on this blog and in every aspect of my life but I don't see it changing any time soon. :)
December was fun because of all the Christmasy stuff going on (parties and music and decorations and such) but very busy and all of the kids were sick twice! They all got something, got better, then got something else! All at different times and different sicknesses, so I was nursing everybody ALL MONTH! But the biggest blessing is that I didn't get sick at all! Ben even got a cold after Thanksgiving and then another one at Christmas.
We spent Christmas with Ben's family in Dallas and then after a day at home, my dad drove down to drive up to Kansas with me and then drove back down with me and then drove home. Yes, he's crazy and such a good dad and grandpa! He didn't want me to have to travel alone with the kids. Our drive up there was the worst ever! Lucas slept MAYBE 45 minutes and cried 80% of the time. Sometimes he'd just yell and I'd turn around to look at him and he's SMILE so big! He was adorable! Then if I wasn't feeding him or paying attention to him, he made a LOT of noise! A dr visit after that trip found an ear infection, so I'm not too upset at him anymore. ;) Anyway, I bet Dad was regretting this trip! The way home was TONS better.
While in Kansas, my dad told me he was getting remarried. I had been upset about the prospect but then I just felt so peaceful about it. I think my mom was sending me vibes of, "It's ok, don't worry," and I've felt good about it since. We are planning to go up to Kansas in March for the wedding and I'm helping to plan it a bit. Trying to focus on all the positives of the situation. I am sure missing my mom these days.
Jill & Miranda are happy to be back in school. They loved the break but they love school too. The best part of the break was getting to see Daddy so much.
Natalie is back to doing joy school and is amazing me with what she can learn, memorize, and remember from week to week. She just learned the 1st Article of Faith and recited it at church to get a sticker and a sucker! :) She did it so easily, she could probably have done it a long time ago but I didn't realize it.
Lucas is SO AWESOME! He has been my hardest, high maintenance baby but he is really getting into a happy and fun phase and I am SO GRATEFUL! He just smiles and talks and wanders around (super speedy crawling or cruising around) and he LOVES his Daddy and his sisters and not just me! He's actually good with babysitters too but when I come in the door he squeals so loud and starts clapping! Can't beat that response! :) My "little" Lucas is looking more and more like a big boy these days. He is standing on his own quite a bit and I actually just watched him stand, bend over to pick up a ball, and place the ball on a chair without holding on to anything. :) The little cutie is going to just take off walking any time now but I am in no hurry. He has been so slow to do certain things like put ANYTHING in his mouth. No little toys, crayons, etc. Awesome! Don't have to worry about the choking hazards! But... he wouldn't put a Cheerio or pacifier or bottle in his mouth either! Seriously! Luckily he overcame that and started holding his own bottle at 11 months (finally!) and started the oral stage right before his birthday and now I have to be careful of everything but at least he can feed himself! Yay! I think he was just lazy but now he realizes he'll get stuff faster if he does it himself! :) His birthday was kind of sad. He was sick and he didn't feel like eating cake and he didn't know how to put anything in his mouth yet, so he just squeezed his cupcake in his fists and made a mess and then had a fun bath. ;) Not much of a party. We may have to celebrate a half birthday for him in June!
I think 2011 is going to be a great year for our family and I'm determined to get myself healthier (not a new year's goal, just a necessity since I've had a few minor health issues that can be fixed with diet and exercise, so I'm committed!). One of my wonderful friends is helping me and keeping me going, so I plan to be successful! ;) I got super busy toward the end of last year and hope to keep a little more balanced this year. Always hard for me! I can't say no! I did 4 Christmas class parties (and I only have 2 children in school!) and things got a little crazy with sick kiddos and commitments at the school. Luckily Ben took a sick day to take care of our kids, so I could do school parties for other people's kids. Yeah, crazy. :) But it's fun and I love it.
I'm still the Primary pianist and I must be improving somewhat because people keep asking me to accompany them and I guess that's a good thing??? :)
Ben got an Ipod Touch for his birthday since his last year's Christmas present Ipod stopped working and we found out it was a fake! We got refunded since it was a knockoff and so he got an Ipod Touch this time (a real one). :) The girls have had a blast playing on it (whenever they can get it away from Daddy) and I got a new Android phone (just the free one for renewing my contract) and now they love to play with that too. So if you try to call me and can't get through, it's probably because the kids have my phone. :)
I got an electric blanket for Christmas and it was my favorite gift! :) I love crawling into a warm bed in the winter time! My dad bought us a Wii and we bought a trampoline, so we are feeling pretty spoiled around here with fun stuff to use when we spend time together.
Other than not seeing my husband enough, I really can't complain. Life is good and keeps getting better. I hope you are all happy too! I will post pictures soon!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Quick catch up
So a lot has happened since I last posted. I wanted to post pictures of Jill's birthday and baptism in September but... my aunt took those photos and then her computer died and she has them saved to a disk but I haven't gotten any...
:( SO... pictures of that will follow.
Jillian was excited to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on her 8th birthday, September 18th. We had my dad, my brother & his family, my aunt, my uncle, and Ben's parents here with us to celebrate. A TON of people showed up to the baptism, which was wonderful but unexpected. The program was short & sweet and Jill said she felt, "Awesome," after being baptized. :) Jill & Miranda sang with their Crain cousins, "I Know That My Savior Loves Me," and they did a great job. We had a little slideshow of pictures of Jillian from blessing day to baptism day that we played before the program began. It was to the music, "What Heaven Sees In You," and it set a nice tone for the baptism, I think. I was a bit emotional when one of the pictures flashed up and it was my mom cuddling Jill when she was about 4 years old and I glanced at my dad and we both had tears in our eyes. It is so sad that she had to miss this special day and so many others with the people she loved so much. Jill is still very tenderhearted when we speak of Grandma Nancy. It's hard not to cry when we talk about her because we miss her so much. I know she was watching over us though and saw everything. :) We actually went to my niece, Maren's baptism in Edmond, OK, the week before and I felt my mom's presence there too. She is definitely still a huge part of our lives.
