Part 2 (continued)

I didn't forget about PiePie--she gets a Sleeping Cutie section all to herself! When Jason was a toddler it was like Christmas morning every time we went in to his room to check on him before we went to bed ourselves, etc. -- to see the silly positions he was in brought so much joy and laughter to us. Lorelai is following in his footsteps...



She fell asleep driving back from Thanksgiving Point with her water bottle in her mouth--it was adorable! She managed to peek through a sleepy lid just as I snapped the pic.


Lorelai is the BEST little Mommy EVER--she dotes on her little twins that she adopted from Jason and Addie.

Kind Of -- Catch Up, Part 2

It would be exhausting for me to REALLY catch up considering I've hardly blogged for 2 years--so maybe I should have entitled these posts as Summer 2011 Part... Oh, well:)

SLEEPING CUTIES!!!

Kind of -- Catch Up Part 1

This has been a fun summer for Jason. He taught himself to ride on two wheels back in May and he lost his first tooth the very end of July! It was loose forever--he was just letting it hang there. I would check just how loose it was nearly every day, and ask if he wanted me to get it out. Finally he agreed and it was so loose that I only had to apply the SMALLEST nudge and it popped right out. About six months ago he figured out the truth about the Tooth Fairy (and every other holiday visitor), but he was still very excited to get a treat and a $1 bill from us under his pillow in the morning.



Addie and Lorelai are becoming best friends. Lorelai does EVERYTHING Addie does. They have a lot of fun together---and fight a lot less than Jason and Addie do.



The day of Nathan's blessing, Jason, Jason, and Quay enjoyed a game of Monopoly. While my parents, Stacey, and I played/snuggled with Addie, Lorelai, and Nate. Lorelai was hyper from the excitment of having Gammie and Bapa with us. And Nate was completely tuckered from such a special day. His blessing was beautiful! I don't think I've ever been so humbled before by the Spirit as it taught me what AMAZING and HONORABLE children we have to raise.

Nathan

It's hard to believe that Nathan turned three weeks old yesterday. Time is going by so quickly, and he seems as though he's already doubled in size. I love the newborn stage--so it's hard to feel like he is growing out of his tinyness in a flash. Nate is an extremely easy baby (though I could say the same for all my cuties). He only gets upset when he's hungry--much like his big brother. One of Jason's nicknames is "Meatball" because he was SO chunky as a baby from eating SO often. Well, Nate is quickly on his path to having a similar nickname. This hunger/crying factor gets a little tricky with diaper changes--he chooses to do a lot of body emptying when I'm in the process of changing his diaper. At first it was quite frustrating, and messy, but now I have quite the system to keep him and me clean. I should take a picture of our love seat laid out with all the necessities of a happy diaper change...

Well, I thought I'd share his birth story.

Jason and I stayed up until 10 pm Tuesday night watching the season finale of The Good Wife. At 1 am I woke up--with contractions. I had been having them at night for at least a week, but they always went away when I went to bed. So, the fact that they were coming in the middle of the night, plus they were affecting my back a bit made me assume it was CD. The noise from the player woke Jason up--I told him it was real but to go back to sleep. Of course, he couldn't. Around 2 we decided to call our midwife, Richelle. With Lorelai's birth, I waited a long time to call her. She got there maybe 20 minutes before Lorelai was born (her assistant didn't make it in time). I didn't want to have that rush again, so I called "early". Jason and I started setting up the pool, and filling it with water. And I relaxed a lot on the couch. Richelle arrived around 2:30 and got everything else set up.

Jason was great about applying pressure to my knees and back during contractions.I continued relaxing on the couch, listening to my CD and talking with the midwives and Jason. I can go deep into relaxation on my laying on my side. But another thing I wanted to do differently than Lorelai's birth was acclimate to being in the pool before I felt the baby moving down. So, I got in around 4:30, and continued listening to my CD. At 4:57, I felt my water break, and the baby instantly began moving down. It went POP--I went on my hands and knees--pure instinct. After a few contractions, and eight minutes, Jason received our cute little baby. I asked a few times what it was, Jason was too in love with the little guy to hear me at first. Finally, he did and told me we had another boy!

The kids, and our downstairs neighbors, slept through it all. I was exceptionally quiet this time around. Jason heard the baby crying around 6:15 which woke him, and soon Addie and Lorelai came into the living room. They were instantly smitten with him.

I've been blessed with all my births (especially the last three)--but this was by far the most fulfilling. Probably because I didn't have any expectations beyond how I knew I would be. I am super laid back during the thinning and opening phase, but the birthing phase (those 8 minutes) I need lots of support from the people around me. I kind lose it. And though I don't say it, or even really think it, that's the time when I possibly could feel that I never want to have another baby, lol. But, I can survive 8 minutes. With Addie and Lorelai I'd visualized myself remaining in complete calm during the birthing phase, like I do during the first phase. But that's never the case. So this time I didn't have my hopes let down. I was still calm--just not serene.

We are so blessed. We are a happy family who love each other, play together, work together, and enjoy being there for each other. Every single one of us LOVE our Nate.

