Homework...

makes me crazy!!!! I don't care if it's for me or for a kid it's horrible any way you slice it. AHHHH! I might not survive Kindergarten...or 1st grade. Then I think about it for the next 12 years. Oh my gosh I'm gonna die! Sad huh...

Wedding Receptions

Have you noticed the WHOLE new dimension kids add to surviving a reception?

Last night we went to one for a guy Stephen grew up with, they were roommates when we were dating and got married, and both their parents still live in the town they grew up in. It was an absolutely gorgeous location!

We arrived 10 minutes early for the ring ceremony so Stephen took the boys exploring a little hogan thing nearby and the surrounding desert. I always love to look at all four boys off in the distance...Daddy, 2 little Mini-Mes aaaaand Lincoln. As it was time to take seats they came tromping back in true little noisy boy fashion. Lincoln looked up at the DJ and asked, "You going to sing?!?" The guy laughed and assured him he was not. Everyone got settled, then Lincoln "can't see Mommy" so up on my lap he went. He was fidgety but decent for most of it. Toward the end he started trying to wander off and got noisy when I pulled him back. The ceremony was being video taped so I whisked him away quickly. As I was heading down the path toward the desert he starts yelling, "Mommy you're hurting me! You're hurting me Mommy! Don't throw me in a cactus!!"

Fortunately there was a little grassy area we could turn them loose in till the food was set out. I'm not sure what they were playing but it involved rolling, summer salts (sp?), and walking like a primate. Lynneah got in on the action too. She's our first baby that has preferred to stay on the grass over cement upon introduction to it. I'm not sure what people thought of the parents that stood there allowing and watching this go on, but I can assure you I was WAY to hot to care.

Dinner was served, Garrett sat down next to me, looked around and said, "Everything is so beautiful! Thanks for making this my treat Mommy." He'd been really fixated on us giving him a treat all day; I guess he decided that was good enough. Stephen was sitting between Lynneah and Lincoln, a few bites into dinner he said, "I don't know how I feel about this arrangement." It's the exact arrangement I sit between at home for EVERY meal...NO sympathy from me. They put huge scoops of food on Gabriel's plate. He declared, "I'm gonna get buff!" A few minutes later he looked at me so pleased and said, "That was a manly burp." Yeah let's keep your manly burps to yourself. Stephen went with Lynneah to visit with the groom and Lincoln kept disappearing....literally into thin air. I'd get up to go hunting for him and find him back at the table. Finally I noticed the sheet with the slide show was moving...a lot. He was running up and slapping and pulling at it. I was not a happy Mommy. The bride's mom pointed out the rocks holding the sheet up; that would be a very quick lesson learned, but a reception is probably not the best place to learn it. We put Lincoln's sparkling lemonade in his sippy cup for the toasts. He'd wait till the clapping and up went the sippy cup.

Then they had the dollar dance. Garrett wanted to do it. We didn't bring our wallets in so we sent him to Grandma. Next thing I see is Garrett holding a treasured dollar with the biggest goofy smile on his face heading to the line. So funny.

As we headed out shortly before 10 the big boys said, "I'm exhausted!" They were visibly tired and had finally settled down into some cuddly little lap-fulls. I told them that means is was a good party. Gabriel said, "It was a good party."

We were just as exhausted, if not more, than the kids. It was good to see a cute couple so happy and beginning their journey together. It made me miss the good ol' days when we were a couple of yuppies just starting out and so uninterruptedly *happy. Ahhhh, that was the life. This morning as I was fighting with kids to get dressed, eat, stop blowing bubbles in their milk, stop yelling, stop hitting, and to not say stupid any more, I thought of the couple...just the two of them on a quiet Sabbath morning...I was jealous.
*We're still happy, not anything even closely related to yuppies any more, and life is definitely more complicated and waaaay harder to navigate now, but we're happy and still love each other. What more could we want?

Back to School

The big boys finished their first full week of school last Friday. What a week!

