Long Overdue Randoms

The girls' latest obsession is pushing Quinten around in the baby stroller. He loves it, of course; and, it terrifies me because they come WAY too close to tipping him over.
My three cute girls waiting for family arrive to celebrate Leah and Quinten's birthdays.

Leah decided it would be a good idea to take black marker and put on ... mascara? eyeliner? I'm not quite sure. She was so proud of herself. It was a pain to clean up.

This was Alexa after her last soccer game of the season. She had a great season- she was the fastest on her team and finally has caught on to the idea of dribbling down the field and scoring goals. At the beginning of the season, we had to explain to her that this wasn't a game where you took turns... that ball could be hers whenever she wanted it- all she had to do was take it. Things improved dramatically after that. :) She scored more goals than anyone on her team. We are so proud of her. So, now begin the days of both Fall and Spring soccer. She wants to do it and we are happy she is improving and loving it.
Before the game. (These pictures were a little out of order.)
This is Alexa and her fabulous piano teacher, Heather West, after her first piano recital. (Heather is one of my favorite people... and she really is fabulous...) Alexa makes us laugh- she is such a perfectionist that it is almost to her detriment. If she can't get it right the first time, she gets frustrated and sometimes crazy. I think she is so used to everything coming so easy to her- she doesn't have to try, it just is. Piano has been great for her because she HAS to practice. It's painful to help her practice when she gets stuck and needs help- she drives me crazy!! But, I know she loves piano and I think everyone should learn how to play, so she will keep doing it until she absolutely refuses. :)

My Callie Girl

Today is Callie's 5th birthday. Callie was my quickest birth- a whopping four hours from the time I got the the hospital to the time she was born. What a blessing!! Callie was a great baby. She was a great eater, she was not terribly fussy, and she put up with moving into a new house when she was a week old. She was my one child who I could lay in her crib awake and she'd fall asleep on her own. She is still a champion sleeper. Callie is my one true brown haired child. All my kids have been born with dark hair, but hers is the only head that hasn't lightened with time. She also has the most beautiful dark brown eyes- they are so dark, sometimes they look black. She is a beautiful girl.
Callie woke up early this morning just as I was getting Quinten out of his bed, came into his room and said, "Guess how old I am today, Mom? I'm five!" I also heard her singing Happy Birthday to herself as I was making dinner tonight. She just makes me smile. Callie is my thoughtful child. She tries to be so helpful with Quinten. The picture above is a prime example of this. If he wakes up and I can't get to him right away, she runs to his room, crawls into his crib and entertains him till I can come get him. I think they have a fun relationship because of this. She's the first to try to make me happy when she knows I'm mad or upset. She is quick to point out that she wasn't the one making me mad. :) Callie has such a tender heart. She hates goodbyes and cries when she knows we won't see someone for awhile. It always breaks my heart to see her so sad. Her chin quivers just a little if she has to watch a goodbye on TV... even if it's a cartoon. :) However, she is also my child with a little bit of bite. Don't get on her bad side or she'll make you miserable. :)
Callie loves to dance and sing. Music makes her happy- it is her passion. She always wants new music to listen to and is the one who always wants me to turn the music up in the car. She'll start dance again in the fall with a new dance studio- she is so excited and can't stop talking about it.
Callie spends a lot of time wishing she were older like Alexa. Sometimes we struggle with keeping things fair... we wish she would understand that they can't be fair! She'll start Kindergarten in August and I'm hoping this will help. She'll have her own "thing" and hopefully it will ease the tension between those girls! I suppose we'll just run into it again with Callie and Leah in a couple years... it never ends. :)
Callie is the sweetest and the best. How did I get so lucky to have such amazing kids??

