What Did We Do This Weekend?

For date night Friday night, Aaron and I rented the movie Lincoln, and watched it for the first time. I've been wanting to see it since it came out. It's fantastic! Seriously, such a well done movie. It's probably one of my all-time favorites. And apparently it's fairly historically accurate as well. (More details here.) We named our son Lincoln, after Abraham Lincoln, and this movie captures President Lincoln's character so well that I am happy to have a son with his name-sake. I love the stories he tells at random times to ease the tension, or prove a point. And I love the scene where he talks about Euclid to the engineer at the telegraph. And the scene where he's trying to get his cabinet members to support him and get the votes they need. And Tommy Lee Jones is awesome. The movie is just so well done. I loved it. So, if you haven't seen this movie...see it! I will definitely be buying it first chance I get.

Aaron spent most of Saturday working on our fire pit and garden wall. He finished the wall. Now, he just has the front edge of the fire pit to cut out the stones for. Then we need to fill the rest of our garden with dirt, and plant plants! Hooray for gardening!

I spent most of my weekend inside with the kidlets. Well, minus Linc, he stayed outside with Aaron for a lot of the day. I love this picture of Oliver snuggled up on Aaron's shoulder sound asleep. Precious baby.

And, I made Tapioca pudding. While I was stirring it, I happened to pick up the package and read the back. I had no idea that tapioca came from the cassava plant. I guess you learn something new every day. 

BYU Baseball Stadium Tour

Boys playing on the pitcher's mound

Today our preschool group took a tour of the BYU Baseball Stadium. It was awesome! When I was a freshman in college, we used to climb over the center field fence at midnight and spread a blanket out in the outfield and have picnics and play catch (yes, in the dark, not a bright idea), but I'd never been inside the actual building until today.

First we got to see the equipment and uniform room. They showed us the huge washing machines that wash the uniforms after every game. (How cool is that, the players don't even have to wash their own laundry!) Then we went across the hall and saw the weight room.

The kids were really impressed with the weight room. They tried out all the bikes. Asked questions about the hot and cold tubs, and wanted to hold each different size of medicine ball and try throwing it against the vertical trampoline. (Players use the medicine balls and trampoline to loosen up their shoulders.) After the weight room, we got to take a peek into the coaches' office. On of the kids found a miniature bat, and our tour guide explained that it was the kind of bat players used to practice top-hand or bottom-hand drills. (Basically you bat soft-toss or off of a tee one handed to work your arm strength and to practice having one arm swing through the strike zone.)

Next we went out onto the field. Most of the little boys headed straight to the pitcher's mound. Some ran to second base and then continued out to the center field fence. Adelia enjoyed using the third base-line dirt as a mini sandbox. :)

There were a couple pitchers in the bull-pen throwing to a catcher. So, our tour guide took us over to meet them. They were really nice, and talked with the kids for a bit.

Then we went back inside to the batting cages. This was all three of my older kids' favorite part. Our guide let them take turns hitting balls off of a tee. When everyone had had a turn, he asked the kids to help him gather up the balls, and then told them each the could keep one. My kids were in heaven.

Lastly, we got to check out the clubhouse. Del immediately walked over and sat on the couch with a member of the team and said, "Hi, I'm Adelia. These are my new shoes, see? I'm two. " and continued to chat with him until we left. I guess I've got a little flirt on my hands. At least she's got good taste?

The little boys sat on the smaller couch and talked with the players. Over all I was really impressed with the players. They were patient with the kids, and answered all their questions, and listened to each one of them tell how old they were, and on and on. It was really cute. 

And that was that, the tour was over. Adelia jumped down off the couch and turned around to wave good bye to her new friend at least four times on the way out. Then she said to me, "Mom, those guys like me. They're my friends."  Too funny. 

Mom's Night Out - Saudi Arabia

We had an awesome Mom's Night Out last night. My friend Danielle, invited her in-laws to come and speak to us and tell us about the nine years they spent living in Saudi Arabia working for the US government. It was really informative and interesting.

