My favorite stage

This stage where babies sit up, play happily, eat clean foods, babble, but can't crawl is my absolute favorite. I've had it longer with Jennie than with any of my other kids. I just love her.

My next favorite stage is the 4-5 year old kindergartner who believes that life is great as long as he/she gets to hold moms hand.

There's a pretty big potty training/independence developing stage in between that's not so fun. Good thing pre-schoolers are cute!

Here's Jennie taking her first bath in the sitting up position. Now, that's pure happiness.

Sick

Soph has been sick all weekend, super lethargic with a fever. Friday, 102.9. Saturday, 102. Sunday, 100. Tonight, I think it's gone.



I don't even know if putting a wet washcloth actually does anything, but my daddy always put one on my burning forehead, and I remember feeling like he was doing his best and that no matter how awful I felt, things were going to be okay.

Something about a wet washcloth equals love for me. My daddys love.

Plea!

On our last trip to Arizona, we were potty training Sophia. I refused to put a diaper on her even for the drive. The consequence of that was frequent stopping. We stopped at a gazillion gas stations, and at many other roadside bushes and trees. On one of those such stops scores of miles in either direction of any civilized toilet we found this cell phone.



It was badly water damaged, but since Soph was successful, I decided to pick it up and give it to her as a prize for telling us, so well, when she needed to go. She played with it for a bit, and then since it didn't work, she discarded it to the van floor (scary place by the way).

When we finally returned to Utah and were cleaning out the van a week or so later, we found that the phone actually worked!?! I tried to call some of the numbers and return it to the Vicki lady it had once belonged to, but alas, no one returned my call. This same Vicki lady had downloaded some great ring tones onto her phone, and it has become Sophia's very favorite toy ever. She uses it like an ipod with her own personal play list.



Here's the sad part, the battery is finally dying, and we desperately want to re-charge her Vicki phone. Do any of you have a LG Verizon phone charger that you aren't using? I know that in this day and age you probably have a drawer of discarded cords and plugs, please help a little girl bring her Vickipod back to life. I'm begging. Please.

Last institute class

Doug and I have taken an institute class every semester since living here on campus. We've been privileged to have our Bishop Ayers who is semi-retired teach us. It's been personal, insightful, and a guaranteed way to feel not only the Holy Ghost, but (because mostly ward members attend), also the spirit of friendship and brotherhood in the middle of the week.

One reason it has worked out so nicely for us is that it is within walking distance of our home, and another reason is that we have been able to bring our children. Each of the parents have taken turns in the adjacent room watching each other kids so that we could attend. Plus there are always treats.

Bishop and his wife are being released sometime this summer, (his is a 3 year calling) and will not continue teaching this class. This last Wednesday was our last class, and I'll miss it a ton. He's hoping to arrange for another teacher to come in and teach at the same location under the same kid friendliness arrangement, but we're not sure that'll come to pass, and it might not be the same anyway.

Thank you Bishop and Sister Ayers. We love you.

NukeWorker

Does anyone know how to make this logo into a sticker for me?

beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep

So I've been on the thyroid meds for 10 days now, and I feel like I'm on speed. The only good thing is that I sleep just fine, actually I crash hard from doing so much during the day... I'm like the freakin' energizer bunny.

Except for last night. Jennie peeped at 3 a.m., and because I had a full bladder, it woke me. She was fine and slept in till 6, but after my trip to the loo, I laid down and could hear a beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep. I pulled the decorative pillow over one ear and pressed the other ear into my bottom pillow, but could still hear the beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep. After struggling to breathe for awhile and deciding that the pillow didn't filter enough of the noise out of my ear anyway, I decided to press my arm, suction-cup style onto my exposed ear thus creating enough pressure on the bottom ear to muffle the sound. Ahhhh the noise was gone, and I dozed, at least till my arm fell asleep, and I was again awake and annoyed by the beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep and my tingling shoulder.

It was 4 a.m. by this time, and I needed some good sleep to carry on like the bunny I knew I would be in the morning. I got up and tried to figure out where the insistent beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep was coming from. The north window upstairs, not the south door, the north window downstairs, not the basement... yep the noise was outside on the north side.

Not properly dressed for an outdoor adventure, I then called our 24 hour University campus police. They were awake, bored, and after a few clarifying questions (does it sound like a car alarm? do you see a van or large vehicle backing up? how long has it been going on?...) were ready to take on my beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep. I actually think they liked, my treating them like detectives, and my absolute faith that they would solve my beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep mystery. I was happy to pass this challenge onto more able, and at least more fully dressed hands. I fell asleep.

