KaterTots

Parenting: It's All About Your Attitude

2012-01-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Some might look at these pictures and say that this is a good reason NOT to give your child a chocolate doughnut.

Others would say that it is a very good reason TO give your child a chocolate doughnut.

Bet you can guess where I stand. :)

And no, she doesn't want to share.

Bedtime

2012-01-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have been SO excited to write this post. We have big girl news!! Claire is sleeping in her very own big girl bed and is out of the crib!! And it took ONE night. Yes, yes, you should all be very jealous of my perfect children. ;)

I've been thinking about doing this for a while, as Emma has been bursting from the seams of her bassinet and I didn't really want to have two cribs set up. The boys were in toddler beds this early, and just because Paige was never a fan when she tried it doesn't mean it wouldn't work now right? Anyway, it all got thrown together so quickly last week. I knew Brandon would be leaving out of town, so I asked him to bring the bed in from storage before he left intending to give it a go while he was gone. That way if we had a few rough nights at least he wouldn't have to deal with it. But then it was in, the sheets were on, she was playing so cute on it and we thought why not? And guess what......she loved it. We let her play awhile on it that first night before we put her to sleep, then tucked her in and walked out. She thought it was such a funny joke. And so silly that she could get right up and walk back out to us. Which she tried about 10 times. Not really wanting to be naughty, just caught up in the novelty of it. After that she settled right in and slept wonderfully. She did get up once in the middle of the night and come into my room....but was content with being put right back in bed. (Side note: I also took a chance and put Emma right into the crib that first night. And whatayaknow? Big sister thought it was great! Lucky Emma gets to sleep comfortably in the crib now.)

These first shots are from the first night, getting settled in and used to the idea. Then the next night big brother Parker decided that he needed to have the job of reading her a bedtime story and tucking her in. {Sigh} Yes, my children are that sweet!

It quickly turned into one of those magic moments. I'm telling you folks, I was a puddle of mush after this.

The funniest part about our Claire Bear and her new big girl bed? The look she has when she comes out each morning. I should get the camera out to capture that one of these days! She pokes her head out of the room and gets this sly look on her face, then toddles out as fast as her chubby legs can go looking all the while like she's thinking, "If I can just make it to the living room, then I'm free and NO ONE can stop me!" It's adorable really.

And an added bonus?? You know that big sister that didn't think toddler beds were so cool a year ago? She's digging it now. And lucky for her we have two. So now we have TWO big girls in beds, and it's so adorable to go into the girls' room each night and see three beautiful peacefully slumbering princesses all in the same room. And Paige isn't such a stink about bedtime anymore. She loves it! The only down side to this all....Parker's feeling a bit miffed that Paige left the bunkbed to go to the girls' room. He's thinking it's not as cool to only have 2 kids in the boys' room. He's informed me that it's time to have another brother so that the proper balance can be restored and he can sleep peacefully.

And now because I'm feeling generous, I'll share one more photo of my goofy girl. This is Claire trying out her baby's bed. I guess she had to test it out to make sure it was good enough?? What a sweet little mama. True story: we have to tuck her baby in bed next to her each night. And if she doesn't insist on it Andrew does. He also checks to see if baby is awake each morning as well. ;)

The Look

2012-01-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

You're going to see a lot of Claire posts over the next little while. What can I say, she's in a funny phase right now! Lately she's been giving us lots of crusty looks. Like she'll trip and fall and then look back at you like, "Hey! What'd you do that for?!" Or you'll tell her she can't eat garbage and she'll give you the look. Or you'll kiss her and she'll give you the look. Or she'll just give it to you for the heck of it. Because apparently she's going to run headlong into being a two year old six months early. Anyway, I think her crusty looks are hilarious and these pics are my attempt to capture it.

In these two she knew what I was trying to do...as soon as the camera came out it was more forced.

This is a lot closer to the real thing, but with tears mixed in. I guess it's rough to be the fourth of five. ;)

(And yes for those who are wondering, we now have a TV again. The kids -and Dad- got a Wii for Christmas and so naturally Dad had to get a nice new TV to go with it. Boys....)

In the Land of Pretend

2012-01-04T21:08:00.001-07:00

At our house most of the time, reality is optional. Heck, pants are optional. Naps....NOT OPTIONAL. But I digress.... Even as I type this post Andrew is in the next room shouting, "I'm on the volcano and I'm DYING!" Really I don't know where they get their flair for the dramatic. ;) The girls' most favorite form of pretend play lately is to dress up. Tell me this isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen.

How much is that doggy in the window? Ruff ruff! I love how in this next one she decided to get all serious about that paper in her hands. Must have been important business.

As has been stated before Paige loves to be Rapunzel. And since she got this dress for Christmas she has really only taken it off to sleep, eat, and occasionally to leave the house.

She will share certain princess items with sister once in a while. When she's feeling magnanimous.

I had the cutest pictures of the girls in their princess slippers...but alas, blogger is not my friend tonight. I was doing good to get these up. Grrrr blogger!!!

Happy Merry Christmas New Year!

2012-01-03T20:37:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I didn't get around to sending out Christmas cards this year. What else is new? I suppose we can just "blame it on the rain, yeah yeah!" Ahem..... so here follows my cheap, (free) substitute to give you all an update on the Morgan family for the year.

Brandon and I.....well we're pretty boring and definitely not as cute as our kids!! We're pretty much the doing the same old, same old. Brandon is still working, taking classes online, serving as the ward Elder's Quorum President and in general being everyone's favorite. We all fight for his attention when he comes home at night. He had lots of fun this year coaching T-ball for the very first time. I had to laugh out loud when I overheard one of the moms raving about how great he was with the kids....(wait for it).....she said he was "just so patient!" Okay, okay, all snarkiness aside, he really is great with kids. It's just a lot harder for him with other peoples'. Now that I've embarrassed him let's move right along! In his almost non-existent free time he loves to read and due to traveling for work has branched out to audio books this year. I of course am just busy raising babies and loving it. Oh, it's so crazy here and you wouldn't believe the amount of diapers we go through in a day. But I've said it before and I'll say it again; I have never done anything so rewarding.

Parker was the T-ball star. He took it oh so very seriously, of course and is already looking forward to next year. Parker has also been excelling in school this year (Kindergarten age). We've decided to homeschool and it works so well for us. I love getting to see those lightbulb moments every time he learns something new, and to get to love and smother and praise the heck out of him when he does. And now because I'm the mom and bragging is my right.....Parker is reading at a 2nd grade level; he can identify compound words, consonant blends and digraphs, (yeah I had to study up on that before I could teach it) and alphabetize by the first letter of a word, and knows about nouns - common and proper. He can also identify "doing" or "action" words. In math, he has mastered the addition facts of adding 0, adding 1, and the doubles facts, (2+2, 3+3, etc.) up to 9+9. He has also mastered the subtraction facts of -1 and -0. He can graph, knows the days of the week, etc., can count by 1's 2's and 10's, count money using pennies and dimes and tell time to the hour/half hour. In geography he has studied maps, landforms, (rivers, mountains, etc.) and can name and identify the oceans. He has memorized his address and three poems so far. Yes, my buttons are bursting with pride as I type this.

Parker is also the bestest big brother a family could ask for. He loves to help out and is so sweet with his siblings. He is the only one allowed to hold Emma at his whim, and complains if her diaper is poopy because then he doesn't get to change it. ;) He helps out with chores - he especially loves to make beds and steam the kitchen floor. What a guy. I tell you, the lucky lady that lands him someday......

Parker also learned to ride his bike without training wheels this summer! Woot woot!! And it all happened in about 5 minutes. Brandon's cousin Luke, (who is 6?) must speak his lingo better than I do....it seriously only took a matter of minutes. And then guess what the little stink did? Watched me take the training wheels off his bike, and proceeded to take off Andrew's while I wasn't looking and then taught him!!

Andrew is the family funny man. He LOVES to tell jokes right now. Have you heard the one about the chicken who crossed the playground? To get to the other SLIDE?! Ka-ching! Life is always a party with this kid around. (For one of my all-time favorite Andrew stories from this year, see here.)As was mentioned previously, Andrew ALSO learned how to ride his bike without training wheels this year, (big boy things tend to happen in twos around here!). Oh these boys were so proud to show their Daddy. To be fair, we really did need to give the credit to Dad for teaching Drew...he needed a little extra help. He is sooo funny. So very different from his big brother. Parker was all serious, riding around all tense...Drew just kind of chilled in his seat...if he fell over, he let it all go; didn't even brace. After he'd mastered it, he rode around a few times, hopped off his bike and let it fall and gave us a bow.

Andrew has really come out of his shell this year. The boy who we had to bribe and beg to talk is now chatting our ears off. If you don't listen just right he'll grab you by the cheeks and make you listen. He also, (sniff sniff) has started to become quite the Daddy's boy as generally the things Daddy does are way more cool than Mom. ;) The boys have all taken a particular interest this year in model rockets. And boys being boys, they also love bugs. Drew more especially than Parker. Drew is the one actually willing to touch them.

Andrew has also had a taste of homeschool this year. He is reading on a first grade level this year, and contrary to his older brother isn't shy to show it off! Funny story, while looking down at the shirt he was wearing in this picture, he insisted that it said, "E-tuck!" As hard as I tried to convince him that you should read it from left to right while looking at the shirt straight on....for him looking down it was "E-tuck!" and he would hear of nothing else. Andrew also participates in many of the math lessons, and is learning to write his letters. I am constantly amazed by how differently two brothers from the same family can learn. What is hard for one brother is a piece of cake for the other and vice versa. They have completely opposite learning styles and that keeps me on my toes thinking of different ways to explain things to them.

Drew is also very sweet to the younger siblings....he loves to get toys for Emma... and was a great cheerleader for the T-ball team, (Dad is probably going to get after me here for my word choice....supporter of the team? What can I say, we cheered?!). The poor kid was just dying to play, and lucky for him the coach would let him hit around on the field after the games. We can't wait for both to be able to play this year.

Drew is ever steadfast in his favorites the color red and racecar "Light-ming Naqueen!" He is also a tenderheart and needs lots of reassurance when his feelers get hurt. ;) He is also fiercely loyal and kind.

Paige, Paige, Paige. What do we say about the blonde bombshell?! This girl is always in the middle of ALL the action. She also has a knack for wrapping absolutely anyone around her little finger. She's very insistent that she is just as big as the boys and can do anything they do. She loves anything to do with princesses, especially Rapunzel whom she pretends to be most of the time. Daddy, of course is her "Fwi-dyn Ryder"; and she just informed us today that Parker can be a "Fwi-dyn Ryder" too. Oh, she LOVES those boys. She loves her sisters too, and is having lots of fun with Claire these days getting into trouble! She does still suck her two middle fingers....and probably will forever. This girl has got a will like you would not believe. She loves loves loves to sing and bless her heart has another year ahead of her in the nursery at church. It will be good for Claire who goes in this year too....but already this year during the Primary Program she was singing right along from her seat and kept saying, "Mom! I want to go to the microphone too!" She is a bit of a bossy britches, but as I said can charm her way into anyone's heart so it usually doesn't cause too big of a problem. She's a Daddy's girl and Mommy's shadow.

Little Miss Claire Bear. She has been the. funnest. toddler. EVER. She toddles around like she owns the place. She is so funny and usually without saying a word! (She only has a few of those.) She loves to play babies and giving her her own pretend one usually saves Emma from lots of sisterly TLC. Sadly, I can't really class Claire as a baby anymore....she's always in on the big kids' action too. She's had a maddening phase of getting into EVERYTHING this year. Her favorites are the cupboard where we keep the dishes, (she likes to set the table now that she can reach it) and the garbage. Unfortunately we've lost a few things to that this year, including I think our Baby Jesus from the kid's manger scene. Oops! She even managed to throw away one of the locks I use to keep her out of said dishes cupboard. She's smarter than your average bear. ;) She loves to dance and starts to bee-bop whenever she hears a tune. Especially the one to which I sing her nickname. To the tune of William Tell's Overture, "Bear-buh-dee Bear, buh-dee Bear Bear Bear!" She has learned to show you where her noes, eyes, ears and toes are, (it's SO CUTE!) and is also a Daddy's girl. Of course. :) Fun little side note: the other day I overhear Andrew and Paige arguing over whether her name is actually Claire Bear, (Drew) or Bear Bear, (Paige). We (I) get a little carried away with nicknames around here.

Emma. Isn't she gorgeous?! She has been the sweetest, bestest baby ever. People are always amazed at how she can just lay on the rug in the middle of all the commotion that goes on around here and play contentedly until she falls asleep. NOT KIDDING. And she sleeps all night. Really almost always has. She only ever cries if she's hungry or poopy. She turns inside out with smiles at attention from anyone. She rolls like crazy, and is currently working on sitting up. LOVE this girl.

So there you have it. We wish a Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! Love from the Morgan family!!

Snow Globes

2011-12-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Our most recent Christmas craft was these homemade snowglobes. The kids had a lot of fun with this, but I will warn anyone wanting to try it....I still have glitter all over my house. It just adds to the magic of Christmas, right? :)

Obviously it's pretty self explanatory; I found some figurines by the Christmas villages at Walmart, (still upset by the fact that I couldn't find ONE religious themed figurine or ornament in the whole stinking store. It's Christmas! Where's Baby Jesus?!) add glitter, water, a few drops of glycerin, (found by the neosporin - helps the glitter fall slowly) and then I found some teeny tiny presents that we tossed in too. One thing we did do....Obviously the rim of the jar is about an inch thick....if your figurines aren't very tall they're going to look really low in your jar. We used a round plastic tape roll to glue on to the jar lid and then glued the figurines on top of that so they would stand up taller. Lots of fun and a cute, cheap decoration.

Crafty McCraftin'

2011-12-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

We got crafty today!! We've all been a little sick lately; couple that with the cold weather and we really haven't left the house much at all. So it was time to bring the party indoors. We started with some cottonball snowmen.

These were a huge hit with the kiddos, and surprisingly an even bigger hit with dad. He jumped in to help so I could snap photos and once he got rolling he just kept on going.

He is the resident expert on everything from snowman arms to candycanes.

The kids had a blast. It took a little convincing to get Drew not to make EVERYTHING on his snowman red like his scarf . I think they all turned out pretty cute, eh?

And yes, in case you're wondering, we are all still in our PJ's and likely to remain so. Isn't that what the weekends are for?

Zoom Zoom

2011-12-10T16:43:00.001-07:00

Daddy introduced the boys to a new hobby recently. We're now obsessed with model rockets at our house. They built their rockets from kits a few weeks ago but due to the weather, (and life) we had to wait a few weeks to actually launch them.

Today was the perfect day. It was a smidge cold, but it was sunny and there was almost no wind. So we bundled up and headed to the park.

Here's Parker with his rocket the "Gnome" on the launcher ready to go.

Pressing the all-important launch button.

And a thumbs up after "rocket recovery."

Andrew and the "Firehawk" ready for takeoff.

They were oh so serious about getting to push that button!

Drew with his recovered rocket.

An action "blastoff!" shot for Parker.

Drew's blastoff. Err....almost. You can see the smoke where the engine is igniting, but it hadn't lifted yet.

I think this is going to be a really fun hobby for the boys and their Daddy to pursue together. What boy doesn't love all things that zoom?

Sportin' a New 'Do

2011-11-30T10:23:00.002-07:00

Claire finally has enough hair for a 'do. Yes, I know that my daughters got the short end of the stick when it comes to my styling skills. But hey, they're cute anyway.

I guess we'll have to stop calling this particular style "Paige-tails."

In other updates for our Claire Bear....she now has a few more words. In addition to mama, dada and baba, she can say ni-night, ba-bye, Memma, (for Emma) Ah-Dew, (for Andrew) Karker, (for Parker) and of course NO! is a big favorite. She surprises us with a few other sounds now and again but nothing comes to mind to post about at the moment.

Our little Bear is so full of sunshine. She is in such a fun stage. She is constantly getting into trouble, climbing on everything, playing with the big kids, and loving on baby sister. Oh, and suddenly she's Daddy's girl. As soon as he lays down on the couch or the floor she parks herself on him for the night for a snuggle. But hey, we can't blame her for that. Dad's everyone's favorite. :)

A Good Day at Wal-Mart

2011-11-05T20:46:00.003-06:00

So I know I complain often about the silly and rude things people say to me when I'm out and about with my kiddos. Today I'm going to try and balance that out with some really nice things that happened. I honestly had the most pleasant time at Walmart today. And on a Saturday of all days! Of course the store was crazy busy, but for once I didn't get any crusty looks or rude comments. I got lots of smiles, lots of compliments, and lots of offers for help. One lady even offered to push one of my carts for me throughout the store as her husband was there to push her own. (One cart was full of kids, the other with groceries. Push one, pull one. I do this when it's too cold for the baby to be carried in the snugly and I want to leave her in her carseat.) While I politely declined the offer as I'm used to doing this and it's really not as crazy as it looks, (or maybe I'm just used to it?) I secretly wanted to give her a big hug for asking instead of criticizing me. Maybe I should have. Lady, if you're out there, know that the gesture meant a lot. Then out in the parking lot the missionaries pushed one of the carts to the car for me. This was a big hit with the boys by the way. Missionaries at our house are akin to superheroes. :)

Of course, the overall mood of the trip was helped by the fact that they had some sort of "toyland" kickoff going in the toy department. Gearing up for Christmas I guess; anyway they were passing out free cupcakes and these cute facemasks to all the kids. Anyone who knows me knows a free cupcake goes a long way toward making me smile. It's not going to get me to drag my kiddos through the toy department with a catalog and a highlighter and it's certainly not going to influence how many toys I buy them for Christmas.....but I do love a good cupcake.

Here's the kiddos sporting their masks:

At first I couldn't get Andrew in on the photo action. But when he saw how much fun these two were having, he had to join in.

Another thing that made me smile? 50% off snowgear at Kmart later in the afternoon. Seriously?! I never get that lucky. I hate to shop around. To walk in, find exactly what I needed and get a great deal? It put the cherry on top today.

Little Miss Monkey

2011-11-05T20:36:00.003-06:00

Claire hit a new stage this week. The finally able to climb on the furniture so she's doing it all the time stage. I wish I'd had my camera out for the whole thing. She starting by climbing onto a chair that was under the table, wiggling her way out and onto the table, walking across the table, climbing into this chair and eating the apple. Cause that was the easiest way to get to it?

By the way, does anyone remember when this fellow had a thing with climbing on the kitchen chairs? One of my all time favorite pictures ever of him.

Happy.....Uh....

2011-11-04T19:47:00.003-06:00

We tried our darndest to celebrate Brandon's birthday this week. He was in Pinedale for work, so it was a bit tricky. But, we love the guy so despite bad weather forecasts, I loaded up all five kids in the car complete with birthday paraphernalia ready to party our pants off on behalf of our favorite man. Sadly, the forecasts were right. We ended up in some bad weather over the mountain pass and a drive that should have taken us about 4 hours took us 6. Don't worry too much about my judgement here; if the weather had been SO bad I would have just stayed home. But it was passable. Not fun - but passable. So I just slowed way down and plow through the snow we did. The real bummer about this - besides the fact that 4 hours of car torment was turned into 6 and my poor carsick Andrew barfed not 1 but 4 times - Daddy beat us to the hotel room that evening. No surprising him now. But we were together. We enjoyed some pizza and a movie and one another's company.

