April 29, 2012

Oh no!  This baby grew up big time this week.  She crawls like  a pro. Sits up on her own from the crawl, then sits again when she gets tired.    The best way to get a break from chasing her is to take her outside because she doesn't like the grass and will just sit. Her favorite things to crawl to do are to the door to see the dog, into the kids toys and anywhere.   We don't have any stairs in our house, which makes things a bit easier with a new crawler, but she has found the entertainment center cut outs perfect for practicing those skills.

Matching girls.  Kate is actually wearing M's sweater.  You read that right.  A hand- me up. She found  it in the closet, put it on and it said it fit and that she wanted to borrow it.  It is actually a bit big for M, but fit her like a cute shrug so I let it go and said yes.  Plus I wanted to encourage fun sisterly love and sharing.  Kate and Sam use to share a room, but this week Sam got moved into his own boy room and the girls are now sharing.  I am sure they will for most their lives.  What fun for them.

Sam wanted a picture too to not be left out.

We've been to the park almost everyday.  Sam was a bit warn out when we went to the park for a whole afternoon and feel asleep on the couch as I was making dinner.  He has been so worn out lately.  Partly because of all his tummy problems, and partly because we live at the park.  I think having his own room might ensure a few more minutes each day of sleep for this guy and hopefully it will help him just a little bit to be healthy.

April 27, 2012

We went to the ward play group this Friday.
Have I mentioned how my ward is pretty fun in that way.  Especially for me not having any friends.  I mean there is always something to go and do it seems.  There is a baby shower for somebody every week thrown by the ward, and there is a play date at least every Friday.  You may remember when I hosted the play date.   Just at my house.  Silly me.  I didn't know.  People have been arranging a lot of fun ward play dates lately. The park, the zoo, and today the fire station.
Of course Sam was thrilled.  He and Kate dressed in our fireman hats and coat.  They were the only kids dressed up.  We arrived and then had to wait in the parking lot for the entire party to arrive.  There were more than 30 people so we had a big group.  The kids were getting anxious.  We went to the fire station and they started giving the tour and about 4 minutes into it the alarm went off and we had to leave and they had to go.  We hadn't even seen the trucks yet- just the office and bedrooms.  We went outside.  Sam didn't know this wasn't planned as his mouth dropped- eyes open in wonder as the truck with siren and lights pulled out of the garage and drove right by us.    The kids would have been happy it seemed with that small trip to the station. As the fireman left they said is was possible they would be back in 15 minutes or less.  So we waited.  Many people in the party didn't want to wait any more for them to possibly come back and started leaving once 15 minutes had passed.  We finally were among them and after twenty minutes of trying to not let kids in the street I went to the car, and just as we did, we saw the engine pulling in.  There were a handful of the families still there waiting too so we hurried back out of the car and were just in time to have our tour.  The kids climbed on the fire engine, and played in the kid fire engine they had.  I oogled their kitchen.  It was pretty modern, huge, and awesome.  We left with coloring books and stickers.  So lucky.  This was actually the 2nd time we had been to a fire station in the last month.  We went earlier with Kate's preschool to a different fire station.  It really was a great day.  bonus for me.  I always want picture but can't manage a stroller, three children, and a bag, and a camera, so the camera gets the boot, but the sweet girl that organized the trip took pictures and sent me them.
What a lucky day.

April 23, 2012

Last Thursday we decided it was finally time around here to get ourselves a kiddie pool.
We've been playing in it non stop.
The kids think popsicles and bubbles to blow make it a complete summer party.
And think they are the luckiest kids alive.
The pool we bought is on the smaller side.
I had to fit in my car after all to get it home.  but they are pleased as it has a slide making it seem extra special.
M usually sits pool side with me, but got in the water today and loved every seconds.  She even feel from sitting up face in, and was just surprised.  She splashed about and seemed content to get to play with the big kids.
ey
* You may have noticed my uncreative blog post title.
I will now be titling things based on date.  I have seen my kids pictures coming up the 1st page in google searches for key terms like "cute babies" and "funny kids" I spent an evening renaming some of the post titles and content so they don't any more.    A date seems more accurate any ways as this is my attempt to scrapbook our life.

