California, Here We Come

Mom: Scarlet, come on back in the house so we can go potty.

Scarlet: No mom, I don't have to go potty.

Mom: Come on! It's roadtrip time! You have to go potty before a roadtrip. It's the rules!

Scarlet: No mom, this is MY trip! It is my trip, right mom? Or is this brother's trip?

Get it? Rhode trip?

We took off for a few days in California right after the birthday weekend. Jon and I donated our day of service and scored two free passes to Disneyland. We had a very interesting service opportunity, it was a bit more publicity stunt than actually, you know, helping people. But three hours for two Disney tickets and two ugly but free t-shirts, who's complaining?!

Since Scarlet didn't officially turn three until Wednesday, we took advantage of her still-two-year-old status and planned to hit the park on Tuesday, when our whole family could get in free. So, on Monday, we spent some time with Jon's sister Krista and hit the beach.

But first, we met this lovely creature.

My kids are way tougher than I give them credit.

We had a beautiful walk down the beach. My kids were in heaven.

Rhode was torn between his need to show me the water and the birds. "Wa wa!" "Bud!" "Wa wa!" "Bud!" The excitement threatened to overwhelmed him.

After a good night's sleep we headed to the park to start our fun packed day. Did anyone else know the park opens early for the people staying at their hotels and not for the rest of us poor saps? You did? Well, you could have told us. Our Disneyland day started with a lovely 45 minute wait outside the front gates. There is nothing our two children love more than waiting.

I couldn't help but imagine our wait outside the front gate was a sign of bad things to come. We were soon going to be asking our children to wait in line after line for some promised form of entertainment.

To all you people who stayed home from Disneyland that day, keeping the lines anywhere from manageable to non-existent, I owe you. Big time.

We started the day on the carousel. It became the most requested ride of the day. Nothing better than coming all the way to Disneyland to have your kids begging for the ride you can go to at home just down the street.

After the carousel, we made the HUGE mistake of going on Mr. Toads Wild Ride. I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn't remember why. It occurred to me about halfway through when we crashed into a train, died, and traveled to the hot and devil-filled place that maybe this wasn't the best ride for small children.

Scarlet held a brave face for the ride but afterwards was wary about all "cave" rides. Rhode was stuck under the safety bar on Jon's lap so he got a front row seat to all of the terror. He didn't take it well.

But a trip on Dumbo and teacups lightened the mood considerably.

Scarlet talked nonstop about meeting her favorite Disney characters, until she actually got the opportunity. I was so excited that Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto were at the entrance as we walked in.

No, there will not be any adorable child with character pictures to follow. She assigned herself a personal restraining order and could not venture within 20 feet of any character. No amount of persuasion made any difference. Even later, as we walked past the unmasked Alice in Wonderland, Scarlet still maintained a strict distance.

I didn't realize the severity of the situation until we attempted a trip to Toon Town. Mickey's house was line free so we assumed he wasn't home. We had a nice little tour of the facility but Scarlet was still a little hesitant about the whole thing. Even when we reached Mickey's movie studio, there was no one so we walked through the last set of doors without worry. Scarlet's worst nightmare come true in the form of suspenders and large black ears.

One sight of the large mouse sent her into a hysterical crying fit right back out the door we had just entered. Jon spent the next several minutes persuading her to walk by Mickey so we could actually leave. She finally resorted to being carried out with her eyes closed. Thank goodness I didn't waste money on a signature book.

Even knowing all we knew, we still attempted a trip to Fairy Hollow. Scarlet loves tinkerbell. I was really hoping that if any character could convince Scarlet they weren't there solely for the purpose of torturing her, it would be tinkerbell.

This was one of the only lines we waited in all day. When we arrived at the first fairy, Scarlet was interested and, for about a second, was willing to stand somewhat close to the orange fairy.

She didn't last long enough to get a clear picture, but a picture nonetheless.

Then, we got to tinkerbell and the boy fairy from the movie, the one that looks like Zelda. Once she came in view, Scarlet timidly watched her from behind a giant mushroom. I was gearing up for one great moment as Scarlet met her favorite make believe person.

Hopes were up, then they were thrown on the floor and stomped on a little. At Scarlet's turn, tinkerbell made eye contact and Scarlet threw herself to the floor and began to crawl toward the exit in a state of panic. Yeah, that is not embarrassing at all by the way. It took us a few too many times, but we did learn our lesson and steered clear of all magical beings come to life.

With only one stop to nap at the hotel, we had a full day of Disney and I am pretty sure we hit everything we could ever want to see. Doing Disneyland with kids is a whole different experience. For example, after all my years of Disney going, I had never rode the train around the park. Did you know you go to the Grand Canyon and travel back in time to the dinosaurs during your short trip? I sure didn't.

Scarlet, who skipped her earlier naptime, crashed in the stroller on the way to dinner. But Rhode the trooper made it all the way through our late night dinner. We met up with some California friends, the Mercuros and their daughter Zoe.

Rhode pulled out some of that boyish Nielsen charm during dinner and, before we knew it...

He can't help being so good lookin'.

