Dishwash

Jaxon was sitting on the counter and had a drink of water.  He swished it around in his mouth, spit it in the sink and said, "That's like Reina's dishwash."

"Mouthwash?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah.  Mouthwash."

Primary Program

This past Sunday was our Primary Program in church.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  I thought since some family came to watch, Jaxon might want to just stay seated with them and not go up to participate in the program.  But, he was so excited to sing for everyone that he went right up.  He said his line perfectly, "Jesus said, 'Come follow me.'"  When all the little kids sang I could just feel their sweet spirits and their perfect little testimonies.

I hope all my boys can continue to learn about the gospel and strengthen their testimonies through service and making good choices.  The gospel bring me so much comfort and happiness I want them to have that blessing in their lives too.

Jack-O-Lanterns

This was our pumpkin carving adventure this year.

 Jaxon told Daddy what he wanted his jack-o-lantern to look like and Daddy carved away.

 Henry was more interested in my sewing machine than his pumpkin.

Jaxon admiring his carved pumpkin.

 Here's Jaxon's jack-o-lantern!

Henry was being so goofy!

He was making everyone laugh:)

 Then Henry wanted to look at the newspaper instead of put it under his pumpkin.

He said, "Oh, swa-berries!" (strawberries)

 And finally he got down from the table all together and set up his stools so he could reach his "Harry Potter wands."

Jaxon watched Daddy do Henry's pumpkin.

 Time to take them outside!

Examining their work.

(Good thing the boys had baths so they could lay on the ground outside.)

Yea for Halloween!

31 Weeks!

Here's my growing baby at 31 weeks old.

I'm feeling good, but oh so tired!

I've got a doc appt on Thursday and by then I'll be 32 weeks.  It has almost been 12 weeks since I've been in, so it's about time!

Bye Bye Binki

Yesterday was the day.  We told Henry he was a big boy now and didn't need the binki.  There were a few times he asked for it through the day, but after reminding him that he doesn't need it anymore, he stopped crying within a few minutes.  The day actually went better than I expected.

I didn't put him down for a nap mostly because he didn't really seem tired.  Every once in a while he does okay without a nap.  So bedtime was really the first time he really wanted the binki.  He cried for a while and woke up 2 times in the night wanting it, but didn't cry for too long when we told him he couldn't have it.  

Sometimes he likes to carry around the kitchen towel during the day.  Devin suggested we give him a blanket to replace the binki since he seemed to like the towel.  He also predicted that Henry would want the towel though.  Devin was right.  Henry wanted to sleep with the kitchen towel.  I tried giving him a few different soft baby blankets we have and he only wanted the towel.  So, I guess that's what he can have.  

I think nap time today will be tough.  Since he doesn't sleep in the crib for naps like he does at night, it might take longer for him to fall asleep because I'm sure he'll keep getting off the bed.  But, we'll see how it goes...  Maybe he'll surprise us!

Devin said it's a little sad that Henry is growing up.  I told him that I agreed, but we're gonna have a new baby in a few weeks.  "Yeah, but this is baby Hen Hen" he said.  Yeah, little baby Hen isn't a baby anymore.

New Discovery

Henry discovered his nipple today (just one of them) and said, "Mommy, Henry have mole on belly."

Jaxon corrected him and said, "No Henry, that's your peck.  Boys have pecks and girls have boobs."

Thanks Jaxon.

Wishes Do Come True

Have you ever used the Mix N Chop tool from Pampared Chef?  It's used to chop ground meats.

For the past few weeks I have been wishing I had one.  I have seen them used at shows and always thought they looks like a great tool to have.

Well, yesterday I was searching in our drawer for the meat mallet when I found we had a Mix N Chop!  I guess I forgot I bought one.  I was thrilled when I found it, like seriously so excited.  I used it last night and it made chopping up the ground beef for Shepherd's Pie so much easier than using a spatula.

No Strings Attached

Devin knew I didn't have a very good day on Monday so he came home with a note that said,

"Hey Sweets.  I love you so much.  How about a back rub?  No strings attached.
Unless you want strings..."

