Easter 2011

It was a good Easter.  Well except for "the fall". Church was wonderful, as it always is on Easter, but as we were getting ready to go Jayden is lost and when he finally finds me he is sobbing so I'm trying to console him as Maddox makes a beeline out the door and into the parking lot.  I took off after him and as soon as I got on the concrete I slipped and fell.  Not a graceful fall, but a 33 week pregnant, spread eagle, skinned up knees, slow motion, dress flying up, exposing my undergarments to the entire parking lot, indecent exposure kind of fall.  How do you recover from that, well, ya don't. There were no holes to climb into and cry, so instead I tried my best to hide behind a 5 inch tree trunk and pretend to scold Maddox while I waited for everyone to leave.  Of course there had to be the one decent man that stuck around long enough to make sure I was okay.  I apologized for the image that will forever be burned in his retnas and hope I never see him again. Anyways, back to Easter.....I always stress the whole week before any holiday about the food, the presents, traditions, ya know all the "creating memories to last a lifetime" stuff. This Easter was no different but looking back I feel like everything turned out just the way I wanted it to.  We tried some new techinques with the Easter Egg dying which the kids thought were great, it even kept Jayden engaged the entire time which is a miracle in itself.  Maddox managed to crack every single egg with his "snapper catcher" so our egg salad sandwiches afterwards had hues of blue and pink in it, compliments of Na Na. 

Last year we had 4 Easter egg hunts back to back to back to back. It was a bit much.  This year I was glad (but the kids felt like they got the shaft) when we only had our neighborhood egg hunt and BBQ.  We really have lucked out to have such great neighbors.  Maddox got really into it this year and exceeded his 15 eggs per kid limit.

After 8 Easters we still haven't found "our" tradition when it comes to the EB.  Sometimes he hides the baskets and we have a scavenger hunt, sometimes he throws candy around the room, sometimes he hides eggs.  He's a rather confused Easter Bunny.  This year I found this idea on family fun where you make a yarn maze throughout the house using a different color for each kid and they have to follow it until they find where their basket is hidden.  Jason was concerned one of the kids would wake up in the middle of the night, trip on the yarn and break an arm.  Sometimes traditions have to trump safety so I convinced him that there was no way the kids were going to wake up.  3 AM finds Jayden standing by the side of our bed. He was a little disoriented that he had to climb through a gigantic spider web to find us, but the good news is no casualties were reported.  The kids thought it was pretty fun, so maybe this will finally be the tradition we settle on.

I love Easter brunch outside.  Well I guess this would fall under the category of breakfast not brunch considering they woke up at like 6:00 so by 8:00 there was nothing left to do but eat.

Today I definately fit the "in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant" stereotype.  I spend way too long and way too much money planning big feasts on the holidays.  It's a good thing too since all Jayden ate was 5 rolls and 2 bites of roast while Kylie drank half the gravy out of the dish with a little roast and watermelon on the side. They didn't even touch the other 4 side dishes I slaved away making. Sigh.

I did like looking out the kitchen window while I was cooking and seeing them laughing and playing so good together.  Usually I get so upset because the unspoken (and sometimes loudly spoken) rule about no fighting on the holidays gets completely ignored.  This time I think they got the hang of it, there was hardly any fighting and they both pitched in and helped so much (the site of my swollen feet may have been enough to scare them straight and realize they better help before I explode). Kylie even begged to do laundry, she thought it was so fun.  I know, right?? I wonder how long it will take before she realizes laundry is of the devil.

We had a simple yet spiritual FHE, which is my favorite part of the holiday. We always do a little testimony meeting and I love hearing what's in their hearts. What a blessing it is to have each one of these kids in our family and I'm always grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the atonement. It was a good note to end the evening on (along with about 3 slices of carrot cake). Happy Easter!

Vitamin D

This lets me know that summer is right around the corner. I don't know why I even bother mopping from May thru September.

While the rest of the states are still shoveling snow from their sidewalks, we are just trying to pack in as much outside time as we can before the inevitable heat forces us to become hermits for the next 6 months.

 Jason is convinced that Maddox will be swimming by the end of the summer.  I'm not as confident, but I do know how those Young boys operate once they get their mind set on something. I guess only time will tell who will win this bet.

after deciding to be supermom last year with our summer of fun, I got totally burned out in the craft department. I'm starting to feel recovered so we cracked open the container of Plaster of Paris again to make this Easter egg chalk.  Kylie used it to cover the entire sidewalk path with the lyrics to "Baby, Baby".

I took the kids garage sale-ing with me and Jayden had his heart set on this 50 cent skate ramp.  He was so excited to come home and try it (and insisted on the full safety gear for the event) and was crushed when it flopped after Jason told him it was a ramp for toy skateboards.  Not to worry, he found plenty of other treasures to spend his life savings on, all of which I'm certain will be in the donation pile in one month tops.  Including a $5 toy plane.  Seriously, who charges $5 for a toy plane at a garage sale and who pays $5 for a toy plane at a garage sale? That would be Jayden. 

