SUMMER 2009 RECAP

We absolutely love the summer months around our house for a million and one reasons: lots of fun outside and in the water, day trips to Tahoe, cheap power bills!, BBQ, lots of daylight, popsicles, lots of green, flowers, fresh food from the gardens, nothing but swimsuits and flipflops, trips to the local pool, watermelon, hanging out outside, waterballoons, and so many other things that would take hours to list! WE LOVE THE SUMMER!!!

First trip to Kings Beach....our favorite beach in Tahoe! We didn't bring swimsuits because we weren't planning on playing in the water. We were just planning on having dinner with the family, and of course we just couldn't resist going to the beach too!

Our handsome boy forcing a smile for the camera just to get it over with so he could get back to playing in the dirt and water.

Annacy, Maxxwell, and Chris.

Hey Chris, I love the beach attire....church boy!

Wyatt enjoying an ice cream cone at the roller derby in downtown Reno

Wyatt sharing his ice cream with Megan.

I love that Wyatt is finally to the point where he will actually stand still and look at the camera so that I can get a good picture of him! This was most definately an impossible feat for me when he was younger.

Isn't he cute!

Bodie, Allie, Jeffery, Evan, and Nathan enjoying the cool pool!

This was a daily thing at our house this summer!

Megan drying off after playing in the fountains at the Lazy Five Park in Sparks. She had a blast getting wet and palying in the water....Wyatt just sat on the bench and pouted the whole time we were there!

Happy Birthday to Megan!

We celebrated Megan's first birthday with lots of family and really great friends!

Meg's first piece of birthday cake! She wasn't quite sure what do to with it!

The classic "cake all over your face and head" picture that most parents live for when their kid turns one!

Cute Allie and Silly Wyatt enjoying a piece of the birthday cake!

Best Friends Forever!!!

Flip Flop Cake!

I chose to do this cake because Megan is ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with SHOES!!! She has what we call SHOE-DAR! We can no longer wear shoes in our house because she will find them whether they are on someone feet of not and try to chew on them! I am so grossed out by it and afraid that she is going to get sick from it. We thought this shoe would be safe to eat and one that we wouldn't have to take away from her!

Another shot of the cake. If you look closely, I accidentally cut two right feet! OOPS!

HAAPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

This is my ever so popular white jello....isn't it beautiful!

Looks beautiful and tastes amazing too!!!

Monte holding Megan and Ezra before the fireworks

Not only is Megan crazy about shoes....she loves any accessory she can add to her outfit! She loves any kind of hat, necklace, bracelet, just anything too add to her outfit! She is truely a girly-girl!

This picture will probably come back to haunt Megan, but I think it is too funny not to share! It ended up being on half of my family's screensavers for awhile! Yo can't look at this picture without laughing a little!!!

Future driver!.......

Just don't get in his way....someone could get hurt!

Gotta love that smile!!

Wyatt absolutely loves his little sister! He was changed into a different boy the very day she was born. He fell in love with her instantly and became a happier boy! Which was something we WERE NOT expecting at all from him! He loves kissing and hugging her, and still asks to hold her even though she is getting too big for that! It's a good thing she is tolerant of him and doesn't get upset when he forces sweet kisses on her!

Making noise for the neighbors in the back of Monte's truck!

Wyatt and Allie at Kings Beach Lake Tahoe

Nathan Hurrle and Wyatt

Megan and Allie Hurrle

Jeffrey, Annacy, Megan, and Allie

Ezra loved putting his face in the water....he couldn't get enough of the water and the dirt!

Jami loved bringing Ezra to the beach! :)

Somebody needs a haircut!

This picture was almost a daily thing for Megan and all the other kids at our house. We found that if you got sidewalk chalk wet it would turn into paint! So we would paint the sidewalk and our bodies, and the kids absolutely loved doing it!

Caught red handed! Gotta love having a one year old who is into everything!

Ride to defeat ALS in Reno/Verdi

My first organized bike ride

I stopped to say Hi to Monte and the kids who surprised me at a handful of places on the ride! It was fun to see them in randome places on the ride, because I was never expecting to see them! I just gotta say that I am impressed with how well Monte knows his way around, because we rode in places I never even knew existed!

My little cheerleaders!

Wyatt and Megan are waiting to cheer me on when I ride by near Boomtown!