Quinten, Quin, Quinny, Q... he has plenty of names

How did the year go so fast? I always dread the first few months after I have a baby. The lack of sleep, trying to nurse, healing from giving birth, taking care of other needy kids at the same time... it's never something I look forward to. I anxiously await each milestone that I can put behind me: first smiles, solid foods, sitting up alone, etc. But, there is just something about Quinten that has really helped me enjoy this last year. Quinten just makes me smile. Maybe it's partly because I know he will always be my baby or possibly because he is the only boy... I'm not really sure. This last year has been good. I've still spent the year wishing for more sleep, more freedom, and more alone time, but it's still been great. He is a sweetheart. I love that he loves me so much. He smiles whenever he sees me; if he is sitting with anyone else, he immediately starts to squirm. We've developed our own way of communicating in the last few months. He is very different than the girls: they were all talking by the time they were a year old. So, Quin and I have found other ways to figure out what he needs. He points with his head, he makes different noises for yes and no. I can tell by the look on his face if I'm doing what he wants me to do. He is such a happy little guy. I have friends who tell me all the time that they never see him cry or fuss... I know this is not true, but it's nice to know he keeps his bad moods out of the public eye. :)
Quinten is still a little guy, as all my kids have been. The crazy thing is even though he weighs about what the girls did at this age, he feels heavier and thicker. He's just a boy and we love it. He would play with balls all day if we would let him and actually already has a good arm on him.
He loves his sisters, but when he's had too much he just reaches out and pulls their hair... and smiles the whole time he is doing it.
Quinten is still not walking; it's really no surprise since all our kids have been late walkers. He pulls himself up and walks around the furniture. We're getting there! Maybe by the end of the summer we'll have walking news. He still crawls on his belly instead of his hands and knees, which ruins all his clothes, of course; but, he is really fast, so why change a good thing?? We are still waiting for some teeth to come in- we hope it happens soon just so it will be easier for him to eat. His hair continues to be the bane of my existence. I'm so used to the girls- we get trims a couple times a year. This kid need his hair cut at least once a month! Ugh. I always put it off just because I hate it and he hates it, but he looks terribly shaggy by the time we get it done. I suppose he's lucky to have hair at all... some two year olds aren't as lucky as him. :)
Quinten is just the best. Watching him grow this last year has truly been a joy. I'm so grateful to be his mom. I have been blessed and I know it.

I think he was eating Oreos in this picture...

Finally

I finally got the pictures to upload for Leah's birthday post. If you want to read it, you may have to scroll down a bit to find it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORI! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Andrew & The Kids

My Baby No More...

Today my baby turned one. My handsome, precious baby boy. Believe it or not, I have mixed emotions about such an event. (I know this will shock most of you). With each passing day, I move closer to closing the baby phase of my life. I've had a baby for so long, that it almost feels odd. I know it's the right thing for our family- I feel complete and that makes me happy; but, it is still just a strange idea that we will no longer have to keep baby things around once Quinten outgrows them. I've already purged my house of all my newborn things- my poor sister, Siri, now gets to store them for future use. :) And every time Leah or Quinten outgrow things, I send them away from our home to someone else who can use them. Odd. Eventually, I will stop having to wake up at night for crying little ones. They will get older and will be able to bathe themselves, get themselves dressed, go to the bathroom without help, etc. Someday, I may be able to retire the countless diaper bags that have circulated through our home in the last 7+ years. Odd. We will move into a stage of independent kids who can take on more responsibilities. Kids who can buckle their own seat belts. Kids who may not want me to be around 24/7- kids who will let me go to the bathroom alone. ( I know- it's almost too good to be true).
As my baby years slowly fade into the past, I hope there will be things that are not lost. I love that my kids still want to sit with me and be loved. I love the way Quinten smiles at me when I come in his room to get him out of his crib. I love that Leah tells me I'm her favorite and in the same breath tells her Dad that he is not her favorite (I know- I'm horrible). On the flip side, however, she is the first and loudest to greet him with a huge hug when he gets home from work each day. I love the way Callie tries to make me happy when she knows I'm mad at one of her sisters. I love the way Alexa still draws me pictures and cards that tell me I'm the best mom and that she loves me. They are my precious babies- each of them- and I hope they will always know how much they mean to me.