Mother's I Beg of You

It is getting hot around here.
Like death.
Like ridiculous.
I've been seeing it in the stores, at church, and certainly on facebook.

Shoulders.  Tummies. and the like.
You get it.
On moms, girls, ladies, babies.

Lets start with ladies.
I'll go ahead and be upfront about how I didn't always follow this as a teen.
And how I may not be the perfect model of modesty now.  I mean I love me a pair of tight skinny jeans.
But.
I'm pretty sure going to the pool or lake is the new Halloween.
And by Halloween, I mean, reason women who normally dress within our standard of dress feel it okay to dress like a.. well you now...
 Bikinis are out ladies.
There are reasons you won't find me in a bikini.  And those reasons are not three babies worth of stretch marks.
Get your clothes on.

Children.
I'm pretty sure it is not your fault you are dressed this way.
You don't buy your clothing.
But be you 3 or be you 15, the standards are still the same.
Put some clothes on your kids.
No 4 year old should be in a bikini, or tank top. or sleeveless dress.
Unless of course you want them to be wearing a mini skirt and tube top when they are 13.
If that is your goal, then by all means.
Buy them more spaghetti straps.

I have tried to teach my daughter what is modest and what is not.
But it is getting tricky now that so many girls she plays with and goes to school and church with don't seem to have the same rules as her.

Mother's I beg of you.
Put your clothes on.
And put some clothes on your daughters.
And not only so I won't have to bite my tongue when my daughter asks your daughter why she is not dressed modestly.
Because she will ask, and I shouldn't be the one who feels foolish when she does.

Store Adventure

I went grocery shopping at the store today.  With all three kids.
I normally save that type of thing for when Kate is at school, or when I can sneak away after they are all put to bed.  But I've been using Kate's school time to take Sam to the doctors and for labs, and Jake has been working late every night.  It had been almost two weeks since I really went grocery shopping, though I had managed to grab a few things at the store somewhere in between.
It was getting slim pickins in the house.
I mean making prune puree to replace butter in muffins, pancakes for dinner, even the spagetti and rice is gone slim.
I just didn't want to take all the kids to the store.
It is a headache.
But not seeing any window of oppurtunity in the near future for which to go alone, or with less children,
and not wanting to raise my children on soft pretzels any longer...

Just getting to the store takes so much energy.
Where are you shoes?
Stop fighting about who like  popsicles  more!
Why don't you have pants on?
Get buckeled up. 
Get buckeld up!
GET BUCKELED UP!
and one fussy (is she teething) baby.

I pull in to the store.
I leave the kids in the car while I secure a cart from the parking lot and bring it to the car.  We won't make it in the store without somebody being pushed in it.
I enjoy the 45 seconds where I can't hear anybody.
I wipe down the cart as best I can.
Get unbuckled. 
Get unbuckled! 
GET UNBUCKLED!
I put M inside the main part of the cart in her car seat, Sam goes in the seat, and Kate has to walk.
Stop trying to tip the cart over Kate.
Stop putting your mouth on the cart Sam.
Stop trying to pull my pants down Kate
And we are in the store.

I bargin.
They are having a really bad day.
Sometimes they play together like angels.
Then the next they fight non stop.
Yesterday they played like angels, so you guess what kind of day it was today.
If you guys can listen and be good I will let you pick out popsicles
"our own kind of  popsicles ? because I don't like boy popsicles"
"I want spidermand  popsicles mama"
"I want purple".
"No I want red"
"No I want purple and yellow..."
whatever, yes, your own popcicles, just please let us get through this store.
I give Kate a job, the list holder.
I give Sam the job of making M smile.

