If three doesn't kill you . . .

I have been told that if having three kids doesn’t kill you then having four will. It was really the transitions to one and two that were tough for me, and currently it is number one and number two, namely Caleb and Cara that continue to make life crazy. Andy and Ali are a breeze. I really don’t think my life is much harder with Andy and Ali than it would be with just Caleb and Cara. One thing I have found with four kids is that I almost never get all of the laundry done in one day. I used to do all laundry on Mondays, but now I do it all on Monday but I have a bonus load or two on Fridays too.

When I see other people walking around in a store or on another outing with four little kids I look at them and think they must be insane. How could they possibly go with one adult and four kids six and under to the store? But somehow it seems like no problem when it is me. Caleb pushes an extra cart so that we have room for food (which in a way makes it better than when I go with just Andy and Ali.) This strategy also keeps him from running around. I may not look like I have things under control. (Like to the people waiting in line while we were trying to pick a movie at Red Box today. It was Cara’s turn to pick and none of the movies she wanted were in that particular box. Caleb was trying to talk her into letting him pick as the line got longer and longer and then of course there was the fight about who was going to get the movie out of the vending machine.) BUT usually I feel like I have things under control.

There is one major exception to my feeling of control and order and that is CHURCH. I feel like a crazy person at church. This is really mean to Josh, but I love to sit in the mothers room during Sacrament Meeting, and I need to anyway so that Ali is content for both hours of primary. Sacrament meeting is madness. We have simplified. We don’t bring treats or any activity beyond paper and pencils. That has helped allot, but the kids are still loud and crazy. Andy’s anxiety about nursery has made matters worse and it is a constant battle in primary with Caleb. He wants to follow me around rather than sit with his class. This week we dropped Andy off at nursery and Josh went to teach his primary class. After about 10 minutes I was getting ready to go up to teach sharing time. Caleb came to the back of the primary room as they brought Andy in, he wouldn’t stop crying. I asked Caleb to hold Andy and he banged his head against the wall. I must have had a look of terror on my face because the nursery leader promptly took Andy from Caleb without saying a word and we didn’t see Andy again. Oh the irony, Caleb and Cara both went to nursery perfectly. Now that Josh and I are both busy both hours Andy is freaking out.

With the exception of Church, Andy is the perfect kid. He just exists. He follows the other kids around and is almost always happy. He loves to dance and play basketball. Yesterday Josh was channel surfing at my parents and he came across a basketball game. Andy started screaming and clapping and laughing. He was so happy to watch the playoffs. He isn’t just a ball kid, he is a basketball kid. Easily, his favorite toy is the basketball hoop. Tonight I had the garbage can out and he was trying to shoot hoops from his high chair with his food. Andy has changed my world. He is the baby that made me want to have another one right away and he is the toddler that is making having four little kids manageable.


I don’t think Cara can be called “Sweet Caroline” any more. She has entered a very difficult stage. She scrams, cries, and complains. She has turned into the kind of girly girl that I have always bragged she wasn’t. She plays with her cute girlfriends out in the cul-de-sac and they have a great time being girly together. She went to her friend Taylor’s fourth birthday party last week. They wore dancing outfits and Taylor’s mom gave them darling tutu’s and fairy wings. They did make-up and fingernails; they made bracelets, and put glitter in their hair. The three of them came to the door after the party and informed me that they had come for me to take their picture.


Caleb continues to be my challenge. I pray that Heavenly Father will help me to teach him how to control his body and to respect people. I took him to a counselor last month to see if we could get some professional guidance. We came to no conclusion except that I am going to have to exercise super human parenting skills to guide him. He has so much energy that needs to be channeled. I am hopeful that the more involved he becomes extra curricularly as he gets older the better off we will all be. I have wondered if he has a sleep disorder because more often than not it takes him hours to fall asleep. I believe that is partially responsible for his mood swings and possibly also for his bedwetting. When I have mentioned this to my pediatrician he blows me off, but we don’t have insurance that would cover any testing so I am not sure I want to go to the expense of finding out if my hypothesis is right anyway. We seem to be on a good system this summer. He has certain jobs he has to do every day and he earns points for each job. He has to do the jobs before he can play outside, get on the computer or play video games, but if he does them without resisting he gets more points. When he gets to 100 points we will go swimming. We could potentially go swimming every week.


