We May Not Have It All Together...But Together We Have It All: March 2008

Monday, March 31, 2008

Am I Crazy??

Potty training...something we parents look forward to (no more diapers), yet dread from the moment we find out we're expecting! That day has arrived at our house. Hence, the sink is full of dirty dishes, and the floors full of yesterdays toys, and laundry piled up ready to be washed (right now he is taking a brief nap, instead of cleaning - I chose to blog!). Today, tomorrow, the next day, and the next day etc., mine and Jarins day consists if us sitting together and watching "Elmo Potty Time," and then he runs to the toilet, where we sit for a very long time with the water running, and reading books, and drinking juice. After at least an hour with no success, we finally pull up the big boy underwear, and then IT happens - somewhere other than on the toilet (within 5 minutes of leaving the toilet), then the whole process begins again. This is the earliest I have attempted this with any of my kids (out of laziness on my part), but I really wanted this to be done before the new baby comes. Which brings up another point...suppose this actually works right now - there is a possibility of him regressing once the baby is born. So what am I doing this NOW for, and not waiting until things are settled down at our house? I HAVE NO IDEA!! That's where I ask the question, "Am I crazy??"

Thursday, March 27, 2008

AAAWWW-SOME

This has

been very typical of Jarin since Ira and I got home from our trip. He has clung to us like we are leaving again. It makes it very difficult to get very far, but we "patiently" let him deal with these insecurities however he needs to. It has been getting a lot better the last few days.

Who knew we would traumatize the poor kid in such a way! He must be sensing the changes that our family will be going through in the near future, and feeling like he is going to be replaced. Speaking of which, he doesn't seem to get it that we will be having a new baby join the family. How do I explain it to a 2 1/2 year old so he's not in total shock when July comes around?? Any ideas?

Our kids with their Easter baskets. It doesn't matter how old they get, Easter is a fun - new beginning (from the dreaded winter) for kids of all ages. Jarin was great fun this year. He kept thinking that Santa Claus brought him a basket with candy. Every new adventure for him (getting his basket, and looking for eggs, finding candy in some plastic eggs etc.), he would say...AAAWWWSOME, and laugh in this made up kind of grunt he's been doing. It's so much fun to watch them experience life with so much enthusiasm - we can all learn a little optimism from our children (at least I know I can!). Hopefully I can learn it from them before they pick up on my adult pessimism!

Monkey say...Monkey do!

These two are quite the characters when they get together. This is Jarin and his friend Jaxson. They love to play together...but not TOO often. They are like brothers, they are best friends and can be worst enemies (if they spend too much time together). Yet when they are apart, they always talk about each other

. They either guide each other to making good choices, or guide each other to making bad choices - but either way, they are in it together!
Where would we all be without great friends?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

ALOHA!!!

outside our 1st condo

We just got back from the trip of my dreams. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, and we finally did it! We decided with a baby on the way, it better be now or not for several years. We thought that we were being so smart to book it at just the right time during my pregnancy so that the morning sickness would be gone, and the uncomfortableness (is that a word), wouldn't have set in yet. As luck would have it, two weeks before our departure, I got the full fledge influenza. Believe it or not, I was actually a little relieved, because I knew it was going around, and we still had 2 weeks before our trip - plenty of time to get it over with, and run through the whole family, and all be better before we left - right? WRONG! I was partly right, it did go through my entire family during that time, and they were mostly all better before we left, but guess who was still flat in bed the night before our early a.m. departure? That would be ME! I laid in bed while my sweet husband packed my bags, and wonderful friends and family helped with dinners and getting my house put back together before we left. All I can say is that I had the opportunity to re-learn several lessons that I have been taught many times - and that is...
1. I will never doubt the power of priesthood blessings.
2. Prayers are always answered (maybe not exactly when I wanted it, but when I needed it).
3. It's good to be humbled once in a while. (not always easy to accept help - but humbling!)
4. I am so lucky to have such a patient and caring husband who would have carried me (and baby) on his shoulders if that's what I needed! Lucky for him ...I could walk!

Anyways, I was able to get out of bed the morning of our departure. It took a couple days of keeping things low-key, and that humid warm weather, and then I was feeling great.

With that being said, the rest of our trip was fantastic! My parents came with us, and we visited the island of Maui first where we had a condo right on the beach. As my dad constantly said, "It doesn't get any better than this!" After a couple days there, we went to the island of Oahu. Our "beach house" condo wasn't all that we expected, but it was alright. I'll just say that the Hawaiian phrase "hang loose" was very evident in the second place we stayed. On Oahu we went to the Pearl Harbor visitor center, and to the Temple and the Polynesian Culture Center, along with playing at the beach, and of course - eating fresh pineapple everyday - YUM!
We were gone for 8 wonderful days, (a couple more days wouldn't have hurt!). We did miss our children, and Jarin seems to be holding a grudge - but I'm sure he'll get over it eventually (hopefully before our baby is born - or he may never recover)!
Now that our trip is done, and I have memories that will last a lifetime - I will try really hard to be patient for the next couple years until our new baby will be old enough to leave home, and I can go on another extended date with my sweetheart, (not that I'm wishing my children to grow up too fast, but moments like these are priceless too)!

dad, mom, nicky & ira at the beach & the temple

Kute Komments!