So, the point of this rambling on Quinten's birthday is to mention that we've had a lot of milestones lately. I've been a horrible blogger and need to catch up. I started a post on Leah's birthday that I still need to finish, we've had another soccer season begin and end, preschool graduation, a family vacation to Disneyland, the end of the school year, more lost teeth, potty training going on, celebrating both Leah's and Quinten's birthdays... and the list goes on. Or I should say, the pictures go on and on and on. I have intentions of catching up. I will catch up. And I'll get it done before we get too far into the summer. We have plenty going on in the next few months before school starts again to blog about as well. So, look forward to my posts everyone... aren't you excited??? I am.

My Little Leah

Leah after her face painting at Disneyland.
Our tiny little girl. She was so small that she hardly fit in her car seat. She was a great baby... but was awake all the time- the most alert newborn I've ever met. She would stay awake for hours at a time without even a catnap... it drove us crazy!

Today is Leah's birthday. It's hard to imagine that three years ago today she was so tiny- three weeks early and just over five pounds. She was beautiful from the start and has grown even more beautiful since. Leah is my one blue-eyed child. Sometimes she will come up to me and say, "You and me are the only ones with blue eyes." And then she smiles. I love that. Leah makes me laugh with the funny things she says and does. I can't get enough of her crazy ideas and thoughts. "I hate green beans because I don't like corn" is one common example. But, on the flip side, she is the loudest child we have... sometimes her voice drives us crazy!! She also trills all of her words... you really can't believe it until you hear it. It's like rolling your r's to speak Spanish, but she does it with words that don't even have an r! I can't even replicate it all the time. We're convinced she'll need speech therapy to get rid of it... or she just needs to learn Spanish and use it as her first language. It really is crazy. Leah gives the best hugs out of anyone; she wraps her arms around your neck and squeezes tight- it's the greatest feeling.
Leah spends most of her time keeping up with her big sisters. She's pretty good at holding her own with them. I've recently had to remind myself (when we went to Disneyland and I realized she didn't know any of the Disney princesses names... Andrew asked her who her favorite was and she said Shauna...hmm) that I need to spend time doing three year old stuff with her. It's not normal for a three year old to want to watch Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers or Suite Life on Deck. When the big girls move out of a stage, Leah moves right along with them. We are trying to fix that and have pulled out all the Princess movies and dress-ups so she can at least learn their names!
Leah is passionate about a few things: the colors yellow and orange, apple juice, and her blankets, which she affectionately calls her "nins." Sometimes after she's crawled into my lap with a "nin" I'll ask her if she is my favorite and my best three year old. She always answers the same, " Yes, and yellow and orange and apple juice" because those are her favorites and bests. She is the sweetest and we love her so much. I'm grateful to be the mom of such a beautiful, fiesty, strong-willed, loving little girl.

My Poor Parents

They came for a visit last week and all they did was babysit... they are probably relieved to be home. :) Last week would have been a crazy week even if they hadn't been here, so I feel a little guilty that they mostly watched my kids while I ran in and out of the house like a chicken with my head cut off. I am very grateful for their babysitting skills- they were lifesavers on more than one occasion. And we miss them terribly already. Callie cried and cried after they left, as she always does. We can't wait to spend part of the summer with them!
*The other baby is Siri's little one, Will. He is just about four months old now. Quinten is with my Dad... you can tell by the hair. :)

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Happy Everything!

No time for an update... that will have to wait till another time. For some reason this last month has been unusually busy. I was lucky to get these pictures at all (thanks to Andrew who snapped them while I was getting ready for church). And we never even got one of all four kids together. Quinten slept until I had to wake him up to get him ready for church. We had a great Easter- I'll post other pictures and tell the fun stories when I get a chance. Until then, you'll have to make due with these pictures of my incredibly cute kids. (And I know I say this all the time, but this really is the LAST time the girls will match. Alexa made me promise.)

