Loving the Leprachaun

Another fun week in the books--and for winter, that is saying something. We had a flirt of spring and now back to snow today. Sigh. Not a lot of snow and it was still pretty warm but this week is so gray and gloomy. Bring on spring!
So using my combo of coupons we went to see Mars Needs Moms. It was fun, I liked it even if it did not do that well in the box office. I just wasn't into Rango. The kids enjoyed the 3D though and we ate popcorn until we were sick. Good times. Also took some pics while the sun was shining. Yes I love this photo, just love it! She is really starting to work with me with the camera.

Stole this idea from my cousin Christina, can't get enough little toes! The 3 of them were laughing and goofing off under the blanket, Lowell had to hold Claire's legs down because she kept kicking.

Best friends, they all make each other happy (and that makes me happy!)

Love!

Sunday we had our annual Irish Feast with Lowell's family and what a feast it was! Oh my goodness, potato leek soup with Irish soda bread, colcanon (potatoes, onions, cabbage), corned beef, ribeye roast, creamed carrots, whiskey cake, and Amish friendship bread. It was all so yummy--I ate it for days after. And now I am in love with corned beef.

The girl does wear out once in a while. She is all go most of the time. Monday we had my cousin Whitney and kiddos over to play and plant seeds. The boys sure love having friends over.

So I was looking into getting a Kindle, because I enjoy reading but I don't always feel like reading the book I brought to work when I get there and the one I want is at home. And there are a lot of classics I want to read (and those are free to download!). And yes, I wanted all the Twilight books at my fingertips. So I talked to Lowell about that for my mother's Day/birthday gift and we did some research. He wanted me to have a little more than what the kindle could offer so we were looking at the Nook Color which has web browsing capabilities as well. Then my brother who has the latest and greatest all the time said he'd be willing to sell us his iPad (1) so he could get something new. And for the same price as the Nook Color so we were sold. A little early but I (we) have been loving it. Seriously there is so much for the whole family in the world of free apps. The boys have lots of games (playing one above) and ask all day everyday to play it. But then Lowell or I will take it to work with us so they don't get it as often as they'd like. Even Claire has some little games and a soother on there for her. I even play some of the kids' games and have enjoyed watching Netflix on there or reading the Ensign. Anywho, my new toy which I love, thanks Lowell (and Robbie).


Claire in a cupcake hat--I hope it still fits next winter.


Wednesday we were trying to think of something to do and Lowell decided to take them skating at Classic. Always a good time there and so much to do. It wore Lowell out and the boys. And yes, I am sure they have the best redemption prizes now, they came home with so many toys, Carter above with just a couple of them. Lowell and I had fun winning the tickets too. :)

Claire is now 6 months old (official pics coming)! So we moved on from cereal to food items. Here she is with bananas, her first food. She liked it okay, but prefers pears (#2) and so far does not love peas (#3) but has only had them once. Pears she goes crazy for though and is so funny eating. I really love feeding her. She got a high chair now too, all official.

The kids love St. Patrick's day at our house, one more little holiday to get through the long winter. And since we do Dutch Christmas for my side of the family, we do St. P's for Lowell's.

Green breakfast: pancakes, eggs, and milk. Lunch was mac and cheese with green apples and green kool aid. Dinner-corned beef, potato salad, green cauliflower, and brownies sprinkled with green sugar.

Traps the kids set for the leprachaun--he got away!

My cute green kiddos, Claire was not having it.

This trap they set on their own, not sure if the leprachaun likes bananas, but nice try.

He came! Leprachaun Loot.

Messy little guy left footprints all over. I am not sure who was more excited, the kids or me. I just love this kind of stuff. Surprising the boys is so much fun.

Saturday night I celebrated getting our tax return back by going to Thanksgiving Point to renew our pass. It had been like 6 weeks, that's a long time for us!

Claire debuted her new stroller (well, new to us, got that and the high chair on ksl). She loved being lower where she could see everything and being able to swing her little feet. She is such an easy going baby when we are out and about. Just loves to watch everything/everyone.

And since we've been away they opened a new excavating exhibit. We loved it, Carter and I especially. They have all these bones in a big dig site and you pick them out and assemble them to make a dino skeleton on a big magnetic board.


Success. We worked on it for a while, not an easy task but it was fun. After we went to visit my parents for a minute and again for longer on Sunday.

Monday Whitney's kids came to play for a little bit again and then we went to the aquarium with Daddy.

Claire trying peas.

Tomorrow Claire has her 6 month dr appt (I hate shots :(--but I am very glad to give them to her) and I am very much looking forward to the gardens opening this weekend. It is so long for me between close (end of Oct) and opening, even with a mid-way sledding trip in between. Open Open Open--Claire and I will be there with bells on.