Kid Update

I know it's been too long, so here's a quick update:

Jason loves school. He knows all his letter sounds. Can read many three letter words-- and with help can sound out longer words. He loves drawing treasure maps and making cards for people. He is also very much into playing with friends. This is a self-portrait :)



Addie is a TOTAL little girl. She is all about pink. Had a hard time adjusting to the cold weather because she couldn't wear skirts and dresses everyday. She is really enjoying the time she has at home while Jason is at school. And enjoys having him home even more. They are best friends for sure!




Lorelai is a joy. She loves to snuggle. Loves playing with Jason and Addie, and by herself. Her vocabulary grows everyday. She is very thoughtful and already a helper. And she is finally adjusting to being in nursery with the other kids during church.

It's been a fast month and a half. The kids and I stayed with my parents. Jason stayed with his sister to be near work and school, then came up to be with us on the weekends. We were able to close on our new home in two weeks time...once we finally found it. We are slow going in our efforts to get settled in. Jason finishes this summer semester in less than a week--we can hardly wait to have some fun summer adventures and lots of time to fix up the new place.

I have a couple of funny things to relay. About two weeks ago when we were still at my parents Addie was carrying around one of those HUGE cardboard books (it's like 2' by 1') when she said: "Hey Mom, this sure is a big book. And that means it's heavy like a giant sandwich." This wasn't the first time she used a sandwich as a unit of measurement, nor has it been the last. LOL.

Then just last night Jason and Addie were getting themselves ready for bed while I was getting Lorelai to bed. They were done doing all the things I had asked them to--brush teeth, go to the bathroom, change into jammies, pick up toys, etc.--but Jason went above my requirements by not waiting for me to join them for prayers. I heard him call Addie over to kneel down with him. At which point he thanked Heavenly Father for their day, that we have food to eat, and then he added "I wish I had more money in my wallet." HA.

Lol's Birthday

We celebrated Lorelai's birthday 2 weeks ago. This past year has gone so quickly, and yet it seems that she has always been in our family. She is our little sweetie. Her vocabulary is growing--she often says "hi" when she enters a room and "uh oh" whe she drops something. Although she does many "toddler" behaviors she still seems like our tiny baby. We all love her SO much!

Kid Update

Jason is a little gentleman.
A great big brother.
Loves playing rescue hero.
Adores his little sisters.
Can't wait to go back to school.
Still thinks flashlights are the best.
Can answer the phone on his own.
Loves riding his bike.
Chooses to spend time with Daddy whenever possible.
Gives Mommy loving hugs and kisses everyday.
Has his backpack on his shoulders at all times.
Gets dressed on his own.
Loves teasing Addie.




Addie is sugar AND spice.
Will do anything for her little sister's happiness.
Loves to carry around anything pink.
Speaks with great grammar and a large vocabulary.
Is learning to pedal her tricycle.
Loves going to nursery at church.
Prefers to be indoors most of the time.
Gathers anything she treasures on her bed.
Has a very strong opinion on many things.
Loves fruit snacks.
Will do just about anything her brother asks her to do.
Loves to snuggle Mommy and Daddy whenever she can.




Lorelai is adorable inside and out.
Goes crazy when she finds an open toilet lid.
Has the sweetest temperament.
Lights up when she gets goodnight kisses from Jason and Addie.
Loves playing the "I'm gonna get you game" with everyone.
Is beginning to cruise around the furniture.
Has the softest skin.
Is laid back half the time and wants to be held the rest.
Loves avocado.
Has been saying "mama" and "dada" for months and means it.
Goes wild in delight when she hears bath water running.
Likes talking "chipmunk" with Mommy and Daddy.
Hates being in a room alone.
Loves hearing/seeing the garage door open and close.

Cutie Pie


Best Friends

Sandwich Bags

About a week ago Lorelai began pulling ALL the baggies out of the drawer. At first I thought it was cute--neither Jason or Addie ever got into drawers like most kids seem to do. Then after about 20 times, I figured that I didn't mind because it kept her happy for a few minutes while I made breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. And finally, I got sick of picking up over a hundred little bags multiple times a day.

So...I moved them up a draw.

Well, her mama didn't raise no foo' :) She quickly moved up a drawer herself. So, now our sandwich bags are adding to the incessant clutter on our counter.

Wow!

I just read an older version of AGE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN (found in "Part C: Teaching Different Age Groups"--beginning on page 110) from 1976, and all I can say is WOW!

http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/materials/teachingnogreater/Start%20Here.pdf


This spoke to my heart and soul. It is so concise and inspiring. And as I read it in terms of mothering/parenting, I came away with faith and confidence that I can be the mother Heavenly Father intends me to be.

Also, that my cuties are in fact cuties. They are not trying to torture me. They are learning and being exactly who they are meant to be at their respective ages.

If you are a mother of preschool or school-age children (whether you belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not), you will be uplifted by reading about your children's age groups in this document.

