Poor little Sam

We finally took Samster to the doctor this week. His fussiness was getting unbearable and I was about to lose my mind. The only way I could get him to eat was to get him asleep. It was a lengthy process that involved pacing around the floor until he was calm enough to put in the car seat. Then I would load him (and Lucy) up in the car (leaving the boys alone), drive around until he fell asleep, get him out and feed him and then he would sleep for only a few minutes before waking up, and the whole process would start again. I knew I should have taken him in sooner because we found out he has acid reflux disease that can be treated with some medication (Prevacid). He also has a food sensitivity to chocolate. We know this because as soon as I stopped eating my usual 10-15 Dove chocolates per day, his skin rash cleared up immediately. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sam is doing sooooo much better. Hopefully, he will grow out of it in a few months and, in the meantime, the medicine will help him feel better. Poor kid.

On another note, take a look at the pj's he is wearing. Yes, they are size 12 months! My not- quite -3 -month -old is wearing 12 month clothing. He weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces at the doctor. Here are some really cute pictures of him in his new "Bumbo" chair.

And here are some not-so-cute pictures of the big guy.

I decided I needed a major hair change so I got it cut--the shortest it has been in years. Jeff has begged me to cut it short (he loves short hair) and I finally did it. Kristi (my cousin) did a great job and I don't think it looks too "mom-ish"

Funny Things

Josh and Jake have said some hilarious things the past couple of weeks and if I don't blog them I will forget them. The first two came within seconds of each other as we were sitting in church on Father's Day.

#1: Our second counselor got up to conduct and started talking about how well his family was treating him on Father's day. The following converseation with Josh ensued:

Josh: Today is Father's Day?

Me: (Laughing) Yes.

Josh: I'm pretty embarassed, I didn't get you anything.

I'm not sure why, but I thought it was hilarious and laughed about it all day.

#2: Just second after the Father's Day conversation, Jake, who is usually thinking about eating and didn't care about Father's Day, came up with this:

Jake: Do you remember when we used to buy those little boxes of cereal, and we could pick the cereal we wanted and pour it into our own bowl?

Me: Yes.

Jake: Those are awesome. When are we gonna do that again?

#3 Finally, Josh and I had the following conversation with Jake while we were waiting to buy ice cream at Thanksgiving Point:

Me: What flavor of ice cream do you want.

Jake: Do they have that, what's it called, Mickey Finn flavor?

Me: Mickey Finn?

Jake: Yeah.

Me: I don't know what Mickey Finn is. I've never heard of that.

Jake: You know, that stuff you drink at Christmas, Mickey Finn.

Josh: You mean egg nog?

Jake: Yeah, egg nog.

Me: (Wondering--what the freak is wrong with this kid?)

I love these guys--don't know what I would do without them.

Our Little Samster

Here are some new pictures of our little guy. We love him so much but our lives have been completely turned upside down. Everyone says that 3 kids is the hardest and after that everything is easy. That is a LIE!!!!!!! This fourth child has put me completely over the top. It doesn't help that he is very fussy and temperamental. He likes things just so and I spend my days trying to keep him happy (or asleep). He loves the stroller and it can always calm him down but since it is so hot outside we spend a lot of time strolling around the garage. We also spend quite a bit of time in the bathroom with the shower water running (the sound soothes him). Luckily, he is a great sleeper (7 to 9 hours at a stretch at night, eats, then sleeps 3 more hours). We call him our "bi-polar Charlie Brown" because he will be laughing like crazy one minute and then instantly start crying. There is no in-between mood. We still love him to death!

Come on, tell me this picture does not look exactly like Charlie Brown!

Everyone: My sister Julie is pregnant with twins and is already on severely strict bedrest (she is only 26 weeks and must go at least 10 more weeks like this), she can't even sit up in bed. I just want to tell her how much I love her and that she can totally do this. She's probably the strongest person I know and Heavenly Father wouldn't entrust these two special boys in her care (and PJ too) if He didn't think she could do it. So anyone reading this, please keep her in your prayers and bless the two little boys that they will be born healthy and strong and not too soon, and bless that poor Julie won't go insane from boredom.

Lucy's question and answer tag

Here are some questions I asked Lucy and answers that she gave. We were tagged by cute Meg. Enjoy.

What does mommy always say to you?
"Love you"

What makes mommy happy?
"Giving her loves"

What makes mommy sad?
"Of not giving her loves"

How does mommy make you laugh?
"Of by saying funny words"

What was mommy like when she was little?
"looked like a kid"

How old is mom?
"Uh, I don't know"

How tall is mommy?
"Really tall"

What does mommy like to do?
"Play with me and play toys and games"

What is something mommy doesn't like to do?
"Not playing with me"

What does mommy do for a job?
"Putting all the stuff away"

What is mom's favorite food?
"Dinner"

What do mommy and Lucy like to do together?
"Play games and buy stuff"

How do you know mom loves you?
"Because I give you hugs"

Lucy tags Kate Holland, Annika Stanclift and Addie Rollins

Picture Tag

I was picture tagged by someone, Steph, Stacey or Julie, and I am sitting here waiting for a conference call, so now seems like a good time to do it.

