10 on Tuesday

1. I am at 31 (or 32??) weeks... and I still haven't taken my diabetes test.... I may keep forgetting. Whoops.

2. My grandma is here for the week. We are doing lots of baking and freezer meals. Christmas and baby prep.

3. I have become obsessed with making this bread from pinterest that is actually from here.


4. Basketball wrapped up for both kids. They both really loved it. (I watched Lucy a couple times and I think she was more interested in the social aspect... not that I was surprised by that!)


5. Speaking of this girl, she is such a social butterfly. I think in the past two weeks she has been invited to 4 or 5 different play dates. And she LOVES it. She love love loves playing with friends.


6. My back hurts. I walk like an old lady.

7. I am amazed at how many people have trees up already.

8. I love a good sunset.


9. I love board games... tried any lately you love?? Tis the season for games!

10. We had a fun pie potluck party with pingpong last weekend. It was a ton o fun and might become a tradition around our house.

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.

Lucy's Pajama-o-rama Party

Lucy and I talked about all different ideas for her birthday party and she kept changing her mind. I gave her a deadline and she finally came up with a pj party. So I looked around and we went with a Pajama-o-rama Party. (I loooove planning parties :) HA)

Here's the invite: (I totally found an invite that I liked and then made my own version of it!)


For decorations I went with the same colors I always go with :) The colors in her room!! I used the same banner that I made a few years ago that hangs in her room. And all the puff balls and paper lanterns that hang above her bed. I also found some great fabric that was totally in my color scheme from Value village. (I am going to make them into pillows for her room now). I also got some pretty flowers and had jars of cereal as centerpieces on the table. And I got paper plates and silverware from Michaels and the Dollar Store. I just got square ones for chargers and round ones for the plates to make it all fancy :) Each plate also had a balloon on top of it for later.



For the food, I went with all of Lucy's favorites. She looooves breakfast foods. So we had crepes (her very favorite) with fruit, Nutella, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips and coconut syrup. And then we had hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon. PLus chocolate milk and orange juice.


All the girls ready to eat!


For the activities, first up we ate breakfast! Then we made cereal necklaces out of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks. The girls ended up spending a lot of time on these (like 20 minutes at least). Which was kind of nice :)




For the girls that finished early then played the classic telephone.


Then I got each girl a new pillow case and we opened those and had sack races in the living room. It was pretty funny.



After that they each got their balloons from the table and they had to sit in their pillow cases and pop the balloon. They each had candy in them. Instead of doing a piñata, they each got their own to pop. And it was also very funny!


Then we took those pillow cases back to the table and the girls decorated them.



Then we were supposed to do cake but the girls all wanted to do presents so we did that first. One of the things I do on every one of my kids parties is take a picture of them with each guest after they open their present from them. I think in the future that will be something cool to look back on.


And then had cake. This is what she picked. Rainbow Cupcakes in a jar.

(She was unsure about the sparklers!)


For the goodie bags, they used their pillow cases and picked out a sleeping mask, chocolate milk (i was going to do small cereals with a spoon attached but two stores were out and I just wasn't going to haul my kids to one more store just in case!), a glow bracelet, a nail polish and a handful of candy.

It all worked out pretty good (except Oliver was sad most of it and didn't want me to take any pictures...)

Happy Birthday Lucy! We sure love you!!

Foto Friday: Our year in Photos

Instead of the theme this week... A quick little snapshot of Lucy's party today.
I'll share more about the whole party next week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 2: Details

Well I switched the theme this week just so I could share this little detail.



She has been waiting for this day FOREVER. And she was sooo excited to leave that little tooth for the tooth fairy!



Can you tell????

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 1: Back to School

Well my kids were not really into the whole let's take a picture the morning of... and I would have done it at home before but it was raining... sooooo here they are.... ever so impatiently waiting for me to HURRY up!


Lucy in her classroom.


Alden was not having any of me taking one of him in his room.... I knew that'd day would come....

So after school I cornered them on the deck to take a couple more "good ones"... and instead I got these....

What's with the mouth???


Again with the mouth.... and Alden wasn't supposed to be standing in the way...


This is soooo one that will be enjoyed later in life...


Eli's first day of preschool is next Tuesday.... and I'm not holding my breath for a better one from him. He still won't let me do his 4th birthday ones from JUNE!

Did you capture your kids on the first day??

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

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!