So, now we can officially check Disneyland off the 'list of things you should do for/with your kids." So what if there is no chance of them remembering anything about this trip 5 years down the road? It has been captured and blogged, therefore it counts. So, enjoy the memories while they last kids!

No Longer a Baby, now a Child

Turning three was a big milestone at our house for our Scarlet K Nielsen. She left the things of her baby days behind and became an official kid.

We honored this special coming of age the Saturday before March 3rd with a few special peers.

Jane W., Bennett S., Scarlet, Zion M., and Blaze S.

The rite of passage included the traditional gift giving.

She received virtual preschool, transforming mind-rotting computer playtime into very useful learning time. Increases intelligence in children and decreases guilt in lazy moms. It's a winner on all sides.

Yes, the gift was from me.

The child also can now recognize her true role as princess/beauty queen.

Gifts of lip gloss, princess wear (pictured above) and makeup set were perfect for increasing the ever growing vanity of the coming of age child.

Now that she is no longer a baby, she can appreciate and even show gratitude for all she receives.

And with new baby dolls and her very own momma sling to cart them around, she truly has embraced her new phase of life.

The celebration include a traditional handmade, slaved-over feast of chicken mcnuggets, french fries, and cupcakes for dessert.

The food offering was acceptable to all participants of the festivities, especially the birthday girl.

And then, the true coming of age moment.

To really let go of her former self, Scarlet had to sacrifice the remaining symbol of her babyhood, the pacifier.

To help her along her journey, we enlisted the help of the beloved paci fairy.

Now, you may not have heard of the paci fairy. it may be because you are not a true believer in the world of fairies.

It also may be because I made her up the day before the party. One can never know.

The paci fairy serves a very special purpose.

1) she collects pacifiers from all big kids

2) she gives collected pacifiers to babies soon to be born

3) as a token for the big kid generosity, she leaves a gift

Scarlet was prepared for the fairy's coming and promptly collected her pacifier when the time had come. Then, as witnessed by family and friends, we tied her pacifier to three colored balloons. When mom saw the paci fairy fly by, we released the pacifier up to her awaiting arms.

The balloons traveled up and up, but suddenly, they changed course. Instead of floating away into the air, they were mystically shifting directions and heading for the front yard.

The birthday girl and friends followed in hot pursuit.

Upon reaching the front yard, the pacifier was gone. The fairy had done her work and rewarded Scarlet with a very special gift.

Don't look too closely or you just might see the paci fairy checking in on the festivities.

The nights to follow were difficult for the new big girl. There were tears, abandoned beds, and subsequent punishments. Once, in a moment of weakness, Scarlet confessed to her mother, "I am just sad because a new baby has my paci and I'm a big girl but I want it back!"

But the mourning was brief and now she relishes in her new phase of childhood. Her parents were so impressed with her maturity, they took her to the most magical/overpriced place on earth. Story to follow soon...

How Many Husbands Do You Have?

Officially, you know according to the ol' marriage license, I am married to just one guy.

But if there is one thing being married to Jon Wayne has taught me, it is that he is a man of many faces.

I would say most of the time I have been married to this man.


Shorter haircut with a good amount of face scruff. I would say this man has made up the majority of our marriage. It's his typical construction man/dad look and, in my eyes, it totally works for him. I am a big fan of this man.

Occasionally, mostly in the hot summer months, I am married to this man.

This buzzed cut with a little less in the face hair look is my running man. When he looks like this, it usually means he is running more, hiking more, biking more... basically outside more. Sometimes I think he likes this man the best though I have no objections myself.

And there are those rare occasions when the man I marry becomes this guy.

Clean is the best word to describe it. New hair cut, smooth shaved face and it is usually followed by a well groomed wardrobe choice. Who could possibly not like this guy?! It is on these moments that I occasionally catch sight of my husband and before my mind registers who he is, I have the though, "Hmmm, look at that good looking guy." It makes recognizing him as my own all the more fun.

But as you are all aware, there have been times, after extended absences, that I have come home to this man.

Thankfully, his visits are few and far between. We don't miss him too much.

Most recently, because of an extended project, I have been married to a man I haven't really seen since we were dating.

Yes, it is true. I actually married a guy who creepily resembled a hermit mountain man while we dated.



But, thankfully, the project is over and with it, we return just briefly to clean man.

And so you see I have many husbands. And I only included his face. Don't even get me started on the personalities...


Though I may prefer some of my husbands more than the others, I most definitely love them all.

Except this one

This is what we do sometimes

Sometimes Scarlet and I play beauty shop. She does my hair, I paint her nails, we put on makeup and have some serious girly time. And though mom is a fun dress up buddy, occasionally Scarlet finds one that is even more fun.




It is amazing the things dad is willing to do for a kiss.




Sometimes, Rhode acts a bit too much like a young aunt Kristy... and we all get a little fearful.

Thankfully, unlike Kristy, Rhode's bucket-on-the-head phase lasted about five minutes instead of five months.


Rhode is always learning new skills. Sometimes he practices on inanimate objects.




Sometimes he goes in for the real thing.


