Sunday, November 18, 2012
Last Couple of Months
As usual, I don't even know where to begin. This fall has gone by even faster than the rest of the year seemed to, if that's possible. I think it's because we (Mary) has been so much more busy. It's been great for her...and me. She is doing so much better going to school. She wants to go and is happy there. She has been doing her singing and dancing class and her dress rehearsal for the Christmas performances is this week. She has been taking tumbling again with a friend from preschool, Elle, and still really enjoys it. I've noticed though that she is a bit of perfectionist. She's taken tumbling a few times before this and was able to do most of the tricks and exercises fairly well. But for some reason she is having a little more trouble this time around. Doing somersaults and such have been tricky for her. I was wondering what could have happened and I think I've figured it out. The instructor is new and does things differently than the previous ones. She also explains how to do things differently. Mary is trying to do exactly what she says and it's throwing her off and making the exercises more difficult to perform. She's thinking about it too much. Anyway, she still loves it and is excited to do it with a friend. We took Elle with us to tumbling this week in our car and it was so fun and interesting to hear Mary talk with her. She said such grown up things like, "I couldn't believe my eyes!"
Mary also had her school Halloween program. I was so excited to finally see her perform. She is such a little actress and singer all the time at home. She wanted to dress up as a witch for the performance. Unfortunately I didn't think through the possible problems with having to wear a hat. From the get go it wasn't staying on. She kept messing with it. And then it happened. The hat fell off and landed on the floor under the bleachers. Unreachable. No big deal you might think. To a 4-year-old girl with Mary's personality and sensitivity it was disastrous. She was devastated. At first I thought she would burst in to tears and wail and it was obvious that was how she felt. But she held it in. For the next 20 minutes or so she tried to sing, but kept looking behind her down at that hat. Her face would crumple like she would cry and she would try so hard to hold it in and keep singing. It was gut wrenching as her mom. I wanted to cry. I wish I would have stopped the show and climbed under the bleachers to get it back. We made it through and after a good long hug at the end she seemed fine. It was just too bad. Her teacher said she knew every word and action and was one of the best singers. Next time we'll use bobby pins and/or glue.
Anna loved the performance. She gave a pretty impressive performance of her own singing, dancing and clapping on the second row. Poor little girl just gets dragged around to all of Mary's activities, unable to participate. But she sure wants to. She has become so vocal it's crazy. She can convey anything and everything she wants with words. In fact, just a little bit ago she was playing and said to me, "back minute." Meaning I'll be back in a minute. Some of her favorite phrases are, Mary where are you, nope, NO!!!, go outside, and ummm. She's gotten pretty clingy lately and when she's feeling anxious or tired has to have both binkies (one in her mouth and one in her hand), a blanket, her stuffed doggie and her chocolate milk. It's pretty awkward to hold all of those things but she does it. She's often telling me to watch this or look and then does something silly. The other day she pooped in the toilet. That was exciting, but hasn't happened since. One day I asked her if she was ready to do her hair and she said no, and I asked why and she said BEcause. Nursery is not going well, but I don't know why I thought she would be any different than Mary. She wants to be like Mary and does just about everything that Mary does so go figure.
I did run my marathon...and then some. I took a couple of wrong turns and ended up going about 2 miles further than the 26.2. So, my time wasn't that great. 4:38. But considering it was my first and the extra mileage I think it wasn't too bad. I loved it though. I had a really good running day and mentally was totally fine. I did a half 2 weeks after and it was a real mental battle. I don't think I was quite ready to run that distance after the marathon, but ended up finishing in 1:56 which is fairly respectable. Since then the weather has turned and I haven't been running hardly at all. I have a new hobby though. Finding deals at DI and on KSL.com for Christmas presents for the kids and needed clothing items and shoes. It's almost as addicting as running.
John continues to trudge through school. He is still enjoying it. He has made more of an effort this semester to spend time with me and the girls. They just love to play with him and I love having him with us so it's been nice. Finals are coming up though so we might have a few weeks of not much daddy. It'll be ok though. We'll have lots to do to get ready for Christmas!
Mary also had her school Halloween program. I was so excited to finally see her perform. She is such a little actress and singer all the time at home. She wanted to dress up as a witch for the performance. Unfortunately I didn't think through the possible problems with having to wear a hat. From the get go it wasn't staying on. She kept messing with it. And then it happened. The hat fell off and landed on the floor under the bleachers. Unreachable. No big deal you might think. To a 4-year-old girl with Mary's personality and sensitivity it was disastrous. She was devastated. At first I thought she would burst in to tears and wail and it was obvious that was how she felt. But she held it in. For the next 20 minutes or so she tried to sing, but kept looking behind her down at that hat. Her face would crumple like she would cry and she would try so hard to hold it in and keep singing. It was gut wrenching as her mom. I wanted to cry. I wish I would have stopped the show and climbed under the bleachers to get it back. We made it through and after a good long hug at the end she seemed fine. It was just too bad. Her teacher said she knew every word and action and was one of the best singers. Next time we'll use bobby pins and/or glue.