But the next day I thought here's my chance! He'll really be surprised now! It's not even his birthday. So during our break for freedom from the hotel room at lunch (did I mention the high in Pinedale was still below freezing?) we stopped by the grocery store for a cake, candles and the best darn birthday dinner on record. Microwave dinners. Oh, it was so pathetic. But I knew after a long day the last thing my man was going to want to do was venture out in the cold again. By the way....I'm guessing there aren't many vegetarians in Pinedale? (Not that many vegetarians eat microwave dinners on a regular basis, but I have seen them around.) There were like two options. Yech. My sweet little Parker, always the food optimist kept telling me how delicious it was and thanks for making such a yummy dinner. ;) Anyway, so with food supplies on hand we headed back to the hotel room to create the party atmosphere.

Wiola:

Here's where you all get to REALLY laugh at my pathetic-ness. Notice my birthday sign? Minus the birthday part? Yeah. Totally forgot to check that before we left. "Happy....er....uh...." well, I guess the actual birthday part was over with anyway.

The kids at least had made Dad some cute birthday cards.

And then thanks to my view of the parking lot, we decided to hide when we knew Dad was coming. Parker behind the chair:

Drew under the covers,

Paige and I, (thumbs up!) on the other side of the bed,

and even Emma, poking out from under the bedskirt.

Claire just sat on the bed and laughed at us all like we were crazy pants. We all yelled "Surprise!" when Dad came in and then enjoyed our tasty microwave meals, washed down with a chocolate oreo cake, (the saving grace of the party - even with un-lit candles) and enjoyed a birthday swim at the pool before bed.

It was the most UNglamorous birthday on record. But we worked with what we had. As meager as our birthday offerings were, we wanted so badly to do something to show our Daddy how much we love and appreciate all that he does for us. He has so much on his plate supporting us, let alone everything else he has going on. But he does it willingly and happily. On top of it all, he's always willing to give more of his time snuggling up to a great chick flick with me, reading with the boys, being a jungle gym for the girls, and baby-talking with Emma. He's a great husband and a great father and we love him so much!

By the way, at the risk of getting in trouble for it later, I'm going to let you all know this was the big three-oh for Brandon. Pretty, cool huh?

Completely un-birthday related: Claire said some new words while we were there. Which is pretty huge considering all she says so far is "Mama" and "Dada". Her new words are "Ba-ba" (for the bottle of course) and "A-dew". How lucky is Drew that his is the first name she says?!

Also, some fun things to remember from the drive home. Parker, during a very serious discussion about his future "special lady" asked me, "Mom, how am I going to find a special lady when I'm a grown up man?" I replied that I didn't know exactly how he would find her, but that he didn't need to worry. He said to me, "But I know she's out there somewhere and I just don't know where!" So cute!!! I love my serious little man. I just know someday he's going to make some "special lady" VERY happy.

Back to the drive; when we crossed the state line, I yelled out "Wahoo! We're in Utah! Bye-bye Wyoming, hello Utah!" Paige shouted out, "Hello ee-haw!" then after a pause, "Mom! Ee-haw's not talking back!" So I guess I have to take back what I said earlier. It's not always a torment to be in the car with my kids. In fact sometimes I rather enjoy it. Due to Andrew's motion sickness, we can't do the movie thing. It leaves us a lot of time to really talk and connect. We sing, we listen to books on tape, the kids snooze a bit, but mostly we laugh and talk together and I get a sneak peek at what's going on in those precious little brains when there is not much going on around them. Oh how I love them!!

EEK!!

2011-10-31T20:25:00.003-06:00

Quick! Somebody call the sheriff!

Cause there's a ghost in my house!

Can you tell Mr. Ghosty man took his costume VERY seriously? This was his "Ooooo" face. He was pretty disappointed that little kids at the trunk or treat didn't run away in fear. He fully expected it. He looked like a real ghost you know!

Actually when he first put it on he did indeed frighten his little sisters. Paige kept talking about how cute he was trying to reassure herself. Claire flat out threw herself on the floor and hid her face in the carpet when he offered her a cookie.

The queen of the evening:

She was of course gracious and kind to all of her adoring subjects. And stuffed her face with "canny" every second Mom wasn't looking.

This is what the little monkey had to say about Mom not letting her have any:

I find it fitting to point out that one of Emma's brothers tied a knot in her monkey tail (that Mom can't get out) before the evening ever began. It's TRICK or treat right?

The one and under crowd behaved quite well. As funny as Claire thought it was to wear her own costume, she wasn't quite sure why everyone else was doing it. But all she needed was a tootsie pop to keep her happy for the rest of the evening.

And I had to include the tail shot. It totally makes the costume. It's sewn on in a way that makes it wag when she walks. TOO STINKING CUTE.

Happy Halloween from our house to yours! We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Sneak Preview

2011-10-28T12:36:00.002-06:00

I know the blog is sadly in need of an update. Instead of obliging you with one I'm going to dangle the proverbial carrot. Here's a sneak preview of our Claire Bear in her Halloween costume. More to come soon. Our house is just bursting with cuteness and personality.

As you can see she thinks she's pretty funny. And so do I.

A Surprise for Dad

2011-09-27T21:00:00.005-06:00

Our Daddy has been out of town quite a bit lately. Needless to say, it stinks. So when he called last Saturday to invite us to join him for the weekend we were packed and out the door an hour later. The boys had a big surprise for him!

This little man up and learned how to ride his bike! We owe it all to his 6 year old cousin Luke. No joke, Brandon has worked with Parker before and with not much success; so we've left the training wheels on. We go over to Luke's..... I kid you not they were outside for about five minutes and then come running in. Parker's telling me, "Mom, Mom!! Luke showed me how to ride his bike without training wheels!" And I'm thinking, yeah....riiiight. But we go out, Luke holds him steady and off he goes. Apparently Luke told him just what he needed to hear!

So anyway, we go home and take the training wheels off his bike. We agree to keep this a secret so we can surprise Dad. How fun is it that right after Dad calls to invite us for the weekend? So without saying a word to him, we tossed in the bikes. Oh, and here's where I should mention that Andrew decided he wanted his training wheels off too. So while I was inside tossing any clean clothes I could find into a suitcase, Parker grabbed the wrench I'd left out and took off Andrew's training wheels as well. Little monkeys. Just to see how it would go I did give Andrew a couple of test tries before we took off. He needed some extra help, but I could tell Dad would have him off and going in no time.

Boy was Dad surprised! We took advantage of the hotel parking lot to get in some good riding time.

And Daddy worked with Drew.

We had a few tumbles, but no tears! Andrew was so cute and funny that day. He was so happy about it all that he didn't get upset or frustrated.

And off he went! Funny little man.....after a few good rides he got off his bike and took a bow. So fitting to his cute little personality. Then he kept telling his Daddy "Love you Dad!" and "Thank you Dad!" and "I'm so happy to ride my bike Dad!" and the like.

They absolutely loved this. It was fun to be able to share it with Dad as well. He even taught Parker some extra tricks like how to start up against the curb.

And what were the lady bugs doing during all of this? Having a grand old time. These girls are good friends. To reward them for being so patient, they got to go to the park afterwards and swing. :)

And Emma enjoyed herself some time in the sun. Who doesn't love a nap in the sunshine? Seriously, best baby ever. She is so good to just sit there and be happy while we do whatever it is we've got going on.

And I thought I'd toss in a few more pics from the visit.

When Mom and Dad are too tired to visit the hotel pool, what's the solution?! Tub swimming. And what's even better, if you leave the door open you can still watch Nemo on the TV! Saweeet!

(Don't worry, they did get to swim in the hotel pool as well.)

Good thing our kids are used to close quarters! This was the biggest three on the fold-out.

And Claire decided she didn't mind a nap on the comfy cozy king sized bed. :) I just love the way sleeping babies look!

Boys & Bugs

2011-09-27T20:38:00.003-06:00

The boys have been super interested in bugs lately. Parker is still terrified of most of them; he won't come in the front door if there is a spider on the front porch. Rather he'll stand there and scream for help. BUT, under the proper conditions he does like to see these crazy creepy crawlies up close. So we've done some bug collecting lately. Their first two finds were thanks to a friend who was watching them. Grasshoppers who were named Skippy, (Parker's) and Whippy, (Andrew's). Skippy and Whippy were fun for a few days. They even survived a road trip to visit Dad working in Colorado. But then they started looking a bit sad. Moving real slow and the like. Not knowing the expected life span of a grasshopper, I suggested we let them go in case that could revive them. They were bid a fond farewell and hopped away in the front yard. Here's hoping you make it boys!

This find however, we're keeping for observation:

I doubt you can really see.....but contained in this "collecting jar" as Parker so importantly calls it is our caterpillar, Brigham. Brigham, cause Parker says he's a boy. Parker also says that he wants a real Brigham. Not a caterpillar, a brother he says. ;)

Anyway, we're hoping to watch Brigham munch and grow and wrap himself up in a cocoon. Once he's become a butterfly we'll let him go. Already it has been fun. We're all amazed at how much he's grown in a few days.

And add bug collecting to the list of things I didn't really realize I'd do as a mother. Chalk it right up there with playing sports and all the other things I'd have tried much harder at as a girl if I'd have realized the skill set I would need to be a mother to boys. When I took Biology I remember paying the kids I babysat a nickel a bug for my class project. Now I'm hopping all over the yard like a fool chasing the darn things. Good thing I love my boys!

Emma's Blessing

2011-09-19T21:19:00.003-06:00

Yesterday our sweet Baby Emma was blessed. It was such a great day. It started out early as most mornings do around here. I got up with Emma to find Parker and Paige already up and having a snuggle on the couch as they watched a show; patiently waiting for the rest of us sleepy heads to rouse. (Lest you think the rest of us lazy, this was at 6:15 in the a.m.) When Emma and I joined them on the couch, they included us in the snuggle. It was a morning full of "I love you's" and "Aren't we so lucky?" and I was so glad to revel in that on such a special day. Believe you me, we have plenty of mornings full of tears, fights and "I'm hungry!" That just made the calm that much more special. Then it was off to church with all of those we love most to celebrate this special girl.

It's fun to have the extra little touches that add to the nostalgia; My blessing dress - now worn by all three daughters, the bracelet given to us when Paige was blessed by Brandon's Aunt SanDee, and the shoes, (sadly not pictured) made by hand from Brandon's great Aunt Sue and given to us when Claire was blessed.

Here's the latest shot of the Morgan family.

Thanks so much to all of the family that made sure to show us love and support. Both to those that were there, and those that sent well wishes.

A Birth Story....of Sorts

2011-08-15T09:25:00.001-06:00

What I really wanted to title this post if it hadn't been incredibly long is "why I chose to give birth without an epidural......and why I won't ever do it again." I really don't mean to dog on those who enjoy giving birth this way. After having given it a go, I really do admire you. I do. It is just not for me. And I'd like the chance to put my thoughts out there and tell you why.

First, why after 4 go rounds with an epidural did I decide to try this you ask? Because those of you who know me well know that I have always had strong feelings about this. I have never ever before been tempted to try this. And while I have always tried to respect that everyone should be able to give birth the way that will give them the best possible experience...I've always been doubtful that the best possible experience could be achieved while feeling so much pain. For the record I do feel that I have good reason to have felt this way. While going through nursing school I worked at two different hospitals; at one in L&D then at the other on the post-partum/nursery unit. Before having babies of my own was ever even an inkling in my mind I had witnessed many many births. I've seen it all....from the women who can give birth with not a drop of medication without so much as a grimace crossing their face, to the women who thrash and kick and experience a temporary bout of insanity until the anesthesiologist threatens to walk out if they can't hold still, (at which point they miraculously are still as stone)...to the times when the best laid birth plans have to be thrown out the window for an unexpected emergency c-section. The one thing that was always the same? The moment of birth was an absolute miracle every single time. No matter the circumstances. I can't even tell you how many times I discreetly brushed away tears in the birthing room of a complete stranger. This convinced me that the concern of utmost importance was a healthy baby at the outcome....not the mode of delivery. I also witnessed many women try for an unmedicated delivery, and in the end choose to have an epidural. Seeing how hard it was, I wondered why they put themselves through so much in the first place. I also was very put off any time friends or family members expressed disappointment in the mother if she "didn't make it". Again, I felt no reason to be disappointed when a healthy baby was the overall result. I also felt put off by the fact that many of the women who chose to give birth without an epidural seemed to feel that they were somehow better than their medicated counterparts. They seemed to put off the idea that you didn't really do anything special if you gave birth while numb. That rather than having given birth, you were simply "delivered" of your baby without any active participation. I had seen enough to know that giving birth was hard work, numb or not! I had also seen enough to know that many of the myths presented in the "natural" birthing world as cases against an epidural simply aren't true. An epidural is not always a guarantee that you can't feel your contractions, or push of your own will. You are not simply at the mercy of the evil medical doctor and his whims.

So, again why did I feel an interest in trying this? Well, for one, I felt like I have matured a lot since my L&D days. I started my first job in this area the summer after high school. I was young. I was immature. I didn't realize yet that what is best for one is not always necessarily best for all. I had also never really experienced any sort of real pain and had no desire to. Now, almost 10 years older I've realized that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I figured that being physically and emotionally more prepared for this, I might actually be able to do it and see what all the fuss was about. I also felt that physically I was better prepared than I have been in times past. I've had incredibly great health throughout the pregnancy, gained a minimal amount of weight, etc. I thought if there was ever a time to give this a go it was now. And most of all.....I was curious. Many seemingly unrelated things like homeschooling, cloth diapers, a vegetarian diet, (all things which I have turned to in recent years) and birth without an epidural seem to find a common ground in many circles. I'd heard so much about it and thought that maybe I'd been pointed in this direction for a reason.. That maybe I needed to be more open minded about this and I'd find a new perspective the way I had with the other things. Also of mild concern...it's obviously likely that we'll have a large family, (in case you think we don't already) and in the back of my mind the slightly irrational fear of "what if one of these times I don't make it to the hospital in time for an epidural?" I felt that given my past experiences and attitudes, not having the option and not being prepared for it would leave a very negative mark on the whole experience for me. So I felt that I could prepare well and give it a try this time. If it worked out well and I enjoyed it, I would do it again. If not, I would at least know what to expect and that I could handle it if need be. Please note, all of my previous birth experiences with an epidural have been indescribably special to me. I had no reason to think that this was going to mysteriously be somehow more miraculous or spiritual. But I think that part of me wondered about that.

After all of that......what was the outcome? First let me say that there were factors that one might argue unfairly influenced the overall outcome. I was induced. While the doctor was willing to let me wait as long as I wanted, I have reasons for not wanting to go overdue that I don't want to get into in this post. The doctor was also willing to induce labor somewhat more naturally by breaking my water....but he wanted to get antibiotics in my system prior to this due to my positive group B strep status, and the fact that this was my 5th baby. We agreed that the antibiotics would be started in the am, and that he would come around lunchtime to break my water. Life happened, he got busy, I got impatient, and pitocin was started at two in the afternoon. This was completely my choice, not his. I knew that it had the potential of affecting the intensity of my contractions, but I had had previous experience that made me think it might not be a big deal. Twice before I'd been given pitocin and not experienced any significant amount of pain. In each of these situations the nurses had wanted to wait on the epidural until I was in significant pain so that they could tell the epidural was effective, and they'd ended up giving it to me regardless knowing if they didn't soon it wouldn't be an option. What I didn't think about at the time was the fact that the nurse kept turning up the pitocin after the doctor finally did come and break my water at about twenty minutes to three. She kept turning it up every half hour without regard to the fact that breaking my water would likely do the trick and the fact that it was my 5th baby and that maybe more pitocin wouldn't be necessary. She also didn't seem to be concerned about the way the pitocin might be affecting my pain. She seemed to be focused only on the baby's heart rate, (which was good) and the pattern of my contractions. As long as these were good, up she went. I know enough that I should have questioned this, but it didn't cross my mind at the time. I didn't plan on having to do that. Besides the pitocin, my nurse was obviously an issue. While she was friendly, seemingly competent and professional, she was not overly eager to help me achieve my goal. In fact she didn't help me at all. She asked me about my pain at one point when she thought I looked distressed. But the only method of relief she offered was medication. She didn't offer to help with positioning or anything else. When I told her I wasn't ready for any sort of medication yet she left the room and didn't return until I was completely dilated. In her defense, that was only eight minutes later......but still. I knew from experience that nurses all held their individual opinions about an epidural and that some were better than others in helping patients cope with pain.....but I had never seen a nurse just walk out like that. Most of the nurses I had seen before, if they weren't competent in pain relieving techniques, they would at least stay with the patient and offer support during intense times.

During those eight minutes that felt like an eternity, I remember trying to decide if I had the conviction to go through with this. Or if I thought I would even have the time to choose. A dear friend of mine had advised me to adopt the attitude from the beginning that there just wasn't a choice. I would do this. And truthfully, based on past experience I didn't think there would be. The only other time I had felt any pain that could be classified as intense was with Andrew. They broke my water to induce labor. Being only my second baby they didn't necessarily think that things would happen quickly, but lucky for me they didn't have any qualms about giving me an epidural right away. Before the epidural had time to take effect I suddenly had intense labor pains that caused me to shake all over. Concerned, the nurse checked me immediately after the doctor was done with the epidural and I was complete. The whole thing took about an hour, from breaking my water to the birth. Based on this I thought that it was likely that by the time I wanted anything to alleviate the pain it would be too late. Looks like I was right. Anyway, I remember asking myself what my motivation was for doing this. And the pain was so intense that I couldn't come up with anything that was worth it. Anything I had thought of before seemed silly in that moment. I cried and looked at Brandon and told him, "I just can't think of a good reason for going through with this." At that point the pain took an even more intense turn and it was absolutely unbearable. I could. not. move. With every contraction I was absolutely immobilized in trying to deal with the pain. My poor sweet husband kept offering to help me into a more comfortable position, but even the tiniest of directions on what to move where seemed impossible to me during a contraction. Even the slightest touch from him added to the burden. And without being able to control it I screamed. Loudly. Very. Loudly. I knew in my head I sounded ridiculous, but I could not help it. At that point when I had enough of a break to be able to speak I told Brandon to call the nurse and ask for the epidural. Before she even made it to the room, and when in response to my screaming she came running assisted by at least two others who all started opening packs and pouring sterile water and bringing warm baby blankets, I knew the handwriting was on the wall. Brandon told her again that I wanted an epidural and I knew what her response would be. She checked me and of course, there wasn't time. As soon as she said that, I felt the baby pressing against me. The doctor ran in and a baby was born.

Now, I had always heard that an argument for not having an epidural was so that one could be in complete control of their body. Let me state that I felt absolutely no control. My body pushed that baby out on it's own. It was the first time I had ever experienced that. I have always been able to know when I needed to push before and felt able to do it. This time, I couldn't have NOT pushed. In fact the nurse kept shouting at me not to....there was not a darn thing I could do about it. Now maybe this had more to do with Emma's size being one of my biggest babies, but still; for me that was strike one against it all.

