Yesterday in church it was Zane's turn to give the Jr. primary talk. This is his 3rd or 4th turn since sunbeams. When I told him about it he was really excited. He found a scripture he wanted to base his talk on, found a picture in his gospel art book and kept reminding me to write his talk. He chose Lehi and the Tree of Life. I wrote a short talk using words that he could read himself. He practiced by reading it over to Grammie S and Grandpa Dooley and Auntie Kizzy. Yesterday he was just vibrating and then it was his turn. He walked right up to the pulpit, took a big breath and read his talk. Just like that! I was soooo proud of him. All of his previous attempts have consisted of him hiding so no one could see him and being so scared he cried.
Cliff and I both had several people tell us what a great job he did and how proud they were of him. So good job Zane! You did a fantastic job!
And my girl in seminary that was mostly inactive at the beginning of the year has been coming to church with us, attending YW's and went to the temple with the youth in our ward on Saturday. I couldn't be more thrilled!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Girls Just Wanna Be Girls!
So 3 girlfriends and I went out last night. And we had a BLAST! We went to New Moon (for my posterity it's the 2nd in a series of vampire love stories). We all really enjoyed the movie. I thought they did a great job on following the story and bringing out the important parts. Some of the acting was a little cheesy but that's part of the fun of these movies. And then we went to Smuggler's for dessert. Oh yum. Cheesecake. Divine.
Cliff and one of the other dad's teamed up at our house and us two girls went together. It worked out great on all ends and after we got home our friends stayed and chatted until 11:30.
I'm so grateful for wonderful friends. As couples and as girlfriends. Not living close to my mom and sisters is hard and I miss them tons. But the Lord has blessed me so abundantly with friends here who make my life richer, fuller and really wonderful. And for that I'm grateful.
Cliff and one of the other dad's teamed up at our house and us two girls went together. It worked out great on all ends and after we got home our friends stayed and chatted until 11:30.
I'm so grateful for wonderful friends. As couples and as girlfriends. Not living close to my mom and sisters is hard and I miss them tons. But the Lord has blessed me so abundantly with friends here who make my life richer, fuller and really wonderful. And for that I'm grateful.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sometimes it's better to just walk away.....
So yesterday afternoon I walked into the kitchen and saw a yogurt mess on the table. Nothing serious....just an errant foil lid that had been smeared a little bit. I picked the lid up, tossed it and asked Rhett where the mess came from. He looked up from what he was doing to inspect what I was asking about and this was his answer:
"I don't know mom. It's your problem. It's not my problem".
Dumbfounded I asked him what he had just said and he repeated it - word for word.
I just walked away. And called mom and dad to report that their grandchild was still alive. Of course they burst out laughing. It's much better to be the grandparent.
On an unrelated note....it's going to be a very long 29 days until Santa. Brock has expressed interest in my tree today and is NOT impressed that his mother doesn't think this is a good idea. He also thinks he must walk everywhere and is figuring out his push truck rather well. And he was only up once last night (interject angels singing Hallelujah here). Made for a much more productive day today.
"I don't know mom. It's your problem. It's not my problem".
Dumbfounded I asked him what he had just said and he repeated it - word for word.
I just walked away. And called mom and dad to report that their grandchild was still alive. Of course they burst out laughing. It's much better to be the grandparent.
On an unrelated note....it's going to be a very long 29 days until Santa. Brock has expressed interest in my tree today and is NOT impressed that his mother doesn't think this is a good idea. He also thinks he must walk everywhere and is figuring out his push truck rather well. And he was only up once last night (interject angels singing Hallelujah here). Made for a much more productive day today.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wanted: a new lung please
Cough. Cough. Cough. Hack. Hack. Hack. Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.
These are the sounds echoing through my house and my chest these days. Stupid cold will not surrender and I'm starting to hurt. I'm resisting the urge to drag my butt into the doctor's because I'm fairly certain it's just a viral thing and I don't want to be in a concentrated area with other people sick with worst than I have. So that's my whining. Onto more pleasant things.
Zane is reading up a storm! He is loving reading and just can't get enough. It gives me warm fuzzies all over to see him curled up over a book and figuring out most of the words himself. It also makes me feel a little old.
Rhett is all of a sudden talking so much better and so much all the time! He is still my best whiner - we're working on that - and still has ZERO interest in potty training. I'm running out of ideas. Bribes aren't working. So I thought I'd try the leave-him-in-the-wet-pants-after-an- accident technique. I explained it to him, we stayed dry for a couple of potty rounds and then he peed. Not a lot, but enough to make his pants fairly wet. I told him I'd set the timer for 10 minutes and then we'd change him into dry stuff. Gave him a towel to sit on and went back to what I was doing. 10 minutes were up and he wouldn't come get dry! He stayed in his wet clothes for half an hour and didn't care a bit! GRRRRRRR. Can someone please give me a magic wand? But he continues to make me smile and laugh and melts my heart every day.
And Brock is a going concern. His latest trick is to climb onto of his walker. He likes to play with the toys on it when he's not actually sitting in it. So he crawls over, pulls himself up, and steps both feet up onto the plastic over the wheels. And there he stands oh so pleased with himself. Grinning from ear to ear. Oh my busy busy baby!
And I forgot to blog a couple of weeks ago about the great news that Cliff got. Trail has contracts with different builders in and around the city to supply the appliances for the houses those builders do. Some are bigger contracts than others and all of the sales guys have certain builders under them - so they get commission on the product going into those houses. Trail has been working for almost 2 years to get Laebon Homes to sign with them and they finally did. The great news is that it's become one of Cliff's builders! Laebon is one of the biggest builders up here so it's really a great thing. Congrats hon!
These are the sounds echoing through my house and my chest these days. Stupid cold will not surrender and I'm starting to hurt. I'm resisting the urge to drag my butt into the doctor's because I'm fairly certain it's just a viral thing and I don't want to be in a concentrated area with other people sick with worst than I have. So that's my whining. Onto more pleasant things.
Zane is reading up a storm! He is loving reading and just can't get enough. It gives me warm fuzzies all over to see him curled up over a book and figuring out most of the words himself. It also makes me feel a little old.
