My new favorite Christmas traditation

We've started a new tradition this year and it is absolutely my favorite. I got the idea from Carleen Tanner and I love it. It's called Mr. Peeps. Mr. Peeps is an elf that comes to your house the night of Thanksgiving with a poem. The poem explains that he is there to watch your house so he can tell Santa who's been good or bad. Every night he moves to a different hiding place and watches you throughout the day. If anyone touches him his magic leaves and he won't move any more. On Christmas Eve morning the kids find him in the Christmas tree waiting for Santa. Then on Christmas morning he's gone - he fills Santa in on the happenings of your house and Santa has takes him back to the North Pole.
I looked everywhere for an elf but didn't end up finding one here. My friend had her sister on the lookout in SLC and she found some elves for us. You really want them to be flexible - even have wire in their arms and legs is best so they can hide in different spots. Derek and I have had the most fun hiding him every night. He's been in the lights, on the ceiling fan, in all of our closets, high and low throughout our house. It's been hilarious to hide him every night. One night Derek was out late playing basketball so I hid him and went to bed. Derek got home and went to hide him. When he saw he gone from his hiding place Derek started searching the house to find him himself!
Our kids have loved it - and told everyone about the elf that lives at our house. Evey morning it's the first thing they do - find Mr. Peeps. Even Bay is way into it. She's found him herself first a few times too. She makes visitors to our house come and see him wherever he's hiding. The kids have even found a a few friends who have elves too. It's been so funny for me to talk to my friends about their elf adventures too - we have a friend who have 2 elves (one's in training), and one friend whose elf fell from their shelf in front of their kids - her husband came to the rescue by putting socks on his hands and putting him back up so the magic wouldn't be gone. It's been so fun - it will definitely be a yearly tradition for us.

I've been tagged

Ok, I'll take my turn of answering these questions:


Five things I Was Doing Ten Years Ago
1. Living in Royal Crest #216 at Ricks College
2. Dating Derek for 2 months - and now we have 4 kids!!
3. Becoming more comfortable skipping class
4. Applying to BYU Provo and Jerusalem
5. Loving the fact the Broulims groceries delievered because I had no car


Five things on my To Do List:
1. Collect all the Dr. Seuss books
2. Go back to Jerusalem with Derek
3. Take kids to Disneyland
4. Gain patience
5. Do Race to Robie Creek - WALK, not run


Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Buy Derek a truck
2. Buy a house with a guest room
3. Travel
4. Eat out a lot more often
5. Hire an interior decorator


Five things I'd never do again - I'm a 'never say never' kind of person, I think that's just asking for lighting to strike, but here are a couple nevers for me:
1. pump breastmilk
2. dye my hair myself
3. do sweat equity on a house
4. can fruit

Five Favorite Toys:
1. sewing machine
2. laptop
3. new van
4. the free huge rolls of paper you get from the newspaper office
5. rubbermaid under the bed boxes (not so much a toy - but I'm buying them like crazy and my house is looking much better because of it)


Five Things I've Read Recently:
1. Gifted Hands
2. Conference talks
3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear
4. All the Kit Allen books - Bay is OBSESSED!
4. 5 million other kid books

Five People I'm Tagging:
1. Allyson
2. Angela
3. Megan (you'll have to start blogging first!)
4. ok, so I don't really 5 people!

New Look

The new look of my blog is all because we're completely boy crazy at our house with Logan finally here! Boy oh boy!

I Stand Corrected

The other day Tyler and I were walking through the store. He told me that we needed a globe. Instantly I thought that he's right. Oftentimes he asks where things happen or where countries are and we're left to use our Map of the World plastic placemat as our best option. So while I'm thinking he's right I'm also thinking what a little Einstein I have - how many 6 years olds want a globe - so I'm having all these warm fuzzy feelings when he says, "yeah, you know, one where the snow falls". I stand corrected . . .maybe our placemat is good enough for our family's needs.

The Stork Delivered!

