Playing with Paige

I'm working on taking pictures indoors with the lighting, so I was playing around in Paige's room the other day. It's the smallest room in our house, it has a big window, and I've painted the walls yellow so the light bounces around the room. I tried some in the morning and some in the afternoon. I think I like the morning light better. It seems to be a little softer. I still can't work Photoshop - I need to get a book to help me. But, here are some of my favorite pictures.

I'm loving my new hobby, even though I still don't understand much about my camera. I'm trying to work on one aspect at a time. I am seeing the world differently - which I love! I notice the color specs in people's eyes or the shape of their lips instead of what they are wearing or body shape. I think it's a good thing.

I LOVE this one! She has the best tongue ever! It's huge with a darling pointed end. Whenever she is happy - out comes the tongue. If she's really excited, she'll run the point across her top lip. It is absolutely hilarious. What a funny sign of affection.

Paige likes to say "Da...da" and "Na...na" and click her tongue. She'll copy us if we do it. The other morning, she woke up at 6:03 a.m. (a bit too early for my liking). I got her a bottle and put her in bed with us. She likes to snuggle with me in bed and doesn't move (if you can believe it!). She was lying next to me, completely still in the dark of the morning, and let out one little "da" - almost like a whisper. It was hilarious. Greg and I both started laughing.

This is her new trick. She is not even eight months old, and she is a crazy crawler. Now, she pulls herself up on EVERYTHING (her toys, the couch, chairs, the bathtub, our legs). She has a hard time getting down. She thinks about it for a long time, then finally lets go with her hands out, her head up, and her eyes closed. She uses her body to block the blow. Occasionally, she goes down too hard and knocks her head. She's a pretty good sport, though, and rarely cries. She's also started dancing. Whenever there is music, especially from her toys, she bounces and shakes her head. What a pure delight!

Macy's Haircut

So, Austin decided to give Macy a haircut this morning. He asked if he could cut pictures out of the Toys-R-Us catalogue and glue them on some paper to send to Santa. He's six...he's in first grade...I can trust him with scissors, right?!? WRONG! Macy was thrilled to have Austin give her a little cut. Luckily, it wasn't to the scalp, so it could have been a lot worse. We popped popcorn and watched "Meet the Robinson's" last night. I just kept thinking that I should be happy for this mistake, because we learn from failure and not success, but it was hard. I think Greg was more broken up about it than anyone. My friend Kellie was nice enough to give her an emergency haircut to repair the damage!

BEFORE: What a nice mullet!

AFTER: Much better!

Cool Daddy

We had leftovers last night, so everybody had a different thing for dinner. Greg had soup with toast. Apparently, the toast looked a lot better than Macy's dinner. She left her chair, sat by Greg, and asked him for some toast. Greg very kindly shared with her. She was thrilled, and said, "Dad...you're cool." Then, after a few bites, she said, "You're cool AND pretty." Greg tried to get her to put the two words together and have her say that he is "pretty cool," but Macy wasn't convinced. Confident that she was giving a very high compliment, she said, "No...you're just cool and pretty." I'm sure he appreciated it!

HELP! I Really Need Some Ideas

Austin Problem #947: Constantly Losing Things

I know it's only October, and he's only been in school for two months, but he is constantly losing things. If I count up everything he's lost since the beginning of Kindergarten (just over a year), it would add up to over $100 - lunchbox, hats, gloves, scarves, jackets, backpacks, lunchboxes, water bottles, etc. It snowed last week, so I bought him a brand new coat. I buy coats big so they will last two years because they are quite expensive. He lost it the first day! I realize that this is Fall, so the day starts out freezing and ends up very nice. I've been able to locate a jacket that he lost in the school's lost-and-found. But, he and I went through everything today and I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm a little irritated, too, because his name and phone number is written on the tag.

What do I do??? I tried a reward system. I laminated a checklist of things he needs to bring home EVERY DAY (coat, lunchbox, water bottle, backpack) and attached it to the zipper on his backpack. I told him if he brings everything home, he gets 10 points. When he gets to 100 points, he gets a special treat. It worked great for a few days. Now, he walks in the door and says, "Still at 50 points."

There is no way that I can afford to go out and buy $50 coats that get used once! I really need some suggestions because he's making me crazy!

Some Fun Pictures

I've never learned how to sew. My mom is such an amazing seamstress, that I never had to learn. She went to college when I was in high school, so I would type her papers for her because I could do it faster, and she would sew for us because she could do it faster (and so, so, so much better). Anyway, I am attempting to make Macy's Halloween costume. She's going to be a Princess Witch (it was the only way to convince her to wear an orange dress instead of yet another boring pink froo froo dress). I figure if I mess this up, it really isn't that big of deal. Last Sunday, my mom helped me cut it out. Macy was adorable, and loved "helping" Nana pin the pattern on the fabric. If you look at the pictures, she looks much more confident that I do!

p.s. Notice Macy's tongue! Do you like the sepia or black-and-white?

