Lauren Likes It!

I just want to share this because I will probably forget that she ever did this when the next cute/annoying thing comes along!

Lauren still isn't speaking in a discernible language. She does get her point across, usually after verbally abusing you with ahh's and yah's, with a few taps to the arm. But when you, meaning I, finally figure out what she wants she nods her head with emphasis, smiles and then ends with a round of applause. Jeremy put it really well when he said "I am not sure if I should think its cute or be insulted." It is adorable when you little darling claps at your stupidity for not understanding her very specific request. Here's a guide to her desires:

Ahhhhhh followed by pointing and hitting your arm=I want Barbie and the Diamond Castle

Ahhhhhh followed by pointing and hitting your arm=I want my water/milk cup

Ahhhhhh followed by pointing and hitting your arm=I want my blanket

Ahhhhhh followed by pointing and pulling on your arm=I want you to get off the computer and follow me!

Ahhhhhh followed by pointing and hitting your arm=I want you to put down your book and feed me or else I will get it myself and you WON'T like it!

So you see where the confusion lies and the round of applause is extremely necessary. It may not be a good system but it is our system and it works.

On another note. I do a babysitting swap with a friend. Last Thursday she had my kids so I could work in Logan's classroom. She had made some cupcakes for Young Women's and they were on the counter. Brittany started wondering where Lauren went, sure enough she managed to grab a cupcake off the counter and was sitting quietly in the corner eating her bounty. I am pleased to know her sneaky-ness does not end at home. What a girl!

Jackson in Action

I just love how Jackson responds to his sisters. They will start talking to him and he gets this big grin. He loves them almost as much as they love him. I was able to catch in on video.

I just love him! Who knew a heart could hold so much!

What do girls like?

One of the girls favortie movie is Barbie and The Diamond Castle. We love all the Barbie movies but this is my favorite.

You can find the real soundtrack here. For their birthday Haylie and Hannah gpt the Soundtrack. They absolutely love it. Their favorite thing to do is to sing and dance. I got this video with a few different songs I love it. I love that our kids love music whether they are dancing or just listening. I look forward to the time when they can share that passion through choir or band.

DDR

So one of the games I insisted on getting for the Wii is Dance Dance Revolution. Last week I tried to get Jeremy to play it but it was not cooperating. He was hilarious to watch I really wish I had recorded it. Chris pushed it down to expert which means only a die-hard can possibly keep up. It was crazy and gut wrenchingly funny. So Friday night I got him to try again. What he didn't see was that I had recorded the whole thing.

As you can tell, he was not thrilled that I recorded it and was going to delete my awesome capture. I begged and pleaded and was about to whip out the tears when we came to an agreement. I could only put his reaction at the end. He does have to approve this post, so if you are reading this it does have his approval.

One of my favorite parts was when Jeremy had been boo'd a couple of times. One thing he kept doing was missing the back arrow, he was stepping off of the mat. He said "Oh I just have to get used to the mat. Actually the mat has to get used to me!"

Jeremy is a pretty good sport and lets me embarrass him frequently, I am equally blessed that he does not do the same for me. I can dish it out but I can't take it very well!

A first....

We have our first completed family picture. Logan is star of the week and needed a family picture so w set up our camera and used the timer. Pretty impressive considering the attention spans we were dealing with.

Just because we are talking firsts I thought I would post this since Jackson is smiling now. It isn't his first smile but one of the first we got on camera. I love when they learn to smile and they scrunch their nose and open their mouths real wide. Too adorable!

A funny conversation

Today on the way home from church Logan (and the rest of the kiddos) were confused as to why we didn't have a typical meeting. Usually we go to sacrament meeting where they start by passing the sacrament. Then when that is over we go to different classes. Today was Stake Conference. So it is a two our meeting, today's conference happened to be a broadcast from Salt Lake City. We tried to explain the difference to Logan and he says "Oh I get it, like a 3-Hour Breath Mint"

Jeremy and I look at each other trying to find the connection. Logan quickly adds "only less time." Neither are related but he picked up on the length of time. It was pretty funny. We keep this "treat" in the car so there is a frequent request for these lovely mints. We go through them quickly.

One already...

