Sunday, April 20, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Rachel, updated pictures
Mom, there's another post below too. Keep scrolling down.
Rachel, April 2014 - she will be 6 in June. She wants to chop her hair, so I wanted to capture her with her "long" hair.
Update on kid stuff - February / March
Rachel, 5.5 years old
Rachel has been to quite a few dentist appointments trying to make a plan for her teeth this year. She got her first cavity filled, and because of the way her 6 year molars are coming in, she needs to get a couple baby teeth in the back extracted. Then the orthodontist is going to put some space holders in to help the permanent molars grow in correctly and make enough room for all her teeth. We ended up switching dentists for her, and she now goes to Cannon's daddy (a friend from her class at school), and I am totally comfortable with the plan to get her through this year. Then I will be sure to add her and Andrew to our dental insurance during open enrollment!
Rachel has been trying tumbling for the last few months, and she has made a lot of improvements! I don't know how much she loves it though. She is already asking for something new - her next request is swim team, then gymnastics. She wants to do something new every couple months it seems, and I don't blame her! She is loving school and her teacher, and playing with her friends. I can't remember if I recorded this already, but back in December she was complaining about going to school everyday. She said she missed us and wanted to stay home - I was worrying about it and wasn't sure what to do. Christmas break was around the corner, so I held her off until then. In January, her requests to stay home continued, and she got a priesthood blessing from daddy to help her like school again. I also sent her with a picture of us with an encouraging note that she kept in her backpack. I also had a conversation with her teacher about it, and the school counselor helped give me some ideas on helping to express her feelings using art. Doing all of these things helped everything get back to normal, but Rachel says that the priesthood blessing helped her the most (I love seeing her gain her own testimony on things like this). And now she is back to loving school! Yay!
A couple months ago, we decided that Rachel was too young to be riding the bus home from school (after lots of worrying, prayer, and even a little bit of drama). It was just too much freedom for a bunch of 5-6 year old friends. An unsupervised 20 minute ride without assigned seats - and it was just a little too much unpredictability for this mom to handle! Now she walks out to a side parking lot and I wait for her there. This works out better for me because I worry less, but Rachel was VERY disappointed since she loved the freedom and independence she gained by riding the bus. It was hard to come down and make a decision without giving her any input, but she handled the disappointment well. It's still not an ideal situation, since I oftentimes have to wake up Kendall to go pick her up, but it is what is best.
Andrew, 3.5 years old
Andrew enjoys playdates with friends and asks for them daily. He has a group of 5 friends that play on Monday mornings together and we rotate houses - it is his favorite time of the week. His best friend is Maddox Tompkinson, and we signed them up for preschool together next year. They play so well together, and don't usually fight or argue. Andrew is also a good big brother to Kendall and they love to play and fight, and he is teaching her everything he knows about being a boy. :)
Andrew started on a soccer team, and he is liking it (especially compared to swim lessons, which he hates). He is the tallest one on the team, but a gentle giant and not very aggressive. He also gets tired easily and wants to take a break.
He has been in a yelling/tantrum phase that seems to be coming to an end. Thankfully they are short lived for the most part and he's somewhat easy to bring him down from them with a quick timeout or threat and then his always sincere-yet-not-so-sincere, "I'm sorry, mom." The worst consequence for him would be taking away his favorite shirt or his blankies. For a boy, he is super weird about clothes. He changes often, and is very particular about his outfits. He loves jammies and basketball shirts/shorts. He dislikes pants and long sleeves, and don't even think about asking him to wear a yellow mesh jersey for scrimmage purposes at soccer practice - that is an unreasonable request and he won't wear it.
Big news - Rachel and Andrew are completely dry at night now - no more pull ups, which means we only have one kid in diapers (as of February)! They both got the hang of it at the same time (Rachel - age 5.5, Andrew - age 3.5) and I am equally proud of both of them both. Rachel has to get up 1-2 times each night on her own to go potty - the poor thing must have the teeniest bladder.
