On turning 30

So, I have to admit I have been dreading turning 30 this year. Since my last birthday I decided that I would have no more. 29 was good enough. And just for the record, I am still 29 until 9 pm tonight (at which point I will be 29 and 12 months, so there!). I did some pondering about why 30 is a difficult age to turn. I think one of the biggest reasons is that one would hope to be successful by that point in life. And you know, I can't complain. The Lord has blessed me and my family so abundantly. I have been in my chosen career field for nearly 8 years now. I found THE best possible position in my field that works with our family schedule allowing me to feel like a stay at home mom and do all that they do during the day, then have down time at work while the boys play with daddy and sleep. I honestly feel over-paid most of the time. We couldn't be happier with our home and could comfortably stay there for a long time to come. I have the best husband, truly--we have a wonderful marriage and are so contentedly happy with each other. He makes it a goal to spoil me in life and reaches that goal all the time. Even though I could never deserve such a wonderful man (score one for listening to Heavenly Father!) he still somehow considers himself the lucky one. We have 2 crazy, silly, adorable, clever little boys that we are completely in love with. They sure bring their own trials as well, but bring so much joy and adventure into our lives. And now we are 3 and a half months from meeting our new little daughter, starting a whole new adventure. I certainly feel successful. There is much I would like to still accomplish and vast things I could improve, but who said you had to have it all figured out by 30? I feel like if we were in the same place 10 years from now, I'd still be just as happy. Well, hopefully the kids have grown some and potty training is finally behind us, but you know. The other major concern of turning 30 is feeling your body getting old I think. And in this moment, I can blame it on pregnancy. Yes I am feeling creaky and bloated and can't sleep--but those are baby related and bothered me just as much at 25 with the boys. Post-baby, yes my body is aging. I don't recover like I used to and my sometimes extreme lack of sleep catches up with more and more each year. It is more difficult just to drag myself around, but I lost so much weight with the boys, I am hoping pregnancy is as kind to me this time around but with the added bonus of already knowing about the thyroid issues so maybe I'll be able to keep more of it off. Maybe. So, there you have it--even though I am still 29 and 12 months, I guess 30 wouldn't be so bad.

The end of May

This year the last part of May has been a trial. Our fav places are too busy with field trips but the weather has been too crummy to play in the backyard/park. It even snowed this week! My kids don't know if they should get ready for Santa or the pool! But it is coming to an end, tomorrow is the last day of school and the field trip problem will soon pass. However, having the kids out of school causes busy issues in other ways too. We always manage to have a good time anyway I suppose. Best of all Lowell's job gets easier. With the kids gone, he still works but his hours are more flexible and it is easier for him to get time off. We sure love playing with him. My pregnant brain is in full effect, I am forgetting so much. I am trying to think through the week to just remember what we did. Wednesday we went to the gym. When we got home our new friends the caterpillars had come in the mail (the boys think the mail man is the greatest person ever, he gets them the best stuff!): See how teeny they are? They are from insectlore.com and are part of a caterpillar-butterfly kit.

Here they are just over a week later--huge! They grow so fast. The boys love them, Davis especially. At first I tried to keep them put up for their own survival, but I gave in and just let him enjoy them (with the understanding that the lid "doesn't" come off. They sleep with him most nights and enjoy an occasional turn on the swings. :) I expect they'll be forming their chrysallises soon.

Wednesday night I enjoyed Mom's night out with the twin club. We had yummy Mexican food thanks to Haydee. Good food and good visiting, yeah!

Thursday my sister said there weren't too many field trips at the Dino museum so we went for a visit. We went to see the new 3D movie, Sea Rex (the boys hadn't been to a movie on the IMAX before)

They sure enjoyed the glasses and the 3D. Unfortunately spatial perception in the dark, with glasses on, up the stairs was lacking as they both fell but Davis bashed his lip a good one. Poor kiddo, I didn't even realize how bad it was until the movie was over. It's still scabbed a bit. They did like the movie though and graciously it wasn't too scary. I always love when they try to reach for the 3D images. It was perhaps overly educational for their taste, but I enjoyed that part. While there were more field trips than anticipated once we got in the museum, the boys still did pretty well and were happy to visit, it had been a while. We ran into one of my new twin mom friends at the sand box at the end and the boys sure liked chatting with her and playing with her twins. It was a good day, successful.

