Last Half of March

Trying to keep school interesting as we slide into the end of the year. *Doing any typical task on giant butcher paper makes it way more fun. *Miles created this robot and it's teddy bear in scouts and was massively proud of it. One day I suggested that maybe it was time for it to be recycled and he looked so hurt. I said, well let me take a picture first and then at least put it downstairs because your room is too crowded. He was still hurt that I would suggest such a thing. Mom fail!



First picnic of the year!


Kids cashing in some of their free hamburger coupons at In and Out thanks to an annual library program. :)


Sweet Davy


Davy and Daddy


2nd try at getting the front flower bed full of strawberries!! Last year we planted the bare roots. Only a few made it. This year we planted the seedlings. Hopefully we get a good amount of established plants and yummy strawberries!

Gwen's Baptism Pictures

I'm not a professional photographer, but I can manage to snap a few good ones for special occasions and save us a few bucks. :) That, plus my friend Amy came and made Gwen's hair look awesome (a skill which I have not yet developed), and Gwen's natural adorable-ness, and we had a pretty good photo shoot. It was a bit chilly, but so fun to spend time with just she and I. Picture Overload!!

Gwen turns 8!

I think this is the least amount of pictures I have ever taken on a child's birthday.

But don't let the lack of pictures fool you! We celebrated plenty. :) On her birthday we did typical celebratory things, but the most exciting was thanks to Aunt Makenna, who took my 3 oldest along with her 3 to the bounce houses at classic skating! My kids are so lucky! That really made the day special. That Sunday, we had angel food cake with berries per Gwen's request at Grandma and Grandpa Garner's home and opened presents. She also got free tickets from her dance teacher to see the play Riverton City was putting on, so she got to go on a special date with Dad that week. She also got special one-on-one time with me that week when we picked out her scriptures and took her baptism pictures at the temple.

The real celebration came of course when she was baptized. A story for another post.

Kid Update

Miles

*I've heard other mom friends talk about their girls starting to have mood swings etc, around the time they turned 10. I didn't think too much about it because I figured any hormonal stuff going on with their girls wouldn't really affect my boys. I think I'm wrong! I swear, since you've turned 10, your moods are decidedly more...dramatic. Yesterday you got upset with Benson for messing with your stuff, so you kicked him in the butt. I got after you, you felt embarrassed and sulked for the next couple of hours! Including whipping our your pocket knife and pointing it at me when I tried to come into your room, and then pushing every piece of furniture (literally, besides the bunk bed) in your room in front of the door, so that no one could get in. Eventually you came out for dinner, root beer floats and a movie. Your mood shifted. And then I had to put Benson down to bed earlier than normal because he wasn't feeling well. But I couldn't get in the room because all the furniture was blocking the door. I called you up to come fix the situation, but I got increasingly frustrated because not only was the furniture all moved, but you also emptied the contents of your desk (papers, garbage, knick-knacks)onto Benson's bed, so I couldn't lay him down. It was a HUGE mess. By the end of the night, your mood was 100% different, and you apologized to me multiple times. This is just one example. Yeah, your lots more moody these days. Ugh.
*You are having a real struggle with Math these days. Which means, I am having a real struggle with math these days. It's getting a little harder, but you seem to understand most of it. What's frustrating to you is that your assignments are longer because you're getting older, and it takes you a long time. (Mostly because you get distracted, I think.) And then you'll still get a solid handful wrong, so you have to work with Dad or I to correct them, which is practically torture to you. I can only give so many pep talks. After a while I just get matter of fact and a little ornery about it and tell you to buck up and do it. I'm out of ideas. I wish I had a way to make it more enjoyable for you. I'll keep trying. Hopefully you can learn to change your attitude about it sooner than later.
*Today we used some coupons for burgers at In and Out. We also go free hot chocolates! When we got home, a friend of Gwen's was at our house waiting to have a play date (that I totally forgot about). I felt bad that she was going to have to watch us eat lunch and we didn't have any In and Out food for her. Without any prompting from me, you handed her your hot chocolate. I was so impressed, I wanted to cry. It had been a rough-ish morning with you and it was a nice reminder of what a sweet boy I have. I gave you a little side hug. 10 minutes later, after feeding Davy, I came back into the kitchen and saw you sipping a hot chocolate. Confused, I said, "Whose is that?" To which you sheepishly replied that it was Benson's. My face couldn't hide my disappointment and then you felt bad. You drank it all, so later when Benson was looking for his hot chocolate, I made you deal with his crying and had you apologize. It was super disheartening to me in the moment, but I have a feeling I'll be laughing about this incident later.




