Feb 2013

I took some cute pictures of all of the kids so I thought I would do a little update about all of them.  Hallee is 7-months-old.  She is so busy and active lately.  She is constantly moving. She came down with a nasty cold at the beginning of the week.  She had a cold a couple of weeks ago, but that was so mild compared to this one.  She is miserable.  She is coughing and has a constant runny nose.  I feel so bad for her.

I was lucky to catch a smile the other day because she hasn't been smiling much this week.  I took her to instacare on Monday night because she was so miserable and I wanted to make sure it wasn't an ear infection since this cold started a few days after she got over her last one.  They said she was okay and must have just caught something new.  She was up most of the night last night and hasn't hardly napped today.  Poor girl (and poor me, I'm tired!) Hopefully she will be feeling better soon and be back to her happy self.

Wyatt is 2 1/2 and going through a grouchy phase the past week or so.  He has been such a stinker and is constantly yelling and throwing fits.  It is a big ordeal to get him to obey or do anything lately.  He may be grouchy and defiant right now, but he is still such a sweetheart.  His favorite thing to say right now is, "I promise." 

He was all smiles the other day when I took his picture.  He loves to make people laugh so I laughed at everything he said then he would laugh and say something else funny.  He is a sensitive kid and gets nervous when anyone is upset.  He has been really worried about Hallee this week.  He tries to cheer her up whenever she cries.

He is very social and loves to be around other kids.  We try to go to story time with a friend every week and he loves that.  He has a hard time staying quiet while the lady reads them a story.  He likes to comment on everything in the book.  It takes me forever to read him books before naps and bed because he has to comment on EVERYTHING!  He has been waking up really early lately so he has been taking naps most days.  This morning I was finally asleep after a long night with Hallee and he came in and woke me up and I was completely out of it and kept asking him how he got out of his crib.  I'm sure he thought I was crazy since he hasn't been in a crib for a long time. Wyatt is such a fun kid, I love spending time with him!

Jonah is 6 1/2 and looking more grown up every day.  He is also going through a defiant phase right now.  He wants to challenge authority and is constantly back talking me and Keith. He is very stubborn and is sure he is always right.  Jonah can be a stinker when he wants to, but he is also the sweetest boy who loves to help other people.  He never complains about the extra jobs I am constantly asking him to do and a lot of the time he just does them on his own.  He loves to sweep the kitchen floor and vacuum for me. 

He loves to tease his siblings, but he would do anything for them.  He is constantly playing with Hallee and trying to cheer Wyatt up when he is grouchy. He gives Caitlyn all of his toys and will share his treats with everyone. Jonah's teacher had great things to say about him last week at parent teacher conferences.  He doesn't admit to liking girls anymore, but last week he came home excited to tell me that his teacher is only 21-years-old and she isn't married yet.  Maybe he has a shot!

Caitlyn will be 8-years-old next month.  I can't believe she is that old.  She is such a smart, sweet girl.  Her teachers love her and always have great things to say about her.  Caitlyn is such a caring, sensitive child.  She noticed that one of her classmates played alone every recess so she started playing with her.  She is always very aware and concerned about other peoples feelings.

Caitlyn is going through a bit of a rough phase also.  It has been a little tough around here lately while all of our kids seem to be going through a difficult phase at the same time.  Caitlyn is having a lot of anxiety, she is terrified of getting sick or throwing up.  I'm not sure why she is so worried about throwing up, but she is so nervous that she doesn't want to eat because she is sure it will make her sick.  She had a few melt downs this weekend when we went out because she "didn't feel good." I think she gets so nervous that she makes herself sick. I hate to see her struggle with this.  I have been overwhelmed with it lately and I haven't been very patient with her, which of course brings on the guilt that mothers like to put on themselves.  It seems like she is starting to do better, so hopefully this fear will pass for her.

Caitlyn loves school and is getting really excited about her play in Up With Kids.  Caitlyn is a home body and likes to spend time playing in her room.  She has to have down time or she gets overwhelmed.  She will not be one that wants a full schedule.  She is so excited for her birthday and to get baptized.  I can't believe how fast she has grown up.  I am so grateful for each one of my children.  I am so impressed with each one of them and I love spending time with them.  I hope they will start taking turns being difficult instead of doing it all at once! Life isn't always easy, but it is good!

