It's a Boy!

It's a Boy! Woo hoo! Now, the task of finding names. You see, we have a tradition to hold up here. All of our kids have initials that spell something. We have an ARM, and ELM, and a TIM. But I am having a difficult time with names right now. Most of the ones my husband has come up with are awful. I can't stand the names he likes. Ugh. By April I have hope that this will be narrowed down and that we can finally agree on something to name our child!

Recharged

Every mom magazine/book I have ever read tells a mom to take time for herself. Okay, so I get five minutes here and five minutes there. Maybe once in a while I get ten minutes where I don't have kids demanding attention, the dishes needing to be done, or the laundry calling my name! And I admit, I get frustrated easily when I am tired, worn out, and just plain down in the dumps. This is what led up to the day I told Aunt Deb I was giving up because it was just too plain hard! And I was also feeling extremely guilty that I couldn't keep up with it all. After all, other women seem to have it all together, clean houses, well dressed children, well behaved children, etc. And the list never ends. I try not to compare myself, but I find the times I compare are the lowest!
I didn't intend to tell Aunt Deb how much I was struggling. After all, she had her own worries and did not need to worry about me too! I couldn't add to her burden. But somehow, she has this sixth sense. She always knows when I need help and she jumps in.
So, here comes Aunt Deb to the rescue! We planned a mom's night out, not just a couple of hours, but the entire night and most of the next day! She made reservations at a hotel for just me and her. We sent the kids, my husband, and her husband to her house about an hour away from Salt Lake! We went our own way and stopped for the night at the hotel! Aunt Deb treated me to dinner, a mani/pedi, and just some plain old adult conversation that was not interrupted by kids! What a treat for the soul. I needed that break to get recharged. I feel so much better. Nothing has changed except how I feel. I am so grateful for an Aunt who takes care of me when I need it most!
I would post pictures of our night out, but well, we didn't take time to take pictures. We were so busy having fun that pictures were the last thought on our minds! We got back to her house Saturday evening about dinner time. Then we enjoyed being back with the family, bunked down for the night, and I brought my family home Sunday morning in time to get ready for church.
So, I am recharged and ready to roll with the punches! I'm really back now!

I'm back, but still wacked!

So seriously, my hormones are so wacked right now. Earlier today I got mad at the neighbor kid because he told me I had the wrong garbage can from the middle of the circle! Are you kidding me? It was just a garbage can! And then I went inside and just wanted to cry. But my kids were all watching me. Oh my goodness, what an example I'm showing to them! Getting mad over a garbage can? The garbage can was the last straw in a series of events that led me over the edge. Not that I want to hash that out, but I seem to be trying to find some justification for losing it over a garbage can. Ugh.
On a brighter note, we had our family pictures taken almost two months ago. My sister in law took the pictures and she did an amazing job. But I also have the cutest and best looking family in the whole world! So enjoy the pictures.



We had a lot of fun having pictures taken. And I absolutely love the fall colors. The one time I felt that everything turned out the way we wanted it to! Did I mention that I think I have the most amazing family in the world? Somebody will likely need to remind me at a later date, possibly even tomorrow morning, that I just said that! :)

Taking a break

I feel like I've really been a slacker on my blog. I have found myself at a severe loss of words. Likely as a result of stress overload at this particular point. I need to take a break but don't know how long I need. Be patient, I will be back. I just need time to take care of other things in my life right now.

Musings on having a two year old boy!

I can't keep up.
I'm so tired.
I need a nap.
But he keeps going.
I sit down on the couch.
He climbs onto the table.
I push in all the chairs.
He pulls them out.
I put things out of reach.
He finds a way to get into them.

And the list keeps going. Things like, I say no, he does it anyway! Despite the troubles he causes in my home, there are lots of things I love about him.