Rhett is all of a sudden talking so much better and so much all the time! He is still my best whiner - we're working on that - and still has ZERO interest in potty training. I'm running out of ideas. Bribes aren't working. So I thought I'd try the leave-him-in-the-wet-pants-after-an- accident technique. I explained it to him, we stayed dry for a couple of potty rounds and then he peed. Not a lot, but enough to make his pants fairly wet. I told him I'd set the timer for 10 minutes and then we'd change him into dry stuff. Gave him a towel to sit on and went back to what I was doing. 10 minutes were up and he wouldn't come get dry! He stayed in his wet clothes for half an hour and didn't care a bit! GRRRRRRR. Can someone please give me a magic wand? But he continues to make me smile and laugh and melts my heart every day.
And Brock is a going concern. His latest trick is to climb onto of his walker. He likes to play with the toys on it when he's not actually sitting in it. So he crawls over, pulls himself up, and steps both feet up onto the plastic over the wheels. And there he stands oh so pleased with himself. Grinning from ear to ear. Oh my busy busy baby!
And I forgot to blog a couple of weeks ago about the great news that Cliff got. Trail has contracts with different builders in and around the city to supply the appliances for the houses those builders do. Some are bigger contracts than others and all of the sales guys have certain builders under them - so they get commission on the product going into those houses. Trail has been working for almost 2 years to get Laebon Homes to sign with them and they finally did. The great news is that it's become one of Cliff's builders! Laebon is one of the biggest builders up here so it's really a great thing. Congrats hon!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Super Saturday
This is what I did at Super Saturday before going home sick....love the craft and how cute it is but it does panic me a little! I have so much to do before Christmas!9 months
He's 9 months old now! And got his first "real" haircut with clippers last night. Not sure who cried more - me or him. I wasn't expecting to cry...just started to come when Cliff started cutting. Sigh. I'm such a sap!
Anyways, at 9 months Brock is:
- 20.8 lbs - not a big change from last month
- 28 inches
- army crawling every where!
- pulling himself up on everything
- cruising around furniture
- has 5 teeth
- had his crib lowered last week
- waking up once a night still
- mostly in 12 month clothes
- has discovered how to open cupboard doors and pull stuff out
- forever crawling under things and getting places he shouldn't be
- tries to crawl through things and gets VERY frustrated when that isn't possible
- LOVES his bath time and tries to 'help' get his clothes off so he can get in faster
- finally likes potatoes
- will hold his bottle for a little while but gets distracted and usually ends up with milk everywhere
- loves music and starting to 'dance' when he hears some
- still very curious about Vato - sigh
Oh we love our baby boy!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Time flies
Wow. The last little while has really flown by! Here's what we've been up to:
- still adjusting to the whole pet thing
- all my blood work came back good - so no mono! Yeah!
- crossing fingers for no more strep this season or might have to get tonsils out. Boo!
- Brock is fast! He still army crawls but can move! And he's creeping and pulling himself up on everything and has figured out how to open my cupboard doors and pull stuff out. He keeps me hopping!
- we had a great time at our trunk or treat. Sorry, forgot to take pictures. Zane was Batman, Rhett was Spiderman and I went as a hiker with Brock in a baby back pack that we borrowed from some friends.
- attended Zane's costume parade at school. He was THRILLED to see us.
- Halloween Rhett was hacking up a lung and running a slight fever and Cliff wasn't feeling great and Brock had a runny nose so the boys stayed home with Daddy and I took Brock and went to adult session of stake conference. The sickies snuck in a little trick-or-treating but got rained out about 20 mins after starting
- I sang in the choir for Stake Conference on the Sunday session
- and this last week has been taken up with various members of the family being in various stages of sickness. GROSS! So tired of our house being sick. Hopefully another couple of days and all will be good again.
- and this took me almost a week to finish!
- still adjusting to the whole pet thing
- all my blood work came back good - so no mono! Yeah!
- crossing fingers for no more strep this season or might have to get tonsils out. Boo!
- Brock is fast! He still army crawls but can move! And he's creeping and pulling himself up on everything and has figured out how to open my cupboard doors and pull stuff out. He keeps me hopping!
- we had a great time at our trunk or treat. Sorry, forgot to take pictures. Zane was Batman, Rhett was Spiderman and I went as a hiker with Brock in a baby back pack that we borrowed from some friends.
- attended Zane's costume parade at school. He was THRILLED to see us.
- Halloween Rhett was hacking up a lung and running a slight fever and Cliff wasn't feeling great and Brock had a runny nose so the boys stayed home with Daddy and I took Brock and went to adult session of stake conference. The sickies snuck in a little trick-or-treating but got rained out about 20 mins after starting
- I sang in the choir for Stake Conference on the Sunday session
- and this last week has been taken up with various members of the family being in various stages of sickness. GROSS! So tired of our house being sick. Hopefully another couple of days and all will be good again.
- and this took me almost a week to finish!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
I have Survived....
having a pet for one week. And we're both still here.
Things I like about having a dog:
The walks, the tail wagging when he sees us, my kids playing with him, my kids getting over any fear they had of dogs, petting, loyalty, crazy antics in the backyard when he doesn't know I'm watching
Things I DON'T like about having a dog:
The wet smell, the shedding, the one-more-thing-to-think-about on my daily list, the dog not being crate trained and wanting to sleep on my couch
I have survived.....
another bought of Strep Throat....we think. If my swab tests positive it will be #3 in 6 weeks. Yuck. So my wonderful doc gave me different drugs and a bunch of blood work. He's testing my thyroid, liver, and for mono. Yep, mono. Gross. So hoping that one doesn't come back positive. Drugs are making me feel pretty good but by the end of the day throat is still a little sore. Hot lemonade with honey is my friend.
I have survived.....
Brock starting to crawl. It's army crawling but he's crawling and moving fast. He's pretty determined to get under the table where Vato lives when he's inside and I'm just as determined to keep him out of there.
I have survived.....
multiple years of no sleep and no end in sight to sleepless nights. Sigh.
I have survived. And grown. And learned. And come out smiling....mostly.