I think he might have gotten some good practice in too because little Charlie now sure gets excited when Rhode walks into a room.


Sometimes Jon is out of town for work a little too long and the natives get restless. We occasionally have to find a new beauty parlor player.

Sorry Rhode, we did keep it to only one toe nail.
And sometimes, even though it is only February, we can't help but turn on the hose and have a water fight.

When everyone else is sitting in snow and we are kickin back in 75 degree weather, sometimes I even can admit Las Vegas has its perks.


But only sometimes.

The Rhodeman

How do I even begin to tell you about my little man?



I really have not let myself believe he isn't a baby anymore. So everything he does amazes me. And since he has a major case of second child-itis when it comes to blogging attention, this is a post all about my boy. The one we call Rhodeman.

It might seem like a strange nickname but it rolls of the tongue very easily. Plus, it inspires many song outbursts from unlikely sources. I really believe Rhode will grow up thinking there are a myriad of songs written just for him. Everything from the Batman theme (RhodeMAN duh-na-duh-na-duh-na-duh-na duh-na-duh-na-duh-na-duh-na RhodeMAN!) to hits by the Village People (Rhodeman... are you listenin' to me? I said, Rhodeman).

And it really doesn't help that the boy must dance when music is played. Yeah, yeah, most babies dance. But Rhode dances like he has no control over what is happening to his body. We will be watching a show and when the song credits come on he will start bouncing and wiggling without his face changing at all. It is like he isn't even aware he is, at that moment, groovin to the beat. The music just takes over.

He is pretty good at his baby sign language, he has picked it up way better than Scarlet ever did. Being a second kid is pretty nice that way. I would try to get Rhode to sign something like "more" and Scarlet would do it. She then got a cracker. It didn't take my constantly starving boy long to figure out a few hand waves got him his stomach's desire.

But the typical signs just weren't his style. So he updated them a little.




The sign to get more of whatever he happens to be chowing was the first he learned. His is a little more precise in what he is actually asking of me.


One open hand with the other pointing it. I call it "Put that food right here in my hand mom".



The sign for please is nice, but a little small for Rhode. Instead he uses both hands and rubs them vigorously across his upper body. Unless he is sitting, then his legs get a good rub down.




I call it his "all of me is begging you to just give that fruit snack up, mom"

And then there is his most frequent request, to eat. It's simple enough to point to your mouth. But Rhode gets right to the point. One thing has to happen before he gets to eat dinner so he makes sure I know, it's meal time.
Folding his arms. I won't lie, that one makes me want to give myself a "good mom" pat on the back.

He signed "thank you" for awhile but it was always accompanied with a little bit of attitude like, "hey mom, I'm throwing this your way 'cause I know how cute it makes me look."

But now, all of a sudden he just says, thank you. No matter what the context, if you ask, "Rhode, what do you say?" he will thank you for whatever he might be pleased about at the moment.

The boy is a talking fool! He makes 16 month old Scarlet look like a mute. I could pretend I am listing all the things he can say as a "record" but I am so totally bragging. He can say mom, dad, ball, car, cookie, cracker, water, thank you, sister, Eliza (E-la-la), Charlie (Chee-Chee), bye bye, no (which he says distinctly and frequently), fish, bird, dog, plus the animal sounds for dog, elephant, bird, sheep and chicken. And when he answers Scarlet's princess phone, he now says, hello?

I can't even believe this kid most days. Rhode and I spent a Sunday School together last week and sat behind our friend Tim and his daughter Eliza. After the meeting, he sauntered out by himself. But before heading out the door, he stopped when he saw Cynthia (Tim's wife). He pointed back to where we had been sitting and said, "E-la-la", indicating Cynthia's daughter was sitting right over there, then kept walking out the door. Not used to receiving directions from the 16 month old, Cynthia and I just looked at each other and cracked up.

I can ask him to do just about anything and he knows exactly what I am saying. I am really enjoying having another set of hands that answer to, "go grab me this" and "go throw this away." I am so darn lazy.

He is pretty decent with a spoon though they are usually a little slow for him. He prefers the bowl to mouth method for things like oatmeal or soup.

Rhode is such an eater. He can out eat me most meals. The boy will eat pancakes until you run out of batter. I keep expecting some big growth spurt to accompany his bottomless stomach. But so far his food intake has not gotten any smaller.

He still is such a cuddler but he finally has decided playing outside with the kids is occasionally more fun than mom's lap, thank goodness. He has had a few rough nights with stuffy noses and such so I will, out of desperation, pull him into our bed. Unlike his sister who would then proceed to crawl over us and kick my head like a soccer ball, Rhode curls up in his little bum-in-the-air ball in between us and sleeps soundly.

And I am so grateful for all the above mentioned items that make me laugh, amaze me, and leave such a positive impression in my mind of my little boy. Because, most of the time as he takes toys, beats up on babies (his preferred method is backing up and sitting right on them), says "NO" to me about EVERYTHING, and throws the infrequent but memorable meltdown mid-aisle, I really just want to trade him in. But remembering the good, plus the fact that we are officially four Sundays away from Rhode attending nursery makes me really love that little guy.