And this is my Joy

Bottles, Bedtime, Books, and Battles.

2012-02-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

It is time.
I am done with bottles.

But I need a plan. Miss Kya is 15 months old now and I really need to wean her from the bottle. Especially now that we have her sleeping through the night! It only took, oh...almost 15 months!

*Trick that helped us: Getting rid of the morning nap. I was sad to let it go. Kya takes such great naps! But, she was just getting too much daytime sleep. Some might say, "Just let her stay up later at night." You don't know me very well, do you? I love my kids. But I like a few hours to myself at night. I hardly budge on the bedtime routine. Plus, my kids do NOT sleep in. If they are up late, they will surely be grumps the next day! The grumpies hit at dinner time...believe me folks...it's not fun.

She really does not like diapers...I think they make her skin itch. If she is shirt-less, this is what happens lately. Speaking of diapers...she's getting really close to the age where we begin introducing potty training! 18-24 months is the ideal age to begin. (not sitting them on the potty, wearing under roos, but just introducing the whole concept...wanted to make that clear) We are hoping for a positive experience.

Our pediatrician always tells me after check-ups that the things we do NOW, when our kids are little, determines what kind of teenagers we will have. He really stresses the importance of routines and consistency. It's good for kids and their developing brains. As for sleep routines, I am a firm believer of every family implementing their own. You don't have to do what Jane does, but make it a goal to be home every night and be consistent with bedtimes. Children need sleep. They do better in school, and learn more from their environment. As an adult, think about those days when you were sleep-deprived, and how your body and brain functioned. Don't do that to your kids. They don't even have the maturity, self control, and life experiences to handle the ill effects as well as adults.

After Kya was born, we got all out of whack when it came to routines. Everyone struggled because of it. It took some time, but now we have it down pretty good, besides a night here or there, where we get behind...life always gets in the way of something! After dinner, the kids get their pajamas on, brush their teeth, clean up toys, and then we read library books, the scriptures, family prayer, then one chapter out of a chapter book. Right now we are reading the Junie B. Jones books, they are hilarious, and perfect for my kids! They always beg for me to read just one more chapter!

This is the one we just finished last week. It made me dream of Hawaii!

Just a reminder: just because we have a bedtime routine, it doesn't mean we don't face bedtime battles. Kids will be kids. Our family doesn't function perfectly. I don't expect our family to function perfectly and I certainly don't expect other families to be perfect! So don't get discouraged if you come up with the perfect plan for bedtime, and it turns out to be a disaster! Those things seem to work themselves out with time.

She doesn't look like a baby anymore...more like a true toddler!!! Most interesting new word she said today was "corn starch"! Is allergic to cashews/pistachios and cats...confirmed by Dr. Parry, Pocatello Immunologist. Not looking forward to having to use an epi-pen. Is a very picky eater, barely weighs 22 lbs, dropped from 63% to 30% in weight. She's too busy talking and getting into EVERYTHING to bother with eating.

Saying, "Cheese!" and ~~eating~~ playing with her pudding. Instead of finger painting, let's call it body painting. Looks fun!

Weren't we talking about bottles? Haha....

Anyhoo...still trying to come up with a plan. Any advice is welcome, since this is my first child on a bottle, and I personally think it is much easier to wean a nursing baby...since they can't carry a boob all around the house, car, church, store or public places!

BOOKS.

We finally got ourselves back into a routine of going to the library! I love libraries! I love books!

My kids love books. If it wasn't important to us, it wouldn't be important to them. The key is to start when they are babies. I have 2 girls and 1 boy. They are all similar and different from one another. Some are more active than others. But active kids can learn to sit still as much as a more layed-back child. It just takes consistency and practice. So....don't give up if you have a child that can only seem to pay attention for a few seconds at a time! The more you set aside time to read to them, the longer their attention span will grow. Finding books that interest them helps.

Plus:
Reading opens up a world of learning.

Once your child learns to read, it is even more fun! Be patient with them as they are learning. Some begin reading at an early age. My kids (Anna and Carter) didn't show much interest in learning until the year they began Kindergarten...Carter begins this fall! Just because someone else's child is reading at age 3 or 4 years old, and yours is not, it doesn't mean one child is any smarter than the other. Go at the pace of your child, encourage them, find fun ways to help them, but if they resist, don't push them. It usually just means that the parent needs to take a different approach. Carter loves the website, starfall.com. It was amazing to see how fast Carter learned from that website compared to how little he learned from me!

Anna really learned to read in Kindergarten. She worked hard. And because she loves to be read to, she didn't give up on reading herself. She is now in first grade and reading 106 words per minute. The goal for all first graders by the end of the year is 62 wpm. I am not sure she can get much faster! I really feel like part of her success is from early exposure to reading.

Last week we made hot wings, the recipe is the same as Wingers. They turned out AWESOME!!!

Anna's favorite food is Wingers hot wings. We have gone there the past 2 years for her birthday. She told me, "Mom, these taste like you went and bought them from Wingers." Huge compliment! She ate more than all the adults. 7 wings. The next morning at 8:30 I get a call from her school. She has a stomach ache. Hmmm...wonder why? No, actually, she's been having continuous stomach aches since September of last year. She takes a daily laxative because her first diagnosis was constipation. She is still getting stomach aches. ??? I guess we will see what happens...

BATTLES.

I am not talking about battles between countries, but battles between parents and their kids. We all have em. No parent is exempt...nope....not even you. Dang, huh? I am constantly thinking about the current battles I am facing with my kids, and trying to come up with better resolutions on how to handle them. I love to read articles on parenting and articles about kids and the ages and stages they go through. My little sister is taking a class at BYU, and she has sent me some really interesting articles and such about parenting. I will post the links below for anyone interested. If you know of any good articles that you refer back to, please share! Like I said, I love a good parenting article! Nerdy, I know....but it's who I am.

Parenting Styles
"Instead of Yelling"
Positive Discipline (recording)
Deseret News Article
"Drawing out the Withdrawn Child"

This particular article didn't impress me much. I have strong opinions about video games, especially violent ones. I posted this one just to get some feedback from others. What did you think about it? Honestly, I think my son can learn plenty about good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, role playing and such from many Disney movies, good books, conversations with parents and other things.
Article about video games

This did come to mind as I was reading the article. This comes from the new "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Articles of Faith 1:13

"You live in a day of marvelous technologies that give you easy access to a wide variety of media, including the Internet, mobile devices, video games, television, movies, music, books, and magazines. The information and entertainment provided through these media can increase your ability to learn, communicate, and become a force for good in the world. However, some information and entertainment can lead you away from righteous living. Choose wisely when using media because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select only media that uplifts you.

Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal, humorous, or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Have the courage to walk out of a movie, change your music, or turn off a computer, television, or mobile device if what you see or hear drives away the Spirit."

If you want to read the new pamphlet click HERE.

This is just funny! "Help!!! I'm stuck!" She really was crying and saying "Guck! Guck!"

This one doesn't have anything to do with parenting, but my sister sent it to me and I liked it.
"How Can I Become the Woman of Whom I Dream?"

This one too. Share it, if you feel so impressed.
Beauty Redefined

And here we are at 13 weeks. I will be 14 weeks on Wednesday. Here's beauty redefined...you can be 3 months pregnant and be this big already and still look cute, right??? Please say yes!

PS: I wasn't mad, but I kinda look it. We took multiple shots...they were all bad...that is why I took up motherhood over modeling. Kids are much more accepting.

Amazing fact: I am still wearing normal jeans in that picture!! Woo! Weight gain has been great, just the right amount. Blood pressure good. No serious infections, not HIV positive and I don't have Hepatitis....whew!! That's a relief! At my 13 wk check up, my uterus was measuring at 15 weeks, baby's heartbeat was 122, which I thought was kinda low but I googled it and anywhere between 120-160 is normal. (that's going off my memory, so don't quote me on being exact on those numbers) The P.A. also found a fibrous lump of tissue in my breast, so the doctor will check that out in March. Not to worry, fibrous breast tissue does not automatically mean cancer. They can become cancer, but most likely pregnancy hormones have just caused my tissue to become more fibrous. We shall see what we find out in March!

Anyhow, Happy early Valentines Day to everyone and have a great week!

This one's for you...

2012-01-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

"You" know who you are...

Tonight I am watching American Idol, drinking water, and eating sunflower seeds. Food for birds right? I gotta eat like a bird tonight because yesterday I might have consumed about...oh....almost 3 plain cake donuts. They weren't small ones. Just sayin...

Yeah...and I opened the bag of Ruffles.

Not good....I mean, they tasted good, but not good, ya know??

Yeah...

But HEY! This isn't a guilty food confessions blog, and I am in no hurry to confess that since I typed the word "donut" that's all I can think about...those yummy cake donuts just sitting upstairs in the kitchen...

Now how about the first belly shot from baby #4??? I gained 2 lbs since my last post...the picture will explain everything.

Next week is my last week before I enter the second trimester! People, it's going by too fast! I am starting to imagine what life will be like with 4 kids! I am not impressed with what I am coming up with, hahaha! Let me expound on that:

Tuesday we decided to have fajitas for dinner, but I would need to go to the store to get a bell pepper and tomatoes. Not a big deal. I didn't have anyone home to watch the kids, so I packed them all up in the van and off to the store we went. I like to go to Smith's, the checkers are awesome fast, and they have baggers, plus car carts. (Not to mention donuts!!)

The drama started with the car cart. There's only enough room for 2. I have 3 kids. I normally go shopping with just Carter and Kya while Anna is at school, so Kya has learned to LOVE the car cart! I actually have issues with Kya picking on Carter, who is over 3 years older than her, while they are riding in the car cart! She rules the car cart, that's all there is to it!

So when Anna and Carter climbed into the car cart Tuesday, Kya was NOT having it. She started protesting in a very LOUD and embarrassing way. Gah! Yeah...she is crying, but it's her yell-cry, while squirming and kicking and arching her back. It's okay. I am used to public tantrums. Carter was a pro as a toddler. While Kya is protesting, Anna has hopped into her spot in the car cart, while Carter starts crying because he "doesn't have enough room!!" Don't worry, there were plenty of people to witness.

So, we've got Kya protesting, Carter whining, and Anna just sat there looking pretty. I decide that we are going to use a normal cart. Anna and Carter climb out, Carter's whines turn into tears, Anna picks up on the whining, and Kya is still very much in full protest!!!

It wasn't good people, it wasn't good.

I remained determined to plow through all the protests.

I made it to the bread.

Then I silently turned the cart around, parked it, picked up Kya, and headed for the door! As we are exiting the store, Carter is crying, "Mom! I thought you were gonna buy food!!" over and over. I just silently walked them to the van. It was one of those moments where you knew if you opened your mouth, it just wouldn't be good. That whole day had been a "bad" day for me...not because of the kids...but just dealing with other stuff. I had reached my limit. Done.

I drove the kids home, left them with grandma (who had just got home from work) and went back to the store with just Kya. Second attempt was a success.

As I re-told Russ about my "adventure" when he got home from work, his mom started to giggle. The further I got into the story, the funnier she found it to be!!! I couldn't help but find it all comical as well! Especially if you saw what I let my kids WEAR to the store!!!

So...take that story and just add another kid to the picture and maybe you can imagine why I am feeling not so impressed!

That being said, I LOVE being pregnant...until the last few months. I love watching my belly grow and feeling the baby start to move. Going into labor is so EXCITING too! I just love to talk with other women about their birth stories, and telling my own! And I am so excited for baby #4 to get bigger and to meet him/her in August...at least we are hoping for an August birth...not because I want to make it all the way to 40 weeks, but because both Anna and Carter were due in August, and they both came 2 weeks early, Carter 2 1/2, and have birthdays the end of July, only 5 days apart.

This babe is due August 15th...
See my dilemma?

To end: A few nights ago, as I was putting the kids into bed, I had to re-explain to Carter about his punishment for the next day. Earlier, he was throwing his cardboard Captain America shield. (because that's what Captain America does...duh!) Grandpa asked Carter to stop after it hit Grandpa in the face. Instead of stopping, Carter gave the shield another toss, and it hit his cousin Suzi!!! (don't worry, it didn't hurt her) So, Carter had to sit in timeout, then apologize to grandpa and Suzi, and then he got all of his shields taken away from him for the night and next day. He was very upset.

At bedtime, Carter asked me about his shields. I told him he lost the privelage to play with them because of his behavior. He was the saddest kid I ever saw! As he was crying, he tells me, "Mom....why do you always have to hurt my feelings???"

Oh, kids! We sure laughed about that one later!!! If only I had time to share all the funny things that come out of Carter's mouth!!! Next post....next post!

I am just glad he's not wearing this stuff anymore. He now insists I call him "Peter Parker" and when he is playing, I often hear him saying, "Call me captain!" "Cuz I'm a CAPTAIN!" or "I'm the Human Spider!"

Thank goodness for super heroes!

4 Weeks of Service

2012-01-20T23:18:00.000-08:00

For Family Home Evenings this year, I wanted to do monthly "Themes". I feel like our kids will learn more when we stick to something similar each week and they get some repetition.

We got a late start for January, but the theme I chose is "Service". Each week we will choose someone, and do an act of service for that person/family.

Of all the qualities I want my kids to develop, service is at the top. To me, it doesn't really matter how talented a person is, though having talents and using/sharing them is so important, but if a person doesn't learn to forget himself and serve others, then I feel like they are missing something truly wonderful in their life.

Often life for kids is all about "me, me, me". Look at me, look what I did, watch me do this, look what I got, this is what I want to do." It is a natural process all little kids go through, and I think it is an important process they NEED to go through. Our little ones need to know that the thiings they do are important and that they are noticed by their parents. When they learn something new, or accomplish a difficult task, the praise they receive gives them confidance and courage to keep learning and trying new things.

But as parents, we need to balance their "It's all about me" mentality with opportunities to think about others. As children grow older, they naturally develop the need to want to please their parents. Children crave approval. And they watch all of us adults and pick up on so much more than we think. They pick up on our attitudes, notice what is important to us by how we react through our facial expressions and body language, use of eye contact, tone of voice...they listen to what we talk about when we are with other adults, on the phone, and what we do during the day and with our free time. Children will come to their own conclusions about what they need to say/do to gain approval by what they observe in daily life.

Some children will grow to think that they have to be a certain way in order for mom and dad to be proud of them. It is up to us, as parents, to make sure we are communicating to our children how we feel about them as individuals in our family, each one special in their own way and unique, offering something to the family that maybe others can't. We need to let them know that it is okay to have different talents, that little brother might be able to do cartwheels and flips so easily, and even though mom and dad get so excited to see him do so well, that it's okay that the big sister struggles with that kind of stuff, because she is so great at reading, writing, and drawing.

I think for kids, that they need a break from always trying to compete for the spotlight, and take many moments to instead focus on others. The more opportunities they are given to help someone else, the easier it becomes for them to not be selfish in that moment when baby sister has the whole family's attention, and the other children find joy and happiness in the successes of others, feeling secure about who they are, knowing they are loved, and understanding that life just isn't "all about me".

Does that all make sense?

Our first act of service, we chose to visit aunt Chelsea. She had the flu the day before and still wasn't feeling well. We put together a basket of goodies to bring to her, uncle Wes, and cousin Suzi. We had a lesson about Love before we went, and talked about how we show love for others and read the scripture where Christ says, "when ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me." The scripture talks about visiting the sick, and I explained to the kids that that is what we would be doing. I asked Carter a question and his answer made me laugh!

Me: "So Carter, when someone is sick, like Chelsea, what should we do?" (We had just talked about how we show love for others, hoping he would connect visiting the sick with being an act of love.)

Carter replied with excitement, "We bring em a TREAT!!!"

It was funny. Treats equal love for sure, right???

It was so fun to visit aunt Chels, and the kids were so excited to show her all her goodies! And Suzi, who is not yet 2 yrs old, was SO excited to have visitors! It felt good to be able to do something nice for someone else, to go out of our way, and to do more than what was expected, so we could show love and appreciation for that person. I want my kids to feel the greater joy of giving than receiving, and to teach them that it is important to care for others and think about their needs.

In life, there were times when I didn't have much, but I ALWAYS had the ability to give of myself. Kind words, showing affection, offering help...those things don't cost us a penny...yet those very things become worth more than anything in this world that money could buy. We become more like HIM.

That is our ultimate goal, right? Right!

Next week: we are going to find a way to show love and appreciation for our teachers. What are you doing?

Oreos and peanut butter...

2012-01-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

Hold on....gotta take a bite....

hmmmmm....dat is soooo dewicious....

Sometimes in life, you have to be rebellious. I am totally rebelling tonight...as I take another swig of my Sprite and prepare to eat another bite of saturated fat!

Hey! And "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" is playing on the Food Network. There's nothing better than THAT to get your rebellious streak in gear!

Sorry to all of you "Resolutioners" who are on strict diets...I am not writing any of this to spite you, I am just going with the writers flow....and participating in what experts call "emotional eating"....it's supposed to make me feel better, right? Especially after spending the majority of the past month and a half sick, or taking care of sick kids, barely getting out of the house, and having hardly enough energy to do the basics like feeding the kids, wiping endlessly runny noses, dosing out Benydryl and Motrin, and keeping the toys cleaned up and laundry from staying in the dryer for days on end, fluffing and re-fluffing with good intentions of getting it folded, only to re-fluffify the next day...or two...

Tonight I deserve saturated fat. And that absolutely delicious looking pizza on t.v.!!!

*pregnant women should be banned from watching the Food Network!

-94% of Americans eat pizza...good to know....good to know...

Another thing I am rebelling in: The Christmas Post. Who really wants to look at a bunch of photos of us in pajamas buried in boxes and wrapping paper? We had a GREAT Christmas. The giving and receiving was much fun. But honestly, the quiet moments are what I loved best, like standing by Kya's crib at bedtime, watching her drink her bottle and rub the corner of her blankie on her cheek, and loving her all the more as she finishes her bottle, hands it to me and replies in her cute little voice, "Tank Koo". That's "Thank You" if you don't understand toddler jabber. I love those moments because I know that the CrAzInEsS from the holidays is over, life can settle back down, and I can sleep knowing that kitchen clean-up that lasts for weeks is coming to an end.

Ever heard of this: "Oklahoma Dog"? Big ol beef frank, wrapped in bacon, dipped in beer batter, deep fried, then served on a grilled sourdough bun and topped with mustard and onions. Would you eat it??? Being pregnant....I definitely would!

Here's a cute pic of the kids Christmas morning that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!

Seriously....it doesn't get any better than that!

We also had a blast playing Twister after Christmas was over. Carter picked it out for Anna....best.gift.ever. Here are some choice pictures for you to enjoy:

Pictures speak for themselves, right? Anna was practically doing the splits most of the time! Did you know that you can get a REALLY good workout playing Twister? Very true. I did get sweaty, and was sore the next day. SO FUN! I had such a good time getting my niece, Olivia, on the mat, and then coming up with my own moves for her. Hilarious!

Good times, oh good times.

TMI time:
Time to explain the fact that I am, yes....pregnant!!! Not much to explain, we obviously know HOW it happened. It defintely was NOT planned. Yup....our first "oops" moment. It happens to everyone, right? Yes, we were using birth control, but our method was the "family planning" method. Track your period, chart your day of ovulation, and know that the "fertile" period is so many days before ovulation day, and so many days after ovulation day. Easy enough.

