. Ben and I took him to the duck pond  for the first time since last fall, and it was just such a fun time seeing him chase, then run away from the ducks. After that we went to Porter Park where Ben pushed him around on his longboard (another one of Malcom's old favorite activities from before the snow came and made life really boring). He also had a great time just climbing on all of the playground equipment and swinging on the swings. We're all so glad that the snow has almost completely melted away!! We've all been caged up for farrrrr too long!

We're due for a good photoshoot with the boy- but here are some pics from his special day. Enjoy! I know it's been a while since I've posted any pictures.

Malcom spots the ducks!

They're a little scary at first...

 Haha! What a funny animal!

Oooo, what is that in the bushes? We should sneak up on it and see.

Another duck! 

Longboardin' it with Pops.

Spying and keeping a look out for sneaky dad. He can pop up anywhere, anytime!

Swings!

Whew, that's all for now. Love to all! Happy birthday little man!

Babies, Cars, & School

We've only got about 4 weeks until I'm full term and I tell you what, I'm definitely feeling it. I can't wait to be done! This little boy has really been enjoying my ribs over the past few days... uuuuggghhh... I swear they're bruised after all of his stretching, jabbing, and just hanging out up there. I'm feeling huge! I'm pretty sure having to chase a silly little toddler around isn't helping. Malcom's going through this phase where everything has to be dumped on the floor, especially things that are usually put nicely away (like his bucket of smaller toys and his going-out-somewhere backpack). Until now he's been a pretty clean kid, only playing with a few toys at a time and helping put them away when he's done. This week, not so much. I wish he would have waited a little while longer to go through this stage! I had to pick up so many toys today, so many times, that I nearly cried when he dumped even more in the middle of the living room this evening. I hate bending over, so much. I can't stand the floor being covered in toys though... so I guess we'll just have to deal with it. *sigh* One thing is for sure though: this baby and I are running out of room!!!! Just 4 weeks (I only count till 38 weeks, since that's when I had Malcom and it just sounds SO much better than the full 40!)

Our car got the alternator fixed today! Woohoo! Workin' car. Workin' "new" car! Three things we have discovered about it:

1. Fog lights!!!
2. Steering wheel tilt!
3. Dimmer dial for the dashboard lights.

We're pretty stylin' these days, it's true. :)

Malcom got his first little boy underpants last week. So cute!!! Is that weird? So potty training is still going well, and that's good. We're still working on a few things, but I'm proud of how well he's doing.
He's turning 2 in just 3 weeks!!! I can't believe it! We want to throw him a little birthday party, I'm just not sure if I want to commit to anything much more than cake and ice cream at this point. I'll be 37 weeks by then! I don't know, we'll have to see I guess.

Anyway, I don't have much else to post. No pictures, sadly! My laptop's hard drive decided to die, so it's out of commission right now... Thank goodness for Ben's Mac (and for him being out of school this semester!)

Speaking of school- Ben gets to register on Monday. He only has 16 or 17 credits left!! Yay! These are going to be beastly classes though, so I'm totally okay with him taking two semesters to finish. It'll be nice to have a little extra room to fill up his schedule on his last semester as well, just in case there's a surprise required class or something. You never know! Anyway, it's exciting to see the end so near! December is only 9 months away! That doesn't seem so long.

Looks like it's bed time for the Malcom. Gotta go! Love to all!

Names... HELP!

Many of you know about the lists of baby names Ben and I have compiled over the last few months. We want to wait until we meet Jr. #2 before we name him... and to be safe, we have a girl's list tucked away just in case (you all remember what happened last time? How the name "Elise" just didn't fit our surprise boy? Yeah. We're prepared.).  ;)

Anyway, I've been struggling with our name list for a little while now. I like the list, but I'm not in love with any of the names on it (and honestly, the names I like the most are the ones that Ben probably like the least). I feel like I've looked everywhere but I'm running dry. The point is, we could sure use some outside ideas! 


We want to keep it Scottish if possible to keep up with our last name. Of the Scottish boy name lists I've seen, there are just a lot of wacky names, girly names, or overly used names.  Our criteria are:

1. Must be ranked more than in the 150s of popularity in US. The more unpopular it is, the more extra points it is. (The higher the number, the better.)
2. Can't be a girl name, almost a girl name, becoming a girl name, or ever used as a girl name. We're having a man child after all. :)
3. Can't be too wacky.
4. Preferably doesn't start or end with an "M".