Anna loved the performance. She gave a pretty impressive performance of her own singing, dancing and clapping on the second row. Poor little girl just gets dragged around to all of Mary's activities, unable to participate. But she sure wants to. She has become so vocal it's crazy. She can convey anything and everything she wants with words. In fact, just a little bit ago she was playing and said to me, "back minute." Meaning I'll be back in a minute. Some of her favorite phrases are, Mary where are you, nope, NO!!!, go outside, and ummm. She's gotten pretty clingy lately and when she's feeling anxious or tired has to have both binkies (one in her mouth and one in her hand), a blanket, her stuffed doggie and her chocolate milk. It's pretty awkward to hold all of those things but she does it. She's often telling me to watch this or look and then does something silly. The other day she pooped in the toilet. That was exciting, but hasn't happened since. One day I asked her if she was ready to do her hair and she said no, and I asked why and she said BEcause. Nursery is not going well, but I don't know why I thought she would be any different than Mary. She wants to be like Mary and does just about everything that Mary does so go figure.
I did run my marathon...and then some. I took a couple of wrong turns and ended up going about 2 miles further than the 26.2. So, my time wasn't that great. 4:38. But considering it was my first and the extra mileage I think it wasn't too bad. I loved it though. I had a really good running day and mentally was totally fine. I did a half 2 weeks after and it was a real mental battle. I don't think I was quite ready to run that distance after the marathon, but ended up finishing in 1:56 which is fairly respectable. Since then the weather has turned and I haven't been running hardly at all. I have a new hobby though. Finding deals at DI and on KSL.com for Christmas presents for the kids and needed clothing items and shoes. It's almost as addicting as running.
John continues to trudge through school. He is still enjoying it. He has made more of an effort this semester to spend time with me and the girls. They just love to play with him and I love having him with us so it's been nice. Finals are coming up though so we might have a few weeks of not much daddy. It'll be ok though. We'll have lots to do to get ready for Christmas!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
It's Been Way Too Long
Of course I've been meaning to update this for months, but I think I feel like I need a certain amount of time to do it and that never happens. So even though Anna will probably wake up soon I'm going to get started anyway. We seemed to have had a busy summer. It was pretty uneventful, but it went quick enough and it felt like we were busy. Mary took swimming lessons and did a 3 week preschool summer camp. John did a couple of externships and took some classes. I started training for a marathon. And Anna pretty much tagged along. There were many more details to the summer, but my memory and time allotment won't allow much more than that unfortunately. I'll post pictures though.
Fall is here! It is definitely my favorite time of year. The leaves, the excitement of a new school year, the cooling air, I love it all. Mary, who turns 4 1/2 today, is very busy for a preschooler. She started preschool, and while she does love it and her teachers, she is still very anxious about leaving her mom. She's learning a lot already and loves to tell me about what she learned that day and who got into trouble. It seems that she is perfectly well-behaved when she's at school and primary. I guess that's why she goes crazy at home. Her anxiousness to go to school has been wearing on us a little so last night for family home evening we went on a walk to feed the ducks and then came home and talked about Priesthood blessings and then John gave her a blessing. Amazingly she sat very still through the blessing. She doesn't have school today so we'll have to see how she does tomorrow.
Mary has also started a singing/dancing performing group class. She absolutely loves it. Her class is called Kiddin' Around. They started the first day learning Christmas songs for their Christmas concert. We are so excited to see her perform. If I had to pick one thing that I think she will be good at and really enjoy it is this. She's constantly singing and acting so this class is perfect for her. I hope she continues to enjoy it. She also started soccer again. Now you may remember the horrors of last year's soccer experience. I did and was reluctant to sign her up again. But I'm so glad we did. She is doing terrific and seems to have fun. In last Saturday's game she actually scored 2 goals! They were in the other team's goal, but fortunately it's not a big deal at this age. Interestingly enough both goals were in the wrong goal, not just one. I guess she is more comfortable with that direction. Her coach was very nice and said great job Mary, just try to remember we are going the other way.
Anna is just about as busy as an 18-month old can be. She climbs into and on top of everything you can imagine. She knows where all the snacks are and can pretty much take care of herself. She has the sweetest personality, yet she knows what she wants and will be danged if she doesn't get it. She wants to do anything and everything her big sister does and Mary is really great about letting her play with her...most of the time. The other day Mary had a cape on and it looked like Anna was trying to put on a blanket like a cape so I said, Anna do you want a cape like Mary. Anna looked at me and took off down the hall toward the kitchen screaming, cake cake cake. She proceeded to cry about eating cake for the next 15 minutes. She's learned no pretty well. She loves to go outside and will tell you she wants to swing and slide and play in the gangox (sandbox).
John has started his second year of law school. He has definitely relaxed a bit so we see him a bit more than we did last year. The girls just love their daddy and want to play the second he walks through the door. He is doing an internship at Hill Air Force Base and really enjoys it. He is very interested in doing JAG.
I've been training for a full marathon. It's been a good experience. Since I have to bring the girls with me I've gotten much stronger pushing the double jogging stroller between 4 and 7 miles every day. I've been having some knee pain lately so hopefully I can push through for 3 more weeks. The race is October 13th.