I love seeing Jayden play in his cute little uniform. He had some great hits and plays and it's fun to see him improving each year. I don't love how hot it is.  I don't love that all of their games are around 3 PM and in a month we'll be sweating puddles. And I especially don't love that the bathrooms are too far so I have to pack along Maddox's little potty and set up a temporary bathroom in the back of the car. We took about 10 trips back to the car and each time Maddox would get there and say "just toot-toots, try again next time!" I finally drug that little potty right next to our chairs and he took a dump right there in the privacy of the sport umbrella, only a few feet upwind from innocent spectators. No shame. Definately one of my more memorable white trash moments.

Whitey tighties

I have been dying to cover these little buns in whitey tighties for quite some time now.  Considering I haven't changed a dirty diaper in six days (granted I have steam cleaned my carpets, couches, washed sheets and mopped up pee), I think it's safe to say this tooshie is a diaper free zone. Jayden thought it was disgusting that I was taking pictures of his bum, but it is the cutest thing ever and I can hardly refrain from pinching it every second of the day.  And really, that bed head hair definately has a rockstar quality about it.

I promise I won't say "THE END", but you know I'm thinking it.

Three for three

Three teeth in three days, if I didn't know any better I would think that Jayden was trying to manipulate the toothfairy.  Well, I do know Jayden and I do know better and I think that's exactly what he's doing because he has his eye on a new lego set. His first tooth was really loose, but the next two were barely starting to wiggle.  He went to work on them and by the nights end they were out and he had a crisp new dollar bill

under his pillow.  I'm the first to admit, I don't do teeth.  The blood, the cracking roots, just ewww. Since Jason was gone for 2 of the teeth pulling sessions Kylie was nice to step up to the plate.  She was so calm and reassuring, "just one more little tug, I promise it won't hurt". That's what big sisters are for.  To make up for the mom's shortcomings, right?  The arrival of the toothfairy always brings up the age old question, is the toothfairy real?  Which always leads to the bigger question, is Santa Clause real?  Kylie has been bugging me about this for quite awhile (Jayden tends to go with the "don't bite the hand that feeds you theory". As long as he gets presents he doesn't really care where it comes from). I finally told Kylie. I thought she would be crushed, but instead she was so giddy with excitement that she finally knows the answer to one of life's biggest mysteries. I guess they have to grow up sometime.

he had just gotten out of the bathtub where he had sat for the past hour working on his tooth, so no this is not his new hairstyle.

Conference

I always enjoy conference.  I don't particularly always enjoy watching it with the kids, though.  It is sometimes such a battle trying to get them to sit and watch, they're constantly complaining about being bored and we all get a little stir crazy after 2 straight days.  This time was different (granted we did record conference from Saturday and are slowly but surely getting through it, so there was really only one day that they had to sit), the kids found things to keep them entertained and quiet and we lasted the entire 4 hours without a single fight or complaint.  We had a nice big brunch in between sessions and it was such a pleasant day (although after 5hr & 45 min in a hot stuffy house in our stinky pajamas we all had reached our max and had to get out for a family bike ride).  I love the spirit that conference brings into our home and I love the renewed energy it gives me to be a better wife, mother and person. What a blessing it is to have a living prophet, he is so inspired and so endearing.  And Richard G. Scott....love that man.  Was his talk not the sweetest thing?? I love the way they talk about their wives with such love and admiration.   

Jayden woke up that morning determined to rebuild a Star Wars ship that he got for Christmas 2 years ago.  Do you know how hard it is to find every single little piece in the massive lego pile?  I don't, but Jason does.  It likes finding a needle in a hastack.  But true to Jayden's character (and Jason's), once he puts his mind to something he doesn't stop until he accomplishes it. 

 6 hours later....

I printed off every single one of the 30 pages from the conference activity packet. That made Jason happy.  Especially when Kylie only did 2 of them, but they did keep her entertained for quiet some time.

She said she wanted me to teach her how to crochet a flower.  She did this one all by herself and then came up with this cute hippy headband idea.  She was so excited about it that she made a few and couldn't wait to make some for her friends and wear them to school.  That lasted one day and then by Monday she decided she didn't like it anymore.  Welcome to the world of an 8 year old girl.  It drives me crazy the way she is dying for a certain shirt, pants, shoes, anything and then once I buy it for her she wears it once and decides she doesn't like it anymore. I can't say I've never done that before either, I guess it's a girl's perogative. You change your mind, like a girl changes clothes.....