Isn't he thoughtful?  I'm sordof being sarcastic, but mostly serious.  He is thoughtful and funny too.

I did get a nice back rub and that's all I'll say about that.

Dragonfly

Mommy and Jaxon did a fun project on Sunday afternoon.  I saw this idea at Michael's.  It looked easy and fast and we only needed a few supplies so I thought it would be just the right kind of activity to do with my little guy.  I was right.  He loved making them!

I only had directions for the dragonflies, but Jaxon wanted to make a caterpillar and a butterfly too so we improvised on those.

(Notice Henry's cereal bowl in the background.  That kid would live on cereal if we let him!)

Weekend Wedding

Devin's cousin Aaron got married this weekend.  We didn't get any picture of the bride and groom, but here are the boys at the reception.

First Jaxon wanted to touch the water, then he wanted to lick it.  He eventually got his whole face wet!

 Henry eating the yummy food!

Devin was so much fun to watch on the dance floor.  I had a flash back to high school!  (But this time Devin kept his shirt on!)  A black lady even came up and told me he had "moves."  Too bad I'm such a bad dancer that I can't be seen on the dance floor with him.  He has never said that, of course, but I know I'm terrible!  We did get a slow dance in and that was sweet.  It would have been nice to get a little closer, but my belly prevented that this time.  While we were dancing I just felt so thankful I am married to Devin.  He is so amazing and truly my best friend.  We are so blessed to be together not just on Earth, but all through eternity!

Tired

I'm too tired to really think straight.  We had a busy weekend, which I want to document, but I still need to recover.

It's hard to get a good night's sleep with Jeni getting up to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes, sometimes 5.  Really, I'm not exaggerating.  Devin and I timed the intervals.  Seriously, how can anyone need to go to the bathroom that often?!  She can't really be going to the bathroom.  She just goes in there, turns the light on, and closes the door (loudly) then goes back in her room.  Devin has come to the conclusion that Jeni doesn't really sleep.  She just lays in bed and gets bored so she gets up a lot.  Maybe.  He's probably right because this morning when I came out of my bedroom to wait for the daycare kids to arrive (at 6 am), I went to close her door and she was just sitting up on the bed in the dark.  It freaked me out.  I don't know what goes on with her at night.  I don't know but I wish she would just sleep so I could sleep!!!

Since I'm getting towards the end of my pregnancy (hallelujah!) I am feeling more tired again.  I was tired at the beginning, had a good stretch in the middle, and now realize the good stretch is dwindling down.  On Friday night, I went to bed at 11 pm and woke up at 9 am.  That's 10 hours of sleep.  Then Saturday night, I was exhausted by 9 pm!  After getting that much sleep the night before, I thought I'd be able to stay up a little later.  Having to wake up at 5:30 during the week really wears me out!  I feel like I never get caught up on the sleep I need.  I can't wait to exercise again.  I know that will help with my energy level.

Maybe there will come a day in my life when I don't have to take care of anyone besides my own kids.  No daycare kids, and no Jeni.  That would be so nice.  Devin and I are working on it, but change is rarely immediate.  It takes time.  Unlucky for me, I'm not very patient!  I want things to be different now.  But, I'm learning to wait.  Some days aren't so bad, but I am not really happy doing it.  I don't think my kids are always happy about it either.  They do like playing with other kids, but all day every day is a little too much for them and me.  Like I said, we're working on a change.

I don't know if it is because of the pregnancy, but my ability to deal with everything has not been up to the usual standard.  One specific thing is that I have no tolerance for whining.  With 6 kids and Jeni around, there tends to be a lot of whining I have to listen to.  Lets just say I'm thrilled when each weekend rolls around.  It means I get a (short) break and it's one week closer to the baby coming.

Despite the hard times, I am very blessed.  When I am having a hard day, I know it helps to focus on the blessings I have been given.  It also helps to serve others.  My goals:  be more grateful, serve more.  Oh, and get more sleep!

Is This Normal?