Fall is here! It is definitely my favorite time of year. The leaves, the excitement of a new school year, the cooling air, I love it all. Mary, who turns 4 1/2 today, is very busy for a preschooler. She started preschool, and while she does love it and her teachers, she is still very anxious about leaving her mom. She's learning a lot already and loves to tell me about what she learned that day and who got into trouble. It seems that she is perfectly well-behaved when she's at school and primary. I guess that's why she goes crazy at home. Her anxiousness to go to school has been wearing on us a little so last night for family home evening we went on a walk to feed the ducks and then came home and talked about Priesthood blessings and then John gave her a blessing. Amazingly she sat very still through the blessing. She doesn't have school today so we'll have to see how she does tomorrow.
Mary has also started a singing/dancing performing group class. She absolutely loves it. Her class is called Kiddin' Around. They started the first day learning Christmas songs for their Christmas concert. We are so excited to see her perform. If I had to pick one thing that I think she will be good at and really enjoy it is this. She's constantly singing and acting so this class is perfect for her. I hope she continues to enjoy it. She also started soccer again. Now you may remember the horrors of last year's soccer experience. I did and was reluctant to sign her up again. But I'm so glad we did. She is doing terrific and seems to have fun. In last Saturday's game she actually scored 2 goals! They were in the other team's goal, but fortunately it's not a big deal at this age. Interestingly enough both goals were in the wrong goal, not just one. I guess she is more comfortable with that direction. Her coach was very nice and said great job Mary, just try to remember we are going the other way.
Anna is just about as busy as an 18-month old can be. She climbs into and on top of everything you can imagine. She knows where all the snacks are and can pretty much take care of herself. She has the sweetest personality, yet she knows what she wants and will be danged if she doesn't get it. She wants to do anything and everything her big sister does and Mary is really great about letting her play with her...most of the time. The other day Mary had a cape on and it looked like Anna was trying to put on a blanket like a cape so I said, Anna do you want a cape like Mary. Anna looked at me and took off down the hall toward the kitchen screaming, cake cake cake. She proceeded to cry about eating cake for the next 15 minutes. She's learned no pretty well. She loves to go outside and will tell you she wants to swing and slide and play in the gangox (sandbox).
John has started his second year of law school. He has definitely relaxed a bit so we see him a bit more than we did last year. The girls just love their daddy and want to play the second he walks through the door. He is doing an internship at Hill Air Force Base and really enjoys it. He is very interested in doing JAG.
I've been training for a full marathon. It's been a good experience. Since I have to bring the girls with me I've gotten much stronger pushing the double jogging stroller between 4 and 7 miles every day. I've been having some knee pain lately so hopefully I can push through for 3 more weeks. The race is October 13th.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Funny Mary
I just thought of this and wanted to put it in before I forget. Mary has a hard time sleeping in in the mornings. And when I say sleep in I mean sleep until 7. She's been waking up around 6:15 or 6:30 and then she ends up tired and irritable. So we tried putting some dark curtains up in the girl's room so it's not so light early in the morning. First day she slept until 7:15. Then there was another early day and then another after 7:00. But the last after 7:00 I asked her about it and she said that she was just really tired from playing in the night. Evidently if she wakes up in the night she plays with her stuffed animals until she is tired again. Silly girl.
This morning it was Anna that woke up at 6:30. She then woke up Mary. What do you do.
This morning it was Anna that woke up at 6:30. She then woke up Mary. What do you do.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Long Update
Wow, it's been a long time. We've gotten a little busier over the past few weeks. Mary has been taking tumbling one night a week and swimming lessons two nights. She loves both. Well, she did until last night. Something in her swim lesson scared her and she says she doesn't want to go anymore. Hopefully that will pass. She really loves tumbling--cried the first day when it was over. I guess it went to fast. She has been so good at tumbling class though. Sometimes I can't believe it's her. When they have to wait their turn to do a trick she always sits completely still and quiet and waits without moving or talking. She is the only child that does this. The first couple of times she didn't get picked to go until the very last because all the other kids were loud and running up to the teacher and I think she just wanted to be done with them. But thankfully the last couple of times Mary has been picked first because she is sitting so quietly. I was very glad that she got to see that something good does come from doing what you are supposed to do. It is almost summer though, and Mary has known for a long time now that she is going to school in the summer (just a 3 week class). So far she's still ok with it. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
Anna is just a little cutie. The older she gets the more personality she gets. I thought Mary was defiant. She will sit in her high chair, take two bites of something and then scream (not cry--high pitch scream) until you get her something else. She throws everything onto the floor. She thinks it's some kind of a game to get every piece of food through the little hole in her tray. She says "nana" for banana, but also for all other kinds of food. If she's hungry she says "nana." I've found it interesting how she plays with all of Mary's toys...play food and dishes, babies, dolls, etc. She plays pretend very well--mixing food in a bowl and then taking a bite or feeding it to a doll. Since Mary was the first one and we didn't have those toys when she was Anna's age I didn't realize Anna would know how to play like that.
John finished his first year of law school. I thought it would ease up a bit and I guess it has a little, but he's still super busy. He goes to class for half the day then goes to his externship at the Federal Defender's office for the rest of the day. He's also been applying for some part time jobs and trying to write an article for the law review. He got a new bike and has started riding it to school. He's pretty tired--it takes a good hour there and back, but once he gets used to it I'm pretty sure he'll really enjoy it.
We had our 8th wedding anniversary on May 14th. My grandma had my cousin Grace come over and they watched the girls so we could go out to dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was nice. I just try to keep up with everything. I know it'll get much busier as the girls get older, but maybe I won't have to pick up as much after them...