Things I like about having a dog:
The walks, the tail wagging when he sees us, my kids playing with him, my kids getting over any fear they had of dogs, petting, loyalty, crazy antics in the backyard when he doesn't know I'm watching
Things I DON'T like about having a dog:
The wet smell, the shedding, the one-more-thing-to-think-about on my daily list, the dog not being crate trained and wanting to sleep on my couch
I have survived.....
another bought of Strep Throat....we think. If my swab tests positive it will be #3 in 6 weeks. Yuck. So my wonderful doc gave me different drugs and a bunch of blood work. He's testing my thyroid, liver, and for mono. Yep, mono. Gross. So hoping that one doesn't come back positive. Drugs are making me feel pretty good but by the end of the day throat is still a little sore. Hot lemonade with honey is my friend.
I have survived.....
Brock starting to crawl. It's army crawling but he's crawling and moving fast. He's pretty determined to get under the table where Vato lives when he's inside and I'm just as determined to keep him out of there.
I have survived.....
multiple years of no sleep and no end in sight to sleepless nights. Sigh.
I have survived. And grown. And learned. And come out smiling....mostly.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Adding to the Family....
No - we're not pregnant. You can start breathing again. We've added a four legged member of the family.....
Introducing Voto (va-toe). He's 10 months old and has been answering to this name for that long so we figured we'd keep it. Zane was pretty keen on naming him Anakin but we convinced him that Voto was a cool enough name. So, here's his story. He's a Rottie-Jack Russel cross and was given to a family's son by his girlfriend and he's not home enough for a dog so he took him out to the farm for mom and the grandparents to look after. But they already had 2 HUGE dogs (as big as Rhett - seriously) and one more was just too much. So they advertised on Kijji, Cliff saw the add, we've been going back and forth for the last couple of days and today we brought him home. He's neutered and has his puppy shots so we don't have that head ache. He's great with other dogs and kids - been exposed lots to little ones. And he comes, sits, learns fast, doesn't bark, isn't hyper, doesn't jump up and loves to chase cats. If I had to describe a perfect dog all of those things would be on the list. He hasn't tried to chew anything, listens to me great and is just so mellow. So far a great addition to our family.
And although some think this choice is completely random and sudden for our family, Cliff and I have always talked about having a dog. I never had a pet at all growing up and Cliff usually did so we come from different perspectives. But there are lots of things that a pet can provide for a family and for kids and we decided that now was a good time. Zane's already pretty confidant around him - Voto sat in the back of the van next to him for the ride home and kept getting closer and closer to Zane. Zane was thrilled "mom, I think he likes me!" And 5 minutes after getting home even Rhett was cautiously patting him on the head. Brock is politely disinterested right now.
So here's to our new adventure!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
8 Months!
OK, so he was 8 months a week ago.... Life is busy!
But Brock at 8 months is soooo much fun! Things he's up to:
- loves to stand up against anything
- starting to shuffle along things
- pulled himself up in his crib from sitting
- goes from his tummy to his bum when it suits him
- scoots but doesn't crawl
- loves paper, cords etc - anything that he shouldn't have
- blows raspberries ALL the time!
- loves to give the baby in the mirror kisses
- doesn't make strange
- reaches his arms to go to mom or dad
- thinks that Rhett and Zane are the BEST
- makes a funny clicking sound
- has 3 teeth cut and almost a 4th
- won't hold his own bottle - makes for good cuddles
- still has poof hair
- is a screecher
- usually has 2 good naps a day
- still doesn't like travelling for more than an hour
- is 19.6 lbs and about 28 inches....hard to measure a squirmy little person!
- likes most everything I've given him to eat
- says da da da all the time
- is usually up once or twice a night
- loves baths - especially if he gets one all by himself
- loves to walk all over the place if you hold his hands
- is a happy happy little boy
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Reward
This is my new hair....well, old hair but new color and freshened up cut. I hit my 20lb mark last week and decided to reward my self with a non-edible reward. So today I got it foiled and cut. And I'm going to try and repress how much it cost because I LOVE it.
So, 20 down, lots to go!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Cliff is 31!
OK, so this should have been the title of my post yesterday. And no, I didn't really forget my hubby's birthday. I gave him a birthday kiss first thing, wished him happy birthday as he left for the day and called to see how his day was going....and didn't see him again until midnight! My wonderful hubby had YMs on his birthday and a volley ball practice to go as well so wasn't home to celebrate with. We'll probably do cake on Friday. Or maybe pie. I'm kinda craving banana cream pie. But if I make something I'm really craving I'll just eat more of it and that kinda defeats the whole exercise every morning thing. But I digress!
I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man. Some of his wonderfulness includes:
- he really, really, really loves me
- he's such a great dad!
- he works so hard
- he plays hard
- fulfills his church callings
- is handy around the house
- doesn't roll his eyes every time I ask a sports question....even if I've asked before
- pretty much lets me have my way on everything
- thinks I'm an awesome cook
- doesn't get cranky at me near as often as I get cranky at him
- NEVER complains about the house being a mess or supper not ready when he gets home
- supports me in my calling
Are you getting bored of reading about my wonderful hubby?
I could go on and on but I won't. I'll just say that I am married to a pretty incredible man and I'm thankful everyday for that blessing.
I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man. Some of his wonderfulness includes:
- he really, really, really loves me
- he's such a great dad!
- he works so hard
- he plays hard
- fulfills his church callings
- is handy around the house
- doesn't roll his eyes every time I ask a sports question....even if I've asked before
- pretty much lets me have my way on everything
- thinks I'm an awesome cook
- doesn't get cranky at me near as often as I get cranky at him
- NEVER complains about the house being a mess or supper not ready when he gets home
- supports me in my calling
Are you getting bored of reading about my wonderful hubby?
I could go on and on but I won't. I'll just say that I am married to a pretty incredible man and I'm thankful everyday for that blessing.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
pictures.....
Some pics from the last month! Brock is getting more mobile by the day...and the other two are as crazy as ever!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Quick Updates
Now that I've got the last post finally done and posted I can do some updates!