So, my baby girl Jill is EIGHT! I'm so proud of her and, although sometimes I think she's turning into a tween, she's still a darling girl and I am happy to have her in our home! She is loving 2nd grade and her special ALPS class (Gifted & Talented), where she is bussed to another school on Fridays. They are doing really neat projects in there and learning about important character traits like perseverance, honesty, and cheerfulness. I love that part! :) They are learning about the medieval time period, learning how to play chess, sewing a banner with their self-designed coat of arms on it, and doing papier mache projects. Fun stuff! Her regular class is doing a radio show set in the 1940's World War II era and Jill is the stage manager and an interviewer of the talent on the show. They perform it for the school on November 22nd and I've been helping the kids learn their lines and gather props and even sewing things for the set. I spend about 2 hours up at the school every Monday and it is a blast! I swap sitting with a friend who volunteers at the school on Wednesdays, so that's been nice!
Jillian joined Chorus Abilene's Children's Chorus this Fall and had her first concert in October. Grandma & Grandpa Bryner came out for it and we had a fun time. She did really great and Ben could tell I was itching to get up there with the Adult Chorus but not right now. Maybe someday... The Primary Program was the next day, so the grandparents stayed over and saw that too. I played the piano for it, so I was SO grateful to have them there to watch Lucas as well!
Miranda is still loving school and seems to be doing better now at sleeping. She says she can't go to sleep at night (it'd help if she put her book down and closed her eyes!) and she's hard to get up in the morning. Instead of yelling at her to get moving, we've resorted to carrying her out of bed and dressing her! Yes, I'm serious. Not every morning is like that but many are and we find it's easier to get her going if she's upright and half-dressed and then she kind of wakes up and takes over. She does extremely well on all of her work, which the teacher is happy with, and she says she's just adorable, sweet, and well-behaved (which is always nice to hear!) but she's bringing home some bad behaviors that I'm sure she's picked up at school. She actually had to "move her clip" from green to red on Friday for choking a little boy in her class! Evidently they were playing and another girl pretend choked him and then he said, "Na na na na boo boo, you can't choke me!" (WHY he said that, I'll never know) and Miranda said, "Yes, I can." As she did it, the teacher saw her and she got in trouble. Mortified, I am. I made her make an "I'm sorry" card to give the boy on Monday and hopefully this is the end of her behavioral issues! Yes, I know kids get in trouble at school but honestly I never expected my girls to get a Red. Miranda was pretty mortified about that, as well, so here's hoping we never see it again!
Natalie is 4! We had a Trunk or Treat party at the church on Saturday and gathered way too much candy, so we stayed home on Halloween (didn't want to go on Sunday anyway and no one came to our door, so I guess a lot of people felt the same) and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice, peaceful day. The next day was my sweet Nat's birthday and as if we weren't sick from candy, we got to eat birthday cake and ice cream! ;) We went to Chuck E. Cheese's (tradition!) and had pizza and games. Then we came home for the cake & ice cream (rainbow cake with m&m's & marshmallows). I had made the same cake for Jill when she was 4 (I think) and Miranda when she was 2. Natalie liked the pictures she's seen and I think it's fun to make, so we made her one. Funny memory... when I made Miranda's, I wanted to keep it a surprise, so I wanted to hide it in case she came in the kitchen. My mom had the idea to hide it in the oven. A few hours later we wanted to make homemade pizza and my mom preheated the oven. Uh oh! The marshmallow clouds got a toasty light brown, the frosting started to run, and the m&m's were melting. I thought it was hilarious and my mom was so upset that she'd ruined my cake! Luckily I took pictures of it before she stuck it in the oven, so I had proof that it HAD looked good at one time! :) Natalie got a Radio Flyer Spring Horse for her birthday but I found it on Craigslist in my in-law's city, so we bought it a few months ago and they brought it out in September and she got it early. She LOVES that thing and she also got a pre-school workbook (she loves school just like her sisters), new markers (we go through them like crazy), and a Ty Girl doll to play with online just like her big sisters! She sure is a cute & sweet girl! Plus, our funniest child by far! ;)
Lucas is a moving machine! He started REALLY crawling on hands and knees and going quickly on October 16th. He was pulling up by the 23rd. That boy gets ANYWHERE he wants now and is pretty good at stopping when I say, "No!" He loves cords and trash cans but I'm trying to re-direct him constantly. :) He is so much happier now that he can move around and that's been so nice for me! He is a major mama's boy but is starting to warm up to other people now (thank goodness!). He is adorable and getting taller every day! He's stayed about the same weight for the past couple of months but is thinning out as he grows and is looking more like a little boy to me all the time. He & Natalie have a great friendship already and they enjoy their days together. He laughs so much these days and I still love every giggle.
