Really, March?

It’s March. I can hardly believe it. The last 3 months have flown by. Literally. Life has been absolutely crazy so I am going to do the best I can to fill in since the last time I blogged. WARNING... this is mostly a journaling post for my own records so feel free to just scroll down to the pictures at the bottom.  Sorry some of them are so blurry, they're from my crappy camera phone, I need to get the decent ones off of Matt's.  And yes, I am a terrible mother at taking pictures.

I’ve learned a lot about life the last 6 months. Sad as it is, I truly learn by making mistakes. This is not necessarily a bad thing; there are lots of things I wish I hadn’t done, but I also realize that I wouldn’t learn had I not done them, so as bad as life gets, I know it’s a blessing in disguise.

I am really bad at following advice given by other people. I listen, but I don’t act. My dad has told me more than once, “do as I say, not as I do.” I’m slowing learning why he says that. I am striving to truly obey the advice given to me, coming from those who know.

I’m also grateful I’m learning these things while I am young so I can overcome them and while my kids are young so they don’t remember them :).

That being said… I couldn’t be more grateful for the blessings I have. Moving away from family (even just an hour), watching the faith and example of an inspiring sister-in-law who we almost lost in November, and raising my own three children has more than made me realize how truly blessed I am.

Last week I was at church with my parents. It was their ward conference. The bishop gave a talk on family and the ward family. My parents ward is HUGE. I don’t know how you could possibly ever know everyone. That’s beside the point. The talk really touched me. I’ve always been close to my family. I know what it’s like to have family you can trust with anything and depend on for anything. Never have I felt as much a part of a ward family as I do now. I cannot list the kind thoughts, words, deeds and prayers that have been offered on my family’s behalf. I have friends and neighbors I KNOW would do anything for us and bonds that I never knew could be so strong outside the immediate family. Although I wish and hope that we’ll be able to move back to Cache Valley soon, it will be bitter-sweet when the day comes that I have to leave my ward. Thank you will never be enough… I only hope that someday I can pass on the favors to someone else who stands in need.

Bailee
Is already 3 months old! She is my little chunker. At her two month check up she was in the 35% for weight and height. My other kids have always been in the 5-10% for weight and 60-90% for height. If she's not sleeping, she's eating. She is full of grins and such an easy going baby. It took her forever to smile at me. She started smiling at her dad in mid-January. It took a whole week before she'd smile at me. She got her ears pierced last weekend, they look adorable! She's finally starting to like the tub, but still prefers to shower. She is not a big fan of binkys, but has recently discovered her thumb. Adorable right now... probably not so much in a year when I can't take it away. I'm hoping that fatuation ends soon. She loves her swing and really hates to be held by her sister. Probably because she won't just sit still. She has to move her all around and jig her. Someday they'll be best friends :) Most nights she'll go to bed around 8 and only wake up once around 4 or 5. Occassionaly she'll sleep for 9 hours. That makes mommy happy :)

Cole
Is my tender heart child. He has been sick since Thanksgiving. I took him to instacare in mid-January for a runny nose and cough that wouldn't go away. He sent me to an ENT who strongly recommended he have his tonsils out and tubes put in. Brooke has been so healthy since having hers out I didn't hesitate at all to agree He had surgery February 18th. It went well, there was A LOT of fluid built up. The doctor thinks he probably couldn't hear very well because of it. They brought him out of the operating room sobbing. The next two days don't get much better. He constantly wants to be held and crys. I was super sick when we did it, so knowing Matt was going to be working long hours, I decide to come up and stay at my mom's for some help. We arrive Sunday night and the first thing my mom notices is that Cole is breaking out in hives. He's having an allergic reaction to the pain medication and I have to stop giving it to him. He is miserable and doesn't sleep at all for 2 nights. We go home Tuesday and he has another few rough days but is finally starting to improve and act himself. Another week goes by and he's almost back to normal.

The kids and I come up to Logan to spend the night again, pick up our car (which has been in the shop more often than not since we bought it!), and let Matt study for his 2nd CPA exam. My mom is changing Cole's diaper and notices that he has a swollen testicle. I decide I better get it checked out and take him to the doctor this morning. It is a hernia. The doctor tells me I need to watch him very carefully for the weekend and if he starts experiencing pain he needs to go straight to the ER. Otherwise, I need to take him in Monday for repair surgery. Ugh. While I'm there I decide to have him look at his ear's which are still draining fluid. The right ear, which is still oozing looks great. He can't find a tube in the left ear. Great.

I debate and debate who should do the surgery and finally end up just taking him to a general surgeon in Layton because he is the only one who can get me in on such short notice. He confirms what Dr. Odell said but tells me he isn't comfortable performing the surgery because Cole is so little and strongly recommends I take him to Primary Children's. Our appointment there was today and luckily it is not as serious as Dr. Odell made it sound. He will still have to have surgery, but unless he is in screaming pain, it is not going to cause any more damage than it already has. The surgery is scheduled for March 11.

I also took him back to the ENT who can't see the tube in his ear either, but says its because there is so much drainage in the ear. This means there must be a tube in there because it wouldn't be draining so much without and I have to take him back to them in a week.

