Summer Swim Time

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We live by a really cool site in our new residence.  It looks just like a beach and has a shallow lake with beach chairs, life guards, and cabanas.  Every Tuesday this summer we would invite some friends over and head to the Lagoon for a few hours of swimming and then a picnic lunch. 

 Hannah did really well to just sleep in her carrier for the majority of our trips. Oh those were the days =o)

 Mikey was so eager to head out to the deeper part (3 feet) that on one occasion he forgot to put on his life jacket and floaties and started bobbing up and down yelling for help!  Aunt Michelle (who was not planning on getting wet) quickly ran out to him and pulled him back to shore.  The lifeguards then took notice that something was wrong!   The next week Michelle had purchased Mikey a bright yellow Sponge Bob swimsuit that had built in floaties.  That suit is awesome!  He could go out to the deep end and stay head afloat with no help from me.   He also liked riding the paddle boats with Aunt Michelle and waving at us from the other side of the bridge.

Joshy was easy to keep track of.  He was the only kid NOT in the water.  He’d sit on the edge of the water and play with buckets and sand the whole time.  He hated having a life jacket on or the arm floaties.  About 2 trips before the Lagoon closed for the summer he finally gave swimming a try and loved it.  We got a little floaty boat thing that he could sit in and that’s what he really liked.  So he only got in the water 2 different times, but tanned like he was swimming everyday the entire summer!  He still has tan lines! Not sure how he got so lucky. 

We’ll see how many times we’ll go next summer, since I’m sure 3 kiddos will want to swim at the same time and I’ll for sure loose track of them, but I’ll attempt just about anything once!

Hannah’s Name

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Wahoo, 2 kiddos asleep and it’s not even bedtime!  That means it’s time to catch up on the blog!  Oh my beloved blog, how I’ve missed you!

  While I was pregnant with Baby GirlI was at my in-law’s house reading one of my m-i-law’s many many books.  (Seriously, she has a library room in her house with books that overflow into other rooms).  I think I was reading Return of the Christmas Jars and I was having a very difficult time following all the character’s and everything going on with them.  I was enjoying the book, just not really trying hard to figure out who was who and what their relevance in the story was.  Then I read a page about a character named Hannah and had the strongest feeling that I should name my kid Hannah.  Seriously, like a loud voice talking to me right there on the bed in that room where I was all alone!  I remember thinking in my mind, yeah right!  Hannah isn’t what I want to name my kid.  It’s not even in my top picks.  It’s not even on the list, because I never even considered the name.

But then the voice came again and said strongly that I should name your kid Hannah.

Uhhhhhh, Hannah.  I had to think hard and I really couldn’t remember the story of Hannah- you know, was that a Bible or Book of Mormon story and what did she do and all that stuff.  So I went to the source for all things knowledgeable and of good cheer and asked the all knowing hubby to tell me the story of Hannah.

He said Hannah was an amazing person.  She told the Lord that if He would allow her to have a child then she would dedicate the child to Him to be His servant.  So Hannah was able to have a son, Samuel, who served his life serving the Lord.  Hannah knew that in the big scheme of things that she would be reunited with her son again in the life hereafter and so that reassured her in this life.  She had faith and patience. 

Well that sounded good to me so I thought to myself, if I follow this prompting and do name my kid Hannah then she better be one really good kid!   That reminded me of a conversation I had a long time ago with some gals in the pool during water aerobics.  One said that you consult the Lord through the spirit on what to name you kids you will be blessed.  She had done it and she was very pleased with her 2 sons. 

So, I followed the prompting and named my kid Hannah!  And so far I really like the name and really like having a cute little girl!

It’s All Good

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Did you pray really hard for me or something?  Well thanks, because it worked!  My days have been significantly better. 

My baby slept for like 3 hours straight during the day and I got some cleaning done.  There are no longer big colorful cereal chunks under the table. 

And the endless assortment of crayons/markers/colored pencils/ coloring books/ manuscript practice books/activity books/ construction paper/ journal paper/ arts n craft supplies has been neatly sorted and organized in bins, containers, and boxes and neatly placed within 2 cupboards. 