I woke to some pretty loud rummaging through what could only be the dumpster just north of our house, some laughter, and some more rummaging, and then a phone call. The police operator said that they had found a box of 25 discarded smoke alarms, alarming only because their batteries were running low. They de-batteried them for me, and we all slept. Heroes were proud, and the mystery solved.



Even with an interrupted night, I'm still going and going and going...

Joe's Tiger Report

Joseph has been working for the past several weeks on his Zoo Animal Report.
He typed Tiger in the Google box.
He read, (with my help) all that Wikipedia had to offer.
He picked the poster paper.
He chose the pictures he wanted to print.
He used scissors, and for the first time my paper cutter to trim the prints.
He followed the faint lines I drew across the top so that he knew how much space to take writing the title.
He glued his pictures in place taking great care not to cover his writing.
When he seemed overwhelmed by the volume of words he had to write I offered to write his discussion topics for him, but he did all the rest.

We learned that Tigers are the largest of the big cats, and that they are only 2 pounds at birth! We looked for a can that weighed 2 pounds to illustrate that point and he covered it with orange paper with black stripes and shared it with his classmates.

We also have 2 tiger costumes that fit both Joe and Sophia perfectly, but at the last minute Joseph thought that would be embarrassing. Soph wore hers though, and was just darling.

Hate pink what?

Sophia woke up this morning needing a nap.
"I hate Joe!" came first, and she absolutely idolizes him.
"I hate school!" came next, when that's all she wants to do most days.
"I hate pink trees!" was officially the final straw, and I knew that she had totally lost herself to her two-ness.
By the time we headed up the stairs and I started humming "lullaby and goodnight", she was at a slow drag and then plop onto her toddler bed, pacifier-in-mouth, too grouchy to even enjoy mama's kiss goodnight.

Nobody hates pink trees.

The Winds of Change

Four of us good ol' Prescott people, (Tiffany [with her Maxwell], Meisha, Me [with Meisha's, Anna] & Tawna) got together with our families at the park on the windiest day ever, to say goodbye to our Meisha.


Even as a brand new mother, Tiff had arm strength to heft my Jennie.


I fell in love with Meisha's, Anna. She's so squishy, cuddly, soft... I could have held her all day long.


I caught James peeking through a playhouse at the park where we met. Isn't he so handsome!


Here is Austin, James, Meisha and Anna. Texas is so lucky to have you four.


Meisha singing Pat-a-cake while Anna claps along... that's a happy girl.


Tawna's family really loved the park, and I was super lucky to catch them all together for even these few seconds. Emma and Katelyn (sp?) were just delighted to play their hearts out. In the brief moments I spent with their little family, I could tell that Aaron and Tawna are the best parents ever.


Sophia shared a short turn on the infant swing with Jennie. It was Jennie's first official time on a playground swing. I think she likes it.


Sadly this is the only shot I got of the boys flying a kite. Dalton, Doug and Joe pretty much spent their whole afternoon working the gusts and lulls. Hopefully this crazy wind brought official spring weather... I can handle the chilly mornings and nights, but NO MORE SNOW!

The Pinewood Derby

Yael Naim - Paris -

My latest favorite song

If I'm famous someday, I hope I am something like Yael Naim. From my you tube researching I've learned that she plays the guitar & piano, knows French, English, and Hebrew, and has the most mesmerizing voice. You might also enjoy her now famous New Soul Song (La, la, la, la, la, la...). Her song, Toxic is the most sensual song I've ever heard... nothing like Ms. Spears.

Future Photographers

We went on a walk the other day when the weather was in the high seventies. My very own kids took these photographs, Uncle Lewis, look out!

Joe caught the perfect sky and a bit of flag, now that is America.


I took this pic of Jennie's cute tongue.


Dalton captured Sophia in all of her sunscreen-sticky faced glory.


Dalt also took this one of Joe.


Joseph couldn't get Dalton to smile, but I thought this one was great.


Dalton took this of me. I'm pretty sure I was eating an apple.


I actually took this photo of Doug, I love when he looks this happy.

Fact

Like every other mother out there, I believe that my children are the most beautiful children in the world ever. I will sometimes see children that rival mine, and some have features that surpass my own kids, but for the most part my children are IT, at least for me.

