Drive In Movie

On Saturday the kids had a fun Primary activity at the church.  First they built cars by going to various stations (wheels, headlights, etc.).

Then they redeemed their 'ticket' for treats and drove to the 'theater'.  They watched Veggie Tales on a projected screen. 

I thought it was a cute activity; the kids really enjoyed themselves.

Playing In the Dirt

I've decided that I'm fully initiated into motherhood because it no longer bothers me when my kids get dirty.  They are always finding ways to dig, and it's incredible how dirty Alex and Annie get.  We've had some pretty foggy bathwater lately!

Doesn't she look rough?  Wow...

Cute Abby

I am enjoying this baby so much!

 

It's still so fun for me to dress her up.

We fed her solid food for the first time on Sunday.  She actually didn't seem to mind it.  The spoon seemed to be a bit of a shock, but she didn't spit out the food.

I attempted these pictures this morning, but she kept blinking.  Oh well, she's still cute.

She'll probably think this hat is ridiculous when she's older and wonder why I persisted in taking pictures of her in it.  I think it's cute on her.  :)

Mommy Tidbits

When my daughters are old enough to have their own families these are some of the serious and somewhat silly tips I will pass on to them:

 

1.  Trust your 'Mommy gut'.  I've personally found most 'expert' advice to create unnecessary stress.  My kids have hardly ever done anything when they were 'supposed' to.  They rolled over late, crawled late, and walked late.  They are tiny and barely on the growth charts.  If I'd allowed the doctors to guide me on these things, we would have been doing infant physical therapy and stressing over calories.  I could see my kids were fine though!  And they really were!  I'd skip the baby and parenting magazines too, entirely.  

 

2. Schedule and routine aren't everything.  When Logan was born I completely trusted the 'experts'.  So we had a schedule and routine made of steel.  I was obnoxious with it and so inflexible because some harm would surely come to my baby if we didn't stick to it.  He had his naps right on schedule, he ate on schedule and ate exactly what he was 'supposed' to, and we had routines to get through everything (bedtime, bath time, meals, dressing, etc.).  No wonder I was exhausted!  He was a super demanding baby because of it!  With each subsequent baby I've learned to relax a little more and so the baby part has only become easier.  A simple routine and schedule is totally sufficient.  Naps don't have to be at 10 and 2 every day; baby just needs enough sleep, etc.

 

3. Know how children's clothing sizes work.  This one is silly, but I was seriously perturbed that I didn't figure this out until my second child.  There were a lot of clothes that my first two babies didn't get to wear much because I didn't understand that 'size 3 months' meant '0-3 months' or 'size 6 months' meant '3-6 months'.  Also '24 months' is the same length as 2T, but not the same width generally.  Diapers can be a mystery as well.  Luckily I figured that one out before Logan was born, but I've seen new parents (dads in particular) buying size 4 for their newborn because no one told them there were diaper sizes.  I'm sure they figured it out as soon as they opened the package and were frustrated that another trip to the store was necessary.

 

4. Dressing rooms are fantastic for nursing.  It took four babies before this bright idea occurred to me.  A fussy baby can make shopping really stressful, but many stores already have the perfect place to nurse...without a cover up! 

 

5. The best parking space is not the one closest to the store, it's the one closest to the cart return.  My conscience pricks me if I don't put my cart 'away' after shopping, so I've learned that it's better just to park by the cart return.  It saves walking time, I'm closer to the kids at all times that way (because I put them in the car before returning my cart), and it's convenient when I arrive (instant stroller!).

 

6.  You don't have to scrub 'baby blow outs'.  I wish I'd learned this one when Logan was a baby.  This is another thing it took four babies for me to figure out.  I've found that I can throw the soiled clothing into a bucket with water and a scoop of OxyClean.  Then I let it sit for a few days before dumping it into a regular load of laundry.  I don't scrub at all and the clothes come out totally stain free.

 

7. Baking soda cleans almost everything.  It takes crayon and pencil off of walls, cleans tiles grout, removes soap scum, and works on baked on spills in the oven.  It keeps your drains and pipes clear and gets rid of throw up smell.  It's also a main ingredient in the most awesome laundry detergent I've ever used.

 

8.  Vinegar cleans almost everything else.  I don't use vinegar much because it stinks and I'd much rather use baking soda, but it's almost just as awesome.  It'll eat away dirt on just about anything.  It's particularly wonderful when it comes to hard water.  Check this out: 

 

Before:

After

9. Sand paper is great for desperate situations.  Vinegar and baking soda did nothing for this nasty toilet and it really bothered me.   Even though I'd scrubbed and disinfected the toilet, I didn't really want anyone to use it.  So I tried sandpaper.  It didn't damage the porcelain and I felt like I had a brand new toilet!

