A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the baby giving his thumbs up!
HIS HEART WAS STRONG AND HEALTHY AND EVERYTHING IS GROWING GREAT! WE ARE SO VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Wednesday, June 30, 2010
We are having a....................
HIS HEART WAS STRONG AND HEALTHY AND EVERYTHING IS GROWING GREAT! WE ARE SO VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Fancy Haircuts
I cut the girls hair this week. Do you know how long it takes to cut 4 little girls hair? It started out on Monday night, and I finally finished Wednesday night. It takes this long because I am not a professional and it is no easy task to make little people keep their heads still or in the right place.
Tuesday I fixed Emma's cut from Monday night, to look more like Sera's. On Wednesday afternoon I had cut Lucy and Kady's hair shorter from Monday nights cut because they wanted it shorter. The are all so pleased with their new hair cuts. Here are some pictures to give you a rough idea. Really the pictures to me are not the best at showcasing how cute it looks, at least to me.
Sera's back view and side/front view
This was the only picture I could get of Kady that was not blurred
Miss adorable Lucy in her favorite place, the tree ready to
swing from the rope.
Poor Jared will come home to a home full of strangers. He has been gone all week for work. We sure have missed him A LOT! At one point yesterday late afternoon I thought about his hugs and re-assuring comments and I lost it. I cried like a big baby in my room. I didn't want to scare the girls. Luckily no one came trying to find me to do something for them. I just needed a few minutes to myself to re-group. I am looking forward to him coming home soon!
Tuesday I fixed Emma's cut from Monday night, to look more like Sera's. On Wednesday afternoon I had cut Lucy and Kady's hair shorter from Monday nights cut because they wanted it shorter. The are all so pleased with their new hair cuts. Here are some pictures to give you a rough idea. Really the pictures to me are not the best at showcasing how cute it looks, at least to me.
Emma's sorta front view and side view.
Sera's back view and side/front view
This was the only picture I could get of Kady that was not blurred
Miss adorable Lucy in her favorite place, the tree ready toswing from the rope.
Poor Jared will come home to a home full of strangers. He has been gone all week for work. We sure have missed him A LOT! At one point yesterday late afternoon I thought about his hugs and re-assuring comments and I lost it. I cried like a big baby in my room. I didn't want to scare the girls. Luckily no one came trying to find me to do something for them. I just needed a few minutes to myself to re-group. I am looking forward to him coming home soon!
Here are some first attempts at trying to get jumping pictures.
It will be even more fun when Eliza is able to stand and jump so
she can enjoy the fun too!
It will be even more fun when Eliza is able to stand and jump so
she can enjoy the fun too!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Parenting 101
When I was in High School I took a Japanese class. I loved the class, but I was not good at the whole figuring out a new language thing. I was failing the class. Bummer. But it turned out to be for the best because I transferred out of the Japanese class into a Childhood Development class.
Since I knew I wanted to be a Mother someday I figured this would (a) fulfill the requirement of whatever credit hours I needed to be able to graduate and (b) hopefully teach me some useful information about how to be a great Mother.
Our teacher had been teaching for a couple decades and was very captivating and knew how to engage a room full of teenagers. As students we got to have the opportunity to learn about childhood development and how to manage a childcare facility. But I found the information to be very applicable to being a stay at home Mom as well.
Our teacher taught that when it came to children, that as the authority figure, we always needed to be firm, fair and consistent with them. She drilled this into us and not only said the words but, at least for me, taught how to do this. We would role play situations where we would need to implement how to be firm, fair and consistent. She would give us a scenario on paper and we would have to write out a resolve for the scenario.
Because I had been an avid babysitter in my youth I got to practice on a regular basis this concept. So when it came time for me to become a Mother myself I felt somewhat prepared for the task of knowing how to raise that little bundle of joy. What I wasn't prepared for was the tiring effects of having to be consistently consistent with being firm, fair and consistent.
There were, and are days where thoughts run through my mind of just giving in, but then the words of that teacher echo loud and clear and I stand firm. She explained the importance of teaching children boundaries. She taught the wonderful powerful effects of "obeying" this concept will have on the children you are responsible for.
It is not always easy to be firm , fair and consistent. But the dividends far outweigh the internal constipation you may experience from time to time as you look at the small picture. Because for the most part, being firm, fair and consistent initially does not make you the "nice guy", and may result in some conflict between a child and yourself.
I have every confidence that one day these beautiful little people will one day have little people themselves and they will thank me for always being firm, fair and consistent with them as they grew up.
Since I knew I wanted to be a Mother someday I figured this would (a) fulfill the requirement of whatever credit hours I needed to be able to graduate and (b) hopefully teach me some useful information about how to be a great Mother.
Our teacher had been teaching for a couple decades and was very captivating and knew how to engage a room full of teenagers. As students we got to have the opportunity to learn about childhood development and how to manage a childcare facility. But I found the information to be very applicable to being a stay at home Mom as well.