We hope  can find names like Malcom again. It's ranked #546 in the US as popularity, so chances are he won't meet a lot of other Malcom's. It's common enough that people won't have to work to remember it or pronounce it, and I strongly doubt there are any little girls running around with it. "Malcom Matheson" did break my too many "M"s rule, but it just fit him... sometimes you just have to ignore a rule or two if it's just right.  

I'm not going to share the names already on the list because they're somewhat top secret. :)  I have really enjoyed playing around with babynamewizard.com and babycenter.com though, they have some fun lists and meanings. 

Why does it seem like it was so much easier to find names the first time around??? Hum. 

Anyway, if anyone wants to throw some ideas out there for us, it would be greatly appreciated! Email, facebook, leave a comment... whatever. 


Help!! 

Good names will possibly be rewarded with cookies. :) 

Sickness, Cars, and Valentine's Day

Time to update a little!  

Let's see: 

Last week (the week of my last post) was brutal. I don't think I've experienced such a nasty bug while being pregnant before, but it sure did wipe me out. I was seriously on the couch all week! It was awful. I knew that the chances of Malcom catching the bug were high, and often wondered who would have a better immune system: a toddler, or a very pregnant lady. Turns out the toddler wins! It only took him a few days to get over it. Lucky kid! I felt bad for him though, it was a rough few days. Here he is just laying on the couch, sippy cup in hand, looking miserable. I'm so glad Ben didn't catch the bug too!

Monday was great!!!! Not because of Valentine's Day (we postponed our celebrations until Tuesday since Ben had to work late Monday night), but because we bought a "new" car! Yay!!! Celebrations all around!! I've been meaning to take pictures of it, but I've just been too lazy lately. The previous owner took immaculate care of the car, it's such a luxury compared to the old beat up clunker we used to drive! 

It's a '99 Nissan Maxima, and we got it for a steal at $2500 (which was perfect, because that's how much we set aside from tax returns to buy a car). Here are some pictures that I found off of google that match up to our car... (yep, I'm that lazy)

It's wonderful to again have all those extra little things we forgot existed: hazards, a horn, dashboard and dome lights, working wind shield wipers and defrosters (on both front AND back!!!), carpet!, inside door panels, cruise control, an inside roof that isn't coming down, bright headlights, no gigantic rust spots on the roof, electric windows and locks!!... and a host of other magnificent features like MUCH better gas mileage. We're SO spoiled!!!! The down sides? 

1. Would be nice to have a tad more room with baby #2 on the way, but I'm sure we'll manage just fine. 

2. It's a 5 speed manual transmission... I've never driven a stick before. Luckily Ben's been a very kind and patient teacher! It's been fun, though I can't help getting a little nervous in traffic because I don't want to "kill" the car when there are cars behind me.

3. We have to fix the alternator. Boo. Luckily our old caprice has gotten A LOT of inquiries this weekend, so hopefully we'll be able to use the money from that and fix the alternator. Should know more about all that on Monday.

:) Life is gooooood. :)

Betsy babysat for us Tuesday night so that Ben and I could go on our little Valentine's date. It was wonderful! We were both oh, so very tired by dinner time, we decided on a very laid back and easy date. Dinner at Winger's, followed by Narnia 3 at the cheap theater, followed by a driving lesson... and don't worry, he didn't forget to get me flowers. :) It occurred to me that this was our fifth V-Day as a couple, not counting the first one when I spent days working on a card/storybook for him (it was awesome, I'm not going to lie). We've had some wonderful and adventurous Valentine's Days together, but I'm glad we can also have quiet ones as well. Maybe that's just what happens when you get so comfortable with each other (and you have a kid or two!). I sure love that man. :)

The rest of this week has been mostly uneventful. A few driving lessons here and there, potty training (which is going wonderfully, we just have to work on going outside the apartment with out diapers and we've got it down pact! Go Malcom!), editing photos, sleeping... we did get out for an hour long walk yesterday in the sunshine. It was like 35 degrees out there!!! I know, right?! It felt soooo good!  I'm so tired of the snow, and being pregnant. These are two things that should change at about the same time... it makes counting down to either "spring" or baby that much more exciting.. and tedious. 

Long post, looks like that's all I've got. Love to all! 

Longer Than I Expected

 Sick, sick, sick. There's something cruel about being uncomfortably pregnant and hacking up a lung, sprawled on the couch like a bloated, dying sea cow. Blah. That being said, this is going to be a brief post. Here are some pics from the last two weeks...

Malcom playing in our laundry basket.

I had Malcom in his high chair one night, just eating dinner while I was finishing up some dishes, when I looked over and he was plugging his ears. Silly kid! I guess he didn't like the song playing on Pandora. haha!

