Raising Adults

  I read a blogpost the other day where someone mentioned that we are raising our kids to be adults. I know that seems obvious, but it struck a chord with me. There is an end goal. We need our children to not just sit back and enjoy childhood or whine there way through it. We need to make them into amazing leaders, mother, brothers, fathers, sisters, cousins, friends, teachers, and the list goes on.

  Ty and I talked tonight about Emree and  how we want to instill more confidence in her. Confidence that she is loved that she is a daughter of God, that she can do amazing things, that she can help others. I want a child who looks outward and sees the good in others and the good in herself.

 In that same blog post it talked about hugging your children until they let go. I need to do that more for Jesse. I am always the first to let go and he just needs the extra love. It makes him feel safe and secure. It helps his day go better. He is my little snuggler and no matter how tall he gets I think he will always be.

Alligators, Butterflies, and Screaming

  Let me start off by saying that I love hearing what people have to say about things going on in their lives. I love to hear about their experiences and what they choose to do with their time or lack their of. I sometimes wonder if I have much to add, but to be honest I need to write it down for me. I use to be a fantastic journal writer. Writer of journals... not sure how I should even put that. But somewhere between becoming a sleep deprived mom who can't keep up with all the dishes and pillows on the floor and kid number three (no I have four) I stopped journaling. I use to think I was a fantastic writer too, but I tend to have poor grammar and the worst spelling (thank you spell check) and I no longer have the time to double check and double check everything I write. Sometimes that makes me think I shouldn't write it. Today I don't think that is true. I should write because I want to and you can read if you want to. Or not at all. This is really for me anyways. So, I can freeze this moment in my life. Each day I look at my kids and I don't want to forget how happy they make me and how funny they are. They are each so cute and so frustrating in their own ways. My oldest went to a Butterfly Garden today. I thought there would be butterflies, but apparently they are only there in March and April. She loves to tell us about everything she is learning and finds school exciting and fascinating. She loves fractions and stories. She loves to color - especially pictures of bees. She has also recently had to tell on a friend for looking up pornography at school and for using foul language. I wish she didn't have to learn so much in first grade. Jesse is my crazy happy kid who never and I mean never stops making noise. He make noise in between his noises...  Today we went to an Alligator Sanctuary. He loved to looks at the animals and to feed them and to play with his friends and to make noise the entire time. I don't think I saw him once with out a huge smile on his face. Even while his brother Brighton was hitting him. Brighton is two and crazy and loud and athletic. He could chuck the biscuits to feed the alligators right into the water (the other two year olds had a hard time getting it over the fence), but he gets angry easily. He yells when he is mad these days and he hits all the time. We are trying to enforce time out. I want to teach him to be kind. He does have a few kind bones hidden down in there. Baby Reid is so easy and adorable and smiley. He likes to get up every three hours still in the night, but he is such a pleasure all day. He slept through all of the Alligators, but he sure looked cute doing it. I can't believe he is almost three months old. I read a blog about Dads today and it talked about how Dads speak a different language than moms and we have to try not to change what they say because kids need us both for different reasons. This is so true. Ty came with us today and my boys just eat him up when he is around. They love me, I am their mom, but I am always here. They need their Dad time and I am so grateful Ty gave that time to them. Yes, today we didn't see any butterflies, saw lots of alligators and heard lots of screaming, but it was a good day. I can say that now because all of my littles are tucked into bed and I look at them and I want to freeze them in this moment.

Funny things they say...

Emree

"Mom, I just thought of this! If Jesus is in heaven then we won't have to say our prayers anymore."

"I hate everything about this. Being me is unbelievable."

"Jesse, I love you because you actually helped me pick up my toys tonight" 

Jesse:

"It is not a conversation!" (He meant competition)

"Baby Brighton, say tiger face!" (We were all suggestion small words like dada)

"I loved you mom because you play toys with me."

Baby B

 " dadadadadada"

:)

You're Brave...

Running errands with three little ones always makes for a spectacal. The funniest was a lady who saw me when I was babysitting an extra little one and so I was heading into the grocery store with four little ones five and under. She laughed and joked,"you're either brave or stupid." It made me chuckle. We usually make it through the store these days because there is a little mechanical horse at the end that you can ride for one penny. Worth it every time. In fact, they usually supply the pennies. Even better! 