The store is crazy.  It may be early in the morning but it is a Friday. 
We can't get through an aisle because people take too long reading the backs of pacakges, of can't decide what to get, or get distracted while standing there and start thinking about their upcoming vacation, or world peace, or something.....
I don't have that luxury.
A quick skim of the prices for what is cheaper, grab and dump in the cart.
It doesn't take much time to select each item off the shelf, it is really navigating the people.

 Some lady runs into my back with her cart. She doesn't apologize.  Is she trying to prode me along like cattle?
Kate keeps almost getting run over by people, or lost.
And believe what you want, of the tons of people in the store, not one other than my three was a child. Not that I saw.
Just adults treating grocery shopping like some kind of leisurely event.  Even shopping with their friends socializing.
I don't have that luxury either.
Grocery shopping isn't a social event, or leisurely for this mom.
It is a mission.  I even said that when I hurried around a man and he gave me a look.
I'm a Mom on a mission I say. Smile.

The bulk section is a winner.
I tell the kids they can pick out a reverence treat for Sunday.
They do, and with some negotiating I get them to pick the penny candy instead of the $7 a lb jelly beans they always want.

M starts crying.  We still have dairy and frozen foods to go, plus checkout. 
We are almost done.
We are almost done!
WE ARE ALMOST DONE!
M gets a tube of lip chap from my purse to teeth on.

Don't give M that plastic bag to eat Sam.
Stop trying to tip the cart over Kate.
Stop putting things in your mouth Sam.
Stop touching the cart Kate.
No we are not getting that.
No we are not getting that either.
Because. Because. Because.

And I'm over people looking at me.
I just know I'm not in Utah any more, their eyebrows raised, smirks and comments make that clear.
I don't even wear a wedding ring most of the time so I can imagine their ideas.
My kids are half in their pajamas still too, which adds to their judgement.
At the checkout an elderly grandma type is looking at me.
Is there sympathy here?
I jokingly say "remember when you had your hands this full" with a smile to try and smooth over the fact my kids are loud and climbing all over.
She replies "I would never have children so close"
of course not.
She seems worn out watching me.  Like she needs to sit down.
I want to make some comment about how it is awesome because I can kill two birds with one stone since grocery shopping is also my work out for the day.
But I don't think she will find it funny so I keep my mouth shut.

Of course we are at a bag your own type place.
I have to take the kids out of the cart now so the groceries can fit bagged.
I try to keep track of everyone while paying. I notice those two kinds of  popsicles cost me $7, they certainly didn't earn $7 worth of popsicle
I give the kids jobs. Kate pushes the button that forces the groceries down the line.
Sam puts things into bags.
I pay.
I stop the kids from squishing all the groceries as they bag them or attempt to.
Everything is in the cart.

We go to the car.
Stay close to me.
Stay close to me!
STAY CLOSE TO ME!
we make our way through the parking lot.
Into the car.
Instant demands.
"I'm hot. I'm hungery.  I want my popsicle.Turn on the heater (they mean air conditioning) I want to go swimming when we get home. Kate took my car. I'm thirsty. Sam hit me...".
and they aren't even buckled up yet.


Perhaps I should have just continued raising them on soft pretzels.
But where would be the adventure in that?

I joke with Jake about how when we were first married and I ran a small mental hospital.  And how I had no idea how well it was preparing me for motherhood.
Meeting the constant demands of multiple irrational people.

And I laugh.
There are still days when it isn't funny.
But today it is.

Dressed Up

Kate was playing dress up this week. She wanted Marianne to play along, so Kate made Marianne a queen.
We took M out to run some errands and it was a rainy day. She got to wear the bear suit. All of our kids have worn this bear suit. I wasn't sure she would ever because it is not really cold here, but we found a day.

The weeks just fly by and some how this little angel is 8 months old today.

She has mastered the scoot. She cries "Mamamamama" when she wants to be picked up or fed and she just wants to be in the action, stealing game pieces and coloring crayons that Sam and Kate are using. Today we went outside on the grass while Kate and Sam played outside. We sat in the shade and petted Cola and she giggled like crazy. She has a new squished up nose face. I cut off her mullet last night. Jake teases her that now she has a boy haircut. It looks much better though and I think it will grow out nice and even. And she had her 1st real people food (brocoli chicken casserole) pureed for dinner tonight.