I had a very nice Mother's Day though. John made me strawberry and cream cheese crepes for breakfast, a fancy sandwich for lunch and a lovely steak dinner. He also got me (with Mary) new sunglasses and a new bag/purse. Lucky for me he has pretty good taste. Mary seemed to enjoy Mother's Day...was excited and happy and said, Happy Mother's Day Mother, several times. But at the end of the day she quite seriously asked when kids day is. She's quite a thinker.
We went to Burley a few weeks ago for my moms birthday and are going again this weekend for John's parents 35th anniversary party. Should be a good time!
Anna is just a little cutie. The older she gets the more personality she gets. I thought Mary was defiant. She will sit in her high chair, take two bites of something and then scream (not cry--high pitch scream) until you get her something else. She throws everything onto the floor. She thinks it's some kind of a game to get every piece of food through the little hole in her tray. She says "nana" for banana, but also for all other kinds of food. If she's hungry she says "nana." I've found it interesting how she plays with all of Mary's toys...play food and dishes, babies, dolls, etc. She plays pretend very well--mixing food in a bowl and then taking a bite or feeding it to a doll. Since Mary was the first one and we didn't have those toys when she was Anna's age I didn't realize Anna would know how to play like that.
John finished his first year of law school. I thought it would ease up a bit and I guess it has a little, but he's still super busy. He goes to class for half the day then goes to his externship at the Federal Defender's office for the rest of the day. He's also been applying for some part time jobs and trying to write an article for the law review. He got a new bike and has started riding it to school. He's pretty tired--it takes a good hour there and back, but once he gets used to it I'm pretty sure he'll really enjoy it.
We had our 8th wedding anniversary on May 14th. My grandma had my cousin Grace come over and they watched the girls so we could go out to dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was nice. I just try to keep up with everything. I know it'll get much busier as the girls get older, but maybe I won't have to pick up as much after them...
I had a very nice Mother's Day though. John made me strawberry and cream cheese crepes for breakfast, a fancy sandwich for lunch and a lovely steak dinner. He also got me (with Mary) new sunglasses and a new bag/purse. Lucky for me he has pretty good taste. Mary seemed to enjoy Mother's Day...was excited and happy and said, Happy Mother's Day Mother, several times. But at the end of the day she quite seriously asked when kids day is. She's quite a thinker.
We went to Burley a few weeks ago for my moms birthday and are going again this weekend for John's parents 35th anniversary party. Should be a good time!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
We've Had a Busy Few Weeks...
We have been so busy lately there has hardly been time to do anything! We went to St. George last week and when we got back it was time to get ready for Easter. My choir sang on Easter and Mary had her first Primary talk so it was quite a day.
Backing up a little, we went to St. George with my parents and two of my brothers and their families. We were able to stay at my grandma's condo, so that worked out really well. It was very nice. We were pretty busy the whole time, going to a dinosaur museum, swimming at my brother's hotel, climbing on the red rocks, more swimming and going to the park. At the park there was a splash pad and a kiddie river and a carousel. I don't think the girls could have handled any more fun. John wasn't able to come because of school so I was ready to come home!
The day before we left, John's parents came to help John build a sandbox and set up the new swing set they got for the girls for their birthdays. It was so great and now Mary has her own park in her backyard. She's is always asking people to come and play in her park. There is a goose sitting on her eggs on the other side of the fence next to the sandbox though and if you look at it it hisses at you. So Mary won't go in the sandbox unless John is with her. Hopefully the eggs will hatch soon!
I took the girls to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning where Mary got a ton of candy and eggs. Anna just picked up one and sat down to play with it. Then we went home and dyed eggs. Later that night we did our trade a date night with my brother Jake's family. It was their turn to go out so we stayed with all the kids at my Grandma Shirley's where the kids had another Easter egg hunt and played and played. Sweet Mary found a green egg and after it was all finished offered it to Daxton because green is his favorite color.
Easter Sunday was fun. The girls woke up and found their Easter baskets. John, of course, made a huge breakfast--well he made huge omelets. They were good. The girls looked absolutely darling in their yellow, daisy dresses. Mary was so excited for her talk. All the way through sacrament meeting she kept asking if it was time. Once we got to Primary she got to sit up front. She was so good. When it was finally time for her talk she climbed up onto the stool. She got shy for about 10 seconds--smiling and ducking her head. Then she started talking very quietly. But by the third line she had all the confidence in the world and stood up straight and spoke loudly right into the microphone. We were pretty proud of her.
Speaking of being proud of Mary, last week we went to a friend of John's from his old job for a BBQ. Mary immediately started telling the other moms everything that had happened the previous week. Then she played very well with the other kids whom we've never met. When it was time for dinner she offered to say the blessing and blessed the food and the other kids by name. All of this made me realize how she is not like me at all when it comes to socializing. Again, we were proud of her. We, of course, are proud of Anna too. She is just so darn cute and sweet. Every time I open the card door to get her out she has the biggest smile and says, "Hhiiii." Not so cute the other night though. She was being a stinker and not wanting to go to bed so we let her cry for a few minutes. But when I say cry I really mean scream bloody murder. But it was only about 45 seconds of it when I realized she had made herself throw up all over. I knew it would happen. She throws up really easy. Anyway, now I'm not sure what to do with her. She is the worst sleeper ever. And I used to think Mary was bad...