Jaxon has been having some serious fits lately.  He's 4 and he throws more fits than Henry who is 2.

When he gets mad, Jaxon says things like, "I don't want to live with you," "I don't love you," "You're lying," "You don't love me," "That's not fair," "You're not my mommy," and on and on with all kinds of stuff.  I don't know where he gets this stuff because Devin and I certainly never have said anything like the previous quotes to each other ever.  He doesn't even understand what he's saying half the time.  It's like we raising a teenager in a miniature body.

I know he doesn't mean the things he says and I don't take them personally, but when he has these drawn out fits it wears on me.  I get past the point of knowing what to do about it.  It's like there's no reasoning with him because he just argues back with some of the lines quoted above.  These fits are hard to manage!  His fits don't happen very often, it's just that when they do, they seem to go on and on.  And of course, if he is hungry or tired they are worse.

I just don't know if this is normal.  My Oma (grandma) said I didn't say thing like that or act crazy-out-of-control-mad when I was little.  I know Devin banged his head on the floor when he was younger, but I don't think that continued much past age 2.  I wonder if Jaxon is more difficult than most kids his age or are we just lousy parents?

Where did this sweet boy go?

2 is Better than 1

Henry came out of his room like this the other day.  

I think it's really going to be a hard few days when we decide to get rid of the binki.  I think the day is going to be soon.  The fact that he likes his binki didn't really bother me before, but recently it has been driving me crazy.  It might be the pregnancy, but when he wakes me up in the night to find his binki because he threw it out of his crib, that makes me cranky.  

So, mamas, any tips for getting rid of the binki?

It's funny because Jaxon seemed so grown up when Henry was born.  And though Henry will be older when Oliver is born than Jaxon was when Henry was born, Henry still seems like such a baby!

Curly

Henry's hair is always so curly after bath time.  But by morning, it's flattened into kind of wavy instead.  Isn't he the cutest?! 

J Turns 4!

We celebrated Jaxon's birthday this weekend.  First Granny, Gramps, and Oma came over for dinner.  Jaxon requested some ridiculous meal of beans with tortillas folded up like diapers...gross.  I guess that's what a four-year old little boy mind thinks is funny.  We didn't make that.  

Jaxon was really excited about his presents.

A fun chalk-making project

 Mix

 Shake

 Pour into molds

 Wait for it to dry

Then, on Saturday (Jaxon's actual birthday) Mommy took the boys to Krazy Sub for dinner.  Some firemen came in and started talking to Jaxon and Henry.  We told them it was his birthday and they offered to show him their fire truck!  It was so nice!  He got to go inside and look at all their gear.  They even let him sit in the driver seat!  He loved it!

Henry got in for a second, but said he was scared and wanted out.

On Sunday, Nana, Papa, Reina, Elisha, and Josh came over to celebrate.  Jaxon wanted banana cake so that's what Devin made.  He originally wanted coconut because that's what Curious George had, but we didn't have the ingredients for it so Devin was able to convince him to go for banana cake instead.  

Aunt Reina got JJ a cool superhero play dough kit.  I just realized I didn't get a pic, but Aunt Elisha and Uncle Josh got Jax a glow in the dark Toy Story shirt--an immediate favorite item of clothing!

And the forever anticipated Iron Man suit!

Henry got a little outfit too and loved it.

Mommy and Daddy got Iron Man action figures for the boys.

So happy!

Little Henry likes to be just like Jaxon.

Mommy and Jaxon on his special day!

We sure do love Jaxon.  He made me a mommy and I am grateful for that everyday.  When one of the daycare kids says or does something that isn't very nice, Jaxon always stands up to them.  Every once in a while it does get to be too much because sometimes he makes the kids cry with how upfront he is about it, but I am glad he isn't afraid to stand up to his friends when they do something he knows isn't right.  I hope this continues through his youth.  He will always give me love and wants me to sing "I Have a Family Here on Earth" to him every night after stories and prayers and then he likes to sing it back to me.  He is such a sweetie!

Oh, and he knows the alphabet in sign language.