Plenty of Pics

Another couple of weeks of winter down and spring is itching to begin. The temps are flirting with 60--which in the fall is devastating but in the spring is a reason to rejoice! I am ready to put away the winter coats--except that it has snowed in May the past 2 years :/. But it has been a good winter, the best so far. The older the boys get, the easier it is to entertain them indoors for those long months. Maybe sister will be easier on me than they were? Today even in the sunshine I have felt a little blue. I am sure every mother has had the same feeling, that you just aren't doing a good enough job, that you are falling short even when you are giving it all you have. I think it has a lot to do with being tired--I have been called in a lot lately (grateful for the money, but miss the sleep), still getting over a lousy cold which drained me completely, and breastfeeding gallons it seems. But that is part of my complaint--I feel like I am not the person I want to be because I am just too tired to be her. If I got a straight week of 8 hour nights I am not sure my kids/husband would recognize me. I really need to get a handle on the sleepy orneries. I am off this weekend though and this cold really is almost gone, so I am determined to put on my happy face. My other issue is just juggling 3 (plus everything else). I feel like Claire gets stuck in her jumperoo/exersaucer/swing too often as I try to take care of the boys' needs or they get sent to watch a show or play outside while I tend to Claire. Then my house gets next to no attention, my church calling even less, Lowell is seriously neglected and I am at the bottom of the list. I can accept that this is just the way it is for a mom of young children, but it doesn't change that I wish it could be different. I want to do everything just right for each of my children. I know I am voicing the same concerns as many of you, but it is nice to vent anyhow. Plus my kids can read this in the future and say yeah mom, we feel neglected, but thanks for trying! :p

Anywho . . .that out of the way we have been having fun. Miss Claire turned 5 months old. I can hardly believe it. She is such a chunky happy little thing (minus a recent cold). She is loving to sit right now and is figuring out how to sit and play with toys at the same time. She really is into toys right now and anything she can get into her mouth. Our Pediatrician recommended starting cereal at 5 1/2 months and then regular baby food at 6 months (I have lots already made in the freezer thanks to the robust food processor my MIL got me for Christmas a couple years back and the leftovers from Bountiful Basket). I was so anxious to get started as Claire was showing all the signs of readiness--double birthweight, sitting up, interest in food, prolonged increase appetite. The last was the most troubling, she would hardly go 2 hours between feedings and was getting up a couple of times a night again. I wasn't sure it was that she was hungry, but I wondered. It was wearing me out! 3 days shy of 5 1/2 months Lowell said we should just start and there was no way I was going to protest--she loves it! Her first food was homemade brown rice--then I switched to the store stuff, it was just smoother, easier on her tummy. Next was oatmeal, she loves both. And best of all she is going 3-3.5 hours between feedings and sleeping 10 hours again, so blessed! She does still wake up once or twice most nights but takes a binky and goes back down. She loves to shriek these days or babble it up (mamamama or mememem are popular, yes I am cool). Well, here's her pics:

That bunny is getting smaller all the time, no way it is my baby--who is already burning through her 6-9 month clothes.

Yes our living room is getting crowded with baby toys (yea for an attic full of them :))

I got some discount passes to go sledding at Soldier Hollow so we took the boys up and had a great time. Thanks to Grandma Naomi for keeping the baby. The day was amazing!--such great weather. The lanes were very fast as well, like catch your breath, hair whipping around your face fast. And when the sun went behind the clouds and the slightly melted lanes refroze it only got faster. The boys got cold toward the end and were happy to head off for hot chocolate. We also had one collision as Carter wanted to head down on his own and then did not get out of the way and I could not stop. His head met my shoulder and though he jumped right up and said he was fine, I still carried him off crying. I think he'd still say he loved it though.

Everyone up there got such a kick out of the boys--maybe it was the matching coats but everyone was asking if they were twins or talking to them or saying they need to be in commercials. They were soaking up the attention and Carter was having fun dancing for his fans.

Decided to put them in hip hop classes instead of soccer this time around after that performance ;)

Although I hate how quick little sis is burning through clothes (in stark contrast to my big boys who can fit in clothes for at least 2 seasons) I am having fun with the brighter colors, jeans in her 6-9 month stuff. Sitting so big! Funny because she doesn't roll yet--she has done it a couple times, but nothing consistent. The boys did things in a different order. I wonder if she will even roll now, she prefers to be sitting over anything else.

One Monday I took advantage of another coupon and had fun at Monkey Island Fun Center (Lehi). Hey 2.5 hours of kids wearing themselves out for $4, win!

Such a patient girly

I finally got all the bloodwork/paperwork compiled to send off my extra breastmilk. So I snapped a pic--this is 200 oz, 40 bags of milk headed off to be given to critically ill newborns in Africa and the US.

Another coupon (I have really been rocking groupon, citydeals, screaming daily deals, etc)--and the boys had made it to $10 in allowance savings (25 cents/day for school, church and more for chores) so we checked out Pirate Island. It was very fun for the boys, the deco was really quite cool for a restaurant. And they were looking forward to the arcade and did have a good time there. I enjoyed the food (Lowell and I had pizza, the boys mac and cheese) and with the coupon it was a good deal. But without the coupon I don't think we would have gone, really too much money at that point. And the biggest let down for me was the redemption ticket prizes. Just lame lousy things for a lot of tickets. I was disappointed with what the kids could take home for their "hard" work. Enough so that we went later in the week to Nickel City to try again, though I wasn't thrilled with their winnings there either. I have decided my fave is the dimecade at Classic Fun Center with Trafalga Lehi being second (mostly because the Bass Fishing game gives out so well). Those places have spoiled me where I think the kids should always walk out with a pile of toys. Oh well--they still love loved Pirate Island and have asked several times to go back already. Though I have coupons for Hollywood Connection and Chuck E Cheese waiting for the next $10 to be accumulated.