Our teacher taught that when it came to children, that as the authority figure, we always needed to be firm, fair and consistent with them. She drilled this into us and not only said the words but, at least for me, taught how to do this. We would role play situations where we would need to implement how to be firm, fair and consistent. She would give us a scenario on paper and we would have to write out a resolve for the scenario.
Because I had been an avid babysitter in my youth I got to practice on a regular basis this concept. So when it came time for me to become a Mother myself I felt somewhat prepared for the task of knowing how to raise that little bundle of joy. What I wasn't prepared for was the tiring effects of having to be consistently consistent with being firm, fair and consistent.
There were, and are days where thoughts run through my mind of just giving in, but then the words of that teacher echo loud and clear and I stand firm. She explained the importance of teaching children boundaries. She taught the wonderful powerful effects of "obeying" this concept will have on the children you are responsible for.
It is not always easy to be firm , fair and consistent. But the dividends far outweigh the internal constipation you may experience from time to time as you look at the small picture. Because for the most part, being firm, fair and consistent initially does not make you the "nice guy", and may result in some conflict between a child and yourself.
I have every confidence that one day these beautiful little people will one day have little people themselves and they will thank me for always being firm, fair and consistent with them as they grew up.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Potty Training Progress
Kady had a difficult time figuring out how to put some underpants on. I couldn't resist taking a picture of this one.Monday will mark 2 weeks of potty training for Kady. She has done brilliantly! It helps that she is fiercely independent.
I have to say that Sarah over at Clover Lane is a genius! Her thoughts on potty training, perfect!
The first couple of days were funny to me, because Kady absolutely hated peeing on herself or having a poopy accident. Because of the advice Sarah gave I knew this was a great sign and knew that it would be sooner rather than later that Kady would figure out the timing of it all. It was up until a couple days ago that she finally got the timing down for the pooping.
This girl has a bladder of steal and I think it will only be a matter of time before she is dry throughout the night. WAHOO!
Tonight for cuddle time the girls wanted to tell stories about memories they have from when they were younger. Sera brought up this story "Oh the poo that ensued!". We all got a good laugh remembering the frantic-ness of that situation.
Tomorrow is the girls last day of school. I think our school district may be the last one to get out for summer break. It is okay with me. Especially since we do not start until the day after Labor Day.
Happy Summer!
Monday, June 7, 2010
I KNOW!
Have you ever noticed that when children get older they have a need to say "I know" whenever they are reminded of something they are supposed to do. But then they continue to not do what has been asked of them.
This has been a frequent phrase that has come out of Emma's mouth lately, and I don't know if it is the fact that I am completely hormonally imbalanced right now, or if it how she says it, but it makes me want to go over to her and take my middle finger and thumb and squeeze her cheeks in and make her look me in the eye while I tell her to not use that tone with me, and then I proceed to tell her that if she knows then do something about it.
This morning as I was grouchy as all get out and throwing tantrums that pale in comparison to a 2 year old, I thought, "I KNOW" how I am suppose to act and yet I feel I have no control over these hormones that are raging right now. It really is driving me crazy.
I never remember feeling so aggressive and hormonal with the other pregnancies. SO why now. What is going on with my body. A couple of my friends said I am probably having a boy because that is how they felt with their boy pregnancies. All I know is, if it is a boy I am not sure I want to go through the risk of having another boy pregnancy and feel this way again. All these aggressive tendencies makes me want to rip peoples heads off. Maybe I need to take a kick boxing class or something or a dodge ball class. I don't think yoga would do it for me.
On a happy note. So I started the 21 day challenge on Wednesday. I am happy to report, of those 5 days from Wednesday, I was successful to be completely positive for one whole day. Friday!
I think I was that way because I deep cleaned the whole home which makes me feel completely and utterly joyful and positive. Cleaning is my drug of choice, and makes me feel so much better and in control when I am able to get in and scrub things and throw stuff away we don't need. The other 4 days, we won't talk about them. I am learning a lot though.
Like, if you are a parent with many children you may find that you will need to get ultimately creative to be able to succeed at the 21 day challenge.
I'm just glad that it does not require our thoughts to say positive things. Because a lot of times what I really want to say to a child and what comes out of my mouth are on entirely 2 different planets.
It would not be nice to call a child a name, so I make the hugest grin possible and through gritting teeth I may quickly find something positive they are doing, even though it has nothing to do with what I have asked them to do 10 times now, and thank them for that positive thing.
I know I am so creative. I don't know about anyone else, but those are the moments that really stretch me as an individual. I KNOW how I am suppose to act and yet my initial response is not always conducive to what I KNOW I am suppose to be saying or doing.
Some more happy notes.
Eliza turned one this past week. She is such a joy! My husband posted on his blog pictures and then he has a link to her birthday video that makes me laugh. She sure loves to eat.
Our garden is planted and thriving. Our strawberries are starting to ripen and this makes me happy. We love when the strawberries start to ripen in our little patch. There is nothing quite like a fresh picked strawberry from the garden.
Sera has been in the habit of writing me wonderful notes of her love and adoration for me and that makes me happy.
