Pumpkin, Pumpkins, Pumpkin SMASH!

Tonight was our annual Family Pumpkin Carving Night.  Our kids look forward to this night every year. We order Pizza, this year we went with Papa Murpheys,  Dad pulls the guts from most of the pumpkins, and we get to have some fun.  Our schedule this year was a little tight.  Lyndee was gone to Activity Days, so Zach, Madi, and Alex decided to get a head start.  (This way Zach could take a nap before he has to go to work tonight.  We hate Graveyard!!)  Anyway, the kids had their pumpkins all picked out.  While Lyn and I were away, Zach accidently gave Lyndee's pumpkin to Madi, but gutted a much larger one for her.  When she returned home, Zach was setting their pumpkins out on the porch with candles.  She was mad at first because she thought we did it without her.  She stormed inside and realized that her pumpkin was gone.  She started ranting and raving and stormed back outside.  This is the time she noticed that her pumpkin had already been carved.  She came inside and started yelling at us, and shouting how she hates Halloween, and that she never wants another Halloween again.  (Here is where things get worse.)  She storms outside slamming the front door behind her.  She's gone for 1 min. maybe.  During this minute, I start explaining to Zach that she had picked the pumpkin that Madi carved.  Now, Lyn comes storming inside screaming and crying even more.  Zach chimes in trying to explain to her over her screaming voice that he gutted another, bigger pumpkin for her, and that he thought she would like the bigger one.  Lyndee abruptly stopped crying and says, "Oh".  It got quiet all of a sudden.  She turns around and again goes outside.  What was she doing?  I go to open the door, and see her picking up pieces of Madi's pumpkin off the grass.  WHAT?????  She didn't really just throw that pumpkin in the yard, did she?  Oh yes she did!!  What a brat, I really can't believe she did it.  I never ever would have thought that she would actually be mad enough to do that.  The first time she stomped outside is when she threw it, and was now trying to take back what she had done.  Umm,  unacceptable!!!  I'd like to say that Zach and I were the most awesomeness, wonderful kind parents that sit down and talk and blah, blah, blah, etc.  NOPE!!  She got her butt spanked. She had to know that she did not make the right choice.  Zach sent her to the shower, and told her to get cleaned up and ready for bed.  After shower and Jammies, Zach called her upstairs.  I talked to her first, and told her that I wasn't going to let her carve a pumpkin this year.  Consequences!  Zach was a little nicer. (Softie)  She, Zach and I agreed that she was on 2 weeks dishes duty.  All the dishes, everyday, for 2 full weeks.  (My secret dream come true.  I hate dishes!)  She had to apologize to the whole family for yelling and screaming, to Madi for her pumpkin, and Zach for yelling at his face.  Zach posted something on Facebook about this event and that made her mad again.  She was crying and whining that, "Dad told everyone in the world.  Now all my friends will know, and they will laugh at me."  I looked right at her and said, "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you.  You made a choice, a wrong choice tonight, and that choice has consequences that you have to deal with.  It makes you mad that dad posted it on Facebook, but will you ever do this again?"  "No!"  She replies.  I've learned that through the years I've given in way too much.  I was more than willing to send her to bed without carving.  Dishes work too, she hates doing the dishes.





After she calmed down we got right to work carving the remaining pumpkins.  Alex wanted to carve Jayden's, Madi helped me with mine, and Lyndee did her own.  Zach headed to bed, but left us his phone with some awesome Halloween Music.  Thanks Honey!!

He's as big as our 30lb Pumpkin

                                    

Cheer up Lyn

Zach hates having his picture taken.  Ah, Memories!

One happy baby

Miss Madi and Mommy

Just a little video

Our final Results. 
Top: Ales, Family Name, Zach
Bottom: Madi, Jayden, April, Lyndee
(Yes, we know our name is spelled wrong.  The T's meshed together and became one during construction.)




 





A simple reminder from Madi Moo

Yesterday Madi wandered into my bedroom.  She found the small journal given to Lyndee at her baptism.  It has a picture of the savior on the front cover.  She picked it up, and turned to me and said,

"It's my Jesus Christ, he loves me!"

 

 

With a huge grin on my face, my reply to her was, "Yes, Madi he does love you very much!"  What a simple, but profound reminder from such a little one, that Yes, our savior does love us.  Thank you Madi!  I love you so much.  