Our 7 Year Old

Today was Alexa's 7th birthday. Wow. Seven years ago today, Alexa was born and absolutely changed our lives. I remember getting ready to leave the hospital and thinking, "You mean they just help us to our car and let us leave with her?? Then what?" We lived just down the street from the hospital in Provo... it took us about a minute to drive home. We brought her in the house in her carseat, set her down and just stared at her. Over the next two and a half years, Alexa was my little shadow. It was so much fun seeing her reach each new milestone and spending time with just her. It's an experience you only get to have with a first child and I cherish that. Your life truly gets turned upside down by a baby, doesn't it? It's not always easy, but the good times always outweigh the bad. Alexa is amazing. She is determined, independent, brilliant, and loving. She is always willing to help with the younger kids when I ask her to. I love watching her read books to her younger sisters. The three of them will sit on her bed , one on either side of her, and she will read book after book to them. She is a great big sister and we are so blessed to have her in our home.
Alexa has been celebrating her birthday for a few days. Sunday we had dinner at Aunt Michelle's with cake, ice cream and pie for dessert. On Monday we had dinner with friends, the West's, and celebrated again with dessert, candles, and more singing.
Today, on the actual day, we took doughnuts to school for her treat. We opened presents after school. This is a new Webkinz from Aunt Andrea. I think she named it Fluffy because it was so soft....

And this dog, which she named Daisy, was the hit of the day. I dread the thought of having a puppy and Alexa has been begging. She even checks out books at school on how to care for dogs so she will know how someday. Ugh. So, enter Daisy. She makes noises, lifts her head, looks around, opens and closes her eyes. Great. Problem solved. We can move on with our lives.
This is the girls with our friends, Natalie, Meagan and Shane, who came to drop off a gift for Alexa and joined in our festivities.

Alexa told me it was a great day. She was happy with her gifts, happy with her day at school, and the weather was beautiful today, so we spent the evening outside playing.
7 years old... how did that happen?! I think I may be getting old....

Oh, Leah...

This is what happens when your two year old takes it upon herself to get a box of Kleenex out of the linen closet to wipe her runny nose. She, of course, hid under her blankets when Callie came to tell me and promised that she did NOT make this mess. What am I going to do with her?? Serves me right for trying to raise self reliant children... and for buying extra large boxes of Kleenex.

Nine Months

I can hardly believe it's been nine months since Quinten was born. I know I always say this, but time passes so quickly!! It goes by much faster than I expect it to. I can't decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe a little of both, I guess. Quinten had his check-up last week: 17lbs. 8oz. Still only in the 8th % for his weight, but he's big compared to what the girls were! And, shock of all shocks- the kids somehow managed to make into the 53rd % for his height. I'm sure it won't last, but it was fun to see that he is normal in some respect for size. :)
Quinten is an absolute joy to be around. He is almost always happy and smiling. He rarely complains about anything, even with three older sisters who are constantly in his face. He just smiles at them and pulls their hair if they get too close. They love to make him laugh and it's so easy to do! He has the happiest disposition. About a month ago, he finally decided to sit up on his own. His problem is that he'd rather be standing, so when you put him in sitting position, he arches his back and crashes to the floor. He still does it now, even though he is completely capable of sitting. He rolls like a maniac to get to where he wants to go; still not crawling, and I'm OK with that. I'm happy to let him take his time and figure it out on his own. We are still waiting for teeth to come in; I guess he will take after Leah and Callie, who didn't get teeth till they were a year old. Quinten has recently decided that baby food gags him, so we got rid of all of it and are only working at table foods. It makes it a little more difficult to find things he can eat, but I'm happy to be done with one more baby stage. In the last two weeks, Quinten has finally decided to sleep through the night. IT'S ABOUT TIME. The funny thing is that I've spent so many years of my life waking up because of uncomfortable pregnancies, newborns, sick kids, etc. that I still wake up at least twice every night to listen and make sure everyone is OK. My body just seems to do it without my mind's permission... or maybe it's the other way around. What would you guess that will never go away??
Quinten is truly a blessing to have in our home. We are so grateful for him! He is just the cutest and the best.

We moved Quinten into a big carseat in January. I was so tired of lugging his infant carrier around. He loves sitting up and especially loves looking at his big sisters in the back seat.

Quinten got a Valentine from his cousin, Quinn. He laughed and smiled when we gave it to him...

Then he promptly ate it.