Our baby Logan is here! Everything went smoothly and he's absolutely perfect. Everyone loves telling their delivery stories and I'm no different - so here it is: I was really picky about what day he'd be born - I had a whole 'black out' week where I didn't want him to be born from Nov. 22-28. If your birthday is one of those days every seven years your birthday is on Thanksgiving. I really didn't want my baby to have to share with a holiday - just have their day be their big day. So on Thanksgiving Day we entered into the black out week. I made it through Thanksgiving but was certainly not feeling good - and feeling bad enough I didn't want to make it through a whole week. Well a week we did not make. Friday the 23rd at about 1:00 a.m. I woke up with contractions. I tried to get them to stop by walking around but couldn't get them to stop. At 3:00 I woke up Derek and told him we had to go in. We called my mom to come and stay with the kids and in we went. We got there and got all checked out - I was 90% effaced and only dialated to 1 1/2 - when I died that I was only 1 1/2 cm the nurse said 'well, I could call it a 2 if it makes you feel better' - not really now that I know I'm really only a 1 1/2! My contractions were really close together so they called my doctor and told him and he gave the green light to get me all prepped for surgery. Things then got crazy: I had one nurse trying over and over to get my IV in, one nurse asking me a thousand questions, and one nurse making me sign who knows what! All the while having contractions for no reason! Once the doctor got there we rolled right into surgery and things just move so fast there. I got the spinal block (a little piece of heaven I call it!) and they went to work. At one point I asked Derek if they'd started yet and he told me that I was totally cut open and they were almost to the baby (heaven, I tell you). When they first saw the baby the doctor said, "that's a big head" - not the best words for a mom to hear but happy to hear they were at least to the baby. When they took him out the doctor told us he was a boy - Derek and I were totally surprised - we'd both thought it'd be a girl the whole pregnancy. It was so fun to be surprised!

Then they got to work on him and got to sewing me up. He weighed 7 pouonds, 4 oz. (absolutely huge at our house - that's 3 pounds bigger then Emmy!) and 18 3/4 inches long and born at 5:13 a.m. He has lots of brown hair which is also strange at our house - we're used to bald!

The worst part of a C-section is that they wheel the baby off and take me to recovery. I make Derek stay with the baby so that leaves me in recovery by myself. They won't let me out until I can move my toes (which really can be hardere than it sounds!). I just sat there willing myself to move my toes to no luck. I really took almost 2 hours before I could be moved. Usually they bring the baby to me while in recovery but Logan was breathing a bit too fast for him to be brought to me. With c-section babies they don't get the benefit of being squeezed through the birth canal so their lungs get all dried out - so Logan didn't get that extra squeezing and it was causing him to breath too fast. So we each had our issues - one of us can't catch our breath and the other can't move their toes! I ended up beating the little guy and met him in the nursery. They just wheeled my whole bed into the nursery to nurse him - it was pretty funny. I was so tired that while I'm having this sweet moment of the first time nursing him I was actually falling asleep!

The rest of the weekend was pretty calm. My parents had our kids Friday and Saturday - they took them to their cabin to see Sam be baptized and came home Saturday afternoon. Derek stayed in the hospital with me Friday night but I did the rest of the nights alone (a first for me too - that's pretty impressive considering this is our 4th kid and with c-sections I'm there 3-4 nights each). It was nice though for Derek to be able to put our kids to bed at home and have some routine there.

We had lots of visitors which was really nice. Of course my parents brought the kids every day but we also had Al and her family (great timing with Thanksgiving eh?), Tate and Angey and kids and John and Sandy drove all the way to see us even though they had to go home the same day! We also had a few friends stop by on Friday and Saturday. We came home Monday afternoon - and it is so good to be home!

The baby is doing great too. We spent the first 4 nights sleeping together but now everyone is in their own bed and doing lots better! You forget how good you feel when not pregnant but I feel so good right now - no more back ache, heartburn - the list goes on and on! My friend told me that most people glow when their pregnant but I glow now that I'm not pregnant! It is so true too!

Sorry so long - gotta get it written down though!