We had the privilege of watching my niece, Abby, for a couple hours on Thursday. She was so cute. My kids love, love, love having Abby around! Abby loves her Care Bear!

So Many Blessings!

I hesitate to even write this entry because I'm afraid it will jinx me. Oh well...here we go...

I have just felt so content and really very blessed and grateful lately for my life. Earlier this week, I had a moment of realization. I had Paige in my arms while I was trying to fix dinner (it's always necessary for her to be held when I am trying to do something that requires two hands), and I turned around to see Austin at the table working on his homework, Greg was clearing the table so we could eat (I'm a "pile" person), and Macy was sitting up to the counter making the salt and pepper shakers "talk" to each other. It was almost as if time stopped, or at least moved in slow motion, and for just a moment, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that I got to be a part of this wonderful life. It just felt pleasant to be home, doing everyday things, and being surrounded by these wonderful people - the most important people in my life!

I watched a program earlier this week that illustrated how oppressed stay-at-home mothers are and how we are bound to our husband's word. As I thought about the program, I definitely feel like I chose this life. It made me think about a time in college when a professor of mine called me in to talk about my future. This particular professor was known for his difficult classes, and I had been warned not to take classes from him. But, in my second-to-last semester of school, I had no choice. His class fit into my schedule, and I needed it to graduate. I actually really enjoyed his class, even though he was tough. Near the end of the semester, he met with me and talked about how I really "got it." He wanted to help me apply to graduate schools, and he talked about different career options. He was very excited, which made me very excited. I remember telling Greg all about this professor and what he thought I could accomplish. I'll never forget his face when I was done telling him my very exciting news. We were in the kitchen in our condo. He looked at me and very cautiously said, "Well...that's great. But, if you are going to graduate school, when are we going to start a family." It really made me think. It was very intoxicating to have someone so prominent at the university believe in me. In the next few weeks, I made a conscious decision to be a "mom." Five months later, I was pregnant! Unfortunately, there isn't a "Mom University;" we just get to learn as we go. I'm trying to enjoy the journey a little more, and relish those "slow motion" moments.

This is Greg and I holding the pregnancy test that told us I was pregnant with Austin (kind of gross - I know). This was just a minute or two after we realized it was positive. Who are those young, innocent, deliriously happy people?!?

"Heaven...I'm In Heaven"

I have been in charge of the Pennies By The Inch campaign for Primary Children's Medical Center. Several people in the neighborhood helped me by going door-to-door and asking for donations, all I did was organize the routes and collect the money. (Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who helped so willingly!) Anyway...I told everybody that I would have cookies for their groups or families when they turned in their envelopes. So, I had a stack of cookies by the front door. They were Reams Bakery sugar cookies with a Halloween theme. They were frosted with deep purple frosting and ghost/pumpkin sprinkles, and like I said, they were in closed plastic boxes by the front door.

I was teaching piano the other day and Paige happened to be awake. I brought some toys in the room, and she is really great at crawling around while I teach. I was sitting at the piano bench playing some duets with one little girl to help her with her timing. She was working really hard and was "getting it" so I was quite engaged in helping her. After a couple of minutes, I turned around to find that Paige had crawled over to the stack of cookies, knocked it over which opened one of the boxes, and was frantically stuffing cooking into her mouth. It was hilarious, and there was purple EVERYWHERE! Purple clothes, purple carpet, purple down the heat vent, purple up her nose - I think you get the picture. I was actually able to laugh long enough to get a few pictures. And I did finish the piano lesson after a quick kitchen sink bath for Paigey-Pie.

My Little (Sick) Drama Queen

Poor little Macy got sick last night. She is truly pathetic when she is sick. Paige was too tired last night to drink her bottle, so I knew she wouldn't make it through the night. She got up about 4:30, drank a bottle, snuggled for a few minutes, and then went back to sleep. Shortly after she went down, Macy got up. She threw up every half hour for the next two hours. Greg and I made a pact before we had children that he would do the throw-up since he apparently doesn't have a gag reflex. So, he ran Macy to the bathroom and helped her. As soon as she threw up, she started crying hysterically. When she finally calmed down enough for us to tell what she was saying, she said, "Now I don't have any more blood in my body." Apparently, she thought that she threw up blood (when it was quite obvious that it was corn). Greg held her to calm her down and said to me, "She doesn't feel clammy." Without missing a beat or even lifting her head off his shoulder, and in her most miserable, pathetic voice, she said, "And I don't feel happy." Sorry to laugh at your expense, Sweetie, but you are hilarious when you are miserable!

