(picture, courtesy of One Rate Real Estate)
Hey, if you know anyone who's looking for a rambler with some nice upgrades in an awesome neighborhood, let me know. I'll have my people talk with your people. For pictures go to www.utahrealestate.com, MLS#854238.
Apparently, this is how Kurt and I are seen through Lexi's eyes. The other night while reading from her princense (princess) book we got to the page with Cinderella and Prince Charming. Lexi said, "Who that is?" I told her it was Cinderella and Prince Charming and she said, "No, Daddy," pointing to Prince Charming and then pointed to Cinderella and said, "Mommy." Who knew I was living such a fairy tale life?
We know, we've got talent! You can tell who the kids get their dancing genes from. By the way, this is the only way you'll ever see Kurt dance.
(Warning: This post is a little long). . . So here's the situation. Our sweet little Lulu is having some MAJOR sleep issues. This is a girl who was sleeping through the night without any problems. We'd read stories, give a hug and kiss, turn out the lights, close the door and wouldn't hear a peep from her until morning. BLISSFUL!
Now let me paint a picture of what's been going on over the past 5 months. Lexi got a new room to make way for Brooklyn. "It's the new baby," you say, and we've thought about that and that is why we let her take her crib with her to the new room until she got used to sleeping in there. Shortly after moving her into there, 3 members of the family (I'm not one of them) thought it would be a great idea to teach her how to climb out of her crib. "Not good," I thought, "that's when the jack-in-the box syndrome starts". Sure enough, she learned quickly. My view is that once they know how to do this, you might as well switch them to the big bed to avoid injury. We knew it would be rough at first because we went through it with Jackson(3weeks as a matter of fact)and many more weeks of sitting on the floor by his door until he was asleep. But that's another story that we've tried to forget.
So now we've got a 2 year old sleeping her new pretty, big girl bed literally screaming and crying every night. Did I mention she climbs out of her bed, lays on the floor by the door and screams so that the sound is magnified? We tried leaving the door open just a little so she'd have light from the hall but all that produced was 2 hours of putting her back into bed every night. I was finally firm and made the decision we needed to go back to how we used to do it. Lights out, door closed. The last couple of weeks were better as we had a bedtime chart on the door. If she didn't scream or cry after we closed the door she got a sticker. After a week she was doing great and earned her "Princense" (how Lexi says princess) book. But the last couple of night she's back to the screaming, and is now waking up numerous times a night. I would just let her scream it out but she's already waking up half the family and I'm afraid she's going to start waking up the boys also.
Both Kurt and I have tried sleeping in her room to see if there's something that's waking her up, but have come up empty handed. We make sure she's had plenty to eat and drink before she goes to bed and have been consistent in our bedtime routine. We've thought that maybe it's night terrors but don't know if there's anything to do about that. I've read books and tried charts but not a whole lot is working right now. If anyone out there has something that has worked for your child or children, please share!! Sleep is so important and we want ours back!
Signed,
Desperately Seeking Sleep
We went back to the basics with costumes this year. Collin wanted to be a skeleton again and lucky me, his costume still fit from last year. You can't tell in the picture but Kurt was dressed as Shaggy from Scooby Doo (part of a group theme at work)but had already taken off the wig. I wasn't dressed up as anything but when Collin saw the picture he pointed to me and Lexi and said, "Two witches". Hmmm. . .so that's what he thinks of me. Actually, I was dressed as a witch the day before for preschool. Hopefully that's where he got that from!
Is it just me or is anyone else out there feeling a little run down and tired all the time? Seriously, I don't feel like doing anything but laying in bed until I absolutely have to get up in the morning and then I feel guilty for not exercising which then makes me grumpy because I'm not back into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes yet and afternoons are spent in a vegetative (don't even know if that's a word)state not wanting to fold laundry or clean or do any of the many other things on "the list". Any suggestions for how to beat this would be greatly appreciated.
These are the most recent pictures of Alexis. She loves to "dress up" but won't keep anything in her hair. Does she not know that that is one of the reasons why her mother was so excited when she found out she was a girl? Hopefully she'll come around soon. Until then, I 'll enjoy looking at these sweet pictures of my little girl.
Jackson and Collin had some friends over to play yesterday and Kurt and I were able to catch a little of some of their conversations. They went a little something like this:
(After wrestling for awhile)
Jackson: "I need a drink of water so bad I'm gonna have a heart attack!"
Max: "I know. It's making my brain not know what to do."
Kurt was making the boys lunch and they were talking about their favorite football teams.
Jackson: "I'm a BYU fan."
Nick: "I'm a Utah Utes fan."
Max: "I'm an Aggies fan."
Collin: "I'm a mini-van fan!" (He is. He really is.)
This morning I could hear the pitter-patter of some little feet coming down the hall. A few seconds later Collin appeared in my room asking one of us to get up to turn the t.v. on for him. He was even fully dressed and ready for the day. Too bad it was only 1:45 a.m.! No joke!
We just had these pictures of the kids taken last week. These are some of my favorites. Thanks Emily!
