Oh bumpers! (As Canyon, Crue and I say) I was doing so well with my goal of one post a month and then stinkin' November came and went. Maybe I forgot to post something because nothing noteworthy seemed to happen. Yep, that's it. I didn't forget... completely intentional.

Before I forget... here are a few of the much anticipated Halloween photos!!
Anyhow, November, November, November... what happened in November? Rob and all his brilliant holiday planning took us to a hotel for Thanksgiving this year. I'm so lucky that he's always so creative in that way. Our best friend Marty was great enough to book us a suite at the Marriott downtown. Rob came home early Wednesday evening and we packed our little suitcases and took Trax downtown. We checked in, walked to Macaroni Grill for dinner and hurried back to the hotel to order room service for dessert. The boys loved every second of it. Uncle Wes arrived later that evening and we all got up bright and early and ordered another round of room service for breakfast. Rob convinced them to make him a pepperoni pizza- yum! Then we headed over to the pool for a quick swim. Catastrophe!!! On our way to the pool Canyon decided he wanted to take his shoes off like Uncle Wes so he sat down by the entrance of the elevator- in doing so he accidentally placed his little hand on the track and the door started to close over his finger. I realized what was happening just as he was ripping his finger from the closing door. I knew it had caused some damage and was almost too scared to look. (I've realized that 6+ years of nursing experience goes right out the window when it's your own baby.) Anyhow, Rob immediately ran away, too terrified to see what may have happened and I just scooped the now screaming Canyon into my arms, made sure the finger was still attached and rushed toward the room. Once inside I assessed the injury which miraculously enough was just that the skin had been torn from both sides of his finger. It looked pretty painful and he cried for longer than he's ever cried before, but at least he still had a finger. Oddly enough the thing that kept playing over and over in my head was the Thanksgiving episode of 'Friends" where Chandler cut off his toe on Thanksgiving- sad I know. So we bandaged him up and tossed him in the pool and within 10 minutes he had forgotten all about it! After swimming we headed down for our Thanksgiving feast, which was even more delicious since I didn't have to prepare a thing!! It was such a fun day!Not 2 days later Canyon dove onto a throw pillow on the TILE kitchen floor and smacked his mouth. There was so much blood I was certain a trip to the ER was in store for us, but one wet washcloth and bag of ice later it turned out to be just a really huge bloody lip. That kid is going to give me a run for my money in the near future.

One Saturday while the boys were supposed to be napping Canyon decided to make a game of how many times he could get out of bed. He would casually walk into our room and say the strangest things. One of the times he said "Mommy Daddy, sometimes my pee pee is long and hurts when I'm trying to go to sleep." Rob and I looked at each other in slow motion and I left it to daddy to field that one. Rob replied "Take off your jeans while you sleep. Maybe they're too tight." The next time he came in he stated "My bum is stinky." Rob joked "Let me smell it!" and then he scooped Canyon up to sniff the back of his undies to which Canyon replied- "No, it's when I stick my finger right here!" And the kid put his finger in the top of his bum crack before we could stop him. Gross! Rob washed his hands and sent him straight back to bed.
Next time he came running in shouting "I have to go potty REALLY bad! I only pee peed in my underwear a tiny bit!" (Have I ever mentioned that Canyon needs to strip naked to go potty?) Anyhow, he spent entirely too long in our bathroom fiddling around and when we told him to get his little bum back to bed he proceeded to show me the dime sized wet spot on his undies. I told him to put his underwear in the laundry room and get to bed. Not 5 seconds later we heard the dryer door open and close, the buttons pushed and the dryer started. Oh what fun it is to have a 4 year old.
On a completely separate occasion... not on that special "no-nap" day; our conversation went as follows-
Me: "What are you watching Can?"
Can: "Coconut Hauntus." (aka Pocahontas) Just thought it was cute!

It's really sad that I don't have an abundance of Crue's cute sayings, but he just doesn't talk as much yet. I'm sure it's soon to come, though. Currently, his favorite thing to say is "Mommy, I think I love you." It's the sweetest thing to hear! We also have arguments over who is the best. He'll say "Mommy, you're the best." And I'll reply "No you're the best." And it'll go back and forth as long as I let it. We recently went up to PC to pick out our ornaments for the year and Crue chose a moose. He's been carrying around every chance he gets. I have had to keep reminding him to be careful because it's breakable and up until yesterday he had been extra careful. But, last night while I was getting ready for work he wandered up to my room and proudly displayed his moose saying "Look Mommy. He's a doggy." He had somehow broken off the antlers and loved that he now had a "new" ornament. I scolded him for breaking his moose to which he replied. "You don't love the moose. I love the moose." I asked him where the antlers were and he stated that they were gone and he didn't have them anymore. I asked him if he put them in the garbage and he replied. "No, I hided them." I had him lead me to the hidden antlers, glued them back on the moose and set the moose up high. I suppose he'll just have to find a less fragile ornament next time. He's quite enamored with our "Elf on the Shelf" who has been named Roodle (by Canyon) and has been asking for one of his own. I ordered him a special plush elf which he has carried around with him everywhere and will probably continue to do so well after the holiday.

I'm having so much fun with my little crumb crunchers these days. We love having our own little lunch dates and shopping together. They seem to be getting a little easier (knock on wood) when we're out and about and I love it. I am so very lucky to be their mom!