Kendall, 1.5 years old
I have SO enjoyed Kendall the last few months. She is right on the cusp of toddlerhood, and such a fun little thing to be around. Her tricks include "singing" (her favorite song is "Let It Go" - with hand motions), saying thank you and animal sounds. And I must say that her dance moves are amazing. Andrew is teaching her everything he knows - like making burp sounds, then falling over, and the best way to chew on blankies.
Her little "hi's" and hugs and kisses are my favorite! She is a mamma's girl at heart, but she is so happy to see daddy when he comes home from work. Her smile is so infectious and is what everyone comments on! Perhaps that's because it distracts them from her hair, which is still crazy lengths, but we've got barely enough hair for a small ponytail on top! Such a big deal since she's had a bad hair year. :)
She has been my best sleeper, but also my pickiest eater. Bless her little heart, when I wake her from her nap (almost daily), she the happiest little thing. Her favorites are her pink blankie, pink bear and white kitty, treats/otter pops, cold cereal, minestrone soup, playing hide & go seek, and jumping on the trampoline.
Rachel has been to quite a few dentist appointments trying to make a plan for her teeth this year. She got her first cavity filled, and because of the way her 6 year molars are coming in, she needs to get a couple baby teeth in the back extracted. Then the orthodontist is going to put some space holders in to help the permanent molars grow in correctly and make enough room for all her teeth. We ended up switching dentists for her, and she now goes to Cannon's daddy (a friend from her class at school), and I am totally comfortable with the plan to get her through this year. Then I will be sure to add her and Andrew to our dental insurance during open enrollment!
Rachel has been trying tumbling for the last few months, and she has made a lot of improvements! I don't know how much she loves it though. She is already asking for something new - her next request is swim team, then gymnastics. She wants to do something new every couple months it seems, and I don't blame her! She is loving school and her teacher, and playing with her friends. I can't remember if I recorded this already, but back in December she was complaining about going to school everyday. She said she missed us and wanted to stay home - I was worrying about it and wasn't sure what to do. Christmas break was around the corner, so I held her off until then. In January, her requests to stay home continued, and she got a priesthood blessing from daddy to help her like school again. I also sent her with a picture of us with an encouraging note that she kept in her backpack. I also had a conversation with her teacher about it, and the school counselor helped give me some ideas on helping to express her feelings using art. Doing all of these things helped everything get back to normal, but Rachel says that the priesthood blessing helped her the most (I love seeing her gain her own testimony on things like this). And now she is back to loving school! Yay!
A couple months ago, we decided that Rachel was too young to be riding the bus home from school (after lots of worrying, prayer, and even a little bit of drama). It was just too much freedom for a bunch of 5-6 year old friends. An unsupervised 20 minute ride without assigned seats - and it was just a little too much unpredictability for this mom to handle! Now she walks out to a side parking lot and I wait for her there. This works out better for me because I worry less, but Rachel was VERY disappointed since she loved the freedom and independence she gained by riding the bus. It was hard to come down and make a decision without giving her any input, but she handled the disappointment well. It's still not an ideal situation, since I oftentimes have to wake up Kendall to go pick her up, but it is what is best.
Andrew, 3.5 years old
Andrew enjoys playdates with friends and asks for them daily. He has a group of 5 friends that play on Monday mornings together and we rotate houses - it is his favorite time of the week. His best friend is Maddox Tompkinson, and we signed them up for preschool together next year. They play so well together, and don't usually fight or argue. Andrew is also a good big brother to Kendall and they love to play and fight, and he is teaching her everything he knows about being a boy. :)
Andrew started on a soccer team, and he is liking it (especially compared to swim lessons, which he hates). He is the tallest one on the team, but a gentle giant and not very aggressive. He also gets tired easily and wants to take a break.
