Thanksgiving

It was such a great day, it was so busy I didn't get a chance to write a few things I am thankful for. My mind this year has really gone back and pondered on what President Thomas S. Monson (Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), in his last talk he talked about Finding Joy in the Journey. He said quote..

"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings...Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey; and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows( Nov. Ensign 2008)."

I really am grateful for each day I am given, I am thankful for my family, friends, my good health. I am also so grateful for the chance to be a stay at home mom, it is truly a blessing. I am so thankful for all the blessings the Lord has given me!

We truly has a wonderful time this year. We traveled as a family to Jennifer's house in Bella Vista, Arkansas. I have to say I was worried at first whether we were going even make it there. Let just say on the trip out we had one diaper blow out, two throw up/vomit clean ups because Kate got car sick, a husband that had a tickle in the back of his throat that made him cough all 12 hours and oh yeah my dog, and her lovely farting aroma. It was the worst 12 hours, I mean 15 hours after, all the stops, road trip in my life. We finally made it there and we really had a great time. Thank you so much Stephanie and Mike for letting us stay at your place while we were visiting, it was so nice of you, we really appreciated it. Kate loved their dogs, she really was in heaven. Kate also had a great time playing with her cousins Ivy, Peter, Mia, and Sierra.
I got introduced to Guitar Hero the video game, I was terrible at first, but got a little better the more I played, it was so much fun. Bryan, Jerry's brother is so good at it, I was very impressed. We also got to see my niece Sierra get baptized and also celebrate my other nieces first Birthday. So it was a really pack weekend but it was so much fun. The Kids and all the spouses went to the Bat caves and took pictures, Jerry will have to post those later. They really like crawling all around and looking at all the bats in the cave. I thought Kate might be nervous, but they said she wasn't. The only bummer is I miss seeing our new nephew Preston by 4 days, I hope to see him soon. Thank you so much Jennifer for inviting us to Thanksgiving and letting us celebrate all the wonderful milestones with your children. I have so much to be thankful for. We had a better trip home, we opted to travel during the night while the kids were asleep, it was so much better. Only down fall is I'm so tired and Jerry has to sleep to be able to go to work tonight, so I have to try and some how get through the rest of this day on less than 4 hours of sleep. Taking care of two kids, one that's teething. Then in about 4 days I get to pack back up and go on a plane to Utah. Not much rest, but I'm still glad we made the trip to Arkansas it was so worth it.

Caleb 6 months old

Caleb is now 6 months old, already a half a year old, time is flying. Caleb officially has rolled over and can sit up for about 15 seconds or so. He loves to make nosies with is lips and tongue. Caleb is really doing well at putting his binky back in his mouth. He loves his new jumper, it took him a week to figure out that he could jump in it, but as soon as he figured it out he has gone to town on it. He loves to smile at everyone one he see. He loves to laugh at Kate and Daddy. Caleb just discovered the dog Sadie and can't seem to take his eyes off of her when she walks by. Sadie doesn't seem to notice Caleb as much as she did Kate, maybe because she is older and she was and still is getting malled to death by Kate. Caleb always is following he dad with his eyes around the room, he gets so excited to see him when he gets up in the morning. I don't have his official stats for the month his doctor appointment is not until the 5Th of December. I know he has definitely gotten taller. Caleb just started eating his rice cereal this week and lets just say it didn't go so well. I thought getting throw up on me that was just milk was bad, now adding the cereal, it's just plain awful. Yes, he still has his lovely reflux, we are hoping it will only get better from here on out, now that he is 6 months old. Caleb likes to be held all the time, mostly by me his mom. He seems to get fussy with other at times, I don't know if it's just the way others hold him or if it's his personality, that's yet to be decided. He is down to only two or three feedings during the night, which is good, I think once he get the hand of the whole cereal thing, it might be one less feeding. He really is a sweet baby, he is so aware of his surroundings. He is very sensitive to what is going on around him. He will cry when sister cries, he laughs when mommy laughs. It's really fun to see the growth and the differences in my two children. Even though he is my second child sometimes I still feel like a new mom, because each child is so different, and what I did with Kate may not be what works for Caleb. Well Caleb still has his cute toothless grin, no teeth yet, anytime now. That the lasted on our little boy Caleb

