Grateful

This week has been so quiet. That is what I am most grateful for today. I have been able to focus more completely on these two who just light up my life everyday. They were both so excited to go outside and play. How can you not love winter when you see how much the people you love most enjoy it??? Because of the "blizzard" yesterday, my class last night was canceled. I was supposed to take a test and so all my time yesterday was allotted to studying. I was so grateful to have that time to play with my kids instead. We didn't even leave the house. We built castles, played chutes & ladders, played with animals and more. It was so nice. I am looking forward to the next four days. Jarom gets to spend it all with us. His job and church calling are so demanding that we haven't had a whole day with him to ourselves in months. We need it!!!

So Thankful

My heart is so full today. And breaking. Is that possible? Can I be so incredibly grateful for my little family and my big family while at the same time feeling so heartbroken for another little family and big family? Earlier this morning I heard sirens. That in and of itself is not so unusual, but they were a little too close to my house. I had the fleeting thought, "I hope that is not for someone I know." I went about the rest of my day only to receive a phone call a few hours later that my neighbor lost her husband this morning. So yes, the sirens were headed to someone I know. I am so heartbroken for her. They were high school sweethearts. Married at 18. Four children and 15 years of marriage later they were still madly in love. He had cancer and beat it. He was diagnosed with Khron's (spelling??) disease last year. And now he's gone. My friend has to face life alone and raise her 3 teenagers and young son alone. I can't even imagine. And that is why I am so grateful that I have my little family around me today. You just never know when that day will come. That day that you have to wake up without someone that you love. I hope that day doesn't come for a long, long time for me.

Q

I have a new obsession. I can't believe I have gone so many years without using these really great tools. Seriously!!!!! How come no one has clued me in? I have tried off and on for a few years to save money on groceries by couponing. I am just not good at it. I would spend an hour or more on cutting coupons and making my list only just to blow almost my entire grocery budget on random items that didn't really equal to meals. So I've gone back to planning a menu based on the sale ads alone and have been consistently under budget since. I buy tons of fresh produce, things for food storage, and a few extras all while staying under my budget just on sales alone. I still use coupons on a good sale on things like cereal, snack items, etc. So on to my new obsession. I've signed up for several deal a day sites like groupon, screamin' daily deals, and more. I also started following a couple of blogs that are great at telling you where the really great deals are to be found online. I don't have to spend hours on these. The updates for the daily deals come to my e-mail, and if I like it then I can buy it. The blogs I view through google reader (which I love) and just few the posts that catch my interest. Here are a couple of examples of things I have purchased recently for Christmas:
**Two pair of rainboots for my kids from Kidorable for $12 shipped (the boots alone retail for $50)
**Lucky brand lounge pants shipped for $9 and some change (retail for around $45 I think?)
**Jarom is getting a really awesome birthday present. Something he has wanted to do for a very long time, but it's pricey. Well I got the package for 50% off so there you go.
**8 pair of baby legs for $19 shipped (these retail for $8-$10 per pair) I love, love baby legs!
**Two wristbands to Jungle Jims for $3 ($8.95 each normally)

So I got rainboots to give to the kids for Christmas, pajama pants for me, birthday present for Jarom, stash of baby gifts, entertainment for the kids. I could keep going. The point is that I am saving money on entertainment, gifts, and other everyday things. I am so tempted to take advantage of every deal, but I am only doing the ones that would be a part of our everyday expenditures anyways.

yAHOO!

Fall

To Mom & Dad

I have had this post rolling around in my head for awhile now but haven't had time to put it here. Again, I should be studying or taking care of my house, but it's Friday & I need a break. Since I started school I have been driving Jarom's car more frequently. Well, he likes to listen to talk radio so I have been getting my fair share of talk about politics and sports recently. I always come home very fired up after listening to the interviews and/or debates about certain issues that are happening around the country/world. A lot of them leave me thinking/worrying about the future for my children. Will they still have their freedoms that we have today? More specifically, freedom of religion, speech, etc, etc. What will they do if they have to go to school/work with children who come from an extreme Muslim background? I wish I could just put them in a bubble and protect them forever, but that's not really the purpose of bringing them into this world so....I worry about whether I am doing a good enough job in raising them and teaching them to send them out into the world and trust that they will make the right decisions. Will they choose good friends? Will they stand up for themselves when everyone around them is doing "it" whatever that may be? Will they be a good friend and example to those around them? Will they have strong testimonies? These are just a few things that I lose sleep over on a regular basis. It often leaves me wondering if my parents had these same concerns. Hopefully they are resting better now that we are all "grown up." Which also leads me to think about how great my parents are. I am not perfect by any means, and I have made my fair share of mistakes. But I feel like I've turned out pretty good, and I know that is partly/mostly due to how I was raised. So Thank You to my mom & dad for everything (not enough space or time to list them all) you have done for me and taught me the past 29 years!! I only hope I am doing half as great a job with my children. I love you!