Jarin: "I've been waiting all day for Kamden to grow up...when will he grow up like me?"
4-2010

We were driving by a farm which was being fertilized. Jarin sniffs a big sniff and says, "Mmmm...that smells like my strawberry nose" (the strawberry nose was a yummy smelling gas mask from the dentist)!
Jarin: "Is is "fat man or bat man"?
Jarin "My heart is dirty and needs to be cleaned." Then I wash his face, and he says, "My heart is clean!" (He watched me put lipstick on once, and thought my top lips looked like hearts. Now he thinks that lips are hearts). Which makes me wonder what he thinks when he says, "The Holy Ghost makes our heart feel good."
Jarin asked with a great big smile that melts my heart, "Mom, are you being grumpy with me?" (yes, I was - but that started us both laughing instead!)
We were having a family home evening helping Emilie to prepare for baptism. We talked to her about making good choices and right vs. wrong. We were trying to prompt her to give an answer when Ira asked her, "What's opposite of right, (he asked it in the context of right choices), and she answered, "Left." (you should have seen the look Ira and I gave each other - it spoke volumes!)
Same family home evening... we were talking about the Holy Ghost. Jarin (being very tired and very sensitive at the moment anyways), started going balistic on us. Not only did he say he was scared of the Holy Ghost. And not only was he crying because he was scared, but he was SOBBING, and it continued for about an hour (which is when he fell asleep still crying)!! Then first thing out of his mouth when he woke up was that he was scared of the Holy Ghost! We think we are doing the right thing by teaching our children, but really - we have taumatized Jarin! I can only imagine what was going on in his little imagination. Did I mention that FHE finished earlier than planned?
Ira was feeling the baby move at a particularly active time. He said, "Is he moving furniture around in there?" (some days it sure feels like it!)
There was a baby being blessed in church Sunday, and Jarin saw the priesthood men in a circle, and loudly proclaims "Look mom, their playing ring around the rosies!"
Emilie asked me, "Since our eyes are blue, how come everything doesn't look blue to us?" I explained how we see through the black circle in our eyes. She said, "Then the blue is just for decoration?"
Jarin walks around the house constantly saying, and singing "I am a Child of God, and He has sent me here." And when anyones voices get too loud, he sings, "Love at home... Love at home..." I'm not sure he even knows the meaning of what he's singing, but it stops the contention and usually starts a few giggles.
Ira was talking about leap year, and Emilie asked, "What is leap year? Is it when we leap to school?"
Ira asked Emilie if you put plastic wrap or foil over a pan going in the oven. She said tinfoil. Ira said "Good thinking Emilie." She responded by saying, "No, I didn't think...my teacher told me." (thank goodness for teachers, so we don't have to think!)
Jarin asked me if he could have something, and I had told him no. He responded by asking again, then answering his own question as if he were me, "Of course you can sweetheart." (it's no wonder he gets whatever he wants - how cute is that?)
In church today, a half a second before the sacrament prayer was being said, (so it was very quiet in the room), Jarin observed that his dad was sitting on the stand, and calls out in his loudest voice, "That's my daddy up there!"
Brayden said, "I've learned to never mess with a pregnant person."
Today I told Jarin he was a sweetHEART, and he said, "No, I have a beautiful HEART, and mommy is beautiful too." (a comment like that, he can have whatever he wants!)
This one was said a year or so ago, but it was one of the best we've had ever - so it bears repeating! Emilie said to mom, "Someday I am going to marry my prince, just like you married your prince."
Jarin said, "We don't say 'monkey butt' do we?"
Jarin see's a bumble bee and says, "It's a bum-bum bee".
Emilie singing, "Loose, footloose, kick off my church shoes."

Hmmmmm...

I copied this from my sisters blog, but it's just too perfectly perfect to not be reminded of as often as possible!

Hmmmm....
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today!'So she did, and she had a wonderful day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today!'So she did and she had a grand day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.'So she did and she had a fun, fun day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.'YEA!' she exclaimed, 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'Attitude is everything. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

INSPIRATION

"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation." Joseph Smith

"The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone. The things you do for others remain as your legacy."

"Fix it up...wear it out... make due...or do without!" - Gordon B Hinckley

"In righteousness there is great simplicity" - William R. Bradford

"The most important thing parents can do for their children is to teach them to feel The Spirit and recognize when it is no longer with them."

Elder M. Russell Ballard: "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

The adversary would keep us busily engaged in a multitude of trivial things in an effort to keep us distracted from the few vital things that make all the difference."-Ardeth G. Kapp