10 on Tuesday

1. I have 11 weeks left until I have another kid. INSANE.

2. Never ever ever have I wanted to keep being pregnant. I hate being pregnant... but when I am done being pregnant this time... I'll have another kid. And I'm not sure I am ready for that.

3. Me and the two little boys spent the day yesterday playing. We made a cardboard train.


4. And a classic activity I do with all my small kids - painting with water and black paper. Then when they eat the paint brush... it doesn't matter :) HA!


5. I need to find another crib. I thought I was getting one from someone for cheap but it doesn't seem to be working out. I can not take Oliver out of a crib yet. NO way. But it's my last kid - I don't want to spend much moola on a crib.

6. I had a post for yesterday but I just didn't sit down to type it up. I tried to take a nap instead.

7. I go through these read blitzes. Where I read like a mad woman and then I slow down. Back and forth. I just started the book "Uglies" and I think it might get me into another blitz!

8. It always amazes me how much better I feel when I get more than 4 hours of sleep in a row. It doesn't seem to happen around here very often but MAN do I feel better when I get a real stretch of sleep!

9. Wasn't it sooo nice on the weekend??? I want a few more days of that and then I'll accept winterish weather. (Maybe)

10. And here's the little man, who seems to be getting so big lately!

Losing it....

Literally from the time he got up (which is always between 530am-630am) Eli was asking to go trick or treating yesterday. I told him that he couldn't go until night time. His response was, "huh? it's dark out right now." I tried to explain that it wasn't about the darkness - it just happened at night and that was the way it was.


For the entire day he asked over and over and over and over (x1000) if he could go trick or treating yet. And every time I told him it wasn't time, he'd start to cry. Loudly.

Heaven help me, I was pretty annoyed by the time it actually WAS time to go trick or treating.

At 4pm he comes up to me and says "Mom, I'm going to set the table now so we can eat supper and then I'm going trick or treating." To which I told him it wasn't time but I'd love him to set the table for supper. Pretty soon I'd be rolling out the pizza and putting it in the oven. He was not pleased with my answer.

So it comes to 530pm. Finally Eli has settled into doing something that entertains him for more than 3 minutes - which was playing with play dough with Lucy. I was cooking pizza for supper (our usual on Halloween) and needing the counter space but I was making due so that the kids had some place to play on the counter too. So the pizza is ready and I say to the kids, "It's time to clean up now and set the table so we can eat and then it'll be time to go trick or treating."

Eli's response? "I don't want to go trick or treating. I don't even like candy."

I. COULD. HAVE. STRANGLED. HIM.

Instead I went into the other room and called my mom to tell her so we could laugh about it. It seemed like the better option.

I have had a kid (Lucy) who in the past threw fits. I mean crazy fits. I mean strip-yourself-naked-pee-on-the-floor-while-you-pull-your-own-hair kind of fits. Now they sound funny, but at the time I was in the middle/end of my worst pregnancy (with Eli) and very sick) and Regan was in a busy year of medical school. I was also serving as primary president in my ward and frankly I am not sure how I survived it all. (Especially without ever harming my child.)

I don't think there is a lot you can do when you have a child who throws fits. Except give in. For heavens sakes, don't give in! It is embarrassing that they are losing it in public? A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y. But giving in to their crying and screaming is saying to the child "just start to make a little noise and I'll hand over whatever you want." How in the world is that going to make anything better?

If you've read my blog for a while you may or may not remember Alden's first day of grade one. I had parked and walked to the school while carrying Eli (he was pretty small then) and made Lucy walk. When Alden finally comes out of the school he was super happy from his first day and talking. Lucy's response? She sucker punched him in the face. She was mad he was at school and apparently needed to express it. So Alden started crying. Lucy started losing it. And I was carrying Eli. I set Eli down to hug Alden and tell him I was sorry that happened. We are standing in a school ground with piles of people around witnessing the sweetness. Eli starts crying and I can't get Lucy to move. My usual technique is to walk away from the losing child which normally makes my kids follow me crying and all. But she wasn't moving. So I had to pick her up and carry her which was like carrying a slippery shark. So I'm trying to carry Eli and losing Lucy which was working well. So some random lady tries to come and help me by taking Eli. Which made him cry louder. So we finally get to the car and all three of my kids are crying. And I am trying to shove Lucy into her seat and she is doing that lovely stiff as a board thing while screaming. I finally shove her in and close the door and take crying Eli from her. And she tells me not to worry cause kids are always done having fits like that when they are 3. (Lucy is totally older than that at the time....) It was a ridiculous day.

Eli has been crazy about things lately. Crying to get his way or asking over and over and over and over and over. And even though we aren't giving in he's still doing it. I don't know if he sees that it works for some kids and so he's trying to make it work at our house. Or if he is just starting to realize that the world doesn't' revolve around him. (That's a shocking realization for some kids!)

We'll just have to suffer through this phase. And hope that he that the current phase passes soon.

Listography

List 87: Things I love about my son:


Alden:
1. His creativity
2. How comfortable he is with himself.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he helps take care of Oliver.
5. How whenever I am wearing my housecoat he loves to snuggle with me in it.
6. His tender heart.
7. To hear his testimony about the gospel growing.
8. His random knowledge about things (just like his dad)
9. His love of math.
10. His goofy antics.


Eli
1. His sense of Humor!!!
2. His voice. I wish you could all hear it!
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How me makes up words... like motorbikle... or bazanga.... etc
5. How much energy the child has!
6. How he can NOT put his underwear on the right way... EVER.
7. His ability to get people to do what he wants and they never even notice.... (well I have a love-hate relationship with THAT one!)
8. His fake laugh that he thinks is hilarious.
9. His curiosity about life.
10. His absolute silliness.