BUT...

I failed to take into account the changes in my cycle. I had been running weekly. I lost weight quickly and went from 130 lbs to 113lbs in probably a month. Because I am only barely over 5ft tall, that's a lot of weight loss. My cycle went all wacky on me. My cycle is normally every 28 days on the dot, very predictable. I would just chart my cycle on my calendar in advance because it was so predictable. Things got all wacky and off kilter, but I didn't even think to make the changes on the calander. Thus....surprise!!!....missed period and positive pregnancy test!

Do you know what they call people who use the "Family Planning" method?

-Parents. Ha. ha. ha.

I am watching Guy eat deep fried clams. Seriously??? I need some!!! And Lobster Stew! Too bad it's served in Maine! I am sorry, but Pocatello is seriously lacking in the quality of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Here's a few more cute pics and then I will wrap this post up.

2011 quote of the year:

Carter is opening a present. He gets all the wrapping paper off and the present is inside a box.

I say, "Wow! You got a box!!!"

Carter,"A box? It's just what I wanted!!!"

Hahahahaha! I sure love my kids. I've had some long days, and many moments where I was counting down the hours until bedtime. But the amount of love is always there...just sometimes hard to reach. I guess it's my job to find a better stool.

PS: I am almost 10 weeks prego and haven't gained a pound...yeah....totally not like me....not sure what went right this time....so I am so totally not feeling guilty at all about those Oreos!

...and pass the homemade ravioli....please....!!!

Christmas Part I

2011-12-27T20:16:00.001-08:00

Let us not forget...

2011-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode
only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.

The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
while visions of Nintendo 64 and Barbie, flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
with a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.

So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
she descended the stairs, and saw the old man.

He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug.
"Oh great," muttered the mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake."
"Your gift was especially difficult to make."

"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that?
Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat."

The mother's twin. Same hair, same eyes,
same double chin. "She'll cook, she'll dust,
she'll mop every mess. You'll relax, take it easy,
watch The Young & the Restless."

"Fantastic!" the mom cheered.
"My dream come true! "I'll shop. I'll read.,
I'll sleep a whole night through!"

From the room above, the youngest began to fret.
"Mommy?! I scared... and I 'm wet."

The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the mom smiled, "She knows her part."

The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune,
as she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon.

"You the best mommy ever. " I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you, too."

The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal."
That's my child's love, she's trying to steal."

Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear,"
Only one loving mother, is needed here."

The mom kissed her child, and tucked her into bed.
"Thank you, Santa, " for clearing my head.

I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
when they'll be too old, for my cradle-song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."

With the clone by his side Santa said, "Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, Mom, You'll be all right."
-author unknown

Click the link below for a wonderful Christmas story
In Search of the Christmas Spirit

May we all strive to remember why we are here at this time, and to whom we owe our greatest thanks for all that has been given us. And then with gratitude in our hearts may we go forth in the true spirit of Christmas, taking upon ourselves His name and loving and serving our fellow men.

"The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His presence."

As mothers, our daily lives might not be grand and glorious. Our days are more often filled with cooking, cleaning, tending sick children, suffering from lack of sleep, laundry, laundry, and more laundry, crumbs on the floor, sticky hands and faces, spills, little ones crying, fighting, and throwing tantrums in public. But for a second, let's just ignore all of those things, pretend they don't exist, and see what is left. When I think about what I am left with, it is more than I ever asked for. And then instead of thinking about all the things that are difficult in life, first let us think about everything else we have been blessed with.

I have been given so much.

And so have you.

Let us not forget....

This was too funny not to post...

2011-12-11T22:39:00.001-08:00

Maybe it's just me or maybe it is just really late and I need some sleep, but I laughed so hard I cried watching this!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

Busy, busy, busy!!!

2011-12-10T14:12:00.001-08:00

It's been crazy around here over the past month! Thanksgiving was awesome and the food I enjoyed the most was probably the homemade cheeseball and of course a nice slice of pumpkin pie! Oh...and bacon-wrapped little smokies! Thanksgiving night I left the kids with Russ and headed off to Twin Falls. This time, I didn't have to stop in Raft River for gas, and after driving around for way too long, and afraid of running out of gas in the middle of nowhere, stopped by a random home filled with people who did not speak English except for one girl, who told me there are no gas stations in Raft River! They pointed me in the way to a farm, where there were gas pumps. The only farmhouse I found with gas pumps had no one home! So...I ended up getting the help of a truck driver, who also spoke no English, who called his boss...and this boss got ahold of one of his other workers, who came to my rescue, brought about 10 gallons of gas, filled up my tank, refused payment, and told me to "Pay it forward!" Whew!

Let's just say, even if I am in a hurry, I ALWAYS fill my tank before I leave town!!!!! And thank goodness for guardian angels and a Heavenly Father who watched over me that night!

Anyhoo....

Thanksgiving night I left with a full tank of gas, gave Raft River a nice scowl as I drove by, and made it to Twin safely to prepare for my sister's bridal shower on Friday!

I mean, really....what town just doesn't have a gas station???? Ridiculous!

Friday morning, I was my sister's escort as she went through the Twin Falls Temple to receive her endowment. It was a very special day for both of us and we shared some awesome moments together! I am grateful for the knowledge that Heavenly Father has provided Temples all over the world for all of His children, to bless them and bring them closer to Him. And the best part is that whether in this life or the next, all of God's children will be taught and given the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, to learn about His gospel, and have the saving ordinances performed for them that bring eternal life and exaltation. What God offers to one, He offers to ALL.

Here is a neat video about a new temple in El Salvador:

Click Here to learn more about LDS Temples.

Back to my report:

My sister's bridal shower was held at Kiwi Loco in Twin Falls, and everything turned out GREAT! Thanks you to everyone who came!! It was tons of fun! I was the host, and was very nervous about it all! Haylee got some pretty awesome stuff to start her married life out with...and some pretty fun stuff too! Now we all just have to make it through the next few weeks until the BIG day on December 30th! Oh, and if you sneak Christmas and all the festivities in there too, it calls for a VERY busy next few weeks!!!

I am doing an arrangement of paintings of different sizes for her backdrop at the reception, and I have almost 4 out of the 8 completed! I will post pics soon....but don't hold your breath....ya know....just in case.

The past few weeks I have been able to finish felt dress-up dolls for my neices and cousin, as well as Kya's quiet book, felt ornaments, and I still have quite a few projects yet to be started and finished! Hopefully I can get it all done in good time!

We made it a goal to get most of our Christmas shopping done by the end of November, and we were successful! We just have a few things to get for Kya (we are having the hardest time finding just the perfect gift for her), and a few finishing-up stuff and we are done! It's a good feeling to know we don't have to rush last minute!

Another fun fact about the past few weeks: the Flu bug attacked our family...I think there was a total of 16 family members who all came down with the Flu all within the same week! It was crazy! LUCKILY...I did NOT get it!!! Just all my kids.

Besides the fact that I have had a bad sinus cold for 15 days now, we are all well, happy, and counting down the days until Christmas! Monday we had Family Home Evening, and I made present out of felt, and we talked about what our gift to Christ would be this Christmas. I want my kids to really understand that it is not about presents, but about Him. He will bring us more happiness, peace, and comfort than any present will. After all He gives to us, we need to make sure we are giving something back. Anna's gift was "If someone needs help, I will help them." Carter's was "a spiderman web shooter" at first, so we had to talk about how we give Christ different gifts than the ones we want to receive from Santa! He helped me decide that his gift would be "Making good choices", since that is something I am really working with him on. My gift was to continue having Family Home Evening every week, family scripture study, and family prayer. My gift I want to improve upon is doing my personal scripture study everyday, as well as consistently saying my personal morning and night prayers. I know that if we center our lives around Christ, speak of Him often, teach our children about Him during everyday activities, use His example as we discipline, and remember Him as we try to do more of what He has asked us in our everyday lives, that our lives will be greatly blessed, relationships will flourish, there will be more peace and less contention, and our homes will truly become a place of refuge, a place where we will always want to be.

If you are interested in some new Bible videos about Jesus Christ click ME! They are awesome!

What has your month been like and what gift are you giving to Christ this Christmas?

Gotta go....so much to do, dinner....and I promised the kids we would make gingerbread houses tonight...which means a trip to the store! If only I could perfect the icing recipe to be stronger so that it holds it all together better! Any ideas???

Oh, and to end on a happy thought....Russ has one more week of school left and then we get to have him with us everyday instead of a few hours Friday night, a few hours Saturday night, and Sunday. It's amazing how much more I can accomplish in less amount of time when he is home!!!

Aw.....crud!

2011-11-18T20:31:00.001-08:00

I washed a BIG load of whites last night. It feels good to wash all the dirty clothes. It makes me feel so...oh, what's the word....starts with an "m".....shoot....ma....mmme.....dang....it's not coming!

So tonight, I start pulling out all those nice, clean, white, fluffed clothes. And I start seeing traces of red. A little red here, more over there....

What.Is.That.????

Then I find Anna's sock. The whole toe is covered in red and the sock is stiff!!!

What in the heck is that??????

I had to go through that huge, ginormous load of clothes, searching for the mysterious item that bled all over my nice white clothes. Nothing. Then Russ sniffed the stiff sock. When in doubt, or ever confused, just give it a whif! You want to know what it smelled like?

Crayon.

Do you ever have times where your kids did something, and you can't figure out what possessed them to do it?

Who just thinks, "Hmmm, I am going to take this RED crayon, and put it in this sock...just for fun!" Cuz...yeah....that's what happened.

So my next question is...
"How in the world do you get melted and dried RED crayon out of white clothing?"

.....cuz, uh....I got nothin....zip..............nada.

Thanks Crayola...making this mom's ~~life~~....laundry.....bright and beautiful.
Sorry, but I won't be hanging up the red masterpieces on the fridge this time...

Nap time

2011-11-17T12:50:00.001-08:00

Lately, I have had Carter take a nap in the afternoon. He seems more tired during the day than usual, yawning non-stop. He goes to bed on time, so I am not sure what the deal is. Carter and Kya are both taking their naps right now, Anna doesn't get home from school until about 2:40, so I am taking advantage of my free time to get some things caught up before life gets too busy.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I always feel the need to do deep cleaning before a big holiday, so today I have been making mental lists of all my "to do's". Of course we have lots of cooking to plan for to celebrate Thanksgiving, plus we want to plan something special to do on that day with family, like a family devotional or something, so we aren't just getting together to eat. The day after Thanksgiving is my sister's bridal shower in Twin Falls, which I am helping host, so lots to get done for that. She is also going through the temple that morning, which I am so excited about! I haven't had a chance to go through the Twin Falls temple yet, and I am greatly anticipating that! Russ and I want to have all of our Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving as well...we've got a list for that too. Then I have to teach the first Sunday of December in Relief Society, and so I really need to get started there, plus I have sewing projects to finish! Kya's quiet book, a dress-up doll for Anna and two neices, and a cousin...(who is more like a neice to me since she's the same age as my kids), ornaments for our kids, a notebook and crayon holder for Anna and Carter...plus a few more sewing things. I am also doing a collage of paintings for the backdrop at my sister's wedding reception December 30th, and I am starting to stress over those, since it will take me about a month to get them all done! Yup...if you do the math, that doesn't leave me with much time!!!

Lots to do! I am just trying to take it one day at a time! Anyways, I came across some things over the past few weeks and I wanted to share.

I loved this message. It is something I have been thinking about alot. I think it is a great message for people of any age. I have been pondering for weeks about how I want to use my time, I have been making changes, and I feel better about my life because of those changes. There are still more changes to be made, and this video just reinforces in my mind the importance of families coming together and working out their kinks, and learning how to function in better ways...taking out what is not needed and replacing those things with something better.

A little over a week ago, one day I had a ton of things to do. Because of that Carter watched t.v. all throughout that day. As much as I could justify to myself and others why it happened, I could have done better. It's hard. And you have to make sacrifices. But I know, at the end of the day, and I knew at the end of that day, that I owe my kids more than that. I can be better.

Next...
The weather has been cold. I haven't gone running for a month! So, I have got to exercise inside for the rest of the winter...which isn't my most favorite thing to do...but I am going to do it consistently, darn it! I came across a really great link that helps you figure out your Body Mass Index, as well as gives other useful information too. If you are interested, click HERE!!!

I calculated mine, and it told me my daily caloric intake should be: 1,380
I watched a previous episode on Biggest Loser, where the contestants had to guess the calories of their favorite meal. One of the contestant's meal was over 3,000 calories...and if I recall, it was over 4,000! Wow! I know I am uneducated about certain foods and the calories, but I am trying to be more aware. This week's episode of Biggest Loser I learned that if you put 2 tsp of cream and 2 tsp of sugar in your coffee, you can gain 10 lbs in a year! From 2 tiny little TEASPOONS! That's crazy.

Changes I am making in the way I eat are these:
Drink plenty of water
Don't snack after dinner
Have you tried Greek Yogurt? It's a great source of protein, and I put granola on mine. The brand I like best is called YoCrazy...and you can buy it with granola included.
Whole wheat bread
Healthy cereal that has whole grains and fiber. Click HERE for a list of some healthier choices to try. I have tried the Kashi brands and I REALLY like them.
I try not to snack between meals
I have been trying very hard to not eat sugary sweets and drinks, candy, ice cream and so on. I know this sounds crazy, but the longer you go without eating sugary stuff, the less satisfying it is when you do eat it. I am serious!
And of course, I try to go for more fruits and veggies vs. processed foods

Finally...
I watched this Mormon Message last week. It makes me feel good inside. I watch it every Thanksgiving because I love it and it helps me get in "The Spirit of Thanksgiving"!

We made it to 7...

2011-11-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Russ and I made it through 7 years of marriage!

7 years = one 6 year old, one 4 year old, and one one year old! When Anna was born, we had been married 9 months and 6 days!!! Doesn't get much closer than that! (She was 2 weeks early)

"Find joy in your children. Don't over-schedule them or yourself. You may not be able to take them on exotic vacations. It doesn't matter. When the day dawns bright and sunny, take an excursion to the canyon or the park. When it's cloudy and wet, read a book together or make something good to eat. Give them time to explore and learn about the feel of grass and the wiggliness of worms." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley``

7 years= 5 moves, members of 3 different wards, lots of callings...primary teachers, nursery workers, Elder's Quorum and Primary presidencies, Scouts, choristers, teaching the young men, subsituting...lots of hard work, lots of fun, lots of frustrations too! Yesterday morning, right before church started, Russ got called in to visit with the Bishop. I came a bit later with Kya. Russ helped pass the sacrament, so we didn't talk. Announcements were made for new callings, since our ward and another were recently split and a third ward was created, and Russ stood as they called him to be the first counselor in the Young Men's! Russ was watching my reaction, and I guess it was pretty funny! Just a few weeks ago I got put in as the second counselor in our Relief Society! I am in charge of Enrichment activities....I am excited and a bit anxious....and I have to give the first lesson in Relief Society for December...and there's no topic. Whatever I want. Yikes! Wish me luck! So much to learn from each new calling...

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man (and woman) is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby." -D&C 46:11-12

7 years= A few failed meals, like "Favorite Macaroni" with a new spice...lemon pepper!!! YUCK! What was I thinking??? Years later we still laugh about that...and laugh about when I turned the oven on with a bowl of caramel popcorn in it! I ruined Russ's favorite Tupperware bowl. I also ruined our griddle. I put it on the back of the car while I was buckling Carter into his carseat. Then I got into the car and so did Russ. He turned the corner and heard "SMASH!" as he saw pieces of something bouncing all over the road! Oops...it was the griddle!!! I loved that griddle. Russ got me a new one for Christmas! I don't feel so bad about the griddle now, because this year, he forgot to put his backpack in the car, shut the strap in the door, then dragged it down a dirt road, and ran over part of it before he realized what happened! It had his laptop in it. Yeah. He can thank his lucky stars that the laptop was completely fine! We have some pretty darn good luck! Especially when I left my purse on the back of the car in Salt Lake City. It fell off into the road. We had no idea. Some guys in a big truck grabbed it, chased us down, and gave it back! I really try not to leave things on the back of our vehicles anymore.

...don't ask me why I am admitting this to everyone...

7 years= all body parts still here and in pretty good shape, minus one gall bladder from Russ, I got my first cavity and filling, and amazingly, we still weigh about the same as we did when we were married! We were told it would all be downhill after marriage, but somehow, we have managed to dodge that ball! Whew! We are really trying to get into better shape, eat well, stay active, and make better choices overall than maybe we have made in the past.

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." -Mosiah 4:27

"Choose carefully each day that which you will do and that which you will not do, and the Lord will bless you to accomplish the important things that have eternal consequences." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley

7 years has included 32 months total I spent breastfeeding. It actually doesn't really seem like a whole lot. Do I dare even try to figure out how many diapers we have changed? Probably over a thousand! Nights of little to no sleep? I would have to say we've been lucky there, our kids are good sleepers, minus baby #3 who I will affectionately call "Little Miss Stinker!" Our marriage just wouldn't be so awesome if the past 7 years didn't include the ups and downs of raising little ones...and we always feel so blessed to have healthy, happy children...despite the difficulties.

"I know it is hard for you young mothers to believe that almost before you can turn around the children will be gone and you will be alone with your husband. You had better be sure you are developing the kind of love and friendship that will be delightful and enduring. Let the children learn from your attitude that he is important. Encourage him. Be kind. It is a rough world, and he, like everyone else, is fighting to survive. Be cheerful. Don't be a whiner." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Marriage is still very much a living institution, worth all the time and patience invested in it. Marriage is the stable structure that encircles and supports two clumsy individuals, learning to love and live with each other." -Ronna Romney and Betty Harrison, "Giving Time a Chance"

7 years we can look back and see that we have experienced so much life!!! We have been given so much! So much generosity from family, friends, and anonymous givers too. How much it means to us to this day to think back on the times when my grandparents would fill up our car before we headed back home, the night when someone left Christmas gifts by our front door, when my sister and her husband unexpectedly gave us $100...just because they felt like they had been given so much through their struggles raising their firstborn son, who suffers from some pretty extreme physical disabilities, and they wanted to "pay it forward." We can never forget the time when we had my brother Ben, and the strength we received from the prayers of family members. When we got married, we received great sums of money from Aunts and Uncles and loved ones. Thank you so much! Russ recently had a few dental appointments. The work done on his mouth would have cost us about $3,000.00. Our bill was $0.00 and we were told to use the money to get my wisdom teeth out instead. Words cannot do justice or explain our gratitude.