I just transferred 285 pictures from my camera to my computer from the past 6 weeks. Whoa. I'm way behind. I'm guessing some of them are photo sessions Natalie has taken when I wasn't paying attention... :)
I went to Time Out For Women in October with some friends and had a great time. My awesome sis-in-law & their family watched my kids and I was able to enjoy time with friends and awesome speakers at the conference. Lately I have been busy with Jill's class radio show, going on field trips with Miranda's class (zoo & tee pee village), being room parent coordinator for the PTA, making Jill's Halloween costume (she was Hermione, so I sewed her a robe & crocheted a scarf), teaching joy school 2 days a week for Natalie and her friend, making cloth diapers for a friend, volunteering 2 hours a week at the Chorus Abilene office, and helping make food for a wedding reception. No, I'm not super mom like some people say. I definitely have a problem with overcommitting when it's so fun to help out everywhere. :) My house is not in tip-top shape and some things like hot dogs & chili and free-for-all in the fridge have been passing for family meals lately. I hope to find greater balance in life and spend more time at the park with my kids. :)
Ben is still busy being the Bishop. He's excited about being in 2nd place in his work Fantasy Football League and hopes to work his way up to 1st. :) He still likes to watch UFC fights and listen to music loudly while dancing with the kids! :) I miss him a lot but he's busy doing good things and who can begrudge that. I'm very proud of him and love him more every day. We'll celebrate 12 years this month! Crazy!
That's all for now!!! Check out this collage. Click to see the images bigger. It's faster to do this than post them all separately on here! ;)
:( SO... pictures of that will follow.
Jillian was excited to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on her 8th birthday, September 18th. We had my dad, my brother & his family, my aunt, my uncle, and Ben's parents here with us to celebrate. A TON of people showed up to the baptism, which was wonderful but unexpected. The program was short & sweet and Jill said she felt, "Awesome," after being baptized. :) Jill & Miranda sang with their Crain cousins, "I Know That My Savior Loves Me," and they did a great job. We had a little slideshow of pictures of Jillian from blessing day to baptism day that we played before the program began. It was to the music, "What Heaven Sees In You," and it set a nice tone for the baptism, I think. I was a bit emotional when one of the pictures flashed up and it was my mom cuddling Jill when she was about 4 years old and I glanced at my dad and we both had tears in our eyes. It is so sad that she had to miss this special day and so many others with the people she loved so much. Jill is still very tenderhearted when we speak of Grandma Nancy. It's hard not to cry when we talk about her because we miss her so much. I know she was watching over us though and saw everything. :) We actually went to my niece, Maren's baptism in Edmond, OK, the week before and I felt my mom's presence there too. She is definitely still a huge part of our lives.
So, my baby girl Jill is EIGHT! I'm so proud of her and, although sometimes I think she's turning into a tween, she's still a darling girl and I am happy to have her in our home! She is loving 2nd grade and her special ALPS class (Gifted & Talented), where she is bussed to another school on Fridays. They are doing really neat projects in there and learning about important character traits like perseverance, honesty, and cheerfulness. I love that part! :) They are learning about the medieval time period, learning how to play chess, sewing a banner with their self-designed coat of arms on it, and doing papier mache projects. Fun stuff! Her regular class is doing a radio show set in the 1940's World War II era and Jill is the stage manager and an interviewer of the talent on the show. They perform it for the school on November 22nd and I've been helping the kids learn their lines and gather props and even sewing things for the set. I spend about 2 hours up at the school every Monday and it is a blast! I swap sitting with a friend who volunteers at the school on Wednesdays, so that's been nice!
Jillian joined Chorus Abilene's Children's Chorus this Fall and had her first concert in October. Grandma & Grandpa Bryner came out for it and we had a fun time. She did really great and Ben could tell I was itching to get up there with the Adult Chorus but not right now. Maybe someday... The Primary Program was the next day, so the grandparents stayed over and saw that too. I played the piano for it, so I was SO grateful to have them there to watch Lucas as well!
Miranda is still loving school and seems to be doing better now at sleeping. She says she can't go to sleep at night (it'd help if she put her book down and closed her eyes!) and she's hard to get up in the morning. Instead of yelling at her to get moving, we've resorted to carrying her out of bed and dressing her! Yes, I'm serious. Not every morning is like that but many are and we find it's easier to get her going if she's upright and half-dressed and then she kind of wakes up and takes over. She does extremely well on all of her work, which the teacher is happy with, and she says she's just adorable, sweet, and well-behaved (which is always nice to hear!) but she's bringing home some bad behaviors that I'm sure she's picked up at school. She actually had to "move her clip" from green to red on Friday for choking a little boy in her class! Evidently they were playing and another girl pretend choked him and then he said, "Na na na na boo boo, you can't choke me!" (WHY he said that, I'll never know) and Miranda said, "Yes, I can." As she did it, the teacher saw her and she got in trouble. Mortified, I am. I made her make an "I'm sorry" card to give the boy on Monday and hopefully this is the end of her behavioral issues! Yes, I know kids get in trouble at school but honestly I never expected my girls to get a Red. Miranda was pretty mortified about that, as well, so here's hoping we never see it again!