Later this morning, I gave her a bath to help her feel better. You know how it is when you're sick - you do fine for a little while, and then it hits again. She was feeling pretty yucky near the end of her bath. She was whining and telling me where it hurt, and I was trying to get her washed up as quickly as I could. She stopped, looked up at me, and said, "Can't you make me all better, Mommy?" She stared at me like I really could make her all better. I wish I could (on so many levels). I told her I was doing my best.

Austin Got Hit By A Car - Seriously

So, Austin was with Grandma Burr yesterday (she took them to McDonald's). He got out of the car, and Grandma told him to wait by the car while she got everyone else out of the car. Well...he decided that he wanted to see the Halloween decorations on the McDonald's window. He took off across the street. A lady was pulling out and ran into him. Luckily - no, I'm sure there was no luck - Thankfully, she was just pulling out so she wasn't going very fast. She got out of the car and apologized, saying that she didn't see him. He's fine, but he told Grandma not to "tell his Mom." She didn't; she whispered it to Greg as she was leaving.

First of all, I am so grateful that he is okay. Maybe it was the 6 hours that Greg and I spent in the temple yesterday morning. (On a side note: It was our Stake Temple Day. We had several assignments, and Greg and I did a session, sealings, and initiatories. Grandma Burr came down to watch the kids because the session started at 6:00 a.m. It really was a wonderful morning. Usually, I don't do all the ordinances every time I attend the temple. It was such a wonderful reminder of all the blessings that we have been given as long as we're faithful. It was quite powerful to hear the blessings back-to-back.)

Secondly, I don't know why he was afraid to tell me - he should have been afraid to tell his dad. We were with Austin last week and he tore across the parking lot to the door of the restaurant. A suburban was pulling out and nearly hit him. Greg ripped into him (although he did deserve it).

Finally, I hope it scared him to death. Not that I would ever wish my child to get run over by a car, but he doesn't listen to us. The problem is that he thinks he's invincible. I've tried to explain that if he were behind the van, I wouldn't be able to see him because he is too short. He says that he'll just do a Tae Kwon Do kick and jump away. Since he won't listen to us, I sure hope this puts some fear into his little body.

Funny story:
A couple years ago, Austin ran into the street when a big suburban was backing out (this time it was much closer than the suburban last week). I guess suburbans have it out for him. He was looking down and didn't see it coming. I screamed, it scared him, and he ran back to me. I explained that he's just a little boy and a big car could crush him. A few days later he said, "Mom, remember when that big suburban almost hit me and killed me?" I said, "Yes." Then he said (very thoughtfully), "If I died, I would go to heaven and live with Jesus." I said, "Yes." Still very thoughtfully, he said, "Well...don't you want me to live with Jesus?" I guess I should have so much faith!

Baseball

I love to watch baseball! I don't follow it too closely during the regular season for a couple reasons: #1 I just don't have that much time, and #2 we don't have any additional TV stations except for regular cable (so, sometimes I turn it on if there is a game on Fox). But, I really do enjoy watching the playoffs. I grew up being taught two things: First, the church is true. Second, you root for the Giants and the Red Sox and never the Dodgers or the Yankees. So, we've got to be rooting for the Red Sox right now. It's so exciting!

Last night, Greg's mom offered to watch the kids while we went out. Instead of someplace nice and romantic, we went to Fiddler's Elbow and watched the game on the big screen TV. We were surrounded by all these college kids drinking beer and rooting for the Red Sox. When we got there, the game was tied at 1-1, so we stayed for a lot of the "action." It was fun, and Greg was a good sport. Plus, I had some fabulous blackened swordfish.

New Board Member

This is a little political - so beware. As many of you know, I serve on the board of Austin's charter school, Entheos. First of all, I want to express our reasoning for sending Austin to this school. It is not that I think our traditional public schools are all horrible. On the contrary, there are some fabulous schools around. I am very impressed by some of the things I hear about that happen at the school where most people in our neighborhood send their kids. We chose Entheos because the programs seem to fit Austin's needs. My sister-in-law sends her kids to a charter school in Alpine. These two schools could not be more different. However, that school is a better "match" for their family. Secondly, charter schools are public schools. We get our funding (almost) the same way that traditional public schools get their funding.