Rhett:
Still potty training but doing a little bit better every day. He's staying dry for the most part....it's still usually me saying it's potty time but today he told me he had to go twice. PROGRESS! He still refuses to poop. Slow and steady. We'll get there. We're going through a lot of tootsie pop suckers. He gets a sticker for staying dry and a sticker for going pee. After all the boxes are filled up he gets a sucker. We started at 10 boxes and are up to 12 before he gets a sucker. He's also getting into his groove without Zane here. His imagination is exploding! Since he's home all day and "in charge" he's always playing little games, telling me my part and really being fun to have at home.
Zane:
Still loving school. Some of his friends are a little more colorful than I would like but that's what happens when a lot of your friends have older siblings and different standards than you. He's always excited to come home and tell me the best part of his day. AND his two front teeth that have been missing for almost 3 years due to cavities have FINALLY started coming back in. He told Auntie Lishie that the best part was that mommy wouldn't have to slice up his apples anymore.
Brock:
Trying sooooo hard to be mobile. Can move around on his tummy a little but not anywhere near what he wants to. HATES moving backwards when he's trying to go forwards. He's starting to get up on his hands and knees and rock...won't be long before he's mobile! He loves to balance against things, touch and taste everything, and has quit sleeping through the night. The stinker! He's also bigger than Zane was at this age. HUGE growth spurt. Oh yeah. And has developed a screech that can shatter glass....I swear. My head aches all day.
Me:
Trying to juggle lots of balls. Some days I do good, some days I don't. Slowly feeling like we're getting into the groove of routine and making lists of things to do in the next couple of months!
Cliff:
New venture leader in the ward. Looking forward to volleyball league starting up again and doing a great job at supporting me in everything. Totally became the boys hero (he was already...just further cemented that status today.) He came home from work with a Foosball table. Saw it for FREE on kiji and now it's sitting in my living room. Yep. In my already overcrowded living room. Sigh. I just keep telling myself that one day I will have a room all to myself. Sewing, reading, hiding from males.....yep. It'll be great.
I think we're busy and then I listen to other people's lives and I'm soooo glad for our little world!
Life is good...most days!
Rhett:
Still potty training but doing a little bit better every day. He's staying dry for the most part....it's still usually me saying it's potty time but today he told me he had to go twice. PROGRESS! He still refuses to poop. Slow and steady. We'll get there. We're going through a lot of tootsie pop suckers. He gets a sticker for staying dry and a sticker for going pee. After all the boxes are filled up he gets a sucker. We started at 10 boxes and are up to 12 before he gets a sucker. He's also getting into his groove without Zane here. His imagination is exploding! Since he's home all day and "in charge" he's always playing little games, telling me my part and really being fun to have at home.
Zane:
Still loving school. Some of his friends are a little more colorful than I would like but that's what happens when a lot of your friends have older siblings and different standards than you. He's always excited to come home and tell me the best part of his day. AND his two front teeth that have been missing for almost 3 years due to cavities have FINALLY started coming back in. He told Auntie Lishie that the best part was that mommy wouldn't have to slice up his apples anymore.
Brock:
Trying sooooo hard to be mobile. Can move around on his tummy a little but not anywhere near what he wants to. HATES moving backwards when he's trying to go forwards. He's starting to get up on his hands and knees and rock...won't be long before he's mobile! He loves to balance against things, touch and taste everything, and has quit sleeping through the night. The stinker! He's also bigger than Zane was at this age. HUGE growth spurt. Oh yeah. And has developed a screech that can shatter glass....I swear. My head aches all day.
Me:
Trying to juggle lots of balls. Some days I do good, some days I don't. Slowly feeling like we're getting into the groove of routine and making lists of things to do in the next couple of months!
Cliff:
New venture leader in the ward. Looking forward to volleyball league starting up again and doing a great job at supporting me in everything. Totally became the boys hero (he was already...just further cemented that status today.) He came home from work with a Foosball table. Saw it for FREE on kiji and now it's sitting in my living room. Yep. In my already overcrowded living room. Sigh. I just keep telling myself that one day I will have a room all to myself. Sewing, reading, hiding from males.....yep. It'll be great.
I think we're busy and then I listen to other people's lives and I'm soooo glad for our little world!
Life is good...most days!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On the Same Side
I've been wanting to write this blog for a couple of weeks now...but blogger and I were having issues with my new email address. Now that it's figured out I'm back. (I know, you were all really worried, weren't you?)
So I've been trying really hard to get up in the morning, do my seminary reading, and then leave the house and go for my walk/jog. I listen to some great music and try to think about all sorts of different things. My one rule - I can't think about things that stress me out like finances, potty training, lack of sleep....you get the picture.
A couple of weeks ago my great friend Leslie sent me an email about whales and mermaids. Have you seen it? I had before but really enjoyed reading it again. If you haven't seen it the Reader's Digest version is that some hot new gym is advertising for new clients with a poster asking : Do you want to be a Mermaid or a Whale this summer?
One fantastic woman writes a letter to the gym pointing out all of the wonderful positives of whales, listing their social networks, talents, love and family etc. While the mermaid is pointed out to not exist and that she would have extreme issues if she did actually exist. The woman ends the letter by stating that she would rather be a whale.
And where does this all fit in you ask? It fits in because it is was one of the thoughts I had while out in the morning. And I too thought that I would rather be a whale....an in shape and smaller sized whale, but a whale. I want to be surrounded by family and friends, have great talents, great love and enjoy life. And as I thought about this I thought about me when I was skinnier - after I achieved my last weight loss - and the thought I had was "even though I was smaller than I have ever been I was still struggling with the idea of being fat. I had programmed myself to that for so long that my brain was having a hard time matching up the person in the mirror and the person in my head. My next thought was that when I again achieved that weight loss I would have to work on my self image. I mulled this over for a few blocks but then came to the conclusion that I needed to start working on it now...not wait until I was nice and skinny again. From there I started thinking about all the different things my body and I have been through and here's some of what I came up with:
- 3 babies
- 2 miscarriages
- gall bladder removal
- D&C
- weight gain and loss
- sleep deprivation
- pancreatitis
- sick babies
- sick hubby
- sick me
- lots of love
- lots of laughing
- lots of hugs and kisses
- depression and climbing out of the hole
- several hair colors
- several hair styles
- lots of fashion bads
- learning how to dress better
- growing up
- and many other things
Some negative, some positive. But as I examined my list I realized that for a lot of things I was thinking of me and my body as separate. Not like an out-of-body experience or anything like that. More that there was me and then there was the physical me and the two me's seem to be at odds a lot of the time. Does that make sense or do you think I'm totally crazy. If you think I'm crazy don't answer. For instance, most people know that I am continuing the battle of weight. This is probably the biggest area where I feel like me and my body me are at odds. I've always felt like I was fighting against my body to get to where I wanted it to be. But as I thought about this - and by this time I hit the dreaded hill that I run up - I started thinking that instead of fighting each other, me and my body me need to get on the same page and start working together. I'm still working on how exactly to do this. One thing I am trying to do is to not put so much pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight right now. Yes, I'm working at it. Yes, it's not coming off as fast as I want it to. BUT I am still working on it. And slowly I'm seeing results. I know that I'll get there. I'm trying to recognize my limits more....slow down a bit and recognize that I know a lot of wonderful women who can juggle a lot more balls than I can....and that's OK. I need to the best that I can do. And I try to remind myself every day that me and my body are on the same side.