Pumpkin Walk 2013 and a Little Family Update

We go to the Hyde Park Pumpkin walk every year.  It is always pretty fun, and we love seeing the creativity of the pumpkin scenes.  The last few years have been good, but lacking a bit.  This year on the other hand was AMAZING!!  I don't know if they told everyone to up their game with their scenes, but things were very, very good.  Zach and I really enjoyed it, because there were a lot of scenes from when we were younger. Richard Simmons sweating to the oldies, Reading Rainbow, one of my favorites, Are you my mother? , Ghost Busters, The Jetson's, MASH, Old Mario, Pac Man, Cabbage Patch Kids, So many good ones, I can't even remember them all.  Madi was all over yelling, Mom this, and Mom that.  I was hard to keep her with us because she was so excited.  We rode the CVTD bus up to the park, and the kids love riding the bus.  That was probably one of their most favorite parts.  Alex told me that this was the 3 time he has ridden a bus, and it was SO FUN! (We were crammed in the bus going to the park, but the kids didn't even care). We had a great evening together.  Tomorrow we plan to head to the corn maze with my family.  Can't Wait!!

A little about our fast growing Kiddos.

Jayden:  This little boy is growing like a weed.  He just had his 6 month Well Child Check.  He is 16lbs 5oz, 27" long, and has a 17 3/4" head circumference.  So really a tall, skinny, large headed baby.  Love my cute little boy.  Here are his cute little blue feet.  Dr. McKenna always tries to draw a little picture of my kids.  I think he does a pretty good job.

Jayden rolls both back to belly, and belly to back.  He always has a harder time after he gets to his belly.  If his arm is in the way, he just plain hates his belly and will scream until he's rolled over.  Lyndee has gotten really good at helping us out with him.  He loves attention, and while playing with his toys, he'll constantly look up to make sure we're right there.  He holds his own bottle, and eats a ton.  Dr. McKenna told us to start with solids, umm 2 months ago.  He needs it, and he's ready for it.  I'll admit it, when I work I just fore go the baby foods for the day.  However, we just pulled out the high chair, and he is loving it.  He enjoys spending time with us at the table during dinner.  I love it, because now we are all truly at the table for dinner.

Madi:  This little girl is a spit fire.  He new favorite saying is "You bad guy!!"  She is usually mad a us for something we said, or won't let her do.  It just makes Zach laugh.  In fact he pushes her buttons on purpose just so she'll say it to him.  She loves her Mickey Mouse Club house (Anything Minnie or Mickey), Princesses, and he best friend next door Kylie.  Kylie is 6 yrs old, but Madi doesn't care.  She tells me time and time again that Kylie is her best friend.  Madi loves to be praised, and will always make sure that we are listening to the story she is telling us.  She also makes sure to repeat her stories to us 3 or 4 times in a row, just so "we've got it".  She makes me laugh.  She is very independent and has to do things her way, and in her time or else the whole house and probably all the neighbors hear about it.  She's turning into her big brother. Ahhhh.

Alex:  He is a big kindergartner.  He loves school, and is so eager to learn.  He'll finish is homework in just minutes.  I love that about him.  He enjoys drawing, and is so proud that he can count past 100.  He claims to be able to count to 1000 but he always misses numbers 110-199 on up through the hundred numbers.  I don't have the heart to tell him he's missing 900 numbers in that 1000 count.  He is very informative and precise in every things he tells us.  He uses a lot of hand gestures, and sound effects to tell us his stories.  (I love his sound effects, sometimes they make me laugh so hard). 

Lyndee:  This little girl is growing up too fast.  I am hearing her talk to me, and her dad like a grown up.  She acts like she knows exactly what she's talking about (even though she doesn't always) and dramatizes everything. Prime example, "We went to get the birthday present with dad today, but . . . YOU HAD THE DEBIT CARD!" Firm snotty voice. "Dad was so mad!"  or "I hate Justin Bieber, he has earrings, and his songs are bad".  Again her Firm snotty voice, like she knows everything in the world.  Why does she have to grow up so fast?  When she's playing with her siblings she's her fun, young, loud self.  A little too much like I was when I was her age. Sigh.  I know she hates being the oldest.  She hates that I ask her for the most help, and that I am always asking her to be the GOOD example.  Maybe I'm the one forcing her to grow up too fast. Sigh again. 

I love my cute little family.  A good chunk of the time my kids are so hard, and very demanding.  They push my buttons all to often.  But I love their guts.  We have decided that it is time for Zach to head back to school.  When we were in the temple last month, Zach really felt that it was time for us to move to the Ogden area.  We have known for almost 5 years that we would some day go that direction, just never knew when.  Well we got our confirmation, and we are supposed to be down that way by the time the Ogden temple is dedicated.  Fall of 2014 is our deadline.  Our families know, and most are upset that we would move away from them, and all the help they give us.  With me working, it really adds a lot of stress to our lives, having to know how to get the kids here or there, who's going to get them from daycare, or helping out in their classrooms at school, etc.  We have decided that after we move, we are down sizing to a smaller  home, and I am going to stay home with our kids.  I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!  Yes there are certain people from work that I am going to miss terribly, but I had a confirmation this evening while Alex was talking to me about his Dracula and Frankenstein drawings that, he makes me so happy.  My kids and Family make me so happy.  Work is drama, and my family is true happiness.  It will be so nice that Zach won't have to worry about the kids like he does.  He's going to be busy enough with work and school, that it will be so nice for me to be home.  We almost can't wait.  We're fixing up the house and getting it ready to sell.  We really just feel that when it's time to move our house will sell.  FAITH!  We love our ward, and our fun neighborhood.  These are people we love, and will miss dearly.  But we are needed elsewhere.  Weber County, HERE WE COME!