Starting tomorrow, Kady will be only wearing diapers at night, as I am going to take the plunge and test myself once again and potty train another child. She helped pick out a potty chair and some cute thick training panties. I gained some courage and helpful insights this week from one of my favorite blogs "Clover Lane" I love how Sarah expresses herself. Wish me luck as I am not the best when it comes to staying sane through potty training season.
Lucy is crazy athletic and I am amazed at how determined she is for only being 4. She puts her mind to accomplishing a task and she "digs her heels in" and figures out how to succeed at it. She is a tenderhearted ball of joy. She has the most infectious laugh too.
Emma spends most of her time day dreaming. I am begging to think it may be the age. She excels at school like no bodies business. She loves to read and thrives on her teachers praise with how well she reads to the class. She signs like an angel and even though I have to remind her the most, she is always willing to help. That makes me happy.
This has been a frequent phrase that has come out of Emma's mouth lately, and I don't know if it is the fact that I am completely hormonally imbalanced right now, or if it how she says it, but it makes me want to go over to her and take my middle finger and thumb and squeeze her cheeks in and make her look me in the eye while I tell her to not use that tone with me, and then I proceed to tell her that if she knows then do something about it.
This morning as I was grouchy as all get out and throwing tantrums that pale in comparison to a 2 year old, I thought, "I KNOW" how I am suppose to act and yet I feel I have no control over these hormones that are raging right now. It really is driving me crazy.
I never remember feeling so aggressive and hormonal with the other pregnancies. SO why now. What is going on with my body. A couple of my friends said I am probably having a boy because that is how they felt with their boy pregnancies. All I know is, if it is a boy I am not sure I want to go through the risk of having another boy pregnancy and feel this way again. All these aggressive tendencies makes me want to rip peoples heads off. Maybe I need to take a kick boxing class or something or a dodge ball class. I don't think yoga would do it for me.
On a happy note. So I started the 21 day challenge on Wednesday. I am happy to report, of those 5 days from Wednesday, I was successful to be completely positive for one whole day. Friday!
I think I was that way because I deep cleaned the whole home which makes me feel completely and utterly joyful and positive. Cleaning is my drug of choice, and makes me feel so much better and in control when I am able to get in and scrub things and throw stuff away we don't need. The other 4 days, we won't talk about them. I am learning a lot though.
Like, if you are a parent with many children you may find that you will need to get ultimately creative to be able to succeed at the 21 day challenge.
I'm just glad that it does not require our thoughts to say positive things. Because a lot of times what I really want to say to a child and what comes out of my mouth are on entirely 2 different planets.
It would not be nice to call a child a name, so I make the hugest grin possible and through gritting teeth I may quickly find something positive they are doing, even though it has nothing to do with what I have asked them to do 10 times now, and thank them for that positive thing.
I know I am so creative. I don't know about anyone else, but those are the moments that really stretch me as an individual. I KNOW how I am suppose to act and yet my initial response is not always conducive to what I KNOW I am suppose to be saying or doing.
Some more happy notes.
Eliza turned one this past week. She is such a joy! My husband posted on his blog pictures and then he has a link to her birthday video that makes me laugh. She sure loves to eat.
Our garden is planted and thriving. Our strawberries are starting to ripen and this makes me happy. We love when the strawberries start to ripen in our little patch. There is nothing quite like a fresh picked strawberry from the garden.
Sera has been in the habit of writing me wonderful notes of her love and adoration for me and that makes me happy.
Starting tomorrow, Kady will be only wearing diapers at night, as I am going to take the plunge and test myself once again and potty train another child. She helped pick out a potty chair and some cute thick training panties. I gained some courage and helpful insights this week from one of my favorite blogs "Clover Lane" I love how Sarah expresses herself. Wish me luck as I am not the best when it comes to staying sane through potty training season.
Lucy is crazy athletic and I am amazed at how determined she is for only being 4. She puts her mind to accomplishing a task and she "digs her heels in" and figures out how to succeed at it. She is a tenderhearted ball of joy. She has the most infectious laugh too.
Emma spends most of her time day dreaming. I am begging to think it may be the age. She excels at school like no bodies business. She loves to read and thrives on her teachers praise with how well she reads to the class. She signs like an angel and even though I have to remind her the most, she is always willing to help. That makes me happy.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The 21 day challenge
I got this timely idea from my dear friend Adrienne. I came to know and love this woman when we lived in Scottsbluff. Last week she posted about this 21 day challenge she did.
Adrienne said it took her 7 months to go 21 days to accomplish this challenge. This got me thinking how long it would take me to complete this challenge.
I really need to do this, as my focus on life in general has become more on negative things instead of positive. I knew I needed to change and am grateful my friend had posted this to plant the seed in my mind so that I could feel like this could and would be something I can and will accomplish.
Here's to being positive! Happy June 1st!
Adrienne said it took her 7 months to go 21 days to accomplish this challenge. This got me thinking how long it would take me to complete this challenge.
I really need to do this, as my focus on life in general has become more on negative things instead of positive. I knew I needed to change and am grateful my friend had posted this to plant the seed in my mind so that I could feel like this could and would be something I can and will accomplish.
Here's to being positive! Happy June 1st!
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