Hot Lunch Love

Tyler has an obsession - and this is a huge obsession. He is obsessed with the hot lunch calendar. He reads it at least 10 minutes a day - every day. He reads it, rereads it, discusses it with me and Derek - every day. He can tell you what is for lunch every day of the month because he certainly has it memorized by now. My mom was over once and he read the entire calendar to her - captivating reading eh? His school lunch gives the kids a choice of 2 entrees and then they get to pick 2 out of 3 sides. He can pour over his decision on what to get endlessly. We haven't eaten dinner without Tyler getting up to check something on the calendar since school started. You'd think by November the thrill would have worn off - but no dice. And the killer for Derek and I is that he has only had cold maybe 5 times this school year. We thought that would be so out of his comfort zone that he'd never have hot. I thought I would end up bribing him to eat hot just once this whole year! And now I'm begging him to have cold. His hot lunch love is hilarious.
Tyler had Derek come to lunch a few weeks ago and eat with him. Derek met him there for teriyaki chicken. They were going through the line each getting their lunch - with Tyler explaining the 'how to's' of the cafeteria. Derek saw someone he knew and stopped to talk for a second - while he was talking Tyler left Derek and went and sat down. Derek couldn't find Tyler anywhere - Tyler totally ditched him! Derek totally had to search the cafeteria for him! And then once he found him, there was Tyler sitting there with no seat for Derek. Derek had to ask kids to move down to make room for him. Then Derek and Tyler ate their lunch. Derek was yakking to all the kids and all of the sudden Tyler raised his hand. Derek asked him what was going on and Tyler said he was done and ready to go to recess. Derek had to talk him into waiting for him to finish! Afterwards Derek went out to recess with Tyler and the two had a great time.

Ghosts & Goblins

Halloween is so fun - I never really liked it before I had kids, but now I love it. I look forward to it as much as the kids. This year the kids were pretty firm in what they wanted to be - no more talking them into what I want them to be (well, except for ol' Bay - she didn't really get consulted). Tyler knew he wanted to be something from Star Wars - he debated for a while on who to be and finally decided on Darth Vader. Emily knew she wanted to be a cheerleader for months - pretty easy since I decided there was no way I was going to sew a cheerleader outfit. Then to Bay - Emmy's hand-me-down Tinkerbell costume was perfect. She loved wearing it - and insisted on wearing it most of the day (probably because Emily was a cheerleader all day too). They went dressed up to Tyler's class party and had lots of fuss made over them.
We did the ward trunk-or-treat and then we came home. The plan was for me to stay home with Bay to pass out candy while Derek took the bigs out to some houses. But Bailey caught on to trick-or-treating pretty fast - just go up to an adult and hold out your bag - they'll put candy in it for you! So she was off with all the big kids and hit the neighborhood. When it got too cold Bay came home and Derek was off again hitting more of the neighborhood. The kids finally trudged in after 8:00 and went to bed completely exhausted. The kids are already planning next year's costumes so it must have been a hit at our house.