Gwen

*On Davy's first week home, I was trying to pump to get a bottle ready for him, and he was very impatient. All you other kids were in bed, and Davy was screaming while he waited for his food. Finally you couldn't take it any longer. You came out crying and said, "Why is he crying so much??" I explained it to you, and that everything was fine. Babies cry and he'll be happy in just a minute. You calmed down a little and said, "I just hate hearing him cry. It makes me so sad." :)
*You are constantly dancing everywhere. It's hard to stop you from moving like a dancer, music or no music. And you finally got your right splits passed off at dance, so your teacher gave you a large twix bar. You were so proud. The next morning however, Ginger found your twix bar, and ate a third of it. You were so bummed! Rightfully so. So I told you we'd buy you a new one. Then you cut off the parts of the twix where Ginger had bit, and then shared the rest with all of us.
*You've been so obedient lately. I'm not saying you're 100% perfect in this area, but generally, I just have to ask you once to do something and you're right on top of it, no questions asked. I really, really appreciate all the help you give to me!
*You win the prize for my kid who leaves their stuff everywhere the most. The moment you walk in the door, you shed your coat, shoes, backpack...whatever you're carrying, and leave it wherever it lands. If I ask you to put a book away, chances are it will end up 10 feet from where it needs to be. If I ask you to clean up your dirty clothes on the floor, they probably landed on the floor directly next to your hamper, but not in it. Drives me crazy.
*Today at the library, I was busy trying to check out books. You were in the kid area with Benson, reading while Benson played with blocks. Lindy ran back to tell you guys it was time to go. You told Benson and tried to convince him to give up the toys he was playing with, but he was not happy about it. He immediately started screaming and crying. I could hear him at the front of the library, but was trying to finish checking out the books first. Eventually I made it back to you, and took control of Benson. I had seen you try to convince him it was time to go by finding a dinosaur book to check out. You were so patient as you tried to wrangle him. As I was hauling Benson away, a lady stopped me, who had been watching you try to corral him, and said, "She did such a good job trying to work with him. She was so patient." Proud Mama moment!
*The other day you were invited to a birthday party of one of your friends. It was at the Lion House in SLC and you girls were encouraged to dress up for the occasion. As I was driving you over, I was projecting my own feelings on your situation. I was feeling nervous for you since many of the girls invited to this party are fairly clique-ish, and most of their families are much more financially well off than ours. I noticed you were being really quiet. So I was worried you might be thinking the same things. I asked you what was on your mind and you said, "I was just thinking about how many kids I'll have when I'm a Mom." This made me smile. You have told me multiple times, especially since having Davy, how excited you are to be a Mom. You've wondered out loud to me if Heavenly Father will direct you to homeschool your children or public school them. You decided that you'd like 3 boys and 3 girls. :)