30 weeks

It's about time this belly made a debut on the blog. With Maddox I did a belly shot every single month (bare belly too, mind you), after 4 years I felt like I was pregnant for my first time all over again. With this one I feel like I birthed Maddox just last month and the novelty of a round belly has worn off quickly.  In some ways 10 weeks still feels like soooo far away.  10 more weeks of tossing and turning all night. 10 more weeks of heartburn. 10 more weeks of pretending like I can fit into my clothes because I have a severe aversion to maternity clothes. 10 more weeks of grunting every time I bend over. 10 more weeks of emotional meltdowns....but at the same time 10 weeks seems soooo close. Only 10 more weeks of only 3 kids. Only 10 more weeks before I'm up every 2 hours. Only 10 more weeks of eating whatever I want and not having to suck in.  Only 10 more weeks until I have to start thinking about getting back into shape. Only 10 more weeks before I can no longer blame those emotional meltdowns on pregnancy.  And in 10 more weeks I will no longer have to stare at that ultrasound picture hanging on my fridge and wonder what he will look like. In 10 weeks (maybe sooner? hopefully sooner?) I'll get to hold this little man for the first time and I seriously can not wait to meet him.  I'm having such mixed emotions because we are 99% sure this is going to be the last.  I'm excited and sad to never be pregnant again and I am excited to never go through labor again but so sad to never have that moment where you get to hold your baby for the first time again.  I spent all day going through Kylie's old clothes.  Being the extreme opposite of a pack rat, I thought I would be so excited to get rid of the clutter and extra boxes so I was surprised at how emotional it was.  They're not just clothes, they're memories.  The outfit she wore home from the hospital, what she wore when she took her first step, what she wore on her first birthday and so many adorable dresses that I have been anxious to have another little girl to wear. But there are definately advantages of moving on to the next stage of life, so for now I'll just have to focus on those.  As far as names go, I'm really pushing for Ryder.  I think Jason likes it more than he'll admit.  He can't come up with anything better, I just think he has commitment issues.  I'll probably wait until I'm in labor when he's overcome with sympathy of watching me push out his 4th child, then I'll convince him that Ryder it is. Anyways...here's to hoping these next 10 weeks just fly right by!

Maiden voyage

Most people have been dreading the heat wave, breaking 100 degrees in March is enough to make anyone cringe, but not Jason.  This has been the longest winter in history as he has been counting down the months to lake season. 6 months, 3 wakeboards, 2 tubes, 5 life jackets, 1 annual national park pass, 1 wakeboard tower plus install, 1 new battery, 1 thorough tune up and more money than I even want to know, it is officially here.  Jason was so giddy the night before we went, he seriously could not sleep.  I haven't seen him this excited since the Chinatown noodle shop. I've been giving him a hard time about how much this little hobby has been costing, but after seeing how much fun we had then secretly I'll admit it was worth every penny.  It's also no lie that I think Jason looks super cute on the wakeboard.  We were reminiscing with the kids about the good old days when Jason and I fell in love on the boat.  We had hung out that summer and when we went with friends to the lake on Labor Day we totally hit it off.  We kissed that night and were inseperable ever since.  Kylie could not get over the fact that we kissed before we were married, let alone before we were even in love.  Now she doesn't believe a single thing I've said about not kissing boys.  Speaking of Kylie, the poor girl had a traumatic event.  When we were done on the lake she ran to the bathroom while we were cleaning up the boat.  It had been a while and I had assumed she had gone back to the car.  Jason asked where she was when he didn't see her in the car and all of the sudden I hear this faint banging on the bathroom door.  We run over there and poor Kylie is sobbing, the deadbolt was stuck and she had been trapped for maybe 10 minutes.  It wouldn't be quite as bad if it was a normal bathroom, but it was a tiny cement outhouse that was not only sweltering hot, but add the fact that human waste had been marinating in the 100 degree temperatures in there and it was pretty much the worst place ever to get trapped (my extreme claustrophobia is making my heart pound for her just thinking about it).  Jason ran to find help and some nearby good samaritans went crazy with some hammers and tools. They had nearly demolished the lock when 3 sherriff cars pulled up with a key (it must have been a slow day for them).  She had quite the audience when she finally got out all covered in sweat and tears.  The poor girl, it broke my  heart.  It made me happy when she told me that she had said a prayer.  I tried turning it into a spiritual moment telling her that dad and I were prompted to find her right then.  She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "no, I started praying waaaaay before that!" It all ended well and I know Heavenly Father really was watching out for her. Besides the dramatic ending, we had such a fun day and can't wait to fill our summer with many more lake trips.

Me and my two babies.  This is for reals how fast we were going the whole time. Between Jason's freakishly protective nature when it comes to the little fetus and having Dr. Herrera on board, there was no fun allowed.  Maddox finally asked to get back on the boat because I think he was bored.  Man, I am pasty white. Being married almost 12 years gives Jason the liberty to remind me ever so lovingly just how blinding white I am.