Potty training. He's just being silly in this pic, as always. Potty training is going well though some days are much better than others. I think we're on a good track so far. 

We went down to SLC for Ben's mom's wedding last weekend. It was a great time, a very sweet occasion. Saturday morning was especially great, since Ben's grandma volunteered to babysit for us while we went to the SLC temple. Neither of us had been there before; it was beautiful! It's amazing that it took 40 years to complete and has been functioning for the past 118 years or so. It was great to see the family as well. I only wish I had a little more energy! Turns out traveling can take it out of you when you're the size of an overgrown walrus. It's true. 

Had doctor's appointment today. Everything's perfect so far, I just can't believe we only have 2 months left. We're already down to the every-two-weeks-appointments! This is going by CRAZY kinds of fast, much faster than it did with Malcom. I'll admit that I while I LOVE being a mom and I adore my little kiddos, I'm really not a fan of pregnancy. If I could grow my babies in a fish tank I would! Imagine how much easier would it make delivery?! haha. Anyway, we're all doing fine. I feel like most of my day's are spent ravenously hungry, exhausted, with occasional hip and back aches and a few braxton hicks every so often. Nothing new.  Just 2 more months!!! I can't wait!

Anyway, time to crash. Love to all!

Sledding and Stuff

We went sledding last Saturday, first time this winter. Malcom was fairly expressionless for the most part, except when he saw someone else go down this hill and crash. That was funny... our kid likes to laugh at other's misfortunes. Go figure. He did, however, love playing in a little snow fort that someone else built. 

Here he is in all his snow gear. He reminds me of that little kid, Randy, from A Christmas Story. The part when his mom gets him all ready for school and he can hardly walk/put his arms down? haha. Yeah.

Expressionless after going down a little hill. I think he just needs to go sledding again. He'll enjoy it more next time, he just needed to figure out what it was all about.

Snow fort! Love his little face!

 It was a really fun afternoon even though Malcom didn't take to sledding as quickly as we thought he would. After we got home and changed into pjs, we made hot chocolate together (Malcom is a pro at opening and closing the microwave/pouring things into cups). He got to even have his first hot chocolate in his own little grown-up cup. I'm not gonna lie, this kid is a chocolate fiend... something I'm proud to say he inherited from me!


About a month or two ago Ben got a fancy knife from this rewards system from his work. He's obsessed with chopping things now... anyway, we had this left-over gala apple in our fridge (we're fugi people, really, not sure how that gala got in there). Malcom got a piece and was trying to cut it with a stick, just like his daddy. Ben was so proud!!! He ran over and got a butter knife from the silverware drawer and his fancy new cutting board, then showed Malcom how to cut the apple slice. How happy does our little boy look in this picture??! I love it! Those two are the very best of friends.

In other news, our poor old '91 chevy caprice is officially on it's last leg. Here's a photo of it from a few years ago when we bought it:

We're pretty sure the transmission is going out. It's okay though, we bought it for $500 and planned from the beginning to run it into the ground. I think Ben is much sadder about it than I am... haha. It's a man-car. Men love this car, I swear. Men and mechanics. I don't know if it's just because it's a bone-fide retired cop car and has the turbo engine package stuff (ha, can you tell I know nothing about cars?!), because it's older and easier to work on mechanically than a lot of newer vehicles, because it's as ugly as sin... I don't know. I'm excited to look for something "new" though, and hopefully NOT rear-wheel drive (for those of you unfamiliar with driving in snow and ice, it's the worst!!). So long "Murdoch", it's been an adventurous ride. Ben will miss you. ;)

We've officially started potty training this week. To be honest, I'm not sure how it's going. We started it a few months ago, but then we had a lot of other things come up/random visits from family and friends, and decided to hold off. It went really well before. I wish we had stuck with it, because I think he was WAY more interested back then then he is now. He's a smart kid, I know he's perfectly capable and ready, we just need to get some incentive. We'll see how this week goes I guess! At least he enjoys running around naked. Haha! But seriously, any tips from those who have been through it with little boys who have never minded being dirty are welcome!!! Seriously. I have a plan, but I have no idea what I'm doing. This poor kid may end up running naked the rest of his life. ;)

Wish us luck!!

Blog-Lazy

I sat down a few days ago and wrote down all the things I want to finish up before baby #2 comes, and I realized I have a lot to do in only a few months! It's okay though, I don't mind being busy and it makes me that much more productive these days.  

That being said, I'm feeling blog-lazy lately. I have a few good pictures to post though not a lot to update on. I'll procrastinate a little longer and just post a hilarious video my friend Jeannette posted on facebook earlier today. :)  

Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1401139168205&comments