Quinten loves balls. If he can see anyone throwing a ball, he laughs hysterically. It's so much fun entertaining him because he is so easily entertained!

Isn't he just the cutest??

For those who are curious...

So, I've had enough people ask me about Sharing Time that I thought I'd let you know how it went. Senior Primary was good- very easy, time ran out way too fast. Junior Primary... well, it's going to take some getting used to. Those little kids just have the attention spans the size of birds. It's going to take some time to figure out how to water everything down for them to understand. Anyone with suggestions, I'm all ears!

Another Birthday...

Yesterday was Andrew's 31st birthday. It's amazing how quickly another year passes, huh? One year older... and possibly wiser too. :) We are so grateful for Andrew at our house. We thought we'd fill you in on why he is the best:

* "He practices soccer with me." -Alexa
* "Because he does so much for us." -Callie
* "I love you, Dad." -Leah
* Because he makes me laugh and smile a lot. -Quinten
* He tells me I'm beautiful and I know he means it. -Cori
* "He takes me on bike rides." -Alexa
* "That we get to see him and eat dinner with him." -Callie
* "I like Daddy to play outside with me." -Leah
*Because he holds me all through church. -Quinten
* He lets me go home whenever I want, for as long as I want... even if I know he doesn't really want me to. -Cori
* He'd rather spend time with me than do anything else. -Cori

We love you so much! Thanks for being the best Dad and husband we could ask for! Happy Birthday!!

Struggling

Here it is, nearly midnight, and I'm just finishing my preparations for Sharing Time tomorrow. I've been playing with ideas all week as to what I really wanted to do... I've made several phone calls to my sisters to get their ideas as well. And this is my conclusion: I'm struggling. Sure, I've got it all prepared, both Junior and Senior Primary; I have a plan of action for both. So, what's my problem?? I can talk in front of anyone. I can teach the youth in a heartbeat. I can prepare a Relief Society lesson in fifteen minutes with no problem. I am with kids all day, for crying out loud- this should be a piece of cake. It's taken nearly twenty minutes of me sitting here at the computer to figure out what my real problem seems to be... and here it is: I'm afraid I won't get through to them. When I'm teaching a class or giving a talk, I can almost guarantee that someone is listening and will be affected by what I have to say. These kids are a different story. I've been in Primary enough over the years to know how many of them actually pay attention to Sharing Time. I so desperately want them to know that what I am talking about is so important. And I'm terrified that I will fail. I pray for those little ones in our ward every day. It's amazing how much love you can feel for children you hardly know. I suppose it goes with the calling. I know it's too soon to know them all, but I hope over time I will know them and they will know me. I hope they will see me and smile because they know that I love them and that I want what's best for them. Maybe once they know me, they will be more inclined to listen to me... if I'm lucky. Until then, I'll have to pray that at least one of them is listening to me and feels that still small voice inside telling them that what I am teaching is true. And even if I only get one, it will still be worth it.

Memories

My Grandmother passed away this morning. It has been a long time coming... and in typical Grandma fashion, she stubbornly lasted longer than anyone expected. The last week has been hard: she stopped eating and drinking around Tuesday and didn't wake up after that, so we've been waiting for her to go. My Mom says she went fast: they checked on her in the morning, then went to shower and get ready for the day. When they came back, she was gone. She has been living with my parents for the last thirteen years, and has need 24 hour care for three of those. My parents are saints- truly amazing in every way. They changed their lifestyle to accommodate my Grandma because she did not want to go to a nursing home. A lot of children would not be so thoughtful... my parents are the best.

Over the last several weeks, I've had the knowledge that it was almost my Grandma's time to go. I've wondered if I'd miss her or be sad when it finally happened. I'll be honest with you, mostly I feel relief- relief for my parents who have watched her slowly slip away and relief for her because I know she is so much happier where she is now. Sometime when my house falls quiet, when my kids are safely tucked into their beds, I may have a few tears for my Grandma; not because I'm sad, but because I loved who she was and I have such great memories of her. I've been spending a lot of time reviewing my time with her and I thought my siblings would appreciate some of my favorites that I am going to post here. If you didn't know my Grandma and you continue reading this post anyway, know that she was wonderful and I will miss who she once was: not the thin, declining woman that we've known for the past few years, but the round, happy person of many years ago. How grateful I am for the knowledge of eternal families! What a blessing to know that I will see her once again someday.