Strike two: Even though I have always been numb before and haven't felt the pain of giving birth, I have always been able to feel the pressure. I have felt the baby pass through my body,. That feeling is an absolute miracle. When all was said and done this time, Brandon told me that he felt like I missed it, and it made him sad. And you know what? He was right. The pain was too much of a distraction for me. Of course I knew that my baby was being born, but this time I was too focused on getting through it to really enjoy that moment the way I have in the past. Going along with that.....I've always had to laugh at myself, because I usually enjoy the experience so much that one of my first thoughts when everything is over is "I could do that again!" This time, I remember thinking, "I hope that man over there in the corner doesn't touch me for a very long time," and thinking that I didn't want to give birth again any time soon. That made me feel very sad. It was sad to me that it wasn't an experience that Brandon and I enjoyed together. I didn't feel connected to him, I didn't ask him to hold my hand, I didn't even think about him. I was just trying to endure. And I think that although he enjoyed being there and witnessing the birth of his child, he felt absolutely useless being unable to help me cope with the pain.

Another surprise for me.....birth without an epidural has always been portrayed to me as this empowering experience and one that when accomplished leaves you feeling immediately energized. It seems that people always talk about how much more quickly they felt like they've recovered. For me, I did not feel empowered. I felt broken. And even though I could move my legs, I did not get out of that bed any more quickly than times when I have had to wait until I wasn't numb. There was no way I could. I felt completely wiped out. Now, I'm sure that had a lot to do with the fact that I have had 5 children in about as many years. My body has been through lot; but I wasn't expecting that. My recovery was every bit as hard as when I've had an epidural. Getting up for the first time afterwards was no different for me than when I've had an epidural.

Strike four, (wait, aren't we already out?!) was that due to the increased sensitivity everything immediately following the birth was incredibly unpleasant. Even the smallest touch from the doctor had me flinching. Just pouring warm water over me felt awful. And the nurse kneading my uterus was enough to send me through the roof. That pain was almost as bad for me as giving birth. The epidural would have been worth it for me not to have felt all of that. I will even go so far as to say that the actual moment of birth....the part I worried the most about; not so bad, (don't get me wrong it hurt) but I remember feeling surprised that I thought that part was actually bearable. Pushing the baby out was a relief. I felt the pain described as the "ring of fire" and thought that wasn't so bad as I was expecting. But everything leading directly up to and following the birth was awful. Unbearable. Not worth it for me.

Now a month later, my memory has already dimmed the experience to the point that I don't feel quite so badly about it all; but immediately after the delivery the first words out of my mouth were "I don't see any good reason for doing that!" I felt rattled and shaken for hours afterwards. If I knew that an epidural wouldn't be an option for me, would that stop me from wanting to have another baby? Certainly not. Sweet little Emma was worth every second of it and more. But to make the experience the most enjoyable for me and for Brandon, (poor guy!) I won't choose it again.

I hope that while reading this you enjoyed the pictures of our newest bundle of joy. These pictures were of course taken by my friend and favorite photographer Melinda Smith. Pretty much anytime you see a great picture on this blog, it's hers. We love her work and are so glad she's been able to capture newborn photos of our girls for us.

And how is Baby Emma doing, you ask? Fabulously. She is starting to sleep completely through the night more often than not and is a wonderfully content baby during the day. We love her so much and are grateful for the extra love she's added to our home. It's so fun to see the bigger kids make way for another baby and to see how eager they are to love another member of the family.

Our "Fishing" Expedition

2011-08-05T08:13:00.006-06:00

As mentioned in the previous post, a family fishing trip was on the must-do list for Andrew's birthday bash. He's been asking to go fishing since.......March maybe? So we packed up and headed to Steinaker. This year the water is crazy high, and there wasn't a lot of beach. Add to that there were a ton of people there swimming, so "fishing" is a relative term. Yes the boys were casting and reeling, but there were no hooks involved. We just left the plugs on their poles. They never missed a beat. They thought it was great! Luckily we also brought swimsuits and lots of sand toys.

As I was looking through my pictures for this post, I realized that most of them are of Claire! For one, she's the one that played close to Mama on the beach and for two, she's in a really cute stage right now.

We had to try and keep a treat in her hand while she was playing in the sand.....

I think you can see why. Mmmmm....tasty, gritty mud.

She absolutely loves the water and it was so funny to watch her play. If she got too unsteady on her feet, she would just crawl through the water. And crawl, and crawl and crawl. I had to watch her closely because she would just keep right on going whether her head went under or not!

After the boys finally abandoned their poles, Claire thought she'd have a go at fishing.

Cute, cute,

CUTE!!!!

And....Brandon made me pose for a picture "to prove that I was there". I guess the fact that I take a million pictures isn't sufficient evidence.

Emma was a sweetheart, and was asleep from the moment we got there.

The mighty fishermen!

You might think that without bait and real fish this was a dud. Oh no. That didn't deter these boys for even a second. And it was kind of nice to just let them reel and cast to their hearts content and never have to worry about rebaiting a hook or anything.

Drew had a hard time deciding between fishing and swimming. The compromise was to head way out in the water to do his casting. That way he could dip in whenever he wanted.

This cute girl had a blast as well.

She spent most of her time swimming with her Dad.

The "big kids" even got a great game of catch going.

And a few hours later.....Emma was still like this. What a good girl!

We thoroughly enjoyed a nice relaxing day at the beach as a family.

Andrew is #1!!

2011-08-03T08:30:00.003-06:00

Although Andrew turned 4 this year, every time someone mentioned "4" he insisted that he is #1. I quite agree with you buddy. Our little Andrew is such a funny guy. I've decided that he took so long to talk to us because he was too busy inside his own imagination. He says the funniest things, and when he does give you a glimpse of what he's thinking about, it is well worth the wait.

Andrew is learning and growing so much these days. He has started the same reading lessons we did with Parker, and has had huge success. I'm so impressed with him, because we've started him at a younger age than we did Parker and he's really picking it up fast. He's also doing our kindergarten math and excelling with that as well. As I said, this kid has a great imagination, and he can just play and play for hours. Sometimes his big brother gets frustrated with him because he doesn't always need his company or want to play the same things. Andrew is the family tenderheart and is always sweet and nice to everyone, especially the babies. He is also easily provoked and hates to be teased...which unfortunately happens often.

We had a great time celebrating with Andrew this year. Lucky for him we got to drag it out over several days because Daddy had to work on the actual day of his birthday. So we had a nice breakfast, opened presents......

(Andrew has always LOVED "Lightming NaQueen")

and then Andrew got to help me make his birthday cake while Dad was at work. We enjoyed his all time favorite meal for lunch........skadeddi of course. Then for dinner we took it easy and had pizza, enjoyed our cake and each other's company.

Notice the 1 on his cake? I did get a 4 just in case but he wasn't having any of it so I let him be #1 and we just added 4 individual candles to the cake as well. Like Parker, I offered to make Andrew all sorts of cakes, but he stuck with what he knew he liked....the pirate ship cake we made last year.

The weekend before Andrew's birthday we also enjoyed a family movie night, and the weekend after we took everyone "fishing" per Andrew's request. The fishing extravaganza deserves it's own post.....so stay tuned. I've got so many cute pictures it's going to be hard to choose!

We sure love our Babycakes and are so glad that he is part of our family. Of course all of my children hold a special place in my heart.....but Andrew does for a very specific reason. I feel that Andrew was sent to us to teach us that Heavenly Father has a plan for us that may be very different from what we expected, but it is always infinitely better. He has taught us that love is always multiplied, not divided when shared. He has also taught us a lot about patience. Andrew has such a sweet presence about him, and I am so thankful each and every day that he is our boy!

Messy Skadeddi Baby

2011-08-01T08:04:00.003-06:00

Does your Walmart have the same display ours does? It's a giant cardboard container full of Nuby sippy cups near the baby section that has a picture of a baby eating spaghetti. My kids love it and they call it the "messy skadeddi baby". We have to make sure and walk by it every time we go. My kids laugh and laugh and say, "Silly skadeddi baby!"

Well, we have our own version at home. And in my opinion, ours is a thousand times cuter!

Claire Turns One

2011-08-01T07:37:00.004-06:00

Oh. My. Goodness. July flew by. Here it is August, and I'm just now going to try to catch up blogging about it all.

Our sweet Baby Claire turned one just two days after we brought Emma home. She up and turned into a big girl while I was gone. We knew before the baby was born that she could walk. But she wouldn't do it for more than three or four steps. When I came home from the hospital she walked across the living room to me, and she's been nonstop toddling ever since.

As you can tell by the pictures, this girl is the sunshine of our family. She is so stinking sweet and has the biggest smile. She loves any attention she gets from her siblings, and she and big sister Paige are really getting to be good playmates. She still doesn't say any words other than "mama" and "dada" and some baby babble, but after watching Drew, we're not really worried about that. I'm sure we'll turn around one of these days and she'll be talking our ears off. She certainly tries to a lot more lately. She is also Little Miss Independent. She does not like to be spoon fed anymore. More often than not, if she can't feed it to herself, she doesn't want it. So, I've let her to it learning to use a spoon. It makes for some messy meals, but let's be honest.....messy meals are about the only kind we do at our house.

Having just brought home a new baby, her birthday was certainly more laid back than the rest. Grandma and Poppy were here with us to celebrate, and we pretty much just played at home enjoying each others' company, had some cake and called it good.

She wasn't too big a fan of the candle. Whoops.

But I think the cake made up for it.

While we were in the hospital with Emma, it was so surreal to think how recently we were just there with Claire. We have just loved every minute of her first year. I don't know if we've mellowed out more with each baby, or if they really have gotten better. Little Claire Bear is so sweet, she's never had any problems sleeping, eating or anything. She has just been a joy. No other words can describe her and we're so grateful to have her in our family. Love you Claire!

Emma

2011-07-21T10:24:00.005-06:00

She's here!!

Emma Lee Morgan arrived Wednesday July 13, 2011 at 4:49 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long.

Things went smoothly and she is healthy and perfect in every way.

This is her post-bath picture so you can see her gorgeous hair. Yes, all of our babies have had hair like that at birth......Claire's just stopped growing for a while after that. ;)

Here she is ready to go home and meet her brothers and sisters! I have to say, bringing a new baby home to siblings is one of my favorite things ever. They were so excited to meet her. We kind of surprised them, because we had told them we probably wouldn't be home until Friday morning, (per the doctor's orders) but we got tired of sitting around in the hospital, everyone was doing great and I wanted to see all of my babies together. So we came home Thursday evening. As I walked to the door, I heard the kids notice us coming and Andrew yelled out, "It's Baby Emma!!" and then through the door he yelled to me, "Mom, did you turn into Baby Emma?!" I don't think he quite understood what had happened. ;)

When we brought her in, everyone rushed over and she was a hit! Her tiny toes were the most fascinating to all the kids.

Then it was time for snuggles. This big boy just LOVES his new sister. Can you tell? Even now a week later he likes to have a snuggle with her every morning. He takes his job as the biggest brother very seriously.

Claire was pretty hilarious. She got really excited, and a little upset all at the same time. It was like she knew that this tiny squirmy thing was something cool, but she couldn't figure out quite what. She kept waving her arms in the air and screaming until she calmed down a bit. Of course she wanted to grab her face and squish it at first, but over the last week she's learned (sort of) how to be soft.

Of course there's been a time or two when she's gotten jealous that I'm holding Emma and not her, but overall she's done really great. I've even caught her giving the baby kisses once or twice.

And this my friends is what it looks like to have 5 children. Five beautiful, precious spirits from Heaven that light up our world! We are so blessed to have them. Each one of them is so perfectly suited to our family in their own way. They add so much life to our home. And they love each other, which makes it all so much more worth it.

Baby Emma has continued our good baby streak, getting up only once at night, sleeping four hours at a time during the day and in general just being sweet. I can lay her on the couch in the midst of all of our commotion and confusion and she either sleeps through it or takes it all in. She really hasn't even fussed at all yet. I don't know how I lucked out to get that 5 times in a row, but I'll take it!!

Welcome home Baby Emma! We love you so much already!

Five

2011-07-17T10:34:00.007-06:00

Parker turned five this month and oh boy did we celebrate! I really wanted to make sure it was a special day for him because he's been looking forward to this birthday for so long. Five is a big deal, you know? I'm still having a hard time believing that he is so grown up. But it is so fun to watch him be such a big boy. He still loves to be a big helper, do chores and he's really loving to do his schoolwork as well. That's another of his favorite big boy things. And of course, anything involving tools, projects and Dad. He really loves helping Dad to mow the lawn and I keep telling Brandon that he's going to have himself worked out of a job here in a couple of years when Parker doesn't need his help to do it anymore. He also loves to help his brother and sisters.

So here's how we celebrated our big boy. Parker woke up to find his present - a brand new big boy bike and all of his favorite birthday decorations, (complete with the crown) ready and waiting for him. Then at his request we had a special birthday breakfast of crepes.

This is what Paige thought of it all.

(By the way, that bag of sunglasses from the party favor section at Wal-mart was probably the best two dollars ever spent. They kept them all entertained all day.)

After breakfast we headed over to the Wal-mart because the big boy had birthday money to burn. His choice? A new helmet and a HORN for the bike.

This is the part where I need to apologize to the neighbors for the horn. It's LOUD and pretty much honking constantly every time he rides. But it's oh so cute. He's wanted a horn for his bike for quite a long time and every time we'd go shopping we'd have to test them out. He was very serious about his choice. Did you know that super cool new helmet helps him to ride super fast? It must be the flames on it.

In the afternoon we headed to the splash park for some hot weather fun. I haven't posted any pictures of Claire recently and I want to show off what a big girl she is. She's walking now!! She is such a fun girl. So full of sunshine, she's always happy.

When we got to the splashpark, we had her walk under the rainbow while it was misting. She thought that was all well and good, but while she was standing under it the full blast started. Claire was NOT a fan of that and refused to walk back under any of the water toys for the rest of the time we were there.

So she sat with Mom and had snacks, or cuddled with Dad.

All of the other kids had a fabulous time and ran until they were too cold and just plain worn out.

After the splash park we hit happy hour at Sonic for some slushies, relaxed for a bit, had some dinner and then the CAKE! You know how we all feel about chocolate birthday cake around here.

Parker had a hard time deciding how he wanted his cake this year....I showed him all sorts of designs on the internet he could choose from, but he wasn't interested. For a while he thought he might like a dump truck again like last year, but he ended up settling on a "circle cake". I guess he's like his Dad and thought why mess with a good thing, huh? So the boys set to it and decorated the cake together. I think they did a pretty good job.

We had such a fun day celebrating our Parker P Doodle. He certainly does hold a special place in our family as the big brother and in my heart as my first baby. Love you Buddy!

4th of July Fun

2011-07-06T15:05:00.004-06:00

I'm bummed that I'm so horrible at taking pictures. If it weren't so blurry this would be a really awesome shot of Drew taking a superman into the pool on the 4th.

We had a great holiday. We had a patriotic breakfast of crepes with strawberries, (red) whipped cream, (white) and blueberries, (blue). Then we watched the parade, came home to play in the pool, napped and otherwise spent the afternoon lazily and then watched the fireworks that night. After these small town holidays, I honestly don't know if I could go back to the big city celebrations where you have to camp out for days to get a decent spot at the parade, or fight horrible traffic for the fireworks. We walk two blocks from our house half an hour before it starts to enjoy the parade, and we can watch the fireworks from our own front yard. Love it. Love it, love it. And yes, we did enjoy a BBQ. With veggie burgers. Brandon loves it. ;)

This year was the first year we let the kids stay up for the fireworks. Drew actually begged to go to bed about 15 minutes before they started. Poor kid was wore out from all the fun! Parker and Paige loved it though - after Paige pulled her face out from behind her blankie. Parker turned to me a few minutes into the fireworks and said, "Wow! This day is really working out for me!"

For Poppy

2011-06-28T19:58:00.006-06:00

We hope you had as much fun celebrating your birthday as we did!!!

My kids have been dying for July to come since, well, last July. That's when Parker, Drew and Claire's birthdays all are. That's one heck of a lot of fun to look forward to. Andrew has been asking me if we can eat cake for weeks. So when he asked the other day, I told him it would soon be Poppy's birthday and we could eat cake then. See, I knew from experience that he wouldn't mind sharing his birthday with some kids as cute as these. I recall a certain little girl convincing him once upon a time that since the new Tim McGraw cassette tape was coming out that day, (and some other country artist as well....can't remember now) that she should really be getting a birthday present that day as well. Would you believe it worked? Of course, now that I have kids of my own I can see how the charm is irresistible sometimes.

So celebrate we did! While we did have a great time today, you should know Poppy that we missed you OH SO MUCH!! I think I had the kids a bit confused celebrating without you and they were half convinced that they would see your truck driving up at any moment. That would have been the only way to top the day.

At the risk of ruining any surprises, I'm going to let you in on what we did. First we started by making you a present. Yeah, we're going to be late getting it to you but what else is new? I thought we'd be able to get these in the mail this afternoon, but as you can see......it involves paint. And I failed to realize that these kids would use enough paint that only heaven knows when they'll be dry enough to mail. Let's just say they were enthusiastic.

And again, ruining surprise here, (but don't tell Parker!) I had planned to put pictures of them in these frames, but they had a better idea! They loved painting so much they decided to also paint you a picture to put in the frame. I won't show the final product, but I will say that by this point they were having so much fun mixing colors together that when I asked Parker what his picture was, the best description he could think of was "a big fat allergy." If anyone's going to love it, I know you will Popster!

And then we had cake. What's a birthday without chocolate cake? Not much of one at this house. And we all know I don't need much of an excuse to have chocolate cake.

It was tasty.

Really tasty.

Love you tons Poppy! Hope you had a great day!

A Little "Potty" Humor

2011-06-27T19:58:00.006-06:00

In case anyone needs a good laugh....here are a couple of little funnies from our family to yours.

A couple weeks ago at a T-ball game I noticed that the catcher was doing that special little dance. So, at the risk of being that humiliating mom, I called out to him and asked if he needed to go potty, (cause let's face it, peeing your pants during a game can't be more humiliating than that). He did, and ran off the field to take care of business. Andrew decided he needed to go too, (of course) so I brought Paige, left Claire with some fellow Phillies moms and headed off for the restrooms. Sigh. Don't you ever wish that it were socially okay for little boys to use a tree at the park? Because of course the restrooms were as far away from the T-ball fields as they could be. (Really?! For the littlest kids?) When I realized this, I scooped up Paige and tugged on Andrew and told Parker to run as fast as he could so he wouldn't miss much of the game. It was a bit of a struggle getting us all there and I was annoyed. The boys beat my pregnant waddle by about 5 yards and headed on in to the boys restroom. I caught up just in time to see Andrew notice an older gentleman on his way out of the restroom wearing a cowboy hat. Andrew waved at him, looked up and said, "Hey cowboy! You goin' potty?!" To which the cowboy tipped his hat and replied, "Yes sir," with a friendly smile. That right there was enough to help me laugh away my frustration at the incident. ;)

My kids are beyond impressed with cowboys. Every time we see a man with a cowboy hat on they wave enthusiastically and turn to me with a not so discreet, "Mom! Is that a real cowboy?" The best was at Walmart; there was an older gentleman riding in a motorized cart wearing a cowboy hat. He of course had to be a real cowboy. I mean, he had a sort of horse, didn't he?! Lucky for us we crossed paths many times during that shopping trip and it kept my kids quite entertained.

Back to the potty theme......around our house, "peanut" is the term used to refer to the body part that makes little boys different from girls. Having 2 of each gender so close in age, these things aren't a mystery at our house, but occasionally you'll hear Paige trying to argue that she indeed does have a peanut. Well, apparently I've finally gotten through to her that she doesn't and that's okay. The other night when tucking her in bed, I whispered "good night peanut" (as peanut was not a body part, but a term of endearment growing up in my parent's house). Paige laughed her cute little evil maniac laugh and said to me, "Mom, I not a peanut, I a nakey bum!" Silly me.....silly me.