Natalie is 4! We had a Trunk or Treat party at the church on Saturday and gathered way too much candy, so we stayed home on Halloween (didn't want to go on Sunday anyway and no one came to our door, so I guess a lot of people felt the same) and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice, peaceful day. The next day was my sweet Nat's birthday and as if we weren't sick from candy, we got to eat birthday cake and ice cream! ;) We went to Chuck E. Cheese's (tradition!) and had pizza and games. Then we came home for the cake & ice cream (rainbow cake with m&m's & marshmallows). I had made the same cake for Jill when she was 4 (I think) and Miranda when she was 2. Natalie liked the pictures she's seen and I think it's fun to make, so we made her one. Funny memory... when I made Miranda's, I wanted to keep it a surprise, so I wanted to hide it in case she came in the kitchen. My mom had the idea to hide it in the oven. A few hours later we wanted to make homemade pizza and my mom preheated the oven. Uh oh! The marshmallow clouds got a toasty light brown, the frosting started to run, and the m&m's were melting. I thought it was hilarious and my mom was so upset that she'd ruined my cake! Luckily I took pictures of it before she stuck it in the oven, so I had proof that it HAD looked good at one time! :) Natalie got a Radio Flyer Spring Horse for her birthday but I found it on Craigslist in my in-law's city, so we bought it a few months ago and they brought it out in September and she got it early. She LOVES that thing and she also got a pre-school workbook (she loves school just like her sisters), new markers (we go through them like crazy), and a Ty Girl doll to play with online just like her big sisters! She sure is a cute & sweet girl! Plus, our funniest child by far! ;)
Lucas is a moving machine! He started REALLY crawling on hands and knees and going quickly on October 16th. He was pulling up by the 23rd. That boy gets ANYWHERE he wants now and is pretty good at stopping when I say, "No!" He loves cords and trash cans but I'm trying to re-direct him constantly. :) He is so much happier now that he can move around and that's been so nice for me! He is a major mama's boy but is starting to warm up to other people now (thank goodness!). He is adorable and getting taller every day! He's stayed about the same weight for the past couple of months but is thinning out as he grows and is looking more like a little boy to me all the time. He & Natalie have a great friendship already and they enjoy their days together. He laughs so much these days and I still love every giggle.
I just transferred 285 pictures from my camera to my computer from the past 6 weeks. Whoa. I'm way behind. I'm guessing some of them are photo sessions Natalie has taken when I wasn't paying attention... :)
I went to Time Out For Women in October with some friends and had a great time. My awesome sis-in-law & their family watched my kids and I was able to enjoy time with friends and awesome speakers at the conference. Lately I have been busy with Jill's class radio show, going on field trips with Miranda's class (zoo & tee pee village), being room parent coordinator for the PTA, making Jill's Halloween costume (she was Hermione, so I sewed her a robe & crocheted a scarf), teaching joy school 2 days a week for Natalie and her friend, making cloth diapers for a friend, volunteering 2 hours a week at the Chorus Abilene office, and helping make food for a wedding reception. No, I'm not super mom like some people say. I definitely have a problem with overcommitting when it's so fun to help out everywhere. :) My house is not in tip-top shape and some things like hot dogs & chili and free-for-all in the fridge have been passing for family meals lately. I hope to find greater balance in life and spend more time at the park with my kids. :)
Ben is still busy being the Bishop. He's excited about being in 2nd place in his work Fantasy Football League and hopes to work his way up to 1st. :) He still likes to watch UFC fights and listen to music loudly while dancing with the kids! :) I miss him a lot but he's busy doing good things and who can begrudge that. I'm very proud of him and love him more every day. We'll celebrate 12 years this month! Crazy!
That's all for now!!! Check out this collage. Click to see the images bigger. It's faster to do this than post them all separately on here! ;)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Updated Pics of My Kids
For those of you who love to see my children... :)
These girls are school buddies. They tell each other everything, so when they get off the bus and I ask what one did, the other one fills me in. Pretty funny! :)
My tween. :( I LOVE this kid and she is growing up way too fast. She will be 8 this Saturday and I love her more every day. We have such fun together! I get sad when I look at her and see a young lady. Where's my baby girl??? She loves all animals and loves to read. We've been reading the same books lately and discussing them in our own little "book club." She loves school and I think she really enjoys having her sister with her on the bus.
Miranda is 5 years and 4 months old. She is a super star kindergartner and is friends with everyone in her class. :) She is an avid reader and wants to read anything Jill is reading, which is funny because Jill is an advanced reader. She is now reading "Fablehaven" (which I think is a 4th or 5th grader book) and I told her it may scare her a little with all the goblins and witches but she says she's not scared. :) She has dazzling blue eyes (which aren't visible in the picture) and a winning smile. Her favorite things are hugs from mom!
Natalie is 3 years and 10 months old. She loves to color and play computer games. She is obsessed with horses of all kinds and is HILARIOUS! I love this kid! :)
Lucas the Menace. This handsome little dude will be 9 months old on Jill's 8th birthday this Saturday. He is not crawling yet (all of my kids crawl around 8 or 9 months, so it should be soon) but he moves around rolling and scooting a bit. He LOVES his mama and wants me in view at ALL times! Such a happy baby who loves to splash in the tub!
These girls are school buddies. They tell each other everything, so when they get off the bus and I ask what one did, the other one fills me in. Pretty funny! :)
My tween. :( I LOVE this kid and she is growing up way too fast. She will be 8 this Saturday and I love her more every day. We have such fun together! I get sad when I look at her and see a young lady. Where's my baby girl??? She loves all animals and loves to read. We've been reading the same books lately and discussing them in our own little "book club." She loves school and I think she really enjoys having her sister with her on the bus.
Miranda is 5 years and 4 months old. She is a super star kindergartner and is friends with everyone in her class. :) She is an avid reader and wants to read anything Jill is reading, which is funny because Jill is an advanced reader. She is now reading "Fablehaven" (which I think is a 4th or 5th grader book) and I told her it may scare her a little with all the goblins and witches but she says she's not scared. :) She has dazzling blue eyes (which aren't visible in the picture) and a winning smile. Her favorite things are hugs from mom!