Cupcakes, candy, cookies... Oh My!!! Well, October has come and nearly gone which means- the Corcoran family has been overwhelmed with treats of all kinds. I'm pretty sure I've gained about 5 lbs over the last thirty days... just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas- hooray! The fall weather is always a welcomed treat and we've taken plenty of opportunities to head outdoors and enjoy the mountains. I know I often complain about Rob's incessant need to "go for a drive" every weekend, but sometimes it really is beautiful! While this is definitely my favorite time of year, it also lends itself to my busiest time of year. Canyon's birthday, followed by my own and then Halloween make for an exhausting few weeks. Throw in a trip to California to see some of our favorite people and a second attempt at potty-training and I'm spent well before the trick-or-treating begins. Tiring as it's been, it's also been a heap of fun!!! Remind me never to attempt making their costumes.

Canyon turned 4!!! I cannot believe 4 years have come and gone- how did it happen?! My chubby little mess maker is now a lean- loud- mess maker! Can wanted a "Pirate" themed birthday party this year and mommy delivered! (Or at least I made a valiant effort.) We celebrated at the clubhouse this year, which is where we were able to celebrate his very first birthday as well. Aunt Kelly sent me an awesome pirate ship that I set on top of a sea of blue frosted cupcakes- complete with whales, dolphins, sea turtles (per Crue's request) and octupi (is that the plural?). I made blue jello cups with Swedish fish and orange wedge pirate ships. We made a wooden plank, painted the words "Walk the Plank" on it and Uncle Wesley jimmy-rigged it to the beams above- I kept my fingers crossed that a lawsuit wasn't headed my way. Perhaps I should have asked the parents to sign a waiver as they entered the festivities. Rob had Chic-Fil-A cater the event to take some of the stress off me- and boy did it ever! Good Job Rob!! Uncle Wayner made balloon swords for the kiddies. We had a dress up bucket for the guests- complete with eye patches, bandannas and sweet mustaches! I painted a pirate cut-out for the kids to put their faces in- it made for some pretty cute pictures and I still can't bring myself to toss it out. We had a big bounce house out back- which I now realize was all I needed. My life would have been a whole lot easier had I just grabbed a box of cheeseburgers and a bounce house... but then I wouldn't have all my cute photos I suppose. We were also lucky enough to get an indestructible treasure chest pinata. We went through all the kids, some twice, before we finally had to have Wes crack the thing open and even then the broom stick ended up bent in two- how that's conducive to a child's birthday party is beyond me! Everyone came and LOVED it all! I think it turned out great- if I do say so myself! Canyon had four friends from preschool come with their families. Trillie, Peyton, Caden and Asia. We also had the Colliers, Sandgrens, Meads, Klemmes, Jolleys and Morales families. Peyton's mom said it was the "best birthday party she had ever been to"... not that I'm bragging- ha ha. All that matters was that Canyon thought it was great. He has already begun the countdown to next year's birthday! We finished the party with a photo of the boys which we took 3 years ago (minus a little Crue baby.) I think its a framer.

The night before Canyon's birthday party we celebrated my birthday. We made plans to head down to Texas Roadhouse in Provo to have Wes serve us. When we got there I was surprised to see Christy and the kids waiting outside for me and even more so to have Wayne (Rob had flown him in) waiting in the booth. It was the best surprise ever! Dinner was great and Rob got me my own fancy new Ipad- which I LOVE! We did Cheesecake Factory with Marty and Katrina (2 of my favorite people in the world) the following night (after Canyon's party)... hmmmm I wonder why I've gained some weight this last month.

I woke up Sunday morning to Rob and his "impulses" saying "Let's go to California!" To which I replied "Okay!" One short hour later the car was packed and we were on our way to surprise Joan (who was heading over seas a little sooner than we had expected) and the Janneys. Rob drove us out and flew back to Utah to work the next day. Crue was smitten with Otzi (Aunt Kelly's dog) from the second we arrived and proceeded to follow him around the house begging for the dog to "lick" him. It was pretty fun to watch. We took the boys to the park, to Disneyland and to the beach. It wasn't until the beach day that Canyon exclaimed "This is the BEST day ever!" He pleaded with me every day to stay in California and never return to Utah- and believe me I was tempted to oblige. We had so much fun in the land of the sun and sea- who would ever want to leave?! But alas, Rob flew out the following Sunday and we loaded up the car and headed back home, much to the dismay of our little rug rats. Interesting sidebar- on our way home as we were heading into St. George there was an electronic traffic sign that said "ROLL ALL WINDOWS UP. BEE SWARM 5 MILES AHEAD." Rob and I just looked at each other in confusion, but he checked all the windows anyhow and locked them so the boys couldn't accidentally roll them down. Sure enough, just 5 miles up the highway, a tractor trailer carrying several crates of bees had overturned and there was a swarm like I couldn't imagine. Rob took a picture as we drove by and a snapped a quick video. It was definitely a sight to be seen. A couple hours later I tried to look up the story on the news and there it was. Rob called and offered his photo and they were thrilled to get it- too funny. He instantly started referring to himself as a celebrity and his name and photo were featured in the article later that evening.

And here's the link if you're dying to see Rob's name in print- like I'm sure you are. http://stgeorge.fox13now.com/news/news/63596-angry-bees-complicating-clearing-semi-crash-near-st-george

Moving on... Halloween is later this evening- hooray! I have two little pirates that can't wait to hit the streets and demand candy from complete strangers. Canyon has chosen to be Jack Sparrow this year and without any ideas from mom Crue has chosen to be Captain Hook. We cannot wait to take them out tonight!

