apRiL 2011

My parents came down for Conference

 

 

the first weekend of April and so we took advantage of my Dad’s last go round as bishop by using his stash of tickets for ourselves.

  I did feel foolish hiring a babysitter on Sunday, but what else was I to do?? 

My sweet babysitter was very understanding and I was so glad we went! 

Perhaps I’m a bit biased since we were able to view it live, but I’m pretty sure that final session shaped up to be the best!!  I sat there feeling so happy, refreshed and encouraged. 

I laughed, cried and soaked up every word.  (that may have been a lie, I started to doze during some of it) But I did soak up every word I was awake for!

I’ve never been so excited for the May Ensign to come out so as to be able to re-read the amazing messages. 

If ever I feel my testimony is in question, all I have to do is think of these great men, and all is well.

 

 

 

Afterword, we met up with my Dad’s cousin David (and his wife) from Australia.  He is a member of the ‘70 and he and my dad share the same exact birthday.  It was D’s first time meeting the Hoares.  (Yes, that is their unfortunate last name, which we feel the need to bring up often because we are so mature like that)

cLarificaTions

So after my second to last post (big letdown) I learned a couple of things.  First: no one reads my blog, and second: those who do, don’t find me funny. 
As a blogster, (blog+ stalker) I have found that the blogs I enjoy most are the true, honest journals.  I can feel the therapy it is for friends and acquaintances to vent about their feelings as well as to document their lives.  I was actually sort of jealous because A. I don’t keep much of a personal journal anymore since I am busy narrating 3 little lives that I find much more interesting and B. When I have a bad day, I’m usually too grumpy to write about it. 
But after one particular bad day, I decided to try it.  And apparently, my friends, venting is not a luxury I am afforded before people start thinking of my post as a suicide note.  This is rather embarrassing to me since I pride myself in being evenkill (no pun intended) most of the time.  I am, however a little dramatic, usually in an attempt at humor.  I guess in this case it was a  failed attempt.  So before you write me off as a negative downer who needs a prescription anti-depressant, please allow me to clarify on a few points.  Some of this will be a review.

• It had been raining for about 2 months straight.  I should be able to stop right there and be fully understood.
• I was tired (baby woke up early and the awesome husband who usually hits the gym and leaves me to the morning routine slept in and left me to the morning routine).
• Baby was extra tired and whiny, but slept less.
• Did I mention I was tired??!!
• My adorable oldest who lives for playing was once again being mistreated by his ‘friends’ who had started routinely locking him out so he couldn’t play with them.  Plus the whole aforementioned kindergarten dilemma weighing on my mind.
• A few more fights with the princess, as well as the aforementioned bedwetting instance.
• The husband was only slightly in the doghouse, mostly in an “I am tired and stressed out mood and I need you to step it up” type of doghouse.  Nothing too serious.  Trust me, there’s a worse doghouse to be in!
• After stressing/planning my re entry to the public world, I excitedly got on my blog to discover I had 0 people who cared about it.  Ouch.
• And although it grieves me to admit this, especially to the public, I’ll let ya in on one more little secret.  It was also red week at our house.  The kind of red week that occurs way too often, or more specifically, every 28-30 days.  And I agree, that is TMI.

But there ya go.  It is all good, we are all good here.  I love my little children.  I just had to leave out the cute little details like M’s sprouting freckles, C’s ‘Mapunzel’ dress and frying pan getup and E’s amazing snuggles to justify my bad mood.  Oh yah, and we also won our vball game that night too.  And even though I played crappily, it was an amazing game.  See, I’m not depressed!!

claSSic onE- linERz

Lately my kids have had some very good one-liners and I definitely do not wanna forget them.

M: “Birds think that everywhere, including us, are toilets.  Just like the one that pooped on Daddy’s hand.”

C: “Thanks M.”  M: “Don’t mention it C.”

M: “Mom.  Since we have been so good, do you think that you could call Santa and tell him about us?”

C: “ Mom.  Cows give us milk and monkeys give us bananas.”

And my fav. . .  (after threatening to leave him home alone)

M: “Mom, I can’t babysit myself!  I will be naughty!!”

 

Don’t forget lil E who is quite the parrot lately.  He still mimicks sounds (ie the squeaky sound my shoe made on the floor one day) and he calls his daddy “Nanny”

 

biG leTdoWn

Wow.  So going public was pretty UNeventful and caused me to wonder why I made such a project of doing so since pretty much no one gives a rip.