*I loved eating lunch at her house: tunafish or egg salad sandwiches cut into thirds- halfway down the middle, then to the corners... I still cut my kids' sandwiches like this today.
* Frozen candybars that were always stocked in her big freezer and cans of soda that were constantly replenished in her fridge. I'm positive it's where my addiction started.
* Sleeping on her couch after seminary my Junior and Senior years before my classes at the High School or college started. She gave me my own key so I could let myself into her house whenever I wanted- Elizabeth will remember this well. :)
* Watching Days of Our Lives with her, also during my High School years... I was hooked for awhile.
* Choosing a birthday dessert for her to make: cherry cheesecake, that yummy lemon or orange angel food cake, filled cupcakes for school... she was the best. Oh, and those yummy soft mints- does anyone have that recipe?
* Washing dishes that didn't really need to be washed. She'd fill the sink and put clean dishes in for me. She'd hold my sleeves up with rubber bands so they didn't get wet and set up a stool for me to stand on. I'm convinced that I like doing dishes because it's my thinking time. It was always quiet when I did it at her house and I remember loving that time alone.
* Trips to McDonalds before I was in school with her and my mom. I still remember the first time they were spelling something so I didn't know what it was and I blurted it out: we were sitting in her driveway dropping her off after lunch and she and my mom were talking about Christmas presents. They never spelled around me again.
* Cinnamon sugar toast broiled in the oven for breakfast.
* She and my Grandpa gave me my first set of scriptures when I turned 8. They are so marked up and loved. I still pull them out sometimes just to read silly insights of a young child... some are not so silly and bring back thoughts and ideas of long ago. I used them all through seminary and into the first years of college.
* Drinking soda out of one of many mugs from her collection with a bendy straw. Do you guys remember the robber handle with the bag of money in the bottom? Yeah, I have that... and the sheriff mug that goes with it. Jealous?
* Her duck collection. You haven't seen anything like it. Mom, have you sold them on ebay yet? There HAS to be some duck-crazed person out there who would die and go to heaven.
*Jello cubes. Enough said.
* All the little cups and containers that kept everything organized: her jewelry, office supplies, bathroom stuff, EVERYTHING. I thought they were so cool as a little kid; now I realize they were nothing but a menace to clean up after she could no longer get out of bed to use them.
* Her Texaco mug that was always full of ice and water no matter what time of day or if she was home or not. How did she do it?? :)
* She used to walk us to the corner and watch us head to school in the mornings when Mom was in school. Remember that morning she was walking with us and had Pepper (their dog) and she had to carry him home because he was too fat to walk any farther? Oh, that still makes me laugh.
*Candy dishes. Everywhere. All the time. When I was a kid I'd fill my pockets before I left her house. She used to say that I'd fill my pockets the most. What can I say? I love my chocolate. My kids actually call her Candy Grandma because they would fill little bags of Skittles every time we'd go downstairs in my parent's house to visit with her. Remember years and years ago the time she stuck the dishes in the oven to hide them from the kids and forgot? She turned the oven on and melted everything.
*The cookie jars. Wafer cookies, chocolate macaroons, those marshmallow cookie chocolate things. Ahh... bliss.
* The dollhouse she furnished for us as kids. Complete with wallpaper and everything. Our Grandpa made the dollhouse and she decked it out. That was the coolest gift. It was donated to our Elementary school when we outgrew it, but just recently my sister got it back for her kids.
* Her TV Guide: clipped at the top to the right page. She really was kids of eccentric, wasn't she?? I guess that's why we loved her.
*She ironed her money to make it nice and crisp. I used to take it out of that wallet/clip thing she had and I'd count it over and over. I guess it's no surprise I became a banker and was fairly good at it.
* She never forgot a birthday, an anniversary, or anything else until she became bedridden. She'd send cards and a crisp bill or check. She had beautiful penmanship.