I always tell Jake that if I could have any super power,

it would be the power to heal.

I'd start with the kids, and they would have have perfectly working tummies that never hurt.

I've decided if I could have a 2nd power, it would be the power to freeze time, or slow it down. I guess to manipulate it however I choose.

If I can't have that then at least a super detailed specific amazing memory, so I could at least relive each moment of this speedy life.

Because my babe is going to be one in just a blink.

And that really stinks.

Kate is 5

My Sunshine Kate turned 5 this week.

On the way to take these pictures she said "mom it is girls day. I got to wear makeup, and you get to take pictures." She is explaining that this is a win win for both of us.

Then on the way home she has these yellow flowers in her hand.

She says "Mom do you like the sun- cuz it is really yellow" knowing yellow is my favorite color.

I tell her I do, of course, and that is just one reason I call her my sunshine.

Kate at 5 is awesome.

Weight- 35lbs- 13%

Height- 40in- 25% I knew she'd been growing cuz her pants are all short

She is super smart. And still remembers every little detail and event of the last 3.5 years way better than I do. It is almost concerning.

She is the best big sister too. Always bringing something home from preschool for Sam. Also making Marianne laugh. She really wants to please. But she is also really strong willed, making for some internal conflict which can be frustrating for a mini genius.

She still is determined to be an astronaut when she grows up, and still wants to convince Sam to be one to so they can play together in space.

She likes lots of girly things, like dress up, new clothes, make up, dolls, singing and friends friends friends. I wish I had her confidence. Her ability to make new friends. Her memory. Her great ideas. She is such a great leader in our family, always thinking of new things to do, reminding us it is family night... every night. And she is beautiful, and silly. That is one great combination. She has been so great about moving, and up to the adventure even though she had to give up friends and school and life as she knew it. She has a great attitude. She tries to hard to be good. I am such a lucky Mom.

She is so loved by each member of our family.

Today she told me about her plan for life.

She wants to be a mom astronaut and is concerned she might find the boy she wants to marry may not want to be an astronaut and live in space with her.

She told me she is going to have two boys and one girl- tommy, max and lily. I don't know where she came up with these names. But I like them. I hope all her astronaut mom dreams come true. In the conversation I must also add that she asked me a question. When I answered she said "cuz you know everything huh mom?" :)

Easter

We have been really celebrating Eater this year.
This week with my grandmother's funeral we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time really talking to our kids about the resurrection and had a very applicable moment to show them our faith in it. At 1st I talked to Kate about our spirits going to heaven after we die and our bodies being put in the ground. This had her sobbing and in tears instantly crying out " I want to keep my spirit" lots more talks and even a few movies about the resurrection and I am proud to say that I think my kids get it as much as a 4 year old and 3 year old can.
After church we were told this was also the case by each of their primary teachers in a way.
When Kate's teacher told her to go home and tell her Mom about what she learned about the resurrection, she said "oh my mom already knows all about the resurrection- she showed me some movies about it" A smart alec comment but it still made me proud.
When Saw was picked up from nursery we were told "Sam taught the lesson today" When he was shown a picture of Christ in his class he told the class "Jesus got died, then he came back to live so we can be okay and come back too" Jake and I high-fived over that.

And of course other than lessons there was lots of Easter fun.

We must have been 1st on the Easter Bunny's list because on Saturday night when the kids were in the bath they heard something jumping loudly up and down in the living room. When I asked them what the thought it could be, they concluded that maybe Cola got in the house.

Then they got dressed, of course I was prompting them to think about what that jumping could have been, then they found half eaten carrots and lettuce in the entry way. Kate said "somebody left salad"....."a bunny eats salad and hops" " I figured it out, it was the Easter Bunny" and were thrilled to both have solved the mystery but also that the Easter Bunny had delivered their goods and they could enjoy them for more than 2 seconds before church. Later they ran outside to see if they could see him at the nieghbors, but he had been too fast. They also were a bit confused that the Easter Bunny would have so rudely left that mess.