  We have tried to instill in our kids the concept that you work for money and money buys things. I believe the next lesson will be... Things don't buy happiness. Haha they always want everything in the store, but I guess I can't blame them because so do I. Today Emree asked for some over priced tic tacso. Since when were to tic tacs over a dollar. I gave in and got to watch how much her and Jesse enjoyed every single one. It was pretty cute. He worships the ground em walks on and I know he is going to miss her next week when she starts kindergarten. 

  Anyways, we made it through the store today because I let my kids eat all the grapes and because they were just happy. It was a good day. Although I am always perplexed by how much we spend on groceries each month. I just have little kids I can not imagine how big our bill will be one day. Oh man!

Starting again...

 I use to keep a journal. In high school and while Ty and I were dating, I wrote almost every day. I loved the clarity I got from writing things down and the insight. I am a highly emotional person and taking the time to think through things really benefits me. I also love reading my thoughts back and remembering exactly what I was feeling in the moment. It makes me sad that one day I may forget how Emree fake laughs, how Jesse hates to be left behind or how Brighton lights up when a member of our little family enters the room. I want to remember the great space that Ty and I are in. How supportive we have been of each other and the love that has been extended. I want to remember our adjustment to Michigan and how exciting it is to be in our very own house. How even though sometimes we feel like we have everything we need, other times we are collecting pop cans to get a little extra. I just want to remember the good, the bad, the hard, the fun. I want to live in the now and enjoy our stage in life. 

  So here goes another stage of blogging.  We will see where this one leads. Hopefully somewhere...

Butterfly clips

I got my hair done today. I found the salon via groupon and decided to try it out. It appeared to be normal, but I felt slightly awkward as she highlighted my hair.  As my hair was processing, I tried to seem interested as she showed me all the ways in which one could use butterfly clips. The final touch was the hour she spent doing my hair with the butterfly clips she had just finished telling be about. She performed some scary up-do she called the Taylor swift fo a-line. I tried to hold back the giggles but kinda failed. Let's just say I am super glad I didn't let her cut my hair as well. This is honestly the worst my hair has ever been styled.  

Not a stone...

So now I am using my blog to vent about my health problems and not brag about my children or make fun of them haha. I am sort of just rambling and docummenting ... I went to a uralogists. He was suppose to set up an appointment to blast my kidney stone. Only one problem. He didn't think it was a kidney stone. Didn't really give me any idea of what else it could be. Now I only am suppose to live in Sacramento for two more weeks and I have to figure this all out before I leave. They are going to do an x-ray thinga ma jig (ty would love my medical terms) it will show whether or not the thing they think they are seeing in all the other tests is actually a kidney stone in my ureter or not. From there we scope to blast the stone or scope to figure out what it is. Either way it all sounds sort of terrible. However, my family is coming in one week from today and we find out where we match for residency and my dancers perform the King's game and we are blessing Brighton. Life is sort of crazy!

One Night

Here is a regular night for us these days:

Em and Jesse in bed by 8.

Brighton usually asleep by 10 (we enjoy time with him while the others are muted :))

We crawl into bed by 11.

Brighton up at 3.

Ty up for work at 5.

Brighton up at 6:30

Em and Jesse at 7:30.

They are doing pretty good now I think I just need to go to bed earlier. 

Why are they staring at me...

I had a dr appointment today and had to get a chest x-ray before. Anyways, I was waiting for my x-ray to print and I noticed these two women across the room from me looking at me. They were whispering, but it was definitely about me. It went through my head... What are they thinking? Sometimes I look at people and think they are super pretty and catch myself doing a double take, sometimes the opposite. Hmmm. Then the x-Ray tech  called my name, I grabbed my x-Ray and went to leave. All of the sudden there was a tap on my shoulder. "Excuse me. Your shirt is all rolled up." The lady from across the room got up to tell me. Now, I know what was going through her mind... That poor lady couldn't even get herself dressed right after her x-Ray. Oh well... Maybe next time ;). I am gonna pretend she also thought I was super pretty . 

My kidney stone...