I love her so much. She really was the best Grandma. I think I had the chance to spend more time with her than some of my siblings because of my schedule in High School. We had such great talks and I loved that she loved my company. I love these memories. They will always be precious to me.

What Happened???

Once a year I seem to find myself in a blogging funk. Apparently, it has hit me again in the last month and a half. There will be too much to catch up on, but it must be done...ugh....

I actually love the beginning of the year. Every December I mentally run through the last twelve months of my life and wonder what I could have done differently or better, the excess I could have cut out of my life ( you know the stuff- the time wasting, brain wasting, money wasting stuff). And each year I come to the same conclusions: I'm far from perfect and that's OK. If I was perfect, I'd have no business being here. I also find that every year I look at the time wasting, brain wasting, money wasting stuff and firmly believe that some of it is necessary for my sanity... and that's OK too.

I always set New Years Resolutions for myself, but I've noticed that as I get older, they have changed a bit. They are slightly smaller goals than they once were, slightly more manageable, and frequently half the goals I set for myself are the same every year. I must be getting tired. :) I think it's good to have goals that never are accomplished- it keeps me from being complacent. For example, I will probably always have a goal to attain greater patience. I can't imagine that it will ever be a goal I can cross off a list, but maybe the smaller goal of not losing my patience when my kids yell at me because they won't clean their rooms is something more manageable. Small steps, right??

So, as a small, manageable goal, I'm going to try to blog at least twice a month. It's good for journaling purposes and keeps my family up-to-date on what's going on with my kids since they can't be here to see it. I'm already a month into my other goals for the year and I'll be honest with you, some of them aren't going so well. But, that's OK- I'm not perfect, remember? I will keep working on them, one small step at a time. I still have eleven months left before I will sit down and decide that I still haven't perfected them and need to continue working on them. Who says your Resolutions need to start January and end in December anyway??

December Happenings

We've had a busy month, as December usually is. Quinten had his six month check-up at the beginning of the month. Fifteen pounds even, which may seem small to all of you, but we think it's great! When you start out under six pounds and your parents are Andrew and I, we think he's doing well. :) And, considering Callie and Leah were both under twenty pounds at a year, he's huge! I took him in to the night clinic on Saturday- he's gained another pound this month (16.3 now) and he's got an ear infection. The kid hates his medicine- it took me 20 minutes to get it in him this morning and I think half of it was spit out on me or himself... headstrong little thing. I guess he fits into our house well. Quinten is such a great baby. He's happy almost always, he smiles at everyone, and his sisters still adore him. He is really loud, but it's not the same as the girls. The girls all starting making sounds and talking so early. Quinten just grunts and squeals. It's funny to listen to, but I'm sure will be a huge adjustment for me when I expect him to tell me what he wants for breakfast and he still can't do it. The difference between boys and girls, I guess. We're still trying to figure it all out.
We managed to decorate our Gingerbread house this year. The girls love doing it... Andrew and I- not so much. I forgot how long the thing is supposed to sit for the walls to harden before you put the candy on. We started it way too late and didn't leave it nearly as long as it should have been left. It was a long night, bedtime kept getting pushed back, but they had a great time.
Callie loves to pose for pictures. It's almost impossible to get a picture of her just smiling normal. I actually have to ask for it and then it still only happens sometimes.
The finished product.
One evening the girls asked to decorate sugar cookies. It was too late to start a batch of dough (well, too late for my tired self to start a batch) so I decided we'd make cupcakes instead and decorate them- quicker, cleaner, just as fun. You'll see by the pictures below what kind of fun they had...
Leah's were so caked with sprinkles that you couldn't see the frosting at all. Yep, she actually ate this one after she was done. Actually, all she ate was the frosting and the sprinkles... gross. You can see by her mouth that she was taste testing along the way. But, she loved it and kept saying, "Oh, it's beautiful!" I'm glad she thought so.
Callie's- not as bad as Leah's, but still had its fair share of sprinkles. She also ate the top of her cupcake and left the rest.
This is my conservative child. Even if Alexa wasn't years older than the other two, I could almost guarantee her cupcake would look just like this. That's just Alexa. She's very conscious of what she is doing, careful to do it right, and hates making mistakes. I love her, but I wonder sometimes what this careful attitude will do to her in years to come. She is way too hard on herself.
We've since decorated sugar cookies (in case anyone was wondering), but as usual, I failed to take pictures. However, given the pictures above, I'm sure you have a fairly good vision.
This is the kids in their Christmas clothes after church on Sunday. Quinten spends the majority of his day with his tongue hanging out. It's quite cute. And of course, there's Callie- not smiling but trying her hand at something else- literally, in this case.
This may be the last year Alexa will allow all of them to match. I think she thinks she is too old for it. I've pushed it the last couple years,but I may have to change my tune next year. Who knows? Maybe I can get away with one more year after this... it's just so cute. :) I even wore a black skirt and red shirt to church too... It's not normally something I try to do, but once a year isn't so bad. I tried to convince Andrew to wear his matching tie... no dice. He's not into that sort of thing, even on holidays. :)