Friday we went grocery shopping. Thanks to Cyndel for helping, no thanks to my kids for their horrid behavior. Shopping will have to be rearranged in the future to not include them. They did make up for it by picking this lovely weed bouquet for me:

They were so proud of themselves bringing me the flowers and were insistent they be put in water. It was very cute and sweet, and hey, they were also weeding, score.

Saturday Lowell had to work early in the am and most of the day--booo! I took the boys to soccer by myself (go me--I know it's my own kids I shouldn't be that proud, but with the amount of sleep I had gotten, I felt pretty accomplished) and it went fairly well. Carter has slowly warmed up to the game and gotten more and more involved in playing and Davis, well, he'll go on the field and try for the most part, but prefers to be on the sideline playing with the girls. That boy is going to be trouble. We then had lunch with Daddy and waited for him to come home so I could take a nap and then we went to the NICU graduate reunion. This was for UVRMC NICU where Carter spent the beginning of his life on a ventilator. It was their 30th birthday. Oh my goodness, what a great time! The boys both voluntarily thanked us for taking them there, they so enjoyed it. Bounce slide, kiddy games with prizes, hot dogs and ice cream--seriously they were so thrilled. It was all tailored so well for their age group. I was surprised with how active Carter had been that later that night he spiked a good fever. He wasn't that interested in eating and was acting lethargic by the time we got home. Well, that turned into vomiting over night and more fevers/vomiting throughout Sunday. When my kids will happily sit still for 30 minutes, you know they aren't feeling well. But I soaked it up and just snuggled my bug pretty well the whole day. Lowell took Davis to church (he is getting so much better at going) and Carter and I had our time. By evening he was past the vomiting and by morning the fever was gone. Just a quick one.

That night Lowell and I enjoyed a "date night" watching the Lost finale and having some snacks planned for the occasion. We both enjoyed it, and have been talking about it ever since.

Monday Carter felt well enough that we went to Ikea with my mom and sister. I got one of their Expedit book cases which are on sale. I have a plan to turn it into a big chest of drawers for the boys with the little drawers I got. Those bookcases are so versatile. The boys' closets are just out of control with clothes and I really need to get a handle on it, but need more space. Plus little sister needs their old chest of drawers. Work in progress on that one. We also got some fabric for a car seat canopy and the boys got to play in the playland for most of that. I so love Ikea! That was also the day it snowed, so yea for being able to burn some energy inside.

Tuesday dawned a much brighter day and so we ventured to the children's garden before school gets out. Considering it had snowed the day before I was surprised to see the wading pool/fountains on but the kids were thrilled so why not. I rolled up their pants and they played and played. We had such a great time with everything there that day until I asked someone the time and I was nearly late for work. Oops--they were just having such a good time and it was such a nice day. That night I was able to get out of work (thanks so much Tara!) to catch the bub's last soccer game. Oh but this time despite playing hard all morning, Davis spiked a fever. I wanted him to be able to get his end of the season medal, so Lowell brought him to the game where he was happy as he didn't have to play but could sit on the sidelines playing with more girls. Carter played hard and even scored a goal.

Go super Carter!

Davis with his medal, they have both slept with them and worn them all over.

Congrats to the Giants on a winning season and C&D for learning and growing a lot. It was often a challenge but they have learned a lot about how to play the game and slowly improved in actually playing it. They also made some friends and improved in their ability to take direction from their coach. We're proud of them!

Their 2010 soccer pics, Davis

The Giants, C&D are lower right

Carter

Davis followed the same course as Carter with a good fever off and on and vomiting Wednesday. So Carter played Wii and snuggled some while I mostly cared for my sicky Davis. We took a little nap together. I never regret the time I get snuggling my little men, even if they have to be sick to let me do it. Lowell came home and took over letting me nap off a long week and then we got the recovering Davis the pizza he wanted. He's been fine since. Hillary kindly came over and Lowell and I got a late dinner date night at Mimi's. Yum and relaxing, being able to finish a conversation with Lowell is such a blessing.