We've had some magical things taking place in our garden this summer. These pumpkins had been growing and we didn't even notice them until August. Funny thing is, we didn't even plant pumpkins this year. We also had tomotoes growing and didn't plant them either. If I would have known it was that easy, I wouldn't have spent so much time over the last few years planting and weeding!
My girls are growing too fast. Brooklyn really can't speak yet even though she looks like she's trying to in the picture! It seems like Alexis was just Brooklyn's size. Time flies when you're busy with little ones.
Kurt finally did it. He bought a new car and is parting with his Toyota Tacoma truck.(Well, kind of) You know how men feel about their trucks. They've been together for 12 years and 223,000 miles. That's longer than he and I have been together! It has been the most reliable vehicle with only 1 major repair in that time. What a blessing it is to have a dependable car. Kurt's still going to use the truck for his timing business to haul the trailer. But it will only be about once a week in the Spring and Summer months and will give the truck a much deserved rest. Thanks Old Red!
Kurt celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday. He and I went out to dinner at Tepanyaki and then I surprised him with a night's stay at our own little cabin at the Alaskan Inn in Ogden Canyon. I had to pack his bag 2 days before while he was on a business trip (worked out well for me) and then had to sneak it out to the car right before we left (not quite so easy). It was a nice gift for me also! Happy Birthday honey!
Kurt just celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday. (I know, you're thinking, "What! Your husband is 40?!" But he really doesn't seem that "old.").
I considered it one of those "milestones" birthdays so I knew I had to make it special. We made a weekend celebration out of it and wouldn't you know it, I forgot to take my camera to everything so now all you get is this boring account of what we did.
It all started on Friday night with a surprise party. (His first one) He truly had no idea and looked shocked when he walked in and saw his closest friends and family there. It helped that he had been out of town in San Francisco this week so I could finish getting everything ready. Thanks to all those who helped me by the way, especially Heather and Melissa who helped me set up for the party.
We held it at the church so we'd have enough room for everyone. We told
Kurt we all wanted to go to Krispy Kreme for a donut that night to lure him out of the house. On the way, Jackson and Collin even got in on the act by talking about what kind of donut they were going to get. They are great secret keepers. They knew about the party from the beginning and never let on to Kurt about it. I told him that I needed to stop by the church on the way to look at something for my friend Melissa for our ward party coming up next week and that I might need his help with something. That's how we got him in the church and it worked. We played a few games with quotes from 80's movies and 80's songs (thanks for the idea Rachelle) and visited and ate. A good time was had by all.
Brooklyn looked beautiful in her dress made by Mommy that Alexis also wore and took along her white blanket, knitted by Great Grandma Black, which all four of the kids have used on their blessing days. Brooklyn couldn't have been any better today. When Kurt took her up to stand in the circle, she just laid there looking at him, smiling. I must add that when I look at this family picture, we finally look complete!
Our sweet girl said goodbye to her beloved "Paci" last week. Lexi actually did't have a choice as we lost her pacifier. We knew it was time but we were afraid of the aftermath of taking it away. It looks as though Mom and Dad were the ones with the most anxiety over it. She cried for a half-hour over it and then only asked for it one other time the next day. Getting new pink sparkle shoes helped to sweeten the deal! We're proud of her.
and the tears are streaming. Not tears of joy, but tears of sadness. My little Jackson started First Grade today. He's been so excited, especially to eat lunch at school. But I have been dreading this day all week. I felt a tinge of sadness as Kurt and I walked out of the school and was doing fine until I walked into his bedroom to change the sheets on the beds. Then, I lost it. I cried. I cried for feeling guilty that sometimes I'm too hard on him. I cried because my little helper is gone all day now and I cried because my baby isn't a baby anymore and is growing up way too fast. I know he'll do great this year but it's so hard letting go. If it's this tough now, I'm already dreading when he leaves for college and on a mission.
So, I did it. I chopped off my locks. These are the before and after shots, courtesy of my little photographer, Jackson. We never did measure officially, but I think it was pretty close to 7 inches. Ouch! When he was done cutting, my stylists couldn't even fit all of the hair in the dustpan. It seriously looked like a wig laying/lying??? on the floor. It's going to take some getting used to.
We spent a fun weekend at Bryce Canyon. We did a little bit of hiking and sightseeing and fed Doritos to chipmunks (not kidding! There's a picture). I think our kids thought the chipmunks were the best part of our vacation. After hiking we looked around at the shops at Old Bryce Town followed by lunch where we were the center of attention at a crowded restaurant in the middle of a bunch of Europeans who were being entertained by Alexis and Brooklyn. Kurt even had a chance to practice his Italian. Jackson was pretty impressed by that!
I was going to try to be clever and rewrite words to the primary song "Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime" to tell about everything we've been up to this summer. But then I decided to take the easy way out and just post the pictures with a little blurb about each. Hope you're having a fun summer too!