Baskets were buckets with shovels and were filled with books, bubbles, toothbrushes, playdough, bathtub crayons and just a big of candy
M's was full of baby food, a book and a teether giraffe. Even though she was up way past her normal bedtime, she was super pleased, happy and knew just what to do with her basket.
She tipped it over and dived right in.
After church on Sunday we had Easter dinner at my in-laws. Delicious and beautiful. Then we rounded up the kids and made them hunt for eggs. My kids (mostly Kate) was turned off from Easter Egg hunts when we did one with our other cousins and she didn't find some egg she had in her mind that was hers. With that precise memory comes some particularity too.
Once she saw everyone else was into it though she warmed up a bit.
She was super excited to wear her new colorful dress for Easter though- and her CTR ring to church, all gifts from her birthday.

Aunt Emily contributed tons of eggs, and Aunt Elisabeth contributed all kinds of cool shaped eggs like this football to the hunt. We ended up with tons of eggs and bonus to me, Dad's hid kids while Mom's hide the eggs. (I feel like Dad's always get the fun of hiding)
This picture is here as part of a story.

I asked Jake to take a picture of Kate and I. I put a lot of work into Easter after all, I didn't manage to get a family picture, or even a picture of each kids in their Easter wear, so how about a picture while we sit here. Of course Jake took like ten picture and this is the best one. Kate was not feeling very happy or appreciative of all the Easter work I suppose.

Whatever.

Marianne slept through most the party. I woke her up because it was time to go home. She hadn't eaten, I woke her up from her nap, but she of course was all smiles for me. And in three shots and under 15 seconds I had the three precious Easter pictures I wanted... well at least of her.

This is kind of the story of how the kids respond to pictures most of the time, which is why, Marianne gets so many more pictures.


Why yes, she was the cutest Easter girl you ever saw today!

Kate's Birthday

` `
We celebrated Kate's birthday yesterday.

She had been planning her birthday- well basically since her last birthday. In october she came across a monkey plate. It was pink, the monkey had a pink flower in her hair and she decided that is what she wanted. And she talked about that monkey plate for 6 months. When it was actually time to plan her party, her mind remained unchanged. So I searched high and low and finally found the exact monkey plate she remembered, and ordered them along with cups and napkins.

She also decided that she wanted to go to a trampoline place again. Just like last year. She loved it last year why not do it again. Despite me trying to convince her otherwise, her mind remained made up.

As far as presents she would ask for certain things, but allowed me some choice.

As far as decorations, that was all determined by her. The night before she even reminded me not do do the decorations like a surprise because she wanted to help (mostly because she doesn't trust me to make her vision for her birthday a reality) it included green vines all over the place- for the monkeys. She encouraged everyone to wear brown like a monkey. She is my party planner.

She even got the same cookies from the grocery store-except this time a different color, for favors just like last year.

We took all our cousins to the trampline place- there was a lot of us and they had tons of fun. While there Kate said to me "This is the funnest day ever!" Just the reaction you hope for. I noticed her try to tell all the staff working there that it was her birthday- just like when we had been at the store and purchased candles and cake mix and she had attempted to tell the cashier it was for her birthday.

After the jumping place we returned home to prepare for our family party. My parents were here and so was Amy and her kids, so we actually had another big party. It was one big party for her all day. We ordered pepperoni pizza- Kate's current 2nd favorite food only to Panda Express (She ate 5 pieces between lunch and dinner) and decorated the kitchen like a jungle, a jungle with a balloon covered floor.

Then it was present time. The 1st gift Kate opened was a CTR ring from us. She had mentioned a few days before that she wanted a CTR ring because now she is really a CTR 5. When your kid asks for a CTR ring for their birthday you have to get it for them right? But there are not Deseret Books on every corner around here, but I did find one bookstore about 20 minutes away that claimed to sell them. I went and they did have- one kids CTR ring. It was a little big I thought, but it was pink.