Moments Like These...

2011-06-23T22:15:00.007-06:00

I get that our family is a little unusual...and that we can be a shock to most people meeting us for the first time. But wow. I don't think that anyone really has any idea how often we hear things like, "My you've got your hands full!" or "Are they all yours?" or "You must be really patient," (with the glassy eyed look that really means that they think I'm nutso.....or soon to be driven so). There's also the diatribe most middle-aged women will give me about how I should enjoy it all now, because it goes by so fast.....and they're lonely now....but man! They're sure glad they only had 2. My personal favorite is the repeated startled look that comes when they first notice the two boys, with an exclamation of "Oh!" wondering how close in age they could possibly be; then their eyes find little miss Paige, who is small enough to be hardly noticeable at first, with another "Oh!" Then another "Oh!" when their eyes land on Claire sitting like a princess on her throne in the shopping cart seat, and then an exclamation of, "Oh my!" when they notice my pregnant belly and you can practically see the gears turning furiously in their heads as they work to calculate whether or not these 4, (soon to be 5) small children can possibly really be all mine. I kid you not, every time we leave the house we get at least one of these. Now, I know that these perfect strangers who find themselves at liberty to comment openly on my personal fertility choices are well-meaning. In fact, in some strange way, they're usually trying to pay me a compliment for my fortitude in the mothering arena. But that compliment always comes with that note of surprise that also denotes a certain amount of doubt or criticism. Maybe I'm far too sensitive....or reading too much into it all. Probably so. Forgive my little rant here, because it's just getting old. Maybe it's the end of pregnancy hormones? Because while I smile and nod and reply with some good-natured joke at my own expense, what I'd really love to do is shout out that these people don't know what they're missing out on!! Now really folks, I'm not saying that this is for everyone, or that I expect anyone else to do things my way or want what I have. Or that there aren't others out there who would do the same if they had the chance. But is it so hard to believe that I do this because I love it? Because the rewards completely blow the challenges out of the water? Because I live for moments like this:

Earlier this week the older kids were playing dress ups. And they felt it an urgent need for Claire to be included as well....so they begged for me to put some butterfly wings on her. And then they "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed over how cute she was and sat and hugged each other and begged to have their pictures taken together.

They couldn't get enough of how cute they all were together, and they kept wrapping their arms around each other for more pictures, (which by the way totally don't do the moment justice).

This seriously went on for about 20 minutes.....and ended with disappointment when I put the camera away.

And then there are the times when they're just watching a show....but find some cute way to cuddle up together, and then Parker starts telling me how much he loves to snuggle with Paige.

I've got to tell you....for all the times she has to cry a few extra moments because mama simply can't do it all at once, I think this little butterfly princess is one lucky girl. Because every time she takes a turn at walking down the hall holding on to mama's hands, she's got 3 extra cheerleaders behind me telling her she's such a big girl!

And every time she does a new trick she's got 3 extra people to exclaim with surprise at what a smart girl she is. 3 Extra people that love on her and smother her with kisses all day. Yes, she sometimes gets a little tough love.....and those 3 extra helpers do their share of bossing her around and taking toys away from her....but given her apparent desire to be in whatever room the big kids are playing in, I think it's safe to say she loves it all.

These moments are not rare. They happen multiple times a day in fact. But they're often so spontaneous, the camera couldn't capture it even if I had it constantly at hand. And it wouldn't do them justice anyway. They're the kind of moments you just soak up and enjoy and tuck away in the memory bank.

Moments like earlier today when Parker, Drew and Paige were racing to the sprinkler on the lawn and I hear Parker shout out, "Parker and Andrew are the winners! And Paige is too!" when he clearly beat them both by several strides.

Moments like last night when after tucking Andrew and Paige in bed I hear repeated whisperings of, "I love you Andoo" and "I love you too Paige."

I can't help but get the feeling that even though each of my children get slightly less of me due to the fact that they have each other.....that having all that extra love and support more than makes up for it. That all the ways they have to share and stretch and learn and grow and do without will serve them well throughout their lives and that through it all they'll have each other for support and love. And that that is something so worth it.

With the due date for number 5 rapidly approaching....this is the most prevalent thought on my mind. I'll admit, this due date has come at me fast. And I'm not feeling quite ready. But it's not because of any feelings of apprehension or concern for the added chaos one more will bring to our family. Truly. Any time such a thought has been brought to my mind it is quickly swept away by the feelings above. I have had such an overwhelming feeling lately that what we are doing is so right for our family for all of the reasons previously named. I've felt so many moments of peace lately pointing out the fact that this is what Heavenly Father wants for our family. No, the feeling of not being ready honestly comes from the fact that I can't believe how fast all of these special times go by. How even though I've been pregnant so often each time has been distinct and special. They don't just run together into one long pregnancy fog. And even though I marvel at every new stage and love the little people my babies are turning into, I feel the bittersweetness that comes with seeing how quickly it's all gone by. The not feeling quite ready comes from knowing that in just 3 short weeks, this new little baby will be here in my arms...not kicking my belly. And a few short weeks from that won't have that brand-new newborn look anymore. And a quick year from that she'll be walking and talking and trying to keep up with the bigger kids. I know I'll love it all....but I'm just soaking it all up while I can. Because I know that as much fun as every stage will be, this one will be over before I know it.

"T" is for T-Ball

2011-05-23T22:12:00.004-06:00

Because I'm totally that kind of mom, I'm going to subject you all to a post of poor quality photos, (I think one even has my thumb in it) to show off the awesomeness of my son. ;) Without further adieu, the T-Ball star:

These pics are from his first practice. I haven't had a chance to get any better ones from a game because we've had two rained out already, and lets face it, I'm busy wrangling the other three during the games. But oh boy, do I cheer when this little guy is up to bat. Who knew I would learn to love sitting through a baseball game? And really, if I could go back in time and tell my younger self that any sort of talent in the sports arena would be beneficial to me as a mom....I'd have tried a heck of a lot harder back in the day.

So here's my little man fielding a grounder......(uh, if I said that wrong, I'll have Brandon correct me later).

Getting some batting tips from his awesome coach. Yes, I'll admit, I have a thing for the coach. ;)

And running the bases.

No, I could not be any prouder.

Good Times....Noodle Salad

2011-05-23T21:41:00.005-06:00

Okay, no noodle salad. But here's some cute pics from recent good times.
A while back...gee I'm not even sure when, my folks came out for a spring visit. Grandma brought all the kids a kite and it was a hit. By the way....big tip for kite flying success: spring the extra two bucks for the triangle shaped kite at Wal-mart. Every year to have some cheap fun I buy the $1 diamond kites. They stink. They're tempermental, and we always end up with some stuck in our neighbor's trees. But I never wanted to spend any more. $1 was good for an afternoon's worth of fun. But boy, oh boy....the next step up was a huge improvement. On barely any wind these babies were soaring peacefully. Who knew? So here's some pics of my kite-flying boys. Complete with cool shades.

Poor Drewbs had to borrow Mama's shades. Not quite as cool looking as Poppy's were on Parker. Or are they? ;)

The next round of photos was from a trip out to Grandpa and Grandma Morgans. They spoiled me for my birthday and gave Brandon and I a night alone in park city while they watched the kids. The next day we all went to the Hill Air Force Museum. Gotta love that place. Lots of cool stuff to see, do, and even better, it's free.

Kidlette Update

2011-05-15T21:34:00.004-06:00

I know the blog is way overdue for an update on the kids, and what better way to post one than with some recent photos taken by my favorite photographer?

I can't tell you how many times recently Brandon and I have commented on how lucky we are to have each and every one of them. Yes, it's crazy, yes, it's tiring.....but we get oh so much more in return. The love is exponential. I honestly feel that I love Parker more, because I also love Andrew, Paige and Claire. I love them more for their differences and special little quirks. For their strengths. For the unique things that they bring to our family.

And they absolutely love each other as well. I am so grateful for them that they have each other. What a great support they will be for each other as they grow. They really are the best little friends. It's so fun to watch Parker take Paige by the hand and lead her around the backyard while they dig up treasure or to hear the little jokes they all tell each other....or watch them have a random group hug while watching a movie together. Those moments are priceless. Yes, we also have plenty of moments where Parker insists that he won't sit next to Andrew at breakfast, or Paige steals Andrew's underwear while he's in the bathroom and then makes him chase her naked around the living for them......(can you tell he's the one that always rises to the occasion?) or Claire gets an unwarranted bonk on the head, but hey....no one's happy all the time, right?

My little big man......oh he gives me growing pains. You know, that little motherly ache you get when you're caught between being so dang proud and happy for them....but sad for how fast it's all going by. Sometimes I say that I think when the time comes it will be harder to watch Andrew leave the house than Parker.....only because I feel Parker has been preparing me for it since day 1. Andrew is content to be my baby. :) Parker is constantly pushing the limits, reaching for more.

He is absolutely excelling with his school work. He can tell you what a compound word is and how many syllables it has. He can even read the word syllable. His comprehension is through the roof. He's learning so much and loving it. He gets excited for school time, and is learning to feel lucky that he gets to stay home with mom for that. ;) Hopefully he'll continue to appreciate what we're doing for him on that front.

He's also playing t-ball now which is a fun new stage of our family adventure together. Of course, Dad is the coach. And the rest of us make for quite the cheering section.

He still loves to mow the lawn, pull weeds and do any work that anyone else is involved in. In fact he gets angry if you try to do something without him. And when he's having a great time helping out, he'll say things like, "Mom, I just can't stop working. I'm having so much fun. And I just can't stop loving you!" He's also getting more capable in the work department which is nice. It was crazy to see though, that where last year, he had to reach as high as he could to hold on to the lower bar of the mower with Dad while they pushed, this year his head is a good six inches above it.

He loves primary, and soaks up scripture stories. He also loves being able to play with friends and talks often about his cousins, whom he idolizes, but doesn't get to see as much as he'd like.

A fun side note.....Parker's been telling us lately that he wants to learn to play the guitar, (like Daddy of course) and the flute. I'm hoping he'll settle for a recorder in the short term. ;)

This little guy has become a whole new boy over the last year. He's really come out of his shell and let us into his world by talking like crazy all of a sudden; usually grabbing my face to make sure he's got my attention. What an imagination he has! It's one of my favorite things about him. He can drive one little car around forever, and boy oh boy...the things he'll say. That car isn't going for just any old ride. He also has an incredible amount of perseverance. He is not one to give up if something doesn't come easily. Andrew will stick to a task with concentration I have yet to see any of our other kids display. The flip side of this is that he can also be very stubborn. ;)

Andrew is also enjoying school time, (although what we do with him is much less formal at this stage) and comes running when he sees me pull out the pattern cubes for math, or food coloring for a science project. He also loves to help cook. He's still in the three year old stage of only wanting to eat whatever sounds good......which is always spaghetti. He even asks for it at breakfast sometimes......oh, and he'll also ask for "Pizza or cookies or ice cream please." He's not loving our new dietary changes.

Andrew is still a snuggle bug, and is our most tenderhearted kid. As such he's great with the babies.....he's always wanting to help feed Claire, or get her a blanket or give her a kiss. He also still believes in the magic of the mama kiss and will not settle for less when he has an ouch, (although he's learning to "shake it off" as well.....literally and it's hilarious). Seriously, if I kiss just inches away from the right spot....no good. Try again mom.

Andrew is on the brink of big-boyhood. He gets himself dressed, always with a "duh, ta da duh da da duh!" and a flourish at the end to show me what a good job he's done. He also is always aware when there's something serious and manly going on and isn't going to be left out anymore! He's dying to play t-ball......a bit disappointed that he's not on the team, but grateful when coach lets him join for a few minutes of hitting practice after a game. And by the way, the boy's got skills. I think he's going to be great when he's really old enough to play with the big boys, probably largely due to his great concentration. He's not interested in playing with the other little kids at the ballpark. No sir, he's intent on the game the whole time.

This girl is still the family firecracker. Ho-ly cow. She has this crazy talent of knowing just what exactly will endear her to anyone. She can weasel her way into the most hard-hearted of hearts. I've said it before, but she constantly proves that big things come in small packages. Maybe part of her charm is that you just don't expect such big things from such a tiny person. She HAS to keep up with whatever her brothers are doing. She cries if Daddy takes them anywhere without her. She loves them. She bosses them around and teases with them, but she also copies everything they do. She's learned to count, (among other things) just by listening to her brothers. She also refuses to be carried anywhere anymore. She won't even ride in the shopping cart. And heaven forbid you try to hold her hand and guide her. Unless of course you're another kid. Then she loves it.

She's an excellent big sister, and is always so happy to see her "Cwaire Bear", (misspelled on purpose to show she doesn't quite have the L sound down yet). She gets a bit bossy when she's helping to feed a bottle or get a toy, but she's just happy to be showing somebody the ropes.

Paige LOVES to sing. She's usually at least humming something as she flounces around the house. She knows an incredible amount of primary songs, and is not too big yet to dance with Mama, even in public.

She is also going to be an excellent mama someday. Besides loving her siblings, she's a great helper for mom, always wanting to do whatever it is I'm doing. Emptying the dishwasher, folding clothes, (or unfolding as the case may be). She also can't stand a mess. This she gets from her Dad. Recently she gave me the business for giving Claire a cracker on the carpet in a stressful moment when I just needed some peace. Paige followed me around saying, "Mama....it's messy!" until it was over and cleaned up. I've also been told she once bossed the nursery kids around at church trying to get them to clean up their toys before playtime was over.

Our Claire Bear. Most often referred to as Bear Bear or some variation often involving rhyming words like "derriere". Seriously the sweetest baby. Ever. Really; I mean she never ever cries, unless she has a really good reason....like she's been whacked, or her bow has been pulled down over her eyes, or mom forgot to feed her on time, or she's sitting in poop, or she has a tooth coming in. Really, never fussy though. She cries to let you know she needs something; once it's taken care of she's all smiles again. She does however save the best smiles for Dad. And even though we know she can make the sounds for both "mama" and "dada"....she only ever gives the "dada". She also saves her biggest laughs for big brother Parker. Her other favorite noise to make is kind of a trill...it used to come from the back of her throat, but now is made with the tongue and sounds just like a dolphin. So we also call her "Flipper".

She loves to watch the action that is constantly going on around her, and now that she's quite mobile, she's got to be getting in on it as well. Wherever the kids are playing, she wants to be. She stands and walks up and down the couch.....never letting go yet. She's a bit shy of having anything near her face, and has ONLY bestowed kisses purposefully on her Daddy. Even a spoonful of food, (she eats SO well) is taken as she turns her face away. We're thinking that's a protective mechanism developed from taking a little rough love from the older kids.

I know I don't update enough and they're growing and changing so fast. I'm just hanging on trying to soak up every moment and enjoy the ride. Because I know someday.......all too soon, I'm going to miss this crazy, busy, messy, wonderful life that we have all together.

Stay tuned for more soon....hopefully! I've got some fun pictures to show what we've been up to lately.....also, I know I usually use the code-names for my kids on the blog....but really, I know that my blog audience is very small....and it felt so impersonal to update with the code names this time. I may give it up.......we'll see.

What a Girl!!

2011-04-21T20:14:00.007-06:00

Today we celebrated Princess P's birthday. My husband thinks I get a little too excited about birthdays. He's good with a cake and a song and wonders at my anticipation and need to do something a little extra special. Like when I decided last night at 8:30 that we just had to have a birthday banner, went out to buy supplies and then stayed up until 12:30 making it just right. But to me it's not just a party. It's the anniversary of the birth-day of my children. A day that is not just special, but sacred to me. Forgetful as I am, I remember in detail the days that each of my children were born. The incredible feeling of giving birth to them. I am so grateful to have been able to experience that miracle 4, soon to be 5 times. Humbled, overwhelmed, doesn't begin to describe it. And even though I've been lucky enough to have very uncomplicated deliveries each time, I can't help but think that anything more would still be so very worth it. I love remembering all the significant little moments, special to each of them from those days. With Princess, I remember things like:

The overwhelming feeling immediately after she was born that it felt so right to have her in our family. (You see, most people weren't expecting us to have our third baby before the oldest turned three.)
The way those sleepy little newborn eyes flew open and she turned to find her Daddy clear across the room when she heard his voice for the first time. There's nothing quite like having a Daddy's girl. That day; that very moment two years ago, a piece of his heart was stolen by her, and I am ever so glad.
The way that even in her tiny 5 pound 13 ounce body her personality radiated to fill the whole room. It's exceeded the limits of her physical body ever since. I've always felt such a presence from her. You can almost see it when she flounces around, arms flying, hair bouncing. Sometimes I get the feeling that if that girl had any more personality, she just might explode.
That feeling of having my first little girl. Don't get me wrong......I LOVE MY BOYS. They are every bit as special....but there is just something different about having a sweet little girl; I still remember when Brandon came back that night to check on us, after having been to some meetings and thrilling when I heard him say, "I came to check on my girls." I've loved watching her copycat the things I do, from the dishes to the laundry. I love knowing that I'm passing on something important; teaching her to value being a woman, a wife and a mother. And I've loved the feeling of having a little friend in her....my little gal pal to do the girly things with.

Needless to say, we all love our Princess. Even P Doodle commented today that we would be so sad if we didn't have her. Now, if you've managed to hang on with me after all the sap.....here's how we celebrated her big day.......

It started with our typical breakfast "moovies" and a not-so typical birthday muffin ala the grocery store. Bummer, my oven was broken. So forgive me veggie-lovin' friends, but when you're going store-bought you might as well go whole hog and get the chocolate-chocolate chip muffins, right? At least Princess had the sense to go with the somewhat more reasonable blueberry muffin. She loved having a candle to blow out on it, and we even let the boys do the same on their own.

By the way, in case you're wondering, the birthday banner was a huge success. My late night was totally worth it to hear her pointing it out to her Daddy, "Ees mah burtday!" I'll have to get a picture of it later when we take it down, (I spent long enough on it, it's staying up all weekend dang it!) it's hanging in the kitchen window and wouldn't show up well in a picture.

While Princess napped, the boys and I worked on our somewhat recent tradition of birthday crowns. Of course I couldn't refuse them one as well. I want it to be a fun day for them too!

And the cake.....of course, chocolate sour cream. And thank heavens for good neighbors willing to share their ovens!

This is for the grandparents to record.....after they get their jaws off the floor. Yup....the first baby in our family to be given any birthday cake before the actual first birthday. She knew it was her lucky day!

My Spring Chickadees

2011-04-10T21:30:00.005-06:00

We had a few minutes this morning.....waiting for Dad to come home from his meetings and pick us up for church. So I decided to take my little chicks outside for a picture. I'm no pro, but gosh these kids are cute!!!

Growing Up is Hard to Do

2011-04-10T21:22:00.004-06:00

Those of you who know the Princess, know that she has a bit of a finger sucking problem. Middle two on the right side. We got to thinking lately that maybe it was about time we help her stop, (really she does it ALL THE TIME). We thought maybe if she couldn't access the fingers for a couple of days she'd be over it. Boy were we wrong. This picture shows what she thought about the whole ordeal.......

She did cheer up enough to show it off when the boys were having so much fun saying cheese though. :)

But, do you see why I think it's not working??? Apparently when the preferred fingers aren't available, anything will do.

