Life Within the Cuckoo's Nest: LaFeber Life Lately

I Love Love Love my family!!! They are my whole world!

A little blurb about how we've been spending our days:

1) It has been getting chilly around here lately (30-50 degrees!) and we are quickly realizing what wimps we have become since we moved to Nevada! Josh actually got in his car and drove down to the mailbox because it was "too cold!" Wimp.....

2) Sleeping has been a nightmare, if it happens at all. I swear both kids know the days when we both have to work and get super clingy and cry all night! Especially Austin.... He's driving us crazy! I'm seriously being pushed to the point of taking a parenting class so I don't murder him in my crazy, sleep deprived state! Or maybe I'll murder Josh for telling me I can sleep on my days off..... I swear, men can be so idiotic! Either way, I need some serious help!

3) We have been trying hard to make time for Family Home Evening every Monday night. It usually consists of reading an article out of the Ensign and singing silly primary songs. But this last week, we opened the new nativity set we bought and used it to teach Austin about the story of Jesus's birth. It was perfect! Not only did he have fun playing with the figurines, but he also learned something new and got a little dose of religion! Brownie points for Mom and Dad!

4) Austin got his hair cut (sheer dread added here) and he didn't even cry! What?!!!! That's right! I promised him I would give him 2 suckers if he let me cut his hair without crying and he did great! It was a miracle!

5) Austin loves looking at our family pictures on my phone and all the little home videos we take. It's so cute watching him! He gets so into it and laughs at himself and all the crazy shenanigans he sees himself doing! :)

6) I've been talking to one of our Nurse Practitioners at work and am getting the itching to go back to school and become a NP myself! It would only be 18 months of schooling if I did the full time program at UNLV but I have been worried about how that would affect my family with me gone all the time and totally stressed out when I am actually home. So I have decided to do the part time program. I think about it constantly since it is such a big decision and I feel strongly that this is something I need to do. Josh totally supports the situation, and my Mom does not. She told me I am crazy and did everything she could to crush my dream. But what's new? Luckily I have always thrived on people telling me I can't do something. It becomes a challenge.... and I have 100% faith in God that he will help me succeed! I want my kids to be a little older before I start so I am thinking I will apply next December for the following fall semester and by the time I graduate with my Master's Degree my kids will be in school (well, almost. I think Eve will be in preschool). It's perfect!!

7) Every Wednesday I take Austin and the baby to a Toddlers in the Kitchen cooking class. We have so much fun! Austin is usually super shy and just does his own thing but yesterday I saw some serious progress! He was interacting during singing/circle time, he actually talked back to the teacher when she spoke to him instead of hiding behind my leg, and he sat there and explained his entire picture he drew to us as he was drawing it! We were all pretty impressed :).

8) Drum Roll PLEASE!!!! Yesterday I tried on a pair of size 4 jeans and THEY FIT!!! That's right! No sucking in, no squeezing myself in and trying to find a baggy shirt to cover the muffin top. They actually fit! This was sooooo exciting and was a moment I thought I would never have again! There is a God!

And here are a few little Austin'isms for your enjoyment:

1) When Austin hurt his baby sister and she started to cry, I got mad and told him to say sorry to her. He responded with, "No, I won't!" So I repeated myself, and then he told me, "No Mom, I'm not sorry!" Oh the joy of toddlers.......

2) At the dinner table the other day, Austin said the prayer over the food. This is always a hoot because he thanks God for everything in sight in his cute little voice and you can't help but smile. This time he said, "Thank you for Daddy, Evie, and Mommy's head...." Mommy's head?! hahahaha I guess the kid has a point! What would we do without Mommy's crazy overloaded head? ;)

Austin kept taking all the candy canes off the tree and dividing them up with Evie who then of course started shoving them in her mouth :).

Austin wanted to put the angel on top of the tree and when I told him he was too little a big tantrum ensued... so the little stinker got what he wanted after all. I'm actually glad though because it was a really sweet experience that I wouldn't have gotten with him otherwise.