Baby Luke

We lost our Little Luke on Oct. 20th after 4 months of having him here with us. There have been so many lessons learned through this tiny little baby. Words can't begin to describe what going through this experience has been like - and for the most part I've only been on the side lines looking in. I've struggled with how to journal this - it has to be done because this is such a significant event, but it's so hard to let the emotions flow. But, since the tears have already begun, I'll jump in.
Jen and Toby spoke at his funeral. I don't know how on earth they were able to do that - but they felt no one else could speak. Here's their tiny baby who lived in Salt Lake his entire life, while 'home' was 400 miles away in Idaho. So they spoke - and was it powerful. It was truly amazing - what they said, and with what power was amazing. Afterwards I was talking to Megan who came to the funeral and she and I were talking about how Jen and Toby's talks focused on blessings and miracles - at a time of such sadness they showed such faith and gratitude. Truly amazing. So in that vein, I wanted to write down things I was grateful for through this experience.
One of the biggest blessings I saw was that on the weekend he died Toby was already in Salt Lake with Jen. I'm so grateful he was already there and we avoided a middle of the night frantic drive down trying to get there in time. I'm so glad that he and Jen were there together once they knew he had suffered a heart attack. It sounds like they were able to have as peaceful of a day as possible and were granted more time with him than the doctors had predicted. Toby said in his talk that he was grateful for the peaceful circumstances they had. They were together as a family, listened to Primary music, and were able to soak in every minute of their tiny baby. I thought of the Pioneers as Toby talked and how they were forced to leave loved ones in terrible conditions. I'm so grateful that our Little Luke was able to return to Heavenly Father peacefully.
I'm so thankful for how much support Jen and Toby have received - it has been overwhelming. They got over 10,000 hits on their care pages website with people who were, and still are, praying for their family. Their blog was a huge source of comfort and a piece of home when they weren't able to be home. Their support is still there - friends and family are filling needs before they're even realized. So much family came from both their families for the funeral. I just pray they will be able to rely on all these people through the hard days that are coming.
In Jen's talk she said the something that hit me pretty powerfully. Luke's doctor on the day he died is also a bishop. He told Jen and Toby some very insightful things on how to have the proper perspective through all of this. The thing that hit me like a rock was when he told them to "live your life so you can claim your son and raise him". That is amazing - and exactly what we all need to do - I need to live my life so I'm worthy to be around this amazing spirit, who only needed to come and get a body - he was that valiant - just go, get a body, and come home. He'd already proven himself that much.
Jen and Tobe are doing so great as I've watched them the week since the funeral. They are relying on the gospel and the peace that brings, and on each other. Their family has had to face the hardest of trials, and has done so beautifully. What examples they are to me.

Here's a copy of his obituary:
Luke Joseph Gozart, after four short months on earth, returned to his Heavenly Father on October 20, 2007, at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, following complications from heart surgery. Although he was with us for only a moment, Luke’s courage and determination were an inspiration to everyone around him. May it be said of Little Luke that he lifted his family and friends to a higher place by helping us look heavenward for strength and peace. Countless people offered him their love and their most sincere prayers. Luke’s parents would like to express their gratitude for all those family, friends, and medical personnel, who have surrounded and supported us—providing peace and love amidst the storm. Luke is survived by his parents, Toby and Jennifer Gozart, of Nampa, and brothers Benjamin,10, Samuel, 8, and Hannah, 3; grandparents Gary and Diane Gozart, and Steve and Gayle Menlove; great-grandparents, aunts and uncles; and many cousins who prayed for him daily. A funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at the Greenhurst Stake Center located at 3904 E. Greenhurst Rd., Nampa, ID. A viewing will be held 90 minutes prior to the services. We’ll always love you Little Luke!

It's Official

It's a sign that our baby is close to coming because Bay has officially been kicked out of the crib. We bought the girls bedroom furniture and moved Bay in with Emmy. Both girls were so excited the first night (a lot of that excitement had to do with the new matching nightgowns from Rainie). Since then Bay's excitement has certainly diminished - I think she'd go back to the crib if she could. She goes down for naps great in her bed - it's those nights where Emmy's there we're seeing some problems. The first few nights Bay was upset, now we've switched problems to the girls having too much fun and too little sleeping. Bay has been waking up really early and can't go back to sleep because of her new surroundings - and in the process wakes up Emmy. This morning we were back to our normal routine of Bailey being the last to wake up so we must be getting through this new tranisition phase.
It's making the coming of our baby seem really soon - the nursery's just waiting for the next baby to occupy it. There's still PLENTY to do - like getting out some newborn clothes would be nice! As for names - we're the worst. I've floated the idea of having some type of lottery where if you pick the right birth date, or birth weight then you get to name our baby. With Bailey it took us 6 days to name her - she came home with no name! And the sad thing is that we're WAY better with girls names! If she were a boy she still would be nameless! Derek and I have officially talked about names twice and here's what we came away with - he loves Logan, Landon, and Leyton and I like Dylan, Dallin, and Carter - that's a long way from any type of decision. And did you notice how that means we've never even once talked girls names?! Probably should at some point eh? Especially since Derek and I both think it's a girl. We're accepting any and all suggestions!