So I've been trying really hard to get up in the morning, do my seminary reading, and then leave the house and go for my walk/jog. I listen to some great music and try to think about all sorts of different things. My one rule - I can't think about things that stress me out like finances, potty training, lack of sleep....you get the picture.
A couple of weeks ago my great friend Leslie sent me an email about whales and mermaids. Have you seen it? I had before but really enjoyed reading it again. If you haven't seen it the Reader's Digest version is that some hot new gym is advertising for new clients with a poster asking : Do you want to be a Mermaid or a Whale this summer?
One fantastic woman writes a letter to the gym pointing out all of the wonderful positives of whales, listing their social networks, talents, love and family etc. While the mermaid is pointed out to not exist and that she would have extreme issues if she did actually exist. The woman ends the letter by stating that she would rather be a whale.
And where does this all fit in you ask? It fits in because it is was one of the thoughts I had while out in the morning. And I too thought that I would rather be a whale....an in shape and smaller sized whale, but a whale. I want to be surrounded by family and friends, have great talents, great love and enjoy life. And as I thought about this I thought about me when I was skinnier - after I achieved my last weight loss - and the thought I had was "even though I was smaller than I have ever been I was still struggling with the idea of being fat. I had programmed myself to that for so long that my brain was having a hard time matching up the person in the mirror and the person in my head. My next thought was that when I again achieved that weight loss I would have to work on my self image. I mulled this over for a few blocks but then came to the conclusion that I needed to start working on it now...not wait until I was nice and skinny again. From there I started thinking about all the different things my body and I have been through and here's some of what I came up with:
- 3 babies
- 2 miscarriages
- gall bladder removal
- D&C
- weight gain and loss
- sleep deprivation
- pancreatitis
- sick babies
- sick hubby
- sick me
- lots of love
- lots of laughing
- lots of hugs and kisses
- depression and climbing out of the hole
- several hair colors
- several hair styles
- lots of fashion bads
- learning how to dress better
- growing up
- and many other things
Some negative, some positive. But as I examined my list I realized that for a lot of things I was thinking of me and my body as separate. Not like an out-of-body experience or anything like that. More that there was me and then there was the physical me and the two me's seem to be at odds a lot of the time. Does that make sense or do you think I'm totally crazy. If you think I'm crazy don't answer. For instance, most people know that I am continuing the battle of weight. This is probably the biggest area where I feel like me and my body me are at odds. I've always felt like I was fighting against my body to get to where I wanted it to be. But as I thought about this - and by this time I hit the dreaded hill that I run up - I started thinking that instead of fighting each other, me and my body me need to get on the same page and start working together. I'm still working on how exactly to do this. One thing I am trying to do is to not put so much pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight right now. Yes, I'm working at it. Yes, it's not coming off as fast as I want it to. BUT I am still working on it. And slowly I'm seeing results. I know that I'll get there. I'm trying to recognize my limits more....slow down a bit and recognize that I know a lot of wonderful women who can juggle a lot more balls than I can....and that's OK. I need to the best that I can do. And I try to remind myself every day that me and my body are on the same side.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
7 Months....
Where has time gone? How is this baby already 7 months old? Sigh.At 7 months old Brock....
- is DYING to be mobile. He gets himself onto his tummy and waves his arms and legs and screeches, scoots backwards and screeches more because he's not going anywhere
- is starting to butt scoot in a circle as he reaches for his toys and stuff
- eating more....
- is 19.2 lbs!
- has a cold and a growth spurt at the same time - makes for some long nights
- thinks hiccoughs are hilarious
- LOVES the big boy bath with his brothers
- rolled off the ottoman the other day when I was trying to get a diaper on him. He was not impressed when he hit the floor.
- likes to watch football with Daddy
- likes books, bead necklaces, anything that makes noise
- is getting very grabby - little arms and hands always reaching and trying to get things
- moved out of the infant car seat
- is starting to get a few forward steps in the walker
- wears mostly 6-12 month clothes
- loves to sit and "play" the piano
- starts to cry when one of his brothers cry
- is all smiles when he sees mom
- starting to squawk a bit when I walk away from him
- thinks mom wears earrings and necklaces for his entertainment
- makes me smile and laugh every day
- makes me smile and laugh every day
Monday, September 07, 2009
Tales of the Potty....
So we've started potty training with Rhett. Shoot me now. He has ZERO interest. So why am I persisting than? Because he really is ready, he just doesn't want to take the time to do it. So, anyways he was sitting on the potty today while I ready him a story and about half way through the story he says
R: Mommy, my penis is broken
M: Your penis is broken?
R: Yes, it's broken. There's no pee in it.
M: Well, it's not broken but if there's no pee in it you can go.
I just about died laughing! Which is a good thing because by the end of the day I was ready to smoke him one. He doesn't care if he's wet, doesn't want to sit, won't take the bribe, won't teach a bear to go pee, screams all the way down the hall, and won't make the easy choice - sit on the potty and you can go outside or that kind of thing. Instead he screams and cries and declares he doesn't want to! ARG. As soon as he decides that wearing underwear is a good thing and the whole potty thing is a good thing he'll be good in like 2 days. It's just getting there.