My New Backdrop

Well, I know a while back I told everyone that I got some photography books to read to help me get better at taking pictures. I'm not an expert by any means but, I think I've been getting a little better. I am able to see common mistakes most people may make, and I am trying to work on taking picture of what I am seeing, to help remember the moments I'm capturing on film. For example the simple colors of a leaf, or rocks on a shore line. I really love our camera we got for Christmas last year, it's been so much fun to use. I still have to admit it is still a lot more camera then I know what to do with but I'm getting better.
The whole reason for writing this post is to tell what I made. I have always thought if I had a nice backdrop I could take the same picture as a professional, well at least attempt to anyways. So I went on line and found a site that teaches you an easy and fun way to make your own, with muslin fabric and some color dye. I had a great time. I was first disappointed with my results, but then after taking some pictures of Caleb for his 6 month pictures, I actually like it a lot better. It looks different after you take a few pictures with it. I really had a great time, I really am enjoying this whole photography thing. I also took some pictures of my friends kids with the back drop and it seem to work out pretty well. I am very pleased with the end results, so what do you think???

Small Spaces and Productive Places

Some of you maybe wondering where I have been and what I have been up to. I've been slaving away in my tiny apartment trying to make my little space look and feel a little more organized. I've made some simple changes that have really made a big impact. Like a shoe rack on the back of the closet door instead of the first thing you see when you come in. A manly basket for Jerry to dump his must have on the counter at all times/everyday essentials (watch, wallet, ring, dog tags,etc.) He actually has been using it this time. Who would have thought to get something more masculine and he would totally change his habit of just dumping thing on the counter top
So back to my original idea I was going with here. I really have been doing well with my cleaning routine, so I thought I would treat myself at the end of two weeks and get some selves I wanted to get for Kate's toys, if I stuck to my routine. Some may say why two weeks, well most experts say if you can do something for two weeks straight it will stick. So what I thought what was going to be a treat, actually turned out to be so much more than I bargained for. I kept reminding myself of my friends advice to be serious about it and not just talk about it. I wanted to attempt to clean the back of my couch. Some of you may think what is so hard about that. Well, it's been a source of frustration the whole 5 years I have been here. First my husband would just dump anything behind it, because there was no where else to put it. Oh let me stop a minute, for those who don't know behind my couch is a counter top/bar area, they think there is actually enough room to put a couch love seat and dinning room table is a very small room. So we just decided to for go the dinning room space and use it for our couch area instead, but there is a space behind the couch in between the couch and the bar that has been the biggest waste land I could never really fix. I tried to put bins back there to store things in, My husband just stack stuff on top, I tried to cover it with a blanket, you can see where this is going, not good. So after 5 years I told myself I am not having this mess back here any more, don't get me wrong we would straighten it up all the time, but never moved anything.
So yesterday was the day, it took me and I am not kidding from 10am to 10:30 pm to finish the job, and I am still working on the odds and ends. I don't know if it was just a lot of work or having to stop and feed Caleb and Kate. I was so wipe out after that. The main reason I wanted to clean this so bad was, I wanted to make this a productive space. I wanted to make this a little play area/princess toy cave for Kate to play in. I guess trying to improve you home and the space you live in is harder than I thought it would be. So I am glad I did, it feels great, only one problem, Jerry build the selves and it doesn't fit right. I forgot to account for the beam support for the bar counter top being in the way. So now I am sitting here trying not to cry over all my hard work being for not. If we would have gone for the 8 cubby hole shelf instead of the 9, it would have fit perfect. I guess it's time to be creative again. It's hard living in such a small space sometimes. I still think I will still put Kate's doll house and other items back there to play, I just have to find room for the shelf. I love the shelf, it really has helped to organize her toys and it's really helping Kate to take ownership of her toys and learn to put them away by herself. So I know this wasn't very interesting to read, but that's a part of what I have been up to. So all in all I'm glad my house is more organized, but frustrated it didn't turn out the way I competely imaging it would. I would have taken a before and after shot but it was just to embarrassing to show you.