Potty training has begun again with a much better outcome. Crue took right to it once again, but this time he's remained interested -phew! He's done such an amazing job, with just the occasional accident that only seem to occur when Daddy's around... hmmmmm. He got his awesome potty-prize for doing so well his first week! It's a talking garbage truck named Stinky- it's pretty cute.

Though incredibly busy- it's been and incredibly fun month. I'm hoping for a brief lull come November 1st, but I'm certain it'll be short lived. I suppose I should begin preparing myself now!

Hmmmm.... What's new?

Well, we're on the countdown towards Canyon's 4th birthday... which means that everything we see in the store, on commercials, driving down the road becomes a "Birthday" request. Just today Canyon saw our rental car (from 3 months ago) driving down the road and said "Mom!! That's the car we drove in California! I want that car for my birthday! I don't want this car anymore." I reminded him that we had a very nice car and he needed to be grateful for it- he didn't have much of a response. And then we have Crue, who follows his brother's example explicitly. He'll get those little hands on something in the store and I'll tell him to put it back. Each time he responds with one of two questions "I kiss it?" after which he gives it a good smootch and then sets it down or "I get this for my birthday!" Too funny!! Aunt Kelly asked Can what he wanted for his birthday today and he responded "A dery dery dery dery dery dery big jet plane." Hmmm... what am I supposed to do with that? And why can't my little man pronounce his "V" sound?? I guess I should just appreciate the fact that he has recently begun to say his name correctly. It's no longer "Tanyon" hooray!!! It was always amusing to me which words he
could pronounce correctly and which words he couldn't.

Can-can, you are loving preschool! Apparently you have a little girl at school who is quite taken with you- not that I can blame her. Her name is Trillie and when I asked you about her you told me she wanted your phone number, but you told her "No, it's my phone number. You can't have it." You told me how you were playing on the pirate ship at recess and she "coupled" you. I wasn't quite sure what that meant and to be honest I was a little concerned. I had you show me what coupling was and you acted as though you were tying up your brother so I guess that's okay. Canyon!!!! You are a product of your father!!! You are awake and in my face EVERY SINGLE MORNING at around 6:30AM! Please stop!!! Maybe daddy loves to be up with the roosters, but mommy DOES NOT!!! You storm into my room, no regard for the fact that I may have just arrived home from work an hour before and beg me to get up! "It's a beautiful day!" you'll sometimes say as you fling open my curtains. You'll plead at my bedside for breakfast- typically you just ask for cereal. You cry real tears when I'm physically unable to hop out of bed. And though it sometimes breaks my heart- I don't think it will change the fact that I have NO desire to be up at 6:30. I do LOVE you though!!! Just a few nights ago I was kissing you goodnight. I gave you one big kiss followed by a slew of quick little pecks. Suddenly you stopped me, grabbed my face in your hands and said "Oh sweetheart, you're so kissy!" It was pretty much the funniest thing I had ever heard you say and it has now become our regular thing each night! I love it times a million!!

Crue, my sweet boy!!! You, on the other hand, sleep in but that in no way excuses the fact that you awaken multiple times a night! Aaarrrgg! Mommy really needs some uninterrupted sleep boys!! You wake up at least 2-3 times most nights and yell for mommy. You don't usually cry unless it's your legs that are hurting you. Speaking of your legs... we finally got you in to see an orthopedic surgeon about those cute little legs of yours. Yes, you are bow-legged- that was confirmed. No, it is not a problem and he believes they will hopefully straighten out over the next few years. You were so cooperative for your X-ray. You're coordination is definitely starting to improve, but I still think it's so cute how your little foot crosses over the opposite one. Your current "best fuzzy friend" is Papa Smurf. You call him Papa. You carry him everywhere, wrap him in your blanket and you have me tuck him in with you at night- I LOVE it!!! Speaking of your blanket... you let me take it away- Wahoo!!! Kinda. It was actually all Grandma's doing. I took you to the store and told you we were getting you a big boy blankie. You got to choose whatever fabric you wanted. You immediately found the Buzz Lightyear material, but quickly traded it in for a Cars print because it had "Fillmore" on it. Mommy put a little edge on it and gave it to you that first night and you didn't even ask for that stinky little football scrap of a blanket. The next day we were wandering a different store when you discovered a cute little froggy fleece. You said "The froggy is naked" and I decided I HAD to buy it and make you another blankie. The very next day we were at yet another store and sure enough you found a third blankie material you liked. I guess after that 2nd one you thought you'd get a new blankie everyday. Well, this one also had frogs on it and it was the exact same texture as your football blanket so of course I bought some of that too. I'm beginning to think I may have a problem! So far the naked frogs are the blankie of choice. Your nightly singing routine has expanded a little. We begin with the traditional Rock-a-bye Baby, then ABCs, followed by Beiber's Baby Baby. Now we've added Jai Ho and conclude with an exciting Thomas the Train piece. I wonder how long you'll request my nightly concerts?? You happened to find that swatch of football blankie today that mommy apparently didn't hide too well. I'll let you hold onto it for awhile as long as I don't catch you putting in your mouth- man did it get stinky!!

I guess that's about it for now. We had fun with grandma, Kelly, Bryce and Kels. Took multiple rides on the gondola. Went to the Penguin Encounter at the aquarium and had a blast sitting with the penguins at our feet. Ghost Writer was quite the trouble maker!! We got to visit the zoo during Zoorasic Park Days (you two weren't big fans of the animatronic dinos.) Daddy's currently on his annual Myrtle Beach trip and the boys and I are just hanging out.