Chanika, Brian, and me

Brian and Chanika did the longer ride that went up Geiger Grade, and I did the shorter ride which was about half of what they did! It was a good first ride for me. We started and ended in Somersett, and had the most delicious and amazing meal after the ride!

Bathroom makeover!!!

We have lived in our house for almost four years now and we have done alot of improvements in the short time that we have lived here. I hated EVERYTHING about the only bathroom that we have! So I decided to make it a little nicer by taking off the hideous wallpaper and giving it a new coat of paint to make it a little more enjoyable until we could get it remodeled. So my wonderful mom came over to help get the wallpaper off so that I could paint...and of course that was a long, hot, and messy job! I hate wallpaper! When Monte came home and saw what I had been up to he told me not to waste my time painting becasue he was going to have to rip everything out down to the studs when he decides to remodel the bathroom. I told him that I didn't want to wait any longer because we didn't know when that was ever going to happen. After that I went to go and visit my sister in Las Vegas with the kids and before I left I jokingly left Monte a note to paint the bathroom while we were gone. When we came home he had torn out the shower and most of the drywall in the bathroom! Then I had a flashback....what was I thinking when I asked him to paint the bathroom? The last time I asked him to paint a wall...he just tore them out instead! I guess I can take all of this two ways...1) Never ask him to paint again and if I do...make sure I hide his power tools or 2) When I want something done I know how to get him started.

This is how we bathe our kids because our bathroom has only a VERY small shower! One of the many reasons I HATED our bathroom!!
Here is a picture of the "shower room" and a wall before Monte tore them both out!

This is a picture of where the shower used to be

Monte working on the electrical! I didn't know that my husband was an electrician! He has turned into quite the do-it-yourselfer! Which saved us a ton of money but ended up taking alot longer!

He even did all the plumbing as well....! I am totally impressed!!

At this point on the bathroom remodel we were still living in our house but having to shower over at my parents house

Once Monte took the toilet out we had to move out until the bathroom was pretty much finished! So we moved into my parents house and ended up staying there for 6 whole weeks! It was a little crazy but also very enjoyable! Thank goodness my parents are easy to live with! And that's not just me talking...Monte liked staying there probably more than I did!

Monte's dad came over to help with the tile in the bathroom! Monte gave him a quick lesson on the tile saw and he went right to it....and he did a great job!

Monte is just starting to tile the shower and Wyatt insisted on being his helper!

Notice all of Wyatt's tools that he lined out on the floor of the bathroom all by himself!

He is so darn cute!

They make the best and cutest father - son team!

Here is Monte showing Wyatt how to put the knobs on the medicine cabinet.

Wyatt is really focusing on getting his thunb up for the picture!

We ABSOLUTELY LOVE our new bathroom!!!

The kids first bath in their very own full size bathtub!

What an exciting moment!

From the beginning to the end, our bathroom was under construction for about three months! It was a long three months, but sooooo worth it all in the end!

Monte is an amazing handy man and he did such a beautiful and thorough job!

All together again!!!

Here they all are.....six Johnson brothers and their dad....what a sight!!!

From left to right ---- Billy, Johnny, Andy, Monte, Brett, Drew, Vince
Johnny, who just returned from his mission in Korea and Billy

Grandpa Drew

Monte, Wyatt, and Vince

Grandma Jane, Arie, and Kjersti

Heather and Elodie

Tanna, Arie, and Wyatt

I think that this picture show all too well that.....

....Boys will be boys and girls will be girls!

Elodie and Megan

These two beauties are just about 7 weeks apart in age.

It's so fun to have cousins that are so close in age!

Arie and Tanna enjoying some "Oh So Delicious" Klondike Bars!

Tanna has such a sweet face and personality and I think this picture captures it so well!

Poor little girl got pink eye just the day before, so her eyes looked like they were either huting her or just extremely uncomfortable!

Baby Blue Eyes!

We seriously can't go anywhere without someone commenting on Meg's beautiful blue eyes! Her cuteness and beauty really does stop people right in their tracks! I'm not trying to brag...I'm just telling the truth! :)

First Tahoe outing of 2009

In May we went up to Sand Harbor for the day with most all of Monte's family! It was a very beautiful day and we practically had the entire beach to ourselves! There were tons and tons of lady bugs and other bugs everywhere! I guess that is just a sign of Springtime!