This post was probably all over the place--I started it a few days ago and got interrupted when Anna woke up early from her nap so I kind of lost my train of thought. Oh well. I'll have to add more when I think of things.
Backing up a little, we went to St. George with my parents and two of my brothers and their families. We were able to stay at my grandma's condo, so that worked out really well. It was very nice. We were pretty busy the whole time, going to a dinosaur museum, swimming at my brother's hotel, climbing on the red rocks, more swimming and going to the park. At the park there was a splash pad and a kiddie river and a carousel. I don't think the girls could have handled any more fun. John wasn't able to come because of school so I was ready to come home!
The day before we left, John's parents came to help John build a sandbox and set up the new swing set they got for the girls for their birthdays. It was so great and now Mary has her own park in her backyard. She's is always asking people to come and play in her park. There is a goose sitting on her eggs on the other side of the fence next to the sandbox though and if you look at it it hisses at you. So Mary won't go in the sandbox unless John is with her. Hopefully the eggs will hatch soon!
I took the girls to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning where Mary got a ton of candy and eggs. Anna just picked up one and sat down to play with it. Then we went home and dyed eggs. Later that night we did our trade a date night with my brother Jake's family. It was their turn to go out so we stayed with all the kids at my Grandma Shirley's where the kids had another Easter egg hunt and played and played. Sweet Mary found a green egg and after it was all finished offered it to Daxton because green is his favorite color.
Easter Sunday was fun. The girls woke up and found their Easter baskets. John, of course, made a huge breakfast--well he made huge omelets. They were good. The girls looked absolutely darling in their yellow, daisy dresses. Mary was so excited for her talk. All the way through sacrament meeting she kept asking if it was time. Once we got to Primary she got to sit up front. She was so good. When it was finally time for her talk she climbed up onto the stool. She got shy for about 10 seconds--smiling and ducking her head. Then she started talking very quietly. But by the third line she had all the confidence in the world and stood up straight and spoke loudly right into the microphone. We were pretty proud of her.
Speaking of being proud of Mary, last week we went to a friend of John's from his old job for a BBQ. Mary immediately started telling the other moms everything that had happened the previous week. Then she played very well with the other kids whom we've never met. When it was time for dinner she offered to say the blessing and blessed the food and the other kids by name. All of this made me realize how she is not like me at all when it comes to socializing. Again, we were proud of her. We, of course, are proud of Anna too. She is just so darn cute and sweet. Every time I open the card door to get her out she has the biggest smile and says, "Hhiiii." Not so cute the other night though. She was being a stinker and not wanting to go to bed so we let her cry for a few minutes. But when I say cry I really mean scream bloody murder. But it was only about 45 seconds of it when I realized she had made herself throw up all over. I knew it would happen. She throws up really easy. Anyway, now I'm not sure what to do with her. She is the worst sleeper ever. And I used to think Mary was bad...
This post was probably all over the place--I started it a few days ago and got interrupted when Anna woke up early from her nap so I kind of lost my train of thought. Oh well. I'll have to add more when I think of things.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Pictures
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Mary Turned 4...And she finally got a party!
It was a long time coming, but Mary finally got her birthday party. Two, in fact. We were a little worried because Anna has been sick, but fortunately Mary was fine. Her very first birthday party she was practically delirious with fever. She walked around crying most of the time. I think I finally gave up and cried too. Her second birthday we had planned just a little get together with her play date buddies which we had to cancel because she was sick. Her third birthday Anna was due the week before so I planned a fun Dora the Explorer party for a few weeks early just in case. The day of the party, Anna was born. Needless to say we thought she deserved a great party!
On Tuesday we had our friends from Pleasant Grove come for lunch and cupcakes and then we went to Jungle Jim's. The kids, Mary, Micah, Evan, Asher, Anna and Savannah, had a great time. They rode a roller coaster that was really pretty fast, among other rides.
But Saturday was the big gun. We rented a huge bounce house and I made a pinata. All of her cousins except for Kyler, Ayla, Kenadi and Quinci were there (we missed them!). The kids played in that bounce house almost the whole time--it was great. Mary got a wagon from my parents so the kids took turns giving each other rides. I think they all had a great time.
Sunday was her actual birthday and she wore her fancy new dress from Grandma Melody to church. She looked so beautiful and grown-up. She got to stand at the front of Primary while they sang "shout hurray" to her. I just can't believe she's four.
Last night she went to Grandma Shirley's with my mom for a sleepover. She loves to do this. As much as she makes me crazy sometimes I sure am glad I have her. I missed having her to talk to this morning. And Anna just kept walking from room to room. I'm pretty sure she was looking for Mary.
I am so grateful for my sweet, sweet, loving girls.
On Tuesday we had our friends from Pleasant Grove come for lunch and cupcakes and then we went to Jungle Jim's. The kids, Mary, Micah, Evan, Asher, Anna and Savannah, had a great time. They rode a roller coaster that was really pretty fast, among other rides.
But Saturday was the big gun. We rented a huge bounce house and I made a pinata. All of her cousins except for Kyler, Ayla, Kenadi and Quinci were there (we missed them!). The kids played in that bounce house almost the whole time--it was great. Mary got a wagon from my parents so the kids took turns giving each other rides. I think they all had a great time.