They grow so fast... Too fast.

My big boy officially started preschool this week. Will someone please explain how Can-can became old enough to attend preschool?! We started off Tuesday morning by going to Daddy's office to say goodbye. When we got to the school he didn't even bat an eye! He stood patiently while I snapped a couple photos of him and then disappeared into the next 19+ years of his existence. 19 years... that's how long his school career is going to last, right? 1 year of preschool, 1 year of pre-K, 1 year of kindergarten, 12 years of grade school, 4 years of college. I'll bet once he sees the whole picture he'll regret not clinging to my leg and begging me not to leave him- then again, maybe he won't. His teacher's name is Miss Lisa and he's already telling me about his new friends. He mostly talks about "recess" but who could blame the kid? When he got back in the car later that day he said "Let's go to a restaurant for lunch." I let him choose and he chose the "Black Bear Diner" (not impressed) and Wes met us for his celebratory 1st day of preschool lunch. He seems so happy to have a change of scenery and it gives Crue and I time for just the two of us. I suppose it's a win-win for all involved.

Can also learned to ride his bike without training wheels this last week as well! That's right- 3 years old ... riding a two wheeler. Excuse me while I beam with pride! He's so adorable! Aside from swimming (which we're getting better at) everything you throw at the little guy he picks up with ease! It's amazing to watch. Uncle Wes, Daddy and I each took turns running behind him and in just a couple days he had it down! Amazing! Now he's even more of a maniac! He turns in circles, goes up and down curbs, flies over the speed bumps (a.k.a. "Bumpy Bumpies" as they're referred to in our house) and starts and stops with ease. He still gets a little ahead of himself and falls every now and then, but for the most part he's stellar! We had Subway the other day for lunch out on the front porch and then I let the boys ride their bikes for a bit. Well, Can got a little squirly for a second and took a fall and the first thing he said through his tears was "I'm never eating Subway again!" That's right Canyon... blame it on the Subway! I'll hear him yell "Bike rider Canyon coming through!" It's too funny!

Potty Training 101- Please don't try this at home! My actions are not to be emulated!

And so it begins again... Potty Training... sigh. Let me preface this by saying that this blog will be of little interest to those who read it besides me, so feel free to skip it.

So our little munchkin turned 2 at the end of April. I've sat him on the potty a handful of times with no real interest shown on his part, not even the slightest tinkle. I had all but thrown in the towel on the idea of getting him potty trained early when randomly he showed a little spark. It all started with Crue insisting on wearing Canyon's big boy undies- I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this already. Anyhow, we were at Target this last week and as we strolled past the underwear something caught Crue's eye. Toy Story undies- *insert gasp of excitement here* and we had to stop and choose a pack. He chose a pack of Diego underwear as well, but the level of enthusiasm wasn't quite the same- so we can exclude the gasp this time. Then we wandered over to the candy aisle where I let him choose a potty treat. Smarties were the drug
of choice; no doubt following in Auntie Kelly's footsteps with that one. Throughout the rest of our shopping experience he wouldn't let go of those darn underwear. He carried them through the store, cried when I had to briefly hand them to the lady checking us out and insisted on holding them all the way home... there was something special about these undies. When we got home he had snuck a couple pairs out of the pack- to which I responded by telling him that he could only hold them if he went potty like a big boy. Within half a minute that little boy was up the stairs pulling his potty chair out to the kitchen. He stripped himself down to just a t-shirt in another 30 seconds and was on the potty before I could bring the groceries in. That adorable little man sat there for at least 5 minutes (which is a long time in Crue's world) clinging to those tiny underwear and his bag of smarties. All of a sudden he stood up, announced that he had "pee-peed" and beckoned us all over to see. There was just a little bit in the potty, but we threw quite the potty-party regardless. I told him that if he went "poo-poo" I'd get him a new garbage truck (which is with more than diamonds in his world)!! Crue asked "From the store?!" and I kid you not within 2 minutes there was a little nugget in that potty! AFter that we threw We through a huge hoop-la of a potty-party, put his big boy underwear on him (he insisted on wearing the "Rex" ones) and went on with our evening. Of course 2 minutes later I found him in a puddle on the kitchen floor... stinkin' accidents!! I then decided to use guilt as a tactic... bad mommy! I told him that Rex was sad he got pee-pee on him and he had to tell mommy if he needed to go potty. Crue was sad too that he had to give up his prized "Rex" undies so quickly. Well, wouldn't you know, the guilt worked! While he was eating dinner he hopped down from his chair and said he had to go potty... shortly thereafter we had a large puddle in that little potty which was quickly followed by an impressive #2! Holy cow- had my baby potty trained himself?! I was ecstatic!! I put Crue's undies back on him and our conversation went as follows (and goes this way each time I put underwear on him).
Me: "Tell Mommy if you have to go potty. You don't want to pee-pee in your underwear."
Crue: "Rex will be sad?"
Me: "Yes, Rex will be sad if you get pee-pee on him."
Crue: "I kiss him?"
Me: "Sure bug."
And then he proceeds to kiss his underwear... every time... same routine. We had two great days with the potty. He even wanted to go on the big potty a couple times and was successful within seconds. Well... I guess I counted my chicks before they hatched because the second I told myself that this was going to be a piece of cake- he decided going potty wasn't all that great and his underwear were over-rated. Serves me right for being so darn optimistic. So I haven't tried much this week, but we'll be back on the saddle in a week or so- I promise.