Busy as a Bee

The weeks since I last posted have flown by. I have not had time to blog, and really, I should be studying or attending to my poor house right now. So here is a little about what everyone has been up to the past while.
Mya:She just turned 11 months so that means we are a few short weeks away from her first birthday. This year has gone by so fast, and I know that it's just going to go faster from here on out. Mya is such a sweet thing. We love having her in our family. She is not quite walking yet which is fine with me because she's busy enough as it is. Seriously, I know this is a busy age, but she never stops and always wants to be on the go. Just like her big brother. She loves loves to play outside. She loves to play in the dirt and is quite content to roam the yard exploring. This is the only time I wish she was walking--when we're outside. She likes to play at the park, dogs, other kids/people, swinging, jumping on the trampoline. She also likes to eat. And she likes to cuddle her dolls and stuffed animals. She gets so excited to see her favorite ones and just loves on them. She'll pat their backs and hold them up to her face. Love her...Oh and I must mention that she is a daddy's girl. She cries when he goes to work sometimes. And one more thing, she slept 9 hours straight two nights ago for the first time....ever. Last night was almost as good. She only woke up once after I went to bed so hopefully we are on the road to better sleep.

Jacob: He turned 4 the end of August. We had a birthday party with his friends which included craziness, sugar, and lots of friends amongst a few games and such. He wanted a dragon party so we had a dragon pinata and treats. I tried to do dragon type games, but the kids just wanted to run around the yard. We also took a trip to the zoo (Grandma & Grandpa Taylor joined us there), and we had a little family party at the park. Jarom did a fantastic job with the dragon cake (see facebook for a picture when I get it on there). Jacob has also started preschool. We are doing a co-op this year with a few of his favorite friends. It's been great so far. He loves going to his friends' houses each week to see what they will learn/talk about that day. I do have to say that I like age 4 better than 3 so far. He's really grown up the past couple of months, and I love it. I love to see his imagination run wild and boy does it! If you haven't been to our house to play animal kingdom yet you are missing out. While you are here you will have to go on his private tour of the backyard zoo and catch a lesson on why all of his animals are females. Oh and don't forget snipe hunting. He likes to get on pbskids.org and will spend a good hour on Dinosaur Train games, videos, etc. He really likes the field guide, and he knows more about different dinosaurs than I even knew existed. Jacob would love to tell you all about a carnitaurus or an eoraptor. He loves to be with his dad too working in the yard or wrestling downstairs. And bedtime is just not the same without a story from dad.

Jarom: We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He takes such good care of us. Like I mentioned before the kids adore him, and he's the best dad. He's been especially supportive of me as I've started school this past month. What a great guy! Oh and we celebrated our 6th anniversary September 11. Where does the time go?

I'm too lazy to post pictures here so look at them on facebook :)

What do you think?

We are tired at our house. Well, Jacob isn't, but the rest of us are. Jarom thinks we need to sleep train Mya. I am not a fan of letting her cry, and my excuse is that she shares a room with Jacob so we can't let her wake him up now that he is an awesome sleeper (it only took 3 years to turn him into a great sleeper:)).

So moms--what do you think of cry it out methods? What else have you done that helped your baby self soothe during the night?