Natalie is 3 years and 10 months old. She loves to color and play computer games. She is obsessed with horses of all kinds and is HILARIOUS! I love this kid! :)
Lucas the Menace. This handsome little dude will be 9 months old on Jill's 8th birthday this Saturday. He is not crawling yet (all of my kids crawl around 8 or 9 months, so it should be soon) but he moves around rolling and scooting a bit. He LOVES his mama and wants me in view at ALL times! Such a happy baby who loves to splash in the tub!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Blessings and Trials
My life has been a series of ups and downs lately. Mainly up because of my amazing family but man, I'm tired of the downs. We've had appliance issues, (bought a new dishwasher, washer, and dryer in the past 6 weeks!), the A/C went out today (but I fixed it... somehow, no idea how, just messed around for half an hour until it came back on!), I've had some annoying health issues causing problems (and HUGE medical bills :P), but we had a fun summer and are ready for school to start!
Yesterday was the 1st day of school here and my girls were ready! They were so cute all dressed up, backpacks on, ready to go! They have been practicing for several weeks to get up and be ready by 7:15 (the time to run to the bus!), so even though I took them to school on the 1st day, they were ready, so we left! And drove behind the bus the whole way! ;)
***Click on this collage to see the picture bigger.***
We took some pics in front of the house and in front of the school. Then we sat inside waiting for the bell to ring to let us go to class! Jillian found friends and went off to 2nd grade. She has a fabulous teacher that I was really hoping she'd get. The teacher already knows her from when she was a kindergartener and would go to 2nd grade for reading time. She said, "I've been waiting for YEARS to get Jillian in my class!"
Miranda was a little more reserved... just taking it all in. I walked her to class and took more pictures, which she happily posed for and then we put her bag at her cubby and she got to pick a seat and start coloring. One of her friends from church is in her class, so I thought that would make her comfortable but her friend was running late that day and when I left at 8 AM, she still wasn't there! Miranda was totally fine though and the friend showed up a few minutes later, I was told. :) The only problem of the 1st day was that she didn't tell the teacher she'd brought a lunch in her pretty, new pink lunch bag. So the teacher bought her a cafeteria lunch. Way to make me look like a lame parent who didn't send her kid to school with food or lunch money! :) I wrote a note to her teacher and included money to pay her back, so she actually ate her lunch today and all is well. :)
Natalie has LOVED being the big girl at home. She's been very helpful and obedient. Lately she's liked to talk silly (like a baby) and act like she doesn't know what I'm asking her to do. :( Not anymore. She is doing what she's supposed to do without me asking and no more baby talk! Seems she was just wanting more attention... oh, is THAT the problem??? :) Yeah, never enough individual attention around here. A couple of cute things I want to record for posterity... the other day I was looking for some framed pictures of Christ that I had put down and forget where I put them. I asked Natalie to look with me and she said, "Jeeesus, where arrrre you?" Hee hee! Also, we were playing Disney DVD Bingo and Rafiki (the baboon from Lion King) came on the screen and I said, "That's Rafiki," and she said, "No, Mom, that's FREAKY!" :) Love that girl's personality!
Lucas is driving me INSANE! I love the boy to death but I'm struggling to figure him out. He is spitting up, throwing up, ruining his outfit and mine several times a day, crying whenever he can't see me, and kind of moaning any time I'm not holding him, feeding him, and looking at him! I know some of this is normal baby stuff. He's teething. He's 8 months old and has separation anxiety. But the throwing up is REALLY bothering me. Something is wrong and the dr said he's a happy spitter, so it's just a laundry problem. Not so! He seems to be in pain when he's eating at least once or twice a day. Bite, bite, shriek, boo hoo, sniff sniff, bite, bite, repeat. Seriously he is a big kid and they think because he's gaining weight he's fine but I think he's in pain and that's why he's only calm in my arms. When he's in my arms, he is in heaven and he smiles at me and touches my face and "talks" to me. He is a joy in my life. I just want to help him be happier.
More on the positive side, he is rolling, scooting, clapping, smiling, playing with toys, sleeping 11 hrs straight every night, taking 2 naps a day (about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs each), reaching up to be picked up, developing wonderfully... maybe he'll crawl someday... but I'm seriously worried about him. I've changed his formula umpteen times and he's on Zantac now for reflux (it's gotta be that, right?) but it's not helping. I've tried Mylanta too but haven't noticed a difference. Any experienced mamas have advice for me???
So there have been some frustrations since I last posted but a lot of good things too. My birthday is on Friday and I'll be the big 33! What a cool number! ;) I was asked to accompany someone singing in church last Sunday and I was nervous. She has an incredible voice and I don't practice much, so I really didn't want to mess her up! I was shaking like a leaf and Ben sat beside me to turn the pages and I played it better than I ever had before, so I was happy. One friend told me I did a great job and I said, "That's what I have to do to get to sit by my husband in church for a few minutes!" :)
Ben is still the bishop and crazy busy. He's out doing bishop visits right now. Wednesdays he's at church, Thursday he has home teaching... I might see him on Friday for my birthday! Cool! :)
Yesterday was the 1st day of school here and my girls were ready! They were so cute all dressed up, backpacks on, ready to go! They have been practicing for several weeks to get up and be ready by 7:15 (the time to run to the bus!), so even though I took them to school on the 1st day, they were ready, so we left! And drove behind the bus the whole way! ;)
***Click on this collage to see the picture bigger.***
We took some pics in front of the house and in front of the school. Then we sat inside waiting for the bell to ring to let us go to class! Jillian found friends and went off to 2nd grade. She has a fabulous teacher that I was really hoping she'd get. The teacher already knows her from when she was a kindergartener and would go to 2nd grade for reading time. She said, "I've been waiting for YEARS to get Jillian in my class!"
