Swing

 

Joel made a tree swing this weekend.  It is really really simple, but the kids really like it.  They are so excited for the hotel/playhouse.  So am I!!

Completely off topic – Sage has some expressive eyebrows.  When she talks and is excited about something, she moves her eyebrows up and down.  It makes me smile every time!

Training wheels are OFF

It was seriously time.  He rocked it.  I think he fell once?  But he seriously just hopped on with no training wheels and took off.  Joel taught him how to start, but that was it!  He was a natural. 

Job well done Jack!

I loved Sage's excitement for Jack too.  She said, while stretching her arms out as wide as possible, "I feel this much love in my heart for Jack."  Too sweet.

 

Escape

Sometimes I wish there was something more interesting to do on the Internet.  Sometimes I just need an escape from reality.  Just a few minutes.  Just to breathe.  Just to cool calm and collect myself.  But really, there isn't much!  And it really is just a waste of time. 

There has been recent comments in the news about stay at home moms, not knowing what it means to work.  And sometimes I agree with that.  I look back at the day and think - what on earth have I accomplished??  Nothing!!  It makes me feel so lazy and useless.  I seriously tried!  But it just doesn't work out.  Not working sure takes a lot of work at times.

Ok. Reality is calling. The bathroom I just cleaned is poopy again. A certain cute baby wants to eat again. There is screaming and crying and kids just not getting along.   Dinner needs to be cooked. Oh to be needed and pulled in so many ways in the same moment.

Fortunately this time out was a little bit rejuvenating. 

And my front room is a disaster again...

Sage

Sage rocked her very first talk in Primary at church.   Rocked it.  She was confident, spoke loud and clearly, and only needed a few simple reminders of what to say.  It was really great and she felt proud.

Sage is the greatest big sister EVER.  Seriously.  She is super duper sweet to Charlotte, yes, but especially to Sam.  She is bright, she is funny, and wants to be a mom when she grows up.  She is a good singer and is good at telling stories too.  She is mature for a 3 year old – it is really hard for me to believe that she isn’t 4 yet.  She has been 4 in my mind for a long time. She is really good with recognizing her numbers and knows several letters.  Sage can be on the sensitive side, really needing cuddle/read book time throughout the day.  Sage still likes to change her clothes every 5 mins and to dress up as a princess.  She really is gorgeous.  She can absolutely take my breath away. 

In High School we studied William Yeats, the poet.  The poem A Prayer for my Daughter has always stuck out to me – though I don’t agree with his entire prayer for his Daughter, there are parts that I like.  It wishes her to be a hidden flourishing tree - which I always thought applied to me, but that is a whole other blog post.  But the part that I think of Sage is where he prays for her to be beautiful but not too beautiful so that she never knows a true friend.  Sage is that beautiful – so so beautiful.  I am happy for her but I am afraid that she will only get that message from people and the world, valuing her only for her looks, not seeing who she really is, making her feel that beauty is the only trait she has. Because it is not.  She really is super sweet and just so special.  I adore this girl of mine.

This picture is from when Bill and Katherine came a few weeks ago.  Bill was able to take a break with his Chemo and so they got to come and meet Sam for the first time.  It was a special time with that Billy boy.  Bill - now that is several other blog posts, a big long story.  That man.  He sure is a keeper.

Easter 2012

 

This is the only picture I took the entire Easter weekend…Oh, but she is so darn cute.  She is pretty opinionated about what she wears, but I like it!

Easter was really REALLY low key – but it was real nice.  Easter egg hunt with friends on the Saturday.  Sunday was just dinner.  We didn’t dye eggs until Monday.   That was it!

I hop my kids don’t feel jipped when they are older…

Charlotte is 2!

Charlotte's 2 yr old stats: 33.5 inches tall and 26.4 lbs. 50th percentile for both. She is extremely smart (doctor's words) Oh, and it turns out she had a double ear infection...mother of the year award - I had no idea!

Little Miss Charlotte.  She is sunshine.  Pure light.  It is hard to put into words her essence.  She is spunky.  She is funny.  Sweet.  Independent.  She is pure joy.

I love that she plays really well with Jack and Sage – running with them and thinking that she is part of the game.  She likes to be in the thick of things. She will play so nicely with them, but will definitely not be pressured into doing things.  She’ll let Jack have it when he has crossed the line. 

She is extremely smart.  EXTREMELY.  Yes, she is still learning to talk, but she understands EVERYTHING.  She is even able to see some letters and name what they are. 

Her eyes really are amazing.  Her eyebrows have a personality of their own.  She his dimples above them.  They are so expressive.  On a regular day her hair is usually down and her face is always filthy.  Since she potty trained herself  she loves to be naked.