Pirate ship play area (yea, good luck getting them to sit down and eat!)

Virtual roller coaster ride with pirate hats

Shooting gallery with Daddy

Cool misty fountain in the front (a skeleton rises from the deep--they could have sat there all day watching)

Argh, pirate mateys!

So before we gave Claire cereal I wanted to document all her chubby cuteness that I grew myself. I am pretty proud/grateful of my breastfeeding abilities. I make milk, what's your super power? :) So here she is:

And after cereal--it took her a minute to figure it out, but not long.

Now that she is sitting we are busting out more of her toys, this is her kitchen from Christmas

The boys had been asking to go to the aquarium for a while (our pass expired a while back) and with nothing to do this Monday (their day out of preschool, Monday Fun Day!) I packed the 3 of them up and we went to play!

Petting rays

AKA swimming with them, they got so wet. I have to admit that I love it too though, those rays rock! They have a new sea turtle too, though he was just sleeping so kind of lame. Not much else has changed though a new exhibit is opening soon. The boys did quite well staying with me until the end and in the parking lot, but hopefully the thorough scolding was effective--safety is a big deal to me. Sister was fascinated just sitting and people/fish watching.

The boys vs the emperor penguin (the penguins really are SO cute and fun to watch--too bad the boys buzzed past them to see cockroaches, blech).

Sissy compares more to the lil penguin friend.

I skipped over her exciting Saturday--I got home from work and she was a little fussy but calmed down when I held/fed her. Lowell had to go to work so I took the bunch up to visit with my family, the boys wanted to play on grandma's computer and my brother was up there visiting too. We get there and Claire pretty much screams non-stop from then on. Like she was in serious pain. This little girl just doesn't cry like that so I was panicking, I could barely think straight listening to her cry. I got some tylenol in her and took her to the InstaCare since our ped's office wasn't open (they take turns with other offices doing after hours and I didn't want to drive to another one when the InstaCare was so close to us). She fell asleep in the car and was pretty calm in the waiting room. The dr looked her over and said it was just a cold and her ears were fine. She had eye drainage (still does) but he said she didn't need drops or anything. I felt kind of silly for rushing her right in but I know I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I could have done something to help her. She just has no tolerance for discomfort. She has made it through pretty well though, she hates me cleaning out her eyes or sucking out her nose (yea for the battery powered aspirator I got on amazon :)). She has been a little extra tired but mostly has been about the same as usual.

Playing in the Intellitainer (I swear that is its real name, she loves the bus especially)

You can see her sad eyes a little more here, she like to hold the spoon when she eats

She has outgrown her bassinet. She has been in her own room for a couple of weeks now and has done really well in there. She was ready for some space.

Just cutie tootie girl

Who loves her Daddy--do you think he loves her too?

Not pictured--we went to the gym, I made Claire a tutu dress and was happy with how it turned out (pics to come for sure!), we had lunch at McD with my cousin Whitney and L, Robbie came home from Sydney and visited with Michelle and C, and I went to the UVMOM mom's night where we made an assembled dinner and had fun visiting. That night Lowell and I also had a great date night care of Hillary who is on her 7 off from work. It was the 10 year anniversary of our first date/the day we met. We went to the same restaurant, Guru's in Provo. It has changed since the last time (we haven't been since) and mostly we just felt out of place. We are quite happy in our Chili's, Texas Roadhouse rut and it was too hip/trendy/college student-y for our grown up selves. The food was okay though. The most stark difference I noted was going out to our car which is now a mini-van with 2 boosters and a car seat in the back. That and foregoing the movie we did the first time (it was Meet the Parents) in lieu of going home to bed. 10 o clock is pretty late for us these days. We are both just so tired all the time from work/home schedules. But back then we would stay up until 3 easy and still get up to go to school. It was a neat chance to reminisce though, so hard to believe 10 years have passed between then and now. And I am so happy with that choice, though it wasn't my idea. Whitney my cousin set us up--I think because she just wanted to double date and we were both free and while I did have a good time it wasn't super amazing at the time. But then I couldn't get him out of my mind. I relived the night over and over again and he told me later it was the same for him. I know it was the Lord directing me down the path that has led to so much happiness. He'll always deny it but I have gotten so lucky with Lowell. What a great help-meet. I wish we had more time for just the 2 of us these days but I know we'll have that someday and I am trying to really enjoy the now. Because even though I am exhausted most of the time, my kids grow so fast and I really have tried to live it up to the fullest--and write it all down so I can remember!
This weekend--Mars Needs Moms in 3D (another coupon, ha!) and St. Patrick's Day dinner with Lowell's family. :)