I've done a little bit of reading about Iran, so the Saudi culture wasn't shockingly new to me. But hearing again about they way their culture treats women, and how few rights women have over there, made me grateful all over again for the freedoms and opportunities I have in the United States.

While I was there, I got to try on the burka (a loose garment covering the entire body and having a veiled opening for the eyes, worn by Muslim women.) and a hijab (a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.) If I were really a Saudi woman, only my eyes and the tips of my fingers would be allowed to show. I don't know how women do it. It was really hot with all that on, and my breath on the veil part made it really humid and muggy around my face. And I wasn't even trying to wear it in the sun or 120 degree heat. And it was really hard to move or do anything with only my finger tips showing. I can't imagine trying to cook of hold a baby that way.

It was an awesome MNO, I feel like I learned a lot. And it was interesting to hear the perspectives of LDS-Americans living in Saudi. We also got to eat really great Arabic food. And now I have about a dozen books I want to read about Saudi Arabia, beginning with In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom.

Our Bike Ride

This morning school was not working out...my boys had way too much pent up energy. So we took a break to go on a bike ride. The sun was out and it wasn't too cold. We put our jackets, bundled up the baby and headed out.

I love this picture of the boys for so many reasons. Lincoln's shades. Ivan's tongue sticking out, his hood under his helmet, his socks and flip-flops. Yep, it's an awesome picture. It cracks me up.

Adelia chose to ride the stroller instead of her trike. But it turned out awesome, because with her in the stroller, I could jog behind the boys, without worrying about leaving Adelia nonchalantly pedaling behind in the dust. Oliver was happy to ride too. And I got some real exercise, yay!

School went so much better after our bike ride.

At another point in the day, Adelia invited me up to her room for an exclusive picnic. She'd set it all up before hand, and showed me where I was supposed to sit, and which food was mine to eat. :) Such a cute child, she is.

We Win Parents of the Year!

Have you ever forgotten a child somewhere? Aaron and I can now, officially, join your club. This morning we were getting ready to take Aaron to work...Aaron put the older kids in the car while I was brushing my teeth. I came downstairs, Oliver was sitting quietly in his car seat on the floor in the family room, Aaron was throwing some things in a sack to take for lunch. I talked to Aaron for a minute, grabbed my keys and purse and went out to start the car. Thinking Aaron would grab Ollie. Aaron must have been thinking I would grab Ollie. Neither of us grabbed Ollie.

We got in the car and drove away. We read scriptures on the way to work as usual, and when we got to Aaron's work we got ready to have family prayer (we do these things in the car, because everyone is together and strapped down, so it's more reverent-ish that way). I turned around to remind the kids to fold their arms, and suddenly noticed that there was no Oliver.

Panic attack! We did not have family prayer. I pretty much told Aaron to get out, then frantically drove home to retrieve my child. All the while listening to my older kids say things like, "Poor forgotten baby." "He's probably so sad right now Mom." "Why did we leave him?" "Is he going to be ok?"

Luckily, Aaron's work is a five minute drive from our house. So Ollie was only alone for a maximum of 15 minutes. And he was fine when I got there. He was fussing a little, but it didn't look like he'd been crying. No red face. No tears. *whew*

Parents of the year, right here. Oh boy.

Littles Club

The 3-6 year-olds in my home school group are called the Littles Club. They get together every Wednesday.  Yesterday, they had an awesome indoor picnic that was so much fun! Everyone brought a finger-food to share. There were 13 kids there (not including 2 babies), but they were all really good, and really excited for the picnic.

Next Wednesday is my turn to host. I hope the weather is nice, because I want to have a sidewalk chalk extravaganza at a local park. C'mon warm spring weather, do your stuff!

Life

I am a lucky girl. I live in such a beautiful place. Even though those mountains have been sitting there on the horizon my whole life, I can step outside almost anytime I want and see a view that takes my breath away. Aaron laughed at me, but I actually pulled off the road after dropping Ivan off at preschool today, so I could snap this shot. I thought the snow-dusted mountains sandwiched in-between a blue sky and a green field were just too lovely to pass up. (And if you know where to look, you can see the back of my house on the right side.)