Then today (I've remembered better than I thought I would) I had a follow up ultrasound and a dr. appt. We finally got to look at little sister's face:

Very exciting, she's been holding out on us for a while. Now she's kicking me in retribution (:)) or maybe it's the orange I ate. I got the box of ebay clothes in the mail yesterday and surprisingly Davis was the most excited. He oohed and ahhed over each piece and talked about how cute everything was for his little sister. Cute little guy! The rest of the morning the boys and I spent at 2 different parks and then came home to make snow cones. Happy for another relatively nice day (a storm was working its way in and should be here tomorrow--boo!). A big thanks to Becky for sitting with the boys during my appt. Just too hard to control them while I'm on my back!

I am sure this gets terribly boring for anyone who is still reading--but as my journal I try to record what we've been up to so I can remember. Betweeen being pregnant and my thyroid issues, my memory just sucks. I won't recall most of this soon, but I can print it out in a book later and show the boys all the fun things we did.

A word of congrats to my sweet hubby as he finishes up another school year. We love you and appreciate all the hard work you do for our family. Now enjoy the summer with only our 2 monsters to contend with (not all the jr. high school brats he usually also has to deal with).

Have a good week all!

Oh Spring, where art thou?

I am starting to think warm weather is a lost cause. We have gotten a few glimpses of sun but it reverts right back to rain and cold. Booo! Really as a soon to be over-heated pregnant woman I should be grateful, but I am missing my spring. Yes, rain is a spring thing, but I was looking forward to a nice, comfortable temperatured couple of weeks at least. I just know we'll go straight from rain and cold to blazing hot. I hate when we skips seasons.
Anywho, Mother's Day went well. Saturday I got to keep my tradition of having lunch at the Trellis Cafe with my mom. That is the cafe overlooking the gardens and we always sit outside near the edge where a tree is always in bloom with delicious smelling blooms. We casually eat and visit basking in the beauty of the place. Ahhh. Then we shopped at the Beehive Bazaar they had going that weekend and I bought the first couple of things for baby sister. We also picked up my mom's picnic table and a Great Harvest gift basket for her and my mother-in-law. Sunday Lowell brought me breakfast in bed and sent me to church while he got the boys ready. We had a nice church service and then took a drive up the canyon (he knows me so well :)). A delicious dinner and dessert followed and just a restful day. I mentioned on my facebook post that every day is Mother's Day at our house which is true. Sleeping in is not an unusual thing for me nor is getting an extra nap. And not just when I'm pregnant either. Having the house cleaned and lunch prepared is nothing new either, my amazing hubby does that all the time. I am so blessed--he gets better every year--and somehow he still wants me around. It was nice to reflect on being a mother during sacrament meeting. There is something different about mother's day when you are pregnant. Like the act of being a mother is so forefront since I am using so much of my metabolic processes to grow a little one. I am certainly not a stellar mother, but this year I could feel actively involved in the process of mothering--the opportunity I have to join the Father in bringing spirits to this earth.
So, for another rainy week, we spent a fair amount of time inside. The boys begged me to build the K'nex set my parents had gotten them for Christmas. Yes it is May and I have managed to put it off until now. That's because it is 1500+ pieces made for ages 9+. I realized in the 3 finger sore days that followed that the joy in these sets is in the assembling, but the boys couldn't help and I was not joying in it. I also was frustrated by the fact that there were no spare pieces (c'mon!). But Davis sure looks proud of "his" finished products doesn't he? And it had a motor, oooh ahh!

What else did we do during the week? Without pics I am amazed at how little I remember. Lame. They had school Tues/Thursday and we went to the gym on Wednesday. Then Friday was the last day of preschool and trip to the zoo. I am certain I am mourning the passing of preschool much more than they are. They do enjoy school but we have fun at home too, so they are cool either way. It is so weird to think that when I bring them back to school again in the fall this baby will still be inside but will be arriving shortly. I should at least look pregnant by then :p. I don't know why I never even considered just dropping the boys off. I could have had 6 hours off to rest and clean and shop. But I never even thought of it. I am too worried about the kiddos wandering off and not being watched closely enough. I trust their teachers, but there are a lot of kids and the last weeks in May are the busiest everywhere because of all the field trips. We had fun anyhow and Cyndel even came with us. The hardest part was staying with their class. Lots of the kids don't come all the time, so they took their time looking at everything. My kids can burn through the place and be ready for the train within an hour. We were there for 3.