Lindy

*On the advice of Grandma Garner, we took you to see her holistic doctor who did some muscle testing and other energy healing type things to try and help you over this anxiety hump. We have been giving you supplements hoping that your anxiety and guilt will lessen. I wish the progress could be measured in a less subjective way. It's hard for me to tell if it's totally working. I think you've been less anxious, but I'm not sure that's definitive. :) We'll just keep trying to help you manage those emotions the best we can!
*You can't get enough of "Emperor's New Groove" and "Kronk's New Groove" right now. You've watched them both a million times and still go back for more. You love quoting, "Boom Baby!" and "Riiiiiight." :)
*Since we got Gwen new scriptures for her birthday, she gave you her old Book of Mormon with it's case. It's a little mini one we got her a few years ago. You were so honored to be receiving your very own scriptures. You also have the New Testament "scriptures" with pictures. Lately you have been really diligent about "reading" your scriptures every day. It's so adorable. In the mornings as I'm helping you guys get ready for the day, I'm always reminding Miles and Gwen to get their scriptures read. So you have started doing the same thing even though you can't read yet. You'll sit for long amounts of time and just describe what you see happening in the pictures, or thumbing through the BoM. :)
*The other day, you were playing with your neighbor friend, Bexley, outside. You came in crying because you guys had gotten into an argument, you told her you hated her, threw her (already broken) tablet on the concrete and cracked it. Then Dad (who had seen everything) got really mad at you and send you inside. You were really shaken up about everything. You and I talked on your bed until you had calmed down a little. Then you said, in between tears, "Does this mean I need to repent?" I was so happily surprised! I gave you some ideas on what you could say in your prayer and knelt by you as you prayed to Heavenly Father. Then I told you that there was still another step, and that meant apologizing to Bexley. You decided that after dinner we'd go over and talk to her. And without much hesitation, you walked over with me and told her you were sorry and that you still wanted to be friends. She forgave you right away and everyone was happy. I was so impressed with your bravery and humility. I wish I Was more like that!


Benson

*It's one of my very favorite things to hear you refer to Davy as "My Baby Davy". And when you ask, "Where baby Davy?" It's adorable.
*We thought you might have been close to potty training a while back, but I don't think you're there yet. You've stopped telling us when you have to go #2, and if we don't actively put you on the potty and the exact right times, you just go in your diaper. And with a newborn, I don't have the energy to push potty training, so...2 in diapers it is!
*I'm pretty sure you've given up naps for good. You chose to do so at the worst possible time. Truly. The week we brought Davy home, you just decided naps were no longer happening, making this transition time even more difficult. Boo. So now we're trying to help you learn how to do quiet time. I'm grateful you have siblings to help you make this transition.
*You LOVE the color green. You always want the green cups, bowls, etc. And are sad when you don't get them. You also hate it when I mix anything into your food because you think it's gone. Case in point: You throw a fit every single time I mix the brown sugar into your oatmeal.
*You LOVE dinosaurs. Love 'em. You are obsessed with "Land Before Time" and a Lego dinosaur show on Netflix.
*I think you may be my most disobedient child yet. It's slowly killing me. Me: "Hey Benson! Please go get in your carseat and I will buckle you in." Benson: "No." (said in the sweetest voice ever) Mom:"We need to go pick up Miles and Gwen from school. And I need you to be safe in the car! Please get in your seat." Benson: *smiling* "No." *climbs into back of van where he knows its hard for me to reach him. Mom: "Listen to Mommy the first time Benson. I need you to get in your carseat by the time I count to 3, or else you will get a spanking. 1, 2, 3" *Mommy, fuming, yanks you by one arm from the back of the van, spanks you, and forces you into your seat screaming. The end. How do I stop this cycle??? It doesn't matter what it is, you just like choosing to be defiant. Your big one this past week is running our the front door while I'm nursing, so you know I can't chase you, and you just run down the street to our friends house. Yikes! Usually I can get Miles or Gwen to catch you pretty quickly, but man, some days your toddler-ness makes me want to pull all my eyelashes out.
*You love to read books with anyone who will sit down with you. Your book choices are showing a pattern, and it cracks me up. First, you love books about basically anything that goes; trucks, heavy machinery, planes, busses, etc. But most of these are children's picture books. The second type of book you love is a little harder for me to grasp. You keep going back to very intense non-fiction books the kids pick out. Your favorite 3 lately are a book on sharks, a book about war spy planes, and a book about the bombing at Hiroshima in WW2.