Monte's brother Brett

Johnny---another one of Monte's brothers! And his friend/girlfriend, Daniella. Johnny just got home from his mission in Korea the day before! He is the youngest Johnson brother and the last to return home from his mission! Jane has a lot to be proud of with sending 6 boys on missions all over the world!

Jared Johnson --- 7 years old

It would be wrong to go to the beach and not bury at least one kid in the sand!......

....Or two kids in the sand!

Dane Johnson ----- 6 years old

Arie --- 3, but almost 4 in a few days; and Tanna ----4 years old

these two are the best of friends and love spending time together!!

Daddy and his girl!!!

(Megan at 10 months)

Tanna Johnson

Brett, Dane, and Jared

Jared and Dane.....they always liked to do some funny pose for the camera.

Monte, Megan, Billy, and Vince.

The three older Johnson boys!

I look back at these pictures and ask myself if Wyatt was with us at the lake? He was there....but I must not have gotten any pictures of him....or at least any of him where he would look at the camera and cooperate. Darn kid!

Living, playing, and hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa McCombs house!

Megan and Wyatt playing cars at Grandma and Grandpa's house one morning. Wyatt is really good about playing and sharing with Megan for the most part! Althought just like any other three year old....he does have his moments.The first night we stayed at my parents house I told my mom that we would probably be there for at least a week. Ha ha ha! Who was I kidding?! We ended up staying there for six whole weeks! It's a good thing that we all get along really well, because the whole stay went just fine! I'm not gonna lie though, it was a very stressful and busy 6 weeks! We were practically living at two different houses...which meant cleaning two houses! Not to mention Wyatt having his tonsils out and Megan getting tubes in her ears! Which I think was the worst part of it all!!! When we left to "move" back into our house it was a little bitter sweet!

Wyatt and Allie Hurrle having a snack after playing in the water and enjoying the sunshine!

Miss Megan looking for trouble!

Maxxwell playing the the yard! Gotta love that GQ jacket!

Simon playing in Grandma's garden boxes

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this picture of Maxx! Isn't he so sweet!!

Wyatt and Simon helping Grandma get the dirt ready to plant the garden

Are you wondering why Wyatt is taking baths in the sink at Grandma's house too? Well, If I put Meg in the sink he immediately wants to get in with her. I gotta say though that the sink is so much more convenient than the bathtub!

Finally....Relief!!!!

Our sweet little Megan has had double ear infections almost nonstop since February. As of the middle of April she has been on four different rounds of antibiotics, non of which have cleared up her ear infections...obviously! Finally I took her into the ENT and he gave the okay to put tubes in her ears! That was a big sigh of relief and I was very anxious to get the tubes as soon as possible. We went in on Wednesday to the ENT and she got the tubes the very next morning. Thank you again Dr. West! Poor thing though...she had an extremely hard time with the gas they used for her anesthesia. Her tummy was very upset for hours after and she was very upset and uncomfortable for awhile! To make things even more difficult...I brought Wyatt with me to the surgery center thinking that it would be a really easy just because that was how it was when Wyatt got tubes in his ears when he was 18 months old. Well, it turned out to be quite a disaster trying to keep Wyatt happy and still while Megan was screaming and pushing me away. She was impossible to soothe...she would hardly nurse at all, and if she did she would just cry and push away. I didn't think that I was going to make it through the day with having a very upset and uncomfortable baby and a little boy who was still in alot of pain from getting his tonsils out the week before! I just have to say that it is so much better to look back and know that part of our lives is over!!!
Megan in the port-a-crib at my parents house
I think Megan must have been dreaming that she was running a race!
We have been staying with my parents since the night before Wyatt got his tonsils out. Monte is remodeling our only available bathroom at our house. So since we don't have a bathroom that is useable we needed a place to go! My parents have put up with a lot of crying from Wyatt because of his pain in his throat! I am so grateful to my parents for letting us stay with them for awhile. I don't know how I would have handled Wyatt's awful and long recovery without my mom and dad! Wow....I have such patient and amazing parents!!!

