Football Weekend

Notre Dame played Stanford this weekend, so Friday night we drove into San Francisco for a good ol' ND pep rally. The demographics were a little different at this rally than the ones on ND campus...a little more aged and wealthy, let's say. Trenton wandered around charming the crowd in the Hyatt Hotel room where it was held. People gave him green necklaces and let him try on huge leprechaun hats. One lady even let Trenton take her walker for a spin! (His dream come true.)

Notre Dame might not have pulled off a win Saturday, but at least BYU did! Yay for a happy husband.

So Much to Be Thankful For

We were lucky that some of our favorite people, the Fjelsteds, could join us for Thanksgiving this year. Amber is one of my dearest friends, and I'm sad to say they are moving to Arizona next week...But at least that's a place I'm happy to visit! When we first got married I started praying for friends, and I know we've been blessed to make so many close friends through our four years of marriage, from Utah to Indiana to California. (I'm also thankful for blogs for keeping us in touch!)

We can barely keep Trenton from the top of the table these days. I've taken to keeping the dining room chairs laying on the floor to keep him from climbing right up. (I'm giving myself a few weeks before I tackle trying to teach him that he can't climb on the table...) But Thanksgiving Day, the kid got lucky. Not only was he atop the table, he had free access to ice cream!


The spread. Minus the pumpkin cheesecake, homemade whip cream, and fabulous blueberry tart. For my first time baking a whole turkey on my own, my mom would have been proud!

I realized this year that I've transitioned from being the carefree kid / teenager on Thanksgiving Day, playing volleyball and four-square in the backyard, to being the mom—cooking, cooking, cooking the day away and then cleaning, cleaning, cleaning it all up! But I'm happy with the change and grateful that I'll get to provide the same kind of Thanksgiving memories for my children that my mother provided for me.

And with that said, it's time to get back to my Christmas decorating!!!

Uhhh....

This post is ironic after the last one: Pure Joy.

Today, Trenton was pure terror! Here's a little recap:

1. While walking the Chrystal Springs Reservoir trail with my friend Misty, Trenton decided he had HAD IT with the stroller. We had to carry or let him walk (okay, wander) for 3/4 of a mile. And he wasn't even all that happy about it.
   
2. The park. I had to change a stinky diaper in the back of the car. (Thankfully, this is a rare occurrence when we're away from home.) Picture this: Pregnant mommy, flailing child who is doing everything he can to get himself and his bare, poopy buns OUT of that car. (TMI? Sorry!)
3. After a 10-minute trip to Target, he whipped out the screaming and the arched back when I tried to put him in his carseat. Such a convenient time to get the worst charlie horse in my foot.
4. After that battle of a morning, we decided it best to stay home this afternoon. However, Trenton decided it best to wander around the house with his blankie and pacifier—yelling for no good reason at any opportunity.
   
5. I made it until—get this—5:45 before I put him down for the night. He had no problems with this, but I know it means we'll be getting an early start tomorrow. Oh joy!

Sorry to vent, but I actually feel a lot better after getting this off my chest. I'm praying that Trenton is currently cutting like 5 molars at once, which would explain his crazy moods for the last three days. I'll be so sad if the terrible two's have just hit us early. (He seems too little to be throwing tantrums!)

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully I'm going to wake up armed with loads of patience and endless distraction techniques for the T-Monster! Wish me luck!

Pure Joy

Trenton whipped out all his best evasion techniques on Friday when I tried to get him to leave all the fun at the Kings' house. Apparently, our house is WAY more boring!

Who can blame him, though? Check out that face!

Thanks, Kristina, for allowing me to go to my doctor's appointment child-free!

Motherese

Gotta love those moments when someone catches you speaking motherese to your child. I'll be putting Trenton in the car, saying something in a singsong voice like, "Oh, you are so handsome!" or "I'm going to give you kisses and cuddles and loves all day long!" when along comes some random neighbor.

Oh well, at least I know toddler-Trenton has a healthy self-concept! ...Albeit occasionally at the sacrifice of his mother's dignity!


BTW, I'm not talking about baby talk (like dropping out parts of speech just to sound cute); I'm talking about motherese, which actually helps in a child's language development.

What a Great Place to Live

I have a renewed love—California in the winter! This is Trenton this morning on the Bay Trail, where we walked for an hour. To his delight, we saw lots of doggies and birdies. (It's so cute to see him point and make his animal sound, "De de de!")

Up, Up and Away!

Trenton has a new love—climbing. In things, out of things, on top of things...It never stops! When he mastered climbing onto the couch, he was entertained for two straight days! Today he discovered how to heft himself up onto a dining room chair. (I'm not so excited about that one. Chairs aren't as soft as sofas.)

Here's a typical week in the Nielsen home.





Go Trenton go!

A Man?

Today Trenton stuck his hand in a bucket of wet cement. The general contractor said Trenton is now a man. Guess it's official.

Don't worry, the cement did not dry on his hand. :)

All Hallow's Eve

You knew this was coming, didn't you? The Halloween post!

Is Trenton not the cutest Phoenix Suns player you've ever seen? My sister gave me the jersey—to remind me of my AZ roots, I'm sure—and it was perfect! (I figure we've got a good 10 years ahead of us to stress about our children's outfits. So I'm all about keeping it easy while he can't actually remember it. :)
Our friends hosted a really fun party for several young families in the ward. We trick-or-treated this amazing street nearby where all the homes get DECKED out for Halloween. It was packed and a little nutty but really fun. I was shocked at how well our 14-month-old got the hang of trick-or-treating. He charged up every walkway like he owned the place. (Even if he was a little hesitant when it came to actually taking the candy being offered to him.)

We walked far enough that I was a little tired by the end. Trenton, on the other hand, barely got held at all and yet never seemed to slow down. That's our boy!