Besides all the medical problems, he is learning so much. He now knows all his colors, although he occassionally still gets red and green mixed up. His favorite thing to do it put together an alphabet puzzle we got for Christmas. He knows most of the letters (well animals) in order now. He is also starting to try to write his name (mostly because Brooke does). He loves to play baseball with his dad.

Brooke
Has been a terror since she started going to a sitter. She does not deal well with change. Luckily, since I've been home the last couple of weeks things have been a lot better. She goes to preschool twice and week and tells us that she can't remember what she learned. But... I catch her singing little songs that she learned all the time and occassionaly she'll repeat something she learned at preschool. She also pretends she doesn't know how to write her name, but when no one is paying any attenion I've seen her do it several times. She will now do the B and r when asked but pretends she doesn't know the rest.

She will be 4 in a couple weeks. Crazy. She loves being a big sister and trys to be helpful, although Bailee doesn't appreciate it. One day I was in my room laying by Cole on the bed and I heard Bailee scream. Brooke had taken her out of her swing, put her in the walker, and then dropped her while trying to get her out of the walker. Luckily Bailee was ok and Brooke hasn't tried that one again... yet.

She enjoys playing with Cole and had a hard time when he was so sick from his tonsils. She didn't get why he wouldn't play with her. She would be a really bad only child. She also loves Primary and keeps asking for her own scriptures, I just need to make a trip to the store to get them for her.

Last Sunday, Cole and I both got blessings and after she was giving her baby a blessing. Matt explained to her that girls can't give blessings. A little while later I went into the bathroom and she and Cole were playing in my mom's spare bedroom. I peeked in on them and she was instructing Cole how to give the baby a blessing and telling him what to say. It was pretty cute.

Bobbie
I was scheduled to go back from my maternity leave Jan. 11th. I was dreading going back, didn't have a babysitter for Bailee, had been contemplating not going back at all, but the truth is, we still really needed the money and I couldn't just quit without having something else lined up. I was searching for something I could do from home.

The first week in January, I was offered a job that was supposed to consist of 8-9 weeks of training and then I was supposed to be able to work from home. I was thrilled and immediately quit my job in Ogden. The first week of training we were told that it was actually only going to be 5 weeks and then we'd be home. Great! Well, 5 weeks passed and we were told we'd have to stay a few more. The few more soon turned into a few more and I was beyond frustrated. We couldn't get a straight answer from anyone and they just keep telling us we could go home sometime in March.

When Cole got his tonsils out, they wouldn't give me anytime off and I was getting to the point that I didn't know if I could take it anymore. After doing our taxes and realizing that we could probably get by for a couple months without me having a job, I was strongly considering quitting. Then the whole hernia episode happened and there was no question. I really think it was the Lord's way of telling me I need to be home with my children.

I have still been applying to jobs like crazy. I have to have an income to make ends meet... thats a story for another day... but I also know I need to be home with my kids. I am trying my hardest to have faith that the Lord will help us find a way to do it. I was offered an incredible job yesterday that I really wanted to take. It was the first time I've considered going back anywhere full-time and its made me realize that even though I want to be home with my kids, in its own way it is a sacrifice. Hopefully someday I'll get another opportunity.

I have gained such a testimony of what it means to be a mom. I didn't realize until I went back to work what a difference in makes in our home when I am home with my kids. I am more patient and we are all happier. I am working hard right now at being a better mom and doing more things to bring the spirit into our home. I have completely limited my kid's TV time and am trying to find other things for them/us to do.

There is a girl who's blog I read who is the cutest little mom and such a great example. Her kid's are angels and I want to be more like her! Anyway... she recommended reading the book "The Power of Positive Parenting" so I ordered it and have been reading it. I am really trying hard to cut all the negative, yelling, and punishing out of our home. Its going to be a long road, but I hope that it works. My mom made a comment to me one night that yelling and getting mad at me certainly never worked so maybe I should try something different. I think she had a point, I've just got to teach myself how to have more patience and be more positive.

I also ordered a children's Book of Mormon that we are going to start reading every night together and I'm planning on getting the older 2 little blue books with the pictures to put in them. I'd love any other suggestions anyone has for things they do with their kids. I want my kids to know what the Spirit feels like when its in our home and I think if we can all recognize it more we will all be more happy.

Matt
Life revolves around work. The poor guy is still working crazy hours at KPMG, although its not as bad as it was in October/November. He has passed the first of 4 CPA exams, is waiting to hear bac k if he passed the 2nd, and is scheduled to take the 3rd in May.

Once he is done with his CPA he may start applying for jobs in Cache Valley and hopefully fnd something so we can move back in the next couple years.

He plays church ball whenever he can and helps out as much as he can with his Elder's Quorm duties. Other than that, he's pretty much always at work.

We miss him like crazy, but hopefully we can just get through the next little while so he can get a job and be home with us more.

Pierced Ears

Sucking her thumb

More often than not, this is how Bailee looks when Brooke holds her.

Occassionally they do cute things like this :)

3 Months