Hopefully I'll get more sleep in the next couple of nights....Brock has a cold and a growth spurt. Means little sleep for mommy. Wish me luck!
R: Mommy, my penis is broken
M: Your penis is broken?
R: Yes, it's broken. There's no pee in it.
M: Well, it's not broken but if there's no pee in it you can go.
I just about died laughing! Which is a good thing because by the end of the day I was ready to smoke him one. He doesn't care if he's wet, doesn't want to sit, won't take the bribe, won't teach a bear to go pee, screams all the way down the hall, and won't make the easy choice - sit on the potty and you can go outside or that kind of thing. Instead he screams and cries and declares he doesn't want to! ARG. As soon as he decides that wearing underwear is a good thing and the whole potty thing is a good thing he'll be good in like 2 days. It's just getting there.
Hopefully I'll get more sleep in the next couple of nights....Brock has a cold and a growth spurt. Means little sleep for mommy. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
First day of First Grade...
Well. Here he is. All ready for the first day of the first grade. He was VIBRATING! Seriously. Was ready to go almost half an hour before it was time to leave.
So we walked to school, I showed him where to put his shoes, reminded him of a few things, asked his teacher a quick question and got a "bye mom" as he headed for his table. We were able to go yesterday and meet the new teacher and drop off school supplies and stuff like that so he already felt comfortable. It's hard to go home crying over my 'baby' being in first grade when he's so obviously excited. And I'm glad that he's so enthusiastic. Here's hoping he's always that excited to start a new grade!
And then came the wait. Rhett was quite upset when Zane was getting ready to leave....ran to find a back pack so he could go to. And then asked all day when Zane was coming home. BUT he was so fun. He built castles, played games, and just entertained himself. We played some games, he helped me with laundry and it was really fun to have him home. Brock slept a lot today so it was almost like having just one at home.
And then more waiting.....at 3:00 I started watching the clock. At 3:05 I thought, the bell has rung and started getting snack ready. You're thinking, snack ready? Shouldn't you have left for the school already? Well, Zane and his friend Damien got to walk home by themselves. And so I started watching out of my windows and about 5 minutes later I saw two blurs go by the post boxes at the end of the alley and here they came! Zane said they ran the whole way. But I was so proud of him. He did just like I asked him to, walked on the right side of the road, and remembered all of his stuff. It was so fun to see him come in pumped up from all the new stuff, and bursting to tell me stuff. Oh, and starving too. Still doesn't eat a lot at school. As he was filling me in (OK I had to strategically ask questions to get the answers I wanted) he all of a sudden stops and says "And you know what the best part of the whole day was mom? We got to ride the tire swings today!" His whole face was just glowing. Priceless!
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Things I've Learned...and 10 Things Again!
I had plans to do one last post for August...figured I'd finish it off with a bang and do my overdue 10 Things to Remember lists again. But that didn't happen. I drove home from Raymond Saturday night (a great plan I thought since Brock hates his car seat but it kinda back fired since he didn't sleep the whole way as planned) and by the time I got home I realized that I was seriously sick. Fever, horribly sore throat, and achiness. Yep, Strep. Of course I couldn't see my doctor until yesterday and by then I could hardly swallow ANYTHING! And the swelling was getting so bad I could hardly talk. Thankfully, the antibiotics he prescribed are working FABULOUSLY and I am almost back to normal. But don't worry. I'll finish every last pill....don't need a repeat episode. And from that long winded, round about explanation, I have learned some things:
1. I need to pay more attention to me and what's going on with my body - see I'd had a scratchy throat and head ache for a couple of days and Saturday it just got worse as the day went on. Had I been paying attention I could have avoided a lot of pain and yuckiness.
2. My bright ideas are not always bright and I have to improvise
3. I have the most fabulous hubby. He took all 3 kids to church by himself on Sunday so I could stay home and sleep and stayed home from work yesterday. He did tons around the house and with the kids and just let me sleep or veg. Yup, he's a keeper.
4. I was reminded again of how thankful I am of modern medicine.
So today I've been folding laundry, dishes and all the boring things that need to get done around the house. I need to get seminary organized, Zane organized for school, and a couple more reminder calls for piano. But I'm taking a break. Time to do the 10 Things that I've been meaning to do....
10 THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT.....
ZANE:
1. You've grown up so much over the summer! You like your independence when it suits your purposes but still like to pull out the "I can't do that" pout when you don't want to do something
2. You make Brock giggle like crazy
3. You learned how to carry Brock even though it still gives me a heart attack
4. You stayed at the park all by yourself in Raymond
5. You loved running in and out and jumping on the tramp and playing games all over the yard in Raymond
6. You did so much better with Auntie Lishie and Uncle Jay's dogs the last 2 times we saw them
7. You have played so hard this summer and have the tan, bruises, scratches and scars to prove it
8. You make friends so easily. At the beach, at the park, or down the road. You have a talent to play with anyone
9. You're excited to go back to school
10. You're still my cuddly little boy under all that dirt!
RHETT:
1. Your hat obsession...you must wear it at all times, and it must be turned ever so slightly to the right. No matter how many times I straighten it out, you turn it back. It must feel better that way
2. Your stubborn insistence that you aren't 'big enough' for some things like putting your shoes on or wearing underwear
3. Your obsession with blue - you insist on a blue cup, a blue plate...if there's a choice of color you will pick blue
4. You adore Zane. And want to be with him always. I'm anticipating a rough week or so when Zane starts school in a couple of days.
5. You love to mug on Brock...and have found some tickle spots. You two will be great friends
6. When we're in Raymond you always want to know where Grandma and Papa are.
7. You loved helping Grandma with the strawberries and raspberries. Your attention span wasn't long but you had fun bringing the buckets back to the house and scouting for tomatoes!
8. Whenever you wrestle with Daddy and Zane you always switch sides to whoever is "winning"
9. Sometimes you like to pray, sometimes you don't
10. You still ask me every night "mommy, you sleep with me?" even though you know I will come and cuddle with you until you go to sleep. It's wonderful to be so loved!