Oliver
1. His laugh.
2. How he looks at me with SUCH love and adoration.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he does a slow motion double blink now when he notices he is the center of attention.
5. His sweet little hands.
6. How he laughs SO hard when I growl at him.
7. How his face lights up when he sees me.
8. His tickley spots on his legs.
9. How much his face lights up when he sees his siblings.
10. How hard he laughs when on the trampoline.

List 88: Things to do this Fall:
1. Can some food. (Check).
2. Go on a sans kids trip.
3. Enjoy a fire.
4. Buy a cute sweater? :)
5. Get the kids rooms decorated.
6. Get ready for another baby.

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 2: Relationships



It never fails... at least ONE child is always being silly....

Funny enough it's often Eli... I think it's his age??!!





Hey look!! They are all looking!!!

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 1: Rooms in the House


First off, I have literally done NOTHING to my kids rooms yet. They are on the list to decorate, but they are not yet. I have lots of plans and even the paint colors already picked out but actually GETTING to it is a whole other thing!


Alden and Eli share downstairs. And their rooms is ALWAYS a mess. Alden tries blaming it on Eli, but it was a mess before Eli moved in... so nice try Alden :) (look at those goofs showing off....)


Lucy has her own room. And is quite sad about that fact. She keeps asking if when Oliver gets older they can share and have bunk beds. I keep telling her her only chance is if our next baby is a girl.


Oliver just got his own room not that long ago when we moved Eli downstairs. I am so excited about the things I have to decorate his room with. Again it's that whole getting it done thing. I need to hire someone to come in and paint and then I could have is room done in like 2 days. I have everything!! For now it's just plain jane! I haven't even taken Eli's pictures out of the room from when it was his!


You can see all my other entries for this project here

Eli's 4th Birthday: Super Heros

Eli had his fourth birthday a couple weeks ago and I thought I'd share what we did. It really was a pretty relaxed party. At our house the kids are allowed to invite as many kids as how old they are turning. So Eli was supposed to invite 4. And him being the wheeler and dealer that he is, he worked that into more kids. First he told me who he wanted. Then he kept saying that he wanted the moms to come too. Then he added in the other siblings. And then the morning of he was like WAIT why isn't Talan here (he lives across the street) so he ran over there and invited him to come over too. (And his mom ran to the store and bought Elie a present. So really Eli worked it to have way more than the allotted 4 kids to his fourth birthday. And really, that is soooooo Eli.

I made all the kids "capes" in the cutting of the men's t-shirts. It worked great and I made 12 in about 10 minutes. Perfect :)


Anyways, on to the picture overload. We made an obstacle course in the backyard. Really I think I do one at every boys party. :) SO this one I tried to think of super heroes and the things they "do".


First they ran through "flames" and weren't supposed to let the flames touch them. (the blowing wind sure helped them out on that!)


Then the had to climb through two different spider webs that Alden made. (It sure was good they had started our fence but just had the poles so we could use them!)



Then run to the trampoline to jump from one side to the other without hitting the bombs (balls) that were on it.


Then on to jump over the buildings




Then on to Target practice.


Then a "super break".


And they could do the course over and over. Which they did.




For the food we did Eli's very favorite thing in the world. Cereal. I bought a bunch of sweetened cereals that I never let them eat. And had milk and juice boxes.

I cut a bunch of super hero phrases out on my Silhouette Cameo and made the "city" backdrop out of poster board from the dollar store.


A little shot of the stamped spoons I got for the cereal... kinda fun :)


Eli having a cupcake. I should say blowing out the candles. Cause all he does is lick the icing. Four for four he has never eaten his birthday cake. So this year I got smart and made some yummy banana cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing. It was totally cause I knew moms would be eating them too. And since Eli never eats his cake, we might as well enjoy them :) HA


It was lots of fun and really nice that all the mom's were around to hang out too :) And the best thing is that almost everything we did I just gathered it all and threw it away. Really really fast clean up :)

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Let's just say I haven't gotten all the bugs worked out with the new computer so I couldn't do any posting this week.... but I think I am on now.... anyways....




Month 7 Week 2: Front Step

For the second week of each month we'll focus on Rooms of the house. (Actually I noticed that last week I did this weeks and this weeks is last weeks... but oh well here it is anyways :)

My kids on the front step. :) Oliver had just been woken up from a nap and was totally like WHAT in the WORLD is going on around here!!! :) Totally dazed.



I have plans for that front step that I haven't gotten too. I am building something to sit there but first I have to get rid of that big planter. And build my thing. HA!

You can see all my other entries for this project here

I think Brooke is back from vacation now so go check out Brooke's over here!

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 6 Week 1: Best Friends

For the first week of each month we'll focus relationships.

My kids have been blessed with good friends wherever we have lived. Really we have been very blessed in our lives in that area! If you ask Lucy right now she'd still say Anise is her best friend even though Anise lives in Calgary for a year (although it's almost done - hooray!) and they rarely get to see each other right now.

PS I can't help laugh at this picture of these two cause they are trying to be serious... but these two laugh ALL day long when they are together. They have inside jokes and are seriously nutty together.

She also has a Raymond best friend named Hadley.



Alden also says KAden (Anise's brother).


Although I'd say his best friend is Kolton from down the street (I need a picture of them together!)
or Ben from his class.



Really overall I think Lucy and Alden are best friends. But whenever I say that they say "she (or he) can't be my best friend, she's (or he's) my sister (or brother)!"



Eli says its Dad. :)

or James Baldry. (and he always calls him "James Baldry" which cracks me up :)




You can see all my other entries for this project here

Go check out Brooke's over here!