No FLU Bugs!

I took the kiddos into the clinic this evening so they could all get their flu shots.  I knew Alex would have a problem, I so kept it a secret.  Well . . . Lyndee can read, and after reading the sign as we walked in, she became hesitant and started loudly whining about getting a shot.  I cut her right off.  I told her, "If Alex finds out why we are here, he'll start screaming, so just please be quiet."  She was good to keep quiet but still hesitant.

After filling out the paperwork, and checking in at the desk, which seemed to take forever, especially since Jayden was screaming.  We did get to sit down for a few min without crying or whining.  After the called us all back and wrangled us into a room together, I could see Alex's hesitation, and his eyes grow so big they almost seemed to pop out.  They asked who was going first, and I volunteered Alex.  While trying to lift him to the table and explain to him that it would be ok, he kept yelling, "I don't want to go first, I don't want to go first!!"  So I let him down and kindly asked Lyndee to go first and be a great example.  She was a little tense, but when I told her that it was easier than having her ears pierced she relaxed and it was over.  GREAT, one down 2 to go.  Without much talk I grabbed Madi and layed her down on the table.  I had to hold her down, she was not happy, but she was done in a jiffy.  Now back to Alex.  Ummmm.  He was in the corner of the room still crying and yelling that he didn't want a shot.  Embarrassing!!!  He is so heavy now a days, that lifting him is a chore, but I wanted this done and over with.  No dragging it out and wasting time of those who are trying to help us.  I put him up on the table, laid him back and almost layed on top of his chest holding his hands down.  They were great to do the same with his feet and quickly give him his shot and an AWESOME bugs bunny bandaid.  My kids called them bunny bandaids.  How do they not know who bugs bunny is?  I have got to make it known in our house who this great Cartoon really is!!

As we were walking out they all got a sucker, and 3 of 4 kids were crying. (Jayden was hungry, and Lyndee was brave.  No tears!)  Since I knew a good chunk of the people working, I had a lot of people say, "Oh it was your kids crying!"  YEP!  If anyone knows us, really knows us, they know that my 6 year old scream and crie when he doesn't get his way, or has to do something he doesn't want to do.  Again Embarrassing!!! At least it's over.  I'll get mine in a few weeks, Jayden at the end of the month, and Zach probably never.  He still believes that having the vaccine gives you the flu.  You'd think he would learn his lesson from our flu experience last year Christmas Day.  NOPE.  Oh well.  Thank you to everyone in the clinic who had to put up with 10 min of screaming and crying.  Thank you for not making me feel incompetent to calm my children down, and Thank you for offering to help me out with the baby so I could hold the  other kids down.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

A lazy sunday

Today Jayden and I hung out at home while Z and the kids went to church.  He is such a funny baby, and seriously love his guts.  He is getting older and learning new things every day.  Today's big step: He rolled from his back to his belly twice while playing on his blanket with his toys.  What a stinker.  He has the biggest smile and he gets so excited to see us after waking up in the morning and after naps.  Today while playing with his toys he got a little tired and nodded off.  (He rarely does this.  Usually he wants to be wrapped up and put in his crib).

He really must have liked that towel, because he's cuddled right up to it!  Silly Boy!!!  His new tricks these days include eating his toes, and fingers.  His hands are always slobbery, and sometimes his socks are soaking wet on the toe side because he's flexible enough to, eat his feet!  He is really great at spitting up on dad right after he's just gotten dressed.  Usually church clothes, or black shirts.

He's even accomplished holding up his own bottle.  We LOVE this stage.  He's not perfect, because his hands are always moving, but we'll take it!  Love you little man!  (Almost 5 months old)

Just what I needed tonight!

 

Just what I needed tonight! Thank you Chase Checketts.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Brothers and sisters, indeed we have great reason to rejoice. If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most....

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace.

Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/of-things-that-matter-most?lang=eng

 

Moments That Matter Most

http://youtu.be/l70e1TfN34w

This video  had me in tears instantly.  Allowing me to recognize and realize something I have been too quick to forget.   

 

 

WHY??

So tonight I keep asking myself WHY?  Why do I have to get to the point where I am yelling at my 5 almost 6 year old, before he'll get anything done?  Why do I have to repeat myself over, and over, and over, and over again?  Why isn't me politely asking enough? WHY?