Winter Blues

It seems like everyone I have talked to lately is having some winter blues.  I have had a bad case of them over the last few weeks.  I have been lacking motivation and energy.  It has been such a long, cold winter and it seems like I haven't see the sun in months (I have seen it some, but not much.) The boys have been having a hard time being cooped up for so long.  They have been able to play outside a little bit lately and it has helped so much.  They are all getting really good at finding things to play inside. Caitlyn loves it when Wyatt will play with her.  They play horses and dogs a lot. 

On Sunday they all dressed up and played super hero's.  I love watching them play and use their imagination.

Wyatt is looking so grown up these days.  On Sunday he kept shaking my hand and saying, "nice to meet you."  The other day I was putting sheets on Caitlyn's bed and Wyatt was hiding behind her door.  I asked him what he was doing and he said, "um not playing with markers."  He loves markers. I let him color with them at the table the other day and he said, "mom I will not color on the table, I promise."  He also told me to make sure I told the truth the other day.  Funny kid!

Yesterday was a really blah day for me.  The kids didn't have school and I just couldn't ever get going.  Our van was in the shop so we couldn't get out (which probably was exactly what I needed) and Wyatt was so grouchy.  Luckily he was much better after his nap.  Caitlyn and Jonah had a great time playing together.  It was so nice to see that instead of fighting!  They made this little play place with all of their pillows and bean bags. 

They all took turns jumping into the blankets.  They were entertained with this for hours.

Wyatt kept saying, "watch my cool trick mom."

Of course Jonah had to get tricky with his jumps. 

I'm so glad they have found things to keep them entertained while we stay inside all the time.  I really hope we have some sunshine and warmer weather soon!

7 Months

Here we are again, another month has passed and Hallee is 7-months-old. I like to record each month because they change so much during the first year.  I remember asking someone something about their kids (this was before I had kids) and they couldn't remember and I was surprised.  I wondered how you could forget milestones, and then I had kids.  There is no way to remember everything, especially when you have more than one child.

Hallee is still as sweet as ever.  She loves to play with all her toys and have time on the floor to roll around, but she still gets excited when I pick her up.  She will grab my face and bounce up and down and I love it! 

I thought she would be more cuddly while she was sick, but I wasn't that lucky.  Even when she wakes up at night she won't lay in my arms.  As soon as I pick her up she arches her back and is wiggling all over the place.  I have to put her back in bed if I want her to go to sleep.  This morning she woke up really early and again I thought she would lay with me and it would be so great.  She had other ideas, she was moving and wiggling and hitting me while she was throwing her arms around.  It is a little sad that my snugly little girl is gone.  She will fall asleep in my arms at church for a short time and I always enjoy that.

Hallee is still really social and interactive.  She loves to catch people's eye and smile for them.  She loves attention from strangers, but she won't let them hold her anymore.  She will still let our families hold her, but no one else.  She has started crying and wants mom. 

Hallee makes the cutest faces.  I love how excited she gets when I come in to get her out of bed.

Hallee's hair is finally coming in on the sides.  She still has the long strip on top that almost covers her eyes.  Her hair is an auburn color on top, but it looks like the sides are coming in brown.  I hope she doesn't lose the red color, it is so pretty.

Hallee can sit up pretty well now, but she prefers to be on her stomach and roll around and scoot backwards.  She still takes three naps, but she is staying up later at night so we need to cut back to two, but the timing never seems to work out right.  She still loves her bottles and seems to like eating solids more.  We haven't introduced her to very many, but she likes sweet potatoes.  She also likes little pieces of whatever I am eating.  On Sunday she grabbed two pieces of bread out of the sacrament tray and shoved them in her mouth before I could stop her.

We all love having Hallee around.  Wyatt says, "Hi pretty girl" at least ten times a day.  He also says, "mom she so cute."  Jonah loves to entertain her and Caitlyn loves to hold her.  Keith and I love our time with her after the other kids are in bed.  She loves when we blow on her tummy and tickle her.  She laughs and gets so excited that she is throwing her arms around and kicking her legs.  She is still very vocal, she is constantly making cute sounds and growling. I love seeing more of her cute personality as time goes on.  I am so grateful for her happy, easy going nature.