Time for myself

I took some time for myself today. I was able to sleep in until 8:00 this morning, some of you may think that's not sleeping in, but for a mom of two small children that really is sleeping in. Thanks to Jerry staying up with Kate. So for the first time in a long time I was able to watch from start to finish a whole movie without interruptions or falling asleep. I usually take a nap when the kids take a nap, because I'm still nursing Caleb at night about 2 times a night, so I still haven't had a full night sleep for 5 months. So when you get the chance to take a nap you take it. I often time want to do something else during what I call my break for the day but I'm always so tired, but since I got to sleep in a little I didn't have to make up for lost sleep and was able to just sit, watch a movie and relax. My household routine I have started is going well. It really has freed me and makes me feel like it's OK to stop and watch a movie etc without the guilt of having to feel like I should be cleaning all the time all day long. So what movie did I watch you maybe asking yourselves, I watch P.S. I love you, a totally make you have a good cry chic flick. It doesn't help that the main characters husband's name is Jerry. It has been so long for me, I really haven't sat down to watch a movie in it's entirety in so long, it felt kind of nice. Now I'm really for the rest of the day, bring it on.

Trick or Treat

We had a great time this year for Halloween. We were invited to go to our friends neighborhood party. It was really nice, the Church this year didn't do a Truck or Treat because there was a scheduling problem that did make it possible. So we were very excited we got invite to attend this party instead. It was really nice, they had a big tractor, with lots of hay bails for the kids to sit on. The houses were pretty spread out so they let the kids ride and stop at every house along the way

Kate had only one speed to her, it was running the whole time the whole way. She was so excited getting to run up to each house and say trick or treat. Kate seemed to really get it this year Kate's pumpkin basket was full to the brim
I will forever remember my 3 year old little girl all dress up in her car seat riding over to our friends house so cute and so full of excitement. It was one of those moments you stop and take a picture in your mind of and try to never forget it. I asked Kate if she could stay 3 forever and she said no I'll be 4 next time my birthday comes. 3 years old is one of my favorite ages.
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The weather was actually really nice and pleasantly chilly if there is such a thing, so those infant costumes they sell at wal-mart actually came in handy for Caleb.Usually it's still to warm to wear those really kinds of costumes.
Kate was Cinderella, she made such a pretty princess. She had a great time going around with her wand in hand and changing everything into a prince or a frog. Bibty bobty boo as she would say, she so cute the way she says it. She was pretending to look for her prince outside while I was taking pictures of her, she said we have to go get brother to pull my Carriage.
He was a horse this year. Kate while I was taking pictures lost her glass slipper and she said oh no my slipper fell of like Cinderella, it was cute. Caleb did really well, he was a real trooper, he stayed awake the whole time, he never wants to miss a thing. I carried him in my sling that I have, it was really comfortable for him and for me.
Jerry was really cute this year, we decide not to dress up this year because we weren't going to the church party, but as I was getting Kate and Caleb ready Jerry say why didn't we dress up, I want to dress up now, I think he was excited that Kate and Caleb were getting dressed up and wanted to join in the fun. So he sort of did he wore his flight suit and said this counts right. He's always had that kid at heart kind of attitude which I love. I really enjoyed watching Kate have a great time this year. I will truly cherish the memories we made last night. She made a Beautiful Princess, and Caleb was a Handsome Little Horse. It was a great Halloween.

Pumpkin Patch 2008

The Kids and I had a great time going to the Local Pumpkin Patch and picking out our own pumpkins, I've been wanting to do this with Kate since she was Caleb's age but never got the chance. Kate loved looking and finding all the funny shaped pumpkins, I think she was trying to find Spookley the square pumpkin from one of the night time stories we have been reading. We really enjoyed going with our friends it was a perfect time to go, we had the whole patch all to ourselves. Kate wanted me to carve her pumpkin into a scary face, and I did my usual funny face. It was a great time. Caleb was all smiles as usual.

Kate's First Hair Cut

Kate was very excited to get her hair cut. Jerry was very patient with me and letting me not cut Kate's hair until I was ready. OK so we just got it trimmed but that was still the first time a pair of scissors touched her hair. Kate was excited to go with daddy and get her hair done at the same time. She had this funny nervous but excited look on her face. Caleb is just smiling because he's glad it's not his turned today. Kate look very cute with her hair nicely trimmed. It need to be trimmed, I was starting to get the brush caught in it a lot and the ends were thinning out, it was time. Jerry thought I was silly when I grabbed a piece of her hair to put in her baby book. I told him she wasn't going to have very many first anymore and this was one of them. He didn't give me to much trouble after that, I think because he realized I had a good point. It was a good fun experience.