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious;and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." -D&C 78:19

Grandpa Meredith always takes time to give special attention to our kids, taking them outside for walks in the backyard, and because of that, our kids have a great relationship and bond with him. My dad gives me great advice and wisdom about life, family, and what is most important. He has helped me to make different choices in my life that have benefited my family. My grandma, Nanny, has never forgotten my birthday. Jan Stubbs, one of my old Young Women leaders, always remembers my birthday too and sends me the cutest homemade cards. It means so much...those small kind acts. The past 7 years wouldn't be anything if I didn't have my sisters there with me. Sometimes, we haven't gotten along, or treated each other the way we should. We face bumps along the way. But my sisters are willing to forgive. When someone withholds forgiveness...it hurts. I am blessed with some pretty awesome sisters. (and brothers too)

We have been blessed over the past years from many, many, MANY, manymanymany expressions of love from family and friends around us. We could never count them all. And I have been blessed from all the wonderful expressions of love from Russ. When he comes home from school, the first thing he does is hug his kids, give em all kisses, and then he attacks me!!! "I love you" are words he uses multiple times a day. He has a love for family history and the scriptures. He gets so excited about growing food in the garden, canning, and building up food storage. He is always encouraging me to write more, paint, sew, and run...because he knows those things are what bring me more happiness in my life. We have really struggled over the past 7 years to consistently have FHE, family prayer and scripture study...but I think we have FINALLY figured it out and have realized the great blessings that come from making those priorities and doing them everyday and every week. (even when we have nights where we TRY to read scriptures and it ends up more a disaster than success!) We for sure are not perfect. We have had moments where we certainly weren't proud of our actions. But we just try to move on, learn from our mistakes, hope others are willing to look past our faults, and improve upon our life circumstances and improve ourselves.

"The test, then, of our soul's greatness is rather to be sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to help others, rather than our ability to help ourselves and crowd others down in the struggle of life." -Joseph F. Smith

With everything 7 years has brought us, we are excited to live through many more.

Alma said, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." -alma 37:6

"When we look back on decades of life we see that the seemingly insignificant things we do over and over actually weave the pattern of our lives. And if those small and simple things are good, we will end up having lived a fulfilling life-and that is a great thing!" -Marjorie Pay Hinckley

October 21...Little Miss...turned ONE!

2011-11-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

"Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside."

"Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes."

"The most effective form of birth control I know is spending the day with my kids."

"A mother who navigates the waters of the terrible twos can weather any storm"

"Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for awhile."

"Never tell a child anything you wouldn't want the whole neighborhood to know."

"There are only two things a child will share willingly-communicable diseases and his mother's age."

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."

"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after."

"Child rearing means taking a big bite out of your life."

"Surrendering to motherhood means surrendering to interruption."

"Darwin actually had mothers in mind when he came up with the "survival of the fittest" theory."

"Motherhood is not for the fainthearted. Used frogs, skinned knees, and insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy."

"I don't know why they say 'you have a baby.' The baby has YOU."

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."

Happy Birthday Miss Kya Lyn!!! You are becoming our sweet but fiery little girl...full of life, fun, tantrums and squeals, busy as can be getting into everything you shouldn't and telling us, "Nooo, no, NOOO!"

A few years ago, as I was sitting in the Celestial room of the Rexburg Temple, I knew there was a spirit waiting in Heaven to become a part of our family. And everything I went through to bring this little cutie pie to this earth was worth it...and I would do it all over again....except maybe not the whole being in labor with a posterior baby....that part I could do without....can I add GERD and Colic to that list too? Thanks.

You are the poem
I dreamed of writing
the masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for In my
ever hopeful quest
for life fulfilled..
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.

Upcoming posts...if I can manage to find the time:
Halloween
7 yr wedding anniversary
Quiet Book
Baptisms
Church Callings
Family Pictures

Things yet to happen like:
Thanksgiving
Paintings and projects
My baby sister's bridal shower
Christmas
Baby sister's wedding

Whew!! Good times, all!!! Good times...

A little ordinary, average, everyday Goodness...

2011-10-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

This morning I HAD to take a picture of Anna before she left for school because she just looked so darn cute! I am trying to find new ways to fix her hair since she decided she did not want bangs anymore. Her bangs hit her right in the eyes so we have a long while before she can tuck them behind her ears.

Here are a few tidbits of information about her:

She is surprising me this year in first grade at how many friends she has made. Each week, we hear about a new friend she sat with at lunch or played with at recess. She has struggled with shyness and social anxiety her whole life, so I am very relieved to see it getting better and better.

Anna is excelling in reading and math. The goal for all first graders is to read 16 words per minute by January. Anna is already reading 32 words per minute, which was so exciting for us, as parents, to hear! She loves to read! Right now she has been working hard at reading a chapter book, "Meet Kaya" from the American Girl series. She can't read every word, but she sounds each one out, and in my opinion, that is the best kind of practice for her!!

Loo has been working on the art of making "fish faces" and she is getting quite good. There's talent for ya!! Another recent talent is clicking her tongue, fine tuning her technique for "fake crying"... for example, I will scrunch up my face and say, "Boo, hoo, hoo!" and she will mimic me. She's getting to be quite convincing! She is also very good at crying for attention, especially crying at grandpa and getting him to take her outside to see the "woof, woof!" She loves to say "Hi!" and "Bye!" and even heard a random woman say "Bye" while we were at Walmart, and Kya said "Bye" right back! She can barely stand to see another cousin holding one of her toys, and will quickly try to take it away. She's showing us how well she can cry crocodile tears too, after we stop her from taking the said toy away from the said cousin! Talent, I tell you!

I don't know about you, but I think Batman needs some more work with his "fish face." Batman has been gracing us with his presence lately, as well as Wolverine, Spider Man, and Iron Man. An occasional Power Ranger will vist too. All of these super heros have one thing in common: they like to run, jump off of anything they are not supposed to, and yell...a lot. It's been real.....fun. Today Wolverine rode his "motorcycle" that shoots fire out the back to the park with me. I also found out that Wolverine loves to drink Egg Nog, with a straw. And Wolverine went down for a nap today very well....much better than Carter would have. I think we are gonna keep Wolverine around for awhile, as long as he stops jumping off the couch.

Not much else to report. Kya will be one year old next weekend, Russ and I will celebrate our 7 year wedding anniversary, my sister Emma has the most adorable newborn baby boy, Jaxton, my sis Haylee is officially engaged to be married December 30th, we made lots of sugar cookies that we need to frost tonight, I am planning on posting pics of Kya's quiet book I have been working on, Kya is now drinking half formula, half whole milk, and hmmmm....got lots of laundry to do this weekend!

There you go, just a little, ordinary, average, everyday goodness!

Have a very happy weekend filled with lots of everyday goodness!!! And, uh...we'll keep working on those "fish faces"....right Batman???

16 Years Ago...

2011-10-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have always loved October. I love the way the wind carries with it the smells of change. My favorite thing to do when I go outside each day is to inhale deeply. It's so very lovely outside in October. And what beauty comes from the changing of the leaves from bright green to deep golds and reds...the sight has always, with each passing year, brought to my soul wonderment, awe, and a deep abiding peace. I LOVE October. I love it for the new zeal I receive to bake homemade pumkin bread, chicken noodle soup, and so many others of my favorite recipes! I am filled with pleasure when my feet get to crunch through all the crackly, crumbly, crinkly leaves. Leaves have such a distinct smell too...have you ever noticed? I love it! Autumn is a wonderful time of year...a time of harvest...canning...a time for preparing for the cold winter. Moms get to dress their babies up in cute wool tights and sweater dresses, and after the kids have been playing outside...there's the slightest nip in the air that brings the most lovely rosiness to their cheeks and noses...so cute! I love to wake up in the morning and have a hot cup of apple cider for breakfast with wholegrain toast sporting a robe and fuzzy socks.

Speaking from a religious point of view, I love October for the opportuniy as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to listen to a living Prophet speak during the Chruch's worldwide semi-annual General Conference. I have been listening and re-listening to the recent talks that were given this past weekend. I am learning so much. It is a great blessing to me. I was just listening to a talk this evening by Kazuhiko Yamashita titled "Missionaries are a Treasure of the Church." If you would like to listen or watch or read this talk Go Here.

This talk made me remember that 16 years ago, in October, I was baptized at the age of 12 years old. It never occurred to me that of all my most favorite times of the year, I was baptized in my most favorite time and month...which, now, at this very moment, makes me love October all the more. (especially since I was also married in October) I echo the very words spoken by Brother Yamashita,

"I would like to express my sincere love, respect, and feeling of thankfulness for all the returned missionaries who have served around the world. I am sure that those you helped convert have not forgotten you. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings … !”

I remember. I have not forgotten and will never forget. The missionaries taught me and one of my younger brothers at a time where our family was in great turmoil. They taught us during the climax of my parent's drug addiction. They never entered our home. I always wondered why. Now I understand. The Spirit could have never dwelled inside the walls of that house, where there was so much despair, pain, anguish, abuse, fear, loss of hope and faith. Those missionaries knew what was going on. They made us lunch one afternoon, and took us to the park and fed us. We had so little food, sometimes none. We didn't think they knew any of what we were going through. They knew. And I think now of what they must have thought each day as they left us, wondering what would become of us.

The messages they shared with me gave me the literal strength to get up each day and face the awfulness that my life was back then. They taught me the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I began to understand that God loved me, that He didn't cause such awful things to happen to my family, but that the influence of Satan drew my parents away from all the goodness that is found on the Earth. I knew that my parents choices caused all the suffering, but I could still find strength to overcome all my suffering if I had faith in God, trusted in Him, and kept His commandments. His promise to me would be blessings to come, relief through the Atonement, peace and understanding from reading the scriptures, and physical, moral, and spiritual help through those who would act as His hands.

Brother Yamashita also goes on to say:

"I would now like to say a few words to the missionaries currently serving missions around the world. Your attitudes and the love that you show toward others are very significant messages. Even though I didn’t immediately grasp all the doctrines that the missionaries taught me, I felt of their great love, and their many acts of kindness taught me important lessons. Your message is a message of love, a message of hope, and a message of faith. Your attitude and your actions invite the Spirit, and the Spirit enables us to understand the things that are important. What I want to convey to you is that through your love, you are imparting the love of God. You are a treasure of this Church. I am so very thankful to all of you for your sacrifice and your dedication."

My missionaries taught me of LOVE, HOPE, and FAITH. They helped to plant the seed of faith in my heart, and through the help of my family, leaders, ward members, and good friends, that seed of faith began to grow. So many people became a part of my physical conversion and my own spiritual conversion and I will ever be thankful for all of them throughout these 16 years...especially for those who were there at the beginning and have stayed with me to this very day.

I am who I am because of the trials I lived through. I knew hunger, deprivation, neglect, verbal and emotional abuse, manipulation, fear, panic, hysteria, depression, pain, deep sorrow....

But I have also experienced so much goodness all because my Heavenly Father loves me, and that love in manifest in so many ways. Everything has shaped me into the person I am. Because I have been through such difficult trials and overcome so many obstacles, it has made me a better person. But ultimately, I am who I am because of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and example of my Savior and His Atonement.

Thank you missionaries who taught and served me 16 years ago. I don't know where you are, but my hope is that someday I can thank you in person for the priceless gift you have given me because of your selfless sacrifice to serve a mission.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

-How has your life been blessed by missionaries? And how can each of us follow their examples and let go of our own selfish desires and be of service to those around us?

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

(note: please remember that though my parents made choices in the past that affected us in a bad way, they have made choices since that have made up for the suffering we went through. People always have the capacity to change their lives...none of us can cast a "stone" for we are all imperfect and we all sin. Someday, I might be able to tell their own story. The danger of drug addiction is that it binds you down, controls you, and it is so hard to escape. My parents never knew what would happen to them and their children when they first experimented with drugs. My dad has overcome great monsters most of us will probably ever know. He is an example to me in many ways and I learn so much from him today. Don't judge my parents, that is not my intent for writing what I do. Adversity affects us all, in all forms and in many different ways. There is no adversity out there that we cannot overcome, no matter how hard it might seem. It can be done through His love and grace.)

Four things you ought to know...

2011-09-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

#1. I just bought everything needed to make my first Quiet Book for Miss Loo's birthday the end of October! I am so excited...and really don't have a clue...but none-the-less EXCITED!!! And I only spent $20.00 for everything, and should have enough left over to make some more pages that will go to Anna's Quiet Book for Christmas. Woo!

#2. I went to Smith's this morning after I took Anna to school. It is so nice to shop in the early morning, and I love the smaller stores in town. The checkers at Smith's are so fast too! And they have car carts. I mean, come on, hello??? Grocery shopping is 100 times easier with kids when you get to push them around in a car cart!!! As I was in the treat isle, trying to decide what treats to buy for General Conference weekend, Carter decided he wanted a big bag of candies and mom said, "Uh...nope." He started crying. I picked up the bag of Hershey Kisses in my cart, and said, "Look Carter, I already got your favorite treat." He cried more, insisting that he did NOT like them! It was quite funny to me, actually, and funny to the worker a few feet away who was stocking shelves.

Then this worker stood up and said to Carter, "Would you like for me to give you a treat?"

His tears stopped in an instant as he shook his head, "YES!"

Then she said, "Tell you what, if you can be a good boy for your mom, I will give you a treat, okay?"

Sold!! Carter agreed.

She let him pick what he wanted, opened the bag, and gave him a handful, reminding him he had to be good. Then she went to the check stand and bought the bag of chocolates she shared with my Mister Man.

I told her "Thank you!" and so did Carter, but as I was driving home, I felt like I should have said more. Such a kind thing for a stranger to do. She could have rolled her eyes and been annoyed at Carter's tantrum, judged me in 100 different ways, vowed to herself to never have kids...but instead she chose to be kind. And I am so grateful.

Thank you brown-haired girl who works at Smith's!! Such a small and simple act of kindness will be remembered for a long time.

#3. Speaking of treats for General Conference....I am so excited to listen to a prophet speak this weekend!! Need I say more??? It's gonna be good!

#4. Which leads to more excitement this weekend....I am also going to Twin Falls Saturday night so I can see my newest nephew Jaxton Jay Shaw, who was born this week. My sister was in labor for 12 hours, couldn't dilate past a 5, and then the baby went into distress. So she ended up having a c-section, but all is well, and I cannot wait to hold the little cutie bug fresh from Heaven!!! And I am so looking forward to spending an entire day with my sisters (while Russ stays home with the kids...what a good husband!)

Yup...my life is good...my Heavenly Father loves me...I have amazing kids...my husband...well, I don't have the words right now...but he is pretty much awesome and has been my greatest advocate...pushing me to be the person I want to be and to do the things that make me happy. We are by far perfect. And so is our life. We have trials...but guess what? Everyone does...and no matter what we go through, there is always a way to find inside yourself the strength to move on, learn from your trials, own up to your mistakes, repent and become better.

Trials are funny things...we can embrace them or fight them...but there's only one way to find true happiness.

I choose happiness.

The End.

PS: If you haven't had the chance to go hiking....GO!! Before our wonderful fall weather turns too cold!!! Speaking of fall...my most favorite month of the whole year will be here in just 2 days!!! October makes my heart happy!!! Hmm, hmm, good stuff to come....

Why didn't I think of this before???

2011-09-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

So, I found a new blog I have been visiting lately:

Being LDS

Check it out, you will really like what you find. I was reading one of her blogs about "Life Lessons Preschool" and she gives ideas for "Fun, cheap, and Slightly Messy Educational Activities to Do At Home." One was called "Wheat Play" which I thought was a brilliant idea. It reminded me of Carter's nursery class in Rexburg, where they had a big container of rice for the kids to play with.

Since I did not have wheat or enough rice (since we do like to eat rice, preferably rice that hasn't been played with) I remembered I had a box full of bags of beans I had been collecting from WIC...which I just never used! I knew that beans would be perfect!

So I set up our "play station" and the kids....well... PLAYED!!!

They LOVED it. It kept them entertained for probably an hour. Kya did great too, picking up handfuls of beans and then opening her hands up and watching them fall to the table. Then she started trying to put the beans in the dishes, and when that got old, she began kicking the beans, sending them flying EVERYWHERE!!!! Anna and Carter weren't too happy about that! So, I moved Miss Loo to the floor, where she kicked to her little heart's content!!!

Of course Carter HAD to have his tractors...which I happened to find at the dollar store! Great buy and he has loved them since day one! The kids scooped and piled, organized, spooned, poured, strained....and just had a blast! It was really easy to clean up too!

We will be doing this activity again this week...if not everyday! Another idea I got: water stations,where the kids can play and experiment with water. Once again, fun and brilliant! I am compiling a list of activities for the winter, and these will be life-saving!!

Oh...I hope you all had a great weekend and a happy Sunday! My Sunday was perfect (minus the part where Kya has come down with a nasty croupy cold and my sister has still NOT had her baby yet!)

Our lesson in Sunday School was awesome, and it went right along with a book I just finished:

It was incredible and I highly reccomend it! It only took me two nights to read it too, which was nice since I don't have a lot of time for reading right now. Here is the Preface, for your reading pleasure:

"We live in a world at war. I am referring not only to wars between countries but also between former friends, siblings, spouses, parents, and children. Conflicts between countries are perhaps more dramatic, but the hot and cold wars that fester in the hearts of family members, neighbors, and friends bring more pain and suffering to this earth in a single day than have all the world's weapons since the beginning of time. If there ever is to be peace on earth, we first must find the way to peace in our hearts and homes. 'I am the way,' the Lord declared. 'After your tribulation, I will feel after you,' he promised. 'And if you harden not your hearts, and stiffen not your necks against me, I will heal you.' Nothing is more important than understanding not just that the Lord's atonement is the answer to our daily, painful predicaments, but how it is the answer. This book is an account of how the Lord 'feels after us to heal us,' and what we must do to receive the peace of his healing. It is the story of a husband and wife whose marriage is in trouble. It could just as well be the story of a father and child who aren't speaking, or of neighbors who bristle at each encroachment over a property line. The Lord's atonement reaches deep into the trouble of daily life to the very bottom of every dispute and hurt feeling. To the predicament of a hard heart, he offers the promise of a new one. To the pain of hurt feelings, he offers the balm of his love. To the utter loneliness, he offers the companionship of the heavens. His birth was heralded by the words 'Peace, good will toward men' because his atonement is what makes peace and good will possible. Whether in a home or a bunker, the way to true, deep, lasting peace is only in and through the Prince of Peace. 'He is our peace,' Paul declared, for through his atonement he has 'broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity.' There are far too many partitions in our hearts and homes and too much enmity between us. But the carpenter of Nazareth has constructed for us peace. My desire is to explore with you how."

This book opened my eyes to a new level of understanding about Christ and His Atonement. You will LOVE it. Then our Sunday School lesson is from the New Testament, Lesson 35: "Be Ye Reconciled to God." (The scriptures studied were in 2 Corinthians) If you didn't get this lesson yet, or missed it, you should read it. One of the quotes from the manual (which is on my handy dandy iPad, where I can go from text to scripture with just a touch...so lovely)...anyhoo, there was a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that stuck with me all day today,

"We see the need for [forgiveness] in the homes of people, where tiny molehills of misunderstanding are fanned into mountains of argument. We see it among neighbors, where insignificant differences lead to undying bitterness. We see it in business associates who quarrel and refuse to compromise and forgive when, in most instances, if there were a willingness to sit down together and speak quietly one to another, the matter could be resolved to the blessing of all. Rather, they spend their days nurturing grudges and planning retribution...

"If there be any who nurture in their hearts the poisenous brew of emnity toward another, I plead with you to ask the Lord for strength to forgive. This expression of desire will be of the very substance of your repentance. It may not be easy, and it may not come quickly. But if you will seek it with sincerity and cultivate it, it will come...

"There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds. There is peace only in repentance and forgiveness. This is the sweet peace of the Christ, who said, 'blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.' "(Matt. 5:9) ("Of You It Is Required toForgive," Ensign, June 1991, 2, 5).

I am so thankful for good books and Sunday School teachers. Because of them, I am learning how to be a better person, and gaining a better understanding of my Savior and feeling closer to Him each day.