Ali is just a little joy. We all love her so much. She is the model “Baby Wise” baby. She eats at 8:00, 10:30, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 and 10:00. She sleeps though the night. She almost never cries. She knows I will feed her with out her crying and after she eats she enjoys her awake time. When she starts to fuss I bundle her up and put her in her crib for a nap. How easy is that? She really is about that easy. Breast-feeding has been going much better for me this time than before. I think there are two major reasons why I don’t hate it as bad. First, she doesn’t bite. Andy and Cara were both biters. Second, I give her a bottle for her 1:00 feeding and for her 7:00 feeding. That is a nice brake for me. She is passed around and held by people of all sizes. The primary kids race to me after church to get her. She is a great sport about it all. She is the perfect baby so I will just enjoy that while it lasts. At her two-month well child visit she was 11 lbs. 3 oz. in the 50%. Here she is giving Grandpa Arnold one of her sweet smiles.

2400 Miles

I can’t seem to get caught up from vacationing over Memorial Day weekend. We went on an incredibly spontaneous road trip, and I feel like I have an endless list of things to do to catch up. Our yard looks terrible, and it appears as if we will not be planting a garden this year. I seem to be buried in laundry and housework, and last week I felt like I was constantly doing church work. I have hardly been taking time to check my email although I have been looking forward to blogging about this trip.

Josh’s Grandpa has been declining in health very quickly. Over the past six months Josh and I have both felt a strong desire and responsibility to take the kids to see him. (We haven’t seen him since before Andy was born.) He is confined to a nursing home in Plentywood, Montana, which is 14+ hours of driving time from here without stops. There is no easy way to do that trip! Grandpa Arnold became ill last month and we were scared that he might pass away without our taking the trip so on Monday the 31st we decided that if Josh’s big real estate deal closed (so we had a little extra money) we would leave on Thursday. Wednesday it closed and we left on Thursday morning. The thing that made this crazy 2400 mile road trip possible was the use of our friends motor home. It only took one road trip in an RV to convince me that is the only way to go.

We drove from 9 AM to midnight on Thursday to arrive in Plentywood, Montana at Grandma Betty’s house. Josh's brother Gabe came along and helped out with the driving and enjoyed the trip with us. The kids were so excited to ride in the motor home.


Josh had an air card which allowed him to work and be on the internet using cell phone signal.


We watched movies and relaxed. (Caleb is pro at watching movies.)


We took naps (Andy and Gabe taking a little rest.) And we relaxed like we would have never been able to do in a car.


Grandma Betty and Grandma Sharon (Josh’s mom) were both up waiting for us. It was wonderful to be together. Josh's sister, Sara, moved to Plentywood last fall to help Grandma and Grandpa, and we haven't seen her since Christmas. It was great to spend time with her as well. Our time in Plentywood was worth the drive. When we asked Caleb his favorite part of the trip that was it. Here is the whole gang.


Grandpa was able to visit with us both days. He has a heart melting smile, and he would light up when the kids would give him hugs. I loved being with him. Here are the boys with him.


Ali's middle name is Sophia which is Grandma Betty's real first name. (She is also named after her Grandma.) Betty loved all of the kids but she especially seemed to enjoy holding her little name sake.


Saturday afternoon we headed South to Great Falls, South Dakota where we went to church on Sunday morning and then to Mt. Rushmore. My big regret for the trip is that in our haste I didn't research Mt. Rushmore at all. I thought it was something that you just drive to, snap a picture, and keep driving. I only scheduled about an hour to be there, but I learned that the Black Hills are beautiful and there are a lot of touristy things to do. Like sit on the lap of Abraham Lincoln.


I wish that we would have had a day or two scheduled so that we could have really taken time to soak it all in. Mt. Rushmore itself was awesome. It was smaller than I thought, but somehow better.


Sunday night we stopped in Denver and spent the night with my dear cousen, Emily and her family. The kids had a great time together and we adults enjoyed our visit too.


The last destination on our road trip was Arches National Park. Where we hiked Delicate Arch. It is just one of those things a person needs to do. It was beautiful.


