2nd Grade

Today was Caitlyn's first day of 2nd grade.  She had a hard time adjusting to 1st grade in a new school last year, so I have been a little nervous about how this year would go.  She hasn't seemed nervous and even fell asleep quickly last night.  She got right up this morning and was frustrated that she had to wait so long to go to school.

My mom was wonderful and came over this morning to stay with the other kids so I could take Caitlyn into her class and just be able to focus on her this morning.

I kept waiting for the nerves to hit, but they never did.  She went right into class and said goodbye to me with no problem. I think having a lot of familiar faces in her classroom really helped.  I also think the adjustment to full day was rough last year.  This year she is ready for a full day.  She was getting pretty bored at home.

She has two teachers, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  She said they are both really nice and she loves school.  What a relief.  Now let's just hope this keeps up.  If I know my kids are happy my day goes much better!

Where did my newborn go?

Hallee is growing and changing so fast.  She no longer looks like a newborn.  She is getting chubbier and longer every day.  I can't believe how quickly they change.  Sometimes I get really anxious about how quickly time passes and how quickly my children grow up.  That is the reason I stay current on this blog.  It seems to ease my anxiety to keep this record that I can read over whenever I want.  I can't believe how quickly I forget things that I am sure I will never forget.  I only wish I would have started this when Caitlyn was born. 

She gave me one of her first real smiles this week.  It was so sweet.  She isn't our best sleeper and she showed off her adorable, big smile after a particularly frustrating night.  She is a smart girl, she knew I needed that.  Once or twice she has slept for four or five hours, but usually she is up every three hours.  After I feed and change her and get back to sleep myself I don't end up getting more than an hour or two at a time.  Oh well, that is price I pay to enjoy my newborn. 

Jonah loves to hold her and asked if it could be his good consequence for behaving one day.  I can handle that!  We went to back to school night this week and Jonah was able to meet his teacher.  He has been a lot less nervous since then, so I'm glad about that.  I think he might have a little crush on her.  She is a very cute, young teacher.  Jonah likes girls and talks about getting married more than any other little boy since my brother Gary! I take comfort in the fact that Gary turned out so well!

Caitlyn will have two teachers this year.  One in the morning and one in the afternoon.  We asked someone that works at the school today and she said they are both wonderful.  She didn't get to meet them at back to school night, but she doesn't seem too nervous.  I'm really hoping she adjusts well and doesn't cry for the first few weeks like last year. 

Hallee is such a cutie.  She is pretty fussy in the evenings still, but that is usually the only time.  Keith started his new shift on Thursday, so the evenings have been so much better.  We all love having him home at night.  I was can't believe how much easier my life is.  This is really going to be great for our family.  He is adjusting to his new schedule and his new department and hopefully his body will get used to this earlier schedule quickly. Mornings will be a little crazy with school starting, but I would take that over evenings alone any day. 

Primary Carnival

Today was the primary carnival that the kids have been looking forward to for weeks. They were so excited this morning they could hardly stand it.  They all went straight for the snow cones.  Caitlyn and Jonah had fun in the bounce house water slide.

Jonah was really excited to throw water balls at Keith's face.  He hit him right on the face a few times.

Caitlyn decided she better try and hit him too.  She got off one good shot in the face. 

Wyatt enjoyed the cake walk and throwing Frisbees with Keith and Jonah. It was a fun way to spend our Saturday.  Hallee was great and slept in the Bjorn the whole time.

Love this picture! Wyatt decided he wanted to sit on Jonah's lap during scripture reading and they all thought that was pretty funny.  I'm trying to enjoy these moments more instead of sticking to my schedule.  I'm realizing there are so many fun moments every day if I will just stop and enjoy them.

Sunday Best

Hallee and I finally made it to church yesterday.  Being dressed and ready feels like an accomplishment for me lately so I figured we better get a couple of pictures.

I love these kids! 