This week: Try to be a peacemaker and help our children learn as well.

One more thing: I think I have found just the right words to put on a canvas to hang above my bed:

Moroni 7:45 "And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

What a nice reminder to read every morning and night. (read verses 44-48, all so good)

That's all for tonight. The baby is coughing and fussing...I really despise sickness....so I need to make sure she is okay. If I don't post before this weekend, I hope you all have a wonderful conference weekend!! I am so excited and anxious to hear the words from our beloved Prophet and Apostles. My soul needs the spiritual nourishment...

I spoke too soon!!!

2011-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know what kind of luck we are having this week, but it seems to be some pretty darn good luck for injuries!!! I should have felt that foreboding feeling this morning after I exclaimed last night about no more "tragedies" this week!! I could have at least knocked on wood! Oh well, lesson learned, there will definitely be the knocking of wood next time! Or maybe I will just make it a daily morning ritual...better luck that way!

We began our morning as usual, kids up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing teeth. I was just getting ready to take Anna to school when Carter comes running up to me from Anna's room, head bleeding! I grabbed a rag and slapped it on his head, as Kya is fussing because of Carter's crying and Anna tells me in a whir that Carter was flinging his blanket at the sheet metal I am using to make the kids a magnetic chore chart. I got it out yesterday, so I could work on some things, and put it in Anna's room last night. The kids had their magnets on it and Carter was apparently trying to knock them off with his blanket when Anna asked him to hold it while she opened her closet. (since it was resting against the closet doors) Somehow, the sheet metal sliced open his head, though I cannot figure out how, since he was standing and the top of the sheet metal only comes up to his waist. There are some details we are missing, but anyhow, I taped on some gauze and called the Children's Clinic and we got him in before 9am.

He was really calm at the clinic and the nurse was able to rinse the cut 3 times with a special syringe, which she gave to Carter to keep...it's his "water gun"...then they put a numbing agent on a cotton ball and put it on the cut with a bandaid over the top and left us to wait in the room for 15 minutes. While we waited, Carter helped me tell a story about a dinosaur who got numerous cuts and what happened after each incident! haha! Then the doctor came in and stitched him up. Carter did so awesome, he didn't cry at all, even when the doctor couldn't get two of the stitches through the bottom of his cut very well...he said he must have some pretty thick skin or something!!

Then we got to go home! We stopped by McDonald's for some ice cream (because there is nowhere in Pocatello that serves ice cream before 11am!) because Carter was so stinking brave and cute the whole time we were at the clinic!!! He is VERY excited to show Anna his stitches when she gets home from school!

So now we've got two little ones with war wounds to show off this week!

Don't worry, I am not going to say ANYTHING about more tragedies happening in this house!!!

.

..knock on wood...

Well...it had to happen sooner or later...

2011-09-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Miss Loo had her first "tragic" fall. Tragic: Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow....though I think it was more tragic for me than it was for her...

When Anna was a baby, she suffered many hits to the head. Sometimes from walking right SMACK into a wall! I guess she didn't see it???

Carter suffered from a similar plight. One day, he tripped on the sidewalk outside our apartment and landed right on the side of his forehead. We got into the car and drove to Russ's brother's house. As we were walking up their sidewalk, Carter tripped again, leaving another bump and bruise on the OTHER side of his forehead!! It gets better...we went inside their house, and minutes later, I swear, Carter tripped on the CARPET and hit his....yes....FOREHEAD...on the fireplace!!! The last and final blow left a bump AND bruise right in the middle of his forehead!!! Three wounds, all in a row, on his head, in a matter of hours!

I might have to admit that there just might be a problem with my kids...

Loo loo's war wound story: Miss Stinky Face can crawl. No longer is she satisfied with her little bucket of baby toys...because, of course, those ones are just for babies!!! She is so over weeble wobbles and rattles!! Time to move on to the BIG stuff!

For instance: she likes to crawl over to the piano, then rolls onto her back right under the piano bench. A little scoot here, shift of the leg there and she's ready. Then she puts her feet under the piano bench...which is quite heavy...and starts doing leg presses. All the while she is doing this, she stops for a second, looks at me, and then starts shaking her head, "No!"

Yup...she knows better. Do you think that stops her???

Not even when Russ had to save her life as she lifted it up off it's two hind legs, and it tipped backwards...Russ moved faster than light, I think, and caught the bench right before it smashed itself and all its contents on the floor...not to mention the cute little baby underneath it!!!

She also loves the stairs, and she recently has learned to climb UP them...but certainly has no ability whatsoever to climb down! She had conviently dumped out an entire plastic drawer of matchbox cars right at the foot of the stairs, then before I even had a chance to realize what she was doing, she was up two stairs grabbing a plastic monkey spoon on the thrid stair, turned around to go back down, but alas, there was no floor!! Luckily, that huge pile of metal cars was there to break her fall. It happened so fast, by the time I got to her, she was laying face down on top of the toys, still tightly gripping her monkey spoon!

She cried the biggest crocodile tears I have ever seen! It was the saddest sight, the poor little munchkin!!! But I guess she wasn't hurt too bad, because after a few minutes of crying, she saw the picture of Anna and Carter on the wall, stopped crying and squieled, "Carter!!!" And the tragedy ended just like that.

Hopefully we steer clear of any more "tragedies" this week!

Side Note: don't you love her BIG BLUE eyes??? Oooh....I just cannot get enough of her...the little cutie bug!!!

I am grateful for the gift to choose...

2011-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

"Happiness, Your Heritage"

I was thinking of this talk given by President Uchtdorf awhile back at a Relief Society meeting. The night he addressed all the women of the Church, I was touched by the Spirit, especially by his words about "creating." Since that night, I have often thought about what he has said, and it has been a blessing and a help to me in my life. I wanted to repost a link to the whole talk, which is above, as well as the video that was made on "Mormon Messages."

Whenever I watch this video, it just fills me up with happiness and I always hear the smallest whisperings from the Spirit of how loved I am by my Heavenly Father...of how much I am like Him...and of how I can be MORE like Him as I strive to "create" within the walls of my home.

There are many things in this world that can contribute to a woman feeling unhappy, lacking in self worth or confidance, discouraged, judged, feeling lost and uncertain, and there are many things in the world, if we allow them into our homes, minds, or hearts, can bring about negativity, loss of an eternal perspective, and frustrations.

Throughout my life, it has occured to me that I have control over what I allow into my life, my home, my mind and heart! I can dispell negative thoughts, I can ignore the worldy media, magazines, and views about what my body should look like, how I should dress, and what makes me of any worth. Instead of indulging in celebrity gossip and reality shows, I can read my scriptures, the Ensign, and good books. I can be more active today than I was yesterday, I can watch minimal television (because really, in my opinion, the more you watch, the more worldly influences affect you), and if I do watch t.v. I can choose shows that are good and uplifting. As parents, we often teach our kids this concept, and change the channel when something is on that we feel is inappropriate for our children, but we fail to apply the concept with ourselves. I am trying to be better about that...not that I watch t.v. much anyhow!

I can control what I choose to look up on the internet and how much time is spent online. Social networking is huge, and has become a great resource and asset to the lives of all people. But I think it is becoming an addiction too. We say to ourselves, "Oh, I will only be a few minutes" and we all know what really happens, right? It can take us away from what is more important. Awhile back, as I was doing nothing productive online, my kids were pulling at my pants, trying everything to get my attention. I kept brushing them off, "Just a minute bud, okay." or "We will do that soon, Anna, just be patient." The more they waited, the frustrations began to build, to a point where they were no longer happy and I was no longer happy. Did I really have a good reason to make them wait? No. The social network kept me from spending quality time with my children, time where I could have shared smiles and laughter, had teaching moments, and opportunities to just talk with my kids and play for a bit. When we make sacrafices to serve...even to build a Lego pirate ship with our 4 yr, old, our lives and our homes are improved upon.

The more I started recognizing when social networks and googling were taking me away from my kids, the more disgusted I felt about myself. And I started making changes. We can be bitter, or we can be better. (a friend of mine said once on Facebook...see it can be good for something!) My family and their needs always come first. If I am online and I am needed for any reason, I put the computer or iPad down. There is nothing to gain by putting off my children for a computer screen. Occasionally, I still have those days....but they are becoming less and less. (especially when you wait until naptime or bedtime...then you don't have the disruptions anyways)

Everyday involves choosing. Even deciding NOT to make a choice, is still a choice. (yeah, we've all heard that) If we notice that there are certain things that bring us down, then eliminate them from our lives. It is that easy. If we notice things that bring happiness and joy to our lives, then include those things in our lives more often! When I listen to uplifting music it makes me feel so much better. But there can be weeks that go by and I don't listen to anything! Making music more important will bring about blessings for me and my family. We are responsible for ourselves and our families. It's not about competing with Jane down the street, comparing our abilities, lives, children, and homes with those around us, it's about making better choices each day to bring about a home that is filled with the Spirit, and influenced by the Spirit.

I hope that the talk and the video (and not neccessarily my "rantings") makes your day go better, and I hope you can share with me, and others around you, what brings a greater happiness into your home and heart.

My recent projects...

2011-09-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to create! But when you bring a new baby into your heart and home, it can be difficult to find time to do much more than eat, feed your kids, feed the baby, put the baby to sleep, get the kids dressed, feed the baby, sleep the baby, clean up after breakfast, spend time with kids, shower, lunchtime, feed kids, feed baby while you feed yourself, try to spend time outside or go grocery shopping, possibly make it to the library, home for naps, clean up lunch, laundry, pick up toys, sweep, lay down for just enough time to get relaxed...then you must feed the baby! Then it's activites to keep the kids busy, calming a fussy baby, and trying to prepare for dinner. 5 o 'clock rolls around and dinner is far from being started, Mac 'n Cheese it is with apples and peanut butter with a glass of milk. Don't forget baths, story time, kisses goodnight...and that's a day! Not much time for sewing and painting. Thank goodness as the new baby grows older, our daily lives get easier and moms can find more time for whatever they enjoy most!

I saw this idea posted on one of my favorite blogs: The Idea Room

Miss LuLu's birthday is coming up in October, and I wanted to get her some presents that weren't just more toys to be added to the piles of baby toys we've collected over the past 6 years. I thought these bean bag numbers would be perfect for her. Hopefully she will enjoy playing with them, and as she grows older, they will help her learn her numbers! (Plus, my older kids will enjoy these too!)

The numbers were very easy to make, especially since I am a beginner when it comes to sewing. I used some leftover fabric I had, and I liked that the patterns will appeal to my girls and son.

My second project I was able to do on Saturday. The babe was up half the night...the only thing I can guess was it was because she is teething. She took a wonderfully long afternoon nap because of her lack of sleep Friday night, and I had the perfect opportunity for this second project that I have been wanting to do for months!

I have been wanting to do a painting that included all my children's handprints. It took three of us to do Miss Kya's handprint!! It could have been a disaster, but we were fast, and it turned out perfect!!!
(I plan on hanging them like that with ribbon, and then put a vinyl saying underneath.)

I think this will be such a sweet reminder for me of what a joy it is to have little children in my home. Sometimes, I can get so exasperated and frustrated with my little ones! When Anna and Carter are fighting, whining, being sassy, or disobedient, it could be easy to let those moments ruin a day.

But I am finding it is much easier, after an "episode", to shake off the tension and frustration, find my smile and sense of humor, and move on. I could continue to be grumpy, snap at my kids the rest of the afternoon, and stomp about (sadly, there have been days I did those very things) but it doesn't help me or my kids. It just makes us all miserable!

It's so much better to look past the struggles my kids are facing that day, and see how wonderful they are and how much they contribute to our family. Carter brings his humor...he loves to laugh...and he loves others to laugh with him! What an awesome quality to have...how lucky we are that he brings his goofy (and sometimes obnoxious) laughter into our lives.

Anna can be full of attitude, sass, and drama. She can cry at the drop of a hat, and is great at stomping off to her room! GAH!!! There are times I could pull my hair out! But eventually, she gets over it, and we get to see our girl for the smart, thoughtful, artfully talented person she is. When she paints or draws, it is always for someone. And if it is for me or Russ, she will sneak into our room, and put the painting on our pillows, for us to find later. She likes to walk the straight and narrow, and has so much faith. She often has much to say...to the point of no one else getting a word in...but I enjoy those moments when it's just us, and she's sitting at the table while I am in the kitchen, and she tells me all kinds of things about school, friends, church, and life as she sees it through her own eyes. I am so grateful for those moments. Having conversations with my daughter means so much.

And then there's my cutie-bug Kya. She jabbers so much, and I LOVE every minute of it! She started saying many words a month ago, and hasn't stopped! She says: mom, dad, Carter, Anna, Kitty, Shadow(the kitty's name), uh-oh, wowee, ouch, weee(while sliding), Chelsea (her aunt), ck-for yuck, all done, peek-a-boo, tomato (cuz we take her to pick em), guitar(she loves daddy's), thank you, hi and hello, her name, yum, baba(bottle), tree, shake shake shake, she said grandpa a couple times as well as a few others!

At 10 months old she started army crawling, and two weeks later she is crawling like a pro and starting to pull herself up to things on her knees. A few more weeks, she will be standing! She follows the cat everywhere and me too! She LOVES to be outside, eat flowers, swing, slide, go for walks in the stroller, watch the wind blow the leaves on the trees, point at every bird that flies through the sky, she is so interested in every sound she hears, like a train clacking, motorcycle vrrrooming, crow cawing, fence gate creaking, helicopter thup,thup,thupping, dog barking, children playing...she stops at every sound, looks at me, then looks around, pointing as I ask her, "What's that?" She loves it, and then I tell her what it is she is hearing.

It is so cute to watch her pick up her toy phone, push the buttons, then put it up to her cheek upsidedown and backwards as she says, "Hi!"

Carter bumped his head yesterday on the monkey bars and as I was holding Kya, I gave Carter a hug, and patted his back to help him feel better. Then Kya put her head on his, said "Oooooh" and started patting Carter too! He started laughing and then she gave him a big slobbery, runny nose, open-mouth kiss! So so SO cute!!

I hope that through the years, when I look at those little handprints, I remember all of those moments of raising little ones. Such a blessing.

So, those are my most recent projects. The next one is a painting to go above the headboard in our bedroom, I just need to find the perfect quote to go on the canvas. I am grateful for each of my kids, even when they were newborns and I could barely manage to shower and brush my teeth before noon! Somedays, I still don't have much time for myself, but that's okay. I am raising little ones, and they need me....

...and I need them!

Morning routines...

2011-09-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

My days begin early. I thought they would begin with me and a grumpy attitude, waking up before the sun. I would drag my body out of bed, groggy, only half-thinking, and somehow manage!

I was wrong!!!

I actually enjoy waking up early! Shocking, I know! I remain shocked even as I type...

(Gasp!!!)

So, part of my plan for establishing "order" with my family, was to get myself on a better morning routine. Not that my usual way of going about the mornings didn't work out so well, but it didn't work so well either. That sentence might not make sense, but read it again. I did. Makes sense.

I have found that the mornings go much better, and smoother, and with less contention when I am better prepared. Yeah...when I have a PLAN. Rocket science, I know...

Plans work better when they involve goals....and not just any who-ha goal, one that you actually WANT to achieve, and WILL achieve.....with a PLAN! I am going somewhere with this....promise. Sooooo, my morning routine includes a plan that includes a goal. Whew!

It's killing you trying to figure out that goal, huh? Well, I AM pretty predictable, so if you know me at all, a word might pop into your head that has to do with "running"....right? Those of you who feel pride for having guessed right, just keep that goofy grin on your face. People will wonder what you are smiling for. For those of you who thought things like, "cleaning" or "laundry", well....shame on you!

(This picture is a huge motivating force for me! You have to find motivation somewhere, reminders to help you stay on track!! I need to hang this in my bathroom...)

I know, it's not very original...my morning goal....millions have been running early in the morning, but now I get to join them. I am only in the first week of my early morning runs, but if I blog about it, then I might feel more obligation, peer pressure, whatever....to keep doing it. I have always LOVED to run, I am very competitive, I care about being healthy, and I really really want to fit back into my old jeans...

This goal is perfect for me. I figure I will be in shape enough by next September to run a half or full marathon. A mom in my ward just won the women's Marathon here in Pocatello at their annual "Running the Gap Marathon" event. Penny Parrish....know her? Yeah, she's amazing! I am hoping she can give me some much needed advice about training for such a run.

Anyhoo...

It feels good now that I am putting into action my new morning routine. I get back from my run in time to wake Anna up so she can get ready for school. By that time, Carter and Kya are awake too, so we are all up and eating, getting dressed, brushing teeth (that one still needs to happen more consistently) and getting outside too. Once Kya goes down for her morning nap at 9, I shower and get myself ready, and then I have an hour before she gets up to accomplish the daily goals or "chores" I need to get done for that morning.

Want to know something cool? Russ even went running with me. He's thinking of doing a 5K next September. Cool. I hope my kids will grow to love running as well, and when they are older, I will totally take them with me on my runs. New goal!!

(It doesn't look like it, but I was pulling her the whole way...otherwise, she wouldn't have ran. Don't worry, I won't be the kind of parent who forces their child to do something, but I really, really, really hope at least one child wants to be involved in running!!! If not, well....I will just have to be a coach! )

FYI: my kids love to run now...

The thing is.....I want to make the most of each day. And why not involve things that keep our bodies healthy while we are at it? I know what kinds of problems might be waiting in the dark in my near future if I don't take care of my body. And I don't want to set a bad example for my kids, to have to watch them suffer too. It is so much easier to be proactive. Make choices NOW, instead of waiting until it's almost too late.

So, that's it. Morning routine in a nutshell.

Next goal: make a weekly plan for meals, so we can have dinner on time, which gives us enough time for the bedtime routine and in bed no later than 8pm. I am also planning out a weekly schedule for cleaning that I want to do and chores I want my kids to do. (so I can finally use my magnetic chore chart that I made for the kids, with magnets that have pictures of the things they do daily and weekly) Please share your ideas, or what your weekly plan is for meals and cleaning!

Links for more reading:
(good stuff, but if you aren't careful, you can spend hours reading articles!! But if you are a nerd like me, you enjoy hours of reading this stuff...I sure do!)

Organize Your Morning Routine
Charts for morning/bedtime routines, additional articles
Morning Madness?
Back To Basics
On-time and Un-stressed

Don't worry, we will all struggle, even with something simple like our morning and evening routines. But our efforts are worth it. It's all just part of.....LIFE.....

September is for "order"....

2011-09-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

"Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).

Wishing a happy Sunday to you all. Ours began early...VERY early. Of course, the baby still wakes up during the night. She likes her bottle. AND she is teething. Four top teeth, and let's not forget the canines. Yeah...who can sleep through that??? I am currently coming up with a new plan to help the little miss sleep through the night and we are getting ready for some changes....with the help of a handy book from the public library, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". ( I've got plans for a new post all about what I have learned for those of you getting ready to add a newborn to the family!)

Too early this morning, Anna came sniveling at our door, with a tummy ache. Grrrreat. Grrrrrrr. She made numerous trips to the bathroom, each time making sure to embellish the trip with lots of crying. She shoved her blankets up the front of her shirt, I gave her some water and pepto bismal, and we FINALLY got some sleep. Don't feel too jealous yet...we were still up before 8am. And by 9am, Anna started puking. Yay!!!

