Look Alikes?

From the time babies are born, everyone looks anxiously to see who the new one looks like. Here are some pictures of Ian and Cameron at comparable ages. Ian is on the left, Cameron on the right. Do they look similar to you?

Newborn

3-4 months

10 -12 months

10-12 months

I'm one hundred percent sure these kids are both from the same parents - but I don't think they look a thing alike. It makes me wonder what we'll get on the next roll of genetic dice!

Beanbags.....and vacuums

Yesterday, I finally found time to cut out my first beanbag. We've have nine bags of beads in our guest room for three weeks.......but I think I was a little late.

I was totally absorbed bleaching clothes so I could return them to the Livingstone baby clothes stash. Certainly someone else will have a boy or two (3 of the last 5 grandchildren have been girls - and both of the boys are ours!)?? Anyway, I found Ian and Cameron happily playing in a pile of beads. Ian had mutilated one of the bags with his "sword", which happened to be a very sharp back scratcher. Ian is currently forbidden to have any kind of sword.

I was so mad (at myself for letting them play in there in the first place, and mad at Ian for doing something he knew was wrong) that I closed the door, and didn't go back until this morning. Ian redeemed himself, though, and really helped clean all of it up. Just in case you should ever find yourself in this circumstance, I found that spraying them with water helped them cling to themselves instead of everything else. We scooped them up with dust pans, and vacuumed the rest up. I imagine I'll have some sort of mess to clean up when we fill up the bags anyway.

Have I ever mentioned before that I LOVE my vacuum? It really sucks.

I bought it probably 6 or 7 years ago because it was on the top of consumer report's list. I use it for EVERYTHING, and we've really put it to the test living in grandma's house for two years. Seriously, if and when this one ever dies, I'll never buy anything else.

Ianisms

Ian didn't say a word until he was 20 month old. He is making up for his delay now. He never STOPS! It's fun to see him learning how to use the language with a lot more complexity.

1. Tyler always tells our boys how handsome they are. On Sunday, Ian stood up at our mirror and said, "let me see how handsome I am". Tyler has engendered a great confidence in him...as far as looks are concerned at least.

2. Ian uses 'with' as a verb. He uses the right conjugation - just on the wrong word. He always asks me what cam is "play withing".

3. He has started to add es and ed on the ends of words. He uses them properly, but adds them on the end and pronounces them just how they look. Example: glove-es, make-ed, watch-ed. I kind of like how it sounds, and sometimes find myself calling them glove-es too.

4. In my opinion, many children's movies look like they are influenced by drug induced hallucinations. I thought it was a recent development until we watched "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" the other day. I hadn't seen it for years. After about a half hour, Ian said "mom, this is getting really weird, let's just turn it off". If you haven't seen it, you should watch the adventures of Mr. Potts (the inventor), his children and Truly Scrumptious. Seriously, that's really her name.

5. Ian's grandparent's (Grammie & Poppy) are in Africa on a mission. He hasn't seen them for awhile. We've been talking a lot about them because they are coming home in a few months. The other day, I asked Ian if he remembers what Poppy looks like. He said he "looks all green in his crocodile suit". I pressed him further to see if he remembers what color Poppy's hair is. He said it was pink. A few days later, when we were quizzing him on who was in a picture of the First Presidency, he identified President Uchtdorf as "President Poppy".

6. Ian is now experimenting with music. When he's not tired enough to fall asleep at bed time, he will make up songs until he falls asleep. His favorite backhoe broke (for about the 10th time - but I think this is the final blow for the poor little toy), so he sings a song that goes something like this "oh.....i had a backhoe, my favorite backhoe.....and now it's broken." That's the end of the song. His dog song goes like this: "ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff!". Do we have a future song writer on our hands, or what?

I don't want to leave Cameron out. He is extraordinarily moved by music. He dances a lot and any time a catchy tune comes on, he starts bouncing his head back and forth. I think he needs a drum and some maracas for his birthday. In the last few weeks, he's started taking his first steps. He is up to three or four steps now - but every now and then, he'll surprise us and walk four feet. I'm not sure how much of it is intended, and how much is stumbling. I know a lot of people don't want their kids to walk early - but I am always ready for them to walk as soon as they can. It's just nice for them to have their hands out of the dirt and muck.

Gobbles

Ian has been actively testing out swim gear that he's never considered using before, for our next trip to the indoor pool. My favorite are his "gobbles". He caught on after a few days, and now calls them goggles. I liked gobbles better.

how well do you know your valentine?

For those of you who get "Real Simple", you may have already taken this quiz.

1. What reality television show would you consider auditioning for?
ME: hands down - "the biggest loser". fortunately i don't have hundreds of
pounds to lose - but i'd love to go to the ranch and see how ripped
I could get.
TYLER: Anything HGTV - will someone please come landscape our yard?
Is that considered a reality show? Or - is there any show that
can remake his body to look like Arnold Schwartzenegger
(mid '70s arnold, not the governator's current physique)? HE
SAID THAT - NOT ME.

2. What website do you spend the most time on?
ME: nevadalivingstones.blogspot.com, of course!
TYLER: 4btswap - i guess this is a bunch of guys talking about swapping
engines from different vehicles? Also, both of us spend a lot of
time on ebay and half.com.

3. What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
ME: "danger zone" and I also have a smattering of brittney spears songs.
they may be silly - but they are good to exercise to. i want to add
"super massive blackhole" - and i'm not embarassed by that.
TYLER: "respect" by aretha franklin. that's hardly embarassing.

4. On a limitless menu, what would you order?
ME: 4 oz. filet mignon and, if any restaurant served it, which the don't,
heidi's everything salad with poppyseed dressing....and maybe
a yummy piece of bread. does it sound like i've been thinking
a lot about this?
TYLER: chocomint nummy......a lot of chocomint nummy.....and maybe
a little vitamin P on the side (that's pork to the layperson).

5. What is last book you read?
ME: Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts. It's an airplane type of book...one
that you only read if your trapped in one spot for a few hours. I'm
currently reading "gifted hands, the story of bed carson".
TYLER: Wildhorse Mesa by Zane Grey. Tyler is more embarrassed
by that than any song on the Ipod.

6. Which way do you hang the toilet paper, over or under?
ME & TYLER: I think I used to care - but we agreed that neither of
us do now.

7. What was your high school mascot?
ME: Elko Indians
TYLER: he had two because the merged schools or something
- the marauders and the panthers.

8. What is the one place on the planet you're dying to visit?
ME: right now, i'm pretty pleased with our own little patch of dirt.
however, if we can ever afford to go anywhere, i wouldn't mind
going to a warm place on the beach - i'm not picky about which
one.....as long as it isn't shark infested.
TYLER: same. the last time we were at the beach was on our
honeymoon to costa rica.