Gabriel was pretty reserved about his feelings on repeating 1st grade. I decided to sit back and let it play out and see how he did. I'm happy to report that he reported his day as "good" at pick up. (Pick up is a logistic nightmare!!) I can't even begin to describe the improvement in his work so far. He was clamoring to keep up from day 1 last year. His handwriting and ability to complete ANYTHING suffered greatly. He and his teacher were both frustrated because if she questioned him orally he know it all, but try and express any knowledge on paper and he looked like he hadn't learned anything. Heartbreaking all the way around. He's SO much less stressed this year. I can read what he writes and he's been COMPLETING his assignments.

Over the summer he worked with a friend on lots of reading activities and we read and read at home. We were also able to get him back in with his old speech therapist that identified some obscure areas as an underlying issue. She said he was the 3rd kid that had been seen for initial language delay that was now having reading difficulties in early elementary school. Those dang delays rear their ugly head...AGAIN. The extra year to mature has benefited him too. He's become a really good little helper at home and with the little kids. It, also, seems to be helping him socially. He's talking about a variety of kids he's playing with and lots of different activities. I am having to put a stop to him pulling Garrett off the Kindergarten playground to join in with other 1st graders.

I was apprehensive about starting school when we did, then I was apprehensive about passing him the first time, I am no longer unsure about our decision to give 1st another try. He will fully succeed this time. I still feel badly that I didn't/couldn't find the tools we needed in time to prevent it, but considering the year we had, we did the best we could. Now, if we can prevent the current year of crap effecting his schooling, life will be good. He's happy, we're happy, and that will foster success. He asked if we could hold him back till he and Garrett were in the same grade. HA! No way.


Garrett finally got to go to school too. He's been anxiously waiting for two years now. We got him all ready and he was off and running...er wandering. The first few days we dropped him off at the classroom. The second day he went in then I came in right after to give the teacher the classroom supplies. He was no where to be seen. I talked to her for a couple minutes and, still, no where. She went looking for him and found him wandering in the common area between several classrooms. Yeah, kids aren't supposed to be there.

I'd pick him up and ask, "What did you learn about today?" "I don't know!" (incredulously) I'd pry with a few more open ended questions and get information on maybe two activities. Funny boy. He thought the "snake that squeezes it's prey to death AND then eats it" was pretty cool. The librarian has lots of cool critters for the kids to look at and learn about. I can always tell when he's just finished PE because that poor head of his is SO sweaty.

The first day he came home with a paper that was supposed to have his name on it. Scribbles was all he wrote. I questioned him about it and he said, "Well, I'm not good and circles." Nice try bud. I explained that when we don't do our work right we do it again at home. Gabriel is very experienced in this and chimed in with a "YEAH". He's been writing his name for over a year, so we fixed it and he's continued writing it.

His first behavior report came home and he'd gotten a yellow light for excessive talking and a RED light for wrestling in the classroom. Seriously!?! Wrestling!?! I told him he has to have red light consequences for it. Gabriel was, also, able to explain those well when Garrett asked him about it. ;-)

I checked in with the teacher to see if he was listening in class. She said not at all, but the time it took him to tune in was getting shorter. Nice. She also mentioned that despite that he was learning and catching the things he needed.

He can't seem to get his lunch box in the basket waiting for it at the end of the table...grrr. As I hunted for his lunch box that last time time I ran into her again. She asked if I needed anything. I explained what I was doing and that I hoped he'd tuned into the world at large soon. She smiled and said, "he is quite the wanderer." He's the one she loses from the line when they go anywhere. He's a smart kid, he'll get it eventually, but in the meantime...


He did a good job of playing with other kindergarteners when I told him he needs to play with kids in his grade more. I don't want him to band into a little trouble making duo with his brother.

He hasn't started getting homework packets yet, but is super excited to start when they do come.


Pick up has been tough. Not only does Lincoln fall asleep on the way and ruin his nap EVERY day, but the boys have to be picked up on opposite sides of the school at the same time. Garrett is supposed to get out 5 minutes earlier, but they never make it out first. Gabriel's teacher is incredibly prompt at getting her class out. I didn't know what to do. Gabriel's teacher knew I had a conflict and tried to come up with ideas to help me out, but they didn't work out either. I have a friend from college with a first grader in a different class. She picks up Gabriel and holds onto him till I get Garrett and can get to the other side of the school. Crazy! I guess as long as we all make it home with the right number and right kids all will be well. ;-D

Redefining Two

That little Lincoln of ours is quite the piece of work...I blame his Dad...I was an absolute angel at all times. After our 4 day get away my mom told me that Lincoln has redefined two...she had a blast. :-/

This is the first time I've had a kid start to talk on time; which also means, this is the first time I've had insight into the inner workings of the 2 year old mind...scary.