Okay, you can feel jealous now.

I still made it to church on time with Carter, though he was very reluctant to go, knowing he was leaving Anna behind watching Scooby-Doo without him. I pushed him in Kya's stroller on our walk to the church house, and that solved the pouting-dragging feet-whining-type behavior he typically displays.

I forgot what it is like to have only ONE child with me at church!!! Let me remind those of you who have forgotten too.....it.was.awesome!!! He sat on my lap and looked at church pictures from my bag, flipped through my scriptures, ate a Life Savor, and then it was time for primary. He has been deemed my angel child today. An angel with dimples. Cute.

Okay, on to my real intent for this post, the scripture above. I love that scripture. One day when we have our own house, I want to make it our "family motto" or something. I have been trying to re-establish certain things within our family:

1. Order. Since our move to Pocatello and birth of babe #3, we've lost some order. Now that miss nanners is back in school, it provides me with the perfect opportunity to crack back down on a more consistent daily and night-time schedule. I believe that establishing a "house of order" involves waking up, not too late, but not too early either. And then consistently doing a morning, afternoon, and nightly routine. What works for one family, might not work for another, but what is great is as parents, we get to decide what we want to do and how. I believe that if we are prayerful, search the scriptures, and attend our Sunday meetings with an attitude to learn, then Heavenly Father will guide us in our efforts to develop and run our family in an "orderly" way.

That is my current goal. It is still a work in process, and I will keep you updated as I go along. But order is something I like, and something I think all families need, for our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. So, thanks to my baby girl, the cutest little first-grader I ever did see!!! September is a great month to get our kids off to school and our homes back in order from the craziness of summer!!!

Oh, and she learned to tie her shoes!! It took her only two tries before she had it down! What a smartie! And she went to school on her first day like a champ! No big deal, piece of cake, she walked right in like school was old news! She's playing with old friends and making new ones too! We've got high hopes for this little one!

Enjoy your Sunday, and maybe let me know what you do with your family to have a "house of order" too.

"What is most important almost always involves the people around us."

2011-08-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

~Hiking up Scout Mountain for Anna's birthday.

"Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, 'They do not love that do not show their love.' We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."

~President Thomas S. Monson, "Finding Joy in the Journey" Ensign Nov. 2008, 86.

"When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of someting we can count on--home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life."

~"A Sanctuary from the World," Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Feb. 9, 2008, 29.

My dad really is awesome. He gives the best advice, and I value his wisdom. He is ever supportive of me and my family and always respectful of my beilefs. I try to be more like him every year.

Wayment Family Luao, August 2011

(1.My dad and I, 2. Russ, Kya, and Ben 3. My sisters Emma, Alisha, Haylee, and me!)

I have the BEST sisters. They are all my bestest of friends. We have overcome so much and they will always be the ones who remain the closest to my heart (along with my husband and children)

"Everyone has weaknesses. The adversary knows the Achilles' heel of your loved ones, your friends, your roomates, your brothers and sisters, and your parents. Do you understand your Achilles' heel? Do you know the situations you have to stay away from and what your weaknesses are? The secret of a happy marriage is to protect the Achilles' heel and not take advantage of the weakness of those you know the best, love the most, and ultimately can hurt the most.

"Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings" (D&C 108:7)"

~Elder Robert D. Hales, "A Little Heaven on Earth" Ensign, Sept. 2011, 48.

"Give your child a compliment and a hug; say, 'I love you' more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It's so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they're gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of 'what if' and 'if only'...

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important."

~President Thomas S. Monson, "Joy in the Journey" (Brigham Young University Women's Conference, May 2, 2008)

Mosiah 5:15 “Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works.”

"To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them."

~"Abundantly Blessed" Ensign, May 2008, 112.

Fun at the Pocatello Zoo...the toys were the best part!

"...express your love to your children. Pray for them that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may grow in faith and testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others."

~"Until We Meet Again," Ensign, May 2009, 113

“Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).

"May our families and homes be filled with love; love of each other, love of the gospel, love of our fellowmen, and love of our Savior. As a result, heaven will be a little closer here on earth.

"May we make of our homes sanctuaries to which our family members will ever want to return."

~"A Sanctuary From the World," 30-31

All of these quotes have described exactly what has been on my mind over the summer, what I am trying to accomplish with my own family and within my own home. I wanted to share them with you, in hopes that they will help inspire and uplift you like they have me, in giving direction and instruction to better help all families everywhere to be a little better, and to reach a little higher. Much is asked of us in these latter days, but I know I can do what Heavenly Father sent me here to do, as long as I have the help of my family, gospel, scriptures, and words from our Prophet and Apostles, general authorities, and local church leaders. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is a blessing in my life and I will ever be thankful to be a member for all that I have learned and how it has helped and will continue to help me become more like my Savior. It is hard to go through the "refiner's fire" but I know it is worth it in the end. I was sent here to do many things, and one thing I know for sure, was to be a mother. How grateful I am to be one! And I am so ready to wake up each day and find ways where I can be a better one. I will always have a purpose in this life as long as I have my children gathered around me.

Kindergarten babies, FIRST GRADE tots...

2011-08-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

...second grade angels, third grade snots. Fourth grade peaches, fifth grade pears, and all the rest are BIG FAT BEARS!!!!

Anna Belle.....6 years old and as sassy as ever! Quite smart too, and independant. She will start first grade this week!!! Wow!

Here she is, 6 years ago, July 29, 2005

There is nothing in the world that brings me greater happiness, peace, joy, and inspiration than holding a newborn, fresh from Heaven. Every breath they take seems like a miracle, so perfect and wonderful, and I am always overcome with awe thinking that such a beautiful creation grew inside of me. I am always so thankful our sweet babies get to stay with us, too, healthy and thriving. Such a blessing.

I loved my baby girl from the moment we met, and she became attached to my hip (and heart)...a habit I carried on with each of my babies! Anna went everywhere with me! And I went everywhere with her! Sure, I didn't do everything right, but we learned so much beginning our journey as parents for the first time.

I feel like the past 6 years have passed by so quickly. I have so many wonderful memories already of my beautiful daughter, and I am so thankful to have her a part of my everyday. Here are some of my favorite moments with Anna:

A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self.

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.

When I look at my daughter I see myself...only better.

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.

A little girl can be sweeter (and badder) oftener than anyone else in the world. she can jitter around, and stomp, and make funny noises that frazzle your nerves yet just when you open your mouth she stands there demure with that special look in her eyes. A girl is Innocence playing in the mud, Beauty standing on its head, and Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.
-- Alan Beck

A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend.

What the daughter does, the mother did.

And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships.

Of all the haunting moments of motherhood, few rank with hearing your own words come out of your daughter's mouth.

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer.

I believe in love and hope, in jamming out by yourself in the car.
I believe in having someone tell you You're Beautiful, dancing in the rain and miracles.
I believe in smiling until your cheeks hurt and laughing until you cry.

Mothers and daughters are closest, when daughters become mothers.

Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty, and sometimes attract pests.

Suddenly, through birthing a daughter, a woman finds herself face to face not only with an infant, a little girl, a woman-to-be, but also with her own unresolved conflicts from the past and her hopes and dreams for the future.... As though experiencing an earthquake, mothers of daughters may find their lives shifted, their deep feelings unearthed, the balance struck in all relationships once again off kilter.

Oh Miss Nanners...what would we ever do without you???
I Love this little sassafrass drama queen to Heaven and back...and maybe a bit more...

2011-08-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Now that miss Kya is getting older and entertaining herself, I am gaining back more time during the days to do more, which is a nice change! I love blogs about people and the things they create. Crafts, sewing projects, stuff for kids....very fun to see all the things people can come up with! I am hoping that one of these years, Russ will get me a sewing machine, because I have so many ideas in my head that are just dying to be created!!!! If you are interested, I have a friend who started a blog about what she creates.

Click here: *CreatingSarah*

After checking out her blog, I feel the need to create!!! Check it out. And create something too! Hey, it beats sitting in front of the t.v. Or raiding the kitchen cupboards out of boredom, right?

*Thanks miss Kya for finally learning how to crawl, for taking such awesome long naps, and for going to bed early each night! Really appreciating it. A LOT! Maybe I can actually start painting, writing, and creating once again....and blogging!

Cheesy chicken jalapeño dip. Easy, spicy, and sure to be a crowd pleaser!

2011-08-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

So, we tried a new recipe last night and it was so SO yummy, I had to share! Try it this weekend and let me know how you liked it!!!

You will need:
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 C sour cream
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 can chopped green chilies
1-2 cans chicken, or same amount cooked shredded chicken breast
3 small jalapeños, roasted
Garlic, salt, and pepper to taste

1 pkg flour tortilla shells (small size for fajitas)
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato

1-2 bags Birdseye Steamfresh southwestern style rice

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream with hand mixer. Stir in cheese, spices and chicken. In a small frying pan, add canola oil and jalapeños. Roast peppers until soft and skin is bubbly. (that's the only word that comes to mind, but you know what I mean, right?).

In a food processor, combine green chilies and jalapeños. Blend. Add to chicken mixture. (make sure to taste for spiciness. We roasted 6 small jalapeños, and the peppers combined with the green chilies was super spicy! I barely touched the tip of my finger in the mixture, and when I tasted it, my whole mouth was on fire! So we didn't add all of it to our chicken and cream cheese mixture!)

Pour chicken mixture into a square 9x9 baking dish, and I sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top. Then bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (30 minutes was perfect for mine)

When done, you can eat the chicken dip with tortilla chips, or like we did last night, put it on soft tortilla shells, added lettuce and tomatoes, and the cooked rice.

It was YUMMYLICIOUS!!!!!!

Carter ate his all! Now that's saying something!

So.....try it.....SOON!!! You'll thank me, really....you will.

Ps: it is great for leftovers...and we are pretty picky about leftovers!

Let's celebrate 4 years of raising one little BOY...

2011-08-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Carter John Meredith

Born July 24, 2007

7lbs 8oz

A boy is a magical creature. You can lock him out of your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can't get him out of your mind.

A treasure to a little boy does not consist of money, gems or jewellery. He will find far greater pleasure in the wonder of a rock, pebble, stick or beetle.

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.
-- Mark Twain

To become a real boy you must prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish.
-- From "Pinnochio"

Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

I can sometimes resist temptation, but never mischief.

He was born with a gift of laughter.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.

The past four years have been filled with everything from dirty cheeks and feet, slivers, bruises, tantrums, tent-building, monster fighting, pirate ship sailing, corner sitting, rolling, jumping, running, falling....a lot of falling, hugs and tickles, tears, and tears, and big ol crocodile tears...

It's been the kind of day when you wish it would never end, and the kind of evening where you wish the silence would never end. The years have been filled with, "you have 10 seconds to get to your room..." kind of threats, "you have 5 seconds to get up off the floor and stop crying" and often someting like, "you are out of seconds buddy" and somehow the fit ends abruptly and I find a little boy hugging my legs saying, "I'm sorry mom, I won't frow anymow fits."

4 years of push and push and pull at my heartstrings, a year where my patience reached it's last thread, only to find that through year two and three and four, my patience grew more threads! Kinda funny how that happens. And how funny it is that when I look back, those so called "awful" days don't seem so awful anymore, and most of em have already been forgotten, and all I find myself doing is remembering the chubby little baby I used to hold in my arms, with red rosy cheeks and drool dribbling down his chin. And I think back to his first steps, first words, first giggle, first smile...

and it becomes such an amazing miracle and journey...this life....his life...

And all I feel is GRATITUDE...

for the opportunity to have 4 years with my little man.

Love ya buddy! A whole lot!!

Ooooh!!

So Stinking CUTE!!!

Soaking up some sun...

2011-07-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

As I was coming outside, this is what I saw. It's becoming a common occurance. Boys!! What am I to do with mine?? Such stinkers!!! After he was finished, he started shaking his bum...so funny! His dad taught him that one!!!

I LOVE the white fluffy clouds in the summer! It was HOT but we had a nice breeze blowing, perfect for playing outside!

Miss Kya loo wasn't so much a fan of the water, but she loves to swing and explore everything outside. She will squeal and cry if she sees anyone going out without her!! We really should just live in the back yard...she would be the happiest baby...cuz that's the only place she wants to be!!!

Anna can be so goofy sometimes! She has a mind of her own, and just does what she wants! It is impossible to pose her just right for a picture...she just hates having someone tell her what to do! We have to be really tricky and make her think it was her idea, and not ours!

But...I am glad my kids have a little spunk and personality.

My cuties chillin, eating some snacks.

Love him!!! He makes me laugh everyday. This boy's gonna bring a lot of fun to those around him!

Love her!! Such bright sparkly beautiful eyes! She's gonna be a heartbreaker someday...

And I LOVE this little one too!! I could just gobble her cuteness up!! Love being a mom, and my children will truly be my greatest reason for living. Because of them, I am always trying to better myself, being pushed farther than I thought I could go, accomplishing more than I thought was in me. And I can't forget my hubby...I wouldn't have the 3 most adorable rascals if it wasn't for him. He's the best, and I wouldn't be such a happy mom without him.

We had lots of fun and will be doing it again soon! We will all be sad when summer is over. It just doesn't last long enough.

Oh, and if you didn't notice, I got bangs! I even cut them myself. It was a fun adventure, and I am enjoying the new look.

Anyhoo...go play in the sun too!

An update in pictures. They speak for themselves. Enjoy!

2011-06-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's okay...I was a little sad there were no more pictures either!
To end on a happier note, click me!

Just a little update...

2011-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

In March, we got tired of the cold weather. Carter kept asking if it was warm enough to go camping yet. Because it was not, he decided to camp inside. He came up with the props all on his own. If you are tired of the weather and would like to camp inside too all you need is:

-Laundry basket, turned upside down

-Skewers

-folding chairs

and anything edible that can be skewed on the skewer like:

-apples

-nibs

-chewy Chips Ahoy

Have Fun!!!

A little about Carter: He is almost 4 years old!! His current obsession is dinosaurs. He likes to roar like a "sharptooth" and stomp around the house, eating Kya's treats off the kitchen floor that she drops during mealtime. He refers to himself as "the dinosaur" and asks me stuff like: "Mom, can "the dinosaur" have some ice cream?" Current movie obsession is Ice Age (the 3rd one)...go figure. He LOVES Kya, and she loves him back. He can get her to babble, smile, and laugh more than anyone else. Lately, he asks for chicken nuggets and cheddar cheese for breakfast, is controlling his emotions much better, and cracks me up with the funny things he says and does.

This past Sunday, as I dropped Carter off in the Primary room, he went to where his class sits and sat down. His new teachers came in and asked if that was where the Sunbeams sat. I said yes. then Carter replied, "Mom, I am not a sunbeam!" I asked him what he was then, and he said, "I'm a boy!" as if I didn't have a clue! So glad he can keep me in check!

Miss Anna is turning out to be quite the drama queen. She is also very good at being bossy, spelling and sounding out new words, mumbling and talkingveryfasttogetouteverythingsheneedstosaybeforesomeoneelsestartstalkingandsheforgets! Whew!

She has finally conquered her fear of her new bike and is riding almost like a pro. She loves to cut out creations with her scissors and glue them back onto paper. She is so proud she can jump off the monkey bars onto the trampoline and often tells me that Carter gets everything he wants!!! And then stomps off to her room in a fit of tears. To try and get what she wants, she will now pout and whimper making puppy dog eyes at me, holding her "paws" under her chin! I must confess, it works!

Lil Kya loo loo is 6 1/2 months old and still not sleeping through the night! But...she goes to sleep by herself! Major success! She can go to bed around 8ish, and wakes up around 3-4 am, then goes back to bed until 6:30-7....not bad. She plays on the floor with her toys and will keep herself entertained for quite awhile. She hates being on her tummy, so is far from learning to crawl. She babbles all the time, gurgles her spit, recently said, "da da" and just figured out how to get her treats from her hand into her mouth!! She loves to shake, throw, and drop her toys, and grabs anything in reach! Bathtime is a favorite, as well as being carried all over the house by mom! She does not like strangers.

She also has a ridge down the middle of her forehead, where the two different plates in the forehead merged. When they fuse prematurely, it forms a ridge. It is called metopic synostosis. Kya has a very mild form, but the more severe cases need surgery. She had to have a CT scan so the doctor could make sure there were no other problems with the way her skull was forming, and to make sure there was no brain growth restrictions. Right now, we are just watching it. It could get worse, or it could stay the same. At some point in time, she will require cosmetic surgery to fix the ridge, if we choose. I happen to have an aunt who is a P.A. in Boise, and her boss specializes in surgeries specifically for kids with synostosis. They want to have a look at her scan, just to make sure everything looks ok. Hopefully radiology will give us a copy. We were pretty nervous about her scan, preparing for possible surgery. It would make me sick just thinking about my little babe having such major work done, so at this point, we are VERY grateful to not have to go through that!

My attempts to take a self portrait with the little bugaroo!!

I was struggling....mostly because she wanted the camera!!! She loves shiny stuff!!

Yeah....it was quitting time....

Such a sweetie!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE to kiss her cheeks and listen to her babble! I really do have the best kiddos, and though being a mom is hard work, exhausting, frustrating to say the least, I am grateful Heavenly Father sent me the ones He did.

They are smart, spunky, sassy, stubborn, goofy, grumpy....

yup....fit right in!!!

Today...

2011-02-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

Anna has been coughing like crazy. Carter is finally getting over strep throat and I think Kya might have an ear infection. I built a lego "ice cream truck" for Carter, but after he inspected it, he told me it was a van instead. He is very particular about how his lego creations need to be built. Sometimes he wants a door on it, sometimes he doesn't...and it needs a roof, but with this piece and NOT that one, thank you! He called me "normal" this afternoon and asked me if the word normal was bad or not. I told him it was okay to call someone normal. Sometimes he picks up words from television cartoons, and uses them in the funniest ways that make no sense. Sometimes he uses the bad words in the right context, and we have to have a little chat about those ones. Nowadays, even the Disney channel can defile a child's mind. There's this new cartoon called "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and we all love that one. Anna has built animals, planes, playgrounds, and other such things out of legos. She is very creative. She always gets her hands on the pieces Carter wants. And then she keeps them for an unbearably long time while Carter usually waits for his turn. Sometimes he just grabs what he needs anyways, and then we have issues to deal with. Sometimes it gives me a headache, especially when, at the same time, Kya is in the bouncy chair crying because the toys dangling in front of her tick her off. I am not sure the exact reason she gets so mad in the bouncy chair, but she does! She grips the cute little plastic elephants with crinkly ears and pulls so hard that the friendly animals come flying at her little forehead. Yeah...issues today.

Anna got Kya to laugh today in the swing. It was a lovely sound to my aching head. As I stood there at the stove wondering what my life was reduced to, frying a grilled cheese sandwich for Carter for lunch and at the same time making Corn Flakes for Anna because her bolony sandwich tasted too dry, watching the clock as the hands got nearer to the time I could put all the kids down for naps and maybe have a short one myself, telling the kids to stop running up and down the hall and to stay in their chairs, please, so we can have lunch, and then Anna is back out of her chair and suddenly I hear Kya laughing. Anna is back in her chair, and I urge her again to get back out of that chair and make her laugh again. Sure enough, there is that blessed sound again. The cheese sandwich is done and the corn flakes are getting soggy, but I decide to try with the babe, and she does it again! I needed that, so so needed that moment today.