Davis on a rhino statue, Carter is behind him

Big D with the lion

Carter too

Walking out with their "girlfriend". They are such flirts--they were walking hand in hand with the high school girls just as often. The trip turned out okay, they fought me a lot in the beginning, when I still had the energy to fight with them, and then mellowed out by the end--when I wore out as well. The gym, walking the dogs, and then walking across the zoo 3 times (not very orderly) in a week turned out to be a little much for me.

The absolute highlight was riding the school bus to and from the zoo. My were the boys excited about this! I actually drove my car behind them so it was delightfully quiet for Cyndel and I. :) Tomorrow I'll sign them up for school again.

Who knows? They are acting like ghosts by the way, with their McDonald's boxes on their heads.

Saturday I finally went to do what I say we are going to do every weekend but don't manage it, go to Lagoon. I did work all day (except for sneaking out to see their soccer game) and then we picked up Hillary and headed up. We got their around 7:30 (so late I know, but the boys took a nap) and ended up being there until they closed at 10. The boys had such a good time, it made it worth it for me (considering I had been up since 5 am). Davis just kept going on about how he loves Lagoon. They were quite well behaved as well except for getting overly tired hyper by the end. And suprisingly, they rode almost all new rides since the last time we went. It doesn't seem like there are that many kids rides, but enough to not repeat in 2 visits I guess. And there are more they haven't done yet. Lowell really enjoyed the time to be home and garden and clean. Silly boy. Late night, but we were all pretty happy heading home (thanks Hill!).

We got to enjoy Hillary again Monday morning when we tried out a Thanksgiving Point 3-5 year old Mom and Me class. It was about frogs. I have to say it is a pretty good deal if you are not a member. It was $10 for the class which included the entrance fee into the venue for the mom and child. Depending on the venue, that's cheaper than it would be to get in. Plus they had the 1.5 hr class with a craft, take home activity, and treat. As a member it wasn't as cheap since I would have gotten in free anyway, but still not bad. The kids enjoyed it, we saw some big frogs. Mostly they loved the bee hive that happened to be in the room the class was. Whatever. I am thinking we will do some of the Day camps this summer. It will be $90 (with our member discount) for 6 3 hr classes on things like cooking, space, and reptiles. The thought is to send the boys one at a time, one class per month. Then Lowell and I can take the other boy out for special one on one time before the baby comes. Hopefully we can work it out. Plus there's T-ball, swimming lessons, play dates at the park with the twin club, summer movie club, gym days, Lagoon days, and swimming in our backyard. Should be a full summer.

I am starting to learn I have to watch myself not to overdo it. I never think I am for the record--I can handle it. But Monday we were late leaving so I skipped breakfast for me (I do that too often) and then we were busy so I didn't eat until 2 pm. Then I scarfed some Chinese and my first snow cone of the season (yea!) and promptly crashed like a rock. I guess the sugar rush and waiting too long to eat was too much for me. I am hoping to pile more stuff on this end of the summer before I get too big--like the camping trips and hiking. I just want to do so much with my little boys while I can. In the fall they'll go to school 4 days/week and we'll have the baby, so it will be harder to just pick up and go. And by the time little miss is big enough to do a lot, the boys will be in kindergarten/first grade. So, I'll absorb all my time with them now.

Anywho, Monday night we went up AF canyon for a campfire. Just heaven for me, I was so happy to be out there and the boys too. I always forget you can just go up and have dinner, that you don't have to get the tent out just to have a fire. We found a great picnic spot and with Daddy at the fire, we had a wonderful family night.

Carter climbing rocks

Davis too

Our great spot, I loved all the big climbing rocks, certainly kept the boys busy.

Daddy and Davis roasting a hot dog

Carter eating his (up on the rocks of course, not at the picnic table)

Watching the magic that is Jiffy Pop

Davis with a big sticky S'mores smile. Makes me laugh so much.