House of Order and Personal Change

Well, this week I tried something a little different. I have always struggled to keep this little apartment clean and tidy. We have so much stuff and not enough place to put things, so as you can imagine when one or two things get left out it can look really messy. I use to clean my house on as need basis and it just wasn't working for me, something had to change. I was talking to my friend Stacy and she told me what someone told her once, you have to really be serious about wanting to change, or else your're just going to keep talking about it and nothing is going to change for you at all. So after much prayer and thought, I had a thought run threw my mind that said " If your children have a schedule on when they do things each day why wouldn't a schedule work for you." I know it not a rock science idea but sometimes the simplest answers are right in front of your face and you don't even see them. So two weeks ago I really clean everything up, got the laundry caught up, the rooms straighten up, bathrooms in order, etc. so that I could start following a schedule of certain chores I would accomplish each day. This last week I put it to the test, I follow my list of chores each day and and did my dishes and room sweep at the end of each day. It was hard at first to change my old habits, I had to really be aware and remember to do what I had set out to do. I found that I was able to feel more relaxed knowing that all I had to do was the list of chores that day and I could tell myself I didn't have to worry about other items because, that's something that would get done this week just not today. My anxiety was better this week, I didn't feel like I had to be cleaning all the time, all day long. I could sit back a do something for me because the chores were done that day. It felt so much better to wake to a clean house and start on a better note. I felt much better and was in a better mood as well. I also started walking every morning with the kids. I started having a set time for when I exercise, because if any of you are like me if you don't schedule a time it may not get done. That too has been a nice change for me. I've had more time for me, more time for my kids and I don't feel so overwhelmed and consumed by my home and the house work. Like my Grandma would tell you I'm not a cleaner by nature, it's something I work on everyday. Like I said before this is not that exciting and new to all of you, but it been a good change for the better for me. It's been a much better week for me. I have truly been able to have Sunday be a day of rest, not having to clean up and then try to relax. I just want to share my personal positive change I've had this week. Looking back at this week I can say it has work a lot better for me, this new way of cleaning and I'm going to strive to stick with it and continue to be more at peace with myself.

Caleb 5 months old and Big sister Kate

Caleb is now 5 months old, hard to believe I know. He is really a sweet boy. He is almost sitting up, he does the slouch and rolls over to his side. He will be getting the hang of it very soon I think. Kate loves to sing you are my sunshine to Caleb, we have now found out that it's is favorite song right now. If you sing it to him he will instantly calm down and stop crying. Caleb still loves to be swaddled in his blaket, that the other thing that helps calm him down when he is fussy. He still has his sweet little baby cry, that sound like a little baby owl. He is really starting to reach and hold on to things really well. When his binky falls out, if it's near by his face he can place it back in his mouth. He likes to laugh and smile at anyone who will give him any kind of attention. He just figured out two nights ago how to vibrate his lips together and blowing out, spitting everywhere of course. He likes the feel and sound of it I guess. I think he might be on the verge of teeth, yeah, not really. He had so much fun doing that with his lips, last night he did it for an hour and a half straight and wouldn't go back to sleep after I nursed him. Usually after I feed him he goes straight to sleep, not last night. Caleb has gotten a little better with his reflux problem. He still spits up every time you burb him, just not as much. I'll take any kind of improvement in that area at this point. We were able to splurge on Caleb this weekend and we got him a jumper/saucer combo, he loves it. Thanks for the recommendation Stacy, it's super cute and Caleb loves to look at himself in the mirror and move the frog toy around and around. It was nice to be able to get something new, toy wise just for Caleb. Something to call his own that big sister Kate hasn't already played with. He's going to have to share a lot of things, so it was nice that Jerry let me get this for Caleb. I'll post a picture later. I can't really think of anything else, other than the last time the weight him at the doctors he was 16 pounds, and that was 3 weeks ago, that may have changed. Caleb is really doing well and growing big and strong. I took pictures of both Kids this time, Kate feels left out each month I try to take Caleb's picture, so instead of fighting that battle I just included her as well. The pictures turned out pretty good of the both of them together. Enjoy!

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