Valentine's Day

We love all holidays around here, any excuse for presents and treats!  Keith got me these beautiful flowers.

This morning I went to Jonah's class party.  He had a great time. He is such a social kid!

He was really excited to pass out his valentines.  It was fun to be in there with him.  I also got to give him his spelling test this week.  I am so impressed with his teacher.  I can not believe how much they are learning. 

We rushed home after school so Keith could go help with Caitlyn's party.  He forgot the camera in the car, so no pictures.  Caitlyn was thrilled to get this rose from dad.  Keith stayed and ate lunch with her.  Caitlyn said all of the kids wanted to sit by them!

Jonah told me yesterday that he wanted to take me to lunch for Valentine's day and pay with his own money.  He wanted to order and kept telling me to go sit down and he would take care of everything.  It was so fun. I kept telling him that he didn't need to spend his money and this morning he said, "Mom raise your hand and repeat after me, I will let Jonah pay for lunch."  In the car I told him again that he didn't need to use his own money and he said, "mom I don't even care about toys, family is the most important thing."  He sure made my day! Whoever marries Jonah will be one lucky lady!

I tried to do a quick little photo shoot with Hallee, but I still have a lot to learn about lighting so they didn't turn out as well as I was hoping, she sure is a cutie though.

Poor Hallee has her first cold.  We had a pretty good run, almost seven months without getting sick.  I am very grateful for that, especially this year with all that has been going around.  She is so stuffy and is having a hard time eating and sleeping.  I feel so bad for her.  Last night she was crying so I went in to check on her and she was crying in her sleep. 

Jonah wanted a picture with Hallee.  Love these cute kids!

Happy Birthday Grandma

It was my mom's birthday on Sunday so we had them over for dinner.  The kids were so excited.  They made cards and a sign and wrapped her present for her. 

They were excited that grandma let them help her open the present!  We had family home evening while they were here and Caitlyn and Jonah loved giving them a lesson and singing songs for them. 

We love having grandma and grandpa all to ourselves!

I love this picture of my two beautiful girls!

Caitlyn and Jonah built this stand that they could use for family night.  Jonah kept saying, "okay, I'm the Bishop." 

Jonah thought he was pretty funny sitting in Hallee's bumbo.

Hallee loves to play on the ground and she loves when we get down there and play with her.

She moves all over the place.  She loves the freedom to roll around and look for things to suck on. She was trying to get on her hands and knees the other night and was rocking back and forth a little.

We put her on the blanket with her toys and you can see her over by the chair.  Between rolling and scooting on her back she can get all over the place.

Wyatt had a great time jumping on Keith's back.  He jumped on mine a few times, but I screamed out in pain and he ran over and gave me a hug and said sorry and then went back to jumping on dad.

Wyatt just saw this picture and he said, "my jump on dad, my jump on you and you cry so my jump on dad."  In my defense I didn't cry, I just said ouch!

We like to move it move it

Everyone in our house likes to dance except for me, so I get to sit back and watch and take pictures. Hallee was smiling and laughing while Keith was dancing with her the other day.

It was so cute to watch.

On Saturday night we got together with Katie and Ben.  The kids had a great time playing together.

They all had a great time dancing the night away!  Jonah had fun showing off his flips for everyone.

I put Keith in charge of Jonah's valentine box because he is much better at things like that, but Jonah was so excited and wanted to do it after school one day, so I helped him make a robot and I think it turned out pretty nice. 

Caitlyn decided she wanted to make a horse.  I started helping her and luckily Keith came home and it ended up looking like this.  It would not have looked so good if I had finished it with her!

Wyatt loves to play on Keith's IPAD.  All day I hear, "can I play IPAD for two minutes?" 

Yesterday I got together with my mom and my sisters.  We try to do it once a week, but we have been sick so much this winter that it hasn't happened.  It was great to get together with them again.  It was so fun to hold Tessa. She is so adorable.  I can't believe what a difference four months makes at this age.  These two girls are adorable!