Yesterday was a sad, sad day for the people in the state of California. Well, really for the United States of America. That judge single-handedly overruled the desire and opinion of over 7 million people. What a slap in the face! Aren't we a democracy? For the people, of the people, etc...UGH!!

yesterday

was one of those days. one of those days that starts too early and with me in a foggy, sleep-deprived sort of state. i tried to do fun things with my kids to help my attitude. we walked to the park, jacob had a playdate, we went to the aquarium, we went hiking up the canyon, we got custard at the custard shop. despite all of this, i still found myself short of patience throughout the day. all i wanted was some "me" time. i desperately wanted a break from my kids. sometimes i blog stalk in an attempt to escape what's going on around me. i came across this blog yesterday. the great thing about the blogosphere is that you get to hear these stories that are so inspiring and amazing. stories that you most likely would not otherwise hear about. this is one such story. in short, this mom has never been able to bring her little girl home. she has lived in a medical facility since birth. i cannot even imagine what that must be like. i take for granted that i get to snuggle my kids every day and night. yes, sometimes i just plain take my kids for granted. i am trying harder not to do that. i am working to find a balance so that i don't get that desperation for "me" time that leaves me feeling irritated and/or short of patience. i am doing the best i can. but i can always do better.

Mya at 9 months

Well she will be 9 months on Wednesday. I don't think I've posted about her for awhile, but she's been crawling for about two months now. Just in the past couple of weeks she's started pulling herself up to things and getting a little more curious about what's behind doors and inside drawers. Luckily, a closed door is still good enough to keep her out of most things. She never stops moving. She loves to eat. This girl will not turn down food unless she is full. I love that she's such a good eater. It's fun to give her new things. I also like not having to worry about whether she's getting enough. She loves her dad. She lights up every time he walks into the room and reaches out for him. I think she has mixed feelings about Jacob. Sometimes she giggles and giggles at him and wants to play. While other times, she clings to me and seems terrified of him. Those are the times when he's not being nice. I spend a good portion of my days trying to get him to leave her alone unless he plays nice. Any tips with that??? She loves to be outside and is fascinated by things her size like animals and other babies. She likes to go through purses and picks out the wallets and keys. She also likes beaded jewelry. Such a sweetheart!!!

Jacob these days

Believe it or not, but Jacob's love affair with animals is waning. He still plays with them on occasion, but it is not constant like it has been for the past 3 years. These days he prefers pretend play. Today after church Jarom found him outside being a dinosaur. He was sniffing all the green stuff and holding his hands like claws. He is also fascinated by volcanoes. He finds volcanoes everywhere we go. We check out volcano books at the library, he watches volcano videos on you tube, he is planning a trip to Hawaii with his dad to see the real volcanoes. I, apparently, do not get to go because the volcanoes are too scary for me. A couple days ago he and his friend were making all kinds of noises, and when I asked them what they were doing, Jacob told me they were putting on their lava suits so they wouldn't get burned by the lava. Later he told his dad that his lava suit was made of wood :). His imagination is so much fun to see lately. He cracks me up everyday. Jacob can also be very stubborn lately. He's very persistent when there is something he wants. He thinks he can negotiate with things, and sometimes it's hard to turn him down because it's so cute and funny. Even when I'm mad at him. My little guy is turning 4 next month. Wow!!! He thinks he wants to have a dragon party with his friends so we will see how that goes.

If you insist....

A couple of weeks ago, I was eating lunch at Zupas with my kids when this girl approached me to let me know how adorable Mya was. Not unusual for me as Mya has been turning heads and picking up compliments left and right since birth. Anyways to make a short story even shorter this chick wanted to take pictures of my kids for free. So we finally went yesterday to get them done, and I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. Don't love the ones of Jacob. LOVE the ones of Mya. And yes, they are wearing the same clothes they wore in our family pictures two months ago. I have not had time to shop for them and it was the only thing they had that matched each other.

On my mind.....

Jacob is a little social butterfly. He asks EVERYDAY if he can have a friend over. If I say no for whatever reason, he says, "But then what can I do?" Really? He's three almost four. He's not supposed to be this way already is he? When did I stop being his favorite playmate? He never asks for friends to come over when his dad is home so I guess Jarom is still at the top of the list. Monday: we called a friend to come play during the day. That evening we had lots of friends over for treats after FHE. Tuesday: we had another friend over. We do a date night swap, and that was last night so he went to play again. Wednesday: we went to playgroup at the park for two hours and now he is playing at his friend's house. Is that too much for such a young kid? Jarom & I both don't remember being that social at 3 or 4. But do we count? He had a permanent little buddy to play with, and Liz is not much younger than me. Honestly, it exhausts me. I miss the days when it was just us all day everyday. We still have those days sometimes........On the other hand, I am so grateful he has lots of friends. I am grateful that Jacob is really great at making friends. Even when we go places just us, he always meets someone new. I am grateful he's not shy like me. I am grateful also that he pushes me out of my comfort zone. I make play dates and call his friends' moms and have people over. And I NEVER did that. I just hope that when he starts choosing his own friends that he chooses good ones!

