Chloe Faye

      My two year old's name is Chloe. She will be three in December. When my daughter came into this world, we immediately knew how tough she was. Only a few hours after she was born the doctor lifted her out of the bassinet and turned her over to check her back. As he was lifting/turning her, she grabbed the edge of the bassinet and lifted the whole thing up. Shortly after we brought her home, we discovered her temper and her stubbornness (which are obviously traits passed down from her father) and we began calling her "Hurricane Chloe." Which, in retrospect, we probably jinxed ourselves.

    Two year olds are strange creatures. They do things like start eating nesquick out of the container with a spoon and spill most of it on the floor in the 5 seconds you have your back turned (true story.) and you're just like how? And why? They fall asleep in the middle of a fit so you do everything humanly possible to block out every sound in the world so they don't wake up. They can drench an entire bathroom while sitting in the bathtub in no time at all. They can eat more in one day than you think most people do in a week. And with Chloe, everyone thinks she is the most adorable, sweetest, little Angel. I'm just like WHAT?! 5 minutes ago she was screaming in my ear and trying to scratch out her brother's eyes and rip out my soul. They are the most adorable little demons you'll ever see.

 Chloe loves healthy food. Like that cereal that nobody really likes because its good for you and sort of feels like you're eating horse feed? Chloe wants to eat it all day every day but only if she sees you eating it. If you put it in her bowl and serve it to her, nope. She also willingly eats dirt.

 Chloe is currently at the stage where she questions EVERYTHING. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" There was a thing floating around Facebook saying they should let kids conduct interrogations because the person will crack after listening to the kid ask "Why" a million times. I firmly believe this is true. Most of the time, she only wears underwear. I make her wear clothes out in public and as soon as she gets home she says "Yes!" while stripping down to her underwear. If she is wearing clothes by choice, she has great style and an abundance of sass. If she hears you talking about her she says "What you talk about?" She has the evil eye stare she gives basically everyone. The ridiculousness of being a girl starts early. When she's crying and I ask her why, her response is almost always "I don't know!" Sometimes she lays in her bed crying "I want to lay down!" for 5 minutes. She gets mad if you interrupt her when she is singing or dancing. She will quickly tell you "Don't talk to me, I am sweeping." (sleeping).

She has been potty trained since she was about 17 months old and she pees a thousand times a day, I swear. I always have her use the bathroom before we go anywhere thinking I won't have to take her, it never works. More than anything, Chloe adores her baby sister. She has so much love for her that it usually comes bursting out in too tight squeezes or headbutts or too hard kisses that Terra usually pays her back for whenever she can reach her while she's sleeping.

     Chloe is crazy fabulous. She is so girly and sassy and I don't know why or how or what to do with it. She will wear heels everywhere, always asks "Is my hair curly or no?", she says things like "stop bothering me please" or "Umm actually, no." She loves babies, jewelry, accessories, heels, sunglasses, dresses... you name it.We've been late before because she couldn't find her other heel and refused to leave the house without it.

90% of the time she looks like this....

      Since Chloe was a tiny baby, she has been a Daddy's girl. When Tom worked in the oilfield, and was gone so much, I almost think she missed him the most. From the minute she wakes up, she is asking for him. They get along well because, well, they are EXACTLY alike. Tom will tell you otherwise. He is lying.

        All joking aside, Chloe Faye lights up my world every day. She makes me absolutely crazy day and night but I wouldn't change it for the world. I chose Faye as her middle name after my Grandma Asay who was one of the most important, influential people in my life. She is insanely smart and a fantastic singer who picks up on songs so fast!
       Chloe has always had this thing for skin to skin contact with me. Every single night she wants to fall asleep with her hand on my stomach and she has done this since she was a tiny baby. Most moms will tell you after having kids, their stomach is the area they are most self conscious about and I'm no different. But, my little girl doesn't care. She finds comfort there and I'm good with that. If she can say "I love your belly" then I can say it too.
          Right now, Chloe's hard headed stubbornness and her need to do everything completely on her own drives me insane most days. However, these are qualities I want her to keep for her whole life. She will never let anyone walk all over her. If she thinks something isn't right, no matter how ridiculous, she will let you know. Just ask her older brother. She fights for what she wants. She brought our little family closer together the day she was born and she continues to be a joy in our lives. She is a hurricane of attitude, sass, laughter, naughtiness, and beauty. She's my baby girl.