You could say that today I’m in a slightly different place than my post about JANUARY.  (And that may be putting it lightly)

It is now May and I’m trying to get up the courage to document our very busy April.  Prepare yourselves for lots of photos people!!  (I guess I just said that to myself).

I mean, I still see glimpses of that cheesy, ambitious woman/mother with the annoyingly perfect life but let’s just say that although I keep on trucking, some days are just HARD!!  And I do complain, and I yell, and I get mad at D a lot.  Today I told him that I would only have more children with him if we got rid of some of the ones we have.  And I meant it!!  

All 3 kids are just going through different things right now that are exerting every ounce of energy I do not have in the first place!!  M stresses me out socially.  And with kindergarten next year.  And the stupid bus the stupid district took away.  And my stupid neighborhood for putting all their stupid kids (too far?) in afternoon kindergarten, leaving us as the only ones out of like 50 in morning.  Who does afternoon kindergarten anyway??  Lazy people, that’s who!!  jk.  Seriously though, I am just so anti.  I already know next year with one in half day kindergarten and one in preschool is going to be difficult.  The last thing I want is to have to send them off smack dab in the middle of my day!!

And what can I say about C except that the tantrums are still there!!??  I liked her at age 2 and age 3 but 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 have just been constant fights and pouting.  (Us mom and our hairbrained theories, right?)  Here’s hoping that she grows up a lot when she hits 4 here shortly!

My precious little baby does not like his precious little baby feet to touch the floor ALL. Day. Long!  Why do they even learn how to walk??  Man he’s cute but man he’s whiny.  And busy.  Guess we have arrived at that age.

And don’t even get me started on their father . . .

So before I close, I just want to provide evidence via the outline of my day to back up the total downer tone of this post.  (I also blame hormones- don’t I always- and the chronic gray skies).  Don’t get me wrong, there are happy moments mashed in there as well, (I’m omitting those for the sake of my argument)  but let’s just say it’s been a long day that started at 6:50 when the baby screamed his head off for breakfast and then proceeded to whine at me all morning. 

M came down and demanded breakfast as well.

Of course E had to eat again. 

When I checked on the sleeping princess, what to my eyes did appear??  Why, she was awake in her bed in a puddle of urine.  For the second morning in a row.  Sure glad I busted my you-know-what to get laundry all finished yesterday so that I can continually wash all her bedding thoughout the week!!

I probably pulled E away from playing in the toilet 4 times between giving him bowl after bowl of cereal as my failing attempt to distract him.  The cereal ended up all over the house and he was so whiny that I decided to give him a morning nap.

He slept for perhaps 20 minutes.

Took the older two to music and had what felt like 20 minutes before I had to go back and retrieve them.

Worked intermittently on blasted blog book.  Only 1/3 done!

Let them eat lunch/ play outside because the sun came out for the first time this week and after about 10 minutes I went outside to check on them to find them soaking wet and muddy.  What the Yell???

Changed them both and made them take a nap.

Tried to take my own nap but awoke to two neighborhood children knocking on our door.

The baby slept for maybe 45 minutes before he was screaming and again, whiny.

Older two woke up and I slowly got C ready for Tball game.

Find out right after that it’s cancelled, thanks to yesterday’s rain.

Yell at 3rd pest control salesman whose rated #1 and won’t take “no” for an answer this week.  No really, I was pretty mean.

Began dinner and cleaned up messes made by E.

Had to make more dinner cuz everyone wanted seconds.

Got ready and shoed everyone out the door for my vball game, inserted curlers on the drive and almost got pulled over by a cop.

Drove home and rounded everyone up for bed.

Discovered problems with M’s head wound (details in later post), problems with C’s bladder once again (oh yes! and right after she plopped down on my pillow), and even though I rocked, hugged and inhaled every little bit of the baby before gently laying him in bed, he decided to scream 10 minutes later. 

And so did I.  Not really, but you know.

mArcH 2011

 

 

 

First and LAST time riding TRAX to a Jazz game

 

 

Nap transition???

 

 

 

Making friends!!

 

 

Field Trip

tHis BoY

The weekend of Vday, we surprised Nana and Papa and showed up in P town.  Then we decided it was time to say ‘bye bye’ to the mullet.  And apparently to my wittle baby too!!  Since we took the pics of the haircut process with Nana’s camera, I do not have possession of them.  But you can see his transformation in pictures since, and just as I knew he would, he suddenly looks so grown up!!!