Miranda was a little more reserved... just taking it all in. I walked her to class and took more pictures, which she happily posed for and then we put her bag at her cubby and she got to pick a seat and start coloring. One of her friends from church is in her class, so I thought that would make her comfortable but her friend was running late that day and when I left at 8 AM, she still wasn't there! Miranda was totally fine though and the friend showed up a few minutes later, I was told. :) The only problem of the 1st day was that she didn't tell the teacher she'd brought a lunch in her pretty, new pink lunch bag. So the teacher bought her a cafeteria lunch. Way to make me look like a lame parent who didn't send her kid to school with food or lunch money! :) I wrote a note to her teacher and included money to pay her back, so she actually ate her lunch today and all is well. :)
Natalie has LOVED being the big girl at home. She's been very helpful and obedient. Lately she's liked to talk silly (like a baby) and act like she doesn't know what I'm asking her to do. :( Not anymore. She is doing what she's supposed to do without me asking and no more baby talk! Seems she was just wanting more attention... oh, is THAT the problem??? :) Yeah, never enough individual attention around here. A couple of cute things I want to record for posterity... the other day I was looking for some framed pictures of Christ that I had put down and forget where I put them. I asked Natalie to look with me and she said, "Jeeesus, where arrrre you?" Hee hee! Also, we were playing Disney DVD Bingo and Rafiki (the baboon from Lion King) came on the screen and I said, "That's Rafiki," and she said, "No, Mom, that's FREAKY!" :) Love that girl's personality!
Lucas is driving me INSANE! I love the boy to death but I'm struggling to figure him out. He is spitting up, throwing up, ruining his outfit and mine several times a day, crying whenever he can't see me, and kind of moaning any time I'm not holding him, feeding him, and looking at him! I know some of this is normal baby stuff. He's teething. He's 8 months old and has separation anxiety. But the throwing up is REALLY bothering me. Something is wrong and the dr said he's a happy spitter, so it's just a laundry problem. Not so! He seems to be in pain when he's eating at least once or twice a day. Bite, bite, shriek, boo hoo, sniff sniff, bite, bite, repeat. Seriously he is a big kid and they think because he's gaining weight he's fine but I think he's in pain and that's why he's only calm in my arms. When he's in my arms, he is in heaven and he smiles at me and touches my face and "talks" to me. He is a joy in my life. I just want to help him be happier.
More on the positive side, he is rolling, scooting, clapping, smiling, playing with toys, sleeping 11 hrs straight every night, taking 2 naps a day (about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs each), reaching up to be picked up, developing wonderfully... maybe he'll crawl someday... but I'm seriously worried about him. I've changed his formula umpteen times and he's on Zantac now for reflux (it's gotta be that, right?) but it's not helping. I've tried Mylanta too but haven't noticed a difference. Any experienced mamas have advice for me???
So there have been some frustrations since I last posted but a lot of good things too. My birthday is on Friday and I'll be the big 33! What a cool number! ;) I was asked to accompany someone singing in church last Sunday and I was nervous. She has an incredible voice and I don't practice much, so I really didn't want to mess her up! I was shaking like a leaf and Ben sat beside me to turn the pages and I played it better than I ever had before, so I was happy. One friend told me I did a great job and I said, "That's what I have to do to get to sit by my husband in church for a few minutes!" :)
Ben is still the bishop and crazy busy. He's out doing bishop visits right now. Wednesdays he's at church, Thursday he has home teaching... I might see him on Friday for my birthday! Cool! :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Summer Vacations, Baby Milestones, & Busy-ness!
So after Julie went home, we packed up and drove to Utah! The kids were a-MAZ-ing and we had a pleasant and uneventful drive to Gallup, New Mexico. We stopped for dinner in Albuquerque and just happened to find a restaurant in Old Town and it was fabulous ambience and really good Mexican food. Yay! My favorite! We got to our hotel that evening and it smelled like smoke. UGH! Oh well, we were too tired to complain. Ben took the girls swimming. I got Lucas and myself ready but when we go to the pool, Ben & the girls said it was FREEZING. So I opted to just feed Lucas a bottle. :) They had fun swimming and the next morning we had breakfast and left that yucky place vowing to never return. :) Then we had an UGLY and BORING drive through New Mexico's reservations and THEN we entered beautiful Colorado. Loved it! Then we entered Utah and stopped for lunch in Monticello at the cutest little place called The Peace Tree Juice Cafe. It had healthy food and we were tired of junk food after the day before of McDonald's (yuck) and we got wraps and blue tortilla chips and fresh squeezed lemonade. Yum! It was the cutest place and I wish I had taken a picture! We ate outside on a little deck on multicolored chairs and tables and had a view of gorgeous mountains. I said, “I think this is the prettiest place I've ever eaten a meal!” Natalie said, “Yeah, and there's a car wash!” Hmm, ok. :) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
Then we made our way to Moab (Ben's dream place to live) and went to Arches National Park. By this time it was 103 and the kids made it to a viewing area of Delicate Arch and were done. Ben & I walked around Balancing Rock while the kids watched a movie in the van (we could see them the whole time, of course). They didn't want to get out again!
Next we drove to Provo and showed our kiddos where we met (The Colony Apartments – woot woot!) and had dinner at one of our favorite places – Stans! I had my banana cream pie shake and BLT and it was heavenly! We saw my cousin Emily for a few minutes (she lives near there and dropped by to say hi) and then headed to Kaysville where we stayed with my Aunt Connie. My kids LOVED her and I think they were happy to have her as a Grandma substitute (she is my mom's sister). She totally spoiled us and fed us great food and played with the kids. Uncle Ferren told the kids stories and they kept asking him to repeat them. We played with her grandkids (and I hung out with her daughter who is my closest cousin, Gini). Actually when we left to go home, Jill & Miranda said, "Bye Aunt Connie!" but Natalie said, "Bye Grandma!" Connie thought that was pretty special and so did I. :)
We visited my grandparents' and cousin's grave in Bountiful which is close to the temple where we were married, so we walked around the temple grounds and took pictures of the kids there. Then we went to West Jordan to visit Ben's aunt and uncle who just came home from their mission to Korea and his parents were there too (also visiting from Texas). The kids had fun with their grandparents and Ben's aunt & uncle who are also like grandparents.