Carter loved his as well

I don't know why he wanted me to take this pic, but it makes me smile so there you go. These almost look like all 3 could be the same kid.

Today we had another home-body day due to rain and since school is over. It was actually really nice though, we all stayed in our jammies until I left for work. We had snuggles on the couch while watching cartoons and then the boys played wii while I chilled. We worked on preschool worksheets, tried out a new Wii game, Davis helped me make dinner, then he made this bird house.

It's from a great Oriental Trading set I got last year, with 30 different projects (times 2, I bought 2 sets). I saw a little boat in there too, so we'll have to make those to test out at the new boat area in the children's garden. Oh, and they were filling up the ark pool as we were leaving Monday, so if it ever gets warm enough, we'll be back to play!

I also won my first ebay auction for clothes for little sister, so fun. I love the little warm and cozy sleepers they have for the littlest ones. I have been playing online searching out patterns for her blessing gown and for a carseat canopy. My mom and I are going to do some crafty shopping here soon for fabric and whatnot. So not my thing, but it's a good thing for grandmas. I am obsessed with my little boys and adore all things bugs and dirt, but shopping for a little girl has been fun. So many different things to think about--bows? tights? I think that's it, have a good week all.

What a full, fabulous week

It really has been a big week, and a good one. We finished up last weekend well. After work I headed over to the gardens with my mom, sis, bro, and nephew and had such a nice time (Lowell had to work, boo). The boys loved pushing Jonny in the stroller, the tulips looked fantastic, and though cool it was very comfortable. We fed a duck (he stole all the koi's food), saw baby bunnies and baby owls with their mom, and C & D took tons of pics with their little cameras. Then we had a nice dinner and were home late for bed. Monday my mom and I went up to Ikea and thrilled yet again in free babysitting. We shopped for some cabinets (her laundry room, my mud room) and enjoyed lunch sans children. And they were having a great time and were happy to have Ikea Mac and Cheese and Meatballs to go. Good times.
Even better--while I was gone Lowell took our old cribs back to Baby Depot as they had been recalled. Hooray for a ward friend and Babycenter emails for alerting me to the recall! Honestly these cribs weren't in ideal condition, my kids are rough on furniture. Ask my living room couches and kitchen table--it looks like we are living in a hovel based on our furnishings. We're just going to replace when they are older. Anywho, I was hoping to piece together enough pieces to make 1 usable crib and Lowell was ready to just buy new for this baby. The fact that the cribs were even in storage was due to a lot of pushing on my part--my wonderful husband doesn't like clutter and doesn't like to store anything--he wanted to just chuck it all as soon as we moved the boys to big boy beds. For once, I was right (yes hon, I said for once, that means you are most often right). Due to the recall, Baby Depot accepted both of our used cribs and refunded us their entire purchase price! Can you believe that!?! I couldn't but now I have a gift card with $600+ on it to spend on little sister. She is going to get all new stuff! I am so happy. We need a new crib of course which will take a substantial portion of that, but now I can also get a new car seat (I think ours is expired), single stroller, etc. What a relief. We have set some of the tax return aside for such purchases but this eases things up a little and we can replace some other house items that need it as well. The Lord truly loves us.
So, shortly thereafter Grandma was over (such a big thanks to Lowell's mom and sis) and we were headed out the door. Me a little reluctantly, it is so hard to leave the boys, but I am glad we got to get away. I got my Cinnabon to eat on the plane and before we knew it we were in LA. I was pretty anxious as we arrived, I always forget what a bad traveler I am. I have a lot of anxiety in new places and around unfamilar people. LA is down right terrifying for me. Lowell was chill though so we got through the airport, got our rental car (more on that in a sec) and hurried to the nearest beach in hopes of getting there before sunset. Self Portrait near Santa Monica pier. I love the ocean, it is the only thing that could drag me from my mountains, though truthfully I still wouldn't go because I love living in a small town where our backyard neighbors are horses and goats. But I do love the ocean and walking down the beach at sunset was heaven for me.

Nearly 20 week pregnant me, I am poking my tummy out trying to look pregnant. Believe me, there's a full sized (for 20 weeks) baby in there. I just carry my babies low and inside I guess. I never measured big with twins, so maybe I'll measure small with just one. Or I'll pop one of these days and my already stretched out stomach will be massive. I guess we'll see.