Sunday was her actual birthday and she wore her fancy new dress from Grandma Melody to church. She looked so beautiful and grown-up. She got to stand at the front of Primary while they sang "shout hurray" to her. I just can't believe she's four.
Last night she went to Grandma Shirley's with my mom for a sleepover. She loves to do this. As much as she makes me crazy sometimes I sure am glad I have her. I missed having her to talk to this morning. And Anna just kept walking from room to room. I'm pretty sure she was looking for Mary.
I am so grateful for my sweet, sweet, loving girls.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Quick Update
Our baby niece, Ayla, was able to come home from the hospital yesterday. She is still on oxygen, but doing much better and we are so relieved.
On a not so happy note John's grandma, RaNae, passed away on Friday. She was not well and in a lot of pain so it is the best thing for her, but still sad. We will be going to Burley tomorrow for the funeral on Saturday. John has Spring Break this week so it worked out that we can go for a few days.
Mary, of course, is beyond excited to be going to Burley. This morning she was wondering how she would make it one more day before we can leave to go. Both girls had their birthday check-ups yesterday at the doctor. I made the appointment for both of them thinking John would be able to go with us. He ended up going to court all day with a lawyer he is volunteering for so we were on our own. I was pretty nervous about it thinking both girls would be laden with shots and screaming. Mary was very good and very helpful. The doctor said she is very healthy and in the 75th percentile for her height (quite surprising :). She lucked out and didn't have to get any shots. She will have to get a truck-load next year though before she starts kindergarten. Anna, on the other hand, wasn't quite as cooperative and had to get 3 shots. She takes after me a little more and is in the 25th percentile for height and weight. Her ears were not quite well yet so we are still watching those as she finishes a round of antibiotics. We are also going to try her off of her acid reflux medication which she has been taking since she was 1 day old. So here's hoping she doesn't need it anymore! Mary had problems with acid reflux until she was 2 so we are hoping Anna isn't as bad.
The pictures below are some more from Anna's party and one of Anna just walking around sweeping. She walks when she wants to, but crawling is still her main mode of transportation. She is getting quite demanding. We taught her to say "more" in sign language and she says it for anything and everything she wants and/or needs and if she doesn't get it right away she'll either do the sign harder or clap her hands hard.
One funny story about Mary. The other night we had asparagus for dinner and she did not want to even try it. She said, "It smells terrible!" But John had made cinnamon rolls for dessert and she had to eat some asparagus if she wanted one so she eventually tried it and exclaimed, "I did it and it wasn't THAT bad!" So we were at the grocery store today and I was getting more asparagus and she asked if she had to try it again. I told her she should try it again and she said, "Does Jesus want me to try asparagus?" A little surprised, I just told her that Jesus wants her to be healthy and eat healthy foods and asparagus is a healthy food. It made me happy that she is thinking about what Jesus wants her to do.
On a not so happy note John's grandma, RaNae, passed away on Friday. She was not well and in a lot of pain so it is the best thing for her, but still sad. We will be going to Burley tomorrow for the funeral on Saturday. John has Spring Break this week so it worked out that we can go for a few days.
Mary, of course, is beyond excited to be going to Burley. This morning she was wondering how she would make it one more day before we can leave to go. Both girls had their birthday check-ups yesterday at the doctor. I made the appointment for both of them thinking John would be able to go with us. He ended up going to court all day with a lawyer he is volunteering for so we were on our own. I was pretty nervous about it thinking both girls would be laden with shots and screaming. Mary was very good and very helpful. The doctor said she is very healthy and in the 75th percentile for her height (quite surprising :). She lucked out and didn't have to get any shots. She will have to get a truck-load next year though before she starts kindergarten. Anna, on the other hand, wasn't quite as cooperative and had to get 3 shots. She takes after me a little more and is in the 25th percentile for height and weight. Her ears were not quite well yet so we are still watching those as she finishes a round of antibiotics. We are also going to try her off of her acid reflux medication which she has been taking since she was 1 day old. So here's hoping she doesn't need it anymore! Mary had problems with acid reflux until she was 2 so we are hoping Anna isn't as bad.
The pictures below are some more from Anna's party and one of Anna just walking around sweeping. She walks when she wants to, but crawling is still her main mode of transportation. She is getting quite demanding. We taught her to say "more" in sign language and she says it for anything and everything she wants and/or needs and if she doesn't get it right away she'll either do the sign harder or clap her hands hard.
One funny story about Mary. The other night we had asparagus for dinner and she did not want to even try it. She said, "It smells terrible!" But John had made cinnamon rolls for dessert and she had to eat some asparagus if she wanted one so she eventually tried it and exclaimed, "I did it and it wasn't THAT bad!" So we were at the grocery store today and I was getting more asparagus and she asked if she had to try it again. I told her she should try it again and she said, "Does Jesus want me to try asparagus?" A little surprised, I just told her that Jesus wants her to be healthy and eat healthy foods and asparagus is a healthy food. It made me happy that she is thinking about what Jesus wants her to do.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Anna is 1!
It is truly hard to believe that my baby is 1. This last year has been so crazy for us and it just went by so fast. Of course it seems that Anna has always been with us as was most definitely meant to be a part of our family. As Anna's birthday got closer, Mary kept asking if Anna was going to grow up on her birthday and be able to play with her. I, for one, am glad that it doesn't go quite that fast. Although sometimes it seems like it.
