I haven't updated for a while because I always think I need a lot of great information and pictures and I just don't have a lot of time for that. So... I'll just give a little update. We are doing well here in Abilene. Things have been really busy but I have actually made great strides in balancing out my life. I have been going to bed early (which I hate because I'm missing out on the "me" time where I can watch 24 on Netflix and fold the laundry or whatever in peace), I joined the YMCA and have been going to work out about 4 times a week (would be more but kids get sick or something comes up and I miss a day or two here and there but I'm actually enjoying this!), I've been trying to eat healthier (which is an up and down thing depending on the day), and I've cut out a lot of my volunteer responsibilities (I even told the PTA president that I will not resume my position next year, which was SO hard to do because I love it).
So, after feeling out of balance for a long time, I think I'm making some great strides. I'm far from perfectly balanced but I'm trying. I think it's actually made me more lazy to sleep more and not have something scheduled all the time. :) I actually sat down and read a book yesterday. Didn't accomplish much else! So maybe I've gone to the other side of the balance beam... A work in progress. :)
I took Lucas for his 15 month check up yesterday and he's doing really well. Hasn't gained much weight since his 12 month but he's always been a big boy and now he's running around everywhere, so it makes sense. We are ditching the bottle since I've been halfheartedly trying for a while and then the dr said something about catching him with a bottle, like it was a bad thing. And I've never had a baby use the bottle this long (not that it's horrible but I'd like him off it), so today should be interesting. :) He loves to bang his sippy cups on everything and chuck it across the room. Not so fond of trying to get a drink out of them... hmmm. :)
My dad got remarried on St. Patrick's Day, so we went to Kansas for Spring Break to be a part of that. I feel ok about it but it's kind of sad that my relationship with my dad will change again. After Mom died, we actually got a lot closer. Now I feel like he'll be involved in his "new life" and not need me as a listening ear anymore. His new wife has two daughters, a son-in-law, and a grandson, so it's kind of neat that our family has grown. I still miss my mom a lot.
The girls were flower girls, along with my brother's daughter, Maren. They were so beautiful and I WILL put some pictures on here if I ever get any. I was really busy doing things at the wedding and took maybe 4 pictures. I'm waiting for people to share their pictures with me! The girls felt so special. Ben played Pachebel's Canon in D while they came down the aisle and he did a great job. I was holding Lucas a lot during the wedding and reception because there were a ton of people wanting to pinch his cheeks or hold him and he clung to me like crazy! :) I also realized that his new church shoes were uncomfortable for him (a little big), so he didn't want to run around. I figured it out at the very end and took off the shoes and then he was happy to wander around. :)
I got two new callings in March too. Thanks a lot, Bishop! ;) I was released as the Primary Pianist and am now the Relief Society Secretary and Youth Sunday School Teacher. I like them both but I am still a little busy on Sundays! Lucas will be 2 months away from nursery age on the Sunday after Conference but the nursery leaders said that I can go ahead and bring him then, since I'm having to find someone to watch him every week for two hours! Hooray!!! He will love it, I'm sure, and I will be so glad to not impose on people to watch my toddler every week!
For General Conference weekend (this weekend!), we are going to Dallas to see Ben's parents. We've been so busy that we haven't seen them since Christmas! That seems ridiculous since we're only 3 1/2 hours away! His parents decided to put in their papers to go on a mission and I'm so excited for them. We will miss them while they are gone but time is just flying by these days, so it won't seem like too long.
I'm grateful for good friends who listen to me, make me laugh, and support me in my endeavors to improve myself. I've been very blessed. :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Promised Pictures
The saddest little birthday boy...
These are pictures of Lucas on happier days including today (in the brown)...
Some other random pics of the kiddos. I forgot my camera at Christmas, so all of those photos are on my father-in-law's camera and I need to get those sometime... :)
SLY GUY
SERIOUS
NATALIE SMILES
MIRANDA SMILES
LAUGHING LUCAS
JILLIAN SMILES
NATALIE RUNNING DOWN THE PATH
JILL & MIRANDA RUNNING DOWN THE PATH
JILL & LUCAS
HAPPY BOY
GIGGLE MIRANDA
GIGGLE JILL
ESCAPING
BRYNER KIDS
BRYNER FAMILY
BEN & BRANDI
BRYNER SISTERS
BRYNER BEAUTIES
NAT HAD A LONG DAY
MIRANDA'S CLASS & TEACHER - THANKSGIVING PROGRAM
CUTEST PILGRIM EVER
MOM & MIRANDA PILGRIM
GOING OUT TO PLAY
STAGE MANAGERS JILL & COOPER
JILL'S CLASS THAT GOT BAPTIZED LAST YEAR
These are pictures of Lucas on happier days including today (in the brown)...
Some other random pics of the kiddos. I forgot my camera at Christmas, so all of those photos are on my father-in-law's camera and I need to get those sometime... :)
SLY GUY
SERIOUS
NATALIE SMILES
MIRANDA SMILES
LAUGHING LUCAS
JILLIAN SMILES
NATALIE RUNNING DOWN THE PATH
JILL & MIRANDA RUNNING DOWN THE PATH
JILL & LUCAS
HAPPY BOY
GIGGLE MIRANDA
GIGGLE JILL
ESCAPING
BRYNER KIDS
BRYNER FAMILY
BEN & BRANDI
BRYNER SISTERS
BRYNER BEAUTIES
NAT HAD A LONG DAY
MIRANDA'S CLASS & TEACHER - THANKSGIVING PROGRAM
CUTEST PILGRIM EVER
MOM & MIRANDA PILGRIM
GOING OUT TO PLAY
STAGE MANAGERS JILL & COOPER
JILL'S CLASS THAT GOT BAPTIZED LAST YEAR
Always running behind...
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!
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!
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!
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