Anyway...we are currently looking for a person within the community to serve on our board. All of the current members are parents of children within the school. While this is not necessarily bad, someone whose children do not attend tend to be a little more objective at times. I was wondering if anyone would be interested, or would know of anyone who might be interested. The school is located in Kearns (6200 South and about 4800 West), and we do have a large minority population. As of last year, only two elementary-age charter schools existed on the West side of Salt Lake City - the rest are on the East side in much more affluent areas. This is another reason that I am serving on the board. Even if my children do not stay there long-term, I believe so strongly that the children on the West side deserve the same opportunities as those on the East side. I know that it is so difficult to even think about adding one more thing to your plate. I actually turned down the offer twice before becoming a member. But, I do believe that I am helping our community, and where politics is not an option for me, this is my way to "give back."

The main requirement is that the person interested must believe in our core values and mission statement. I should make it clear that the founders of this school (amazing people who I have been so very blessed to know) do not believe in a lot of homework (I said "a lot" not "none"), and they believe that each child has different gifts and capabilities that should be manifest in their schooling. Another fundamental belief is that they are not "teaching to a test," instead, they firmly believe that if we can teach kids how to learn and how to love learning, then it will become a life-long endeavor. If you are interested, or if you know anyone who may be interested, please let me know ASAP. Thanks!

Mission Statement:
The mission of Entheos is to inspire the rising generation to reach the heights of their potential, ignite their curiosity to venture into challenging new learning experiences, and empower them to be leaders through service, who are committed to family and community. Then……. they can achieve their goals and dreams.

Values:
Enthusiasm: We believe that learning is a choice. As we create the atmosphere and inspire the mind, students gain wisdom, understanding, and a love for learning.
Excellence: We believe students and teachers should be challenged, and that they will naturally rise to the high standards expected of them.
Leadership: We believe that through the teaching of sound leadership principles today, students will be empowered to make a difference in their world tomorrow.
Service: We believe service is vital in the development of good leaders. We make service within the classroom and the community an integral part of our curriculum.
Respect: We believe all people have value and deserve respect. Our students and staff show proper respect to others, property, and self by appropriate communication, dress, and actions.
Integrity: We believe in honesty, accountability, and diligence.
Patriotism: We believe that love for country is developed at an early age. We teach and live the principles taught by the founding fathers of the United States of America.
Individuality: We believe each student is unique and gifted. We know each individually and tailor teaching methods to fit individual needs.
Adventure: We believe outdoor adventure helps participants learn teamwork, courage, craftsmanship, perseverance, and compassion while discovering they can accomplish more than they thought possible.

A Record

I've gone two whole days without yelling at or showing outward frustration with Austin. That must be some kind of record! I think the most common answer that I get when trying to figure out an approach with Austin is show more love. That is such an annoying answer. Sometimes I think it is impossible. But, when I do manage to show more love, let some things go, and spend at least some one-0n-one time with him, his behavior really does improve. Even if his behavior doesn't improve, at least I don't feel guilty.

I was watching conference, and there was a talk by one of the seventy about prayer. He told a story about his little boy explaining prayer in very simple terms. All of a sudden I thought that this was part of my answer. Don't get me wrong - I've never prayed so earnestly or with such purpose in all my life. What I thought was that even though Austin doesn't have the Holy Ghost yet, Greg and I do. We could plead with the Lord to help both of us control our bodies. The thing is that Austin isn't that far off (from what I've heard about boys). It really isn't fair to him that I'm his mother. I've never really been around boys. I was raised with girls. I do have one brother, but he definitely wasn't the "typical" boy. Although my dad did comment that Austin learns lessons just like Gavin (my brother) learns lessons - the hard way. Anyway, I thought that if he really pleaded with Heavenly Father, He would help him. The moral of the story is that we've had two good days, and I'll take it! Austin said he even got to go to the office to play with the "Good Boy Box" today. This is a box that his teacher put together with dinosaurs and floam that Austin can "earn" play time. He was so pleased with himself!

The thought also came to me while listening to conference to attend the temple weekly and get up in the morning to study the scriptures. (I had to write this down so it became a goal rather than a wish.) I also loved President Eyring's talk on finding all the ways in which the Lord blesses our lives on a daily basis. I would definitely say that the blessings of a happy little boy have been very apparent today. I definitely think that the Lord gives us more blessings than we even realize. I also loved Elder Oaks' talk on "good...better...best." I do so much "good" with my day, but I'm sure that it could be better or even best. It seemed like one of the main themes of conference was that we should be happy. I've heard this before, of course. We have the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know about the Plan of Salvation. We have such an encompassing understanding of the Atonement. We should be happy (no matter what life hands us)! It was a good weekend, and although I'm going to bed exhausted, I am going to bed so grateful.