Gabriel and Garrett have deemed themselves "Official Junior Parents". Fun.

Often the big boys are called down off their parenting high horses with, "(Fill in the name) YOU are not a parent."

A couple days ago I decided to brave Wal Mart since I only had the two little kids in tow. Lincoln was screeching and being obnoxious enough it still felt like all four of them were with me. I finally looked him square in the eye and said through gritted teeth, "Lincoln! No. More. Screaming!!"

That boy looked right back at me and declared (loudly) "You not parwent!"

He strongly disagreed when I let him know that actually YES I am the parent.



Any time he sees someone kissing he'll look at me and yell, "Oh GROSS!" Or if he sees a girl on the TV he'll say, "Ew a girlo."

Any chance he gets to climb on anything that can be climbed on he will. Every time I come out of the bathroom or out from laying Lynneah down, or doing anything that has him out of sight for 2 seconds that darn kid has climbed up to the counter and grabbed anything he could. He ate 4 bananas in one day. I'll spare you the details of how that turned out. I caught him with sharpie pens and pencils to "write my letters" with. I caught him just in time tearing into the jelly beans we've been bribing with to use the potty. Stephen's gotten to share in the joy too. I had a week long headache that would not go away. I finally had Stephen pick up a Dr Pepper to drink with some Tylenol...wouldn't you know Stephen busted him sucking that stuff down as fast as he could. That was a super fun night!


He loves swimming!! As we drove home during our only decent monsoon storm to hit he would look at the wash running and say, "You blow a bubbles?" Hmmm, not in that nasty water...


I'm very passionate about my parking spaces...they must always be under a tree. I will walk from a farther distance if it means parking under a tree. Stephen just thinks it's weird, so every time we'd go anywhere as a family Stephen will say, "A tree! A tree!" Now Lincoln responds back, "Park a unda it!" Yeah he's got my back.


His new ploy to keep me from selling him to the gypsies is to play nicely till about 11 am then become the cling-0n of the century while begging to cuddle. By then this house is getting nice and steamy with all the humidity so I sit my lazy self down and cuddle him while watching Mickey Mouse. I know not productive on any level but at least he will cuddle me. Lynneah will have nothing to do with anything that could even be construed as cuddling.

I ripped this off from the masterpiece about Pioneers a friend posted. It's a pretty good summary of life right now...

I have confidence that we'll make it and survive just like we did last time, but that doesn't make it any easier. Sometimes life just.....stinks.....a lot.



Elder Ballard said “We all face Rocky Ridges with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon. Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Occasionally we reach the top of one summit in life, as the pioneers did, only to see more mountain peaks ahead, higher and more challenging than the one we have just traversed.”


It is at the very moment we think we cannot take another step, that we so desperately need to “Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that [we] must build [our] foundation. That when the devil shall send forth his mighty wind, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon [you], it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless woe, because of the rock upon which ye are built which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build, they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

Thanks for posting this Jodi, it did me good.

Gabriel: (holding the coyote mask he'd made) "Roar! (making his body twitch around) I have rabies."
Lincoln: "Dad, I want wabies!"


Lincoln: (while sitting at the pool watching swim lessons) "I want to be naked!!"
Mom: "Not at the pool, only at home." *Monsoon, swamp cooler, we ALL want to be naked!*
Lincoln: (sadly) "Oh ok."


Gabriel: "Me too"
Lincoln: "Me too"
Garrett: "Me one"
Lincoln: "Me one"
Garrett: "No, you're me too"
Lincoln: NO! Me one!"

Just a Snapshot for me to Remember...