BROCK:
1. You sleep through the night most nights
2. You are still so drooley even though you've cut your bottom teeth
3. You have smiles for everyone
4. Your hair is blond and sticks up everywhere! Grandpa Dooley says it looks like a dandelion that's ready to be blown.
5. You rock from side to side as soon as you're standing or sitting on someone. Grammie S calls you Rockin' Brock
6. You're appetite for real food is getting bigger
7. You're starting to think about getting up on all fours and rocking....won't be long until you're crawling
8. You are still a tight wad with giggles. And when Grandpa Dooley informed you of this you laughed at him. He thought it was very rude.
9. You HATE your car seat for trips longer than half an hour...grrr.
10. You're changing so fast that it makes me sad...but it's so fun to watch you grow and learn!
CLIFF:
1. You were such a great Mr. Mom while I was sick...you unpacked, did dishes, laundry, fed kids, put Brock down for naps, even took all 3 to church....Meant so much!
2. Passing your love of golf and sports onto the boys. I think it made Zane's year when you took him golfing Trevor, Kegan, Trent and Parker. Those 3 little boys were in heaven.
3. Your handiness around the house. The tiles in the bathroom look awesome and I love the new fence and gate.
4. Your moral support - no matter what.
5. Trying to lead our family with the spirit
6. How your face lights up when you play with the boys
7. You're right - we would make a horrible team if we played charades! I can't act and you can't guess!
8. Teaching the boys magic tricks! They LOVE it!
9. You and Trent making chili for the ward party and making it as hot and spicy as you could. You only called 3 or 4 times to ask what to buy and how to make it! (I was in Raymond and Jennie was out of town to. Thanks for using their kitchen!)
10. How much you miss me when I'm gone...I miss you tons to!
ME:
1. I can't believe how fast summer went by! I hope I did enough with the kids to make great memories and build anticipation for next summer.
2. I'm not as far along on losing the baby weight as I wanted to be but I'm still trying
3. I had to admit to myself, to Cliff and a few of my closest friends that I was battling some depression. That was hard. Still have some hard days but mostly back on track now.
4. Trying to keep mind from racing in so many directions as I think of everything...seminary, piano lessons, kid stuff, Cliff's calling.....
5. Trying to recognize the spirit more in my life and record those instances down to remind, help and encourage my family when they look back on this record later in life
6. So glad I've kept this blog...it's my journal and it's so fun to look back, pick a month and read the entries. So much I've forgotten! Makes the effort worth it!
7. I miss quilting. Not sure where I'm going to fit it in this fall/winter with everything else going on but I'm really hoping to get a couple of projects done!
8. Excited to be an auntie soon! So glad it's Alisha and Rikki who are pregnant and not me!
9. Dreading the potty training with Rhett. Ugh.
10. I know that I've got things worked out in my head...and some on paper...just anxious to get the next couple of weeks going and over with to see if everything I've got worked out is actually going to work...and to find out what isn't going to work and needs changing. Hoping it doesn't take us too long to settle back into a routine.
OUR FAMILY....
1. Having 3 boys is so much fun!
2. Some of the highlights of the summer - family visited and coming to visit - beach visits, the corn maze....we made some good memories!
3. Far from perfect...some days we fight, some days we don't. But we always love each other!
4. We like to play UNO together
5. Watch a lot of sports together....sigh.
6. Sometimes we have great FHE nights...and sometimes we don't. Still working on it.
7. Have some great new pictures thanks to Rhonda
8. Is looking forward to new cousins soon
9. Probably won't be back to southern Alberta until Christmas
10. Love each other
1. I need to pay more attention to me and what's going on with my body - see I'd had a scratchy throat and head ache for a couple of days and Saturday it just got worse as the day went on. Had I been paying attention I could have avoided a lot of pain and yuckiness.
2. My bright ideas are not always bright and I have to improvise
3. I have the most fabulous hubby. He took all 3 kids to church by himself on Sunday so I could stay home and sleep and stayed home from work yesterday. He did tons around the house and with the kids and just let me sleep or veg. Yup, he's a keeper.
4. I was reminded again of how thankful I am of modern medicine.
So today I've been folding laundry, dishes and all the boring things that need to get done around the house. I need to get seminary organized, Zane organized for school, and a couple more reminder calls for piano. But I'm taking a break. Time to do the 10 Things that I've been meaning to do....
10 THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT.....
ZANE:
1. You've grown up so much over the summer! You like your independence when it suits your purposes but still like to pull out the "I can't do that" pout when you don't want to do something
2. You make Brock giggle like crazy
3. You learned how to carry Brock even though it still gives me a heart attack
4. You stayed at the park all by yourself in Raymond
5. You loved running in and out and jumping on the tramp and playing games all over the yard in Raymond
6. You did so much better with Auntie Lishie and Uncle Jay's dogs the last 2 times we saw them
7. You have played so hard this summer and have the tan, bruises, scratches and scars to prove it
8. You make friends so easily. At the beach, at the park, or down the road. You have a talent to play with anyone
9. You're excited to go back to school
10. You're still my cuddly little boy under all that dirt!
RHETT:
1. Your hat obsession...you must wear it at all times, and it must be turned ever so slightly to the right. No matter how many times I straighten it out, you turn it back. It must feel better that way
2. Your stubborn insistence that you aren't 'big enough' for some things like putting your shoes on or wearing underwear
3. Your obsession with blue - you insist on a blue cup, a blue plate...if there's a choice of color you will pick blue
4. You adore Zane. And want to be with him always. I'm anticipating a rough week or so when Zane starts school in a couple of days.
5. You love to mug on Brock...and have found some tickle spots. You two will be great friends
6. When we're in Raymond you always want to know where Grandma and Papa are.
7. You loved helping Grandma with the strawberries and raspberries. Your attention span wasn't long but you had fun bringing the buckets back to the house and scouting for tomatoes!
8. Whenever you wrestle with Daddy and Zane you always switch sides to whoever is "winning"
9. Sometimes you like to pray, sometimes you don't
10. You still ask me every night "mommy, you sleep with me?" even though you know I will come and cuddle with you until you go to sleep. It's wonderful to be so loved!