Let me know what you think after you read it :)

Family Christmas Picture...hopefully my mom got one better than the ones we did, lol. I think I was trying to get the kids to look at the camera with a "WOW!!! What was that over there?!?!?!" statement.
We didn't manage to get cards out this year, hopefully next...So, condsider this our Merry Christmas to all our loved ones! I'll try to write a nice New Year's letter in the next cople of days--if I can manage to organize all my thoughts.

Little cuties in their mommy-made foot jammies. Jason LOVES feet jammies, but zippers are a pain with kids who use the bathroom, so I made normal pj's with feet for them :)

Lorelai with her favorite Christmas gift. She goes CRAZY playing with this ball.

This is the first bath we've crammed all three together for--they had so much fun.

Among the many gifts from Jason's mom, was a bread machine. WOOOHOOOO!!! I've wanted one for years. It was a thrill to enjoy delcious Portuguese Sweet Bread last night--our very first bread machine loaf!

A Lady Bug's Demise

So, we are a no pet family. This easily works for us NOW, because the kids are not yet begging for a puppy to snuggle and play with. Jason talks about it every now and then, but I can easily distract his thoughts :) Well on Saturday a little lady bug decided to escape from the winter wonderland outside, by joining our family inside. Jason wanted to be a helper by putting him out, but I figured he may live longer in the warmth, than in the snow. So I said it could be a our pet, haha.

Things were going great--yes, WERE. A few times a day we would spot and hold our little pet. Then it would hide and we would go on with our lives knowing we would see him again soon. Last night Jason was holding him and "taking care" of him on the couch. Then once again, he disappeared to get some quiet time. Best pet ever!!!!

Well, little lady bug made his appearance once again this morning. Lorelai drank A LOT of water with dinner last night; so, around 6 this morning she was in desperate need of a change. I quickly did so, set the diaper near her crib, re-swaddled her, nursed her, and put her back to bed. When she woke this morning I went in to snuggle her. And grab her diaper to rinse out...

Yep, our little lady bug pet had been eaten by the youngest member of it's adoring family. Maybe I should have let Jason put it out to begin with. Death by cold or starvation probably would have been much more pleasant. Ha. I doubt this has happened to any other "pet" in all of history.

Well our beloved pet, R.I.P.

Lunchtime Conversation

Jason: I'm a T-Rex so I can eat sticks.

Addie: I wanna be a PINK T-Rex, so I can eat PINK sticks.

Feeding Frenzy

THey kept coming and coming. Crazy!

We were able to get a LITTLE family time in during the Thanksgiving weekend. The kids and I drove to my parents Wednesday morning, Jason met us up there THursday morning, then he headed home Friday around noon--have I mentioned we are all hating this semester? We were able to stick around until Sunday morning. We ate lots of yummy food. Played with fun toys. Went shopping. Played video games. And relaxed. It was nice to be able to have a vacation as a family, even if we were only together for a day.

Like the pic of the nativity at the bottom? Uncle J and Aunt T got this for our family this year. We opened it last night as part of our FHE. The kids are having lots of fun playig with it. I love that Mary is holding Baby Jesus in her lap--they know that that's where he belongs :)

Can you tell I havn't been in a blogging mood?

Well, here's a quick update :) We (the kids and I) have been heading on trips every other weekend to give Daddy some much needed peace for getting homework done to survive this hideous semester. I've been drowning/failing to keep the house in a pleasant state of order. I havn't been in a sewing/crafting mood for a while, though tons of fabric I ordered through co-ops has been arriving in a steady flow. Then, the creativity bug finally did bite--but I can't seem to work up the courage to conquer the messy state of my craft area...sigh.

We enjoyed a New Moon date night. The actual reality of the date was much better than the movie (books are always so much better than movies)--however, I have hopes it will grow on me with future viewings. We are all looking forward to some laid back family time for Thanksgiving, and perhaps getting a new DVD player on Black Friday to replace the one that quit a month or so ago.

Jason and Addie have been the best of friends the past couple of weeks. They went from countless fights a day, to just a couple--sometimes none. It is such a joy to see them playing together--imaginative play, working as a team on a craft project, Jason reading books to Addie. Finally I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm realizing that our good intention of spacing kids close together may become what I expected afterall. Siblings who are best buddies!

Lorelai is the cutest little doll. We ALL adore her. And she lights up whenever any member of her family walks in the room. She loves to talk to us, snuggle us, and play. She is hopping in her jumper and singing to me right now.

Weekend at Gammie and BaPa's

This past weekend we headed on a fun trip to visit our grandparents. We left Daddy behind so he could crank out some neglected homework--he got tons done :)

We watched TV while snuggling BaPa.

We went to the pumkin patch.

We went on individual dates with Mommy. Jason saw Toy Story 3-D and Addie went out to breakfast--if you consider donuts and juice/hot chocolate breakfast.

We all slept on the floor like we were camping. Lorelai has never slept so well--we've since tired this at home with her, but no luck.

We played outside, inside, upside down.

Diaper Stash

I made all these cute little boy fitted dipes, and inserts, for a friend of mine...so fun!