And so today I decided that it wouldn't matter to me how many issues I had to deal with, because that's just the dusty stuff. Everyday, I get to look at the sweetest baby, who woke up three times this afternoon before I could get her settled down for a reasonable nap, and I could never be angry because as soon as she sees me, I get a big smile from her, and her eyes are full of joy and she smells so heavenly as I pick her up and snuggle her onto my shoulder...

And today, I won't let the dusty stuff get in the way of Carter's silliness, and the random facts he tells me about life from his perspective that always makes me smile to myself or laugh outloud...and even when he is running away from me as I am trying to get him dressed after his bath, and he won't listen, and then gets mad because he wanted to get dressed himself, but it is too late now, and he is REALLY peeved at me and morphes into tantrum-mode, and I feel my patience slipping away and my head pounding harder from the intense noise from his war cry....it's just dust. And it can be brushed off. And after Carter took a timeout in his room, and we had a good talk about using our words and manners, and he is smiling at me with his red little cheeks and dimples and blue-grey eyes...and I am in wonder that such a perfect little guy was created, and he is mine, and I wouldn't trade him for any other boy in the world, even the ones who are well behaved and can already read and count to 100, because he can't, but he tells me secrets and does amazing flips and totally laughs at all the funny parts when we watch cartoons or movies. And I can laugh with him, and we both look at each other and know exactly why.

Today, I am surrounded with dust. It never goes away. Dust from the tears Anna cries when I brush her snarles out, and from her whining because she can't have a fruit snack before lunch and she is NOT wearing those pants because they make her underwear bunch all up, and I tell her, quite exasperated, that she doesn't like to wear ANY of her pants, but she tells me adamently that she likes to wear her leggings, in which I have to remind her are two sizes too small. But apparently they don't bunch her panties up. Dust, and I am just ignoring it for now.

Because I think it is awesome that Anna's favorite character in Scooby Doo is Velma. And she likes her because she is the one who solves all the mysteries. And when I watch Anna play Wii bowling, it makes me laugh at her intensity with which she swings the control as she is biting her lip trying to concentrate on getting a strike or spare. She is never satisfied unless she gets the one or the other! And she has amazing eyelashes. And she almost always remembers to cough into her elbow when she coughs, and for some reason that makes me feel very proud.

"I should've stolen every moment, now there's a page with not enough on it, where we belong. I guess I'll never understand it, why do we take it all for granted, until it's gone...cuz then it's gone. Love who you love. With all that you have, and don't waste the time to fly so fast. Love who you love, and say that you do. Hold on as tight as they'll let you.

Give all you got like it's your last day, your heart and soul before it's too late, and pull em in, so close enough that they can feel it, with every single breath that you're breathing, breathe it in. Again and again!

Love who you love."

(thanks Rascal Flatts. If you want to listen to the song it's on my playlist called "Love who you Love")

I know who I love, even when life is covered in dust bunnies. But it's nice to be reminded every once in awhile, you know? Especially when my head aches so....

This is real life, people. Read it and weep...or laugh, it's your choice.

2011-02-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, let me start with Carter. He says that when he grows up he wants to be a pwincess. He also LOVES watching the show on Qubo, "Mighty Machines". There is no tractor, semi-truck, garbage truck, train, or bus that goes unnoticed by this kid during driving trips in the car. He often chooses things that are the color pink. He only likes to use the toothpaste that is watermelon flavored. He often asks for unhealthy foods for breakfast...well...he often asks for unhealthy foods for lunch and dinner too. It's a crisis in our home, it really is.

It seems that this crisis leads to major tantrums. There, I said it. My three year old throws major MAJOR tantrums. And sometimes I don't know what to do with him! He has thrown terrible tantrums in the store, at preschool, in primary once, in the car, at home on the kitchen floor. Sometimes he screams so loud and won't stop, kicking his feet and flailing around on the floor, it is crazy! Any good discipline tactics you use, please send my way. I don't expect my kids to be perfect, and I don't pretend like they are. Real is soooo much better, wearing mismatched clothes, with chocolate pudding dried on their little chins and dirt under their fingernails from all the playing done, with snarly hair, toe jam, and two day old underwear cuz all the rest is in the washing machine. At least everyone knows that they are busy, busy, busy all day long (except on the days when we decide to stay in our jammies and watch movies all afternoon eating junk food and drinking strawberry milk).

Lil Kya Lyn likes to be held way too much, especially when she is sleeping. Anyone heard of "sleep training"? Yeah...we are in the process of trying to figure that one out. It is, though, incredibly fulfilling to have nothing to do but sit and hold a sleeping baby...meaning that you just neglect all the other duties...and just hold the lil babe for hours, examining each little perfect finger and going to pieces over the tiniest facial expressions, smiles, and the sweet little lips parting slightly in an "o" as the cute thing breathes out a contented sigh.

Many evenings, the kids can get more than a little "hyper-active" with dad and grandpa chasing them, swinging them so fast I, myself, could throw-up! The screaming and hollering, the running and jumping can get a little overwhelming, but hey....that's just how our nights go. Usually when the fun has to stop, we come across some whining, crying, stomping off to the bedroom kinda behavior. It's normal.

One word: cousins. Yeah....they are the best! We kinda like em...a lot. We are all doomed for drama when all the cousins are older and together. It's gonna be great!

Remember how we like to wear pajamas a lot? This particular night Carter chose Anna's Sponge Bob pj's because they are pink. But don't worry, I don't let the kids watch the cartoon because I think it is stupid. And we don't allowing anyone to say "stupid" because it is a mean word. And who said boys look stupid in pink? I think they look handsome...honest.

Cousins. Yeah, did I say we love em? Well, we do.

Painting. I would be crazy to not allow my kids the luxury of learning to paint because, hello? I am an amazing painter and must mentor my children to channel their wonderfully creative imaginations and put it onto a crisp, clean white piece of paper. You should try it if you haven't...it is a great feeling.

Throwing a tantrum, him? Naw....he wouldn't dare...This guy here, he's a perfect angel.

And this gal, well, she has amazing style. She practices often in front of the mirror, talking and singing and posing. She even likes to look at herself in the mirror when she is crying. As the crying proceeds, the faces get more and more contorted. It is quite interesting to watch.

Doing some Pilates. Go kids, go! They did awesome. It killed me, however.

Now, this is the kind of face that makes you think, "Wow, I want 20 kids!"

And then they get older and life turns to chaos somedays, and you wonder how you are going to survive the few kids you have. And then you watch the Duggar family at five in the morning and see that they do it so well, and make it look so easy, but that's just because they've had 19 kids, and it probably takes having that many to finally figure it all out! But since I am NOT having 19 kids, I will just keep on staring at this cute little face and think to myself, "Oh, man, I sure want more!"

So kissable too!!!

Most days I want to do this.

And my brain feels like this.

But, hey, this is what real life is all about, eh? At least, I think so.

Gotta get....Anna is whining and wants to play the Wii, Kya is fussing in the bouncy chair, and Carter is begging me, now that the baby is fed, to make some cookies, pleeeeeease!

Sigh. It's never ending. I might read it and weep, or laugh, but hey, it's all part of the plan.

And I think someday, in the eternities, I am really going to miss all of this. Really, really.

Yours truly.

Spit Happens.

2011-01-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

I'd like to consider myself quite knowledgeable when it comes to taking care of a baby. Afterall, this is my third time and a lot happens after three babies. But, let's face the facts...Spit Happens. It does.

Like GERD. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Sounds intense. Well....it is! Spit happens, literally, and a lot of it. Projectile spit. It catches you, unaware, and you find yourself saying unpleasant words in your head...and sometimes outloud...like, "Dad-gum! Blast! and Flip!" Yeah, those kinds of unpleasant words.

Then the crying kicks in. And the kicking feet, the head shaking, clenching and unclenching of the fists...oh, the baby with GERD does this too...not just the parent...

It is not fun. There is little sleep. Nothing gets done that needs to be done. Believe me...this is my third child with GERD, each one having similar and different experiences with it, some not so bad, and others much worse. After a few weeks of holding babe #3 pretty much all the time, dealing with the constant aching of my arms, back, neck, feet....I could hold her while standing up, for hours. Easy. Have you tried that? Believe me, most people cave in after 10 or 15 minutes.

Yup. Spit Happens.

But...there is light at the end of the tunnel. Modern medicine has provided us with many options which help immensely. Take that, combined with a really great pediatrician from the Pocatello Children's Clinic, who I won't name, but man....Dr. Murdoch is awesome...anyhoo, the two combined make for a much happier baby and much happier momma!

So...all the spit....well, we treated that. We also realized that babe #3 had issues with nursing too. She had a terrible latch. First baby who left scabs. Her tongue would flick off my nipple, breaking her latch. I could not get her to suck any other way, it was just the way she did it. Problem was, she swallowed so much air. And I struggled, too, with foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Google it. The babe also was fussy due to a lactose sensitivity. And explosive gas. You can google all of that too. After weeks of trying everything I could, we decided to try a bottle and formula specifically for gas and lactose sensitivity.

I nursed Anna until she was 15 almost 16 months old. Carter was 14 months old. I considered myself a nursing expert! I figured I would never use formula. Yeah....never say never! The formula has worked its magic! We saw improvement within a day! Kya went from not sleeping at night, to sleeping 3 hrs at a time, and then 4, and now 5. She doesn't have the painful gas and she doesn't have to deal with my breastmilk spraying down her throat full force! It has been a great change for us.

Spit happens. And that's okay. Cuz this sweet, adorable, dimple-cheeked, squealy, jabbering cutie makes it all worthwhile...and maybe Prevacid and Similac have helped a bit too.

I would do anything for my babies...so they can be happy...and so I can enjoy all of these smiles vs. a babe crying and in pain and discomfort.

Plus....now I can start training for my next 10K this September and not have to worry about any breastpads falling down my shirt. Score!

The story you've all been waiting for...

2011-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Which definition best describes Labor?

a.Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting
b.To strive painstakingly
c.To proceed with great effort
d.To suffer from distress or a disadvantage
e.To distress; burden
f.To undergo the efforts of childbirth
g. All of the above

It would be pathetic if any of you mothers missed this one. Just sayin...

On the other hand, some males might struggle with this quiz, it's not your average class 101 kinda material.

They call me "smart" you know. Not "smart alec"... though that would be my name had I been a boy.

That reminds me of a story. I think it begins with a "Once Upon a Time..."

There was a girl with shiny hair, the shiny-est in all of Meredithdom, a great kingdom that was fast becoming populated with wee little ones. Besides some exiles, who were sent to the Backwoods to be punished, the rest of the inhabitants were multiplying and replenishing. Some folk found Meredithdom odd for their zest and zeal in this act of increasing their posterity, but the townspeople paid those folks no mind for Meredithdom had the wisest delivery man, Robabobbo. Along with him and his father, the wise chief Roo-B-O-Bob, nothing would hinder the laboring of their fine women. They were even so lucky to have in their midst, a Bebee Whisperer. Her skill was unlike any other, and they called her the Gwait White Wilbus of Busathick. Meredithdom would have dwindled if it hadn't been for her skill, along with her apprentices, the Lemmon Cream Gang, though they claim no relation to Jack the Lemmon, who went sour long ago and was sentenced to tie die....which, supposedly is very painful. (*Ting*insert angelic smile here)

Now, if you are feeling a little lost right now, don't worry. This story has many levels of understanding, depending on how familiar you are with Meredithdom and its history.

Now, back to the fair-haired beauty mentioned earlier. She was large with child. In Meredithdom, the larger, the better, for that means the mother with child will have a very good birthing story to tell. One of the greatest highlights in Meredithdom is the gathering in Chief Roo-B-O-Bob's Hut in the circle of story-telling. Great honor is given to those with the greatest skill in spinning a tale. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the journey this beauty would make to bring her child into the world.

This is her journey, told by her, because talking in the third person is getting old:

It began on a boring Friday night. Contractions started while I was watching the newest Karate Kid movie. They were not braxton hicks ones either, and continued for a few hours. I was getting excited, and may or may not have sent out a few texts alerting family that the baby might be on her way. The contractions stopped almost immediately after I went to bed.

Then nothing happened for another week.

It started up again, on a Friday night. We decided that Fridays should be called "Contraction Day". But, once again, they didn't last....until Tuesday. They started in that evening. I went to bed, and they contractions didn't stop. They would last a few hours, at an intensity that it was very difficult to sleep, then wane for an hour, then start back up. I thought for sure I was going to end up in the hospital that night. And Russ was in Idaho Falls. I may or may not have sent out more texts. But, morning came and the contractions died down. I was getting really annoyed and wanted my body to make up her mind! I didn't know what to expect because I was induced with Anna, and with Carter my water broke, but with both pregnancies, I never experienced contractions before I went to the hospital to deliver. Wednesday morning, I stuck to my normal routine of waddling, peeing, and grunting with every move. At 2:30, I left to pick up Anna at her bus stop. It is just around the corner and down the street, so I always walked. About 200 meters from the front door, I thought maybe my bag of waters was leaking. The walk to the bus stop was slow and uncomfortable. A trip to the bathroom confirmed that I had lost my mucus plug, which was also a first for me. The contractions slowly picked up and became more frequent throughoutthe rest of the afternoon. I started timing them. They were coming every 2-4 minutes, and had been for at least an hour. Russ decided it was "Go Time".

Side note: We were sure that once I got into hard labor, and my water broke, the baby would come within minutes, because of how easy the first two babies came. With Carter, I pushed probably 3 times and out he came.

So, when we checked into the hospital around 5:30pm- 6pm, and they got me hooked up with pitocin, we thought it would be just a few hours. I dilated to a four quickly. Got the epidural. Things were moving at a nice pace. I called my sisters Emma and Alisha, and they left Twin Falls to be there for the birth. We were sure they would miss it.

Then we started facing some problems. My cervix wasn't thinning out completely, and it took hours for me to dilate from an 8 to a 9. Then I was stuck there. The epidural numbed the pain in my stomach, but I was feeling the full force of pain and pressure down a bit further, and it felt concentrated in the area where my cervix was. During the hours that it took for me to slowly dilate, they had me switch from laying on one side, to my back, to the other side. Whenever I was on my side, it hurt terribly! I got the "shakes" and had to concentrate very hard to stop. When the babe wasn't here by midnight, I was starting to feel very frustrated. After one in the morning they let me start pushing, even though my cervix still wasn't completely thinned out. It felt AMAZING to finally push! Serious, BEST feeling I had all year! The babe was posterior, or "sunny side up" as they called it, so I found that after multiple pushes, her position made it very difficult to move her. I have never pushed so hard during labor. I pushed so hard, they had to put me on oxygen because I was hyperventilating. I just wanted her out!!! There were many times I wanted to just say, "I am done. I can't do another push. I can't do this any longer." Words just can't explain the feelings.

But, somehow we made it, and towards the end, when I was just about ready to give up, the doctor got her head turned during a contraction and me pushing, and she came right out! It was only 45 minutes of pushing, and many women push for much, much longer, but for me, with the intensity with which I pushed, it felt like forever!

After Kya was born, I got to hold her for a minute, then they took her to the NICU because she had a fever. Turned out I had a fever too. We were never quite sure why Kya had one, but she was just fine 6 hours later and back in the nursery. After I delivered her, it took me quite a long time to get my breathing under control. Then my body shook uncontrollably for a long time too. It was awful. By the time they moved me to my room, I was totally exhausted. I was so swollen from the pushing that I could not even get out of my bed and could barely walk. Each step was very painful. With my first two pregnancies, I was up and about just hours after delivering, so with this third one, it was quite a different experience! I told Russ after Kya was born that I was done having babies. I never wanted to do that ever, ever, ever again!!! But...a few months go by....you forget....yup.....crazy women!

Tip: If you can, totally use the sitz bath they have in the hospital. I used ice packs for 12 hours, then did the sitz bath for 12 hours and when I left Saturday, my swelling was gone! A miracle...especially when I felt like everything down yonder was 10 times the size it's supposed to be!

Kya stayed in the nursery for 48 hrs, protocol when a baby is born with a fever, so I stayed too. The extra time in the hospital was what I needed anyway, to help with my recovery. So, I was induced Wednesday night, had Kya Thursday morning, and went home Saturday afternoon. To make things even more complicated, Russ had his gall bladder removed Friday after Kya was born! Yeah...

Kya hardly cried while in the hospital, but she did not sleep very well! And she had a bad latch when nursing, so that was a struggle too. After a week of being home, we discovered that she, like Anna and Carter, had GERD...yay...and so we had to deal with that all over again! At least I have experience.

Isn't it some kind of curse to get three kids in a row with GERD? I swear it is! Who cursed us anyways? Rude!

Anyhoo, our little journey with the whole GERD thing is another story. Let's just say Kya is the first of my kids to be on formula, and let me tell you all, it is GREAT!

Well, Meredithdom is blessed with another gorgeous baby girl....the girls are taking over!!! Amber most likely wins the prize for the best-horrible birthing story too....cuz hers has got to be better than Jeigh's labor going so fast she didn't even get an epidural and then tore when Jett was born and felt it clear to her toes. Yeah...Amber's was way worse. :) But, we are sure there are many more babies yet to be born and many more birthing stories to tell. Hope you enjoyed!

I so deserve something awesome for managing to finally get this all posted! It's a new year, how about some chocolate to get things started with a bang, eh? HA!

3 kids = no time for blogging!

2010-12-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to peel and eat part of an orange, and was about to do this long overdue post, but alas, Carter is in hysterics downstairs and it might have to do something with his big sister bossing him around....just a guess....and now the baby is stirring from her long nap!

So, long overdue post....you must wait a little longer! So sorry, but 3 kids take up ALOT of time.

Yeah, pretty much ALL of my time.

Chou.

Look, I even managed to download one really old, but very awesome, and not so Christmassy picture! Hold onto your toes...I will manage to get all my intended posts and pictures in eventually!

There's something wrong with this picture...

2010-11-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

We all had a really good laugh over this one...

How bout you?

Breast vs. Bottle....I think one baby got the short end of the stick here!

(we SO love that 3 little girls were born this year, Abby, Suzi, and Kya!)

So, you may or may not know...

2010-10-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

That posterior babies are very hard to deliver!!!

Here, let me say that again...

Posterior babies are VERY HARD to deliver!

Okay, I am satisfied now.
Here are some pictures until I can find more time to tell you why this little posterior baby was so hard!

Needless to say, after delivering Kya, I swore I would never have another baby.

And...

I totally have a whole new appreciation for women who birthed children without modern science and technology...

And yes...I did have an epidural. Very important question to answer. Women always want to know...

Anyhoo, here she is, Kya Lyn Meredith, born October 21st at 2:18 am weighing 7 lbs 5oz, 20 in.

She is a cutie, and we LOVE her!! Stayed tuned for the whole story, cuz really, you sure want to know...believe me...

37 weeks, 21 days to go

2010-10-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday.

A VERY anticipated day. I get to see good ol Dr. C! I gave him some of our homemade raspberry jam and a fresh loaf of homemade bread last week. He had to leave to deliver a baby right before he saw me, so I couldn't give it to him personally, but I am hoping to use such an extravagant gift as leverage...