Since it's my blog....I'm just going to say she gets her stubborn streak from her Dad. ;)

FHE Success

2011-04-05T18:24:00.007-06:00

We had a wildly successful Family Home Evening Monday night; thanks are largely due to my man. Sometimes it takes him pointing out to me that my boys will pay more attention if swords are involved.

We started out the night watching this movie clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdPxYSsjbOI&feature=player_embedded
After that we discussed the "Armor of God"; what each piece of armor stood for and how we can symbolically put it on each day. We also discussed why it is so important to be spiritually prepared to avoid life's temptations.

Then came the big hit. We let the kids take turns dressing up in the "Armor of God"; as each piece was put on we asked them, (or prompted as the case may be) for something they could do to spiritually prepare themselves each day.

Then Dad threw the "fiery darts of the adversary at them", shouting out things they might be tempted to do.

As you can see, they withstood temptation!

Afterwards we gave the kids this handout to color, cut and paste.

Seriously, so much fun. In fact, maybe a little too fun, because we had some serious tears when it was time to put the armor away.

Winner Winner Chicken-LESS Dinner

2011-04-05T18:23:00.012-06:00

You should know that I gave myself a good chuckle over the title of this post. :) I don't have any pictures to go along with this, but we finally found a good vegetable noodle stir-fry sauce (er-thingy) that we like!! This will probably become a regular menu item at our house; Honeybear likes him some good asian noodles, and is more happy about going meat-less when I can give him some comfort food like this. Heck, we all know he puts up with a lot so I'm happy to oblige.

For the sauce:
3/4 c. water
1 T chicken bouillon powder
1 T sugar
2 T white wine vinegar (the original recipe called for Sherry, but obviously I don't have a bottle of that lying around.)
1 T oyster sauce (this stuff made ALL the difference)
1/2 t salt
1 t cornstarch

Mix all together in a saucepot and heat until thickened. Pour over your favorite stir fry. We had ours with green onions, carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms and peas. Also chinese egg noodles. You know, the lo mein sort. I have yet to find them in Vernal, but I did find some at Sunflower Market last time I was out visiting the folks. I tried rice noodles once before, but Honeybear called that a no-go. ;) Anyway, the sky is the limit. Also, you won't need every bit of sauce, as it is rather concentrated. But according to the site where I found this, it will keep in the fridge for about 4 weeks.

My New Love

2011-04-05T18:23:00.011-06:00

This is it! The blender I've been waiting for all my life. But it is oh, so much more than a blender. This baby is going to revolutionize our lifestyle. Already has. Check out that green smoothie! Mostly romaine. And my kids gobbled it up. I had to make it twice. Parker told me he liked it because it tasted "fresh". So we do this twice a day. Not this exact smoothie of course; for breakfast it's usually a fruity concoction with lots of added spinach, (even did broccoli one day!) flax and spirulina. Then for lunch we go a little more heavy on the veggies. I'm determined that not only should we cut out the bad for you things, but add in as much of the good as we possibly can. If that means drinking our veggies, by gosh we're going to do it!

I will say, I feel better already. I've had more energy. I finally know what it feels like to really be full. I don't feel snacky all the time, and when I do eat something unhealthy, oh baby do I notice it. And pay for it.

The other great thing....I can make my own baby food in this bad boy. Last week in our Bountiful Basket we got two bunches of asparagus. Then this week we got another three. Now, I like asparagus pretty well, but I knew there was no way I was going to get my family to eat it 5 times in two weeks. So I steamed a bunch of it up, tossed it in this bad boy, and viola! Baby food! Seriously, I am one happy mama. You would be too if you could see Princess P's smoothie stache every morning, and hear your kids get excited over drinking up some veggie goodness.

For anyone who's interested, here's the recipe for this green delight courtesy of my Vitamix cookbook:

Sweet Lettuce Smoothie:
1 c green grapes
1 c romaine lettuce
1/2 medium apple, halved
1 c ice cubes

Put ingredients in the blender in the order listed, blend and enjoy!

Oh, in case you're still reading about my love affair with small kitchen appliances, one more thing..... I can also make soup in this. Like start to finish, 5 minutes and we're done. Toss everything in, turn it on and leave it going for 5 minutes, and it's hot and ready to serve. My life has been so much easier since we got this. Thanks to my honeybear for spoiling me, and for being willing to go along with my unusual dietary habits. He's such a good sport. Love you babe!

Tiebreaker

2011-02-28T19:01:00.003-07:00

The news is officially in!!

To be honest.....we were surprised. There was so much boy talk going around, we kind of just thought it would be so. Of course we're thrilled. Although Parker did say, "Mom! You tricked me! And I already have 5 sisters!" We had picked out a boys name and were calling the baby by it. And apparently he thought that exaggerating the circumstances made his point better. ;)

Anyway, all I could do was laugh. We are so thrilled....and now we're on the name hunt since we hadn't really considered girls' names yet. We'll keep you posted.

Here's a few more pics of our sweet baby girl. Ah......that just sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

They had a hard time getting shots of her face straight on because her hand was in the way. Gee.....wonder if she's going to be a thumb or finger sucker like her sisters?

So the lucky winners of the poll are my sister and Jen! The only two who voted girl. ;) You'll have to settle with the satisfaction of being smarty pantses, cause I don't have a prize....but you know I love you.

My Dear Friend

2011-02-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend, one of my bestest friends in the world had a birthday. Since I can't be there to celebrate with her, I wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU.

You see, I really only have two friends that fit the bill for BFF. They come from two different times in my life, but both are the kind that will always be there for me no matter what. My dear friend Ash is the "known you forever friend". The one that knows way too much about me already. We met on our very first awkward day of Junior High School. You know you have a true friend when they can stick with you through that stage. She's been there for all of the embarrassments, like the time we were at EFY together and I tried to impress a really cute boy by leapfrogging over a pole - which ended up with me being horribly bruised in a place no best friend should have to see. She's been there for all of the silly times, including the time my dog fell down my overalls. She was the first friend I went to pick up when I got my first car. She's the first friend I told about my first kiss and all of my silly little crushes. She's the friend I called after I first met Brandon to tell her, "Yeah, he's really cute, but he's kind of a punk." She was the one friend that I really cared about having at my wedding. She knows all about my kids and is almost as proud of their accomplishments as I am. She's the kind of friend who loves to talk about every minute detail of the days they were born. And the entire nine months leading up to it. She's the friend who called me her Samwise Gamgee and it totally fits the bill because I'm the chubby one who can't swim. ;)

She's one of the few friends who knows how I really feel about most things. And isn't offended, freaked out or put off by it. I can talk and talk forever and know that even if she doesn't particularly care about what I'm saying, she cares. About me. Enough to be interested anyway. Enough not to remind me that I've interrupted her for the 500th time to talk about myself. And she's one of the few that I do that to because it is so nice to have someone know so much about you, and love you anyway. It's comforting to really be yourself around someone else and not feel like you're making them uncomfortable.

It was always so fun to get together because we never had to do anything. Most of the time it was a bowl of cookie dough, two spoons and us laughing our heads off over something really ridiculous like The Angry Beavers, or Good Burger. Or singing at the top of our lungs to Hercules. Now you really know she's a besty cause I don't sing!

Pretty much since high school graduation, (and maybe even before, because I went through a really awkward "I hate high school" anti-social phase my senior year) we haven't been able to spend much time together. But she's still there. We make do with emails, and once in a blessed while a phone chat. It would have been easy to lose contact and move on with life. But she's the kind of friend that you plan to live next door to someday - who doesn't forget it. She has always been there.

Who knows where life will take us from here. Maybe someday we will have a chance to do real life best friend things together again. Play dates with the kids, girls night out, or a double date with our husbands. But even if we never do again, I know that she will always be there. She will always care. It wasn't just chance that we were asked to pose for an incredibly dorky yearbook photo together that first day of Junior High so long ago. She was put in my life for a reason and I am grateful that she's done her job so well. I have learned so much from her and hope to be more like her someday.

My Love Bugs

2011-02-17T20:34:00.004-07:00

You will all have to pardon my horrible picture taking skills. But I thought you might like to see my valentines. Aren't matching jammies so fun? The boys say "Super Love Bug" and the girls just say "Love". They have had so much fun with these, I think we might have to make this a Morgan Family tradition.

My #1 valentine and I celebrated simply and quietly. I had all sorts of plans in my head for this year, but unfortunately the only one that happened was a Valentine's "kickoff" breakfast the week before, (because who wants to get valentine jammies the day of....better to enjoy them longer, I say!) involving pink crepes and raspberries with pink whipped cream. Oh wait, the kids and I did also make some rice krispy treats with valentine candy in them. But no valentines made to mail or anything. Sorry grandparents. We got sick. And life fell apart from there.

Anyway, as I was saying, my love and I spent the evening as we spend most. Cuddled up on the couch watching netflix after we put the love bugs to bed. We did add a special treat of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream into the mix. And you know what? It was perfect. While I enjoy flowers, chocolates and fancy dates as much as the next girl, it was comforting to see that "same old, same old" feels so good. And to know that I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. All that mattered was us. Now that's love.

Winter Fun

2011-02-13T12:16:00.006-07:00

Most of the time around here, it is too stinking cold to be outside. But you've got to find something to do when that snow just WON'T GO AWAY! Lucky for us we have a super fun Dad, always ready for some impromptu fun. Back before we dropped to single digit temps, Dad found us a great sledding hill right out front. See, there is something good about those piles of snow left behind from the snowplow.

You can bet that Princess wasn't going to be left behind. I wasn't going to take her out, but she just sat at the window crying to go out. I totally thought I'd spend 15 minutes getting her ready to go, and she'd be back in in five. Not her! She loved every minute of it. And P Doodle was good to help her hold on. Of course there are some perks to being the oldest; when you're the only one big enough to help the others, you get to go every turn.

Rock the Vote

2011-02-03T11:07:00.004-07:00

In baby updates, I got to hear #5's heartbeat for the first time today!!! I can't even begin to express how awesome that is every single time. At every single visit, with every single pregnancy. It never gets old. Also, the doc gave us the a-okay to have an ultrasound in two weeks. So that begs the question.....is it a boy or a girl?! Of course we're going to find out....we can't stand surprise. We don't even wait for Christmas to open presents. ;)

So, just for fun here, let's see if you readers can guess what our baby is going to be? Now, you know that so far we're all tied up. Do the boys win or the girls?

Rest assured, we know that we're ALL winners here. P Doodle told me this morning, "Mom our house is big enough for ALL the babies!" Insert chuckle here if you've ever seen our house, but I have to agree.....we will always make room for babies. We are all so darn excited for this baby to come, and know that a healthy happy family is what's most important. But this is fun too. So head on over to the sidebar and let's see who's right! Two weeks to go.

A Child's Prayer

2011-01-19T09:48:00.002-07:00

I've been wanting to write down some of the cute things the kids say to try and remember them for later. It's all going by too fast, and there's a lot I've already forgotten. One of my favorites is always the prayers. Babycakes has an especially cute way of praying that even though he probably could say clearer, he just doesn't yet. And I'm okay with that. No need to rush this stage in my opinion.

Babycakes always starts out, "Heddy Fadder.....fanksa for dis day.....eeeee beckings." Which translates to "Heavenly Father, thankful for this day and our blessings." He used to always stop at this point and wait to be prompted further, but lately he'll continue on his own with something like, "fanksa for the Christmas spirit" and "please bless we can put up a tree." He's ticked at me for taking that down. He absolutely loved Christmas and would walk around shouting out to everyone, "Do you have the Christmas spirit?!" I wish you could hear it. The tone he used was half of the cuteness.

Babycakes is really starting to grow up. He's all of a sudden interested in helping out, with everything from making breakfast to picking up trash; a strange obsession that started when I made the boys throw away some broken toys. For some reason they got a kick out of doing it and are always asking me if they can carry around trash bags now. He's also for the first time loving to play in the snow with P Doodle for more than a few minutes at a time. I do think that the small sledding hill Daddy showed them in the front yard was a big help in that. ;)

Babycakes has started reading lessons now as well as Parker. We're just in the first stages, but he's excited to be doing big boy things like his brother and is picking it up well. It's really helped him to want to talk more too. It's funny how different the kids' personalities can be. He is so content to be quiet, and although we know he can talk, Princess P actually does talk more than him. Babycakes is still in the stubborn stage of refusing to eat often. What is it about three? I have yet to have a three year old that would consistently eat dinner. Funny little snuggly boy!

We've Got Mail

2011-01-19T08:45:00.003-07:00

P Doodle's schoolbooks have started to arrive in the mail, a few at a time. He is absolutely loving it! Of course, who doesn't love getting a package in the mail, right? We set aside a special shelf that's just for his schoolbooks, so he knows where they are and can get them as he wishes. He's getting to be such a big boy.

I have to say, I'm especially impressed with his Pathway Readers. They're great for any beginning reader, homeschooled or not. If you've been having trouble finding a "See Jane run" sort of book for your kid to read independently, look no further. I actually think that Parker is reading at a level above the first one, but it's still great. It's building his confidence that he can read other things beyond 100 Easy Lessons. He has yet to be comfortable reading in any public situation, and even reading for his grandparents has been a bit intimidating to him.

The Pathway Readers were developed for Amish parochial schools; therefore the content is sure to be nothing offensive or crazy - heck some of the stories even have a moral! Has anyone else noticed how many children's books are just crap these days? Like even if there's nothing that makes you raise your eyebrows, there's just nothing to them? So far, each chapter has a parent story to read, (other than that the print is quite a bit smaller, P Doodle could actually probably read these himself) then a story for the child to read independently. Each chapter can stand alone, but they build on each other for an overall cohesive story. We also got the accompanying workbooks that have about two pages per chapter of exercises to encourage comprehension and understanding. They're nothing flashy, but they are sturdy and a great value for what you get. The readers alone would be great for practice, or with the workbooks between school years even to keep reading skills sharp.

If you've even bothered to read the post this far, you can roll your eyes at me for this part...but I have to brag about P Doodle's reading. Check out what he read to me yesterday from one of the last of the 100 Easy Lessons:

A beagle is a dog. It has big ears. And it likes to hunt, hunt, hunt. The beagle in this story liked to hunt more than other beagles. This beagle was Biff. Every day Biff went out hunting.

And that was just part of the first of three paragraphs. I know, I know, I'm gushing with parental pride. I just can't help it. He's four! And he is just dying to learn more. He loves being able to ride in the car and read signs along the road as we pass. I think it really bothered him to know that all those letters mean something, and he just didn't know what.

Besides being the smartest kid around, P Doodle is dying for spring to come! We have new toys at our park and he's eager to try them out. He knows it's going to be a long time before the snow melts, (or the temperature rises above freezing) and he hates it. He's also been talking to Daddy about playing baseball and going fishing. Another "to-do" on our list this summer is to take the boys to the racetrack. We may live in a tiny little hick town with not much to do; but hey, you can't watch stock-car racing just anywhere can you? Jealous?

In other P Doodle updates, he's also learned how to, (sort of) cartwheel. Apparently he learned it from one of his cute little friends in primary. Her mom was embarrassed to find out that she'd been cartwheeling in her dress at church, but I thought it was absolutely hilarious! Hey, if that's the worst your kid does in public, I think it's okay. ;)

P Doodle also is loving being the big brother. He is so sweet, especially to his sisters. He and the Princess seem to have a special bond and can usually be found making mischief together. He also loves to help Claire by giving her a bottle or snuggle her on the couch. As much as he loves his sisters though, he's hoping that Baby #5 is another brother. There's just something about brothers, isn't there? He and Babycakes have really started to have a lot of fun together now that Babycakes is coming out of his shell a bit and communicating more with us. The only problem with being the big brother is that he thinks that means he's the boss as well. Something we need to work on. But we all love our P Doodle boy!

2010 Book Review

2011-01-13T20:30:00.003-07:00

A new year means time for a new booklist! I didn't get to read quite as much as I'd hoped in 2010, but hey....it's not easy to find time for that with 4 kids. And by the time they're in bed, I'm so pooped I'm not always up for it. To be honest, I didn't even keep up with my online bookclub, but I did start a real live one with friends in my area! I much prefer live interaction. Hello... are you really out there? But, anyway, here's a rundown of what I did manage to read; each title will be accompanied by a rating out of 5 stars. Keep in mind, the really terrible ones never even manage to make the list. I'm not one to waste my time on something I consider - well, for lack of a nicer term - worthless. Without further adieu.....the 2010 list:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-***** An absolutely delightful read. Finally something that proves that not everything written in the last 50 or so years is trashy; and that a dark time in history can be addressed without being graphic or "shocking". Do you think me prudish? That's okay. I can handle it. I have to admit, I am a sucker for historical fiction, WWII times especially.
Three Cups of Tea-*** I really, really did want to give this book 5 stars. Truly a great, moving true story about a man who has worked to build schools in remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Awesome subject, horrible writing. I hate to say it, but there it is. The "voice" of the story was confusing. Sometimes it was 1st person, sometimes 3rd, sometimes it felt like a brief newsclipping. It was disjointed and really took away from the subject matter. I would love for better author to get their hands on this story and do it justice.
Book of a Thousand Days-*** Intended for juvenile audience; a fairytale type of story. It was good brain candy, but to be honest, just didn't really light my fire. To be fair, juvenile fiction has never been my favorite. Certainly not a bad read, but I wouldn't put it on a "must read" list.
The Second Comforter:Conversing with the Lord through the veil-*****WOW. Enlightening. I had to take breaks in between chapters to digest what I was reading, but I loved this book. Will read it again I'm sure.
A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family-***** Great practical advice on how to handle a large family efficiently. Honestly the suggestions could be applied to a family of any size, so don't think you have to be aiming for anything out of the ordinary! I follow a blog written by the author of this book, which was what got me interested in the first place. She is raising a large family by today's standards and homeschools her children. See my interest? To get a taste of what she's about, check her out here.
The Backyard Homestead-**** I quickly found that this wasn't a read cover to cover sort of book, but more of a manual on all things "homestead" from growing your own food to canning it, etc. Some of it wasn't quite as step-by-step as I'd hoped. The book assumes you have a basic level of gardening knowledge, which I didn't. Not a "dummies" level book, but a lot of good info and a great resource to have on hand.
A Town Like Alice-**** Again, historical fiction. With some romance to boot!
Jane Eyre-**** Definitely a well-written book with a crazy twist in the middle that left me raising my eyebrows a bit. I'll admit I was wondering if this book may have been considered a "novel" back in the day. The content surprised me a bit for having been written so long ago. Nothing bad, just a bit strange. I think the strangeness of it all threw me off a bit, and that's what kept this book from getting a 5th star, (sorry Ash!); I am giving it another go right now though.
Eat to Live-***** If you dislike my vegetarian lifestyle, you have this book to blame. Read it before you judge me and see if it doesn't make sense though. Really. Trust me. And I only wished I lived up to what it teaches completely because I do believe in it. Baby steps!
Disease Proof Your Child:Feeding kids right-*****By the author of ETL, with a spin on why this lifestyle is important for kids. Also geared more towards those not necessarily looking for weight loss, but an overall healthy lifestyle. If ETL scared you off, try this approach to the same exact thing.
The Westing Game-** Sorry, I don't remember liking this as well as I did when I was a kid. Really, I just don't love juvenile fiction! The characters were hardly developed, the scenes were short and choppy like a soap opera, (another of my dislikes) and it just felt rushed. Like it was written specifically for someone who didn't want to invest a lot of time in the story. Which I guess it probably was.
The Hunger Games Series-*** I'm going to lump these all together although I might rate them each a little different separately. I did honestly enjoy #1. The first piece of juvenile fiction I've read lately that didn't feel like a blatant ripoff of something else. Not to point fingers, but isn't Percy Jackson remarkably similar to someone else we all know and love, (cough, cough, HARRY!!)? I did wonder if the subject matter was a little heavy for juvenile lit, but I don't think it's bad to introduce uncomfortable/hard ideas to our children if done appropriately. #2, was a ripoff of #1, though. I was reading the same book all over again. And #3? Was she on a deadline to finish or what? All this drama and buildup for an overly rushed ending that left me highly unsatisfied. Will not read this series again.
At Home in Mitford-*** The first in a series; a delightful read proving again that not everything recently written is trashy, and some authors will even willingly allow God into their novels! I will say though, it was pure brain candy. It didn't make me think at all, something I really value in a true good read. It didn't leave me dying to read the rest of the series. And as of yet, I haven't.
Steady Days:A journey toward intentional professional motherhood-** Honestly I didn't even finish it. It probably shouldn't have made the list, except for that it wasn't HORRIBLE. Good info, but it felt like a compilation of everyone else's work. The same parenting advice you hear over and over, and in brief synopsis. Not even expounded on as it could have done extensively. I was disappointed.
The Blue Castle-**** Again, a delightful read. Pure brain candy, but of the Anne variety. If you're a kindred spirit you'll know what I mean. ;) The ending is a bit too over the top in the happily ever after sort of way, but it was still enjoyable.