We had a big family party for Anna. Both sets of grandparents, 3 great-grandmas, 2 aunts, 1 uncle and 4 cousins came. Anna was sick of course, that's a tradition in our family, but she seemed to feel ok and was distracted by everything going on. She rather enjoyed opening her presents and got some really fun things, but I think her favorite was the baby doll from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Scott. She was trying to hold it while it was still tied up in the box. It was very cute. She also loved eating her cake. She just kept eating and eating.
Anna is still sick, even now. I took her to the doctor on her birthday. He prescribed antibiotics, but said to wait before I filled it to see if she got better on her own. I think I waited to long. She didn't really get worse, but is not getting any better so I filled the prescription this morning. When I gave it to her she asked for more with her sign language. It was funny. Hopefully she will get well quickly now.
We are now thinking and talking about Mary's birthday. This morning I told her we might have to have 2 parties for her, a friend one and a family one. She was very excited and said, "Well that's certainly ridiculous!" I think those were just the biggest words she knows.
On a kind of serious note our baby niece, Ayla has been in the hospital since Monday. She has RSV. She's fighting, poor little thing. Hopefully she will be out and better very soon. We are praying for her!
We had a big family party for Anna. Both sets of grandparents, 3 great-grandmas, 2 aunts, 1 uncle and 4 cousins came. Anna was sick of course, that's a tradition in our family, but she seemed to feel ok and was distracted by everything going on. She rather enjoyed opening her presents and got some really fun things, but I think her favorite was the baby doll from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Scott. She was trying to hold it while it was still tied up in the box. It was very cute. She also loved eating her cake. She just kept eating and eating.
Anna is still sick, even now. I took her to the doctor on her birthday. He prescribed antibiotics, but said to wait before I filled it to see if she got better on her own. I think I waited to long. She didn't really get worse, but is not getting any better so I filled the prescription this morning. When I gave it to her she asked for more with her sign language. It was funny. Hopefully she will get well quickly now.
We are now thinking and talking about Mary's birthday. This morning I told her we might have to have 2 parties for her, a friend one and a family one. She was very excited and said, "Well that's certainly ridiculous!" I think those were just the biggest words she knows.
On a kind of serious note our baby niece, Ayla has been in the hospital since Monday. She has RSV. She's fighting, poor little thing. Hopefully she will be out and better very soon. We are praying for her!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Jonah
Five years ago, at this minute, I was at St. Marks hospital in a hospital bed. I had learned earlier that day that the baby I had been carrying for 20 weeks had died. It came as quite a shock. I remember being so excited that John and I were finally going to try to have a baby. When I found out we were pregnant I was so happy. That innocent joy only lasted about 2 weeks. Then the sickness set in. I had heard the term "morning sickness" before, but never had I thought about what it meant or that it could happen to me. I was so sick. I had to take a leave of absence from my job. All I could do was lay on the couch, if I made it to the couch. Even thinking about eating made my stomach heave. Everyone told me that it was a good sign of a healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately I took comfort in that.
At 19 weeks I had my regular OB appointment. Everything was fine. I distinctly remember the doctor saying what a strong heartbeat the baby had. I had a blood test at the appointment. I also scheduled the ultrasound appointment for the following week where we would find out the gender of the baby. I had been feeling a little better the last few weeks and felt that things were looking up. I even started going back to work. The day before the ultrasound I got a call from the doctor's office saying that my blood test raised a red flag, but it was most likely nothing. I was supposed to make an appointment with a perinatologist just to make sure everything was fine. They said not to worry about it, that it was no big deal. I was upset and asked to leave work for awhile to calm down, which I did. I wasn't thinking about it at all on the way to the ultrasound. I was just excited. We even stopped on the way to get a video tape to record the baby.
We went in and the ultrasound tech started. She asked if we wanted to know the gender and of course we did. John was holding my hand. He was excited too. I realized something was amiss first. The tech would search the screen and then turn to my chart. She asked when my last appointment was. She asked me to hold my breath. She forgot to tell me that I could breathe again. We laughed a little. It was then that I said, "Can you not find a heartbeat?" She said, "No, I can't." That's when it hit me. I started to cry. It took John a little longer to understand. When he realized what it meant he cried too.
We opted to go straight to hospital where I would be induced. Jake came to the hospital to help John give me a blessing. He cried when he saw me. I have such sweet, sensitive brothers. My parents got there as soon as they could. It took quite a long time. I was induced around 1:00. The pain started getting bad around 10:00 pm. For some reason I chose to wait to get an epidural--until it was too late. Literally seconds after I got the epidural the baby was born. The nurse told us it was a boy. I had somehow known. I think it was around 5 am on February 8, 2007.
We decided to name him Jonah Smith. We buried him on Saturday, February 10th in a cemetery in Taylorsville, not far from where we live now. Although we have moved forward in our lives, he is never too far from my thoughts. I just wanted him to be remembered on his birthday.