Yeah. You know, while your feet are planted in the stirrups (and you are hoping that the shoes you wore didn't make em smell) and the good doctor is seated close enough to tell that you shaved way to quickly that morning....but seriously, who can shave at 9 months pregnant when there is a mountain in the way? Anyhoo...leverage...you think, hey doc, I SLAVED away picking those ripe luscious berries, then mashing, stirring, pouring, steaming....and my feet swelled to twice their size kneading the bread dough....so, hey, while you are down there, couldn't you help things along, eh? You know, accidentally strip those membranes? Something....try anything!!!

I don't know...on Wednesday I have got to bargain with Dr. C somehow...as long as my serious case of gassiness passes....cuz honestly, it is just wrong to try to plea bargain with the doc when you are in "stirrup" position and your intestines are loaded with gas...totally wrong.

Hmmm, I am not even sure how a woman is supposed to warn a doctor about something like that!

"Uh...whoopsiedaisy....sorry about that Dr. C!"

Yeah. Not cool.

These spider cookies, were, however, very cool, and yummy to munch on.

So. Friday night we watched the new Karate Kid movie. It was awesome. There are a rare amount of movies these days that please me, but this one succeeded. During the last half of the movie, I started having contractions. Yes! They were in my lower abdomen, you know, the cramping, aching, tightening contractions? They were coming every few minutes, lasting 30 seconds to a minute. Gradually, they intensified. Yes! This continued all the way up to the end of the movie. Even as I got up from the couch and did a few things before I went to bed, they were still coming. Yes!

Then I went to bed.
And....nothing!
Go figure.

But...it's getting close, people, really close!

As for news on the rest of my family and life, this is what's been going down:

Russ got sick a few weeks ago. To make a long story short, Friday, he had an ultrasound of his liver and gall bladder, and Wednesday he finds out the results. We are thinking right now that he has Gall stones...which most likely means surgery. Great timing huh? I will be recovering from labor and birth and he will be recovering from the absence of an organ....while he is suppsed to travel to Rexburg and continue in school this semester. (yeah...trying not to think too much about that) But, hopefully it is his gall bladder and he can return back to good health...he has had such health issues over the past 5 years and it would be nice to be done with all of that!

Anna has successfully mastered getting on the school bus in the mornings, after we bribed her with money.

I know, that sounds bad. Let me explain...
We told her that each time she got on the bus in the morning all by herself without crying or locking up her legs, thus making big prego mom carry/drag her onto the bus...then she would earn points. Once she got on the bus successfully, according to the rules we made, so many times, then she would receive a dollar.

Bribing is not recommended...

But in this case, it worked for us. Anna suffers from anxiety when presented with something new. Her anxiety combined with her shyness makes it difficult for her to do new things, especially when it involves other groups of people she doesn't know. She could get on the bus just fine after school. They load the kindergarten kids first. But in the mornings, there are other kids on the bus already, and her main problem was not wanting to get on because all the kids were "watching" her. (Same issues we faced with the primary program) But, she is improving greatly and becoming much more confidant, and it is GREAT to see. Even on Sunday, she said the prayer in primary, with her teacher's help, and even sang the songs during singing time, which is VERY rare for her to do! We all made sure to express to her our happiness we felt to know she participated in primary, and she was very happy too! She has faced some rough obstacles, but in return, we have seen her grow so much, and that is the most rewarding part of parenting.

Carter rides the bus to preschool, and he loves it! For him, he hasn't had any problems. He is doing great in preschool and learning so much. He loves to tease and joke. This can be a good thing, and also a very bad thing. It seems, lately, that his teasing and joking and being silly is happening at all the wrong times! And he seems to think that listening does not apply to him most recently. He is spending more time in timeout because of it. He also likes to torment Anna. He is learning she has buttons that can be pushed and the results of pushing those buttons are quite entertaining....to him. Most times she retaliates and fights or argues back with him, resulting in both of them spending lots of time in timeout! It can be an exhausting process. I am trying to teach them appropriate ways to settle disputes, but half of the time they just do things their own way. If I give them a warning like, "If you two don't stop fighting and arguing, you will have to sit in timeout" then Carter usually tells me, oh so innocently, "Mom, we not fightin, we just playin!" uh huh...sure. Carter says the darndest things, though at the moment I cannot think of anything, but he sure makes us laugh!

Carter, tired because he refused to take a nap this afternoon, says to Anna, "Stop talkin to me!"

Miss Boss replies, "Tarter...I'm not gonna stop talking to ya until you say the magic word."

Carter, "Anna...will you please stop talkin to me???"

Hey...at least the kid has manners!

Seriously, the kid is getting too smart for his own good, and for my own sanity!

That's all for now. Maybe my next post will be of a very cute pink bundle of baby! Cuz seriously folks, I can barely walk, the pressure of this baby is making it very difficult to go to the bathroom, yes, #1 and #2, I can't sleep, or sit in church with my knees together! And if I have to bend over...which I do...like 137 times a day...it feels like my belly is going to tear open! Need I say more?

35 Weeks, 34 Days (or less)

2010-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Countdown is ON!!!

Here I am today at 35 weeks. If you were to see me in person you would immediately notice the red, bloodshot eyes, the dark circles under my eyes which I "attempt" to cover up, and the puffiness around my eyes...as well as in the whole region of my face...in my feet...and in my plump little sausage fingers!

Ahh....life is good!

I am fast running out of clothes that I find acceptable and comfortable under my certain conditions, and if I could, I would choose to just wander around half naked instead. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the seam of my pants digging into my lower abdomen, which is protruding out a great distance from where it should be!

Yesterday afternoon, I tried to play blocks with Carter....which calls for all participants to sit on the floor. Great! I was wearing some maternity capris that fit under my belly. Upon my slow and grunt-filled arrival down to the floor, a tight squeezing came upon me as I struggled to shove my swollen legs into a "said" very easy cross-legged position. (Obviously, pregnant women were not in mind) The seam of my capris, which is quite expandable, was unmercifully trying to cut my lower extremities away from my upper body. I kid you not! While my legs started to throb and swell from the lack of circulation, the mean squeezing capris left my belly and everything contained within it no other option but to shift upwards, diminishing what was left of my lung's capacity to function. I think that certain unknown organs were being shoved up into my throat too, for I felt the need to gag. The baby rebelled every time I reached forward to grab a block by pounding my ribs with her delicate little legs, causing her head to force great pressure within my pelvis, creating shooting pains in that general area where pubic bone and cervix are located. Hey, at least I knew my nerves were working...despite the tingling in my bum that was slowly going numb...and the muscle spasms radiating up and down my back...

BUT I PREVAILED.

We built lots of really cool block tunnels for Carter's cars to drive through.
Then he destroyed them!
And wanted to do it all over AGAIN...

Maybe in 34 days...or less, kido.

Then I patted him on his blond little head, wiped his nose, and resigned myself to the recliner...
AFTER....I freed my body from the awful maternity capris...and put on some of Russ's fleece pajama pants!

Ah! Now THAT is what I am talkin about...

And life is still...pretty good.

Sometimes...it is okay to lie...

2010-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

33 weeks.
34 lbs gained.

and...

Dr. C asks me, "Sooo...how do you feel about that?" with a deep, questioning gaze...

Hmmm...hold on a minute while I retreive another Reese's peanut butter cup from the freezer...

(*crinkle, crackle...riiiiip...crinkly-crinkle*)

Give me a moment....it's still a bit too frozen to bite yet...

little bit longer....
little bit longer....

Ah!

Now....um, let's see here...Any more questions?

That's what I thought.

And onto more very interesting things that have to do with 33 weeks and 34 lbs:

Walking. I can no longer do it. Waddling? Yes. And might I add that I waddle like a gimp....a very slow gimp. Everyone understand?

Okay then...next on the list:

It has come to my understanding that we have a hobbit in the family.
Who? Click HERE! and scroll down to the last picture.

I like hobbits. I have teased Russ for years now about his hobbit-looking feet, which I don't really like. Well, hobbit-itis is spreading. 33 weeks and 34 lbs has changed my feet too, minus the extra hair. My feet now need some mud flaps that read, "Wide load". Christmas wish-list now includes: shoes...double wide width, please.

Hmm, what else? Oh, yes...

Back to the dad-gum 34lbs gained. How? I really don't know. Let me just entertain you for a minute with a few bits of information.

Cravings have been mostly nutritional. For example: Greek yogurt with granola, celery, apples, & bananas with peanut butter, carrots dipped in ranch, Kashi whole grain crackers with cheddar cheese, whole grain toast topped with steaming hot oatmeal, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, tomatoes fresh from the garden sprinkled with salt and pepper...and at least 64 fl. oz. of water a day...yeah....I can drink almost a whole liter just at bedtime...easy-peasy.

I have indulged too, on the occasional rootbeer float, snickers ice cream bar, licorice, Oreos dipped in milk, chocolate zucchini cake....but honestly....no more than your average person.

And might I add that we hardly EVER eat out! Maybe once a month, sometimes twice, often not at all!

It doesn't quite add up. Though, I am referred to as a jersey cow when I nurse my babies. Straight cream. So....34 lbs gained...it is greatly needed....and gets used up fast!

Until then, I will keep waddling and enduring all the gawking stares from WalMart shoppers and the always occasional comments like,

"WOW! You look like you're about to POP!"

"Congrats! I looked like that 5 months ago and I am SO GLAD I don't look like that anymore!" (keep in mind this woman was smoking a cigarette and was missing her two front teeth...and possibly more.)

Patting my hand with a look of pity, "How are you feeling dear?" Fine, thanks. "Now tell me, how much longer?" Oh, 7 weeks still. "Oh my! I thought you were due this month! Hang on, we'll hope for 4 or 5 weeks!"

"Oh, I saw you come into church earlier and thought, 'Oh the poor thing!'"

So, I am beginning to think that it would just be better to start telling lies.
An example: "Oh, when is your baby due?" and instead of giving the real answer and then watching the curious look go from inquiring to horrified, lie and say, "Oh just a few more weeks."

Then hope I don't run into them for two more months...

(input big sigh)

I think I will waddle downstairs now and get myself another Reese's peanut butter cup.
Shhhhhhhhh! Don't tell Dr. C! Afterall, we did establish that sometimes it is okay to lie...

Right?

Oh...quite alot of days ago...

2010-09-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

This little man turned THREE years old!

Woot woot!

Instead of the usual cute and perfect birthday pictures you should post, I opted out and decided to go with the whole candid thing this year....no posing or perfect hair or clothes set with the right lighting near brightly bouncing birthday balloons....just keeping it real, folks, keeping it real.

Also, might I add that this little lady turned FIVE!

It is known as common courtesy in the Meredith household to completely block out all family members as they sing to you most wholeheartedly the "Happy Birthday" song.

Thank goodness for Anna, or we would've never known the rules.

Oh...and you have to change out of your cute birthday outfit and put on pajamas instead.

Yeah, my kids like to keep it real too.

So many, many rules....

As part of our birthday celebrating, we took a trip to Temple Square.

It was very, very hot.

But we very much enjoyed it.

Especially touching almost every single body of water held within the confines of the Temple Square walls.

Then we went to Hogle Zoo the next day.

We got to smell lots of poop, and lots of stinky animal cages, and Russ was VERY disappointed to not get to see any monkeys flinging poop.

Here, the birthday kids are showing us the sibling love that runs rampant in our home!

*wink, wink*

With so much love....gotta spread some around...

I think I can recall, on several occasions, that Russ seemed to look almost exactly like this before I kissed him! Hmmm.....

We had lots of fun, rode the carousel, which was AWESOME, bought souveniers, in which Anna lost hers the day we got home, ooohed and awed at all the right moments, and curiosity couldn't keep us from exploring the depths of the rhino nostrils.

Sadly, nothing was found.

Anyhoo...now that my kids are so much older and wiser too, they get to teach me over this next year how much I have yet to learn. Yes, more rules. I guess I just haven't gotten the whole parenting thing down...you know, according to the wise and noble three and five year olds!

Lots more to post...

hope you all are very patient and don't mind waiting...

WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised...

2010-07-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Noooo....we aren't getting bored this summer.....at all.....

From the mouth of babes...aka: Bubba

2010-07-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Carter declared after a morning kiss from momma before he climbed in bed to watch some early morning cartoons,

" Eeww, GROSS....Mommy breath!"

Thanks Bubba...I can always rely on you to boost my self-esteem and point out the obvious!

The kid never ceases to entertain us. He thinks that because Anna wears a full-body swimming suit and that mom wears one too, that naturally, he should wear one as well! Don't worry...we bought him new swim trunks and a swim shirt....and after alot of convincing...he's okay with his "boy dwimmingdoot"...We figured out that he doesn't like to go top-less...though bottom-less is another story!

He does like to, now and then, put on a "pwincess" and then hold hands with mom or Anna and dance. Once again, if mom and Anna wear "princesses" then why can't he? We are trying to keep the "princess" wearing at a minimum...mostly because Anna and Carter fight over the dresses!

Don't worry...the "fun" only lasts a moment. Then he is done.

And back to his trains, trucks, and automobiles...

Throwing balls, watching them crash into things and exclaiming, "Cool!"

Tormenting his sister...

He still thinks I ate my baby in my tummy,

Jumping on and off of people...

Let's not even mention the word "potty-training"

and other such things!

Oh, and don't forget that one MUST jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler...and keep his/her tongue out at all times...you know...in case you get thirsty...or maybe want to bite your own tongue off!

Now I must end with Carter's most recent favorite phrase of expression,

"Howly gosh!"

...and have a good one...we certainly will...

I'm in LOVE!

2010-07-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

With this little man...

He loves his dad...

and I am pretty sure that the majority of the time he loves his sister too!

Awe heck....I am in love with the whole dad-gum bunch!

They're all just so stinkin cute!

We do make a pretty darn dad-gum stinkin cute family too...

A hammock is like a giant pea-pod!

Way too much FUN!

Thanks Chels for sharing your pea-pod with us!

We have been swinging and lounging daily!

And the results are in!!

2010-06-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

We are very happy to announce that this little wiggly baby due November 3rd, 2010 will be named:

Kya Lyn Meredith !!!

I will post the darling pictures of her later! She's so cute!

With another girl coming to the family that makes three girls born in 2010 to Russ's parents making a grand total of 17 grandchildren, 11 girls (#10, Suzi Ruth due September 7th, and #11, Kya Lyn) and a mere 6 boys!

For my parents, Kya will be grandchild #10, 4 girls and 6 boys! And we still have my two youngest sisters who have yet to be married and have their own children!

And I have to include my grandparents, my Nanny and Grandad, who are my second set of parents:

They have 34 grandchildren with one more on the way due the end of November to my aunt Jenny, making a grand total of 35! Whew! And my Nanny manages to still remember every birthday! She's such a great grandma! Baby Kya makes a grand total of 16 great grandchildren!

And for my other set of grandparents, my mom's side, they have, including Kya, a total of 22 grandchildren!

Anyhoo...we are very VERY excited to have a sweet baby girl to dress up in bows and leggings!

Anna has lots of plans for her little sister and lots of girl stuff to do with her...

And with Carter too...

Now the poor boy will be getting it from an older and younger sister!

He really enjoys it right now...

and he's got lots of girl cousins surrounding him too...

Hopefully, someday, he'll understand women...and be a great husband!

Go on, laugh at my own expense...I did...

2010-06-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

I totally laughed....

Did you?

That was SO not the case for me.

And this is some of what I read from the fun little emails about week 18:

By now, the top of my uterus is just below the belly button...

at this point, my belly might start to pop out a little...

Hmmm...

One thing I am puzzled by: pop out a LITTLE???

Go on, scroll back up and take a look at my 18, almost 19 wk belly!

I'd say half of a basketball does NOT qualify for such a description as "popping out a little"!!!

Also, I read:

"There's a definite upswing on the fetal growth chart now, so expect some big gains in the coming weeks."

~~Awesome...~~

~~Great~~

~~lovely~~

I am only slightly whimpering...

Almost 19 weeks ago I started out at a wonderful 115 lbs.

I know! That's why I said "wonderful"!

At 16 weeks I climbed quickly to 126 lbs!

Yeah...11 pounds in 4 months...

that's big for a girl barely over 5ft.

I cringe at what my 20 week appointment will bring!

Stay posted...next post will be results from my ultrasound!!

finally a "yay"!

Some jabbertalkie...

2010-06-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sooo...I am not sure I will make my blog private afterall. I seriously am getting pages and pages of emails and I am not sure how many a person is allowed to invite!! Anyone know? Yeah...so much for big talk...

The kids are growing, whining, laughing, throwing fits, swinging, racing, doing crazy flip-cartwheels on the trampoline, drawing a lot, yelling, even when you are two inches from them, using manners and sometimes needing to be reminded...alot sometimes, watching Tom and Jerry and enjoying it with mom, eating too many cashews and sneaking drinks onto mom and dad's bed and spilling the drinks and staining the new mattress...gah!!! pooping in underwear, peeing on the floor, sometimes making it to the toilet, sometimes being forced to the toilet, threatened that the "pinchie bugs" will pinch a certain bum bum in he doesn't hurry, napping and often not nowadays, not liking anything cooked for dinner and wanting Rice Crispies, bananas, "candy bars" which are actually granola bars, ice cream, popcicles, fruit snacks, or chocolate instead, being copy cats, teasing and being teased and so forth...

Yeah...you could say life has been very interesting around here!

I am now 18 weeks along and two weeks away from my first ultrasound! Yay! I have been having some wierd symptoms lately in the mornings. Feeling faint, light-headed, tingling in my legs, easily out of breath and heart racing, little energy, and lower blood pressure than normal. I made some calls, and did my own research online (cuz I research about EVERYTHING!) and started making some changes to my diet. The "episides" kept happening, so I did some more research, made some more calls. Low blood pressure can be caused by dehydration. So, I started guzzling all day long and even before bed, and then first thing in the morning. No "episodes" so far and blood pressure back to normal. I was drinking fluids all throughout the day, but obviously not enough water! Crazy how a simple thing can cause such problems with a pregnant body!

I am very grateful for Google. And for smart family members, as well as awesome staff working at the good ol Doc's office.

Anna under the "wishing tree"

I am making baked salmon and corn on the cob for dinner tonight and can't be more excited about it! I have been making better efforts to eat healthier, choosing fresh fruits and veggies over highly processed and non-perishable food items. I am trying to choose better snacks for my kids to eat rather than fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, and stuff packed with refined sugar and no nutritional value. I feel a greater responsibility for what goes into my kids bodies and my own, and I know that in the long run, we will all be much better off by staying away from fast food, junk food, sugary drinks and pop, candies and such. I feel good about making healthier eating habits...especially knowing that it will help me and my children live longer and be happier.

Love those apple blossoms! See the ladybug?

Try some of these:

Blueberry pancakes for dinner using fresh or frozen blueberries. So yummy!

Snack on whole wheat crackers with cheddar chesse.

Add fresh fruit to your cereal like strawberries or bananas and opt out on the sugary cereals.

My kids love to snack on nuts, yogurt drinks, and craisens.

Grilled cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread instead of white bread.

Try choosing fish over red meat. My kids like salmon because it is soft and easy to chew.

Choose new foods, even if your kids don't like them at first, the more you introduce new foods and flavors, the better eaters they will grow up to be.

Have dessert occasionally. It doesn't have to be after every dinner.

Go to bed earlier, then you won't be tempted to eat late at night.