 

Before

After

Building and A Day in Nauvoo

Logan recently finished building a car from a wood kit he had.  It came with stickers which actually cover up how impressive it is.  He built this totally by himself.

We went to Nauvoo again on Saturday.  It had been too long since Jim and I had attended the temple, so we made it a priority that day.  Now that we're an hour farther away it was an even longer day, but totally worth it.  Jim and I took turns with the kids so that we could both have time in the temple.

 

The weather was PERFECT so we were super happy that Pioneer Pasttimes was still open.  The kids love playing there.

Pioneer Pasttimes was shutting down for the day while we were there, so the kids helped the missionaries clean everything up.  They were so sweet.

We then went to the bakery for our free cookie (because that is a required stop with kids) and then to the Family Living Center for the last 15 minutes before they closed.  We were the only ones in there, so when Logan requested to see the barrel making demonstration, the missionary gave him a very personal walk through of it.  He let Logan handle the tools and talked only to him.  Afterward, Logan told me that he wants to make a barrel on his own.

Kids Say

Annie randomly, "Mom, if I say 'cut it out' will I be thrust to hell?"

Annie was crying so Alex told her, "Go get a tissue.  It makes me better."

Logan decided to dress like Jim one day recently with a button up shirt, khakis, and a belt.  Later in the day he informed me, "Today since I'm an engineer I'm going to write my 7's like Dad (by crossing them)."

Logan to me, "Too bad you're not pregnant with twins!"

Logan to Annie, "I'm an inch taller!"  Annie's response, "Well I'm an inch squishier!"

I noticed this wiggling rug at naptime one day.  Me, "Alex?"  Alex, "Me not here."

Annie, "That tree has tree blood.  It had red stuff inside it!"

I was cuddling with Alex one morning when I heard Abby start fussing.  So I asked him, "What do you hear?"  He answered, "I don't hear baby Gabby."

Alex, "Don't turn off the light!  It will make me die!  Turn off lights will make me die really bad!"

Alex through his tears, "I not grumpy!  I don't need a nap!"

Alex while I was reading my scriptures, "Mom!  Read!"  Me, "I am reading."  Alex, "No you not!  You just looking.  Read!"  So I had to read out loud.

Me, "Alex can you put some underwear on?  I can see your pee pee.  Mommy shouldn't see your pee pee."  So he pulled his shirt down and said, "You can't see my pee pee now."

Newest House!

So, rather ironically, just a few days after I posted those pictures of our old house we found a house to buy!  We weren't planning to buy so soon, so this is definitely a change of plans.  I'm really glad I kept most of our belongings packed!  We're super excited to have our own home again, and hopefully to stay put a lot longer!

 

I don't have house pictures yet; it isn't much to look at right now anyway because the rooms are really dirty.  We're going to paint and replace all the carpet before we move in.  I will try to take some pictures the next time we see it though.  This is an old house on 3 acres of land just south of town.  We've always dreamed of being rural, but land is so expensive here that we didn't know if we'd ever find what we wanted and could afford.  So we were thrilled to find this place.  We'll only be 10 minutes from town and main shopping, so that is great too.

 

I took these pictures of our view from the porch the day we made the offer on the house.  The fields will be winter brown when we move in, but it's gorgeous spring through fall!  On the other side of the property we have lots of trees. 

Everyday Affairs

We went for a walk one day recently and Alex wanted to ride his tricycle.  That's fine going down our street, but he can't quite ride it back up our slight hill to get home.  So I thought of a solution and it worked quite well!  (See the rope?)

I took Logan shopping with his birthday money.  Since he had gift money from four relatives, he made quite the haul.  He purchased a tool box, bike helmet, small LEGO set, and ice cream for the family.

He couldn't wait to organize his tool box with the real tools he received for Christmas.  We gave him some scrap wood and nails and he's been working in the garage a lot since.  He's actually out there right now.

Sweet Abby loves her daddy.  Have I mentioned what a happy baby she is?  She is such a joy.

Logan continues to have a lot of serious moments.  He's been reading and taking notes from this book over the last week or two.

I just love looking at my cute Annie girl, so I snapped these pictures one day.  I wish pictures could capture the light in her eyes.

We've discovered a new favorite (and easy!) meal.  It's called 'Egg In the Hole'.  Annie says it's the best lunch ever!

Annie FINALLY started dance lessons last week.  We've heard really good things about her teacher so we're excited for her.  She was beside herself with anticipation before her first class and said she loved it afterward.

I can't believe how fast our sweet baby is growing.  She's five months already!  She is such a doll.