When she opened it she exclaimed in the perfect delight "This is just what I wanted!"

This was actually her reaction to every gift she was given. So thankful and excited about games, stickers, dolls, dresses. Then it came time to open her gift from Sam. He got her a large Cinderella doll. I wasn't sure she would love it. It actually went with the bike I had gotten her- but that is another story. But I knew Sam would remember that he had picked it out so I let him give it to her anyway. She opened it.

"Sam knew I liked blue and he knew I liked Cinderella!" She was in love. Jumped up and gave him a hug. Later she repeatedly told me it was her favorite gift.

Her last gift to open was a bike we got her. The bike is a story. I had looked and looked at many stores to get Kate a bike. She had wanted this one with a seat for a doll. I finally found it in a box at Target and bought it. Unfortunately when we went to put it together the night before at 8:30pm we realized it was not the bike, and actually a very small toddler bike. I was super upset, as I had spent the better part of all my energy and thought into making her day perfect for the last week. I decided to run to Toys R Us. It was close though expensive, and I figured they would at least have bike to buy. I tried to buy basically any bike that was the right size, only to find that most of them were not in stock. All but one- the kids bike that was like $130 and I wasn't sure she would like it! I bought it too. I was desperate. It was only 9, though so I had another hour before everything closed and thought I would try a few more stores. I did and kept coming up short, until I went to the super ghetto Wal-mart. I usually refuse to go her and it is really disgusting. But like I said-desperate. And there was a bike, not the bike, but a bike, reasonably priced, not pink- but blue (her favorite color) and purplish pink, with princesses, a fanny pack and a bell. I thought it would work. So home I came. The third bike I bought for my girl. Of course now this week I have the task of taking all the other bikes back. It was worth it though I think. When she opened her eyes and pulled of the blanket covering it she was happy- and a bit confused saying "now I have two bikes" I told her it was for her because he other bike was too small, then she understood and made plans to put mail in the fanny pack and ring the bell to deliver mail.

All my work and I think it all paid off. She was super happy and perfectly pleased with her day.

She loves birthdays so much and I did not disappoint her. In return, it was one of my favorite days of the year, again, as she was just so pleased and excited and pleasant.

After gifts we ate lunch and cake.

She was happy with her cake, I tried to replicate the monkey on the plates with the flower in her hair. She went to blow out her candles and leaned over the candles and burnt her forehead a bit- but was cute and sweet and stood their pleased as everyone sang to her. Then smiled as everyone said something nice about her. I loved Sam's the best- he liked that Kate colored with him.

As we were eating cake I was sitting next to Kate and she said-"mom now that I am five I will do all the chores and only play a little" It made me a little sad. A few weeks ago, frustrated with all the house chores and told Kate she needed to help me, as she was old enough that mom shouldn't have to do all the chores. In an attempt to get out of chores for the moment she told me "when I am five mom, then I will be old enough to do all the chores and you won't have to do any" I smiled but surely still made her clean up whatever it was I was insisting. She remembered the conversation, and that she had promised me when she turned five that she would do all the chores. I think she said it a little sad, but dutiful. I reassured her that I would love her to be a bigger helper, but that she could still have fun and play even though she was a real grown up five year old now.

She spent the evening playing with her new things, playing games, and being so content. The happiness has continued into today as she is still being helpful and nice and sharing and sweet.

The evening ended with me telling her the story of when she was born for a bedtime story- a birthday tradition. She ate up every minute.

And then of course was so excited she refused to fall asleep for almost two hours.

It was a really great day.

I have been feeling a lot lately like I spend all my energy trying to make those I love and care about happy, and still despite doing everything I can, they are still unhappy with me, some how dissatisfied, unappreciative etc....

But Kate didn't disappoint. Like I said, I spent so much time and energy into making her day perfect, and she believed it. She had the perfect bright reaction to everything, was thankful and happy and I felt like all my work paid off. What more could I ask for.

More on Kate to come on her actual birthday I am sure.