BROCK:
1. You sleep through the night most nights
2. You are still so drooley even though you've cut your bottom teeth
3. You have smiles for everyone
4. Your hair is blond and sticks up everywhere! Grandpa Dooley says it looks like a dandelion that's ready to be blown.
5. You rock from side to side as soon as you're standing or sitting on someone. Grammie S calls you Rockin' Brock
6. You're appetite for real food is getting bigger
7. You're starting to think about getting up on all fours and rocking....won't be long until you're crawling
8. You are still a tight wad with giggles. And when Grandpa Dooley informed you of this you laughed at him. He thought it was very rude.
9. You HATE your car seat for trips longer than half an hour...grrr.
10. You're changing so fast that it makes me sad...but it's so fun to watch you grow and learn!
CLIFF:
1. You were such a great Mr. Mom while I was sick...you unpacked, did dishes, laundry, fed kids, put Brock down for naps, even took all 3 to church....Meant so much!
2. Passing your love of golf and sports onto the boys. I think it made Zane's year when you took him golfing Trevor, Kegan, Trent and Parker. Those 3 little boys were in heaven.
3. Your handiness around the house. The tiles in the bathroom look awesome and I love the new fence and gate.
4. Your moral support - no matter what.
5. Trying to lead our family with the spirit
6. How your face lights up when you play with the boys
7. You're right - we would make a horrible team if we played charades! I can't act and you can't guess!
8. Teaching the boys magic tricks! They LOVE it!
9. You and Trent making chili for the ward party and making it as hot and spicy as you could. You only called 3 or 4 times to ask what to buy and how to make it! (I was in Raymond and Jennie was out of town to. Thanks for using their kitchen!)
10. How much you miss me when I'm gone...I miss you tons to!
ME:
1. I can't believe how fast summer went by! I hope I did enough with the kids to make great memories and build anticipation for next summer.
2. I'm not as far along on losing the baby weight as I wanted to be but I'm still trying
3. I had to admit to myself, to Cliff and a few of my closest friends that I was battling some depression. That was hard. Still have some hard days but mostly back on track now.
4. Trying to keep mind from racing in so many directions as I think of everything...seminary, piano lessons, kid stuff, Cliff's calling.....
5. Trying to recognize the spirit more in my life and record those instances down to remind, help and encourage my family when they look back on this record later in life
6. So glad I've kept this blog...it's my journal and it's so fun to look back, pick a month and read the entries. So much I've forgotten! Makes the effort worth it!
7. I miss quilting. Not sure where I'm going to fit it in this fall/winter with everything else going on but I'm really hoping to get a couple of projects done!
8. Excited to be an auntie soon! So glad it's Alisha and Rikki who are pregnant and not me!
9. Dreading the potty training with Rhett. Ugh.
10. I know that I've got things worked out in my head...and some on paper...just anxious to get the next couple of weeks going and over with to see if everything I've got worked out is actually going to work...and to find out what isn't going to work and needs changing. Hoping it doesn't take us too long to settle back into a routine.
OUR FAMILY....
1. Having 3 boys is so much fun!
2. Some of the highlights of the summer - family visited and coming to visit - beach visits, the corn maze....we made some good memories!
3. Far from perfect...some days we fight, some days we don't. But we always love each other!
4. We like to play UNO together
5. Watch a lot of sports together....sigh.
6. Sometimes we have great FHE nights...and sometimes we don't. Still working on it.
7. Have some great new pictures thanks to Rhonda
8. Is looking forward to new cousins soon
9. Probably won't be back to southern Alberta until Christmas
10. Love each other
Monday, August 24, 2009
Growing Pains
The phone rang this afternoon at my parents house. I answered and said "please tell me you have my children with you". Dad said that he did but hadn't known until right then that he did.
Huge sigh from me followed quickly by the "I'm going to kill him" when he gets home thought.
Zane and Rhett were out in the yard playing when Grandma and Grandpa left to walk up town to the pharmacy. They waved to the boys and carried on. I could hear them in the yard playing while I worked on some seminary stuff and Brock slept. 10 minutes later I realized it had been awhile since I had heard anything from outside. I went out and called but no children. I wasn't freaking out...yet. I headed back inside to try and call my parents when dad phoned to tell me they had them. APPARENTLY, my six year old decided that he was grown up enough to take his three year old brother and walk up town to find grandpa and grandma all by them selves....with no shoes on. Just socks. And this was their game plan: walk to the store, go in, take a look around, and if grandma and grandpa weren't in that store they were going to try another store. I'm not kidding. This is exactly what Zane told grandma when she asked him how they knew where they were. "We didn't. We were going to come in, take a look around, and if you weren't here go look in another store".
So, if you saw two cute little blond boys wandering around Raymond this afternoon they were probably mine. Especially if they were only wearing socks.
I think he's going to make me grey.
I'm glad he's independent and capable of doing this but at the same time I'm not ready for this many years to have gone by already.
Zane really didn't see what the problem was. But I made him promise to ask me before he left the yard again.
Life just got a lot more interesting.
Huge sigh from me followed quickly by the "I'm going to kill him" when he gets home thought.
Zane and Rhett were out in the yard playing when Grandma and Grandpa left to walk up town to the pharmacy. They waved to the boys and carried on. I could hear them in the yard playing while I worked on some seminary stuff and Brock slept. 10 minutes later I realized it had been awhile since I had heard anything from outside. I went out and called but no children. I wasn't freaking out...yet. I headed back inside to try and call my parents when dad phoned to tell me they had them. APPARENTLY, my six year old decided that he was grown up enough to take his three year old brother and walk up town to find grandpa and grandma all by them selves....with no shoes on. Just socks. And this was their game plan: walk to the store, go in, take a look around, and if grandma and grandpa weren't in that store they were going to try another store. I'm not kidding. This is exactly what Zane told grandma when she asked him how they knew where they were. "We didn't. We were going to come in, take a look around, and if you weren't here go look in another store".
So, if you saw two cute little blond boys wandering around Raymond this afternoon they were probably mine. Especially if they were only wearing socks.
I think he's going to make me grey.
I'm glad he's independent and capable of doing this but at the same time I'm not ready for this many years to have gone by already.
Zane really didn't see what the problem was. But I made him promise to ask me before he left the yard again.
Life just got a lot more interesting.
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