I love the way he laughs (even when he knows he's getting in trouble).
I love his hugs and kisses.
I love that he is still so cuddly.
I love storytime with him.
I love watching him sleep.
I love his mischievous look when he's getting ready to cause trouble.
I love how he says mama and dada.
I love how he growls like his daddy.
I love how he gets mad when we take his socks off!

And this list can go on forever. I love my little guy and I can't believe he is two. He just had a birthday a couple of days ago, which we celebrated last night. He has grown up so much in the past six months. Sometimes I am sad that he has grown so fast, but to watch him become more independent, I love watching this stage too. Sad tears for days gone by that cannot be recaptured, but joyful tears for the times ahead that I get to share with him.

It pays to read with your children!

I've always heard that you should read to your children, it will help them even when they are babies. So with each of my children I have always emphasized the importance of books. We have filled our house with books. These books are readily accessible at any time to my children. We also take them to the library and let them experience different books. They have many opportunities to read. My children enjoy reading with me. Even my first grader, who can read on her own, still loves to sit and listen to stories. It has proved to be a wonderful experience for our family. It creates amazing opportunities for discussion and such between us and our children. I love to read to my children.
There are other benefits to reading to your children, or having them read to you! Over the summer there were multiple reading programs where the kids earned rewards for reading. Not that my kids needed any extra encouragement to read, but it was fun for them to mark their time and to eventually report their time at the end of the program. Even my two year old could participate in most of the programs.
First off there was the library program for kids and adults alike. We all spent time reading and received a free book in August. That was fun for the kids to go to the library and get to pick a new book, bring it home, and realize they didn't have to return it to the library in a couple of weeks! Oh the joy.
Then Amber participated in a program sponsored by the Utah State Fair for school age children. She only had to read 10 books by a certain date, I think by July. She had two or three months to read these 10 books. She completed it quickly. She would read a book and ask "Mom, will you write down this book for me?" It was fun to see her enthusiasm. So, just for reading 10 books, she received free admission to the fair, a free drink at the fair, and a free carnival ride at the fair. She also received a ribbon book mark.
The last program my kids all participated in was the Governor's summer reading challenge. I don't remember if they had a specific amount of time they had to read. But they had to read all summer long. Then we had to put their names on a postcard and say that they had completed the challenge. We sent that in to the Governor around the beginning or middle of September. The incentive for this program was to be a free kids meal for each of the children that completed the program. We just received that in the mail today. I was only expecting a kids meal certificate from McDonald's, but to our delight our kids received more than just a McDonald's kids meal. Here's what was in their package.
-- A certificate congratulating each of them on completing the program.
-- A McDonald's kids meal certificate for each of them.
-- A Chuck-A-Rama certificate for each of them.
-- A Sizzler kids meal certificate for each of them.
-- A Red Robin kids meal certificate for each of them.

The greatest part of all of these was that it was absolutely free to us! We did not have to pay to join the programs. We had such a wonderful opportunity to emphasize and encourage reading in our family this summer. We had so much fun and my kids are so excited to use their certificates. Yes, reading is wonderful, but it is even sweeter when the kids can get encouragement from a source outside of the home to read. I do hope they continue to love books and that reading will continue to be fun for them.

As a matter of fact, my two year old just fell down, came to me screaming, and has been comforted by a book. He is quietly sitting next to me looking at a book. The power of books is amazing. I am so grateful for the opportunities we have had because of books!

R.I.P. Trixie

When we brought Trixie home 8 years ago, she was an abused dog left at the shelter. She was so starved for attention. We brought her home, loved her, and played with her. Over the past couple of years we have watched her health decline. We knew there was nothing more we could do. She had become blind and deaf and could barely make it down the one step we had to get outside. In an act of mercy we decided to put her out of her misery and free her from the pain. She left our home on October 10, 2009.

Here are pictures of the kids with Trixie on her last morning with us. We will miss her, but know that she is not in pain anymore. She has been a faithful dog. She has been so patient with the kids. I couldn't have asked for a better dog. Rest in peace Trixie!