The next day we went to Temple Square in SLC with my cousin Gini and her kids. We rode the Frontrunner train down to SLC, which was so nice and so fun! Unfortunately the weather stunk. I had packed one pair of jeans and light jackets for the girls but not for me! So I was shivery as we walked around Temple Square. When we got back to the train parking lot, it was 49 degrees and pouring rain! At least we did our touring around before the rain hit! The rest of the trip was unseasonably cold and wet. YUCK! No zoo or swimming like we had planned. On Saturday, Connie & Ferren had a barbecue for us and the kids “burned marshmallows” according to Natalie. Ben went to see a UFC fight on base with Gini's husband, Matt, and they had a great time as well.
On Sunday, we went to Ben's aunt and uncle's ward to hear them report about their mission and then went back to their house for lunch and visiting most of his wonderful cousins. We saw so much family on this trip but still missed a bunch too! Off and on Jill wasn't feeling well (actually threw up a few times one night) and this day Miranda got a fever and didn't feel well.
We packed up to head home on Monday morning and Natalie promptly threw up, I cleaned it up, then Lucas threw up a whole bottle. LOVELY! We packed up and left knowing we'd be stopping a lot. We went a different way this time to see some more of the country and went through Wyoming and Colorado. The kids did need extra potty breaks but no throwing up. Yay! We got to Colorado Springs and stayed in an AWESOME hotel for less than the nasty place in Gallup! Ben & the girls swam again and enjoyed it more this time. We ordered Pizza Hut into our room and had a great night. Woke up to head home and everyone ate a great breakfast and we got started. Less than 40 minutes later, Jill was throwing up. Again? Seriousy? So we stopped in Pueblo for a potty break and cleaned up a bit (luckily we had a plastic bucket that Jill threw up in, so no mess in the car!). While there, Ben noticed a low tire. It only had 18 lbs in it and he suspected a nail. So we drove to the Discount Tire down the road and got it patched (for free!). We were feeling grumpy but also blessed because that was the last city for a LONG time where we could have gotten that tire repaired. We drove and drove and drove that day and finally got home late that evening. I vowed to never travel again. Ha ha!
A week later I took the kids to Dallas while Ben went to Scout High Adventure Camp! I had a fabulous time catching up with my dear friend, Natalie, who up and moved to Dallas last year. Sad! :( But we had fun at the Fort Worth Zoo and swimming in her backyard and staying up 'til 3 to talk. Seriously! We also had another great reason for being in Dallas. Ben's sister, Jocelyn, brought her family from Minnesota to Texas for a visit with her parents. We were able to let cousins play and catch up at a Splash Park, a Jumping Land, and at the house. I sure love my family!
So, that's our summer in a nutshell. It sure seems like we've done a ton!
Lucas just had his 6 month appointment yesterday (he was 6 months on the 18th but the dr's office is busy!) and he is doing everything wonderfully, of course. He is 19 lbs. 12 oz. (75th percentile), 28 in. long (90th percentile), and his beautiful head is perfectly in the 90th percentile. :) The dr asked if he'd gotten any teeth yet and I said no because the upper canine ones he got a few months ago kind of worked their way back up into his gums (exactly the same ones that Miranda did that with) and today at lunch I noticed... HE HAS HIS FIRST TOOTH! It's one of the bottom middle ones just like you are supposed to get first! He rolled from front to back on June 4th, back to front on June 11th, and starting sitting up on July 1st. He also started eating solids when we got back from our Utah vacation, around the 16th. He is growing up so fast and is just so adorable! Check out the pic of him wearing his first tie! :)
Ben is busy at work and as Bishop and takes off time here or there to help other people but hasn't had a lot of RELAX time. Luckily (I guess) there was a furlough day on July 2 (unpaid time off due to budget issues) and he had the 5th off too for the holiday, so he had a really nice lazy weekend and it was so fun to have him home! He played with the girls and Lucas (he's finally old enough for Ben to find him fun!), I won some fireworks (my name was accidentally drawn from the wrong raffle box I guess and I got $150 of fireworks that I didn't even sign up to win!), we set some off with some friends on Sunday (& had birthday cake too since their son turned 4!), set off fireworks with other friends the next day (& I brought a red, white, and blue trifle!-yum!), and we went to Family Storytime at the library last night. The kids and I also caught a puppet show at the library earlier in the day. Summer time is awesome! :)
Last week my dishwasher quit draining, washer quit agitating, and dryer quit heating. SERIOUSLY! So after a trip to Best Buy for a new dishwasher and a service call for an appliance repairman, we are poorer but back in business! Hooray! Never a dull moment around here.
Life isn't perfect but it's really good! :)
Then we made our way to Moab (Ben's dream place to live) and went to Arches National Park. By this time it was 103 and the kids made it to a viewing area of Delicate Arch and were done. Ben & I walked around Balancing Rock while the kids watched a movie in the van (we could see them the whole time, of course). They didn't want to get out again!