Before

After

Between February and March he also:

Began talking so much.  When in the right mood, he will repeat anything I say!!  But for awhile he would say “zeeze” (please) “zoosh” (shoes)  “ukk” (yucky)  “mmmnn” (hungry) “dah” (down) "da du" (wuv u) “Hi” and “Bu Bye” quite regularly. He also taught himself the sign for “more.”

Folds his arms when we say prayers.  Nobody taught him this, he did it on his own.

Kind of a picky eater.

Fell in loooove with our new babysitter and layed his head on her lap the first time he met her.  I heart her too!

Started “jumping.” (with his feet still on the ground)

Began teasing by pretending to hand us something and then pulling it back quickly.

Transitioned slowly to 1 nap a day.

Became the world’s biggest beast in church.  (Countdown to nursery continues)

Fell in love with the outdoors, trying to escape when the front door opens and be-lining  for the street!

Cried big crocodile tears whenever the kids or daddy left.  So sad!

Became a daddy’s boy!!

Got a nasty sore throat, sinus infection and ear infection.

Still loved to pull on the roll of toilet paper! Come walking out of the bathroom still attached!

feBruarY!!

Let’s see, where did I leave off?  February, I believe??

We swapped babysitting with my sister and we went to our Valentine’s Day usual, The Melting Pot.  We always forget how expensive that dang place is!!  I did get lobster tail though!!  And although it was delicious as always, we seemed to be about the only straight couple in there.  And to further paint you a picture, I think my date was the only male in the whole place.  Did we miss the memo?  To top it off, we actually ran into a non straight friend of ours at the movie theater where we saw the new movie with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston- I forget what it’s called?  It was hilarious and every bit as crude as you’d expect an Adam Sandler film to be.  It was a fun night for us.  But not for E.  We later learned he did not think he needed a babysitter and layed on M all night.  He even went to sleep on him.  How naughty and cute is that!??

And some more of our February:

Doesn’t E look like our little girl in this?? ^ 

JanUary and my gRatEful Heart

New Beginnings:  

JANUARY

was such a joyful time for me.  Looking back to my feelings 1 year ago, I was now in such a better place!  It was like seeing the world through rose colored glasses and every cliché I’d ever heard about pure bliss in motherhood became a reality to me.  I desired to write my feelings down for 2 reasons:

A.  I tend to be too much of a realist so I wanted to prove I do have a soul.  While others write about the Utopia that is their lives, I typically find the mishaps, complaints and downfalls to be more interesting.  But sometimes I worry that’s ALL I write about!  So this is a slightly different tune for me.  Try not to throw up! 

B.  As I pondered over countless possible resolutions, I finally decided I just wanted to try and encapsulate (yes that’s a word) this joyful feeling/ perspective forEVER!

So I will now continue . . .

My theory is that the hormones must have shifted once again and perhaps this is what it felt like to truly be healed after having a baby.  Or maybe it was because last year’s ‘lightening’ had finally subsided and we had survived!!  Whatever the reason, I found myself feeling sorry for those who’d had to put up with me the whole last year because it was just now that I was LOVING vs Enduring my life. 

I sought quality time with each of my kids and family without constantly begging for help or a BREAK. I actually saw myself as kind of a good mom and found some Patience!!  It was so much easier to notice C’s adorable, creative personality, M’s easy going, sweet spirit and E’s infectious, bubbly outlook, and I felt so blessed every time I looked at them or thought of D!!   And if D had to work late or be out of town, I didn’t fret or feel slighted like usual.  Instead I stepped up to the plate and lost myself in my responsibilities as sole caretaker and homemaker.  Everyone pray that it lasts!!

 

    

 

Good Friends, Good Times:

And the blessings continue . . .

Lucky for us, the first couple months of the year brought lots of partying with good friends.  Within about a 3 week span, we had visits from 3 separate families; the Longmores, the Adams’ and the Fishers.  We had a blast with them eating at Mandarin, Brick Oven Pizza and Tucano’s, going to v-ball games and zumba classes, and staying up way late talking and laughing.  Wish we would have taken a photo or two of our houseguests!!  We were so glad they came!

And on M’s birthday, the celebrating continued as we headed to the bowling alley to also commemorate the birth of a close friend who shares his same special day!

 

(D’s tongue caught on camera ^)

 

 

 

The Sunday after the birthday friend party, came the family party with those whom we are lucky enough to be related to; my sister and kids, and D’s brother and kids.  We ate pizza and cake and brownies yet again.  It was both fun and delicious!! 

 

Bday Fun

 

 

 

Kinect Fun 

 

 

Wrestling Fun