Speaking of Ivan's preschool, they did letter V today and talked about volcanoes. Ivan was so proud to show me this volcano that he made, that I felt like I needed to snap a picture of it. He couldn't stop talking about volcanoes and all the cool activities he'd done at preschool. :)

Oliver has been trying to up the milk supply, which means I've been nursing him what feels like non-stop for the last two days. It's fine, but I don't get anything done, so it's a good thing it only takes a couple of days at a time. I also think we're approaching the stage where he needs to be somewhere quiet to sleep. I'm hoping to postpone it's coming as long as possible. I don't know if I can persuade my others to be quiet enough for the baby to get all his naps in!

Ollie yawning in his car seat

Oliver isn't a big fan of his car seat either. None of my kids ever have been. I'm not sure why. He still has most of his hair though, so that's good. Although I don't have much hope of him keeping it, but there's always a chance, right? 

And here he is caught in the act of sucking his thumb. I am totally ok with it too. If I could have a child that could soothe itself, that would be fantastic. 

In very random news, I introduced my kids to Bugles the other day. Or should I say "dragon fingers"? Either way, they were a hit.

And, just so she isn't left out...here's Del. She was dancing around the living room while I typed this post and I told her to freeze. This is what I got:

This is Kinda How My Day Went...

Nine Things

1. Oliver and his furrowed brow. I love it! Isn't it adorable? He still really likes his fuzzy, snugly blankets.

2. A full glass of water on my pantry shelf. I'm guessing the culprit is Adelia, although, in reality, it could be any of them. What I can't figure out is the motive. Maybe she's just two and doesn't need a motive.

3. Ivan built a windmill out of Aaron's K'nex. It had a motor to make it spin around and everything. I was pretty impressed.

4. Ivan sporting a popular Utah fashion...socks and sandals. Yikes!

5. Oliver's fluffy, crazy hair. And his furrowed brow again. I can't get enough. His eyes are starting to lighten up too...light blue.

6. My trees survived the winter! Yay!

7. Ollie doesn't love bath time very much yet.

8. These clean clothes were folded and waiting to be put away at one point....the two year old strikes again!

9. My darling Adelia, caught in the act of trying to sneak her Woody to church in her dress. Look at that adorable mischief face. I love her, even in her sneakiness.

Phases of the Moon

The boys and I have been loving our new Let's Read and Find Out Science books. They are so fun! So far, I am thoroughly impressed with how much information they provide it a simple way for kids to understand. It's genius! And I feel like I learn a lot too.

We've been on a space kick again lately. Specifically the Moon. A week or so ago, we did What Is the Moon Like, with the flour and marbles. This week we did The Moon Seems to Change, and learned about phases of the moon. Inside it gives you the step by step directions (with pictures!) on how to make all the phases of the moon using an orange, a pencil, and a flashlight. We waited for Aaron to get home to do the experiment with us, we each took turns being the earth (person holding the orange) and all of us really enjoyed it. *The pictures are fuzzy because the room has to be fairly dark to do this experiment.*

Ivan is the sun, the orange is the moon, and Lincoln is the earth

A three-quarter moon

After that, we had a little snack to go along with our lesson. We did phases of the moon a second time, using Oreo cookies. I had a rough go of it, trying to keep our moons from being gobbled up before I could snap a picture. :) 

Click on the picture and it will get larger

I sure do love these little munchkins!

While I was putting the boys to bed, Lincoln told me that he was going to set his watch for 12:00am so he could get up and check on the moon, to see which phase it was in. I love it! We'll see if he follows through. I hope he does. :)

Conference Weekend

We had a lovely Conference Weekend. We spent it up in Hooper. It was a much needed mini-vacation for me.

Of course we watched Conference, and that was the highlight. I can't wait to go back and read everything I missed. The kids did pretty well. They came in and watched snatches of it here and there, and then ran off to play in Gramma Tam's toy room.