Here goes my terrible tale haha... This is how it all started. First, I had a baby. Then I had blood in my urine that I was unsure about. At first I wasn't sure what it was because I had blood regaurdless, then I figured out this was different. I had to switch doctors around and talk a friend in my ward into seeing me, but log story short... One urine analysis, blood tests, ultra sound and ct scan later I have a 7 mm kidney stone and possible two other really small ones. I have had pain the last two weeks, but not bad. Like a 3 on a pain scale... Sometimes a little worse. So, tomorrow I have an appointment with a uralogist. We are moving in Less than three weeks and I need to get this taken care of while and where I have insurance. I have yet to feel the hurandous pain that everyone says happens with kidney stones... I will keep you posted on that. 

Coke!

So I have a kidney stone. Almost everyone in my family has had one. I feel like it may be a slight rite of passage in becomeing a true Baker, but, anyways, I have one. Now, I am hoping it passes... I drank 1 cup short of two liters of Coke in about an hour and a half and ate a bunch of asparagus. It's supposed to help. My Dad says to just drink tons and tons of water, but the coke sort of just left me feeling like I am going to explode. It might be like those things you try to get you into labor... You just end up miserable and nothing happens anyways. Hmm, this night could be interesting. I will keep you posted on my new experiment. :)

Very Deep Down

Tyler likes to think that deep down I like our three chickens. (That's right, we have chickens). Maybe I do, in a place very very deep down. I do none of the work. They really don 't bother me or make or break my life. I like the free eggs, but I really am not a huge egg fan... Unless they are in cookies or cake. But to be honest they sort of scare me. I won't pick them up and I don't like to feed them.

Jesse is pretty scared of the chickens. He runs from them like they are after him. After realizing the chickens were in the front yard Jesse ran to dad for help. I can hear it now, "Jesse, deep down I think you like our chickens."

Nightmares

Jesse woke up last night in the middle of the night yelling, "Dad, Mom, I need you." You could tell he was upset and so I went into his room and laid next to him. I asked him if he was okay to which he responded that he had lots of scaries. Our conversation went as follows:

Me: "Can you think about anything happy?"

Jesse: "I don't know, what is happy?"

Me: "Like Flowers, or Rainbows." (It was late, I was groggy. I am not sure why those were my suggestions.

Jesse: "Like Icecream, and balloons, and Merrit."

He fell right asleep. He sure loves his friend Merrit :)

Merrit is the one on the left... he is famous in our house.

Plus one these days ...

My new life makes me laugh. Each time I have had a new baby enter our lives I have been reminded that my life is not my own. However, this being the third time that has happened; not only am I reminded, but I have come to the realization that it will never ever be mine and only mine again. I am not disappointed by this, but it has caused me to adjust. For example, when I had Emree I spent so much time in my pjs with out a shower counting down until she was older and I could get things done... This time I always get my shower in. Sometimes they are crying, sometimes they are happy and sometimes the are watching a show, but a girl has got to get clean! 

So as I adjust to being the mother to three... My house may be slightly more dirty and I get very little sleep, but I laugh a lot. Kids are hilarious. Emree told me this week that she wished there was a giant pool with all the people in the world in it. I said, " that would be a lot of people." She responded loud and proud, "yep! But dad could speak Portuguese to them." Why are we in a pool?

Emree turned five on Tuesday, but we celebrated Monday because Ty had the day off. The best part of her birthday was honestly how absloletely excited Jesse was for her. He is a ball of energy and had his 3 year old well exam this week. When the doctor looked at him and said, "good job! You're all done."  He yelled with his hands above his, "yeah! Now I  am going to my best friend Merritt's house." It was adorable.

Brighton sleeps a lot and is starting to coo at us. The kids love love love him and Emree asks me daily of we can have another baby and I say eventually.

Ty and I have a much needed date tonight (plus one). We are always plus one these days. :) 

In the last 48 hours, I have cleaned up projectile vomit from my four, almost five year old who was sick and didn't quite make it to the toilet, squished bananas, squishes apple, squished cherries. Squished crackers from my thee year old who, for some reason thinks food is play dough, and the largest explosive poop ever from my 7 week old. I did 6 loads of laundry, mopped my front room, vaccummed te back, bathed my kids and  changes my shirt. Many other things happened, but the funniest part is we all still went to bed dirty and the house is not that clean. Such is life these days. Glad Ty is only gone for one more day. I need to put him to work :) oh the joys of being a mother of three.