Lately though, lots of people, I'm talkin' many, many strangers (at the grocery store, in the parking lot, at the dentist, people just in passing on the sidewalk...) have started commenting that Jennie should be in magazines. I have thought this of each of my children at one point or another, and decided that none have had the temperament (or the skin, darn that eczema) to handle a photo shoot with strangers. Jennie seriously is the sweetest baby alive though, almost always happy, really smiley, and she loves strangers.

She kinda looks like an "every baby" type of baby. She is Dalt from the cheeks up, and Joe from the nose down, but still looks like a little girl to me. She could pass as either boy or girl really, and not in a bad way, in a general beautiful baby way. I'm not gonna do the magazine thing, mainly because I'm not in the mood, but it is fun to hear other people comment that I should. She is a doll I guess, and that's not just my "mama" opinion, it's a fact.

Here, she fell asleep reading a book. My sleeping beauty.

Lovely Weather and Injuries

One minute Dalton is happily pulling some kids in the playground...

Next second Joseph is racously riding his bike...


And then Soph sustains what no one thinks deserves stitches, but will be constantly doused in the left over hospital strength neosporin from the last time she got stitches.


And Dalt scrapes his elbow.


I love spring.

Polka-Dots and other stuff

One dreary January day, I bought Annie and myself a little pink polka-dot plant, (top center). I'm not sure if hers is still alive, but the other day, I noticed that mine was looking lonely, so I got some white polka-dots to tuck it in. Don't they look happy!

Since I had purchased some extra potting soil to make my polka-dot's snug, I thought I shouldn't waste it, so why not put something pretty by my front door.

I still have a tiny bit of potting soil left... I'll let you know if it grows something.

Dalton is a Bobcat Cub

I can't believe I have a son old enough to be a scout!?! Here he is, and he is so excited! The pinewood derby is next week... we'll see what he and Doug can accomplish in just one week. While registering at the Scout office, I learned that Dalt seriously wants a pocketknife. I'm excited that he has some type of larger- than-candy goal in mind for his savings.

I just finished reading this last night, and it was... well.. painful. The writing is so real, I felt like an Afghanistani woman. Women all over the world are powerful survivors. Before I closed my eyes, I leaned over to Dougs warm sleeping body, and just held him. We live thousands of dollars below the poverty level, and we don't have too much to call our own, but we have freedom, a powerful future, love and each other. It seems like an awful lot right now.

Conference Weekend with Family

Abuella and Jennie cuddling.


Grandpa and Abuella farkeling with Dalton and Joe.


Grandpa and Abuella enjoy cuddling with Sophia.


Grandpa "C" gets to hold Jennie too.


Uncle Mike needed his turn.


Joe beat Nik at a staring contest... at least that's how Joseph remembers it.


Harley and Sophia both love being pretty.

Dalton's Baptism

We have been preparing him for this for the last 4 months or so (maybe his whole life really), and I'd say that he was ready.

Everything went beautifully with the help of a ton of people. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa "C", Abuella and Grandpa Nelson, and Mike, Stacie, Nik and Harley for traveling so far to be a special part of Dalton's baptism. Thank you Annette, Tasha, Jessica, Shellie, Joey, and Brayden for the actual set-up, and behind the scenes organization. And, thank you to all of our friends who came from all over the Utah, Salt Lake, and Davis counties to share this day with us.

Some highlights include: Dalton listening so intently to every single one of Grandpa Nelson's words on Baptism. All of the little children sitting up front (most of them very reverently) during the whole program. Doug performing the baptism and confirmation with perfect attention to the spirit. Uncle Mike's talk on the Holy Ghost being felt by all. And Dalton giving hugs to everyone whose hands were upon his head.

Grandma Jennie and Jennie at 6 months

Because we still only have 1 car, Grandma Jennie got to take us to see Dr. VanDenBerghe this morning. My baby Jennie is 27 inches tall, and a whopping 19 pounds! Her RSV is officially gone, but she has another ear infection :( She (just a few minutes ago) spun in a complete circle while on her belly... the beginnings of crawling. Her sitting has been nearly perfected, but we still have her surrounded by pillows. Joseph is pretty sure she says "Mama" every time she cries, and she will babble "ba-ba-ba" all of the time, but definitely in connection with a bottle. She has tried rice cereal, butternut squash, peas, banana, apple, and cheesecake (a grandma Jennie privilege) with a definite fondness for what we call eating. My favorite Jennie trait is that she will still shoot me a smile no matter how she is feeling, even if it is to go straight back to wailing. Jennie is a very happy baby!