During the breaks we spent time outside. The kids jumped on the trampoline, the guys played hoops. And at one point Gramma Tam and Papa Kerry put on an Easter egg hunt.

I got a much needed hair cut! Yay! Thank you Mom. I've been trying to grow my hair out for awhile, but it just wasn't happening, and I was tired of looking in the mirror every day and hating my hair. So it's short again. And it is blissful. I can see. I love that. All my kids (except Ollie) and Aaron got hair cuts too. It's awesome to have a mom who does hair. :)

Ivan loves his Gramma Tam!

Adelia and Uncle Tanner

Oliver and his furrowed brow

Hoops!

Ivan playing in the blanket basket during conference

Aaron loves me, short hair and all

Up To

This is what we've been up to lately:

Oliver slept through the night two nights in a row! Ya buddy. It didn't last, but we'll take it whenever we can get it. He is still doing really well at night. Generally he only wakes up once.

I went spring clothes shopping for the kidlets. Oliver got a new hat. It's adorable, and his head is small.

Lincoln started swimming lessons. He'll be hitting the pool every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in April.

Lincoln and I read a book about how air planes were made. We learned about drag and lift, and then did an experiment with a paper air plane to see whether it flew better inside or outside. We made friends with some neighbor kids who live behind us, and they helped us fly and time the plane. It was really fun to be out, just Linc and I (and the neighbor kids) learning and having fun. 

To Parents of Small Children

My friend found and shared this blog post today. It's hilarious, but also very true. I find that I compare myself to others a lot. Actually, let me rephrase: I find that I compare my weaknesses against other people's strengths a lot. Especially in the Facebook/Blogger realm, where everyone's highlights are prominently before my eyes, it's really easy to feel like I'm not enough. I do have "sky-scraper standards" for parenting, and while it's ok to aim big, I need to realize that I am not a failure just because I can't do it all every time. Anyways, loved this and wanted to re-post. :)

To parents of small children: Let me be the one who says it out loud

March 12, 2013

I am in a season of my life right now where I feel bone tired almost all of the time. Ragged, how-am-I-going-to-make-it-to-the-end-of-the-day, eyes burning exhausted.

I have three boys ages 5 and under. I’m not complaining about that. Well, maybe I am a little bit. But I know that there are people who would give anything for a house full of laughter & chaos. I was that person for years and years; the pain of infertility is stabbing and throbbing and constant. I remember allowing hope to rise and then seeing it crash all around me, month after month, for seven years. I am working on another post about infertility that will come at a later date.

But right now, in my actual life, I have three boys ages five and under. There are many moments where they are utterly delightful, like last week when Isaac told my sister-in-law that “My daddy has hair all over.” Or when Elijah put a green washcloth over his chin and cheeks, and proudly declared, “Daddy! I have a beard just like you!” Or when Ben sneaks downstairs in the morning before the other boys do, smiles at me, and says, “Daddy and Ben time.”

But there are also many moments when I have no idea how I’m going to make it until their bedtime. The constant demands, the needs, and the fighting are fingernails across the chalkboard every single day.  

One of my children is for sure going to be the next Steve Jobs. I now have immense empathy for his parents. He has a precise vision of what he wants — exactly that way and no other way. Sometimes it’s the way his plate needs to be centered exactly to his chair, or how his socks go on, or exactly how the picture of the pink dolphin needs to look – with brave eyes, not sad eyes, daddy! He is a laser beam, and he is not satisfied until it’s exactly right.

I have to confess that sometimes the sound of his screaming drives me to hide in the pantry. And I will neither confirm nor deny that while in there, I compulsively eat chips and/or dark chocolate. 

There are people who say this to me:

“You should enjoy every moment now! They grow up so fast!”

I usually smile and give some sort of guffaw, but inside, I secretly want to hold them under water. Just for a minute or so. Just until they panic a little.

If you have friends with small children — especially if your children are now teenagers or if they’re grown – please vow to me right now that you will never say this to them. Not because it’s not true, but because it really, really doesn’t help.