Wee-ooo! Wee-ooo! Wee-ooo! Here comes the meat wagon (name that movie) or should I say "fire department!?"
Last week at 3AM we were rudely awakened by the blaring of our smoke detectors. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" they screamed. Seriously?! Rob, of course, wakes in a panic (I was surprised he didn't immediately reach for the kitchen knife he sometimes hides under his bedside table) and starts stumbling aimlessly around the room. I hop out of bed, 100% oriented and walk to the hall where I smell for smoke and then proceed to the boys' room. The alarm is still screeching and the little guys are both hysterical. We each grab a baby and head for the stairs, when all of a sudden it stops. What now? We decided it was probably some strange false alarm and put the boys back in bed. I stayed to console them while Rob went to call the non-emergency #. He wanted to be sure we shouldn't evacuate for fear that we might not wake in the morning if there was some sort of carbon monoxide leak. Good thinking in that stupor of his! The fire department suggested we evacuate anyhow and sent a truck to the house to investigate. We got the boys up again and loaded them into the car where we watched Backyardigans while we waited for the firemen to sweep the house with their fancy CO detectors... of course there was nothing. But Crue and Rob got to sit in the firetruck which seemed to make it all worth it, for Rob that is. Poor Cruiser didn't fare too well after our run in with the alarm. He was suddenly terrified of all the smoke detectors on the ceiling and immediately started having nightmares. At nap the next day I had to tape paper around the detector in his room so he could sleep. Poor baby would just lay wide eyed in his bed staring at the blinking green light saying "It scare me, it scare me." Dad would hold him up to the different detectors in the house and let him touch them, but it wasn't helping. I quickly invested in a fancy nightlight and that has seemed to do the trick:) Phew!! He's still asking about the detectors, but he's not near as scared as he was.

Not too much else is going on in our world. Canyon has become a maniac on his bike. He has started putting a broomstick across his path and jumps his bike over it- training wheels and all. He rides way too fast and stresses Rob and I out! He was going too fast the other night and ran head on into the side of a car- fortunately the car wasn't damaged and I wouldn't have been too disappointed if Canyon had been a little damaged, but he was fine too. Both boys are now obsessed with "bam-baids" as Crue calls them and each wears a new one daily with pride. It's so fun having these little boys around!!

The 4-Wheeling Trip... dun dun duuunnnnn!

So this last weekend was the 4th of July- hooray! Uncle John, Aunt Kell, Brycen and Kels were all here in town- double hooray!! Rob decided to plan a fun weekend away for the group of us up at Daniel's Summit where we snowmobile sometimes in the winter. We rented adjoining cabins and Rob brought 4-wheelers for each of us. We took off on the 4-wheelers just before 2PM, each with a little munchkin in our lap. Rob has snowmobiled there multiple times and assured us he knew the lay of the land... and here's where it gets fun! Aunt Kelly's rig broke down about 100 meters into the trek-boo! Don't worry- all was not lost! We rolled it back down hill and had it towed back up to the cabin. We figured out that it was the starter and it would need to be started by hand should it stall again and we were back on our way- hooray! We got about 3 miles into the trail when we came upon an awesome shallow little river to cross. We spent the next 15 minutes splashing through it and taking photos. The boys had an absolute blast! Crue couldn't get enough- so fun!!! We hopped back on the trail and continued on for another hour and a half. Crue eventually fell asleep in my arms and never seemed to mind the bumpy terrain. I guess he was really tired- poor little guy. Randomly the sky darkened and we found ourselves in this yucky little rainstorm. Aunt Kell thought maybe it was a good time to head back, but nooooo- Rob said the trail looped around to the lodge and we should continue... and so we did. Not much further up the trail we ran into snow on the trail- 4 feet of it! Kell was the guinea pig and took her 4-wheeler up first. After some minor maneuvering she paved a decent enough trail that we could all follow. The little guys played in the snow while they waited for us to get the rest of the quads up the hill... and then we proceeded on our way again. At this point we're probably coming up on 4 hours. "Fun" is definitely starting to fade at this point:) Though we remained on a trail it started to become more and more treacherous. The late spring snow and water had dug ruts so deep that we had to take the kids off the quads multiple times to safely make it through. With no real "home" in site we continued to follow the leader in the rather futile hope that he actually knew where he was going. At about 5 hours we found that we no longer had a trail to follow- uh oh. What now? We can't go back the way we came- for one, the thought of backtracking over that scary terrain made Kell and I want to curl up in the fetal position and cry... and secondly there would be no possible way of making it back before darkness enveloped the lot of us. At this point I'm getting concerned and mad and sad and tired and whatever else adjective you can come up with to describe this situation. Rob still believes he can get us home, we're calling the lodge wherever we can get reception to try and get directions, Crue has fallen asleep again and things are feeling a little bleak. Eventually we opted to pave our own way through the brush- bumpy, but I felt like we were actually getting somewhere... or maybe not:) While we were heading it the right general direction- that lodge seemed like it would never appear over the next hill... and I was right... it never did. After over 6 hours on the 4-wheelers, with Crueser crying for the last hour of it we all decided to head straight for the now visible highway and find someone to rescue us. We all kinda breathed a sigh a relief once we were next to the passing motorists. Phew! It was over! Or was it? To add insult to injury we became a scrumptious dinner to the millions of mosquitoes that decided to congregate at the exact location we exited the field. Really?! You've got to e kidding me! We made the boys dance and run around like wild animals while we not-so-patiently waited for our hero to come from the lodge to pick us up. The munchkins loved the dancing and didn't seem the least bit alarmed that they were quite possibly being eaten alive. "Lance," I believe his name was, came storming in like a knight in shining armor- scooped us all up in his shiny van and delivered our bitten, mud splattered, sore bodies to the lodge just 3 miles up the road. A cabin never looked so good! We had a truly fantastic dinner (or maybe we were just so thankful to see food), jumped in the swimming pool to clean off, took baths and spent the last little bit of the evening in John and Kell's cabin before all passing out in our beds. Just a couple hours into our slumber poor Crue woke up with his terrible growing pains for which there seemed no remedy. After over 30 minutes of crying Rob took him in the car to Heber (30 minutes up the road) got him some medicine and brought him back sound asleep. Everyone slept the remainder of the night away- phew! We woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, had an awesome breakfast, packed up and headed out on the 4-wheelers again! "What?!" you may be asking yourselves. Yep, we did it again. This time however, Kelly and I called the shots. After Rob tried to get us to try a "new" trail that was clearly marked "No ATVs or Off-road Vehicles" to which we all scoffed- we headed back to the original trail. We took the quads back to the little river and played in it for about an hour- which we ALL seemed to love. We tried a small trip up another trail and turned around when we thought we had gone far enough- look at us learning our lesson:) We headed back to the lodge- had another yummy meal and took the 4-wheelers out for one more quick jaunt and then called it a day.
While 6+ hours on a 4-wheeler was miserable at times and my left hand has yet to regain its strength and sensation- I am so grateful that I have a husband who comes up with these fun things to do, because heaven knows I'm not creative enough to put these things in motion. Thanks Rob!