So what did you read this year? Faves/least faves? Any must reads for 2011 I should know about? I'm dying to know! I don't have much on my to-read list yet!

Late-Breaking News

2011-01-12T22:34:00.005-07:00

I neglected to update the blog with some seriously important news. I think most of you may have heard either through facebook or the grapevine that we are expecting BABY #5! Yes, you read that right. We announced it "officially" on New Year's Day. My sister called to ask if I was serious and I reminded her that it's April Fool's, not New Year's Fools. ;) I know it hardly seems possible, but, well, look at the rest of our kids.

Of course, this baby is also DUE IN JULY. Oh, believe me, the Man Upstairs has a sense of humor. I think we may have to give the Princess an honorary July birthday to keep her from feeling left out, no? Anyway.....we couldn't be more excited about this. I get that it seems a little crazy; I mean heck, even I have to check myself when I say "5 kids!" it hardly seems real; but please know that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what is right for our family. So for all who are wondering, the official due date is July 14th. Check out the cute ticker on my sidebar to keep track with us!

Are You Jealous?

2011-01-12T22:28:00.004-07:00

Don't you LOVE the new awesomeness that is my blog? Yeah, my husband did that. He IS that cool. Remember a while ago, when my blog was somewhat cute and I mentioned that he accidentally deleted my template? And of course, you know how "meh" it's been lately....but I think this TOTALLY makes up for it. Seriously, I've never seen a cooler blog for just your casual family blogger. Heck, most of the pro blogs I read don't look this cool. So expect some updates, fast and furious like, because with a blog this cool you know I'm going to be on more often. And yes, I am the luckiest wife ever. ;) He's all mine ladies!!

Family Pics 2010

2010-12-10T09:43:00.007-07:00

Do you ever get sick of me saying that I have the cutest kids ever? Well, it 'aint gonna stop, (I can talk like that because I live in the Basin) and I think you can see why. We recently had another session with the lovely and talented Melinda Smith and these are the overwhelmingly beautiful results. Moms, I tried to post mostly color photos for you since I know you don't dig the b/w like I do.

Do you think I'm awful for LOVING this one of Princess P? It cracks me up!

I LOVE MY BOYS!

Knowing how big of a Daddy's girl the Princess is, this one ought to melt everyone's heart.

I'm absolutely in love with this one. It's going on my desk. On, around, near, I don't care but I want to see him look at me that way every day.

And of course the smoocheroo is going to have to go in our room. ;)

I know that the blog is SCREAMING for a long overdue update. It's coming. In my defense, my computer should be retired to the Uintah Basin Care Center. I like to refer to it as, "the snail." It sucks the fun right out of blogging. But, it is the window to our world, so I'll get on that soon! Happy Friday!

More Fun with Dad

2010-10-11T09:42:00.004-06:00

The boys got to go fishing with their Dad this weekend. As you can imagine, it was the best day of their lives so far. Dad took them to buy a new pole; Babycakes got Spiderman, and P Doodle got G.I. Joe, which he informed me he used to watch when he was a baby.....pretty funny since we don't have a tv, and G.I. Joe was way before his time. But as always, he wants to be just like his daddy. They had a great time, and the boys caught all these fish themselves. Brandon didn't even have time to rig up his own pole, he was so busy going back and forth between these two. But, these boys haven't learned to tell fish tales yet....if you ask them how many they caught, P Doodle says 5, and Babycakes says, "1.....2....3!"

The only downer to the day was that the girls didn't get to go. Poor, poor Princess. She was so mad she stomped her feet and cried for quite a while after they left. She hates to be left out of any fun that involves her favorite boys. But don't feel too bad....she got to go out to lunch and shopping with mom and sis. ;) And, as always she got plenty of Daddy time as well this weekend.

Blessing

2010-10-11T08:28:00.002-06:00

Our sweet Little Bear was blessed yesterday. She was so beautiful and had lots of family there to celebrate with her. Here's a shot of her dress, (which was mine and also worn by Princess P). The cute little bracelet was given to us by her great-aunt for Princess' blessing, and she also wore some cute little shoes made for her by Brandon's great-aunt.

I'm horrible at remembering blessings, but I do remember that she would feel the connection and love of her extended family and that she would be blessed with faith.

Here's the most recent shot of our ever growing family!

We're so glad to have our Little Bear in our family! XOXO!

The Boy Who Could Fly/We Love Dad!

2010-10-07T23:44:00.003-06:00

Okay, I know the picture quality here isn't the best, but I still thought it was fun! This boy loves having his Daddy home on the weekends, and I think you can see why. ;) This last weekend we were all particularly excited because he'd been gone for two weeks straight. As much as we missed him, it was almost worth the Princess' reaction when he came home. I was taking care of P Doodle in another room and had assigned Babycakes and Princess P to watch out the window and let me know when they saw Daddy. I needn't have worried....as soon as he was home, I knew it! Princess P let out the biggest squeal I've ever heard, "DA!" and then she and Babycakes thundered for the door. Even though I couldn't see her face, I know from where I heard it at the back of the house that it was the cutest thing. "Da" assured me that it was from his view out the window. ;)

Living Life

2010-09-21T20:53:00.001-06:00

You will have to pardon my lack of posting lately. As I said to a good friend the other day, sometimes I have to choose between living life and blogging about it. The way my mind is these days, I probably won't remember a lot of it later, but by george I sure am having fun, and I will remember that!

Here's a taste of what we've been up to.

P Doodle is reading. Yeah, you read that right. My four year old can read. Thanks to the aforementioned BFF. She recommended the book to us, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. And I pass that recommendation on to anyone else who bothers to read this blog and might be interested. It's a miracle working book, and it's so easy. Each lesson takes about 7 minutes, they're simple, completely scripted for you and they work! Let me give you an example of what P Doodle read to me in his last lesson: "See that little shack. Sand is in the shack. We will run in the sand." Sigh.....my little genius. Growing up. Oh, and in case I haven't bragged him up enough, he can also answer questions about what he's read. That's called reading comprehension yall! By the way, this has totally reaffirmed my desire to homeschool, and has boosted my confidence that yes I can!
Babycakes has moved into big-boy-hood by going on the potty. (Insert choir of angels singing here.) Can I just tell you that two in diapers is so much better than three?! And the little genius did it himself. I've tried a few times to get him to do it and received a flat refusal each time. Now, given my current circumstances, I was not willing to make a struggle of it. I do not have the personality it takes to be on top of "training him" to go every hour or so and forcing him to do it. I also didn't want a whole bunch of accidents and frustrations, so I let it go. I figured for now it was just as easy to change an extra bum than to be constantly cleaning my already disgusting carpets. He did show some interest a couple of weeks ago, so we made the special trip to Wal-mart to pick out a potty seat and some special undies, but the interest was fleeting. I let it go again. Then all of a sudden last Friday as I was washing breakfast dishes I heard him quietly say in the living room, "I need to go potty!" in a surprised tone. So of course I rushed in and said, "Yay! Let's go do it!" and he went; then put on his new undies and we've never turned back. He even kept them clean and dry all the way through Stake Conference only two days later, and again yesterday for a trip to Roosevelt, (a half hour drive from our home) to take Little Bear to the doctor. Note: although I was prepared with extra shorts and undies, I was unprepared for the surprise episode of carsickness and he went into the doctors' office bare-chested after barfing all over his shirt, (the smart little guy also caught a lot of it in his hat.....too much info?). What are ya gonna do? I think that a bare-chested kid is nothing compared to the shock of the troop of us all coming in the doors anyway. ;)
This sweet pic is of Babycakes with his Lightning Mcqueen car that we let him pick out as a special treat for easing my sanity just a bit.

Princess P......what is there to say about that little ball of fire? She rocks our world. She's still a midget, but rules the whole household. She is almost never punished and when she is, it isn't without a whole bunch of laughing at how cute she was even while being naughty. She jabbers all the time; most of it is baby talk, (although she does have about 15 clear words she uses consistently) but every once in a while I swear she up and surprises us all by saying something like "brothers" or "computer". Genius. I'm sensing a running theme in our family! She still sucks her two middle fingers, and doesn't let her "B" out of her sight. (Her blanket.)

Little Bear is growing and changing so fast! She loves her tummy time as you can see, and can even roll from her tummy to her back. Genius!! Her most recent visit to the doc brought in these stats: weight 10 lbs. 13 oz., length 21.25 inches. Give them a year, year and a half tops and these two girls will be wearing the same clothes. Little Bear has also started giving us social smiles and melts all our hearts. Her brothers especially love to hold her. Princess P likes to bring her toys and make sure that she is never touching the precious "B".

Are you all envious of me yet? You should be. I have the cutest kids ever.

My Little Bear

2010-08-19T21:28:00.007-06:00

My extremely talented friend Melinda Smith has done it again! Check out these photos she took of my Little Bear at 3 weeks. And can you believe she'll be 5 weeks old tomorrow? Stop it, stop it, I say! It's been so different from Princess P who stayed tiny forever. Little Bear has already started to outgrow the newborn size and has that cute baby chub on her thighs, (you can only talk about a lady's chubby thighs when she's a baby!) and is working on a double chin. Sooooo cute.

Daddy would only consent to be in a photo if only his arms were showing. ;)

And....for a fun comparison of looks, here's Princess P at 3 weeks. These photos were also taken by Mindy; heaven bless her!

And by the way, go check out Mindy's blog! She's been doing a lot of newborn shoots lately, and they are the sweetest ever! On second thought, if you have problems being baby hungry, don't check it out. It won't help. ;)

A Date with my Boys

2010-08-08T21:43:00.003-06:00

Because you know that any date that involves a sassy red pair of shoes and dessert has GOT to be good, I thought I'd share.

I had me a date with my boys on Saturday. It was so much fun to go out with just the two of them. P Doodle and I needed a new pair of shoes each and Payless was having their BOGO sale, (which I've decided isn't that great of a deal by the way...when you can get cheaper kids shoes at Kmart or Wal-Mart.) so we left the girls home with Dad and went to check it out.

P Doodle was hilarious. The kid is so worried that he's going to walk out of the store with nothing that he latches on to the first pair of shoes he tries on and won't consider trying on anything else until Mom pulls down from the shelf......TADA! Buzz Lightyear. And they light up. And he can run really fast in them. SOLD!

Now, are there any other moms out there like me who have to fight the inner urge to be a control freak and not tell him about the Buzz shoes so I can pick the pair I want him to have? I want my kids to be independent and make their own choices, but at the same time, I want them to look good too. And I hate character shoes and clothes. But, when I thought about how happy these shoes would make him, I was able to let go of what I wanted and give in. And I'm glad I did. The excitement over this dang pair of shoes was worth it. He, of course had to wear them out of the store, wouldn't take them off when we got home, (not that I even tried to go there) and had to sleep in them that night. In fact, he's only taken them off for the bath and church since we got them.

Now what about Babycakes, you ask? Because this was a date with my BOYS. Poor, poor, Babycakes. He didn't need shoes. And mom didn't want to spend money on something we didn't need. But he's 3. He doesn't understand that. As soon as he saw P Doodle trying on shoes, he sat down and quick as lighting pulled off his "lellow shoes" and had on a new pair before I knew what was happening and could avert the coming crisis. So I let him walk around in them for a bit and bask in the fun. When it was time to go though, I took them off and put them on the shelf. And we had a meltdown. Until Mommy said the magic words, "Show me happy." Too which he predictably replied, "I wanna show happy." And as soon as I said, "Okay, let's do it," he did. And you bet your buttons that he had to get in on the fun of sleeping with a pair of shoes on, so he slept in his "lellow shoes" too. Whatever.

After the shoe-shopping, the boys good-naturedly followed me around a couple of clothing stores, and then we hit McDonalds for a $1 ice cream treat. I wish I'd taken my camera. Babycakes can't just eat an ice cream cone. He has to wear it as well. And he usually has to take a bite or two out of the cone before the ice cream on top is gone. It was messy, but too cute to bother about it. Let's just say it's a good thing it was a date with Mom, cause Daddy doesn't do messy. ;)

The best part about a date with my boys? The look on their faces when they just voluntarily look up and say, "Mom, I love you." cause we're having so much fun.

I LOVE MY KIDS.

Growing......Or Not

2010-08-06T15:58:00.004-06:00

I took my girls, (can I just say that I LOVE saying "my girls"?!) to the doctor today for checkups. The stats are in:

Princess P at 15 months weighs 18 lbs. 10 oz. and is 26.5 inches tall. That is still less than the 5th percentile. When she was last weighed at 10 months she weighed 14 lbs. So here we've been thinking that she looks so big to us lately.....and really she's not. But she's healthy and happy and way too smart for her own good, (and mine). So no worries. The cutest thing she's doing lately? When you ask her where her nose, eyes, ears or mouth are, she'll point to them. Okay, maybe not if you ask her. She's pretty shy about showing off her tricks. And she blows kisses; those she will share freely. Gotta love that.

The C Bear at three weeks weighs 8 lbs. 2 oz. and is still 19 inches long. Woot woot! Way to grow girl! That puts her at an average weight for her age and the 10th percentile for height. A little more along the lines of what I'm used to. To be honest, I bet our little Bear passes up her sister in size quickly. Her feet are seriously almost as big as Princess'. It makes me a little sad though. It was so fun that Princess stayed in her newborn clothes for so long. C Bear is already growing out of them and I just want to tell her to STOP! Can't just one of them stay my baby forever?

Snuggly

2010-08-05T13:53:00.001-06:00

If that doesn't make you want to snuggle up, I don't know what will.

{Sigh.} There's just something about sleeping babies. They melt my heart.

For Uncle Matty

2010-08-05T13:41:00.003-06:00

I think this means she's done, right?

For those of you who don't get the reference to Uncle Matty, and since my brother doesn't strike me as the blog reading type......I'll explain. One of the great Smith family legends, (you know, the stories that get told over and over) is of my brother and how when he was a baby he would put his bowl on his head when he was done eating. Full of spaghettios or not. Now, seeing as how I came along 6 years later, I never saw this happen. But it sure was cute when my Princess did it the other day.

Who's to Say...?

2010-08-02T21:47:00.002-06:00

Who's to say that girls can't play pirates? This scallywag has the most fearsome "arghhh" I've ever heard.

Who's to say that Princess P isn't the baby anymore? She's certainly as sweet as one, (and as spoiled and loved).

Who's to say that I don't have the cutest kids EVER?! How dare you even think such a thing!

Another Bday Bash

2010-08-01T12:29:00.003-06:00

We had another fun birthday celebration for Babycakes on the 26th. Luckily Daddy was in town, and as an added bonus, Grandma Smith came too. The boys spent the day playing outside in the pool, and running through the sprinkler Grandma brought. It was a fun day.

Babycakes got his very own birthday crown, but of course when P Doodle saw it, he asked what happened to his. So we had to make another number 4 crown for him. I don't know if we're ever going to be able to celebrate one birthday without the other with these two boys.

Babycakes is in to pirates right now, so I made him his very own pirate ship cake. He LOVED it. It turned out so cute, and was way easy to make.

And here is the birthday boy with his present. His very own scooter and helmet. He loves it. He thinks that he's just like Tigger when he rides it, and starts singing songs from "My Friends Tigger & Pooh". The helmet is another of his favorite characters, Lightning Mcqueen. It's fun to see Babycakes be able to big boy things, like riding his own scooter.

Babycakes is growing and changing so fast lately. He's gone from not really being interested in talking at all, to jabbering all the time, (mostly repeating what we are saying, which can be really hilarious). He is using a lot more words to express what he's thinking, and it's so fun to finally know what he's thinking. He loves to sing, especially the hymns at church. His favorite primary song is "Follow the Prophet". He is the best little snuggle-bug in the world, and is also very tender-hearted. As I said before, this scallywag loves to play pirates, and one of his most oft-said words is "arghh...."

Babycakes brings so much sunshine to our home. Brandon and I often say that he's just too sweet. He is so easy to love, and quick to love others as well. I'm so glad he's ours! He is a great big brother, always wanting to give the girls hugs and kisses, and is the perfect playmate for P Doodle. I don't know what we'd ever do without him. Happy birthday Babycakes!

Claire Bear

2010-07-29T12:33:00.006-06:00

Claire Morgan arrived Friday, July 16, 2010 at 4:56 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 1/4 inches long. The delivery went smoothly; no problems for mom or baby. I feel so blessed to have such good pregnancy and delivery experiences. It makes it all that much sweeter when I finally get to hold that precious new baby in my arms.

As you can see, she fits our mold. We still can't decide who she looks most like, other than to note that she is surely one of ours. When she was first born, we thought she looked quite a bit like Andrew did newborn, then a day later we thought she looked more like Paige. She continues to grow and change every day. I'm amazed how quickly that "newborn" look wears off.

Of course everyone loves her! It was so fun to bring her home to her siblings. When we arrived they all ran out to meet her. I was so worried that Princess P would be jealous, but it hasn't been an issue at all. When the kids first ran out, she was pushing past everyone to get to the baby and check her out.

P Doodle and Babycakes of course are the best big brothers and are so sweet with her. It was fun to watch Babycakes realize that "Baby Claire" is indeed a real baby and not a soccer ball in my belly.

When we got in the house, the brothers got a turn to hold the baby and the whole time this big sister was whining for a turn. She sat and patted her head saying, "Bay-bee" over and over.

See how much she loves her? We've got nothing to worry about here. Except maybe a little "tough love".

How are we doing two weeks later? It's life as usual around here. Claire is the perfect baby. She never cries unless she needs a diaper change, and she only gets up once or twice a night. To be honest, four isn't any more crazy than three. Just more to love. I can deal with that.