The kids might look a little scared in this picture. They were hanging on to each other for dear life.


I was a little nerve wracked myself with small children and very steep rock cliffs.


This was what we have been calling a bucket list trip. We did and saw some things that many people only ever dream about. Most importantly we spent some quality time with Grandma Betty and Grandpa Arnold. We are so blessed.

Soccer

Caleb LOVES soccer. The season went really fast for me. I haven't even blogged about it and it is over. I don't think I am a big fan of spring soccer because of the crazy unpredictable weather, but it sure is fun when the weather is nice. Caleb is an aggressive player. He isn't the fastest guy on the team, but he seems to hang out in the right spot or else he is really lucky. I thought it was a fluke last year when he scored at every single game, but he scored at 7 of the 8 games he played this year too. One of our friends overheard Josh tell him that if he scored at least three goals that we would go out for ice cream after. She couldn't believe Josh would create such high expectations, but then she started watching Caleb and realized he was totally capable. He did score three goals at most of the games. It was fun to watch him. (When the weather was good.) I don't know how Josh and I ended up with an athlete, but it is fun. He isn't a great runner, but he really likes to play and be aggressive.



The team this year was really fun because every kid was from our ward. It was great to cheer for kids that I already know and love.

Bountiful Baskets

We have been having so much fun using the variety of fruits and veggies in our Bountiful Baskets over the past few months. (For those of you who don't know, Bountiful Baskets is a coop that provides highly discounted fruits and vegetables to its members. Each Saturday we pick up a basket full of a variety of fresh produce. We don't pick what we get, everyone gets the same things.) Thank goodness for Google so that we can learn about some of the produce and how to use it. A few weeks ago the kids and I had a great time preparing and steaming artichokes. We didn't love the way they tasted, but the process was fun.



This week we have to figure out Brussels Sprouts. It is fun to get creative, and having a bunch of fresh produce has helped me enjoy being in the kitchen a little bit more.

Ali's Blessing

Ali was blessed on May 2nd. The day could not have gone better. She was awake and peaceful during her blessing, and Josh did a great job. We had my parents, Merle, Christie (Jeff), Cody (Steph), and Connie (Colby) all there from my family, and Josh's parents, Grandma Alice, Christina (Ross), and Gabe from Josh's family. We had a delicious brunch of crepes, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit and veggies after sacrament meeting. She looked beautiful in her dress. I am hoping someone has a better picture than this of our family, but this will have to due for now.



I had pictures taken of her this week. She is two months old. I just love her. (It was hard to pick just a few pictures to post.)











She officially smiles so sweetly. On her blessing day she gave some great grins. She is also waking up. She wants me to hold her more often than I have time for so today I ordered her a great new mobile. Hopefully it will provide some good entertainment for her and keep her out of reach of her loving brother Andy. He can't get enough of her. He literally wants to eat her. He has been known to bite her head and to lick her. I have to closely supervise.

Another Road Trip

It has been a busy month! We took another road trip last weekend to see the Kirk extended family and to support Clayton and Anne in their marriage. We went to Butte Montana. Six full hours each way (even speeding). It was a long drive on Sunday to arrive by 4:00 for the wedding. The was performed in a Greek Orthodox church and the entire ceremony was sang or chanted. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was over an hour long and was a great review of the Bible. Here is a picture of the church and couple.


The reception/dinner was amazing. They went all out! The food, venue, and decorations were incredible. It was really an outstanding party, and it was followed by a dance. I didn't get any good dance pictures because of the lighting, but here is Cara enjoying the company of Grandma Sharon.


Andy and Josh ate and ate. It was so good! Caleb was busy making friends and eating all of the mints out of the bathroom.


The kids did amazingly well considering the number of hours they have spent in the car this month. The only really annoying thing is that Caleb and Cara ask over and over "how much longer." They have no concept of time so even when we tell them they ask "is that a long time?" Josh remembers making that trip many times as a child in the back of a pick-up truck. I think his parents were smart. They didn't have to listen to the kids ask how much longer. We did take a short pit stop in Idaho Falls both directions. It is fun to sit across from the temple for a snack.