 

Noah

So, the first thing my cousin said when I told her I would start blogging was that she was already waiting for the first post about Noah. Here it begins.

Noah was doing some ABCMouse.com at the desk and he was doing a pretty good job sharing with Chloe at first but then her two year old side came out and it was no longer pleasant. They continued fighting after I repeatedly told them not to so I just made them both get down and leave the computer for awhile. Noah says this to me, "Mom! Why? SHE started it. Ugh. ABCMouse is fun, you get to do stuff and learn stuff... why do you wanna stop your kids from learning stuff?" No joke. I turned my head away to laugh before explaining they couldn't fight like that. I don't make this stuff up, guys. Noah has a way with words.

I'm starting this post and I'll continue it for a few days so I have some more Noah stories to share.

Noah - "Mom, did you work out today?"
Me - "...No..."
Noah - "I can like.. help you. But I won't let you cheat because I know you do."

Noah and I like to geek out to my favorite stuff like XMen, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, basically all the Marvel films, the Percy Jackson movies, Batman... all the good stuff. XMen is especially a favorite.
Noah - "Lets play XMen!"
Me - "Ok, who am I?"
Noah - "I don't know... like a mom xmen? you'll just do mom stuff."
Me - "I always do mom stuff."
Noah - "Well, you're a mom so..."

So, sometimes my kids like to do crazy things like ALL WAKE UP AT 5AM. They did this yesterday so we decided to take Tom to work at 5:30 and then do our grocery shopping. Well, Noah was awake but he was not "up". He was SO mad at the store.
Noah - "Mom. Walking is boring. I hate walking. I HATE WALKING."
Me - "Well you can ride on the cart.."
Noah - "How about IN the cart?"
Me - "Thats where I have to put the groceries."
Noah - "Put them on top of me. I don't care. I hate walking."

Noah isn't often in bad moods so this was pretty funny to me.


Noah and Chloe are always fighting. I mean, ALWAYS. When it comes to breaking rules though...they band together.
Noah - "Chloe lets go jump on the bed."
Me - "Um, Excuse me?"
Noah - "Ok, Mom... You weren't supposed to hear that. Let's just try again huh?"

Noah trains Mon-Thurs at the same gym Tom does. He. Is. AMAZING. He is doing SO well in his class and I love watching him. Last night, it was just him and one other boy in class for grappling night. They were both doing AMAZING things out there. It is so cool to watch these little boys (ages 5 & 6) show off the skills they've learned. It was so awesome to watch! After praise from his teacher and me and knowing I took videos to show his dad, he knew he had done a pretty awesome job. So when we left to pick up dad he said..
Noah - "Mom! You HAVE to show dad those videos! You said my take downs were on FIRE (pronouned  Fi-Yuh) and I was pretty hot in there."
Me - "haha yea buddy you were on fire!'
Noah - "I know I'm sweating!" 

Noah saw a handicap parking sign at the pool and says to me
Noah - "Mom if you turn your head upside down, thats and optimus prime symbol. Like a secret one."

And my favorite exchange to date...
Malcolm (my 1 year old nephew who will have a baby sibling in October) is trying to take his toys back from Noah. Glen (my brother, Malcolm's daddy) says
Glen - "Noah, all Mac knows is that these are his toys. We have to teach him to share."
Cole - "Your world is about to come crashing down on you when your new baby comes, buddy."
Noah - "Yea, like my world...."
 Not even kidding. My brothers heard it and we all died laughing. Sorry, Pal. hahahaha

So, its clear to see Noah is a pretty funny kid. He makes me laugh every day. He's also the sweetest kid I've ever met. He's never mean to anyone (except Chloe sometimes), he knows when someone is sad or hurt and he wants to make them better. He is always quick to give what he has to those in need and is friendly to everyone. He is without a doubt an Angel and I am thankful every day that I was chosen to be his mother!