We found out on Saturday that Keith is getting a new schedule at work.  He will start working 6 AM to 2:30 PM.  It will be an adjustment for all of us, but it will be wonderful. I'm so excited to have our evenings back.  It has been so long since we have had that. 

The team that Keith is taking over has been without a team leader for a while, so they want him to start this week.  He needs a couple of days to finish some things with his current team so he will start on Thursday.  It is great timing with school starting.  We have all enjoyed sleeping in this summer, but now we all need to get on an earlier schedule.

My cute girls.

Hallee looked adorable for church.  She did great and slept through most of it.  She is not our best sleeper so I was happy she slept.

Later my parents came over to visit. I thought this picture of Hallee was cute and showed off her cute dress.

One month

I can't believe Hallee will be one month this week.  It has gone by so fast.  I have loved hiding out from the world and just enjoying my baby.  I can sit and stare at her forever.  She is so adorable and so sweet.  There is something so special and peaceful about newborns.

I love rocking her to sleep every night.  Some nights she won't stay asleep when I lay her down so I just let her sleep on me while I try and get a little sleep.  It isn't the most restful sleep for me, but I love having her sleep on me.  I know this stage will pass quickly, so I'm just trying to enjoy it. 

Keith is smitten with Hallee.  He loves to hold her.  He is always hoping she will be awake when he gets home from work.  I on the other hand am hoping we are both fast asleep.

Hallee likes to lay on her changing table.  She is usually pretty happy up there.

She is still a pretty easy baby.  She does get pretty fussy most evenings.  I think her stomach is upset because she likes to be held up and I can feel her stomach gurgling. 

We are all loving our time with Hallee.  The other day I asked Wyatt if he liked Hallee and he said, "yeah, love Hallee."  She fits right in our family.  She is growing fast.  She is getting chunky and I know she is getting longer because I can't wrap her in her blankets like I used to.  Somehow she keeps getting cuter too!

South Jordan Museum

My sister-in-law discovered this museum in South Jordan. My mom took Caitlyn and Jonah there yesterday.  They were there for hours and my mom said they could have stayed longer.  The best part is it is free.  We will have to take all of the kids soon. 

They got to make a list and go to the grocery store.

They were given a certain amount of money so they had to check prices.

They had someone who had worked in her parents store when she was young giving them the tour.

My mom said that their tour guide was great with the kids.

Jonah also got to milk the cow.

They liked the old schoolhouse.  They were really excited to show me their papers where they traced cursive letters.

Here is Caitlyn hanging clothes on the line. 

Jonah got to go fishing.

He brought his fish in for Caitlyn to cook up for dinner.

What a cute little pioneer! She also enjoyed gathering eggs. They had a great time with grandma.  The kids told me that someone thought grandma was their mom.  Looking good mom! We only have one more week left of summer.  Caitlyn was put in a 2nd 3rd grade split class.  I was a little nervous about it until I understood it.  I guess they put kids with higher test scores in the class.  I guess they want kids from both grades that can learn quickly and work independently.  I think it will be a good thing.  We also found out today that Jonah got into Cailtyn's school. I'm so glad.  Jonah is really happy that he will be in the same school as Caitlyn.  He is a little nervous about Kindergarten.

Energy to burn

We try to do something in the morning while Keith is home to help the kids burn off some energy.  A few days ago we decided to go to classic.  I've missed out on a lot these past few weeks so I decided to try and go this time.  It was a small miracle that we all made it out of the house in the morning.

It was nice to finally be out of the house.  The kids had fun riding scooters with their cousins. Caitlyn has been taking a tumbling class with her friend once a week.  She is really enjoying it.  Allison has been great and taken Caitlyn every week so I haven't had to worry about it.  She also takes Jonah to play with Max.  I have the best friends!

After a while Keith took all the kids into the blast zone.  I'm surprised that Caitlyn likes it.  Keith even got her (after 20 minutes of talking) to try the giant slide.  Keith took Wyatt in this time too and he had a great time.  I had fun visiting with Mel and holding Hallee.