 I got my coupons organized into 2 Trapper Keeper binders and have too many!  (Any one need Red Plums, bc I’ve got connections.  I seriously get 10+ each week!). 

I busted out the Janine Brady cassette tapes and played them for my kids.  They loved it!  We marched around in the big parade and played animal charades.  Fun mom times!  Naptime was welcomed with a smile (which took less than 5 minutes to turn into a tired sleeping drooly face).

I got some much needed me time with the gals at sewing lessons on Thurs night.  I love just chatting it up with the girls and catching up on the happenings of dating, news in the former ward, projects we wished we could sew.

And today I took the kiddos to the Lied Children’s Museum AND the Berenstain Bear exhibit was still there!  How lucky is that? (We were the Berenstain Bears for Halloween this year).

So, the bad days happen, but they make the good days so much more enjoyable and appreciated.  Thank you bad day, you really don’t happen as often as you used to, but it’s all good.  Glad we can get back on track and enjoy the better moments in life.

All in a Day!

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It’s been kind of an off day.  I woke up a bit on the late side, which always throws me off of my game, but the baby was sleeping in so I did too! 

She doesn’t do that so much anymore, the sleep thing that is.  She’s got a really weird burping  problem where she always has to burp.  Just when you think you get all the burps out and get her sleeping she’ll wake up within the hour with real tears and the uncomfortable painful shreiks, because she has to burp.  It’s just become my daily routine to hold her a lot throughout the day to keep her comfortable and happy.  So she doesn’t really take 2 naps like she used to. If I get 1 load of laundry washed AND dried then I feel successful!  Well today she fell asleep on her belly while playing on her playmat!  This is progress!  The first nap was maybe 30 minutes and she’s sleeping again now!  Knock on wood.  Taking down Halloween decorations filled the time. 

I of course thought that kidlet #3 would be so easy to manage and I could soothe my baby all while sitting down and mulitasking.  Not so much!

Dear little Josh didn’t take a nap today.  I didn’t even fight him over it, even though I know he needs a nap.  And he’s the kid who only knows loud and louder which is difficult when the little baby finally gets herself to sleep.  But today while watching tv he busts out singing Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam and reminds me once again that small and simple things can prove great things!  I don’t give this kid enough credit, but he’s got such a soft sweet side that I usually forget it exists since he wakes up screaming hours before normal people even think about waking up.

And Mikey!  He’s in preschool now and has picked up on  what other kids say and do.  Some of it I’m okay with and others I know it was just a matter of time.  “I’m too tired,” or “I don’t want to.” seems to be his favorite answer to whatever I ask him to do and he’s becoming quite competitive.  Today he’s really tried my nerves.  Note to self- don’t take kids along when donating boxes of their old toys. 

It’s not too often I’m ready to throw in the towel, but today was pretty close.  Being a parent isn’t always easy, but I’m glad I’ve improved my patience a tad and that I was a classroom teacher before I was a parent.  The whole no spanking thing comes pretty easy to me, but sometimes it would be nice to send these kiddos away to someone else for a while like I did at the end of the school day and then greet them happily at the door the next morning =o)

I just wanted to get something out there on the blog to help relieve my tension I guess.  I know I am truly blessed to have kids and to also be able to stay home with them each and every day.  I’m not complaining, just admitting that some days are better (and worse) than others.  Today was one of the more difficult ones, but I do see the good in them.  And would you believe it?  The baby is still sleeping, the kids are finally quiet while they bask in front of the tv watching Cyberchase, and my freezer meal that I didn’t have thawed out is cooking away in the oven.  There’s a bit of smoke in the kitchen- the paper label and tape affixed to the foil top of my freezer meal is burning.  Note to self- follow your first instinct next time to remove the label before baking.  Let’s hope dinner still turns out okay!

Glad the day is almost done and that hubby is on his way home from work. I look around and see so much stuff that needs to be cleaned, fixed, put away, etc. that I just get overhelmed.  We still have boxes to unpack!  Can you believe that?