Pumpkin Patch

We had the funnest time this weekend taking our kids to a pumpkin patch. Derek's parents came and took our family, Derek's two siblings and their families, and Derek's aunt, and treated us all to the funnest afternoon. We took a train ride (45 minutes through great scenery) to a pumpkin patch where everyone got to pick out their own pumpkins. Then a 45 minute ride back to our cars. It was a perfect amount of time on the train - the train never lost its charm. The weather was perfect too - I went loaded with coats, hats, gloves and anything else you might need in a blizzard - but it turned out to be perfect without anything. We had such a blast and came home loaded with pumpkins! It was so fun to ride the train, pick pumpkins, and our kids loved spending so much time with cousins. I'm ready to start a new fall tradition!

Emmy's Pets

Emmy is in such a funny phase right now I had to get it down before it passes. It used to be that she was a dog - for months she was a dog - the whole nine yards, barking, crawling - a bonafide dog. Now it's progressed into a stuffed animal obsession. She has a million stuffed animals - from little to huge - and she calls them her pets. She has to put them to bed, feed them, and my personal favorite - give them story time. She lines them up all over the family room and gives each animal their own book. Certain animals only like certain books, but don't worry, Emmy keeps it all straight. First thing in the morning she's asking if it's story time for the pets yet. Even Bailey has hopped on board - she helps Emmy drag out all the animals and books. This is one adorable - and messy - phase.

Soccer Saturdays

We have joined the ranks of thousands of parents who spend their Saturdays camped out at the soccer fields. Rain or shine - we're there cheering on our favorite Bronco, Tyler. And today he got his first goal! He even reinacted it for Derek and I after the game telling us how he kept kicking and kicking it until it went in! GO BRONCOS!

The Invisible Mom

I heard this story yesterday in my parenting class I'm taking from Carleen Tanner. I loved it and came home and found it on the internet. When you're having a hard mothering day - this is the story for you!

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. Nobody?The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?" I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going? she's going? she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
"To Charlotte, with great admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees".

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." The workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte . I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

72 Hour Kits

What may look like a lot of clutter in a dirty garage to you, is actually something that has taken me more than a month to get done. In July I got the 72 hour kit bug - not to be confused with the 72 hour bug (which I probably wouldn't blog about!). I had a great start on my 72 hour kits before I started - thanks to a Christmas present from my parents 2 years ago - but it needed rotated and updated. When they gave it to us it was for our family of 5, but we're soon to be a family of 6 so things needed to be added and food needed to be rotated. There are so many lists on the internet that it's hard to narrow it down on what works for your family. I got my lists done - and that is where I usually lose my enthusiasm. When it comes to shopping and paying for all this stuff it's not nearly as fun, but I really wanted to follow through with it. I also organized it into backpacks (I got the roller backpacks which Bay loves to pull around the house!) so come an emergency where we have to leave we should be all set (don't worry, we probably won't drag along the snowman).

Look Who's Big!

I write this post with a bit of trepidation - I hate anything that has to do with potty training. I openly admit that I am the worst potty trainer in the world - the best advice I can give is to never potty train anyone! I really don't want to touch the subject with a 10 foot pole, but Bailey deserves some credit -so here it comes. I decided to potty train Bay, with the major escape hatch of always being able to quit. I used to have grand ideas of potty training - it included craziness like doing every kid at age 2, once you start you can't quit, pull-ups only confuse kids - once you commit, you commit! Then I potty trained Tyler . . . all of my ideals vanished. Potty training Tyler remains the hardest parenting thing I've ever done, and I would do it differently if I could go back. I potty trained him at 27 months and the little boy just wasn't ready. Then I wouldn't quit - even though both of us were pulling out our hair - we had a really rough few months. If I could go back, I would have quit at 27 months and tried again later - it wasn't worth what we went through. It's funny how you're only an expert at things you've never done eh?

So with Bay I decided to take a different approach -I wanted to potty train, and thought she was ready - but if things got ugly I could always quit. And for church and shopping - she would wear a pull-up, not the end of the world. I really only started because I thought my chance to do it is now, or after the baby comes. While I was fine to quit, I at least wanted to say that I tried to do it before the baby - it might make feel better when I have 2 kids in diapers! So with the window closing, Bay and I took the leap.