He has been in a yelling/tantrum phase that seems to be coming to an end. Thankfully they are short lived for the most part and he's somewhat easy to bring him down from them with a quick timeout or threat and then his always sincere-yet-not-so-sincere, "I'm sorry, mom." The worst consequence for him would be taking away his favorite shirt or his blankies. For a boy, he is super weird about clothes. He changes often, and is very particular about his outfits. He loves jammies and basketball shirts/shorts. He dislikes pants and long sleeves, and don't even think about asking him to wear a yellow mesh jersey for scrimmage purposes at soccer practice - that is an unreasonable request and he won't wear it.
Big news - Rachel and Andrew are completely dry at night now - no more pull ups, which means we only have one kid in diapers (as of February)! They both got the hang of it at the same time (Rachel - age 5.5, Andrew - age 3.5) and I am equally proud of both of them both. Rachel has to get up 1-2 times each night on her own to go potty - the poor thing must have the teeniest bladder.
Kendall, 1.5 years old
I have SO enjoyed Kendall the last few months. She is right on the cusp of toddlerhood, and such a fun little thing to be around. Her tricks include "singing" (her favorite song is "Let It Go" - with hand motions), saying thank you and animal sounds. And I must say that her dance moves are amazing. Andrew is teaching her everything he knows - like making burp sounds, then falling over, and the best way to chew on blankies.
Her little "hi's" and hugs and kisses are my favorite! She is a mamma's girl at heart, but she is so happy to see daddy when he comes home from work. Her smile is so infectious and is what everyone comments on! Perhaps that's because it distracts them from her hair, which is still crazy lengths, but we've got barely enough hair for a small ponytail on top! Such a big deal since she's had a bad hair year. :)
She has been my best sleeper, but also my pickiest eater. Bless her little heart, when I wake her from her nap (almost daily), she the happiest little thing. Her favorites are her pink blankie, pink bear and white kitty, treats/otter pops, cold cereal, minestrone soup, playing hide & go seek, and jumping on the trampoline.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
March Madness
March was absolute madness for me! It was back-to-back with events and projects and work. But we made it, and Brandon was an awesome supporter through all of it.
We had a Ward Adult Party Lip Sync, and I got assigned to be in a group with four other ladies in our ward. We initially were going to do Spice Girls, but we really pushed ourselves and decided that we were going to learn a good portion of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" music video. Crazy, right? And I just happened to memorize the moves first, so by complete default, they made me be Beyonce. I made some great friends during our late night practices (I think we probably practiced for 8+ hours together), and it kind of felt like we were in high school preparing for some school assembly. It was ironic that the "single ladies" included the wives of the counselors in the Bishopric, the ward clerk's wives and the EQ President's wife. Also, on the day of the performance, we had a makeup party in my bathroom where we all did "smokey eyes" together. I knew I wouldn't be able to do one on my own, so I called another friend in the ward to give me a "makeover" and everyone in the group decided to join. It was so fun, but it seriously took 30 minutes to do my makeup. The kids kept coming in asking questions and now Andrew asks me regularly when I am going to get another makeover. :)
Brandon was also asked to perform, but not until the day before - he was part of the Beetle's group, and they literally did not practice once or discuss costumes. They just showed up and performed it, funny boys.
Then the next week was the Relief Society Birthday Celebration, and since this is my current calling, I was knee deep in party planning and taking care of all the little details. Party planning is not my favorite thing in the world - it makes me so stressed out. It is going to take me some time to adjust to this calling, and work with the people I've been assigned to work with. It has been challenging for me, but I have already seen some small successes, and I am learning and growing.
Kent & Kristine (my employers) had a few big projects for me this month, and they were coming at literally the worst times, but we got everything we needed for taxes to be filed, and Kristine had me compile binders for a training she was doing. Putting together those binders, made me think of all my buddies at Aon and I was reminiscing about our Executive Meeting days and drowning in binder materials! Good memories!