To finish the 4th we headed home, set off loads of fireworks with the neighbors (this is the first year aerial fireworks are legal- woo-hoo!) and Rob drove loads of us up to the top of the hill on the golf cart to watch the fireworks across the valley. It really turned out to be a great 4th!

Canyon- you were AMAZING the entire day on the 4-wheeler! You never complained- not once! You are our little mountain man! You're getting better and better at swimming. This week you jumped in and swam at least 5-6 strokes to Lindsay and of course I found myself tearing up at the sight. We're so proud of you! You're turning into the quite the little fish! Now that you've realized that you love to be under water with your "gobbles" on (I refuse to correct you- I think it's so cute) it's near impossible to get you out, let alone get you to listen to Lindsay. We're so excited that you've finally developed a love of the water. That scared little boy is now a thing of the past!! Though it's not something or should I say someone you talk about anymore- I forgot to tell you about your imaginary friend- and I think he deserves an honorable mention. Randomly for about a week or so you started talking about your little friend. When we asked you what his name was you replied "Forrester Wong" very matter of factly. How did you even come up with such a name? Apparently he reads the newspaper and sits behind one of our leather chairs. Okay kiddo. Whatever you say. You're too funny! You have a new song you learned at preschool and I love it times a million!! "I have a little turtle. His name is Tiny Tim. I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim. He drank up all the water. He ate up all the soap. And now he's stuck in bed with a bubble in his throat. Bubble-bubble-bubble. Bubble-bubble-bubble. Bubble-bubble-bubble... and POP!" So adorable!!

Crue-cumber! You couldn't get enough of the water on the 4-wheelers! I couldn't even get all the way across without you saying "one more time mommy!" You giggled and squealed the whole time we were there and it was by far the highlight of the trip!! Moving on... have I already mentioned how particular you are about your clothes?! Aaahhhh! It's making me crazy! Not only do you change your clothes multiple times a day, but you have a handful of apparently "very precious" t-shirts that you refuse to wear anything else but! Heaven forbid I try and offer you something other than the "chosen ones." You have your "dinosaur" shirt... it's size 12-18 months! May I remind you that you are now 26 months and while you're definitely smaller than your brother was at this age you're not that small. It's currently a belly shirt, but it's your absolute favorite so I'm considering cutting out the dinosaur part and sewing it onto a larger t-shirt- I'm not sure whether or not you'll go for it. You also have your "Pablo" shirt -ya know, the adorable penguin from The Backyardigans. It used to be one of my favorites, but then Uncle Wes let you have markers while you were wearing it and I have never been able to get the little stains out so now when you wear it you just look a little scroungy;) Then there's your "California" shirt(s) which I somehow convinced you came from Aunt Kelly's which makes them cool in your eyes and so you'll wear them. I recently introduced a Mickey Mouse shirt into the mix which you immediately took too and boy was I grateful to have another option! How do I get you to grow out of this?! You have recently become a fan of big boy undies and while you seem to have no desire to use the potty you love wearing undies over your diaper! The picture must be facing forward so you can look at it which leaves you wearing your underwear backwards over your diaper. Could you be any sillier?! You have also discovered a love of band aids. You usually ask for them to cover an owie, but lately it seems like you're using them more and more for decoration. How have I let things get this way?! Our nightly singing routine has evolved over the last week. It used to be that you wanted me to sing Rock-a-bye-baby followed by the ABC's. Now it's "Rock-a-baby" as you call it, then ABC's, Justin Beiber's "Baby-Baby," and we finish things off with "Jai Ho." It's quite the nightly concert we hold, but I'd be happy to do it 'til you're both in high school if you'd let me:)

Could it be??