Lincoln has walking issues. He trips, and trips, and trips, and trips some more. He also has a BIG head. Often when he trips his head is so big he can't fight the force pulling it down to the ground and thump it hits. Every time we see him going it's like a slow motion train wreck...try as you might there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Yesterday Stephen was changing the fuel filter on the truck while Lincoln was messing around on the driveway. Next thing I know, Gabriel comes tearing through the house saying, "Dad says come quick!" I was up to my elbows in Lynneah's poopy diaper and couldn't go. I finished as fast as I could and came out to a screeching Lincoln with an ice pack on his forehead. He'd hit the driveway HARD. (have a picture but the computers are still messed up so maybe later) After he'd settled down and we were finished icing it he came back and wanted ice again ie it hurt bad. Poor kid must have had an awful headache and fussed and cried the rest of the day.

Later that night Stephen asked, "Did you get an owie?"

Lincoln responded, "Yeah! I got SUPER bonk!"

A while ago the big boys were really into sharks for a couple of days. We were all loading up in the van while Stephen was talking to Garrett about sharks. Next thing I hear from Stephen is, "Huh, Gabriel, sharks have armpits under their fins." Gabriel looked at him with a glint in his eye and said, "NOOO (with all the 'come on you should know this stuff' he could muster) they have finpits!" Garrett jumped in with a "yeah finpits!" And it was settled Dad was wrong and Gabriel and Garrett were right...

Lynneah is SO hard to get feeding figured out for. Every time I get her up to eating food three times a day she starts puking. So I take her back to plain milk till she stops flinging puke all over my house, then try it again. I can handle poop, pee, spit up, and blood, I even have to pull the teeth, but puke is just something I don't do well with...ever. I'm still pumping for her because it's the one thing that's guaranteed to go down and stay down. I can't even begin to describe how tired of pumping I am. She's 8 months old now, that's a looooong time to have a pump fed baby. I just want to quit some days but then what would I do when she starts puking again. Just a few more months till she's one. That's the deadline for her coming to grips with eating something with a bit of body to it. She's getting cut off on her 1st birthday. Hopefully the GI will have some ideas at her upcoming follow up.

She's an official sitter now, and so much happier being able to play that way. She even plays on her tummy now for more than 2 seconds. I've caught her pushing up or all the way up on her knees trying to figure out how to go forward. She wants to crawl and be mobile something fierce! Rolling, on the other hand, is not something she'll even attempt to do. She prefers laying on the floor crying her eyes out till someone finally gives in and turns her over.

Stubborn that girl is...I'm pretty sure it's from her Daddy. Stubborn is good too because that's what kept her fighting for every breath till we clued in to the fact that something was very wrong. She wants to be held ALL DAY, but NOT cuddle, just be held. We've got our work cut out for us with her. Good thing she's so darn cute.

Something I was never going to do was let myself go. Well lemme tell ya I'm one let go, tired, hag now. Anytime I'm even a little bit dressed up Garrett comes in and says, "Wow! Mommy I love yours beautiful clothes!" It's sweet. 95% of my wardrobe consists of solid, dark colored tops and slacks that go with them for work. B O R I N G ! So if I come out in something that's printed he's even more excited. Someday when I have a closet big enough for a work wardrobe and a "fits my personality" wardrobe he's gonna be one happy boy every time I get ready.

He's in kinder camp this summer. A professor of early literacy is running it. I like her and he likes it a lot. The first session ended today. She sent home a little evaluation thing. Apparently he's got an extensive vocabulary that's being interpreted as "snotty" by the other kids. She mentioned tact is a very difficult thing to teach and learn but critical to social development. Awesome. I've got the beginnings of an intellectual snob. I totally agree that tact is hard to learn and critical, so I'll get more specifics and we'll start working on it. No intellectual snobs allowed. You can be a genius but by dang better not make others feel less because of it. She did say in general he's well liked by the others in class. I asked him if he talks nice to his friends in class. He said, "Yeah, but sometimes I fall in love with Angelina." That boy had the biggest goofy smile on his face ever while he talked about her. He's talking more and more about the stuff they're learning every day. As long as he's kept busy he's happy and well behaved. The second he gets bored is when he comes up with something to keep himself busy with...