Aurora

We left St. George on Monday, May 24, 2010 and drove to my parents' house in Aurora. Tuesday was my birthday so we pawned Jacob off on his aunts and went to lunch and shopping in Richfield. My mom had a little dinner party for Daniel since he was graduating that night. After dinner and birthday/graduation dessert we went to graduation. Then hit the road again to drive to Mesquite. Daniel is the baby of the family, and so that means my parents will be empty nesters in about two months. I guess that's what it's called when no kids live at home, but really they still are raising three kids since they do so much for those younger ones. I'm still not sure how they feel about it. Mom???? Again, no pictures. Sorry.

St. George

We left for our weekend in St. George on Friday, May 21, 2010. We were the last family to arrive at the house we had rented for the weekend. Jacob was so excited to get there and see all of his friends there. The weekend was a little crazy with 10 families in one house. We took turns cooking meals, we played in the pool, we put the kids to bed then stayed up late playing games and talking, we went to church (to a seniors aka old people branch), we relaxed, we ate some more, we did a little hike, the guys went golfing and biking, Jarom & I even got to go on a bike ride together. Mostly we just hung out with our fabulous friends and made sure the kids stayed safe in the meantime. The house was perfect because it had a long, private driveway so the kids couldn't go out into the street and no traffic was coming past us. There was an outdoor pool and hot tub, sand volleyball court which mostly got used as a giant sandbox. Theater room, game room, etc. We comment all the time on how incredibly blessed we are to live in this neighborhood. When you don't have family around the corner, it is so great to have good friends that are down the street and around the corner. I am so sad that I don't have a single picture of this weekend. That must mean we were having too much fun to get the camera out!!

Family Pics

So I know I'm supposed to blog about our trip. I'm also supposed to be preparing my RS lesson for Sunday. That is what I turned the computer on for. But I wanted to share our pictures because they turned out so cute. Thanks to Travis!!! You can find him here .

Back to Life

We made it home from our vacation. We were exhausted but oh so happy to sleep in our own beds again. However, the kids slept better on vacation than they have since we've been home. Maybe I need to wear them out more??? I have some fun pictures to share and also want to journal our trip here. But a fussy, teething baby and demanding 3 1/2 year old and a dirty house and loads of laundry are getting in the way. Hopefully I will get to it soon!

Slightly stressed

We have had this trip planned/booked since January and have been looking forward to it since then. Now that we are about to leave, I am slightly freaking out. You know how we're spending a few days in St. George in a gigantic house? Well, there's going to be 20 adults and 22 kids there. That is sounding a little crazy at this point. I'm a little nervous about it. We have to prepare a meal for them too. I'm also a little nervous about how Mya is going to handle all the driving and being away from home and getting off her schedule. Oh then there's Disneyland. That is giving me a little anxiety as well. And we've never been away from home for 12 consecutive days. But vacations are supposed to be relaxing and stress free, right? So I am going to stop worrying and have a good time. Especially since Jarom is using virtually all of his remaining vacation time for the year to go to scout camp and youth conference. This is our main/only family trip for the year except maybe a few weekends here and there.

Quack & Donkey

These two ducks have taken up residence in our front yard. The green one is Quack and the brown one is Donkey, I think. I better double check that with Jacob.

Going on a trip

We are leaving in 4 days. And Jacob is so excited. Earlier today I was putting Mya to sleep, and Jacob was busy doing his thing. When I came out to see what he was doing he had been "packing" for our trip. He'd gotten some food out for us, filled up some measuring cups with water so we could have a drink. He got his pajamas out and all the swimming stuff. He even loaded up the car with pillows. Then he told me I could choose a couple toys to take so I picked up a couple cars, and he added a couple animals. He kept asking me if I was sure I only wanted the two. I kept telling him we weren't leaving for a few more days, and he'd just say, "I know Mom, we're just pretending." I love that boy!!!

7 days

In one week we will be here. Playing in the sun with friends, food, and fun. From there , we will be going here . I can't wait. And we will make a side trip to Aurora in between for one last hurrah at NSHS!