My house has stayed remarkably clean this last week. Wes is away in California working as an EFY counselor... coincidence?? I think not! Comical to most- I'm sure, but I seriously smile inside every time I walk past the boys' bathroom, which Uncle Wes has been using and see that it remains sparkling clean! Rob had actually considered calling a maid service to clean up Wesley's room and bathroom when he left, but I took care of it. I've literally kept those doors closed for the last few months while he's lived here for fear that the filth would somehow trickle out into the rest of the home! He's not even that messy, but Rob has programmed me in such a way that any mess is a big mess and must be remedied! Now the doors are both wide open and there is once again light at the end of the hall... literally. Needless to say... we all miss Wes terribly and the boys are already counting down the days 'til he comes home (in August.)

Canny Can- you started swim lessons last week! I'm not sure why, but you did NOT love the water and we thought the only way to fix this travesty was to enroll you in one on one lessons. Uncle Wes and I took you to the pool the Saturday before you started lessons and you screamed like a banshee when I tried to get you into the water. I was so nervous about your first day of lessons- I thought for sure you'd freak out like you did for me, which was quite surprising considering how much you LOVE anything outdoors and everything sports related. Lindsay is your instructor and boy do you LOVE her! You ask about her every day. You even brought her a granola bar last week for snack:) How relieved was I when you stepped right in and followed every single one of Lindsay's directions... all except the going under water one;) I actually found myself fighting back tears as you blew bubbles and put your little ears under water. We've started our second week of lessons and while I had had these visions of you dog paddling around the pool by this point... you won't even put your head under water completely, let alone attempt a single swim stroke with out both your little feet planted firmly on the bottom of the pool. Two days ago you asked to go down the water slide- Lindsay agreed, but when we got you to the top you panicked! You refused to go and your bully of a mommy scooped you up and pushed you right down that slide into the open arms of Lindsay. You cried for about 11 seconds and then realized that it was fun! I was so proud of you! Last week Lindsay tried to get you to jump to her from the diving board, but when you got there you would have NOTHING to do with it! Today however... you asked to try it again and you walked right out on that board and jumped! Can- it was awesome!!! You did it twice you liked it so much!! You also started summer camp at your preschool this week. The theme was "Pirate Camp" and today you ran out to the car with your little pirate hat and pirate hook shouting "I'm the terror of the seven seas!" Adorable!! You never cease to entertain me!! You do this thing lately where you hold your little hand out to shake and say "Friends?" Mommy always responds by shaking your hand and saying "Best friends forever," which you repeat right back- I love it!! You and Daddy also have your own special handshake- it's pretty simple- you touch thumbs and shout "Boo-ya!" That's it! Daddy LOVES it! We took you fishing this last weekend and you are incredible with a fishing pole! Daddy put that thing in your hand and you reeled that hook in as fast as daddy could cast it!

Crue-ser. You're officially a two year old! Tantrums! That's it- one word says it all! You have turned into quite the feisty little thing! If you want/need something you don't ask... you demand! And heaven forbid mommy gets mad at you for anything. You tossed your lunch on the floor this week because I didn't give you the right colored plate and mommy said "No! No!" Oh my word- meltdown of massive proportions! You cannot handle being disciplined. It's really quite cute, but it's definitely not okay. Aside from those occasional times when you're yelling or trying to smack me:) you're the sweetest thing ever! You run to my rescue every time mommy utters the word "owie." You're always the first to say sorry when I stub my toe or trip over a toy and you're always the first in line to kiss whatever part of me hurts. You've actually been doing quite a lot of kissing lately. If you want something at home and I won't give it to you- you'll reply "need kiss it" and once I let you kiss whatever "it" is you go right on your merry way. You love your baby doll... a little too much for daddy's taste;) You tuck everything in bed with you. Whatever you've brought up for that evening MUST be tucked in right next to you! Lately it's some gigantic book and we have to sneak in to retrieve it once you've dozed off. Occasionally you wake up while I'm trying to slide it out from under you and demand I put it back- pretty funny. You get these terrible growing pains at night. Once or twice a month you'll cry out in the night and we have to climb in bed with you and massage your feet/legs until you're able to get back to sleep. Usually I have to give you Tylenol and stay with you for 30+ minutes until it kicks in- it's heartbreaking! You're still pretty bowlegged... but not near as bad as you used to be! Your left leg used to be so turned in that you would trip yourself with it if you started moving too quickly. Don't worry- it's getting better:) Supposedly it forces you to have better balance in the long-run and makes you more coordinated when it comes to sports... I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I just hope your growing pains go away!! I would love to start potty training with you, but don't know if I have the patience for it just yet... we'll see. Maybe by the next post we will have made some progress!

Where has the time gone?

Once upon a time I started a blog in the futile hopes of it becoming a journal for my little boy. You know- a make shift chronicle of all the little things he does that only his mommy would find interesting. I even commented on the fact that I hoped it wouldn't turn out like my attempts at sewing, scrap booking or cooking... low and behold it was even more short lived than those- and that's saying something. As I read back my "single" entry I remembered all the insignificant things I wrote about and both laughed and felt a little sad that I hadn't kept up like I had wanted too. While the text, I'm sure if read by outsiders would seem kinda silly, it was so sweet to me. I loved remembering my baby like that.
Now, two and a half years and an extra little boy later- I'm going to try again. I'll have to come up with some sort of system. Maybe I can set an alarm to remind me to blog. Maybe I'll just have the drive to do it on my own... probably not- alarm it is! What's a reasonable frequency to commit to? For someone like me... is weekly a little too ambitious? Yep, though I do wish I had that much tenacity. How 'bout trying for monthly just to start- I think that sounds realistic. Monthly it is! Now, let's hurry and get

June out of the way before I give up again.