Goodbye tonsils

Wyatt got his tonsils out on April 16th by one of the most wonderful ENT doctors around, Dr. West! Monte and I are really happy with him and his office staff! But more importantly Wyatt absolutely LOVES him and all the other people that work in his office! Anyway, before he went in for the short surgery I had to take him to the lab to get some blood drawn for a complete blood count. I WAS NOT looking forward to taking him because I was expecting a huge freakout and absolutely no cooperation on his part. So, I made sure I told him exactly what was going to happen so that there wouldn't be any surprises. When we got to the lab he sat in my lap and hadn't acted scared or uncooperative at this point. When the lab tech put on the turnicate I thought 'oh no, here we go, get ready for a freakout!' To my surprise....he didn't move a muscle! He watched the whole thing! He didn't whine, cry, or even flinch when the tech took his blood sample! I was absolutely floored at how amazingly well he did! The lab techs were pretty impressed at how he did too! I made sure to give him loads of praise and took him to Target to pick out something special. Of sourse he chose a set of speed racer cars! I am so proud of my big guy!!!
Here he is showing off his bandaid from where he got poked and his new race cars!!! He was pretty proud of them!!!

My sweet guy sleeping the night before he got his tonsils out.

I have to say that Wyatt has been an absolute angel lately. When I told my mom that he was scheduled to get his tonsils out, she told me that it was going to flip his sweet and happy world upside down! And boy oh boy was she so right!!! Not only did the whole thing turn him into the most grouchy, unhappy, whiney, and unpleasant little three year old for miles around....but I felt like my life had taken a wrong turn as well! He was a very unhappy little boy for almost a whole three weeks after he got his tonsils out! I have to say that was the worst and longest three weeks of his and my life ever! I am so so so happy that is all over!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

For Easter this year we spent the morning with Monte's family and the afternoon with my family! It's really nice to be so close to both sides of the family! It makes for a crazy and busy time around the holidays, but tons of fun and really great memories!!!

Megan with Uncle Andy!

So many people tell me that Megan looks so much like her mommy...but I gotta say that she looks alot like the Johnson side of the family! I always take the compliment though because Megan is such a pretty baby!

Grandma Johnson and all but three of her grandbabies!

Megan, Wyatt, Jared, and Arie

Gotta love the photo's taken with the camera on a timer....nobody knows when the camera flashes, especially when the sun is in your eyes!
From L -R...Brett, Andy, Grandma, Megan, Me, Wyatt, Monte, Jared, Vince, Kjersti, and Arie

Wyatt and Megan in their Easter Sunday best!

Cool Wyatt and Cute Megan

I LOVE these two like crazy!!!

Geoff letting the kids loose for the Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa McCombs house!

Wyatt took his time hunting for candy while Annacy was a mad woman and found tons on candy and eggs! She was really good at sharing with Wyatt and Simon though!

I didn't have any Easter baskets for the kids this year and I really didn't want to go out and buy any so we made our own out of the plastic milk cartons from Sam's Club. You can't really see from the pictures but they turned out pretty cute! I have to thank Nicole Andrus and Emily Marshall for the milk carton idea from what they did for the kids in nursery last year on Easter!

Wyatt was supposed to hunt for things from the Easter Bunny that were orange! Orange has been his favorite color for a long time now so he had no problem picking out the orange wrapped goodies hidden in the yard!

Isn't she just a doll!!!

Aunt Jessie, Megan, and Slim G (aka Geoff to most people)

Aunt Jessie is my late Grandmother's sister. It is so great to have her around, I almost feel as if my Grandma is with us when we get to visit with Jessie! She is such a fun lady!

OOOOOHHHHH! I see something that I can chew on! See ya later Ezra....I'm off to better things than these lame baby toys that our mom's put out for us to play with!!!!

Okay, so Megan loves getting into trouble when she is down on the floor! She is always looking for fun things to eat, chew on, or just put in her mouth! I literally can not have her out of my site for longer than 30 seconds without her getting something nasty or dangerous in her mouth! So I am always putting her binki back in her mouth or I have to hold her or just watch her like a hawk! She is seriously out of control and it drives me crazy! Now that she is scooting around she finds things from a distance and slowly gets to it and BAM she is eating something or chewing on something that she shouldn't! It worries the heck out of me, so when she is awake I can't get much of anything done because she is always finding something! Even if I just swept, or vacuumed, or cleaned up....she is always able to find something to taste!!!