Goal I have: Last May I got on the scale and realized, "I am a really fat fat-guy." So I bought a bike (pictured below) that I love almost like a fifth child and have lost about 15 pounds, but I want to lose 15 more and then complete the Iron Horse bicycle race next year. The year after that--LotoJa.

Place I Live: I live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, Highland Utah. I work in downtown SLC and everyone I work with thinks I am crazy for living 30 miles from downtown until they see Highland/Alpine.

Place I Want to Visit: This one is not even close. I want to visit Jerusalem.

Nicknames I've Had: Most of the nicknames I have had come from people butchering my last name. I've been Droobee, Droubles, Dribble, and countless others. After we got married, Amy went through a period when she was giving me about 1 new nickname/week. Some of the classics included cutie-bear, lovey, bear-face, and, my personal favorite, love-chub. But by far my favorite nickname is "Dr. Oubay." About 3 years ago we started getting mail addressed to "Dr. Oubay" and "Amy Dr. Oubay." That name has stuck and now everyone at work calls me either "Dr. Oubay," "the doctor," or "Oubay."

Favorite Food: This one is hard because I'm really liking Middle Eastern food right now, but I would still have to say my favorite food is sushi--Takashi specifically.

First Job: Delivering the good old D-News to the good citizens of Brigham City, or as I like to call it, the B.C.

Age at My Next B-Day:

Give or take a few years.

Favorite Place: This one is a hard one too But I would have to say NY with my wife and Disneyland with my kids.

Charlie Brown and Happy Anniversary

We've started calling Sam "Charlie Brown" because he looks just like him. He has a massive, round head and he's bald. He also usually has a consternated look on his face--"Good Grief!" He's smiling here, however.

On June 9th it was our 13th anniversary and because Jeff has had such a rough year taking care of a sick (and sometimes moody) pregnant wife, I wanted to write some of the things I love about him.

1. Jeff is completely devoted to his family. He genuinely loves to spend time with us and comes home from work ready to play with the kids or help with dinner, etc.

2. He understands me and totally knows how to deal with the "many moods of Amy".

3. I know this is a dumb one but it is so important to me: He absolutely believes in equality. He doesn't believe that there is "woman's work" and "man's work". By that I mean that when he comes home from his job he knows that I have been working all day too and for the rest of the day we divide things 50/50. He doesn't expect me to cook and clean for him (although I still do, but just knowing that he doesn't expect it from me is comforting). He doesn't believe men are better than women and he's not afraid to do laundry or vacuum or anything like that. Am I making sense?

4. He's the smartest man on Planet Earth.

5. He puts up with my constant chattering (about nothing at all) and at least makes an effort to appear interested in what I am saying. He understands that I need to talk about anything and everything so when he gets home from work, I follow him from room to room and tell him every little detail of may day and every thought I've had for the past 24 hours.

6. Best dad ever and a great example for our boys of what a worthy priesthood holder should be.

7. He's my best friend and makes me feel like I am the most important person in the world.

I Love you!!!

For our anniversary we went car shopping. This is Jeff's father's- day-anniversary-making partner- this- year gift. He was deciding between this Mini Cooper or a Ford Focus???!!!! What the heck! It's pretty typical of Jeff to want to be practical--but come on, a Ford Focus?!! Don't you think someone who is going to be 40 years old soon, and is making partner at his law firm this year deserves the car he really wants? He has wanted a mini forever so I finally talked him into it. We decided to keep the civic for me to drive around in when I just have one or two kids with me. We will only drive the Suburban when we are all together--to save on gas money.

Hilarious Post

Hey everyone! Click on "Chris and Stacey" to see a hilarious blog of Jeff!

Busy May

May was a ridiculously busy month for us. We had a recital, mother's day, 3 birthdays, a wedding and lots of school plays and shows going on. Here are some of the highlights:

Lucy had her very first dance recital. She and Kate were in the same dance class. They did a bumblebee dance and a teddy bear dance.

Jeff was a good sport and rode in the saddle at Texas Roadhouse for his birthday. It was a pretty funny sight. Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture and I don't yet know how to edit.

It was Jeff's and Josh's birthday on the 12th. I checked Josh out of school and let him play the rest of the day. He said it was the best birthday ever.

We got to meet baby Jack for the first time. He and Sam were born on the same day. We decided that Jack was chubbier but Sam was taller. They are so cute and look a little bit alike.

Lucy and Kate are best friends. We are so glad the Holland's moved closer to us so they can play more. Here they are in their pretty dresses at the wedding.

Waiting outside the temple for Stacey and Chris to come out. Jacob's class had a talent show. Jake played the piano. He is really a really social and popular guy. His teacher said that the only thing he needs to work on is staying at his desk and working instead of wandering around the class and talking to all his buddies. Jake claims there are 5 girls who think he is cute. And finally Lucy's birthday. Our sweet girl is already 4 years old. She invited Kate over to have cake and ice cream and open presents. Without us knowing, she and Kate went downstairs and opened all the presents by themselves. Sneaky girls!