Finding babysitters this month ended up being way too time consuming trying to work around their busy schedules and spring break. I had last minute babysitter cancellations twice this month, so then had to frantically try to find someone else. After tons of phone calls and text messages, we finally tried some of the girls in our new ward, and they turned out to be pretty good babysitters! Hallelujah. One of the girls, is 14 and a little on the short side, and Rachel said right in front her, "She can't babysit us, she's just a kid!" We needed babysitters for the Ward Adult Party and for a firm dinner that one of Brandon's co-workers hosted. At the firm dinner, RA sushi catered and it was my very first time trying sushi! It seems like anytime I have gotten the opportunity to try it, I have been pregnant, so I have steered clear. I'm not sure what I thought about it?
Remind me not to be a PTO grade representative next year!! This month, we had to find at least two corporate sponsors ($200+) to fund the bouncies and games at the school carnival. I don't know enough people yet in this area to have a lot of success with corporate sponsors - my good friend came through and her husband's dental office sponsored, but that was all I could find. I was contacting businesses without having any connections, and it was turning out to be a big waste of time. Then we were asked to compile four themed carnival baskets by collecting parent donations; the baskets were to be auctioned off at the carnival. The Kinder teachers are great, and they let me send fliers home with the kids, and thankfully the parents were generous with their donations. I collected almost $500 worth of stuff to put in the baskets, then I put them together. I think asking people for money/donations is kind of the worst.
I volunteered myself to do a neighborhood Block Party at the end of March - it was not my desire to throw another party, but a way to try to be a good neighbor and missionary. I think that neighborhood parties are sometimes more important than ward parties, because it's a chance to get to know neighbors in a non-threatening way. If I had to guess, I would say that our neighborhood consists of about 25% LDS, just to give you an idea. It has a great mix of old, young, families, married without kids, and lots of dogs. The Block Party was such a big success! 175 gave me an RSVP and I'd say about 200 came. I asked around for helpers about a month ago, and quite a few of the ladies in my neighborhood offered to help, so it was fun to get to know them and they were really great to work with. The HOA helped provide hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, a bounce house, balloon artist / face painter, which was a huge help! Then we did all the advertising and fliers, signs, tables, canopy tents, decorations, blocking off the street, water/ice, etc. My next door neighbor paid to have this photo booth come in, and it was a big hit. Another friend brought her 10 picnic tables for seating, and buried prizes in the sand for the kids. Everybody pitched in, and it all came together so nicely, I was so pleased. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and I hardly saw Rachel & Andrew for the 3 hours - there were so many kids there to play with, and so many fun things to do!
Now it's time to take a little breather, enjoy my family, and not volunteer for anything extra this next month.
Here's the link and password to the video if you are truly interested:
We had a Ward Adult Party Lip Sync, and I got assigned to be in a group with four other ladies in our ward. We initially were going to do Spice Girls, but we really pushed ourselves and decided that we were going to learn a good portion of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" music video. Crazy, right? And I just happened to memorize the moves first, so by complete default, they made me be Beyonce. I made some great friends during our late night practices (I think we probably practiced for 8+ hours together), and it kind of felt like we were in high school preparing for some school assembly. It was ironic that the "single ladies" included the wives of the counselors in the Bishopric, the ward clerk's wives and the EQ President's wife. Also, on the day of the performance, we had a makeup party in my bathroom where we all did "smokey eyes" together. I knew I wouldn't be able to do one on my own, so I called another friend in the ward to give me a "makeover" and everyone in the group decided to join. It was so fun, but it seriously took 30 minutes to do my makeup. The kids kept coming in asking questions and now Andrew asks me regularly when I am going to get another makeover. :)
Brandon was also asked to perform, but not until the day before - he was part of the Beetle's group, and they literally did not practice once or discuss costumes. They just showed up and performed it, funny boys.