So this was Lowell's rental car. It's his reward for driving an immasculating mini-van the rest of the time. He was beyond thrilled to be driving a yellow Camaro (like bumblebee on Transformers!). I was paranoid of theft and injury to said car, but it turned out fine. And it was comfy and had quite the engine purr. Mostly I loved seeing the smile on Lowell's face. I sure wish I could put one of these in the driveway for Father's Day. Alas, the paid for well-functioning beater (Honda Civic) will have to do.

Once in Anaheim we had an overpriced meal at Tony Roma's--not the best choice and crashed out pretty early.

Tuesday we got Jack in the Box for breakfast, yes this is a highlight for us, and got to the park just as it opened. It was busy, but the least busy of the past 3 visits. Who knows? The past two were supposed to be slow times, Feb and Oct and May should be busier, but I guess you never can tell. And it probably helped that we weren't riding most of the "big" rides due to that darn "Expectant Mothers Should Not Ride" line. Booo! The rides I could ride, we did, most of them twice. All in one day. We had no reason to go back another day even if we had the time. Worked out very nicely. All except for my poor choice in footwear (new sandals) which equated to multiple blisters and adjusting to heat (80 degrees) that we haven't seen in months, so I got hot and dizzy a few times. Lowell was very patient with me and said he was just happy to be able to finish a conversation without being interrupted by children.

We ate lunch at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant within the Pirates of the Caribbean ride if you aren't familar. We got our reservations 2 months ago, it's kind of a big deal. Here's the lighting there. I was surprised how very little you hear the diners from the ride and how little you hear the riders from the restaurant.

Me waiting for our meal and chugging the world's best Orange soda, yes it is better at Disney than anywhere else. We shared a Monte Cristo sandwich which was still more food than we could eat. First I had the gumbo which was fantastic, then the sandwich which was kind of like a sweet scone stuffed with ham and cheese. Kind of. With a boysenberry sauce to dip it in. It had potatoes and asparagus on the side and was truly just fantastic. Our waitress wasn't the best, which goes against everything I have read but that didn't change much. We'd go again, probably not until the boys are older will we bring them. Oh and it was cheaper than Tony Roma's.

Next we headed over to California Adventure and did everything there. Here's Lowell on Screaming (far right--hey, that's not an easy shot to get!). I got to ride my fav, Soaring over California and we waited through our longest line (40 mins) for Toy Story Mania, it really is fun. Chugged some more orange soda then headed back to Disney.

Yes we love the pineapple ice cream outside the Tiki room. We even went in and sat in the shade, enjoyed our ice cream, and then left without actually going into the Tiki room. The kids love it, us not so much. It was interesting the rides we skipped that the kids enjoy.

We got one last self-portrait, did some shopping and walked back to our hotel which was graciously right across the street. We ate the rest of our Tony Roma's, watched Lost and passed out.

We left early the next morning and panicked at the security line at LAX, but made it with plenty of time. Happy to be home in my peaceful Salt Lake valley and even more so in Utah County. I am sheltered and lame, but I'm okay with that. Most of all I was happy to be home to these boys:

We brought them Indiana Jones stuff and they were thrilled! It still goes everywhere with us. We were so tired still but it was nice to be home.

Thursday Lowell and I went to my 20 week ultrasound.

Little sister is decidedly a girl, hooray! Again I would be thrilled with a boy as well, but we were pretty sure it was a girl, so it was nice to not have to change. Most of all I was thrilled to hear everything looks okay with her and everything appears to be in the right place. There were a couple of shots the tech couldn't get, so I'll have another u/s in 3 weeks. Hopefully I can get a profile shot.

Thursday night we went to Farm country and had fun feeding and watching the baby animals, there was a baby pony that was SO cute! Just happy family time.

Then this morning was the UVMOM play group at the gardens. It was a little crazy and hectic and the boys weren't perfectly behaved but it did go well and I was pleased with how they did. There are a couple of new features to the children's garden (yet again improving on what I already love) and the boys loved it! Then we played by the waterfalls at the big garden for a little while before heading home:

LOVE this shot of Carter

And then I came to work, that should bring us back up to date. But what a full great week! Tomorrow I have my traditional mother's day lunch with my mom at the Trellis Cafe (at the Gardens again)--love it! Plus a soccer game and hopefully going to Lagoon. And Sunday will be more Mother's Day activities, with Lowell's family.