I am a stress eater. When I get too stressed, I find myself more in the kitchen. I am trying to find other outlets for stress, and if I do snack, I make sure I have fruits and veggies in the fridge and have a few instead of chips or cookies or ice cream.

Get outside! Food isn't so accessable there...you know?

My cute bubba...ignore my lack of make-up please...

Anyhoo...

We are by far perfect, and there is a pack of oreo cookies in the cupboard at this very moment. I am sure I will have some with milk. We probably watch too much television and I still haven't found the extra umph to exercise in the mornings. But I know I am making better choices with a lot of things and that's a start. One good choice eventually leads to another, habits are formed, and lifestyles are changed...little by little.

Cute....I mean...seriously....

Blog Going Private...

2010-05-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

You know what to do...send me your email. I have changed the settings for comments, so only I will see your email address, to help maintain privacy for you all! Thanks.

Poor Russ...

2010-05-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Poor Russ. Poor, poor pitiful Russ. He had to spend his birthday all alone!

Sad.

Yes, sad indeed.

(for those of you wondering why...he is commuting to Rexburg to finish his last semester there. So, he leaves for Rexburg Monday morning, and stays with his sister Gill in Idaho Falls until Friday, when he comes home for the weekend. Monday, May 10, Russ's 27th birthday, he was all alone because Gill was out of town for work.)

But, we all surprised him with a party when he got home the following Friday!
We decorated with streamers in the kitchen above the table, balloons, brownies, chocolate covered strawberries, and the hit of the night....homemade rootbeer floats....yes, made with homemade rootbeer! Yum!!! That night could very possibly be the reason why I have a gained a total of 11 lbs in four months! Though I do believe that Chelsea hit a grand total and winning number of....what....4 rootbeer floats that night?

They were delicious. Need I say more?

The birthday boy...and me...and half of Bubba's head.

And I am not sure what Russ is doing to my belly....

one can never be sure with him...

hmmm

put in speculation HERE.

goochee, goo-chee, Goo!

Chocolate hasn't been on my want or need list lately....

but combined with a strawberry...

oh yeah....splendidly delicious!

Aren't they cute?

The white chocolate was a beast to melt...

but I triumphed.

"Mom, MOM! Take a picture of me now!"

Never thought I would hear those words come out of this little mouth.

The peanut butter brownies Anna helped me make and decorate with candy hats...

the kids' favorite part of the whole party...

And we all know what Chelsea's favorite part was...

I think that maybe I could have mentioned the homemade floats at this very moment...

See the look of GLEE on her face?

Geoff and baby Abby....notice her cute little leg warmers!

Gotta get some of those....

Dang cute!

This one has got to be a favorite of mine from the night.

I noticed Anna and Emily just sitting there...

Bored...

and patiently waiting for the candles to be lit!

Carter did blow out the candles the first time and I had to re-light them!

And he kept asking me when it was his birffday.

Crying then followed my answer.

And more crying when he didn't get any presents...

"What? Who me?? Nooo....I didn't do anything....innocent!"

Carter is a little "angel". He wouldn't dare do things like:

dumping a bottle of sprite all over the kitchen floor

dumping pencil shavings all over the office desk and computer keyboard

throwing a digital camera at Anna's foot

getting into the chocolate chips and dumping them all over the table

throwing the couch cushion down the stairs

throwing his trains and train tracks

throwing his farm house...

Notice the obsession with dumping and throwing.

And if you have questions about the pink Dora shirt, well...

just let it satisfy you all to know that he seems to think that

his swimming suit must look like Anna's.

He's not really getting the whole shorts and bare chest thing.

Don't worry...

with all the teasing, dumping, throwing...

we don't have to worry about his masculinity...

and I am going to be buying him a swim shirt with something a little more...

manly on it....mostly for Russ's sense of security.

Little does he know that yesterday Carter wanted to put on a...

da...da...duuuunnn...

princess dress!!!

and he wanted some blush on his cheeks AFTER...

he had already painted his finger nails!

Just let me say....

he looks great with blue eye shadow....

really brings out his eyes!

Chou!

A review....

2010-05-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

8 weeks....really just looking a little bloated...

Then three weeks later....KABOOM! At 11 almost 12 weeks.

And here we are at 15 weeks. The belly growth has slowed a bit...

but it sure is filling up quickly. I feel like I ~~have almost started to~~ waddle...

*sigh*

Notice the Twetty Bird pants...

yup....they go with just about every shirt I own!

It is a sight...but hey...a girl's gotta be comfortable!

I hardly ever wear mascara

AND

I have switched to wearing men's deoderant....it's a long story...

BUT

I think a woman does smell quite womderful in Old Spice.

Really.

Greatest milestone reached so far:

I can go all night without peeing!

Wahoo!

But the vivid morning dreams of going to the bathroom

and peeing for an eternity...

can't be good.

One of these mornings I'm gonna wake up and....

oops...

I finally graduated from the "kiddie" size bra to the "Grown Up" ones.

Yesssssss!

And...

I am always craving things like:

beans, avacados, fruit with extra crunchy peanut butter

cashews, tomato bazil and mozzarella broiled sandwiches,

chips and salsa, salt and vinegar Pringles

oooh, ooh!

And at this very moment I would LOVE to have some...

cucumber slices in vinegar with salt and pepper!

I never want sweet stuff...

Crazy?

yes.

Ice cream never sounds good, and neither does

CHOCOLATE!

The only thing I can manage sweet is oreos dipped in milk.

I never want chicken....blaaa....

BUT

A baked sweet potato from Texas Road House sounds

DELIGHTFUL!

I am having CRAZY and INSANE dreams...

next blog post...

And totally loving, still, being pregnant!

What a joy and a blessing and privelage...

Now look at this adorable little face

What a sassy little cutie full of way too much attitude!

Love her!!!!

I know it's alot to ask, but do you have 8min and 20 seconds to spare?

2010-05-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

I often read from one of my favorite blogs written by NieNie.
She is such an inspiration....and saying that feels like a huge understatement.
Click on the link below, and when the clip is finished, maybe you will think thoughts like me such as:

There is so much I can do in a day.
So many activites...
places to go,
people to see,
books to read.

But...

There is so much MORE I could be doing...
so very very much...
and it has nothing to do with
shopping
movies
restaurants
sports
dates

But more with who I am, and why I am really here...

to be a part of a moment that touches on eternity...
that uplifts, and enriches...
inspires, glorifies...

to be a little bit more like Nie.

Mothers are so very, very beautiful...

My New Life

Another giveaway...totally awesome...so please don't enter!

2010-04-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Click here:
Made by Lex GIVEAWAY!!!

And click here to see where these awesome giveaways are comin from:

The Beaded Purse....totally vintage and awesome!

PS: check out Missy's "candy aisle" where you will find some adorable shoes for just $10.00!
Go on....you know you want to buy some...

Seriously, if I win that red beaded purse...well...let's just say I will be screaming my head off! LOVE IT!

75* weather and this is what I get:

2010-04-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Two VERY happy kids.

And DANG CUTE too!!!

What did the weather bring you today?

Pictures!

2010-04-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

A few pictures decorating eggs...

The kids ALWAYS have a blast, and never want it to end...

But boy, am I glad when it's all over!

The Easter Bunny always leaves a "poop trail" of candy from each bedroom door that leads to your Easter basket! Anna was so surprised about EVERYTHING, and even ran downstairs and about scared little poops right out of aunt Gill, who stayed the weekend with us, as Anna yelled, "GILL, WAKE UP! The Easter Bunny came!" Then Anna woke up grandma and grandpa, and Carter too!

Emily

And Emily's baby sister, Abby.

All the kids, so EXCITED, ready to go outside for the Easter Egg Hunt!

Mason(6), Anna(alomst 5), Carter(almost 3), Emily(almost 3), and Olivia(11) in the back.

Anna and Mason are great friends, and they have surprised us all by becoming the best little playmates with each other! They really do get along amazingly well! It's so fun to have so many cousins!

Emily and Carter, much like Anna and Mason, love to play with one another too. All the adults watch these two interact, and it is so funny sometimes what they say and do!

Gotta love the look on her face here!

Hahaha, and this one cracks me up too! I told him to say, "Cheese!" not realizing he has a mouthful of gum!

This is what can happen when little boys miss their nap...

and are traumatized after falling off the top bunk bed...

and wanting blankie and mom, while mom talked on the phone with Nanny...

He snored like you wouldn't believe, and he was so big and hot and heavy!

I am just glad he didn't pee on me, since he had his under-roos still on!

I think he drooled a little...

Okay...I know I just barely posted a picture of my belly...I am going on 11 weeks now...

does that seriously look like an 11 week belly to you?

Cuz I am feeling HUGE!

My 12 week appointment is April 19th...

I am hoping it is just me feeling that I am more huge-er than I really am...

Welp....that's all I got for now! We got Anna registered for kindergarten, and she got her last 4 immunizations! She was AMAZING and didn't even make a peep during the whole visit! Not even a tear escaped, nor did her eyes even tear up! She was so brave!

With Anna in kindergarten and Carter starting pre-school this fall, I won't know what to do with myself!

I guess that's why I am having another baby!

PS: If Kristen Johnson happens to read this, I really need your email, so I can be invited to your blog! Here you've gone and had another baby and I didn't know a thing about it! haha! Thanks!

Jabber...

2010-04-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today...all afternoon...I've had the Winnie the Pooh song stuck in my head....chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluffies...silly willy nilly ol bear!

March 31st, Carter decided that he was going to go pee in the potty....and has been consistently peeing and pooping.....in the POTTY.....ever since!

WAHOO!!!!!!! Need I say more?

Easter: lovely, but too much candy!!!! Way, way, WAY too much! Maybe that would explain Carter's random donkey kicking....over and over again....during the morning session of conference...

Maybe that would explain why he has eaten very little FOOD...

And why he has been running up and down the hall, yelling, and then crashing into the couch!

I have discovered, too, that after a holiday dinner, it seems that we spend hours cleaning up...late that evening, the next morning, into the afternoon...bleh...

For dinner tonight we grilled: Bratworsts. And do you know what I was craving on them? Sauerkraut and sauted onions! Seriously, NOTHING could have tasted better to me tonight than the two bulging brats mounded high with the toppings! Delicious! Wow...this pregnancy really has me craving wierd things I never craved with my other pregnancies!

There was a question about my cravings and heartburn....sadly, I do not indulge in all the cravings I have....so, I don't have to worry about the heartburn. But yes...the heartburn has begun now...yay...and I am finding that if I eat 5 small meals throughout the day instead of 3, it works out better for me.

Is this wierd to any of you....I get heartburn inbetween meals...yeah, when I haven't eaten anything for a few hours....and I get heartburn if I eat too much sugar....so I haven't really indulged in the sweet stuff this time.

Kindergarten registration for Anna is this week! CRAZY! I cannot believe I will have a child in school!!!! But I am WAY EXCITED for her! She will love it! And of course I will miss her while she's gone, and worry that she's picking up bad habits or words from other kids...I will hope that kids aren't rude to her, and if they are that she won't let them walk all over her....but mostly, I know that this will be a great milestone and experience for her.

LOVED General Conference this month.....loved it! So many talks I want to listen to again, and again....and many that I need to listen to because of an occasion droopy head and heavy eyelids. The kids were great and stayed in the family room with us for all four sessions, though there were many moments of shushing and Carter asked me a dozen times if he could, "Watch gugginton (Chuggington, a cartoon) nooooooow, mom?" He shared lots of his candy with everyone, and even took his first nap in undies in our brand new bed! Yeah, brave move on my part, but he woke up dry and made it all the way to the hallway door, where he couldn't get it open and then peed all over the floor! Better the floor than my brand new mattress! Funny now...the kid doesn't even like to wear a diaper anymore and INSISTS on putting on his underwear all by himself, even though he hasn't a clue how to do it right! I managed to find a way to "help" him without letting him realize I am really helping him!

Yeah...you heard the part about a brand new bed??? For the first time in our lives, Russ and I get to sleep on a brand new mattress with a footboard AND headboard!!! It's so pretty and I love it! We also got a matching dresser and mirror, and plan on buying the other taller dresser a little later on as well as a nightstand. I will post pictures soon!

Question: Are any of you dealing with children who are especially whiny and complain a lot? Our biggest trial with Anna, lately, has been this constant whining and complaining. And it is pretty much about everything and anything! It is worse if she is tired or hungry. She whines about her clothes, and this morning, as I handed her her pants and shirt and clean underwear, she asked me, "Mom, do your panites haveta match yer clothes?" I told her they didn't necessarily have to match if she didn't want them to, but they could match if that made her happy. Well, then she starts whining because her panties matched her clothes and she didn't like it! It is ridiculous, really. And it is driving me crazy! Truly.

Rules are rules, and we stick to them. At mealtime, if they don't eat their food, fine, but they don't get to eat again until the next mealtime. Anna continually insists that she is done (whining all through the meal) and then is hungry later and wants more cereal. Then whines and complains when I tell her she has to wait until lunch before she can have something to eat. She knows the rules, and what is so frustrating is that she still gets upset when the follow-up is the same!!! Hello? Did I not just explain this to you, very clearly, today....and yesterday.....and almost everyday this month?! I could go on and on about all the things she whines and complains about....I just keep thinking to myself that there's got to be a better way out there to solve this dilemma...

Any suggestions?

On the other hand...
Anna has grown up a ton over these past few months! She has become so helpful with Carter and loves him so much! She loves to be able to make him laugh and she felt very proud of the moment when he went pee in the potty and she was there to help him instead of me!! I told her that is why he is doing so well, because of her help, and she was just beaming with pride! She cannot wait for our new baby to be born and always tells me about all the things she will do to help. I told her that I am going to need her to hold the baby a lot when I have to do other things, and by the look on her face, I could tell that there was nothing else in this world that would make her happier! I have to keep reminding myself, after I get too caught up in her difficult stages (like the whining and complaining) that there is so much she is doing that I need to take notice of and compliment her for. She is very creative and becoming a great artist! And though she has little interest in the alphabet, reading, letter sounds, and things in those areas, she is thriving in all her artistic abilities. Those will always be her strengths. She will find shapes in the grain of wood, in a pattern on clothing, from the texture of the wall, and find pictures or letters and point them out to me. I am so grateful she has an imagination and that she lives in such a world where she is separate from the adult world.

Now Carter's turn. He has such a fun personality, and the way he talks is so funny! He has a great sense of humor and appreciates the fun parts of life. He is really enjoying having a sense of independence, and yet it can be a huge struggle for us too. He terrorizes the cat, and yet he doesn't realize that what he is doing is terrorizing! He will laugh hysterically at the cat as he is terrorizing her! It is so funny to him, that he has to keep on doing it! That kid is all about fun! His attention span is far shorter than his sister's is, and he is so very very active! When Anna was his age, she was very nearly an angel....Carter....well....he is a rascal!!! One very extreme frustration for me concerning him is: bedtime. Anna and Carter both struggle with bedtime. It is exhausting some nights. Carter LOVES to play, thus, the going to bed with nothing to do but lay there....it very VERY unappealing to him! He will do anything to avoid bedtime! So, once we get him all ready, and try, very hard, to get him to climb into bed himself, we usually end up having to put him in bed, which starts the tantrum. First, he kicks off the covers, then cries because he wants covered up. Then he promptly kicks them back off. It's all just distractions, of course, to delay the inevitable. Then he started throwing his blanket off the bed, and then would cry because he wanted it. We would give it back to him, cover him up, say goodnight, and shut the door only to find that minutes later he had thrown it back off his bed.

So, I started explaining to him what to do and not to do at bedtime and what the consequences would be. No matter how many times I reminded him about what would happen if he threw his blanket off the bed or threw fits at bedtime, he would look at me and then do exactly what I told him not to do! So, I would follow through with the punishment. But his bad behaviors at bedtime are still happening consistently, even though we follow through with the punishment every time! Tonight, he threw his blanket off the bed, once again. So, finally, I just took it away and told him he can have it in the morning. He is still not asleep and crying on and off because he wants it, but I am at wits end as to what else to do! He sucks his thumb at night, and holds the tag on his blanket as he sucks, and that is how he has always gone to sleep. So I am sure he is not liking having to go to sleep without his tag.

So....any suggestions?

My belly is growing at an alarming rate....and my dreams have been quite dramatic. If you know me or heard me repeat many of my dreams, you would know that I normally have very weird dreams, weird and crazy! So, while pregnant, they are just amplified. When I was pregnant with Anna, I dreamt that while I was married to Russ, I was also engaged to a guy I knew from a singles branch, and had an affair with a black man. I attended a roommates wedding reception, where Russ, boyfriend, and one night fling were all present and I was trying to keep them all from finding out about each other! It was quite hilarious, and we all laugh and joke about it still! Russ claims that the black guy symbolizes his alter ego, haha!

There are so many more I could tell you about! Craziness! At least it keeps everyone entertained at the breakfast table, as I recount my newest dream!

Anyway, enough of the jabber....just wanted to get some things written down.

I love comments, so feel free...

8 weeks along...

2010-03-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

....Many have questions....

so let me do some answering...

-Nope...if you knew me when I was pregnant before, you would know that I have NOT gotten:

Morning Sickness...

Sorry Jeigh...third time around...still no morning sickness! You're gonna have to try a stronger charm!

-At first I was sure it is going to be a boy....but now I am not so sure....leaning towards girl now...

-I feel 10x more tired than I have EVER felt with my previous two pregnancies! Not sure why...but I am becoming a napping QUEEN! While Carter and I have our 2 1/2 hr naps, bless little Anna and daddy for keeping themselves quite entertained!

-Cravings? YES! KFC mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits, Wingers...oooh...with a passion!!! Sometimes pickles, other times salt and vinegar Pringles, ALWAYS a Milky Way chilled in the fridge, Dr. Pepper (which I have only had once, just because it is BAD for me....very, very BAD! That's what I keep trying to convince myself of!) I've had some cravings for donuts...just a FEW...biscuits and gravy with sausage and eggs...and chips and salsa!

-I cried watching The Biggest Loser....and I have never watched one single episode this season! So, yes, corny t.v. shows and commercials get me dabbing at my eyes.

-I have been very CRANKY! Oh, I hate having to say that...it makes me feel bad for my little family. But they are handling it like pros!

-I get soooo bored reading pregnancy books or magazines now....I need something that I haven't already read a dozen times x two! But I DO enjoy reading about new cute trends in maternity clothing and looking at cute fun decorating ideas.

-Yes...plan on nursing, but have no bad feelings about bottle feeding either. I would encourage any mom to do what they feel is best, and would tell them to never let anyone make them feel guilty for choosing one over the other.

-Totally showing. My jeans are quite uncomfortable....I despise wearing jeans while pregnant....though I dread having to pull out the maternity clothes!

-Am I scared about having three kids? No. I am more scared about having a bigger gap between Carter and baby #3 than I had planned on....and having a more difficult time adjusting, once again, to having a newborn.

-Will I be done after this one? Haha! Probably not....but you never know!

Oh...and Anna plans on calling the baby Flower....yeah...

Don't feel bad for your reaction, and continued gawking at the already "large" baby bump...I am still gawking everyday....is it really supposed to be so pronounced already? At 9 months...can you imagine where that belly will be? haha....yeah, I laugh now....and will cry when I am actually there!

Hmmm....I've gotta craving...

2010-03-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

Can I just say....schnozberry....or raspberry....

I need a bowl...

or two...