Labor Day 2010

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Mike actually came with us this year to visit Gramps and Grams in Utah for Labor Day.  My mom was staying with us in Vegas so we squeezed like sardenes into the truck and made it safely to my parents’ house. We took it easy for the 3 day weekend and spent lots of time outdoors.  Mike even agreed to camp outside with boys in a tent! 

The cute little tent we got for a wedding present finally got some use in the backyard.  We don’t have any sleeping bags or much else for camping equipment, but we are excited to have a tent! The boys bundled up with flannel pjs and thick blankets and of course some flashlights and experienced the real outdoors. I slept inside with the baby and the comforts of heat and toilet and all those great luxuries.  Coming inside at sunrise was a bit early for my liking, but apparently it was cold out there!

We took the family up in the mountains for a nice little bbq, hiking by the river, and roasting marshmallows.  The boys loved the simplicity of it all and couldn’t get enough of the smores!  They had never roasted marshmallows over a camp fire, so Grandpa initiated them!  It was a bit too sticky and messy for Josh, but he did his best to not get grossed out by the goo!

All in all it was a trip over all too soon for our liking, but very much enjoyed!

We’re Ba-ack

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It only took hubby 6 months to get my blog off an old server and onto where ever it is now.  That’s okay though, bc the important thing is he finally got it done.  And I got a new laptop for my birthday.  Replacing my old one only took like closer to 2 years, but it’s done and we’re on our way to blogging more frequently.  Stay tuned, bc I have lots to blog about.

Hannah’s 4 Month Stats

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Hannah at 4 months:

15.6 pounds

she’s rolling over, grabbing and holding anything that gets close enough.  This includes willing and eager older brothers who like to tease her and then find themselves in her tight holding grasp and have to beg mommy to make Hannah let them  go.  Her items of choice are noses, hair, and big brother’s shirts, ears, and fingers.

I Need Fog

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Well, actually I need a fog machine.  Anyone have one or have connections to get me one to use next Wed evening? 

I saw the most amazing and simple fire safety lesson last weekend at a preparedness fair and want to recreate it for my ward’s preparedness activity taking place on the 22nd.

Geez it’s like old classroom days trying to gather all your materials and resources for such a simple activity.

Stop drop & roll: huge stop sign get kid’s attention and we discuss then act out what to do if they ever catch on fire.

Hand on door: during a fire you are supposed to use the back of your hand to feel if a door is hot. ( That way you burn the less used part of your hand and don’t have to worry about burned fingers later as you try to do all your regular day to day tasks with burned fingers I guess).  If the door isn’t hot then it would be safe to open and go in/ out during a fire.

Smoking room: Set up furniture around room and turn on fog machine to simulate what a room might look like during a fire.  Participants then have to crawl through the smoke to the designated exit.

Coloring books/ dress up: participants may wear fire fighting clothes, boots, hats, and color in the fire safety coloring books provided.

I’m excited!  Just need a fog machine!

*note- we got a fog machine AND fire fighter clothes to make our fire safety room a big success.  It was great!

Hannah’s Baby Shower

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This is long over due, but I had to get it on the blog. 

About 3 weeks before I was due I finally gave in to having a baby shower for little Miss Hannah.  I had only bought her a pair of hot orange sandals on clearance and a cute little outfit that had xox printed all over it (I love x’s and o’s!) and had been stocking up on diapers at a good deal for months.  The grandmas had been excited for a new little granddaughter so I figured I’d let them fill in the gaps. 

Well, my ward family came through and  granted my wish- we said I was in need of headbands and hair bows!  I’ll let the pics show the proof that this little girl now has quite a collection.  We didn’t play games, just sit around and chit chat.  I’ve come to know and love each one of these sisters and luckily I still keep in touch with a bunch of them from my former ward since we have kiddos and freezer meal groups together.  And we got quite a nice  collection of girlie clothes, blankets, bath stuff, and toys.  I forgot about all the other stuff a baby needs besides diapers!!

Thanks so much for all the wonderful girlie items!  We’re loving them.