Yummy!!!

I made these for dinner tonight. Oh my gosh! They were so good. In fact, I want to eat the leftovers right now. I can't wait til tomorrow. Thanks for the yummy recipe, Maria!

Yesterday I had a rare opportunity to take Mya shopping alone. Just the two of us. And I walked around Target snorting like a pig and making other silly noises just to hear her giggle. I'm certain I had some strange looks, but I didn't care. I. LOVE. HER. LAUGH.

I love him. I miss him when he is at work. He works so hard for our family, and I am so grateful for that.

Mornings

I. HATE. MORNINGS. I am not a morning person. I have a hard time getting going before 8:00 a.m. I also have a 6 month old baby who has become an early bird. I awake to her playing with my nose and eyes and mouth at 6:30 a.m. When I open my eyes and see her give me the biggest smile I forget to be grumpy that it's so early. There is not better way to start the day.

That's My Boy

I didn't really have any "joyous" moments yesterday. It was just a really crappy day. I did have a proud mommy moment though so maybe that counts. Jacob is such a sweet boy, and sometimes he gets picked on by his friends because he's so nice. He doesn't fight back. It was getting to a point where I didn't want to have friends over anymore because he was tattling on them and crying constantly because they took one of his toys or hit him. Jarom & I have both been trying to teach him to stick up for himself with his friends and other kids. It's finally paying off. Don't be surprised if you ever him say, "I don't like that. If you do it again, I will wack you." Well, yesterday we went to Wheeler Farm for a preschool field trip, and he was playing in the playhouse with another little boy (not from school). Then the sweet little girls that are in his class came to play too, and one of them burst down the stairs just sobbing. Her mom got out of her that the other little boy had told her she couldn't play with them. In the meantime, Jacob had come out to check on Aliyah. When he heard why she was sad, he marched back in the playhouse and told the other boy to let his friend play and that he wasn't being nice. He then came back outside to get Aliyah and Sophia to come play again. He was so sweet with them. Loved it!

My Life

Last night I was catching up on this blog found here which led me to think about my own life as a stay-at-home mom. Stephanie's story is amazing and inspiring, but I mostly love how she blogs about the simple things in life--her husband (I love that she calls him Mr. Neilsen), kids, and other things that bring her joy. And I thought I am going to do that. I am going to do one post a day about something that brought me joy that day. Then today came. And today I feel scattered and forgetful and unorganized and cold and tired and overwhelmed. But every day does have a moment of joy doesn't it??? I will find mine today.

6 months

Mya hit the 6 month mark this week. I haven't taken her in for her checkup yet so I don't know her stats, but here are a few other things about her:
*Solids--we have been going very slowly with the solids. She's done really well with rice cereal, but not so much with some of the other things we've given her. She likes to eat but her little body doesn't digest it very well yet.
*Bath--she's sitting up on her own now so I put her in the big tub this week. She loved it until Jacob came in and started splashing her.
*Mobile--yep, she's mobile. Not full on crawling yet, but she scoots backwards and turns in circles. I've had to put away the bumbo chair because she was climbing out of it. Bouncy chair is going next.
*Others-she loves to be outside. Loves toys. LOVES her dad. Loves Jacob too as long as he keeps his distance. Very giving of her smiles.

Spring Soccer

I love that Jacob is old enough to start playing sports. He had his first game last weekend which was pretty entertaining to say the least. I'm not sure if he ever kicked the ball--maybe once. BUT he ran up and down the field following the ball and his teammates and never cried like half his teammates did.

One tree down....

A bazillion to go. Ok not really a bazillion but we still have a lot of trees. Our city cleanup was last week so we spent a few days making this pile. These pictures do not do it justice.

Who Knew?

That the hardest thing for me to get done with two kids would be grocery shopping. I've been trying to get it done since Monday. I finally got my list written yesterday, but then I ran out of time to go to the store. Now that the weather is finally nice it is even harder. I would rather play at the park or out back with the kids than go grocery shopping with them. So I'm trying to figure out how I can get by with two trips a month. Do I plan my menu based off the ads for two weeks or do I just buy what's on sale that I know I will use and plan our menu based on what we have at home? How do you do it?

And when my local grocery stores have the option to shop online and just pick up or even have groceries delivered, you can bet I will be all over it.