Then the next week was the Relief Society Birthday Celebration, and since this is my current calling, I was knee deep in party planning and taking care of all the little details. Party planning is not my favorite thing in the world - it makes me so stressed out. It is going to take me some time to adjust to this calling, and work with the people I've been assigned to work with. It has been challenging for me, but I have already seen some small successes, and I am learning and growing.
Kent & Kristine (my employers) had a few big projects for me this month, and they were coming at literally the worst times, but we got everything we needed for taxes to be filed, and Kristine had me compile binders for a training she was doing. Putting together those binders, made me think of all my buddies at Aon and I was reminiscing about our Executive Meeting days and drowning in binder materials! Good memories!
Finding babysitters this month ended up being way too time consuming trying to work around their busy schedules and spring break. I had last minute babysitter cancellations twice this month, so then had to frantically try to find someone else. After tons of phone calls and text messages, we finally tried some of the girls in our new ward, and they turned out to be pretty good babysitters! Hallelujah. One of the girls, is 14 and a little on the short side, and Rachel said right in front her, "She can't babysit us, she's just a kid!" We needed babysitters for the Ward Adult Party and for a firm dinner that one of Brandon's co-workers hosted. At the firm dinner, RA sushi catered and it was my very first time trying sushi! It seems like anytime I have gotten the opportunity to try it, I have been pregnant, so I have steered clear. I'm not sure what I thought about it?
Remind me not to be a PTO grade representative next year!! This month, we had to find at least two corporate sponsors ($200+) to fund the bouncies and games at the school carnival. I don't know enough people yet in this area to have a lot of success with corporate sponsors - my good friend came through and her husband's dental office sponsored, but that was all I could find. I was contacting businesses without having any connections, and it was turning out to be a big waste of time. Then we were asked to compile four themed carnival baskets by collecting parent donations; the baskets were to be auctioned off at the carnival. The Kinder teachers are great, and they let me send fliers home with the kids, and thankfully the parents were generous with their donations. I collected almost $500 worth of stuff to put in the baskets, then I put them together. I think asking people for money/donations is kind of the worst.
I volunteered myself to do a neighborhood Block Party at the end of March - it was not my desire to throw another party, but a way to try to be a good neighbor and missionary. I think that neighborhood parties are sometimes more important than ward parties, because it's a chance to get to know neighbors in a non-threatening way. If I had to guess, I would say that our neighborhood consists of about 25% LDS, just to give you an idea. It has a great mix of old, young, families, married without kids, and lots of dogs. The Block Party was such a big success! 175 gave me an RSVP and I'd say about 200 came. I asked around for helpers about a month ago, and quite a few of the ladies in my neighborhood offered to help, so it was fun to get to know them and they were really great to work with. The HOA helped provide hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, a bounce house, balloon artist / face painter, which was a huge help! Then we did all the advertising and fliers, signs, tables, canopy tents, decorations, blocking off the street, water/ice, etc. My next door neighbor paid to have this photo booth come in, and it was a big hit. Another friend brought her 10 picnic tables for seating, and buried prizes in the sand for the kids. Everybody pitched in, and it all came together so nicely, I was so pleased. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and I hardly saw Rachel & Andrew for the 3 hours - there were so many kids there to play with, and so many fun things to do!
Now it's time to take a little breather, enjoy my family, and not volunteer for anything extra this next month.
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| Selfie - the Beyonce makeup makeover |
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| The Single Ladies Crew! Me, Brittany, Kristin, Jill, Heather |
http://vimeo.com/88579206
LC5marriedladies
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| Shalauna's son, Zac, turned 1 this month and I had so much fun designing his birthday announcement |
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| Work Project - compiling binders for Kristine ... it reminded me of my Aon days when we were prepping for the Exec Meetings |
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| Kindergarten Carnival Baskets that were auctioned off at the School Carnival |
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| Tables Centerpieces |
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| Balloon Artist / Face Painter |
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| Photo Booth at the Block Party |
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