Side note: One example of today's exhaustion comes from Macy (I could actually probably give you several examples, but this one's the best). So, Greg and I decided to work outside this evening. He was putting up Halloween decorations and I pulled out all the annual flowers that we planted. This is always such a sad time for me. But, they needed to go. I thought I had more daylight than I did, so I was working frantically to get the majority of the job finished. Macy was sent inside to get her pajamas on. Instead, she decided to get herself some juice. I had just made juice that day, and the pitcher was full. Greg walked in to find the pitcher about half full, Macy drenched in apple juice, and towels on the floor. She insisted that she do it herself. After she was cleaned up, Greg tried explaining (in a very patient voice - good job, honey) that she should really ask Mom or Dad to help when she wanted a drink. She continued to insist that she could "do it all by myself." She said that she could "do it with her muscles." Then, she flexed for us showing off her very impressive guns (or so she thought). Between Greg and I, I think we've mopped up the kitchen floor four or five times. On the way down, I walked across it and it is still sticky!

Yoga Baby

Paige is crawling already! My sister has called her “Yoga Baby” for about a month because she gets up on her hands and feet with her bum in the air. Sometimes she even lifts one leg. She usually gets in this position and then kind of leaps forward to get around. She’s moving on to actual crawling now. She’s on her hands and knees. And she can easily go from sitting to crawling position. She figured this out just over a week ago and it has transformed her world. She’s still working on the coordination of moving arms and legs together, but it doesn’t stop her. She can get just about anything she wants. She travels from the living room to the kitchen stopping to explore everything in her path.

Where is my baby going? When she started this crawling at the insane age of 6 months, Greg really encouraged her by putting objects just outside her grasp. I would come by and put them right next to her so she wouldn’t have to try to move. I’m just having a hard time accepting the fact that she’s growing so fast! With your first child, nobody tells you to relish every moment. (If they did – I’m sure I didn’t listen. It’s remarkable how much I knew as a brand new mother. Amazingly, my knowledge seems to be disappearing.) Now that #3 has come along, it feels like I don’t get to enjoy the stage before it’s gone. It seems like just yesterday that Austin was Paige’s age – wandering around the house and interested in everything. How is it possible that 6+ years have escaped me!
Paige really has turned into such a fun, happy baby. My babies all start out a little fussy. I’ve actually stopped nursing, and I think that helps her happiness. I was going to wean her gradually over the next few months, but she just lost interest so I quit cold turkey. I never even had a day that I was uncomfortable. Does that tell you anything about my milk supply! It was probably not that great. Anyway…she really is such a pleasant child. She loves me more than my other children ever did. She always wants Mommy, and she almost always stops crying the instant I pick her up (very flattering, but can be somewhat of a burden). Austin and Macy can get her to laugh so easily, and they absolutely adore her. I’ve been so blessed with all my babies – their siblings don’t seem to take out any jealousy on them. Austin and Macy can’t get enough of her (I’ll enjoy that while it lasts). When my sisters and brother and I were young, and we didn’t like what my parents were telling us (probably trying to inflict some horrific rule like curfew or something), my dad would look at us with his hands in the air and say, “Hey…You chose us. We were already here.” I’m so thrilled and grateful that Paige “chose” us!

Lava Hot Springs

My favorite:

We went up to Rexburg again on Friday to see the Witch Doctor for Austin. We left around 8 in the morning (we were shooting for 7:30, so we did pretty good!). We took the whole family with us. After our appointment, we decided to head to Bear Lake to watch conference with our family. On the way there, we stopped at Lava Hot Springs. This is only one of Greg's favorite places on the planet. When we were dating and newly married, we used to go up there all the time. For any of you that don't know - Greg has gills, especially when it comes to hot water. He can easily spend 3 hours in a hot tub, while I last about 15 minutes. I was a little worried about the kids. It was quite chilly and raining. But, bad weather is the best time to go. Greg's favorite is when there is snow packed all around the tubs. Anyway...we had a great time. To our surprise, the kids actually lasted about an hour and a half. Paige absolutely loved it. It was like a huge bathtub. It's so nice to do things as a family and have everyone get along!

A tour bus of Korean tourists pulled up right when we did. These people were in love with my girls. I don't know how many of them commented on Macy's blonde hair. And they all asked me how old my baby was, whether she was a boy or a girl, and then oooed and ahhhed. I did my best at trying to communicate given the language barrier. They were all very sweet. One sweet younger woman was there with her husband. We took their picture and she insisted on taking ours. I think she did a pretty good job.

The ambiance around us was indescribably beautiful. The mountains around the hot springs were all different shades of red, orange, and yellow. It really was breathtaking, and these pictures definitely don't do it justice.