Today I caught myself telling him things over, and over.  Let's start from the beginning.  Here are the things I had to repeatedly ask him to do. (repeated being more than 8 times)
(Before School)
What do you want for breakfast?
Get dressed!
Get your shoes on!
Brush your teeth!
Get your backpack!
(After School)
You have one problem left, let's finish it!
Get you soccer stuff on!
Find you soccer ball!
Where are you cleats?
Take your ball upstairs!
Stop whining, Dinner is almost ready!
Set the table?
Get in the bathtub!    
No Kindle!!!!
Go to bed!!!!!!!!

The extra !! are because at the end of the day I am so tired of yelling.  Tonight my throat hurts, and my voice is raspy.  Why won't he just listen to me and do as I ask, WHY?  I am not joking about the list above.  I really had to repeat everyone of those things multiple times.  No I did not start out yelling, I politely asked first, and over 8+ times I resort to yelling.  Then he decides that he doesn't like our family (because I'm yelling).  I will give him one kudos, when it was time to come inside I went outside and said, "Time to come in", and he said okay, and came right in.  See, I know he can do it, he is just so stubborn.  I really do love him so much, but I am getting so frustrated that he just won't listen, or chooses not to listen.  UGH!!

DINNER

 

Tonight while Alex and Madi were whining about being hungry, and Jayden was screaming, just because, and Lyn was finishing her homework, I was making dinner.  Nothing special, really. I made grilled chicken, Alfredo pasta, and sweet corn.  Zach was home teaching, so it was just me and the kiddos.  I couldn't believe how much they all ate.  Each of them had 3 helpings of pasta, and Alex had 2 helpings of corn.  I only made enough chicken for each of us, or they would have had double helpings of chicken.  Either they were all really hungry, or it really tasted good.  I think a little of both.  They just kept eating, and eating.  They would pile more food on their plates and I kept thinking to myself, they're never going to finish all that, but lo and behold THEY DID!!  I wish they would eat like that more often.  What is really funny is right before bed Alex was searching through the fridge because he was hungry.  He didn't eat enough?  Double WOW! 

 

ME TIME

 

I love my kids so much!  I enjoy spending time with them as long as nobody is screaming or whining.  One thing I look forward to every night is Me Time.  That hour or so that I have all to myself after they have all gone off to bed and are in dream land.  I can do whatever I want.  Unfortunately I find myself being all to lazy.  Tonight I'm blogging, and soon will be upstairs making swiss meringue buttercream frosting. YUM!  It's funny.  As our house was in an uproar this evening, Zach turned to me and says, "Don't you just want to be a stay at home mom?"  I could strangle him!  Yes, I want the ability to be able to be home with my kids when they get home from school.  I hate having to rely on others to get my kids here or there, and I hate paying for daycare.  I did enjoy my maternity leave, and Zach loved me being home even more.  It was a huge stress lifted off his shoulders that he didn't have to worry about where he needed to pick up the kids from, or being home in time when they get out of school, etc.  I do want to be home with my kids.  My only fear is that with the changes we are making in our lives, and Zach going back to school, that he will still be so busy that I'll never get a relief from them.  He'll be too busy for me to go do something, anything with out them.   How nice would it be to actually go grocery shopping by myself.  Oh how I miss the days of going to the store alone. . . . . . . On the other side, I keep reminding myself that I have a sister, and close co-worker that have not been able to have kids, and my best friend, and another co-worker who have both lost children.  I am so grateful that I have been blessed with my kids, but I love my alone time each night.  One of my super wise cousins (Amy Alleman) said something to me about this exact subject.  I can't quote word for word, but it went something like this.  " Yes you have your children, and they don't but these are the trials that I have to face, and they have to face.  The trials I am given are for me and consist of learning patience with my kids, as their trials are of loss.  They are different for each of us, but are still trials that we must endure."  Umm . . . . Love Her.  This is my trial right now in my life.  God gives us the trials we can handle, and it is up to me how I will react to this trial, and learn from it.  Kids grow all to fast and time is passing faster and faster.  I enjoy being with my kids, and spending time with them as long as I am not hurried or rushed.  They make me so happy.  Raising kids are the happiest and hardest thing I want to do.  I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who continues to help me, and share as much time with our kids as possible.  He works 1 full time job, and 2 part time jobs to support us.  (I work too)  Even then making ends meet has become rather tough.  He still uses whatever time he can squeeze it to play with the kids, and I love him for that!!  I am so grateful that he is a worthy priesthood holder, and that he asked the kids if they wanted father's blessing for school.  They all said yes, even Madi.  It was a spiritual experience, and I am thankful for his offering and showing the kids that the priesthood is real.