Wyatt always begs to feed Hallee.  He pulls up his shirt and says, "please, baby milk." I think we found a good compromise.  He can't feed Hallee, but he can feed Caitlyn's doll.  He is such a funny kid.

This week has gone a little better in the evenings.  Hallee has been really fussy in the evenings so my sister suggested that I put her in the Bjorn.  This has made my life so much easier!  She is happy in there and I have two free hands to help the other kids.  I hate having Keith gone in the evenings.  I have always tried to have a positive attitude about it, but after seven years I have had enough.  I'm really hoping he can get a normal schedule soon.  I have been trying to make dinner for lunch so we can all eat together and I can actually cook while he is home.  When I pack Keith's lunch (dinner) for work I make extra sandwiches for the kids and put them in the fridge for later.  That way if I'm busy with Hallee they can just get their own food out of the fridge and eat.  I don't handle chaos well so I try to keep things running smooth around here.  It doesn't always work, but I sure try!

My mom came over a couple of evenings this week and it was wonderful.  I was able to get a shower and even get a little cleaning done.  I love having adult company in the evening! It is nice to have another adult to talk to. I really appreciate all of the help.  Four kids has definitely been an adjustment!  Look at these cute kids though, it is definitely worth it! 

Crazy Week

Wyatt has missed going to nursery.  I have kept him home since I'm home with Hallee anyway and it is during nap time.  I also didn't want him to catch anything.  He really wanted to go so we let him go last week.  He loved it, but sure enough a few days later he had a  nasty cold.  So frustrating! It has been really stressful to try and protect Hallee from catching the cold.  I'm really hoping she doesn't get it.

I have been trying to think of things to keep the kids entertained.  Caitlyn and Jonah play outside with friends, which is great.  It has been so hot that I don't even want to go outside.  Wyatt has been playing in the bubble bath a lot this week.  He loves playing with the letters.  He knows a few of them so he gets really excited when he recognizes them. 

Jonah seems to find trouble everywhere lately.  I caught him and his friend throwing rocks into our air conditioning unit.  He also threw his towel in the bath two nights in a row this week. Sometimes I'm just shocked at what he comes up with.  I keep hearing that is typical of boys.  Caitlyn and Jonah are used to being out a lot and being busy so it is hard for them to be home all day.  Melanie has been great and taken them a few times this week.  They love spending time with their cousins and they are so much better when they have been out.  She also brought us dinner again this week. It has helped so much and I am so grateful for the help.  We have been having movie nights a lot this week as well.  I'm so grateful my kids like TV!

This morning Keith took the kids to Lowes for a building project.  It has been a while since they have done this so they were excited.  Keith caught Wyatt's cold so he was a great sport to take them. We are all glad it is the weekend and Keith is home!  He likes to take Caitlyn and Jonah to do fun things during nap time.  Last week Keith and Jonah went to Classic Fun Center and had a great time doing the blast zone while Caitlyn was at a birthday party. 

More Hallee

This week has been a little crazy.  Someone told me that once you have three kids one more doesn't make that big of a difference, I would have to disagree!  Four children is definitely harder than three!  Hallee decided that she needed to be held all the time this week.  Every time I put her down she would wake up and cry.  I would love to sit around and hold her all day if I didn't have three other kids that needed my time and attention.

Every night I would get her to sleep and then lay her down and a few minutes later she would be wide awake.  This could go on for an hour.  One night I gave up and put some pillows under my arm and just held her and went to sleep.  Sometimes you just have to sleep! 

She got a little better as the week went on.  Yesterday she did a lot better.  Hopefully she will keep it up.

We gave Hallee her first real bath this week.  Her cord finally fell off.  She loved the bath.  She just laid there and enjoyed the warm water.

We had a few appointments this week so she actually got dressed a few times.  She looks so cute in everything.

This picture cracks me up.  I love that face.  I would love to know what she is thinking.

I just love that sweet face.  She is so adorable and we all just love her.