*The first of many Noah posts.*

Watching Thomas Fight

   It's Tom's birthday today so I have to share one more blog post. I've had some people ask me about his fight and how I was able to sit through it. So, I wrote about that and just added a happy birthday at the end!
      When I very first heard about Tom, my friend showed me a video on YouTube of his first fight in the cage that he won in something like 90 seconds. I was just like... *droolzzzz* hahaha but really that was all it was to me. It was just sport he did. Where we lived before, the only place to train was a half hour drive away and it wasn't nearly as intense as he was looking for. Tom used to work in the oilfield before now so the times he could actually train were few and far between. I admit, for a long time I wasn't as supportive as I should have been. I thought eventually he would let it go and accept that it wasn't something he would be able to do. Then, my crazy freaking husband accepted a title fight at a weight class higher than he had ever fought! So I'm all, oh this will be just great. I was terrified.

When we moved, he was lucky to find a great gym with a coach who really cares about him and wants him to succeed. It wasn't until he started training at a really intense level that I understood it's not just a hobby to him, its a lifestyle and a dream. A dream that Thomas really has a chance at achieving. He lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps fighting. He would come home every night after training for hours drenched in sweat and hurting all over yet he would be bubbling with excitement and talking about what they would be doing tomorrow... ok, weirdo. That's not a sickness just anybody has.
   So it gets to be fight night... Before we even got to the venue I had a raging headache. I mean the type of headache I went around asking people for tylenol. I'm thinking to myself.. this is it. This is going to be one of those freak occasions where someone dies and it's going to be Tom and I'm going to end up a widow at 24 because my husband picked MMA over golf or something that doesn't involve the other opponent trying to choke the life out of you or knock your brain around until you're unconscious. Three fights before Tom's fight I went to the bathroom and I threw up everywhere. I mean, puking for like five minutes. I thought I was nervous then and that I wouldn't be able to watch but as soon as the fight started I could not look away. It was like when you're driving and you see two vehicles you just KNOW are going to get in a huge accident but you can't look away. I was screaming and jumping and pulling my hair out and as soon as the round was over I went back to my seat and laid my head down on the table. I was so grateful to have everyone who came sitting by me because they kept patting my shoulder telling me "He's ok! He's doing so good!" and I was like nope, he's dying. I have to make it stop. Then as soon as another round would start, I was screaming "Punch him! Choke him! Get out of that armbar! If you break your arm I will kill you! Don't let go, damnit!" then the round would end and I was back to thinking he was dying. As you can tell my emotions were reallyyyyyy confused. At one point there was a fighter standing next to me who had lost his fight earlier in the night. I bumped into him and said "Sorry, thats my husband in there." He replied, "Yea, well, your husband just about got his freaking arm broken." Aaaaand it was there that I snapped. I SCREAMED at that guy with several obscenities but basically said, "I'm sorry, did you win your fight? No? Then shut your mouth." But I am paraphrasing. Needless to say, he moved to another table.
     Guys, I just can't describe how incredible this fight was. I've never seen anything like it. Thomas pushed passed the point of breaking and then continued on and on. Actually, there were several fights that night that ended because one of the fighters just gave up. I knew beforehand that Thomas would die before doing that but when the fight got started, I was thinking this is why guys give up. I get it. We found out a few days later Thomas had gotten a broken rib in we think the second round. The body shots he took have stopped many fighters after only one and I can't even tell you how many he took but never stopped fighting. One of the fight promoters told him later that as he watched the fight the word that kept coming to mind was "tenacious." The definition of that word is: not readily relinquishing position, principle, or course of action; determined. Persisting in existence; not easily dispelled. There is not a more accurate description of Thomas. I watched all of his training be put to work. All of those hours at the gym he had put in; all the time I had sacrificed. And I watched it all come together in a terrific show of strength both mental and physical.
     The pain of him losing was huge for us both. Later though, we learned that there are a great many things to learn from losing. It is humbling in a wonderful way. I know his next fight will be even greater and I am excited for more people in the world to see his talent, strength, and determination.