Have I not shared that story?  A few weeks before her birthday she told me “No diap(er).  Bottom.”  And that was that!  We got the little potty out for her and she rocked on the pee.  She rocked it!  Poop  on the other hand…well.  She was so upset when she pooped her underwear.  And she wouldn’t tell me – she would try to take care of it herself.  Consequently there was poop EVERYWHERE.  The bathroom.  The laundry room.  Her bedroom.  The poopy footprints in the carpet in between the rooms.  The poop in my toes from walking in the laundry room.  We tried for 4 weeks and then I was done.  I didn’t discourage her, but I did not encourage her to do it.  I had a new baby, and she was just not getting it and I couldn’t always help her in the exact minute she needed it so I thought she just wasn’t ready.  I even put the pull-ups away and stopped mentioning the potty.  But she was insistent.  And just kept on wanting to do it.  If she needed to go, I’d take her.  But the poop thing was just not working out.  The week before her birthday I thought let’s give it one last go.  By golly, she got it.  No problem.  She even empties out her own toilet bowl.  It was all her.  She’s amazing!

 

  

Her new camera smile…yay…

And just for the record, a snap of her mullet before I cut it.  Looking at it now I wonder why we didn’t cut it earlier!  But as terrible as it looked down, she looked so darn cute with her hair up.

I love this girl to bits and pieces.  She is absolutely adorable.

Happy Bday Charly!!!

Something's Gotta Give

Wow - it has been WAY too long since I've had a moment to write. And I only have 5 right now before Jack comes home from school. But I've missed it. And I've missed so much! (Charlotte is now 2! Bill and Katherine came to visit. We are almost done with the fence. Jack is reading. Sage is giving her first talk on Sunday. And so much more!)

Joel and I were talking the other day about all my projects I want to get done, wanting to exercise more, and being able to blog. And he said that I can do whatever I want - but somethings gotta give. I say that I should wake up earlier and have some time to myself - but realistically that ain't gonna happen. I am still up 1 - 3 times a night to feed Sammy (who, by the way, is the CUTEST baby in the whole wide world).

But okay. Time is up. I am going to make it my new goal to type for 5 mins at least once a week.

Status Updates

I don't change my status very often on Facebook. But there are updates that I do think of doing, just never do. And they seem to be just one liners that doesn't seem to merit a blog post. So I thought I'd post a few here just to update the blog.

*Cut off 2 inches of Charly's hair - no more mullet! And she looks adorable.

*Seriously Jack? He has a new thing of pinching my back fat. The first time, I turned to swat him away and he was too close to me - it gave him a black eye...yeah, I'm a good mom.

*Charly woke up and said "No, diaper. Bottom." She decided she is ready to be potty trained...I'm not so committed.

*One side of the new fence completed!! So excited for our new backyard!

*We went out and bought sweet new sunglasses for everyone. Sage thinks she looks like Fancy Nancy now.

*"I do!" and "Mine!" are becoming Charly's mantras.

*Bought a soccer ball - Jack has shown great interest and is actually pretty good. Will probably try a team this summer.

*I've lost 13 lbs the past 5 weeks!! Yay to Weight Watchers! I'd be perfectly happy to lose only 15 - 20 lbs more and that would be my ideal weight.

*Went bowling with the family - totally fun! Only my left cheek was totally sore the next day...how sad is that?!

*Jack read me 1/2 of the Cat in the Hat! I love hearing him read. Totally exciting.

*These are seriously the nicest winters. Loving being outside.

*I could have 10 more babies like Sam. What a blessing he is.

*Folding laundry makes me not want to wash anymore...it is that bad.

*Joel put wheels on our couch so we could roll it in front of the computer - totally ghetto but actually really nice!

*Tired. Just tired.

*Sage is a Sunbeam at church! She likes it quite a bit. Her teacher is the mayor. She's a great lady.

*I love days off school! Love having Jack around. I sure love my kiddos.

2 months old

Mr. Sam is now 23 1/4 inches long (50th percentile) and weighs 13 lbs 6 oz  (90th percentile). He is still an amazing guy.  He is easy going and I totally adore him.  We all do.    

I am totally enjoying little guy.

Life with Sam

 

I don’t have a lot of time to write, but I just wanted to post some pictures of present day life.  We are surviving.  Sam is an amazingly good baby.  I am enjoying him so much.  The other kids have really been loving and adoring to him too.  I simply cannot express how my heart has swelled since being a mom.  It bursting so much it almost hurts.  I love LOVE my children.    They are each so special in their own individual way.  I am so blessed to be their mom.