Next we drove to Provo and showed our kiddos where we met (The Colony Apartments – woot woot!) and had dinner at one of our favorite places – Stans! I had my banana cream pie shake and BLT and it was heavenly! We saw my cousin Emily for a few minutes (she lives near there and dropped by to say hi) and then headed to Kaysville where we stayed with my Aunt Connie. My kids LOVED her and I think they were happy to have her as a Grandma substitute (she is my mom's sister). She totally spoiled us and fed us great food and played with the kids. Uncle Ferren told the kids stories and they kept asking him to repeat them. We played with her grandkids (and I hung out with her daughter who is my closest cousin, Gini). Actually when we left to go home, Jill & Miranda said, "Bye Aunt Connie!" but Natalie said, "Bye Grandma!" Connie thought that was pretty special and so did I. :)
We visited my grandparents' and cousin's grave in Bountiful which is close to the temple where we were married, so we walked around the temple grounds and took pictures of the kids there. Then we went to West Jordan to visit Ben's aunt and uncle who just came home from their mission to Korea and his parents were there too (also visiting from Texas). The kids had fun with their grandparents and Ben's aunt & uncle who are also like grandparents.
The next day we went to Temple Square in SLC with my cousin Gini and her kids. We rode the Frontrunner train down to SLC, which was so nice and so fun! Unfortunately the weather stunk. I had packed one pair of jeans and light jackets for the girls but not for me! So I was shivery as we walked around Temple Square. When we got back to the train parking lot, it was 49 degrees and pouring rain! At least we did our touring around before the rain hit! The rest of the trip was unseasonably cold and wet. YUCK! No zoo or swimming like we had planned. On Saturday, Connie & Ferren had a barbecue for us and the kids “burned marshmallows” according to Natalie. Ben went to see a UFC fight on base with Gini's husband, Matt, and they had a great time as well.
On Sunday, we went to Ben's aunt and uncle's ward to hear them report about their mission and then went back to their house for lunch and visiting most of his wonderful cousins. We saw so much family on this trip but still missed a bunch too! Off and on Jill wasn't feeling well (actually threw up a few times one night) and this day Miranda got a fever and didn't feel well.
We packed up to head home on Monday morning and Natalie promptly threw up, I cleaned it up, then Lucas threw up a whole bottle. LOVELY! We packed up and left knowing we'd be stopping a lot. We went a different way this time to see some more of the country and went through Wyoming and Colorado. The kids did need extra potty breaks but no throwing up. Yay! We got to Colorado Springs and stayed in an AWESOME hotel for less than the nasty place in Gallup! Ben & the girls swam again and enjoyed it more this time. We ordered Pizza Hut into our room and had a great night. Woke up to head home and everyone ate a great breakfast and we got started. Less than 40 minutes later, Jill was throwing up. Again? Seriousy? So we stopped in Pueblo for a potty break and cleaned up a bit (luckily we had a plastic bucket that Jill threw up in, so no mess in the car!). While there, Ben noticed a low tire. It only had 18 lbs in it and he suspected a nail. So we drove to the Discount Tire down the road and got it patched (for free!). We were feeling grumpy but also blessed because that was the last city for a LONG time where we could have gotten that tire repaired. We drove and drove and drove that day and finally got home late that evening. I vowed to never travel again. Ha ha!
A week later I took the kids to Dallas while Ben went to Scout High Adventure Camp! I had a fabulous time catching up with my dear friend, Natalie, who up and moved to Dallas last year. Sad! :( But we had fun at the Fort Worth Zoo and swimming in her backyard and staying up 'til 3 to talk. Seriously! We also had another great reason for being in Dallas. Ben's sister, Jocelyn, brought her family from Minnesota to Texas for a visit with her parents. We were able to let cousins play and catch up at a Splash Park, a Jumping Land, and at the house. I sure love my family!
So, that's our summer in a nutshell. It sure seems like we've done a ton!
Lucas just had his 6 month appointment yesterday (he was 6 months on the 18th but the dr's office is busy!) and he is doing everything wonderfully, of course. He is 19 lbs. 12 oz. (75th percentile), 28 in. long (90th percentile), and his beautiful head is perfectly in the 90th percentile. :) The dr asked if he'd gotten any teeth yet and I said no because the upper canine ones he got a few months ago kind of worked their way back up into his gums (exactly the same ones that Miranda did that with) and today at lunch I noticed... HE HAS HIS FIRST TOOTH! It's one of the bottom middle ones just like you are supposed to get first! He rolled from front to back on June 4th, back to front on June 11th, and starting sitting up on July 1st. He also started eating solids when we got back from our Utah vacation, around the 16th. He is growing up so fast and is just so adorable! Check out the pic of him wearing his first tie! :)
Ben is busy at work and as Bishop and takes off time here or there to help other people but hasn't had a lot of RELAX time. Luckily (I guess) there was a furlough day on July 2 (unpaid time off due to budget issues) and he had the 5th off too for the holiday, so he had a really nice lazy weekend and it was so fun to have him home! He played with the girls and Lucas (he's finally old enough for Ben to find him fun!), I won some fireworks (my name was accidentally drawn from the wrong raffle box I guess and I got $150 of fireworks that I didn't even sign up to win!), we set some off with some friends on Sunday (& had birthday cake too since their son turned 4!), set off fireworks with other friends the next day (& I brought a red, white, and blue trifle!-yum!), and we went to Family Storytime at the library last night. The kids and I also caught a puppet show at the library earlier in the day. Summer time is awesome! :)
Last week my dishwasher quit draining, washer quit agitating, and dryer quit heating. SERIOUSLY! So after a trip to Best Buy for a new dishwasher and a service call for an appliance repairman, we are poorer but back in business! Hooray! Never a dull moment around here.
Life isn't perfect but it's really good! :)
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