We know it’s true that they grow up too fast. But feeling like I have to enjoy every moment doesn’t feel like a gift, it feels like one more thing that is impossible to do, and right now, that list is way too long. Not every moment is enjoyable as a parent; it wasn’t for you, and it isn’t for me. You just have obviously forgotten. I can forgive you for that. But if you tell me to enjoy every moment one more time, I will need to break up with you.

If you are a parent of small children, you know that there are moments of spectacular delight, and you can’t believe you get to be around these little people. But let me be the one who says the following things out loud:

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out a way for your children to eat as healthy as your friend’s children do. She’s obviously using a bizarre and probably illegal form of hypnotism.

You are not a terrible parent if you yell at your kids sometimes. You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they’d be put in prison.

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out how to calmly give them appropriate consequences in real time for every single act of terrorism that they so creatively devise.

You are not a terrible parent if you’d rather be at work.

You are not a terrible parent if you just can’t wait for them to go to bed.

You are not a terrible parent if the sound of their voices sometimes makes you want to drink and never stop.

You’re not a terrible parent.

You’re an actual parent with limits. You cannot do it all. We all need to admit that one of the casualties specific to our information saturated culture is that we have sky-scraper standards for parenting, where we feel like we’re failing horribly if we feed our children chicken nuggets and we let them watch TV in the morning.

One of the reasons we are so exhausted is that we are oversaturated with information about the kind of parents we should be.

So maybe it’s time to stop reading the blogs that tell you how to raise the next President who knows how to read when she’s three and who cooks, not only eats, her vegetables. Maybe it’s time to embrace being the kind of parent who says sorry when you yell. Who models what it’s like to take time for yourself. Who asks God to help you to be a better version of the person that you actually are, not for more strength to be an ideal parent.

So the next time you see your friends with small children with that foggy and desperate look in their eyes, order them a pizza and send it to their house that night. Volunteer to take their kids for a few hours so they can be alone in their own house and have sex when they’re not so tired, for heaven’s sake. Put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes, and tell them that they’re doing a good job. Just don’t freak out if they start weeping uncontrollably. Most of the time, we feel like we’re botching the whole deal and our kids will turn into horrible criminals who hate us and will never want to be around us when they’re older.

You’re bone tired. I’m not sure when it’s going to get better. Today might be a good day or it might be the day that you lost it in a way that surprised even yourself.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You’re not alone. 

Easter Sunday

Here it is...our very first picture as a family of six! I wanted to take pictures of all of us in our Easter clothes, but I knew that if we waited until after church it would not go well, since our church ends at 4:00pm and generally our kids are tired, hungry, and messy (wrinkled shirts, hair messed up, etc.) by then. So we opted to take the picture ourselves with a tripod and the timer on our camera. They came out ok, but not wonderful. The sun was too bright, so the colors are weird. I've done special effects on most of these pictures, because just by themselves they aren't very great. The effects help some, but not much. But we are still a cute family! :)

Lincoln said, I want to wear my sunglasses and say peace to Uncle Kyle, will you send this to him?

Ivan would only cooperate for pictures when he could pose himself. So this is what we get. :) 

She was having too much fun twirling her dress to hold still for long.

Ollie didn't like the sun in his eyeballs. His tie matches Aaron's.

We bribed our kids by allowing them to take pictures in between the ones we took. We let them pose us and everything. These are some of the results. 

I think this is the best shot we got all day. Adorable!

They're still cute, even if they don't like mom's photo shoot sessions

Lincoln took this shot for us

I took Oliver to church for the first time this week. I love Easter Sunday. And listening to the talks made me so grateful for my testimony of the gospel, and for my Savior, and all the blessings I have because of His atonement. 

We had an awesome dinner at Aaron's parents' house afterward. I love when the family gets together. 

Took this on the way to Aaron's parents' house. Who does she look like? Her Mama, that's who!

Ollie got this cute shirt in his Easter basket.