The Biggest Boy in the World

2010-07-26T21:34:00.008-06:00

Sorry, I know I'm horribly behind on posting important events in our lives lately. I've lost a bit of the excitement since my blog became ugly. My poor, dear, sweet husband was trying to help....and it flopped. And I can't fix it yet. But anyway......life goes on. And so will my blog.

The biggest boy in the world turned 4 this month. And I cried. How can 4 years have gone by so quickly?! He was thrilled about the whole thing though. Really he's 4 going on 24. We had such a fun time celebrating the day he made our family more than just the two of us.

The festivities started off with a birthday crown. Really it looked so much cooler in my mind, but to a 4 year old, it was pretty darn awesome. It was laying out on the table when he got up, and he spotted it right away and came into my bedroom to ask if it was for him and could he put it on? Then we made breakfast. Green pancakes at his request.

Really, his excitement over the crown made me feel so glad that I did it. When asked by his grandma on the phone what he'd gotten for his birthday, of all the cool presents he could have told her, the first thing he mentioned was his crown. And he wore it most of the day.

He was nice enough to insist that I wear a birthday crown too, so I borrowed one from Princess P. Pardon the horrible picture of me. This cute one makes up for it right? I'm so glad these two have each other. The very coolest present was of course, from Dad. His very own big boy baseball glove and balls. This was the one time he had to get serious and take off the crown. Because you have to wear a baseball hat to play catch, right? Dad was nice enough to also bring home some old baseball gloves that Babycakes could play with too, and this was Princess P's reaction to being left out. This girl doesn't miss a thing, and will not be left out of any game because it's "for boys". This was the birthday cake. It didn't look quite as cool as the picture I was trying to copy, but P Doodle loved it and that's all that mattered to me. All in all, it was a pretty darn good birthday, and he was in heaven.
Does this face say "I love my cake" or what?
P Doodle, we love you so much. You are the best helper and can outwork even your Daddy. You make us laugh everyday, and it is so obvious that you were perfectly suited to come to this family to be the BIG brother. You are so good at taking care of your brother and sisters and it's awesome to see how much you really love them. You are also excellent at taking care of Mommy and being the "man of the house" when Daddy has to work out of town. We love you to bits and although it makes me a bit sad to see you growing up so fast, I'm excited for all that you are learning and doing now. You love primary, you are begging me to learn to read, can't stand not to be busy working and love to play hard, especially with Daddy. We hope you know how much you are loved! Happy birthday!

Things I Love About My Girl

2010-07-01T12:47:00.003-06:00

Princess P is a big girl. And we all know I don't mean in size. She just has this personality that radiates beyond the physical bounds of her tiny little body. You can see it when she comes bouncing down the hallway in the morning with a huge smile on her face, crazy bedhead flopping along with every step as she looks for her brothers, ready to get in on the action. She's made her mark on this family in a huge way, and we all love her like crazy. Here are just a few of my favorite things about her:

The way she adores her Daddy. I'll never forget the day she was born, holding her in my arms, snuggling her for a quiet moment; then from across the room Brandon spoke, and immediately she turned her head to find his voice. She's been Daddy's girl ever since, and accordingly, has had Daddy wrapped around her finger ever since.
The way she idolizes her bothers. The girl gets angry if she doesn't get good night kisses from them. She's constantly trying to copy their every move, (especially the most dangerous and tricky ones) and play with their toys.....do whatever it takes to be included in their fun.
The way she follows me around and imitates what I do; everything from folding laundry and putting away dishes to scrubbing the toilet. She tries to do it all as well. And if she can't get up high enough to do what I'm doing, she'll often go get her blankie and lay down at my feet to wait for me.
The way she LOVES. I've never seen a baby so aware of others around her from such an early age. Her hugs and kisses are magic and coveted by all of us.
Her mischievousness. She's a monkey. She's always trying to climb higher, and go big. At the park last week, for the first time I let her go free on the playground, thinking she'd maybe do the baby slide and go up and down the stairs. Oh no. That wasn't enough for her. She was running all over and walked right up to a slide that P Doodle wouldn't try for over a year and off the end of it. Her love for tricks and all things crazy has won her quite a few bumps and bruises, but she's tough and she keeps going. (I thought you weren't supposed to have to worry about that with girls like you do boys?!)
Her voice. I love to hear her call out "Mama!" in the mornings when she's ready to get out of bed, or when she's facing backwards in her carseat and just wants to be reassured that I'm still there with her. I love to hear her ask for "Dada" and see the look on his face as his heart melts into a million pieces. I love that she already knows how to ask for a cup, her shoes, tell us all "ni-night" and "ba-bye". And even though she's sweet, she's got plenty of sass. She knows how to tell us when she's not satisfied. And everyone around here jumps to make it all better. She is the princess after all.

There's just something special about a little girl. There's a tangible sweetness that is evident even when she's being naughty........(although according to Daddy, she never is). I'm so excited to have another sweet little girl around. Even though I know there's a good possibility these little ladies will be as different as night and day; (as their brothers often are) it's the differences that make us love them even more. Each one of our babies is so special and precious in their own way. The amazing amount of love you have for one only grows exponentially as more come along, and you have so many reasons to love them all deeply and differently. The countdown is on! Two weeks from tomorrow!

Pregnancy Ramblings

2010-06-21T22:03:00.004-06:00

I've just been thinking tonight about the funny little differences between a first pregnancy and a fourth. Particularly when those four pregnancies happen to occur consecutively - P Doodle will celebrate his 4th birthday exactly one week before the big day!

1st- I could always tell you down to the day how far along I was.......as in "I'm 16 weeks and 3 days today".
4th- I have to ask the nurse at each doctor's office visit how far along I am, or check my blog ticker.

1st- It seemed to drag on for-ev-er. Especially the last four weeks. Ask Brandon, I was miserable to live with, because I just couldn't see how it was ever going to end.
4th- It's gone by so fast I can't even believe it. Just today I went into the storage room and while looking for a can of peaches, found the baby carseat, and thought, "Oh yeah. I guess I should get that out and wash it soon." Hadn't even thought of that to-do item yet. Not to mention the fact that no baby clothes are out and washed yet......with Parker they were long in the drawers and ready to go by now.

1st- I gained 37 pounds. I was a whale. I totally used the excuse of being pregnant to not worry about what I ate, how I exercised, and generally just do whatever I wanted. And I was in denial. Again, refer to my husband. He will tell you the truth. Enough said.
4th- After realizing all that extra weight doesn't magically fall off when baby comes, (and tends to accumulate over multiple babies) I've been much more careful and healthy! As of 34 weeks, I had only gained 16 pounds. And I weigh, (this is so embarrassing) close to 30 pounds less than I did at the end of the first pregnancy. Not bad, huh? Of course, the last two weeks I've been a little out of control in the dessert department again, so I better watch it for the last few left to go!

1st- I used to make Brandon watch every little kick and movement on my belly. He would get so tired of me grabbing his hand, pressing it to my tummy and saying, "Feel this!" Not that he doesn't think it's cool.....he's just the type that has an easier time bonding with baby after it's actually here; in his arms.
4th- The only time he feels baby kick is if he asks to, or if I'm cuddled up behind him at night and the baby gives him a good kick in the back.

1st- I was obsessive over wanting Brandon to be fully involved in everything. I took him to absolutely every appointment. And he was a great sport about it. ;)
4th- Brandon didn't even get to come to the ultrasound this time. He would have loved to, but had to work, and I wasn't worried about shifting schedules to make it happen. I did take him to my last appointment when he happened to be in town, because I thought he ought to at least meet our new doctor once beforehand.......and we needed to get their two schedules together to decide when this birthday party could happen with both of them in the same town at the same time.

The one thing that hasn't changed? I hate maternity pants. Hello! Is there no better option than either hitching your pants up to your armpits, or constantly having them fall down? Because neither is at all comfortable. Maternity shirts and dresses have really just gotten cuter and cuter, but can somebody please do something about the pants?!

Okay, back to the point. Really, each pregnancy has been so special and so unique, but I've enjoyed them all in different ways. I've learned that time flies by way too fast. I look at P Doodle all the time, and wish I could slow it down just a bit. As much as I love watching him grow and progress and enjoy experiencing new things, I wish I'd enjoyed the ride a bit better rather than always looking forward to the next step. I'm revelling in these last few weeks of pregnancy and drinking up every kick and every wiggle, because I so enjoy the special feeling of having a baby grow inside you, and be part of you. It is such a miracle, and it is over oh so fast. Snuggling a newborn is even better, but it can't replace that incredible feeling.

Sorry if the baby talk is getting old......what can I say? It's what's on my mind.

Thoughts Approaching "D" Day

2010-06-16T12:41:00.004-06:00

Because of our situation with Daddy being out of town, the birth of our precious Baby Claire has been planned. Call me crazy; He's only four hours away, but there is just something that puts me into a panic thinking about even the chance of going through a labor and delivery without my best friend, epidural or no. That day is one month from today, and lately it's all I can think about.

Each one of my children's birth days is so special to me. I have the most horrible memory in the world. I can't tell you what I did on Monday of this week, and I can never remember the date, but I can tell you every minute detail of each of the days my babies were born.

I look forward to this special day, but I'm also anxious. If you think that having four kids in four years sounds crazy, think about the view from where I'm sitting. But I KNOW that Baby Claire is supposed to be coming to us now, as all of our children have come exactly when they were supposed to have. She has already stolen a special place in my heart and made it her own, without having met her yet.

I read this post today, and it reminded me what a privilege and responsibility it is to be a mother. That some of the most important things we do are often the ones we overlook. It has motivated me to do better. To more often put aside my own wants of having a nap, or a little blogging time, or a nicer wardrobe, (you get the picture) and put my family first. To make sure that our home is clean and orderly, yet comfy and cozy so that it's the first place my family wants to be. To put aside my vanity for frugality so that I can continue to stay home and love my littles for the too-short time I can call them mine. To be a better example so that my girls will know that their role is important and not mundane. So that they will be proud of it, instead of frustrated by it. So that my boys will honor it the way my husband does.

I also read this post not too long ago, and it got me thinking about how hard mothers are being attacked right now. Mainstream media would have us believe that not only is it impossible to live up to the "supermom" ideal of long ago, but that we shouldn't want to anyway. That in doing so we're somehow being stepped on or taken advantage of, so we should all cry out in protest and think more about "me". I am not trying to say that we shouldn't be realistic in our expectations, and that we shouldn't also take care of ourselves........BUT.....I truly, truly believe that women were given this specific role because it is the best way for us to learn to be like our Savior. To be selfless, to sacrifice, to find joy in serving and loving others. Therefore, we should try a little harder. We should whine a little less, smile a little more, and scrub that toilet with a little more enthusiasm. I know that this is something I've had to work on, and I still have a long way to go......but in the long run, I have never gotten more joy out of any other aspect of my life than that of my role as a wife and mother. Nobody has ever made me feel more special than my husband or children, and I know it is worth it to work harder for them and get that special feeling in return.

I Have a Problem

2010-05-31T18:19:00.002-06:00

Hello, my name is Katie Morgan and I am addicted to shopping for cloth diapers. My last online purchase was 14 days ago. If you'd like to know more about my obsession, see the post I wrote here for some interested friends. They really are so cute and so fun. If my camera wasn't busted I could show you just how cute these look on my babies. Busted cameras are no fun. :(

It Can't Be Just Me....

2010-05-14T21:43:00.003-06:00

Now that I've finally gotten Mother's Day presents delivered, (blush!!) I can show you these cute pics of my kids! I know I'm their mom, but.....AREN'T THEY THE CUTEST EVER?!

By the way, if you haven't yet, check out my photographer.
You'll be glad you did.

Can Your 3 Year Old Do This?

2010-05-02T19:20:00.004-06:00

Check out what P Doodle did yesterday...

Yes, that's right, he helped to till the garden. Just to prove that he was really doing this himself, here's a picture of what Brandon was doing. He'd walk along behind and once in a while he'd give a little correction to keep the machine going along, and turn the corners for P Doodle. Other than that it was all him!

This little worker bee helped us outside all day yesterday; raking, clearing weeds and debris, you name it! We got a ton of work done, and love to have BIG (little) helpers.

Another note on this little guy: he is wise beyond his years. When Daddy left to go back to work tonight after a wonderful, but too-quick weekend together, I was a bit sad. He said to me, "Momma, why are you crying?" I answered that I missed Daddy, and when asked why I said, "Because I love Daddy." He then replied, "It's okay Momma, because you have him forever!" What would I do without this guy to be the man of the house while Daddy's gone?

He's also been mentioning his special lady again lately. Tonight he told me about the sort of things they would do together. He said, "She's gonna eat with me, and play with me, and go to the redbox with me!" Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Crazy Utah Weather

2010-04-29T09:21:00.003-06:00

Monday I mowed the lawns and got sunburned; today....

You can bet that these boys had their snow clothes out, ready and waiting before breakfast! They're not going to let a little cold weather slow them down!

Can You Believe It?

2010-04-28T11:30:00.004-06:00

Time goes by WAY too fast!
A year ago we were snuggling this sweet thing:

..and now she's all grown up. Lucky for us she's still just as sweet!

She keeps us on our toes though. She's walking all over the place finally! She's had the ability to walk pretty much since Christmas, but didn't really decide to take off until Easter. Try and catch her now!

This girl has got brothers to keep up with. And she sure does a good job of it. I don't know why I keep trying to make her girly, (I hated girly things when I was little) but I just love dressing her in her cute little dresses and her patent leather shoes everyday....and what does she do? Get out in the dirt with her brothers, digging and driving trucks and scuffing up those pretty little shoes. I love it. And oh boy, do her brothers love her. Even though they let her in on their fun, they treat her like the princess. I've decided she may have a harder time with this next baby than the boys because she's so used to being spoiled!

We had all sorts of plans for the big birthday this year. P Doodle wanted to have balloons, and Mom was going to make a purple butterfly cake, but this picture will show you how Princess P and I felt about celebrating without our Daddy. Daddy has been working out of town lately, and it just felt wrong to have a birthday without him, so we chose a visit over a party after her failed birthday breakfast and drove to see our Daddy!

When we got back though, P Doodle seemed to think that it just wasn't fair not to have cake, so he requested a pink birthday cake for his sister. He even helped me make it.

It was pretty cute, after I took this picture, P Doodle asked me, "Mom, are you going to take a picture of me on my birthday?" and I said, "Sure. I'll even take a picture right now if you want." His reply was, "No, boys don't have pink cake. When it's my birthday I'll have a green cake." So per his request, I won't shame him with a picture of him on the world wide web with pink cake.

Happy Birthday Princess! We love you!

Peanut Butter Kisses, Anyone?

2010-04-18T20:01:00.000-06:00

They're my favorite kind! Doesn't this boy look like his Daddy?

Pigtails

2010-04-07T16:04:00.005-06:00

Now that my camera is finally working....YAY!!! I thought I'd show you Princess P's new 'do. We think it's pretty cute. Daddy calls it her "pippies" because she looks like Pippy Longstocking. Really, I'm going to have to learn some new hairdos pretty soon. Thank goodness for the blogosphere.

I couldn't get any smiles out of her today, (when the camera was around anyway) but she still looks sweet. Can you believe this girl is having a birthday in 2 weeks?! This year has flown by, and I'm sad to see it gone. But, it has been so great having our little princess around. She just has something special about her that makes everyone else love her and feel happy.

By way of news, she's finally been walking a bit lately! She's been able to for weeks, (make that months) but has been too scared. Now, she'll venture a couple of steps if something is worth getting to. She loves playing with the boys, and being outside. She especially loves going for wagon rides. She laughs and smiles, (you wouldn't know it from the above picture :)) and you can tell she thinks she is so big!

Trouble

2010-03-26T14:32:00.003-06:00

Princess P has a new favorite activity. Splashing in the toilet. I guess we're back to always having to keep the bathroom door shut. Come to think of it, did we ever really leave that phase? Not for long anyway. On the upside, she hasn't figured out how much fun the dishwasher is yet, and I've been able to leave the controls unlocked for a few weeks now since the boys have forgotten about it!

Baby Claire

2010-03-23T11:23:00.001-06:00

This is our latest peek at our new little baby! Luckily she wasn't quite so shy this time.

I'm in a Funk....

2010-03-11T15:41:00.004-07:00

So I'm sure you've noticed, I've been in a blogging funk lately. It always happens when I don't have a way to post any pictures. I feel lost if I don't have pictures.....ESPECIALLY for posts about the kids, and really, what's better to post about than them?

But, I thought I'd do a little catch-up post today so I can at least tell you how cute my kids are even if I can't show you.

Let's start with the Princess. Ladies first! We took her to the doctor at ten months, (Whoops! A month late!) and she had gained 3 whole pounds, bringing her up to a grand total of 14 pounds. She has finally in the last week graduated to wearing six month sized clothes, and looks super cute in pigtails. See why I'm lost without pictures???? Insert cute photo here.... Anyway, it's totally hilarious that she's so small, because she out-eats either of her brothers. She'll eat anything, really. And I'm struggling with the thought of her turning 1 next month. It's killing me. Has a whole year really gone by? And, she's still almost walking. She'll do it when she decides she can, I guess.

Babycakes has decided to give being a two year old a good go of it. He doesn't eat anything besides breakfast anymore unless it involves peanut butter, jelly, or something else really spectacular. Most of the time he toddles over to the dinner table, takes a peek, turns up his nose and walks away. This is not normal for him, but P Doodle did the same thing and magically grew out of it when he hit three, so I'm hoping it's just a phase for him as well. But to be fair, he is the cutest darn two year old ever. He's finally found his voice, (although we don't always understand it) and jabbers all the time. He also sings quite sweetly. He sings, "Let's Go Fly a Kite", (my personal fave) a little blurb from Little Einsteins, the "Kite Parade" and "Mr. I'll make a man out of you....." from Mulan. Just that line. I love this boy.

P Doodle is getting too big, way too fast for me. I know I always say that...... Remember from my last post how we told P Doodle about his "special lady" that he will have someday? He's been thinking about her a lot lately, and it's so cute. He was looking at my ring one day and when I told him I couldn't take it off because it says I'm Daddy's special lady, he asked if he could have it for his special lady someday. I told him that he would probably want to buy her one of her very own. So now he's taken to making a list of things to buy her. A ring, a big bed, ("just like yours mom!") and a house. Although he's not sure that he wants to live in the house....for now he's thinking they'll live with us. And for all this, he's said that she's going to buy him a tractor so they can grow real good food. And he'll give her a ride on it. Isn't that romantic? I know I think he'll be a pretty good catch someday. :)

Oh, and if you're wondering why I haven't given any news on Baby4 yet.....it's because we have none. Two ultrasounds so far, and no go. This baby is way too shy, which is odd for me because the other three have all been very not shy. I'm thinking I'll wait a bit before we try and peek again.

And......we've switched to cloth diapers and eating a vegetarian diet. Loving both. Do you think I'm weird yet? More to come later on those I'm sure........for now kisses from Vernal!

Growing Up and Helping Out

2010-02-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

P Doodle has turned into such a big boy. It's crazy how fast it happens. One day I'm teaching him how to put his own clothes on, and it seems like I'm going to have to dress him until he's ten; then snap! Two days later, not only can he do it on his own, but he refuses help. I'm thrilled to see his newfound independence, but at the same time, my heart has a little teeny twinge of sadness that he's growing up so fast.