We started this last Wednesday - when some type of insanity must have been lingering at our house. I was tending Hannah all day and Derek was out of town - I know, insanity was in the air! Maybe I was secretly trying to sabotage myself so that I could try and quit without any guilt. But we just plunged in anyways. We spent the day in the bathroom (to Emmy and Hannah's major neglect) and Bay had tons of successes. The next day we did it again - but with more freedom - after she'd go I'd let her do her own thing for an hour then we'd be back in the bathroom. The biggest shock came Saturday while we were at Tyler's soccer game. I'd put her in a pull-up and decided to shelf potty training for 2 hours. While we were at the game she let me know she had to go (she can't even talk - but she holds herself so that no one can miss what she's communicating!). I trekked across the entire field to the scary porta-potties, which are way to scary and gross for any little baby to in - so she didn't go. We got home 2 hours and she was still dry! Then today at church we took her during sacrament and she went, and then I took her during nursery but no luck - the big potties are still scary. But we got home, she was dry!

Now I am the first to say that saying you're 'done' with potty training, or close to it, is the kiss of death - you're never done when you think you are. So I'm not saying either of those things - nor I am saying that tomorrow the wheels won't completely fall of the wagon and I'll quit and be trying this again in January - but I will say, she's had an incredible 5 days.

By the way, the other day Tyler told me that Bailey has beaver teeth - I don't know what to do with that yet. . .

My New Love

So I have a confession - I have a new love in my life. There's this boy - and to say I have a crush on him is putting it too lightly - I'm head over heels for him! He's consuming my thoughts lately - must be love right? Who is this new boy in life? My little Luke! Now I know that this blog seems late - he's 10 weeks old, so what's prompting this now? The answer is two-fold: first, he is so dear to my heart that sometimes it's hard for me to talk about him - it's that feeling of bearing your heart and soul to someone and then having them not handle it up to my expectations. I can't bear the idea of having someone dismiss this and move on with their lives - it's too close to my heart. So I have been pretty cautious about broadcasting news about my little Luke - there just aren't enough people who can care as much as I need to them to. So why am I broadcasting this now? I just feel like I better get this in writing - as hard as it is to think about it this much and dwell on it, I think I would regret not getting my feelings down. So don't worry, if this gets too personal, feel free to quit anytime! This is more for my benefit than for anyone else's. Then, (I know that's a really long answer for just one part of the two-part answer!), things changed last weekend when I went to Utah to see him. I had been feeling really left out because I was the only adult in our family who hadn't seen him - I mean, my mom, dad, Allyson, Paul, Robb, Becky, and even Derek (he had a long layover in SLC and ran to the hospital to see him) had all seen him! I was the only one who hadn't. Now I felt left out, but I didn't feel like I was missing out - does that make sense? I felt like through reading Jen's posts and talking to her almost daily I was as up to date and involved as everyone else. You couldn't have told me last week that I was missing out because I hadn't seen him. But I would have been wrong. Things changed dramatically for me once I laid eyes on him. First, I went to Utah because he had become so critical - it was a really spur of the moment decision - and I just felt like I had to get there - I had to see him - I had to see what Jen goes through daily. So last Saturday I was able to spend the day with him. I can't describe the wave of love I felt for him the second I laid eyes on him - it was like I always knew I loved him, I just didn't know how much I loved him until I saw him. And then I got to see what a typical day looks like - one that Jen and Toby have lived day in and day out for months. It is astounding - he has his own personal nurse 24 hours a day - who doesn't leave his room - she is there the entire time (if she goes to the bathroom, a replacement comes in!) and she is busy the entire time - she is never sitting - she is giving meds, taking vitals, flushing I.V.'s, and a few thousand other things I don't understand the entire time - I am stunned how busy one little baby can keep a medical staff! I used to not understand how Jen said she never gets bored - and she's only managed to read one book - I mean, she's there 14-16 hours a day - what does she do all day?! Now I know - she is asking a thousand questions of what is being done and why and talking to doctors and nurses all day. It was a constant buzz around this tiny sleeping newborn! I came away with such a newfound respect for Jen - how she does it - and with a sense of humor most of the time - is amazing to me. I'm glad I got to see a 'day in the life' of Jen and Tobe.