Salt Lake

The kids and I went up North last weekend to visit my sister, Siri, and her family. We had a great time, even if we weren't used to the frigid Northern Utah temperatures. Siri's baby is due in January and we had all her baby clothes, so we packed up everything she gave us, plus whatever we'd accumulated for Quinten that he had outgrown and took it all to her. It was more stuff than I had realized and it felt so great to get rid of it. We also took her our swing and rocking/bouncer seat. So, it's official- I have NO clothes in my house that are for a newborn baby. Crazy, huh??
We drove up on Saturday, went to church with them on Sunday, rode Trax downtown to see the lights at Temple Square, ate lunch at Ikea on Monday with Siri and Jack, and then left for home. It was good to get away and I always love seeing my sister; I wish she was closer than four hours- it's just a too little long to be easy. The above picture is of all the kids. We originally wanted a picture of Jack and Quinten's matching PJ's, but Jack would only be in the picture if Callie was too (he loves Callie), so we made it a group shot.
Siri and the kids on Trax. Jack loves trains, so this was great for him. He was hilarious- he kept yelling, "All aboard!" as loud as he could. You'll notice the girls hats and scarves: thank goodness Aunt Siri could outfit everyone... we brought coats, but I never thought to grab hats and such.
Leah spent the majority of the ride downtown this way.
Quinten slept almost the whole time we were there. He was by far the warmest of all of us. Alexa kept saying she couldn't smile because she was too cold. Siri made the comment that the last time she went to see the lights was with me and our friend, Elizabeth, when I was in college. it was the last time I was there, as well. It's amazing that we take for granted the things that are so close to us.

Callie took this picture. Not too bad.

This picture is really our of order, but has a funny story behind it. Quinten was screaming and didn't want to sit for a picture. Jack hates listening to crying- Siri says it really upsets him. I thought this picture was funny because of the look on Jack's face. He looks concerned and disgusted all at the same time.

We had such a good time. I always feel like I'm going home when I go up North. I get to about Spanish Fork and I breathe a sigh of relief and tell myself that I'm home. I suppose I lived there long enough to make it home and because my real home is completely unattainable most of the time, it is a good substitute. It also helps to have Siri there. This time of year is always bittersweet for me- I love the holidays and everything that goes with it, but it is also a reminder that I can't be with my family. When you come from a family of ten kids and you are one of only two that don't live near home, it twists your heart just a little when you know they are all together celebrating without you. I am blessed to have great in-laws nearby. It softens the blow, but doesn't always ease all the pain. Time is a funny thing, isn't it? You think the hard moments will never pass when you are going through them, but they always do. And in no time at all, you are looking back and wondering why you ever thought you couldn't manage. My mom told me just last week something she heard from a friend that made me bawl, but oddly made me feel better too: the Lord can move mountains and part seas for us if He chooses to; but, sometimes he merely shows us the path and makes us go over the mountains or shows us how to build the boat to cross the seas. It's not supposed to be easy, right??