BYU vs Utah

Mike and some of his brothers decided to buy tickets to the BYU vs Utah men's basketball game.  Josh is NOT a fan of basketball games or any other kind of sporting event where he is required to sit in any one spot longer than 10 min.  Despite this fact, Mike and I decided that this would be good, fun, family time.  Before we headed off for the game, I gave Josh a pep talk.  "I don't want to hear one complaint out of you.  No whining or crying that you want to go home, or that it's taking too long.  I want you to act happy."  I think my little talk worked.  Josh was great!  After the first 15 or 20 min I told him that the next time Jimmer scored, that I would give him a candy.  The catch was that HE had to see it and tell me without help from anyone else.  Wow.  He loved the idea. He watched and tried hard to pay attention to what was going on.  This got him through the first half.  At half time, Mike took him to get some ice cream.  Yes, he's spoiled.  The second half was a little trickier after his ice cream was gone, but we managed.  I have to admit that things turned out so much better than I had even hoped for.  Maybe, just maybe, we still have a chance to brain wash him into loving basketball.  At least he knows which team to cheer for.  Go Cougars!

Lyndsey

When I first had Josh, we weren't very financially well off.  After looking over our finances, we decided that I would still need to work so that we could make ends meet and have a small cash cushion for just in case.  My mom was still a SAHM and was willing to watch Josh Monday-Friday while I worked at the elementary school.  I appreciated it so much, I decided that if I were ever in a position to help another family member by watching their kid, then I would.  Just such an occasion happened yesterday.  Mike's brother's wife just had a baby in Nov and it was time for her to go back to work.  She asked if I could watch Lyndsey on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  I said "yes!" Yesterday, the first day I watched her, Josh was thrilled!  He talked with her and laughed when she smiled.  He ran to find me as soon as he heard her start to whimper.  He cracked up whenever she would burp or fart.  Today was the same.  She was the first one he said hello to when I picked him up from school, and he held her hand during the drive to his piano lessons.  He thinks that she is just amazing.  It looks as though she already has him wrapped around her finger.  Luckily, I have already been able to use this to my advantage.  Me: "Josh, Lyndsey wants to hear you play the piano." Josh: "Ok!" as he runs to do something he had been dragging out.  Me: "Josh, Lyndsey will spell your spelling words so that you can write them down really fast."  Josh: "Ok!" I moved her arms and spelled out the words as Josh wrote them down.  An activity that normally would take 15-20 min, only took 8!  After finishing my 2nd day as Lyndsey's babysitter, I've decided that there is something to be said about being a babysitter.  It's so nice!  I get to play with her, hold her whenever I want, and play mommy during the day.  Yet, I'm still able to sleep soundly all night long, I don't have to make hard decisions about her health, and I don't need to worry about how the worlds going to treat her as she grows up.  Her parents get to do that, the hard stuff. 

Texfurr

Mike just arrived back from attending some work training in Houston.  He brought back a red "Houston" shirt for me and a Longhorn stuffed animal for Josh.  Josh was thrilled.  Last year Mike brought back a stuffed beaver for him from Oregon, which he named Pancake, because "his tail looks like a pancake" Josh said.  When Mike asked him what he was going to name this new animal, Josh said "Furry, because he's really furry."  Mike didn't like the name quite as much as he did and so suggested he name it Tex because it came from Texas.  Josh wasn't biting.  Later, they negotiated and his name is now Texfurr.  Gotta love compromise.  Texfurr has now joined the elite group of Josh's sleeping partners.  The first member was a stuffed dog that he had gotten as a baby.  His name is Cuddly.  Why? "Because he's so cuddly" explained Josh.  Pancake was next and now Texfurr.  Josh told Mike that he can't wait for him to go on another business trip so that he came bring him another animal.  He wants Mike to go to a place where they have lots of birds, so that he can bring him home a stuffed bird.