"I'm not crawling yet, but I am able to get around especially when I see something that I want! I better get there fast before my mom see's it and takes it away!"

"Yes!!!! I got it! MMMmmmmm....this looks yummy! I can't wait to see what it tastes like!

I gotta hurry though before mom sees me....she's such a drag and always likes to ruin my fun and exploring!"

"Grandpa has big feet...where should I start?!"

" UH OH! I think I got caught...I'll try to play it innocent so I can get a taste in before my mom takes it away and ruins all the yummy fun."

" I'll start simple so it's not so obvious, then I'll get to the good part....the bottom of the shoe!"

Well, she DOES usually get to the good part before I can take it away! I will find her chewing on a shoe...so I take it away and all the other shoes in sight....the next thing I know she has found some shoe somewhere else and has that one in her mouth too! I am so thankful and surprised that she hasn't gotten sick from her nasty "shoe in mouth" addiction...on the other hand maybe it is just making her immume system stronger! Who knows....all I know is that it's sick and she loves it!!!

You gotta LUB this CHUB!!

Ezra is so sweet...it's usuallyu never hard to get a cute smile from this little big guy!

I love this picture for a lot of reasons!!! First of all because it is so cute and so sweet of him! He always has such good eye contact with the camera! I also love it because just a few months ago Ezra was not able to move his head to look up in this position because of the distractors that he had placed in his chin. Now that he is free of all that hardware he has full range of motion. I don't think many of us realized how much he was limited until he got them out!

Geoff was able to come to Reno for Easter and stay a few days thanks to being able to make it into a work trip! It's always nice to have Geoff for a visit!

I gotta add...doesn't my mom look so cute in this picture!!!

Uncle Geoff and Ezra!!!

Well, we had a great Easter weekend! We are so grateful for such wonderful families and are so blessed to have the knowledge that the Lord lived and died for us and that He lives again!

Playing catch-up!!!

It is crazy how fast time flies by and how there are never enough hours in the day to do all of the things that I would like to!!! The last two months have been very busy compared to our regular life! We temporarily moved our of our house for about 6 weeks, Wyatt got his tonsils out, Megan got tubes in her ears, Monte's youngest brother returned from his mission, we've had family in town alot, and our bathroom has been out of order for about two months and counting now....that being the reason for moving out for awhile. These are all the things that I will be catching up on in the many posts that are to come......
Despite it's ultimate convenience, bathtime in the kitchen sink will soon come to an end!

Yes our giant three year old who is 42 inches tall and 41 lbs still takes a few baths in our kitchen sink! Seeing as we don't have a bathtub in our bathroom, hence the reason for our bathroom remodel, we have had to bathe our kids in the sink. We try to bathe Wyatt at my parents house when we are there because he has way outgrown the sink. But when I put Megan in the sink for a bath he feels a little left out and ends up getting in too! Soon enough we will have a bathtub in our beautiful new bathroom that the kids can use. But as of now we are all still showering and bathing at my parents house! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

The baby has a name!!!

Chris and Chanika decided on their new baby boys name today! It is Trumann Anthony McCombs! They liked the name Trumann (with 2 n's) and Anthony in Chanika's brothers name! Good name guys...we really like it!

Another baby boy has arrived in the family!!!!

My handsome brother Chris and his beautiful wife Chanika welcomed their second son to Earth tonight at about 8:50 pm! He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 2 1/2 oz, measured 20(ish) inches in length, and his head measured 13 1/4 inches around! He is so stinkin cute and he looks just like his big brother Maxxwell! There is still no name at this point...and they are hoping to have one by the time they leave the hospital! Chanika and the baby are both doing great!!!

These pictures were taken about one hour after Baby was born!
So sweet and comfortable in Chanika's arms! When I was holding his he was a tiny fussy, but as soon as he went back to his mom he was as still and as quiet as a little lamb!

There is nothing better in this world than a fresh baby sent from heaven to a righteous family!

Chris and Chanika with the new baby!

I will get more pictures tomorrow!

Stay tuned.....