I will continue to support him in all he does even if that means getting sick before every fight and going bald from pulling out all my hair. The way he fights is a good example of how he lives his life. Strong, unyielding, determined, stubborn, and passionate. Happy Birthday, Thomas. Keep succeeding in all you do.

I'm a Horrible Housewife.

   Fun fact: I'm a horrible housewife. Really. Cooking? Tom is so much better. I mean, they all get fed but its nothing special. When I do try new recipes... we usually end up eating pancakes. I can make every different kind of pancake though. Cleaning? My house isn't filthy but its pretty much always messy. I deep clean once or twice a week, tidy up every day, blah blah blah. My house is one of those houses where I feel like I clean all day but you can never tell. I don't know how women manage to keep immaculate houses. One of my best friends houses is always beautifully cleaned and she has three kids. That is amazing to me. Laundry? There is nothing I despise more than laundry. We all have clean clothes, yes. But there is always a pile of laundry in the laundry room and most of the time I dig clothes out of laundry baskets because once I've washed, dried, and folded laundry, the last thing I wanna do is put it all away. Whatever. I know those are not my strong points. I used to let that bother me a lot. I thought this is all part of my job and I pretty much fail at it every day.
     But, here's what I'm good at: I'm good at having fun with my kids and taking care of them. There is a park behind our house and we go there almost every day. I make Noah do some school work every day to keep it all fresh for kindergarten while also doing my best to teach Chloe her letters and numbers. I take them swimming, running (and by running I mean a faster paced walk that makes me want to die.), and to the library. I love reading to my kids and sharing my love of books with them. We bake together because they LOVE to help me in the kitchen and they LOVE cake.I'm good at letting them take out every single toy to have a giant battle in the living room for my son or a girly princess party for my little girls. Music! We are always dancing, singing, having a quick guitar lesson, learning new songs... I recently taught Noah the whole Cup Song! My little Chloe is an amazing singer who picks up songs ridiculously fast. I'm doing my best to facilitate that. I take Noah to class at a local MMA gym every Mon-Thurs where he is learning new things every day and excelling at them! I take them to church every sunday where they love to go to their sunday school classes and are building a great relationship with their Heavenly Father. I make time every day for each one of my kids in some way and I will always choose those things over doing laundry for the 100th time. It can wait.

       Lucky for me, it doesn't bother my husband. He's more interested in what we did today than if the table is clean or not which is really fantastic for me!

   My point is, I'm not a great housewife but, I'm still a really good mom!

Who am I?

You might be thinking "oh.. another stay at home mom with a blog." The reason  I started this blog is because of how many requests I've had via facebook to write more about how hilarious and sweet my kids are. Noah is 5 and let me tell you... he is one of the greatest kids you'll ever know. He is hilarious, he's sweet, caring, wild, witty, sacastic... I could go on for days. Chloe is 2. That pretty much sums that right up. She's 2. In every way you hear about 2 year olds, she is 2. Although, I'm pretty sure she is one of the smartest 2 year olds I've ever met and she's so crazy fabulous. Terra is 6 months old and the cutest baby you will ever see in your life (I may be somewhat biased but, really.) she started army crawling around at 4 1/2 months and now at 6 months, she is all over the place. She is chubby and darling and everything a baby should be.

 My husband is Thomas. Oh, Thomas. You won't see many pictures of him goofing off because to the outside world, he's very serious. Which goes along well when I say "He's a Sheriff's Deputy." Or, as Noah says, a "share-uh-ff deck-uh-tee". But, that's a lie. Thomas is a crazy, hilarious, dancing machine and hopefully never reads that I just wrote that hahahaha. I love him to pieces. Every day, even if he is driving me nuts, I go to bed thinking how did I get so lucky?

That's him ^ beating up that dude in a 5 round fight on April 18th in Salt Lake City. The fight went all 5 rounds against an undefeated champion who had never gone passed the third round in any of his fights. Thomas lost in the very end of the 5th by TKO but, it was fight of the night and it was incredible! I'll blog about what a nightmare that was for me later.
Anyway, that's us. We are just a normal (eh.. easy on the "normal") family living day by day and adjusting to life after a major career change! We are young and have incredible plans for our future. Enjoy!