What we've done:
-Moved kids into different rooms after repainting and decorating each
-Jackson played T-Ball
-Swim lessons
-Going to Lagoon twice a week
-Tennis lessons for Jackson
-Gymnastics for Collin
-Had a baby
-Swimming and trying to stay cool with friends
-Going to the Dinosaur Park
-Parades
-Family Reunion
Brooklyn has had jaundice since she was born. The jaundice tends to make babies sleepy so they don't eat as well. I have had to wake her up every few hours just to eat. As a result, she isn't back up to her birth weight yet like she should be. She is starting to put on an ounce every couple of days. Slowly but surely. I had to include this picture of her with Jackson because she looks so tiny next to him.
These pictures are a big relief to me. When Alexis first came to see Brooklyn in the hospital, she would have nothing to do with her. It only took her a couple of days to warm up to her and now she is the biggest helper with "Brookin," as Lexi calls her. She often comes up and gives Brooklyn a gentle kiss on the head whenever I'm holding her. I'm excited they each have a sister to grow up with.
I am one of those privleged mothers who has babies that are sensitive to what I eat. With all of my children I have had to eliminate things such as chocolate and cinnamon from my diet while breastfeeding. People are amazed that I can cut out chocolate cold turkey. But I always tell them that one night with a screaming baby and it makes the decision pretty easy. I only have a couple of more days to gorge on chocolate so here' s the plan. Everyone who reads this MUST eat chocolate either Monday, July 7 or Tuesday, July 8, or both nights if you prefer (I will be doing both nights!) in "celebration" of my last 2 days with chocolate for many months. My binge will include a blizzard or sundae with lots of chocolate! Let me know how you "celebrate!"
We have decided on a name for the baby. She will be named Brooklyn. We haven't decided on a middle name yet, but it will probably be Rebecca, after my sister who died of SIDS when she was 7 months old. Thanks to those of you who gave us your input!
Yes, it's 5:00 in the morning. I've been up since 4:00 but can't get back to sleep. The joys of the end of pregnancy! But it's okay. I'm on vacation without kids so I can tak
e a nap later.
I know I haven't posted anything new in over 2 months. Life has just been too crazy with teaching preschool everyday, coaching Jackson's soccer team, 2 games and 1 practice a week for T-Ball, and being a mom to 3 kids with 1 on the way. Give me 2 weeks and preschool and soccer will be over and I should have a little more time in between painting and setting up new bedrooms for my kids to make room for the new baby!
It looks like it's about time for me to finally do this after a few friends have "tagged" me. Here are the 6 facts or interesting things about me as requested!
1. I have always wanted a 2 story red brick home, with black shutters and a black door. Much like the ones you see back in the Boston/Concord area. In fact, if you've ever seen the movie, "Evan Almighty," the house across the street from theirs is very similar to what my dream home looks like.
2. I love to organize events. Whether its dinners for 40 or a birthday party for my children. I just think it's fun. Needless to say, for me, planning my wedding was the ultimate fun in planning.
3. This one may seem a little odd, but it's me. I love to clean little, intricate places like around the sink faucet and in little grooves in appliances, etc. I know, weird.
4. When my husband is out of town, I check all the locks on the doors at least twice, check behind shower curtains, under my bed, and my closet before I go to bed. Some may call it paranoia. I call it peace of mind.
5. I've started watching a new show- Lipstick Jungle. I know it isn't the most wholesome show. I watched the first night it was on because it comes on right after The Apprentice. The reason why I have continued to watch is because I love to see the clothes and jewelry they all wear. Probably not a good enough reason to keep watching! I figure someday I'll have a reason to "dress up" every day like I used to.
6. A dream I have always had, or maybe I should say a goal I have always had, is to run in the Boston Marathon. You do have to have a qualifying time to be able to run in it or after a certain age, I think it's in your 50's or 60's they'll just let you run. I plan on doing it the first way if I can. I've always told myself that after I was done having my kids and my youngest is sleeping thought the night, I would start getting serious about this one. Yikes! This is getting closer than I may be ready for. It's a huge commitment for at least 6 months and that's if I do it the first marathon I run. My half- marathon in August went pretty well, maybe I'll surprise myself.
I know we still have a little time to think about this, but the truth of the matter is, it is going to take me and Kurt until July to agree on a name for the baby. We still hadn't decided when Collin was born and finally agreed on his name a few minutes after his birth. We need to start coming up with a narrowed- down list of girl names to choose from. Please give us your input on what you think out of the following names. This is my list (Tami). Who knows what Kurt would come up with! If he would just agree to my favorite name, this would all be so easy!
Okay, so I realize I haven't updated this blog in two months. But I really do have a good excuse. For those of you who didn't already know, baby #4 is on her? way. I'm in my 13th week and will be officially done with the 1st Trimester at the end of this week! Hopefully the nauseated feeling and overwhelming tiredness will go away with it. By the time the kids have gone to bed, all I can think about is climbing in bed myself. I have finally hit that point in my life that I never thought I would get to. I now treasure sleep. I would rather sleep than do anything else right now. Sad isn't it? I never thought those words would ever come out of my mouth. Does this feeling ever go away or is it here to stay? Hopefully I will be able to get some new pictures posted in the next week or two so check back. Here's to a good night's sleep to all!