Well the kids and I ventured with my parents for a "beautiful" 7 hour drive to Las Vegas last weekend! The drive was long but we made it safe and sound to and from our destinations. The kids were very good and tolerant while we drove but were happy to be out of the car at times too! My parents are great for catering to the kids and they were a really big help too! Thanks mom and dad! I appreciate all you do for my little family!! The reason for the trip was that my parents wanted to attend a wedding of some kids that are in my dad's ward that was at the Las Vegas Temple; and of course to visit with Cody and Jen. So I tagged along with the kids! We also brought Jen back with us and she stayed for a couple of days and left on Wednesday!

Here is Megan in the car. She was a trooper! But once we took her out of the car seat she did not want to get back in!
Megan has what I call a RashStache! Can you see it?

This was Wyatt any time we were in the car! He was able to watch Space Buddies at least 10 times on the trip. I had other movies but he only wanted that one. Thank goodness for the earphones, because I don't think I could have tolerated listening to that movie more than once!

the DVD player in the car made the trip very enjoyable for Wyatt....thereby making it easy and enjoyable for the rest of us! Once again I that the technology Gods for making my life easier!!!

We took a trip to the Hoover Dam on Friday. I haven't been there since I was very little. It was pretty cool to see! It was nice to be out and enjoy the beautiful Las Vegas weather too!!!

This is a great picture of my parents! Thanks for smiling dad! You guys look great!

Me and the kids at Hoover Dam!

Mom, Jen and Megan on part of the tour of the Dam

My sweet adorable little big guy!!!

Mom and Jen enjoying the sun and springlike weather!

Mom, Jen, Megan, Me, Wyatt, and Dad.

If you look behind us you can see the new bridge that they are building to go over the dam. That was so amazing to see in progress. I guess it is being built to avoid people and traffic from being on the dam itself....it's a terrorist percaution! Those terrorist sure cost us a lot of money!

Dad and Cody getting ready to drive the racecars at the Mini Grand Prix in Vegas

Me and Wyatt on the big slide! He went down that thing at least 15 times! It was pretty fun!!!

Meg and Wy Guy posing in one of the cool and very fast cars that Grandpa and Cody got to drive! These cars get up to 45 mph!

GRRRRRR!!!! Watch out for Speed Wyatt! He is fast!!!

They even had cars for kids Wyatt's age and younger! He was able to drive it and steer it by himself! My dad and I were a little doubtful that he could handle it on his own, but he did really good! There is some video of it below!

Here is Wyatt at his very first time behind the wheel! He did so good! I was very surprised that he was willing to do it without me! He was so brave! When you watch it notice that he doesn't crack even the littlest smile....he was taking this whole experience very seriously!

We were cracking up the whole time he was driving....especially my dad! I'm surprised my dad was even able to stay on his feet he was laughing so hard! I especially love Wyatt's hilarious yet very serious wave at the end!

When we asked him if he wanted to drive again he said very calmly "No. I wanna go on the slide."

Well, we had a good time in Vegas! It was nice to vist with Jen and Cody. My brother Geoff also drove down so we got to visit with him too!

SOOOOO SAD!!! :( :( :(

So Megan has this crazy rash on her face that can't seem to get 100 % better! It will start to get better and then just get bad again. I am in the middle of changing alot of things to see what is causing it....laundry detergent, my diet, (since I am nursing her) etc. It could also just be her skin, but I really think that there is something that is bringing it on because of how it just comes and goes so quickly. I also took her to the doctor yesterday and found out that the rash that she also has on her hands in infected with staph. So I am putting a steroid ointment on her hands that has really helped to improve the rash on her hands, and of course I can't use that same ointment on her face. Oh and she also has a double ear infection, much to my surprise! Anyway, so she woke up at 4 this morning wanting to eat. So I fed her and when I was putting her back to bed I noticed her face had a really dark shadow on her right cheek. I turned the light on and saw this (picture below). It broke my heart!!! So what I believe happened is she got her arm loose from her swaddle and was scratching her face because it was itching her.

This picture looks alot worse than it is now because she had blood all over that side of her face. So once I cleaned it up with a wet cottonball it looked alot better! It's still no pretty sight!

This is how she looked tonight...less than 24 hours later.

What a difference some medicine, covered hands and a nice fresh clean up can make! I am keeping socks on her hands all the time. If I take them off I stay right with her and don't take my eye off her because she'll start to scratch in an instant. She hates the socks being on her hands and is not happy about it! She is a much happier baby when they are off...but that doesn't last long because she starts to attack her face soon after they are off!