Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Fun Times

Every once in awhile we get out the girls' princess sleeping bags and the toddler cot and have a "Movie Night".  It's great fun for the kids, but secretly, I choose to have "Movie Night" when I am exhausted and just want to clean up and have the kids stay still in one spot until bedtime.  It's a win/win situation as long as the kids stay interested in the movie.  Haha!


A friend at church told me about the local library's reading times and I decided to attempt going by myself with all 4 kiddos.  Their little faces lit up when I told them we were going to the library and they ran to get their shoes and socks on.  When they joined the group of kids for reading/singing/dancing time, they were all smiles and they were so cute and shy!  I guess they always do a craft after story time too.  This time they read bunny stories and then made bunny ears.

They were so cute in their ears!!!  Gracie started crying during the process because she couldn't get one of her ears to stick.  I'm afraid she's going to have moments like this in school too because she is SO much like me, and cries and gets upset if she can't get something to work just right (perfectionist/OCD that I've passed on to the poor thing).

Cooper lost interest in story time after awhile and he kept wanting to get on the computers.  It was frustrating because I had to keep grabbing him away from things and I didn't even get to help the girls look for books.  Luckily, Olivia was asleep most of the time, but I still felt overwhelmed with the older three all going different directions.  Then, the kids were so cute with their books they picked out to take home, and when I went to get a library card, they said that I needed proof of my address since my driver's license has our old address on it.  Poor kids!!!  I had to tell them that we couldn't take the books home this time, but we could next time.  I sat with them at a table and wrestled Cooper while I quickly read them the stories they had picked since I felt so bad that they couldn't take them home.

Anyway, we'll probably only go to the library when Tim is home from now on.  Either that or I will try to bring a stroller in so I can keep Cooper strapped in.  He's all of a sudden been getting into anything and everything.  He keeps going in the bathroom and messing in the drawers and toothbrushes.  It's frustrating because for the longest time he has been really good about staying out of there.  I don't know what has changed.  When I went to get some q-tips this morning, I found one in the box that had already been used.  Gross!!!  I can only assume Cooper found them, stuck one in his ear, and then put it back in the box.  Thank goodness they were the baby safe ones, so he couldn't stick them in too far.  What a stinker!  Good thing I love him so much!

We sat him down on the kiddie potty the other day and laughed our heads off when we realized he is way too big for it.  There is no way he could go successfully on that little thing!  Ha!  And when I set him on the big toilet, he gets really scared and clings to me, so I guess we won't be potty training any time soon.



I had Gracie write down everyone's names so that you can see how well she is doing sounding things out.  There are a few names that she has done better on in the past, but I think she was nervous because she knew I was watching her.  She kept looking at me for help and I just kept on saying, "Good job Gracie!" and then I would tell her the next name to write, because I didn't want them to be right, I wanted to capture how she sounded them out on her own.  It's so fun to watch them learn new things!


Grandpa, Granny, Tyson, Sarah, Brandon, Heidi, Oakley, Baby (Yay!!! I'll be an Aunt again in October!), 
Dan, Nichole, Kassie, Brayden, Colter




Tim, Kristi, Gracie, Lindsey, Cooper, Olivia, Granddad, Grandma, Kirsten, Elizabeth, Matt

Gracie gave the scripture in church a few weeks ago, and Lindsey just gave a talk.  They were both so cute and did such a good job.  I love getting to be in Primary with them!  It's so fun to watch what they do with others.

The other night we realized we had forgotten to give Lindsey her medicine so we hurried and got it ready and went in her room to give it to her.  She had already fallen asleep so I tried to wake her up enough to take it.  Her eyes opened briefly and then shut and she started mumbling, "Dear Father, Thank you for this day, help us to be reverent . . ."  Tim and I started laughing because we could tell she was still very much asleep and out of it.  It was sweet that she was saying a prayer though.  I love my kids!!!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

My Little Darlings

Too cute!!!  I just wanted to get a picture of Lindsey's outfit and she put the little hat on her head too.  She's been picking out interesting outfits to wear lately.  Haha!


It melts my heart when my kids give each other hugs!



Gracie's new favorite hobby while Linds and Coop are taking naps.  She likes pbskids.org and nickjr.com!



Livi's first time in the Bumbo seat!  Like all my babies before her, her legs are so chubby that it's difficult to get her out of the Bumbo.  I love me some chubby babies!  She's also wearing a 9 month outfit and at her last doctor appointment she weighed 16.5 lbs!



Giving Gracie a little grin . . . little Roo can always get her baby sister to smile!


All 4 of them!


The kids always ask if they can hold their baby sister.





Cute girlies!  "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match . . ."  Haha!




Whenever I take pictures of the girls, Cooper stands where they were and says, "My turn!"



She's really been sucking on her fists, fingers, etc. lately (hope she's not teething already) and when the binky is in her mouth she unintentionally grabs it and pulls it out.  Little sweetie!!!



I looked out the window the other day and Cooper and Tim were running around the trampoline in perfect synch, both wearing BYU Hoodies.  I ran to grab the camera and when I got back, Gracie and Lindsey had joined them.  They love playing outside with their Daddy!



We had a family home evening lesson on Kind Words and I stole my Mom's vocabulary game idea she uses in school.  The kids seemed to enjoy it and the girls understood at least.  Haha!  Cooper was just happy to be hitting the smiley face with the fly swatter.



Olivia talking and smiling a bit.  She is growing up so fast!


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Just What I Needed to Hear

I saw this on facebook and she put perfectly into words how I feel as a Mom at this stage of life.  I love the answer she received from Heavenly Father and I hope to change the way I view my situation and my children.

https://soundcloud.com/mormon-channel/strengthening-the-home

In a way I received a similar answer recently.  Tim found out that he is going to be furloughed at work with a 20% paycut for 22 weeks so I began looking for a part time job (I told Tim I'd rather get a part time job than have him get one because I needed a break from the Mom routine and the house and constant needs of my children, and that would only get worse if he was gone more).  I'd been searching and searching and applying, just to be turned down or never hear back from people.  I was searching for something to do outside of the home that would make me feel like a person again and help us get through the furlough.

While I was at church I was overwhelmed with stress, thinking about jobs, when I had the thought, "Why are you looking for a job when you aren't even doing the job you already have as a Mom?"  I then had the thought that I should stop looking for a job, and I felt a huge feeling of relief and peace.  I do need to do better for my kids.  Like the woman in the sound clip said, "Teach your children. They are right there."  I also think of the quote "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."  I need to stop looking outside of my role as a Mom for fulfillment and stop feeling held back by my kids.  Instead I need to focus on what I do for and with them as fulfillment.

I know I'm not the best Mom, but I'm not the worst Mom either.  I just want and need to improve.  Registering Gracie for Kindergarten has also opened my eyes to the fact that I really don't have much time left to start enjoying this sweet little toddler and baby stage because they really do grow up too fast.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

My Family!

I love my adorable family and can't believe these sweet babies are mine forever!  Thank you, thank you Heidi!!!  She supplied everything once again from clothes, to doing hair, to shoes, to mailing her backdrops to Alabama when she flew out to visit!  Talk about spoiled!

Anyway, ENJOY . . .












































Here are some other amazing collage pictures Heidi has given me for each of my sweet babies!  It's too small too see well, but thank you Heidi!  They look so good!!!  I love them!