Saint George

Last week we went to Saint George for spring brake. Our friends, and it seems like half of our ward, always go to there the week of spring brake. We have always felt left out and depressed at home in the cold. This year we were determined to go somewhere. We hooked up with a friend who let us use her beautiful vacation home for almost nothing. It was so comfortable with a kitchen and heated pool. We had a fantastic time and stayed from Saturday to Saturday. Usually after a week of vacation I am ready to come home, but I think we could have stayed another week.

I had no idea there were so many fun things to do in Saint George. We really enjoyed our time at Snow Canyon State Park. I think next time we go we will plan to spend even more time there. It will be better as the kids get a little bigger too. It was fun to take pictures. Note the new individual pictures of the kids on the side bar.


Merle made these cute matching hats for the girls in our family so we had to take a girl picture while we were all wearing them.


Cara is our little climber. She always has been. Yes that little speck is her coming down from the top of that rock. Caleb will go exploring with her persuasion, but she has the brave heart.


These are petrified sand dunes. Very cool and great for the kids to climb on. Nerve wracking for me to watch.


We also really enjoyed the park on "Dixie Hill". It was awesome to overlook the city. The kids weren't scared at all. I wish they would have been because my heart was in my toes for them.


There is a place by "Dixie Hill" called the narrows. (Not to be confused with the narrows in Zions.) It is a long split in these giant boulders. Josh went through it with Caleb and Cara. People we AMAZED when he got to the top that he fit. He said that he couldn't believe he still had a shirt on it was so tight and that there was scarcely room to turn his head. These pictures are dark, but it gives you the idea.

Look close to see Josh and the kids in both pictures.


We also really enjoyed the city parks. They have an awesome parks and recreation web site where you can sort the parks by their amenities. There are many parks with splash pads and there are also lots of new parks with great equipment. We spent some time park hopping which is something the kids and I always enjoy. We had an awesome time!


One of the highlights for Josh and I was seeing old friends. We don't have pictures, but I must mention the great time we had with Jenny and Todd, fantastic friends who moved to Cedar City. We stayed up until 4 AM visiting with them the night they came. Time just flew. We also loved seeing Debra and Squire. Debra and her cute kids joined us on three different occasions for our outings which was so fun. Also we saw my cousin Josh and his outstanding wife Sheridan. We have kids almost the same age and they loved playing together. Sheridan was even kind enough to take our kids for a few hours one day while Josh and I went shopping. We are blessed to know such great people!

Swimming, swimming and more swimming

The best part of the trip to Saint George for the kids was the pool. It was cold the first few days we were there so we went to an awesome indoor aquatic center.


Most of the week the kids were out in "our" pool first thing in the morning. They didn't care that the air was cold it just made the pool feel warmer. Their swimming skills really progressed which is good because I have decided not to go to the expense of putting them in swimming lessons this summer. Caleb can get around without a life jacket.


They loved the diving board and learned to do lots of tricks. Anyone who knows what a scaredy Caleb can be should really appreciate these pictures. He is getting brave!

Beautiful Ali

Ali has been so fun and easy going. Pieceful is the one adjetive I would use to describe her. She is on a great schedule and we are all getting well adjusted. Josh supplements her late night feeding at around midnight so I only get up for her middle of the night feeding between four and five. That has been such a blessing to me. If I get that good streatch of sleep I can function quite well.

I caught a few pictures of Ali in her Easter Dress on Sunday. (I have got to get some of Cara too. Her dress is awesome but she changes out of it too fast after church.)






Did I say that we are ALL well adjusted, well, Andy may have his moments that he thinks he should be the baby. He has never even had a binki. He doesn't even know how to use it. Really he is doing great with Ali.

Easter Eggs

Yes, we did the Easter Egg thing, in fact we did it almost two weeks before Easter because I thought Easter was coming right up. The kids love coloring eggs, and they also love eating hard boiled eggs when they have colored them.


Grandma Iva has also created the tradition of doing a family Easter Egg hunt. With the snow storms this year we did the hunt in our basement. Grandma puts change in some of the eggs and candy in the others. The kids LOVE IT!

Andy got into the hunt this year. When he caught on he was all over the place.


As you can see Cara made a haul.


Here is a picture of Caleb trying to eat all of his candy as fast as he could. That kid doesn't even come up for air when there is sugar around. He can't eat it fast enough.