Easter

Not feeling up to blogging lately. So you will just get pictures for now. Better yet, just go on facebook to see my Easter weekend pictures. If you're not on facebook or if you are and aren't my friend. Well, then, we'd better fix that.

Going Natural

I was chatting with a girlfriend a couple weeks ago who has a baby a month older than Mya and a boy a few weeks younger than Jacob. We were talking about baby-proofing and our babies crawling in a couple months. She said she's trying to not use any harsh cleaners anymore so she doesn't have to worry about Lily getting into them. That got me thinking and after a little research, I have decided to do the same. Mya will be crawling soon and getting into everything, and Jacob likes to help me clean. He also likes to give his sister things to play with. So getting rid of all my poisonous cleaners will be one less thing to worry about with either of them. Plus I'll be saving money. I am going to do one thing at a time as each type of cleaner runs out. The first thing I ran out of this week was dishwashing detergent. So last night I made my first batch of homemade dishwashing detergent and used it for the first time this morning. My dishes came out just as clean if not a little cleaner. Yea!!!!

5 Months

This video isn't the best since it was taken on Jarom's phone, but gives you a good idea of how Mya lets us know she's here and doesn't want us to forget about her. When she's excited she flaps her arms like wings. It's so funny! And she's gotten so loud. I guess that's what happens when you have to compete with Jacob. She's now rolling over all directions and is getting mobile. I won't be surprised if she's an early crawler like Jacob was. It was getting painful to eat in front of her so I finally broke out the rice cereal last week. She was doing well with it so I thought I would give her some bananas on Sunday. BAD IDEA! Mya is not a crier and is easy to soothe when fussy so you know something is up when she's crying hysterically for two hours and nothing will calm her down. She had huge tears streaming down her face. It was so heartbreaking. Well, her little tummy was hard as a rock and she had lots of gas and spit up almost everything she'd eaten that night. She was not her happy self most of yesterday. I think we will be holding off on more solids for a few more weeks. She's still super sweet, and we love her.

Sweet Baby Girl

She's always so happy. And so easy going too. She lights up when she hears her dad's voice and looks all around for him when I put him on speaker phone. Her hair is getting so long that it gets in her eyes sometimes. Should I get it trimmed? I love her disposition especially on days when Jacob's behavior makes me want to eat an entire batch of cookies. That would have been yesterday. Anyways, I love both my kids so much and appreciate what they bring to our family.

Feeding the Ducks

It's time for us to start making our weekly trek to the duck ponds to feed the ducks. Last year we did this almost every Sunday morning before church. This year it will be every Sunday after church except when it's too hot. Jacob always eats more of the bread than he throws in the water so I have to make sure it's not moldy. This last trip down he insisted on wearing his "seat" belt as he calls it. I don't know why he can't get it through his head that it is a tool belt. Oh well.

Blah

I try to pretend that what goes on in our government does not affect me in my own little world. But this health care bill has really made me sick. A couple of quotes I've read in AP articles the last couple of days are so disgusting. The first one I read on Sunday talked about how Obama made trips to a few places around the country to "sell" his health care bill while at the same time telling these representatives and senators that if it doesn't pass, it will mean the end of his presidency. Well, Mr. President, I'm sure glad you could set aside your selfish interests to listen to the American people and do what they want you to do. Then yesterday, they were celebrating this so-called victory by comparing it to things such as Social Security and Medicare. I'm sure glad they want to be known for passing another piece of socialistic legislation that will be broken in a just a few decades. I'm certainly not counting on Social Security and Medicare to be there for me when I retire. Not ONE republican in the house voted for this and not every democrat either. I believe that if a piece of legislation is good for our country it will be bipartisan, right? Now I really just want to swear a lot!!!!!!! GRRRRRR............

Lovin' It

Jarom told me last night I have to stop blogging about how sad I am that my kids are growing up. And he's right. I really don't want them to stay little forever. I love being a mom even though it is the hardest job I've ever had. Instead I could blog about how amazing my self-control is when it comes to shopping for my kids. Jacob is easy peasy. Really, there's not a lot of variety when it comes to boys. All the stores have the same stuff just in different colors. And it doesn't change as they get older. You can have a t-shirt, polo, or collared button-up shirt. Then you choose a pair of pants or shorts in a variety of colors. Then there is the girl sections. Oh my cute!! That is all I can say. And good thing I have that self-control---kind of.