So, getting dressed has become his "job" every day. His other "jobs" include putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, (which he happily does even for Babycakes and Princess P) helping to clear the table, and unloading the dishwasher. It's funny to see how excited he is to have some responsibility. He is so serious about unloading the dishwasher, and is so proud to do it alone. He even seems to feel lucky if he gets to do it more than once a day. Let's hope that keeps up! I'm hoping, (cross my fingers) that the excitement will last long enough that when it's gone, doing chores and helping out is just what we do, not something to complain about. Although, I really don't see this kid turning into a complainer. He's a hard worker.

P Doodle has also been saying his own prayers. It's so cute. He always makes sure to be thankful for his brother and sister, and the baby. It's really hard not to laugh sometimes though. Here are a few of my favorite prayers recently:

"...please bless Grandma and Poppy and Grandma and Grandpa Morgan that they can drive safe to my house..." (hint, hint)
".....thank you for ducktales...."
"....please bless that the biters won't get me..."
"...thankful to vacuum, and be nice, and not bite...."
"....please bless me not to make messes, and the toys not to go to D.I....."

Another funny thing that happened recently; P Doodle has a terrified fascination with bears right now, (I won't go into why) and has been talking a lot about shooting them, and Daddy shooting them. I decided to have a chat with him about how Heavenly Father created the bears, and he loves the bears. Also, that we shouldn't go out and shoot bears for no reason because that would make Heavenly Father sad. That seemed to go over pretty well until he watched The Fox and the Hound recently. Remember the bear at the end that attacks the Chief? Well, it's animated in a bit of a scary way, and P Doodle took one look at it and said, "Mom, Heavenly Father doesn't love that bear."

And, one more funny story. Last night P Doodle got a bit sassy with me and Brandon stepped in and said, "Don't you talk like that to my wife." P Doodle replied that I was his wife. We told him that when he grows up he can find a special lady of his own and she will be his wife. Then Brandon went on to tell him that when he's big and has a wife that he can have kids and be a Daddy.....and that when he is a Daddy, Brandon will be really old and be a grandpa. P Doodle kind of gave him a funny look for that one, and so Brandon explained, "You know how Poppy is Mommy's daddy? When you grow up and have kids, since I'm your Daddy, I will be a grandpa." P Doodle thought about that one for a minute and then with all the seriousness in the world told his Daddy, "You can't be a grandpa until you have a truck."

For Ashlee

2010-01-28T15:11:00.002-07:00

I know that many of you are screaming for more posts of the kids.....but not much I can do until I get my camera fixed. Sorry folks. In the interim, I'll fulfill a special request from my BFF Ashlee. My dear friend was interested in a book review of things I read last year. To be honest, I wasn't too good at keeping track until the last half of the year, but if I can't remember it, it wasn't really all that noteworthy right? Or I just have a "mom" brain. Take your pick. So without further ado, I will list each book read with a star rating, (out of 5) and a quick "whadyathink?":

Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill - **** If you like Jane Austen, you'll probably like this. Not quite up to par with Austen in my opinion, but still a good read. And if you don't want to find yourself angry like I did, note that the author died before finishing the book.......so get over it and make up your own ending.
The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori - **** A bit of stuffy reading.....much science, some of which is a bit outdated, but overall an interesting read. A big insight into why kids' brains work the way they do; and how we as parents, (or other influencers......like that vocab?) can work with them, instead of against them to unlock their potential. Definitely worth a read. Skip the science if you must.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - **** Weird. And a bit disturbing, but VERY thought provoking. If you don't think our society is headed to hell in a handbasket, you will after reading this, (or you'll just think I'm nuts for thinking we're not terribly far off from this). Interesting that the author had the insight to write this almost 70 years ago.
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis - ***** Wish I was quite smart enough to understand all of the symbolism. It's one to read more than once. Who doesn't love C.S. Lewis? To read further thoughts on this book, read this post here.
The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis - ***** This book is exactly what it boasts to be. One I like to read each year. Not so much a "how to" guide as a "how to figure it out" guide, because really, what two kids are alike? Also a very uplifting read. You're going to finish this book feeling warm and fuzzy and enthused to try more and do better, not feel like crap. One section I particularly enjoy talks about how to pick good reading material for your kids. Ever noticed how many kids books are just crap? It also gives reading suggestion lists based on age group.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - ********** THE BEST BOOK EVER. The end. You want drama, romance, action, comedy, the whole works without the sleeze of today? Read this. And read it again and again.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - ***** Another good read by the Chuckster. You just can't go wrong with Dickens. And you will laugh, I promise. And fall in love.
Little Britches by Ralph Moody - ***** Loved it. The author was just so good at getting you into the mind of a little boy. I could totally picture my brother or my little boy doing and thinking everything Ralph did. I laughed and I cried. That usually gives a book 5 stars for me!
Pride & Prejudice - ***** Another annual read. If you like the movie, YOU WILL LOVE THE BOOK. So much more. The only line that is better in the movie...."You have bewitched me body and soul. And I love....love.....I love you." That gets me every time! I swoon actually. But every other line in the book is soooo much better.
The Book Thief - **** I'm going to give it four stars only because the ending left me hanging a bit. I'm not sure why......I just felt it was missing something. But I loved all the rest.
The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura - ***** I know I'm going to get hate mail from the female population reading this, but I love Dr. Laura. I mean really, her attitude of "you can only worry about what you can do to make a situation better" is so right. Plus really, doesn't our belief system advocate a man/woman relationship like the one she describes? I know things work better for us that way, so I pledge my allegiance to Dr. Laura. Hate me if you must.
The Twelfth Angel by Og Mandino - **** Okay Ash.....I know I'm letting you down with this one, but I do like cheesy. And I'm a bit surprised that you don't. I sobbed like a baby through most of this book. And I liked it. In fact, add another 1/2 star up there. But know that Brandon sides with you on this one.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - * Picture me blowing a big fat raspberry. Harry Potter has so been there and done this. And about a thousand times better. I'm glad that Greek Mythology is getting a little limelight, but it could have been done without ripping off another story.
Persuasion by Jane Austen - ***** Notice a theme yet? When I don't have anything to read, I pick up my dear friend Jane. This one is super romantic and I like it.
The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne - **** Another kind of weird book. I wasn't sure where the author was going with this one until the end, and then I still kind of went, "huh?" But maybe I'm just not smart enough for Hawthorne. It was entertaining though. I like the way he writes. Remember reading The Scarlet Letter in school? I haven't read it since, but I remember really liking it then; which seems to be contrary to most others I talk to.
Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto - **** Could have been written/referenced a little better, but good, good info. I've heard his earlier book, (sorry, too lazy to get a title for you.....google it) is better. When I read this I was already looking into the advantages of homeschool, and this sealed the deal for me. I know, I know, I should walk around with a stamp on my forehead letting everyone know how weird I am. But you still love me, right? (Ash.....this means you....I'm sure you're the only one still reading.)
The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Raymond and Dorothy Moore - **** A bit of a yawn....in some parts. But a pretty good manual for homeschool parents. It gives you a heads up for what you're really in for and some excellent advice on everything from organization to curriculum. And not just about school, but family life in general.
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura - ***** Really, most women should start out reading Dr. Laura with this book. It feels more like she's on your team. And she is!! Oh, she is! Another book to leave you feeling on top of the world, and ready to do better.

So that's my two cents for what it's worth. Know that I would recommend anything on my sidebar for this year so far to anyone still reading and interested. (Book of a Thousand Days is definitely directed for a younger audience, but still good brain candy reading.) Click on any of them to see my GoodReads rating.

A Beautiful Day

2010-01-21T12:51:00.005-07:00

I have to admit, I've been a bit down lately. The super cold temperatures here have been getting to me, added to the fact that until this week, my kids have been sick pretty much since Thanksgiving. I've been in a bit of a rut. But today changed everything. Today gave me a bit of sunshine that seemed to erase it all, and give me the breath of fresh air I need to perk up.

Today, for the first time, I heard my baby's heartbeat. Is there any sound in the world better than that? It doesn't matter how many times I go through this; it's a miracle every time, and I feel so blessed and grateful to announce that baby Morgan #4 is on the way!

I get to have an ultrasound tomorrow to make sure that everything is on track, but if all matches up, I am 14 weeks along, and the due date is July 23. Yes, I know, July is a lucky month for us! ;)

Why announce this on the blog you ask? Well, we thought that to show up at Christmas and announce for the third time in five years that I'm pregnant and due in July was getting a bit redundant. We were losing the element of surprise there. So, we thought we'd shake things up a bit. And now we get to see how many of you actually read this blog! (Also now you can question our sanity privately before you call to say congrats! ;)) Rest assured, if you're reading this, you are the first to know. We love you all! Thanks for sharing in our excitement! And feel free to spread the word!

New Laundry Link

2010-01-14T17:07:00.004-07:00

Just in case any of you are trying any of my "homemade" ideas......I've been liking a different laundry soap recipe better than the one I originally tried and posted about. If you're interested, it can be found here. Recipe #9. There is also a great link to homemade laundry soap FAQ's and stain treating tips. Happy laundry time!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

2010-01-11T13:02:00.002-07:00

I've been trying something new lately, and I thought I'd share. I'm no longer washing my hair with shampoo. Don't worry, I do still wear deodorant and shave my legs. That's not about to stop anytime soon! No, seriously, I'm washing my hair with baking soda. Why baking soda you ask? Well, it all started with the homemade laundry soap. Once I got looking more into that and trying different recipes, I started running into posts about "no-poo" as well. I thought that the money saving sounded great enough, but when I read about all the other benefits, I was totally on board for a test run.

You see, when you wash your hair with baking soda, it simply cleans your hair. It doesn't have any other of those nasty chemicals that strip your hair or weigh it down. This means your hair doesn't get oily the same afternoon you've washed it! I've always heard that the less often you wash your hair, the better, but I could never get mine to adjust to anything longer than every other day; and on the off day it looked terrible. So I couldn't wait to try this.

The result? I'll never buy another bottle of shampoo again! The first time I tried it, I went two days in between washings with no problem. I've since been going three. The third day still looks better than my "off day" from shampoo. And really, I think that if you stuck with it long enough, you could accustom your hair to whatever schedule you like. I was a bit nervous at first about drying my hair without any "deep conditioning", (with the baking soda wash you use an apple cider vinegar rinse afterwards) so I let it air dry and didn't really do much to style it. The next time I got brave, because I don't think that I'd stick with something if I couldn't blow-dry my hair. I didn't use any mousse though, because I thought that adding more gunk to my hair was a bit counter-productive. And guess what? My hair was so much more manageable than it has ever been before. I dried it, gave it a little fluff with my fingers, and some hairspray, and I was just as happy with how it looked as I ever was when I took the time to round-brush and style before, (if my camera wasn't on the blink I'd post pictures to prove it.....hopefully soon!). I also was a little concerned about brushing my hair when wet, but I've never gotten a brush through my hair so easily in my life. I think it's the vinegar. My hair was soft and smooth, and it felt so clean!

One more thing.....some people complained that washing the "no-poo" way stripped their hair color. I am here to tell you this is NOT TRUE. My hair is dyed a dark brown, with a smidgy bit of a red tint, and it is growing out faster than it is fading. I think it's like anything, the more you wash, the more it fades. Or perhaps it depends on the color, although I've seen bleach-blonde types say it doesn't hurt their hair either. So don't let that scare you.

The downside? My hair has picked up static electricity much easier. But that's taken care of easily enough. The real downer......when you wash your hair this way it doesn't smell like anything. At all. So, after a few days it will start to pick up the smells around you. It's subtle, (Brandon has never noticed it or complained) but if you cook with a lot of onions, or spend time around a smoky smell, you'll notice it. I think I'm going to try adding some essential oil to the vinegar rinse. I've seen a lot of comments that say that takes care of this problem. But does anyone know where to begin looking for essential oil in a small town like this? We have a Wal-mart, (can you buy it there?) a couple of grocery stores, but other than that the only "specialty" stores we have sell things like camouflage truck seat covers. You get the idea. I guess there's always online shopping!

If any of you are interested in trying this, I followed the directions found here. The top portion of the article is the "why", skim to the bottom if you're only interested in "how".

Note: Some posts I read said to use the vinegar rinse once a week, others used it every time they washed. I've been using it with every wash. And I didn't worry about getting just the ends....I rinsed my whole head because I think that's what is making my hair feel so soft. Just play around and see what works for you! Also, check Costco, or similar stores that sell in bulk for big bags of baking soda. I buy a 12 lb. bag of baking soda at Costco for cheap. Between using it for cooking, cleaning, and now this, it's a fantastic way to save money!

Strength

2010-01-04T15:19:00.003-07:00

Are any of you reading Apron Girls yet? If not, you should be. I think this is only the third or fourth time I've linked you there. This time I'm loving their New Year's resolutions. I like the idea of the theme. So here I go copycatting.

My theme for 2010 is Strength. I have more demands on my time and energy than ever before. I could sure use an extra dose of it. Looking back, I think that I tend to focus too much on my own weaknesses. I flounder in insecurity and disappointment, waiting for someone else, (usually Brandon) to come along to the rescue. This year I'm going to put on my big girl panties and take care of business. And rely on the Lord for what I lack. I'm going to put Ether 12:27 to the test.

"And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Here's how I'm breaking it down into manageable goals:

Spiritual strength - No missed days of scripture study and personal prayer. Also, no missed weeks of Family Home Evening. The blessings that come from these are needed too much to be apathetic about it.
Physical strength - Exercise a minimum of three times per week. Also less sugar. Sugar is evil. The end.
Emotional strength - Really, I've no idea how to work on this one here; I'm kind of hoping that it will fall into place as I work on my other goals.
Mental strength - Read more informative works. Reading for entertainment is easy for me and I get lost in it. So, this year I want to try and read things that stretch me a little more, teach me something, and really make me use my brain or improve a skill. I'm not sure how to realize this goal yet.......maybe one non-fiction work per month?

I'm thinking that these goals will be the most effective in really improving me as a person, helping me to be happier, and serve my family better this year. Wish me luck!

Just in Case You're Wondering......

2009-12-30T13:27:00.003-07:00

....how our Christmas was.... it was fantastic. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but for one, my camera is on the blink, and for two, we didn't celebrate quite as traditionally as most would expect.

Christmas Day was about our Savior. We told P Doodle that Christmas was Jesus' birthday, and boy was he excited about that! All day long he was extra good to make sure he was doing things that make Jesus happy. We didn't have any mention of the big red guy, and we didn't open presents Christmas morning. We got up and had a fantastic Christmas breakfast, and then in the afternoon we celebrated by having a dinner with some of our neighbors - our adopted grandparents from the ward, and their daughter. The company was absolutely delightful, the food was great, and all in all it was a relaxing, enjoyable day that left us in the right frame of mind to think of our Savior and all that He has done for us.

We did of course make time to play with all of the fun presents that Grandmas and Grandpas sent for the kids. We opened some a bit early, and some Christmas Eve. Thanks for everything! We appreciate having so many people that love our kids so much!

To polish off my goal of gratitude here's the rest of my list. I'm thankful for:

My testimony.
My new cuisinart.
Some extra time off with my Honeybear!
Princess P's cute dance moves.....they always bring a smile.
Our new hand-me-down kitchen table that makes it possible to actually put food on while we eat....and have guests over too!
The beauty of snow.
The fact that I never have to shovel the snow....thanks to Brandon and P Doodle!
Friends that keep in touch.
Good books to read.
All of the days that Brandon gets up with the kids and lets me sleep in a bit.
Warm showers.
People that are willing to help out at church when we don't have enough hands.
Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. I think I've enjoyed that a little too much lately!
Movie nights with my sweetheart.

We hope all of you had a great Christmas as well, and wish you a Happy New Year!

Saving a Stamp or Two

2009-12-11T21:03:00.004-07:00

If I were the Christmas card sendin' sort of gal, (meaning if I could spend the money on the photos, cute paper, and stamps) this is what I would send to all of you:

Happy Holidays family and friends! We hope that this message finds you all well and happy. We've loved our first full year in our new (old) home and feel so blessed to be where we are. We really feel that the decision to move here to Vernal was an inspired one. We miss being close to family and friends, but we've found some adopted grandparents in the ward to keep us from being lonely! I have also found that I am not quite the city girl I thought I was......at times even Vernal feels too crazy to me.

Brandon has learned that being a homeowner has some drawbacks as well as the perks. Like, doing your own yardwork, fixing your own leaky faucets, and all of the "honey-do" projects that come along with updating and changing things to suit our tastes. We thought last Christmas that it would be so fun to finally be able to put up lights outside......it was so much work, we never really got around to it this year! Between work, church, daddy time and honey-do's he hasn't had as much time this last year for all the fishing he would like - although he did get in one special fishing trip! Brandon has also been working on some on-line credits through BYU to finish his degree. Anyone want to try that load? I'm sure glad I have him around to "git-r-done!"

I'm busy as usual being mom. My routine doesn't vary much, but to be honest, I wouldn't trade with anyone! I love being there for all of the "little things" that happen every day. I think I drive Brandon nuts with my list of "guess what happened today" when he comes home from work. Having three children in three years has taught me a lot of patience, love, and has brought me closer to my Savior as I've tried to learn to be more selfless and charitable. Knowing how much I love my children and want them to succeed reinforces my testimony that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us very much and gives us every opportunity to correct our mistakes and return to him.

P Doodle is "the biggest boy in the whole 'tire world!" He had a couple of milestones this year, including learning to pedal his own bike, and wearing big boy undies! Wahoo! Only two in diapers! P Doodle never ceases to amaze me with his excellent memory, and ability to understand the world around him. I always have to remind myself that he really is only three and that sometimes, I expect a lot of him because he acts so big. How would I describe him? He is his Daddy. He is funny, smart, athletic, and totally confident in his ability to do anything he puts his mind to. He is also sassy, and not about to do anything that he doesn't see a good reason for. He's my little man, and he takes good care of the rest of us while Daddy's gone at work! He's also a hard worker, and gets right in there whenever Daddy has a project going on, or Mom needs help around the house.

Babycakes has also had a big year. He has grown so much. His vocabulary exploded this year. He went from being our quiet easy going guy, to bursting with something to say all the time. Sometimes Mom is the only one who understands his words, but they are sure there! He's also learned his colors, most letters, and loves to count and look at books. While Doodle is Daddy's boy, Babycakes is Mama's. He loves to "nuggle" and the day just doesn't start right if it doesn't start with one. He is also getting to where he is not about to be left out of any big boy fun. He's our sweetheart and always has a hug and a smile for anyone.

Princess P has brought so much joy and happiness to our home this year. Brandon and I have both felt that she filled a space in our home that we didn't realize was missing anything until she came along. Her brothers love her and take good care of her......as long as she doesn't wreck their trains. She also has Daddy wrapped around her little finger already. Maybe he's just matured a bit, but he sure has enjoyed the baby stage a lot more this time around, and something tells me that "Daddy's girl" has something to do with that! She always saves her sweetest smiles for her Daddy. Princess P is on the go already; she crawls, and stands and can't wait to keep up with those brothers.

We're so grateful for all that we've been blessed with this year and send our best wishes to you this Christmas season!

Maybe someday I'll really send actual Christmas cards in the mail........

In keeping with my goal, here's what I'm grateful for today:

The comfort of a warm bowl of soup.
A warm house when it's -11 degrees outside! (Can you tell I'm cold?)
When the bagger at the grocery store offers to help me out to my car with my load and three kids.
A night off from cooking thanks to the ward Christmas party!