I'm so glad I went to Utah (and so thankful to Derek who kept the kids at home and gave them the best weekend - he did a Star Wars pizza party, a sleepover with Ben and Sam, library, water park, geocaching, a wedding reception by himself - with 3 kids! - and church all by himself - he even called my friend and had her do the girls hair before church!). It was really hard to see, but I'm so glad I went - I really was missing out before.

Jen doesn't like the picture I posted of Luke - she doesn't like how swollen he is and says he doesn't look like himself - I couldn't love it more - this is my little Luke.

First Grade First Week

Well we made it through our first week as a first grader. Tyler doesn't have school today (teacher in-service already!) but I'm thrilled about it. I just want my little gaggle home with no place to be at a certain time! I'm so glad that right now he's asleep instead of getting dressed and eating breakfast! All in all he's had a fine week. He says everything is fine - the bus ride being his favorite. I'm loving his homework so far - each day it's taken him 5 minutes! I don't know how long that will last but for now that's my favorite.
We have a few bumps to get over - but hopefully I'll solve those next week. The first is the bathroom issue - he doesn't know where it is! His teacher said if he doesn't know where it is then they can ask to take a partner but Tyler is too scared to say he doesn't know where it is. Everyday I tell him to just ask to take a partner and everyday he gets off the bus about to explode! He's got to be uncomfortable most of the day but he's too scared to say he doesn't know where it is! Then there's the school milk - last year it was in the little cartons. We bought lots and practiced at home so he could open them at school and we got those mastered (do other parents have to do that?). But this year the milk's in a different container. I can't understand what kind of container he's talking about (I showed him one of those little jugs that open like regular milk but he says it's not those either). So every day he's had hot lunch this week (3 out of 4) he's just thrown away his milk because he can't open it and won't ask for help! I ask him why he didn't ask for help but he just says, 'I forgot' (though he did ask for help in opening his Fritos yesterday, so we can remember some things!). So we can't go to the bathroom all day and we're thirsty and throwing away our 25 cent milk! So here's my plan to fix our problems - next Tuesday I'm going to take him to school - we're going to find the bathrooms and then go to the cafeteria and buy milk with the breakfast eaters! Hopefully we can start being more comfortable at school then!
I just look at our little hang-ups and wonder if other kids have these little issues too - I mean are other kids dying at school because they won't ask where the bathrooms are? Am I the only one who has to take their kid to school to buy milk and teach him how to open it? Why does he need help opening his Fritos? I just think I haven't done a good enough job preparing him for the independence school really brings. I guess we'll get caught up in a hurry! These two problems are easy to solve - it makes me nervous for actual problems!

First day of First Grade

We're officially parents of a first grader now! Tyler started yesterday and did great. We went last Thursday to the school's Open House. We met his teacher and took all of his school supplies. We found his classroom, met Mrs. Peterson, gave her a shopping bag full of supplies, bought 20 hot lunches - we did it all. It was really good to go and have some anxiety relieved (for me or for Tyler - I don't know which). Then yesterday we started. I told him I would take him to school both ways, he could ride the bus both ways, or he could do one of each. He had me take him to school. We got there and found his classroom's outside door while we waited until the bell rang. He seemed nervous but did great. After the bell, he teacher came out to pick up the kids, he just went right in and I stayed outside. He did really good (I did see some criers and we weren't one of them so that's good!) - he was nervous, but really braved it well. For lunch he picked to have chicken nuggets hot lunch. He said his tray was heavy and the nuggets and the tater tots were good. They must have been ok because today he's back for more hot lunch with baked potato bar. Then he rode the bus home like a pro. It helps that our bus stop is the same as last year. He did great - and was happy to go back today (though still nervous to ride the bus to school today). Yesterday was a half today so today he and I are both getting the full dose of first grade! The next chapter's begun!

Birthday Bay

This is my favorite action shot - sisters fighting over Bay's new shirt - it's just a shirt!