Here's a dilemma for you all. So my dad and I disagree on punishment styles. We refrain from hitting the kids, reserving it for severe circumstances and use time outs and discussions where possible. My dad thinks we are too easy on the kids and their "bad behavior" is a reflection of our poor parenting. I remember being scared of my dad as a kid and pretty well being beaten frequently by him. I don't agree with his approach. I feel judgement on our disciplining of our kids from more than just my dad, but I don't know that everyone understands the challenge that is there. ADHD kids have a hard time with impulse control and understanding the consequences of their actions. That could also be said of a lot of "normal" 4 year olds. You can't expect a 4 year old to remember what is right and wrong all the time. We work with them, we use discipline every single day. It is exasperating how often the boys are in time out or are being scolded. Anyway, my dad knows my stance on this, with the major caveat being, please do not hit my kids. That is something we reserve for our own judgement. So my dad took the boys to their soccer game while we were out of town and pretty much as soon as they walked back in the door, Davis told Lowell's mom that Grandpa smacked him. (It was about the first thing he said to us when we got home as well). My dad confirmed this to Lowell's mom and then went on to say how he has to discipline the kids because his daughter won't. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were pretty upset about it, but what can they say? My sister who was there confirmed that Davis had opened the door while the car was stopped (parked), but was to be moving again soon. They aren't great in unfamilar cars, lots of things to push and the drivers often don't know all the child locks. Regardless, Davis should not have done that, and he does know better. However, my dad's reaction was overboard he screamed at him and slapped him twice in the face. He says it wasn't hard, but my sister said she could hear it from the front seat. So . . .I don't even know how to approach this. My dad has crossed a line that I have already discussed with him. He has defended his actions and degraded me as a parent. He insists that Davis will "never do that again" because he will remember being hit and know better next time. Not a chance, sorry, I wish it was that easy. Right now all I have decided is that my dad certainly can not be left alone with my kids, including those yet unborn. I have not spoken to him about it, and right now I am thinking we'll just have a time out where he doesn't see us for a while. They don't ever babysit them without us, this was a first in a long time, so there's no real loss except that the boys have enjoyed spending time with him with me present. Any thoughts???

Thanks again for reading, loves to the blogger world.

Battle Creek Falls

Another week come and gone--and it seems like I got very little accomplished. Bad weather put a gray cloud over the whole week, so much less we could do and seeing all the snow falling in late April did not put me in a very good mood either. It did snow in May last year as well, just seems neverending sometimes. Soon enough the white stuff will be behind us and I will be complaining of being huge and hot. Plus Monday I leave for Cali and 80 degree weather. So poo poo to our gray week.
Saturday last week became the day that didn't go as well as it could have. The boys second soccer game was okay, but not great. They lost 8-4 (they didn't notice and that is a guess on the score, no one keeps track). The hardest thing was just getting them on the field and keeping them there and playing. It was very frustrating to me to watch Carter just sit down in the middle of the field and refuse to play. He later told me he was scared of the other team, so I am trying to help them not be scared and know it is just a game--they just need to go out and run and kick and have fun. My overly-competitive nature gets the better of me though and I want to freak out at my kid picking his nose on the field while the ball rolls right past him (Davis). Chillax, the other moms helped me last week, noting how lots of kids struggle and just getting them started is important. And reminding me we put them in soccer for more than just learning soccer or winning games, it is about socialization, following directions, and taking direction from an adult other than their parent. And all those factors have shown improvement.
Next we went to Dutch Days and it just wasn't as cool as last year. Maybe we just went too early, but the Dutch store stand didn't have anything worth buying and the crowds were pretty thick already. I wanted to yell at all the people and let them know the gardens are gorgeous all summer and they should come back on one of the lovely evenings we enjoy there as almost the only people in the place, but I guess I'll just avoid the busy time and enjoy the rest of the summer to myself. They did have a craft station where the boys painted a wooden shoe and then put a flower in it for oma and grandma. So that was fun. I am just now remembering that last Saturday the soccer game started early and I had done back to back call nights before that. My tiredness may explain why the day didn't seem too bright to me . . . Carter and his shoe. The family party went pretty well and the kids adored playing with all their second cousins (and their only cousin on my side as well). It was nice to see everyone but got crowded again and the kids were getting out of control so we cut out early. Did I mention I have claustrophobia this pregnancy? It's weird but almost like my body is being crowded out from the inside, so I need more space on the outside. Wish me luck on the airplane and at Disney!
So the last thing planned for last Saturday was Lagoon, but again--that didn't go as well as planned, it didn't happen at all. I went home and slept for 4 hours instead. It would have been nice to enjoy a less busy day at Lagoon, but I will concede that I needed the rest. My body is pretty demanding these days, but my mood reflects my willingness to listen to it.
Sunday was home teaching and visiting teaching and a visit to my family (and fairly pleasant).