At 19 weeks I had my regular OB appointment. Everything was fine. I distinctly remember the doctor saying what a strong heartbeat the baby had. I had a blood test at the appointment. I also scheduled the ultrasound appointment for the following week where we would find out the gender of the baby. I had been feeling a little better the last few weeks and felt that things were looking up. I even started going back to work. The day before the ultrasound I got a call from the doctor's office saying that my blood test raised a red flag, but it was most likely nothing. I was supposed to make an appointment with a perinatologist just to make sure everything was fine. They said not to worry about it, that it was no big deal. I was upset and asked to leave work for awhile to calm down, which I did. I wasn't thinking about it at all on the way to the ultrasound. I was just excited. We even stopped on the way to get a video tape to record the baby.
We went in and the ultrasound tech started. She asked if we wanted to know the gender and of course we did. John was holding my hand. He was excited too. I realized something was amiss first. The tech would search the screen and then turn to my chart. She asked when my last appointment was. She asked me to hold my breath. She forgot to tell me that I could breathe again. We laughed a little. It was then that I said, "Can you not find a heartbeat?" She said, "No, I can't." That's when it hit me. I started to cry. It took John a little longer to understand. When he realized what it meant he cried too.
We opted to go straight to hospital where I would be induced. Jake came to the hospital to help John give me a blessing. He cried when he saw me. I have such sweet, sensitive brothers. My parents got there as soon as they could. It took quite a long time. I was induced around 1:00. The pain started getting bad around 10:00 pm. For some reason I chose to wait to get an epidural--until it was too late. Literally seconds after I got the epidural the baby was born. The nurse told us it was a boy. I had somehow known. I think it was around 5 am on February 8, 2007.
We decided to name him Jonah Smith. We buried him on Saturday, February 10th in a cemetery in Taylorsville, not far from where we live now. Although we have moved forward in our lives, he is never too far from my thoughts. I just wanted him to be remembered on his birthday.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tough Winter
It's hard to believe, but at least one, if not all, of us have been sick off and on since that last post on November 10th. Even as I speak Anna is on antibiotics for her second ear infection in 2 months and I am recuperating from yet another cold. At least this one didn't turn into bronchitis like the last one though. That is my excuse for not posting for so long, it may not be a good one, but all the sickness has really slowed us down. Looking back though, we've come a long way since then.
Mary is no longer going to preschool. She went 3 times. She seemed to really enjoy it, but was having some pretty severe anxiety about leaving me. She got to the point where she was crying every day about going, even the days she didn't have to go. After talking to her teacher we decided to wait awhile--she is only 3 after all. Her teacher is having a special class for 3 weeks in June, so we are going to try that and then start again in the fall. Mary now says she will start school in the summer. It pretty much ruined her for a while though. I couldn't go anywhere, including taking a shower without her breaking down. It took some time, but she's pretty much back to normal now. Although she also wanted to stop going to gymnastics. So we are taking a complete break for a few months.
Anna is now a little over 10 months, very hard to believe. She is so very sweet yet still very much has her own personality. She is crawling everywhere, climbing on everything and opening every cupboard and drawer she can find. Mary walked when she was right about Anna's age. She also crawled at 8 months, where Anna waited til about 9 months. Anna doesn't seem all that interested in walking as of yet. She likes to stand, but will carefully sit and then crawl to her next destination. Mary had a little rocking chair that she started pushing around very early.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving and Christmas, both spent in Burley, going between Grandma Sue's and Grandma Melody's. The girls got so many presents they wouldn't all fit in our car. The best part of Christmas was having John home for a few weeks between semesters. Mary loves having him home to play Ursula grabs Ariel and puts her in a cage and Anna seemed to really bond with her dada. He went back full time last week and I think she wonders where he went.
We had a sweet little niece born on December 16th, Ayla Jo Barker to Jono and Natasha. We were able to see her a few days before Christmas.
My time is up, Anna just woke up. Hopefully more to come!
Mary is no longer going to preschool. She went 3 times. She seemed to really enjoy it, but was having some pretty severe anxiety about leaving me. She got to the point where she was crying every day about going, even the days she didn't have to go. After talking to her teacher we decided to wait awhile--she is only 3 after all. Her teacher is having a special class for 3 weeks in June, so we are going to try that and then start again in the fall. Mary now says she will start school in the summer. It pretty much ruined her for a while though. I couldn't go anywhere, including taking a shower without her breaking down. It took some time, but she's pretty much back to normal now. Although she also wanted to stop going to gymnastics. So we are taking a complete break for a few months.
Anna is now a little over 10 months, very hard to believe. She is so very sweet yet still very much has her own personality. She is crawling everywhere, climbing on everything and opening every cupboard and drawer she can find. Mary walked when she was right about Anna's age. She also crawled at 8 months, where Anna waited til about 9 months. Anna doesn't seem all that interested in walking as of yet. She likes to stand, but will carefully sit and then crawl to her next destination. Mary had a little rocking chair that she started pushing around very early.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving and Christmas, both spent in Burley, going between Grandma Sue's and Grandma Melody's. The girls got so many presents they wouldn't all fit in our car. The best part of Christmas was having John home for a few weeks between semesters. Mary loves having him home to play Ursula grabs Ariel and puts her in a cage and Anna seemed to really bond with her dada. He went back full time last week and I think she wonders where he went.
We had a sweet little niece born on December 16th, Ayla Jo Barker to Jono and Natasha. We were able to see her a few days before Christmas.
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