Figured It Out

I finally realized why deep down inside I am afraid of Jacob turning 4. Drum roll please......I've been told that 4 year old boys are harder than 3 year old boys. Oh man! And Mya has little teeth buds coming in on the bottom! Should I cry now or later?

Growing Up

So when Mya was born, and I could immediately see the differences between her and Jacob I started to think or wish she would hit some milestones a bit slower than he. But alas, it is not to be. She's been rolling over for weeks now, and she is such a busy body already. She arches her back when I put her in her car seat or swing. She wants to sit up all the time so she can see everything. And you can forget about just chilling on her back. No time for that! I am really having a hard time with it, and I wasn't really sure why until this morning. I realized that it is because I am scared. I am scared to have a teenage girl--probably because I can remember well how I was as a preteen and teen. Having a teen age boy is not as scary to me--yet. I am scared that when she's not a baby anymore, I will get baby hungry again. So that makes me scared that it will take us over a year to get pregnant again. And if Mya is growing up that means Jacob is too, and I am just plain scared for him to turn 4. I have not figured that one out yet. Oh if I had some magic to slow things down just a tiny little bit :)

On another note, I entered Mya into a baby photo contest so go vote for her at

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/16388

Here They Are

4 Months and counting

I have some really cute pictures to post of Mya making her kissy fish face, but I can't find the camera this morning. I will put them on here later. Mya's little personality is starting to come out more every day. She's so sweet and easy going so far. She is super wiggly and still loves to watch her brother. She doesn't like it when he gets too close though. A couple days ago he did a silly song and dance for her, and she giggled and giggled. It was so cute! One of those moments where I wished for a video camera out capturing it. Stats at 4 months: 16 lbs and 26 3/4 inches. So apparently she is off the charts tall and at the top of the curve for weight. I am super tired this morning so that is all for now.

Grateful again.......

A couple of days ago I was complaining about Jacob tearing holes in every single pair of jeans I buy him. That was my biggest concern of the day, can you believe it? What an incredibly blessed life I am living right now. Some people in my life have been the recipients of some not so fun and very difficult trials this week. Some of them I know better than others, but they are all facing challenges that I am not sure I could handle very well. So today, I am counting my blessings and being reminded yet again how good I really have it. I am grateful my three year old wears his pants out because it means he plays hard and loves life. I am grateful my 3 month old took short naps yesterday because it meant more time for me to cuddle her and make her smile and giggle. I am grateful that my husband helped me make it a priority to go to the temple last night. And I am grateful that I got up to eat breakfast with him this morning. I should do that more often. I think I will.

More

Feel free to comment on how incredibly adorable my baby girl is!

Pictures

I have nothing exciting to blog about but do have some cute pictures. And yes, Jacob always has chocolate on his face. I'm awesome at keeping it clean and so is he :)

Decisions!!!!

In one year from now, I have to make a very difficult decision and it is already giving me stress. It is a decision that will affect the rest of my son's life at least while he is in school. In one year I have to decide if I want to register Jacob for Kindergarten. His birthday is August 29 so if we start him when he's barely 5 he will be the youngest in his class. If we wait a year, he will be the oldest. I'm so torn up about this already. He plays great with the kids that are just younger than him, but he also has a friend who is 10 months older and they play great together. Part of why I'm already thinking about it so much is that I'm trying to decide what to do about preschool for next year. I've already committed to doing a co-op, but most of the kids would be a year younger in school if we start him at 5. I'm concerned that it won't be stimulating enough to get him ready for kindergarten. I try to work with him at home as much as possible, but he fights with me when we do "learning time." Ok, I'm sure he will be fine either way, but is it better emotionally, socially, etc to be the oldest in the class? Especially for boys? I also need new ideas for teaching him at home. Mine just aren't working.

3 Months

Here is what her hair looks like when we comb it after a bath:

And it's still flat two days later.

Here is what her hair looks like when I towel dry it after a bath:


She is still the sweetest baby. She only cries when she's tired, hungry, or wet. She really does not like to be awake when she's tired, and she lets you know. Still sleeping great and growing fast.

Cabin Fever

This kid has it bad. He has endless energy, and I am having a hard time helping him burn it everyday. I need some new ideas-quick before he drives me crazy!