Bay our little
super-hero

I know, it's been a while since Bay's birthday but I figured better late than never. She was so fun on her big day - she knew there was something different about the day and she was big stuff. Int he afternoon I was making her a Care Bear Cake and she was loving it! While I was frosting it my friend dropped by and Bay practically drug her in to show off her half frosted cake! And then Bay hopped on her new tricycle (which she still can't ride) to show to my friend. She was so funny! I can't believe she's 2 already - it's probably because she hasn't hit the 'terrible's' yet - she is the most pleasant little girl. She'll agree to anything! Her birthday was the best!

Speaking of how agreeable Bay is, I took her the dentist last week. She laid down in the chair (which she took up about 5% of!), let the hygentist do everything and was so cooperative that the hygentist said she was going to take x-rays but I had to leave the room. So there was Bay, in a dentist chair - getting x-rays - and she did awesome! Then 2 days later I took her to the doctor for her 2 year well child check and she only had to get one shot - and she didn't even bat an eye! Tyler was almost in tears just watching it and Bailey didn't even seem to notice. She was quite proud of her band-aid though!

The Birthday Monster Lives Here

Warning: this is so long, I really don't expect anyone to read it!

I know it's been a really long time since I last blogged. Our summer has been fun - we spend the first 3 days of the week with Jen's kids here, my sweet little half dozen. I take my gaggle to the library, to different parks, and we slip and slide most days. The boys have to do their math while Tyler does his writing, and we all have reading time so we can get those prizes at the library. Tyler and Sam always end up on Tyler's bed reading together, Ben finds some quiet spot, and I read to the girls. Ben and Sam really help out - Sam buckles up Emmy whenever we go anywhere and Ben's in charge when I jump in the shower.

We made it through our first session of swimming lessons and I couldn't have been prouder of my two little fish. Tyler did great this year, and every day I spent watching him thinking, "His first year of swimming I'm sure he cried 17 out of the 20 days" and now he's doing great. I wouldn't throw him in the deep end yet, but there is definite hope that he will learn to swim - so that's a victory for us.

Anyways, none of that has to do with the Birthday Monster - Tyler was so funny about his birthday that I just had to write some of it down. For the past 2 months he has been talking about his birthday - whenever we're at the store it was, "Can I have that for my birthday?" For a while it was fine, but as the big day got closer it was approaching out of controls levels. First he would tell everyone he laid eyes on that his birthday was Saturday - the librarian, the Winco clerk, the next door neighbors - you name them, he told them. He told everyone! Then he would say things like this: A week before his birthday I bumped into him and I said, "sorry Tyler" and he responded with, "Could you say, 'sorry birthday boy'"? Have you ever heard of such a thing!? I mean, we are out of control when you say things like that! It wasn't even his birthday yet!

In our family we always go out to eat for breakfast on birthdays, we've always gone to Cracker Barrel but Tyler picked IHOP for his big day - think funny face pancake and you'll know why. So of course off we go to IHOP and he tells the hostess it's his birthday (of course) and after breakfast they bring him a sundae - perfect at 9:00 a.m. eh?

Then he has his birthday party at our house. This was our first friend birthday we've ever had - and let me tell you - those things are a lot of work! First you have to come up with a theme, which was hard for us - he wanted a Star Wars cake, pirate plates, and robot invitations. What?! We finally agreed on Star Wars for the whole thing, then we had to agree on the guest list. Then you have to plan all these games to keep these kids busy! We played Duck Duck Goose Star Wars style - Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vadar, we played Pin the Light Saber on Darth Vador, we did a pinata, a tag game, and had pizza, R2D2 cake, and ice cream for lunch. The most amazing thing was that I invited 9 boys - and all 9 came! I couldn't get that turnout any other day of the year - let alone a Saturday in the summer! I was shocked that all the boys came. I think they had a great time - it was a whirlwind 2 hours for me though! Tyler had a really good time and loved that eveyone there knew it was his birthday!

After that we ran to his last baseball game, where, luckily for him, they sang to him again! It was his last game so treats and trophies made it great.

I'm happy to have the birthday over with - he loved it a hair too much for me. But after all, you only turn 6 once!