Davy

*You do this thing where it's like you forget you can breath through your mouth as well as your nose. You'll suddenly need to gasp for air, but will only try and do it through your nose! So you make this wheezing sound that scares me a little, and then eventually you catch your breath. I want to yell at you, "Use your mouth!!", but I don't think that would be helpful.
*I swear I've seen you smile responsively already! I know doctor's say that babies don't smile responsively until around 6 weeks or so, but I swear you've smiled at me on purpose already at least twice!(2 weeks old)
*You are my little piggy! When you get upset and start to cry, at some point, you always snort like a little pig. It's pretty cute.
*You LOVE baths and hate it when they're over.
*You're on a solid 3 hour eat-wake-sleep schedule. (Thank you Babywise) It makes life so predictable. At nights I'll feed you at 7, lay you down at 8ish, usually dream feed you around 10. Then you'll still wake up around 1 to eat, and again at 4, then up for the day at 7. It's really not awful, but it wears on me sometimes. I wish you'd sleep longer, but I keep reminding myself that you're doing great for only being 5.5 weeks old.

First Half of March

Let's be honest, not much has been happening the first half of March other than trying to adjust to 5 kids. The first week after bringing Davy home, Richie was home from work and mostly dealt with the 4 older kids while I limped along. We did zero school, as I had promised the kids (mostly Miles)who had been desperately wanting a break. The second week, My Mom came up to help and took the lead, and we did a tiny bit of school. Emphasis on the tiny bit, just to help us ease into things. The 3rd week, I tried my best to get back into a school routine. But pair that with Daylight savings time, and we were "making it", but just barely. Thank goodness I haven't had to cook dinner in about a month! For real! People have been so generous, and between the meals and family offering to watch my kids etc, getting back to "normal" is slowly becoming a reality.

When Miles was almost 3, a generous, anonymous person gave this train set to a teacher Richie was doing his student teaching with. He gave it to him on his way out the door for Christmas break, so we stuffed it in the van, and laid it out with the other meticulously chosen or made presents on Christmas morning. The train set was the obvious favorite and provided Miles with endless hours of play. He was mildly obsessed. It eventually found its way downstairs and wasn't played with much. But the week Davy was born, it made a resurgence. We figured Benson would be able to appreciate it now. He became obsessed! The other kids also really got into it again. It kept them busy while I took care of Davy for hours. Probably one of the best free things we've ever been given! :)


Keepin it real. This is how I look most days. :) And don't you love the fact that my postpartum hair loss from Benson finally started growing back, to give me an even more wild and crazy look? Just in time to lose that hair again!



I bought a few things off Amazon and saved some activities for when Davy came that I knew would be semi-educational and not require a whole lot from me. They enjoyed working through a kiwi crate about whales, water beads, Mad-Libs, and this fake snow stuff which was pretty cool.



Have I written here about Family Band? I'm pretty sure I have. Richie still faithfully gets the kids together to practice their instruments separately and together on Sunday before church. Sometimes it's more pleasant than others...but hopefully the kids are creating both skills, but more importantly some great memories to look back on.


Once again, thank goodness for Aunt Makenna. When our homeschool group kind of dissolved earlier in the year, we decided we'd stick it out, our 2 families, and finish the history curriculum. We only meet twice a month now and take turns hosting. It was my turn to host this week, but when I texted her about my plans, she (to make a long story short) took over, making my life a lot easier. We decided to celebrate "rainbow" day, which has become somewhat of a tradition. All I did was cut up some rainbow fruit. She had crafts and music time, and treats! We were so grateful!


Aunt Jenn came for a quick visit! She was up for a teacher conference thing, and stopped by so that the kids could fight for her attention and show off for her for an hour straight. She was like a celebrity. The kids were so excited, and Jenn was so attentive and way more enthusiastic than I usually am. :) Eventually I had to send them downstairs because I wanted her attention before she had to go. It was too short, but we did get to chat for a bit, which was so nice.