Then Monday, thanks to Hillary we enjoyed the only good weather day by hiking to Battle Creek Falls. We did this hike twice last year and it was as enjoyable as I remember. Short, easy hike (a few somewhat strenuous parts) to a lovely waterfall. And close to drive to, hooray! Here are the pics:

So grown up!

The rest of the week was preschool, running errands, and goofing off at home. They are into Indiana Jones right now and will have extensive imaginary adventures in his world. Here's Davis dressed as Indiana (which apparently involves Dad's shirt, church shoes, and a butterfly net?)

Davis also decided last week that he was no longer Davis, he wouldn't respond to it at all. We all had to call him Carl's Jr. And he had a new mommy, Carl's Jr's mommy who coincidentally was still me, but she was nicer and let him do more things. The things these kids come up with. Some is less tasteful if not still humorous, like Carter's decision last night to make farting noises on his brother (usually done on his face or arms and never permitted by me, I hate the sound) by blowing on his bare bum cheeks in the tub. Holy sick Batman--that is so gross (but yes, Lowell and I still laughed). Carter also figured out the child proof lid to my new vitamins and luckily I caught him after only eating 2 (his correct dose). I had to laugh as when I tried them I said I needed the safety lid because they were so yummy. They also figured out how to put the keys in the ignition in the van and turn it far enough to turn on the music and work the windows. Can you tell mommy had a major headache and wasn't paying close enough attention?

Baby #3 had another dr. appt this week and everything is going well, except that they cancelled my anatomy scan and didn't mention it to me. In fact they didn't even have a record of it even though I had the appt card. Lowell was disappointed as he got time off of work to come. I was rather pouty but my awesome nurse buddies did us a favor and let us peak at little miss to tide us over until our new appt next week. She was a wild woman, all over the place! I loved it, she looked to be grabbing her toes, then sucking her thumb, then just rolling all over. All the "goldfish" movements in my tummy are making sense now that I have seen her swimming around. No confirmation on the gender, she was too busy and had her feet over her head most of the time.

And I just realized I am finally starting to enjoy this pregnancy. I still have plenty of complaints, but medication is helping most of them. It's such a pile every day: Synthroid (for thyroid--that one is life long), Zofran (still vomited today, almost 19 weeks), Colace and Acetaminophen (to counter-act the effects of Zofran), Prilosec (just added this with dr's approval--so happy, acid is already coming under control), plus Tums for calcium and my yummy gummy vitamins (still can't stomach the pills). With all these working I feel mostly comfortable most of the day and can finally enjoy little miss swimming around. Yippee! And I'm not big enough yet to be really uncomfortable (except for the massive mammaries) so it's just a good time.

Last night we also got to enjoy a couple's dinner with our ward with babysitting! I ate quickly sure the kids would be returned to us promptly, but we were able to eat, relax, and visit and picked up the boys red cheeked (busy playing!) and happy. I am SO grateful to the young women in our ward--king size candy bars coming their way. What a lovely evening. And I finally got some acetaminophen and could vanquish the evil lingering headache.

Now I am off to another soccer game, then I need to shop for our trip. I need a new memory card and supplies for gma and the boys while we are away. I am SO excited--lots of pics to come! :)