I invented a new recipe last week for breakfast.  It was such a hit that we made it two days in a row and I took a picture.  We'll be making this often.  It's 7 grain hot cereal with apples, craisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and honey.  Yum!

On Saturday I babysat for a friend.  We walked down to the playground and enjoyed the beautiful weather. 

Check out Annie's hair!

They had fun going down the slide with their friends.  I'm not sure if their 'caboose' is making a scared face, but I like it!

Alex is 'photo resistant'.

I tried a second time.  Silly kid.

Lifetime Wellness Challenge

For months I've been promising myself that I would start better habits.  At first it was going to be 'after the first trimester'.  Then it was 'after the baby is born'.  Then it was going to be 'after we move'.  So when someone in our new ward sent an open invitation to join in the Lifetime Wellness Challenge I jumped at it.  I knew some outside motivation would help me.  The challenge started yesterday and these are the basic rules:

 

1. Exercise 30-45min. five days a week.

2. Eat five fruits and vegetables daily.

3. No eating after 9pm.

4. 3 or fewer sweets per week.

5. Drink 64oz. water daily.

 

There are some other things involved, but those are the important ones.  I'm on a team of six and we are competing against other teams with this.  The team with the most points at the end wins, and there is also a weight loss % winner.  That's where the outside motivation comes in.

 

I'm excited because this will hopefully help me develop better habits.  I like that it's realistic for life; I can eat some sweets and I don't have to count calories. 

 

Every week we will have an 'extra' assignment.  This week involves a fitness test, before picture, goal/ reward, and a personal letter.  I don't have to do any of it publicly, but somehow I wanted to do this piece of it on my blog.

 

Dear Becky,

 

Right now you are very focused on making this wellness challenge a success.  You could list a dozen goals, but really all you want is to have more energy and feel healthy.  You remember what it felt like a year and a half ago to reach your all time heaviest weight.  You were tired all the time and didn't even want to do active things.  You felt sort of sick all the time.  You reached a point where you didn't care how you looked anymore, you just wanted to feel better.  And so you made your first successful weight loss plan.  You took this before picture with the thought of sharing it someday if you succeeded.  Because you'd never before succeeded so you weren't very confident.

 

April 2012

Twenty pounds later you felt a LOT better, but didn't want to stop there.  You wanted to be free from the 'overweight' range, and this time it had nothing to do with what you saw in the mirror.  You wanted the energy you remembered from not so many years before.  But then a greater wish was granted and you spent nine months growing a precious life.  So you had to put the lesser desire on hold.  You promised yourself that you would exercise during your pregnancy, but an early scare convinced you to take no chances.  You're not sorry about that.  Your sweet Abigail was worth it.  Here you are with 35 additional pregnancy pounds.

April 2013

You were fortunate to lose all of your baby weight plus five and you breathed a huge sigh of gratitude.  You thoroughly enjoyed the extra energy you felt, but you knew it wouldn't last.  You kept promising yourself that you would eat better and exercise 'when'.  That 'when' finally came yesterday.  You wondered if it would be worth it to wake up at 6am just to exercise (the early hour was new to you).  Then as your body screamed, 'What do you think you're doing?!!' while you jogged a 'required' mile, you smiled inside and said, 'You'll thank me later'.  Yesterday you had a killer headache from the first high impact exercise you've had in years (because you've been swimming and using an elliptical instead), but your body felt HEALTHY.  Your children were impressed with all the vegetables you were snacking on and got the funny idea that you weren't going to eat anything else.  You experienced a little pregnancy deja vu as you frequently visited the bathroom.  And it felt so good.  This morning your thighs were sore and you were extremely grateful for your elliptical.  Then your bad knee started aching during your workout and made the last five minutes feel like an eternity.  But then you really felt good during school time.  You know your thighs won't be sore forever (or even next week probably), your knee will adjust, and soon all of it will feel good.  You're kicking yourself for not doing these things sooner.  So, here you are at the beginning of this new challenge.

September 2013

Now you're once again focused on the old goal, but with a different plan.  You feel pretty good now, but know you can feel even better.  Ultimately all you want is more energy.  You have a lot of things you want to do with the rest of your life, especially concerning your children.  You need energy for many years to come.  You need your body to cooperate.  And so your ultimate goal is energy.  For this challenge they want a measurable goal too, though.  So you're going to try to drop a clothing size during the next eight weeks and if you do it your reward will be a new pair of tennis shoes (because you also have to choose a reward).  But you know that won't be the real reward.  The real reward will be how good you feel.  Day number two is going well so far; just keep taking it one day at a time!

Sincerely,
Yourself