FIRE!

    Our joke this year was that as Mormon's we don't do a lot of what most people would consider crazy things, but on the fourth of July we definitely light things on fire. Boy Scouts always seem to be way too into explosives. Anyways, we had such a great fourth of July. We had to celebrate twice!
   July 3rd: We had a few friends from our ward over to let the kids swim, eat, and do little fireworks in our front yard. Little did we know our friend Jared loves fireworks and bought a ton of stuff for the kids. It was super fun. Emree was brave because she had friends watching her (although she did like to light her sparkler away from everyone else).  Jesse thought the fireworks were AWESOME. True Boy Scout coming your way. He did learn rather quickly to not touch the fire end of the sparkler... we warned him; he tried it anyways.

 On the Actual Fourth of July we headed to Gridley! Our good friends the Nielsens were in town from Vegas and we had to go see them. Plus, Emree worships the ground Scarlet walks on. We had a blast swimming, eating out, playing croquet, and hitting up the Biggs firework show. We seriously had great seats and got there right as it started. Fun day, Good Friends!

It really could not have been a better Fourth. :)

Just a play on words...

Today Jesse wanted some Pirates Booty. He grabbed the bag and our conversation went as follows...

J: "I want Booty!"

Me: "Okay. Do you want it in a bowl?"

J: "No. I want it in a bag."

Me: " You can't have the whole bag. A bowl or a cup."

J: (crying so hard) I don't want it in Boulder's bowl. I want it in my bowl."

It was a pretty funny mix up from my end, but not so funny to Jesse.... Boulder is our dog.

Dentist... HELP!

 I was the proudest little Mommy on Monday! Emree had a Dentist appointment and she could not have behaved better. She sat while I got my cleaning and a little work done and then when it was her turn and she was so brave. She let them take x-rays and count her teeth, brush and do every little step. I was so proud of her because she didn't once throw a fit. BUT and this is a big BUT... she has a cavity and a half (dentist's words not mine). Now I have to take her back next week and try to get her to be brave through a filling and a buckle. I am so sad. Tips and Tricks?

Attention Seeking...

    Parenting is hard. Just when you figure something out it changes. Just when you have your life under control something blows up in your face. Or at least in MY face and it reminds me every single day that I am imperfect. I often get those little yells from Emree, "I wish I lived at Sadie's house!" haha It always makes me giggle because she seems so a head of her time. Sometimes I am tempted to say back, "Me too. Why don't we go drop you off there."
    My most recent realization is that I have a large parenting flaw that needs to be fixed. I tend to give a lot of attention to the child throwing the fit and very little to the child behaving themselves. I have created a lot of negative attention seeking in my home. For example, Preschool Graduation: Emree was the only child who would not participate and stand up there and do what she was suppose to because she wanted me to cuddle her and give her  what she thought may be better attention then participating. Do you have a child that does/ did this? Any ideas? What did you do?

Today I Learned That Emree Took All The Pretty

          Okay, so maybe it was yesterday, but I am just typing it now because our internet was down for the last 24 plus hours. Anyways...

      I was tucking Emree in last night and asking her how her day was. This is always her cue to start stalling for bedtime. Even if she has little to say, she starts making up pretty miraculous stories that go on and on and on and on (you get my point). She gets sad when you cut her off and usually ends up crying. Oh to be three. We had read a princess book last night and in it there was some line about Ms. Potts thinking Belle was the loveliest of them all. That really stuck out to Emree and she said, "Belle isn't the lovliest, every princess is the loveliest." I told her she was right. Then we finished the story and that is when I asked her about her day. She started telling me about how beautiful she was. I stopped her and told her I was beautiful too. She looked at me a little skeptical. Then I told her that everyone was beautiful and had different beautiful things about them. For example, I told her she had beautiful lips, Jesse had beautiful eyes, mommy had beautiful hair (she hates me hair). She stopped me quickly. "I have beautiful eyes, lips, and hair. You might need to find something else."

Wow! Thanks Em.