Our household has become a little busier this year. Actually, it seems to be a lot busier. With Rob's new business, Uncle Wesley living with us since the New Year- fun fun, but I'm sick of cleaning up a 4th little boy's mess in the bathroom, a very busy 3 year old and a very attached 2 year old- you could say my days have become a little more... "lively" than I had previously hoped for. Yes, lively is a good way of putting it. I mop at least twice a week, which you'd think would be plenty, but noooooo- not even close. And while I have always been clean- being married to an OCD personality has made me a little ca-razy! I can't stand going to bed with dishes in the sink, toys on the floor or anything out of place. I swear, the crumbs would find their way onto the floor if the home was empty for a week- I'm sure of it! Where do they all come from? Would it be weird to place a drop cloth under my boys (Uncle Wes most of all) while their eating? I'm seriously considering it!! Wes isn't even allowed to use glass cups in our house for fear he'll drop one... again.

Canyon! Oh Canyon! My little man! You're just barely 3 and a half and not a day goes by where you don't send me to my knees laughing at some of the things that pop out of your mouth. When you've decided you've had enough of something, like veggies, or milk or water or whatever happens to be in front of you- you'll tell me "Mommy, I think I've had enough "salad" for one day." Or if you want some sort of treat mommy won't give you you'll say "Mommy, Dr. Hurley (your pediatrician) says it's okay to have 1 marshmallow today." I think Uncle Wesley heard you say the "d" word a couple months ago (thanks Daddy) and when he asked you what you said you wouldn't tell him, so he convinced you that you had said "crammit" which has now become our swear word of choice. It's so cute when something makes you mad and you say "Crammit!" Though I'm sure it's in poor taste to encourage you to say anything resembling a bad word- I just love it! Just a few months ago when you'd get mad about something you'd get a little scowl on your face, cross your arms tightly across your chest and grumble "I'm mad!" you did that for about a year and then it just suddenly stopped:( I miss it! You occasionally do your whole Buzz Lightyear angry speech, which I still crack up at. You'll yell something about "spaceman... eyeballs... sockets!" I LOVE it!! You ask pretty much every person you see in public what their name is and when they respond by asking you what your name is you state "I'm Tanyon Corcoran." Why you can you pronounce the "C" in your last name clear as day, but not in your first name is beyond me. We're working on it, but I'm in no hurry to correct you. You're so smart! If you see a car with the same make/model as a car of ours you tell us! You can point out pretty much everyone's car you know when we're out and about. Mommy can't even do that half the time! And your "bi-jraff" blanket! It's our favorite word of yours! I hope you always call it your "bi-jraff" blanket!!

Crue-cumber! My sweet little baby. Lately, everything is "Why not?" and "Ohhh" and "Golf cart" and "I go daddy's office" and "Wipe my nose" and "Wipe my hands" (Canyon didn't like to be dirty either, but you're taking things to a WHOLE new level) and "Hold me." Every word out of your mouth is adorable. You can't help it- you're just so cute! You cannot live without your football blanket! At one point mommy had two of them, but while we were shopping at Christmas time we lost one- tragic! -And I'm not being the least bit sarcastic! What was I going to do without a spare in case of emergencies?! I searched far and wide! Every fabric store, online, called the mall multiple times to see if it had been recovered... everything! The fabric was no longer available and so... we cut up the one we had. First in two- you were NOT happy with me, but you survived. Then we cut those pieces in half too- at this point you had gotten used to disappointment in your life and didn't even shed a tear- how sad that I broke you so early;) Now we've lost one of the four and have three scraps of football fuzzy fleece floating around the house. If I can't find one- all I need to do is look in your green garbage truck where you usually stash it. Thank goodness you're consistent!! The multiple pieces seem to be working out well and I'm not looking forward to taking the blanket away all together in the future. I wonder if there is some sort of 12 step program for doing that... hmmm. To the internet!! You change your clothes 3-5 times a day- it was adorable the first couple days, now it's just maddening. It would be one thing if you just liked to change things up once in a while, but you insist on pulling everything out of drawers and off hangers when you really only like wearing the same stuff over and over and over. You LOVE your Pablo shirt, you're obsessed with your Dinosaur shirt (which is way TOO small) and you love wearing your airplane hoodie. The other night you were throwing a tantrum (the 2's have definitely kicked in) and when I told you your hoodie was in the wash you marched right upstairs and screamed in the laundry room until I came in, took the wet thing out of the washer and put it on you. You wore it without complaint for probably 20 minutes or so and then decided to move on to your dinosaur shirt. A couple months ago while we were Aunt Kelly's- Otzi nipped at you and now every time you see a doggie you ask "Bite me?" and when I tell you "No sweetie, it won't bite you" you respond "Lick me?" to which I just say "Yes." That quick little exchange between you and I has not transitioned to every time you put on your dinosaur shirt on:) You'll look down at the little T-Rex and ask "Mommy, bite me?" and it goes on--- ADORABLE! Your current favorite is having mommy or daddy sing Rock-a-bye-baby- or in your words "Rockababy." We usually have to sing it over and over and you LOVE being held like a baby. After we're done you request ABC's and then you're content. It's so fun having a 2 year old. You say the cutest things and are the sweetest little man! You sit on mommy's lap and pretend to pick the "bumpies" off my neck and throw them- is that your way of telling me I should probably go see a dermatologist?? You're probably right:)

We love you both so much and know that we are the luckiest Mommy and Daddy to have you two! Help mommy remember to blog again next month! Can-can, you never forget anything so I'm holding you responsible;)