One month that is! Can you believe it? Jackson was one month on the 8th of February, it kind of got overshadowed by the twins birthday but that's OK. Jackson seems to be thriving. He is suffering through the acne/hair loss/cradle cap syndrome. It is getting better. It is like living through three stages of life at once: cradle cap=newborn, acne=puberty, and hair loss=senior living! Poor kid. He is still adorable and is smiling now, especially when I finally get the hint to change his diaper. He is fairly low maintenance as long as he is nursing and I am holding him, it works out well because it gives me a justifiable excuse to read! We have been able to have lots of home cooked meals and maintain some family fun as well. I am sure it won't feel this way everyday all the time, but this is a good time in my life. I look forward to the next stage as well.

Words are great but pictures are so much better. Here are some recent snap shots.

We have two presents that we haven't given from Christmas time. They have now both been un-wrapped by Lauren. Who decided to congratulate herself by eating a Go-gurt, well trying anyways, she hasn't managed to open those yet. That is probably on the agenda for next week. She is extremely smart or busy. On Sunday I just went to the bathroom and to change out of my church clothes. Do you want to know where Lauren was? She got three DVD's put one in the DVD player and was getting ready to put two in to our CD changer. After feeding Jackson I come in to the family room and she is at the computer with the keyboard pulled out and the monitor turned on. I know mimicking is part of a developmental stage of childhood, but seriously there should be a limit that she can show me only a few of my faults not all of them.

This is my most relaxing time of the day. When she is asleep! As much of a little turkey she is, I can't help but love her to pieces. She is the whole package: personality, energy, cuteness, and loves to snuggle. How can you resist such a combo?

Thinking again...

On Saturday we decided to get out of the house, all of us. The only thing we needed to do and that the weather allowed since our kids are feeling under the weather, was grocery shopping. So that was our outing. I got through one aisle and Jackson decided he was not going to make it through the whole store and he wanted to eat NOW! He is such a boy already. So I took Jackson to the car and Miranda wanted to go with me. As I was feeding Jackson and talking to Miranda I realized, not for the first time, how many people are probably still shocked that I have so many kids. For Jeremy it is probably not as shocking, he always wanted and lived to be a father. I, on the other hand, looked forward to having two kids, having a career at some point prior to children. I don't want this to be confused with I didn't want my children, every single one was planned and wanted, well except Hannah (wanted yes planned no!) she was completely a surprise, ha-ha!

Right after we had Logan I had a hard time adjusting, I cried and it was hard. I thought two was my limit. Jeremy and I talked, he still wanted more. We came up with a deal and I accepted. Then we had twins, Holy cow! It was not as hard maybe because Miranda had Logan while I had the twins. That adjustment was surprisingly easier, then it was "what's one more?" Don't get me wrong, twins is hard but emotionally it was easier.

Back to my original thought, I was talking to Miranda and realizing, while I am her Mom and have the responsibility of being such, she is one of my best friends. I have 7 best friends built right into my family. How lucky I am to have a party with the people I hold closest to my heart everyday. In the beginning, when I knew everything in my late teens and early twenties, I only had panned two kids, who would have thought that not only would I have so many kids but enjoy them. I didn't baby sit much and when I did I did NOT enjoy it. They have their cranky moments and get into trouble, especially that Lauren (NOTE TO SELF: She's almost TWO and is the first to experience terrible twos). Overall they are exceptionally great kids. I love them so much. As much as I like to take credit for them I know Heavenly Father gave them their personalities and I just got to reap the benefit of them.

I feel abundantly blessed. While my kids are what I do 24/7 minus a few hours here and there. I couldn't do it alone and if it weren't for an extremely supportive and involved husband I am not sure I would have the same joy and happiness. I am grateful for him, for his friendship and love that he gives me. It has been a rough adjustment since Jackson has been born. He is a pretty good baby but we haven't had the normal alone time at night after the kids go to bed. It will happen at about three months, 1 down two to go. Not only the baby but the time Jeremy gets to dedicate to his church calling. It has taken a chunk out of family time, so it makes what we have left very precious. There are some days where he doesn't get to see his kids except for when he is shoveling food down so he can get to his next commitment. Luckily it is only three days a week. At least it isn't tax season where he will not see them for 3 months, or military duty where he ships off. We are lucky that he gets to be flexible with his work schedule and help with doctor appointments, sick kids, etc. He gets a generous amount of vacation days which allow for family vacations and random days off for birthdays, etc.

My overall point was that I may surprise you by having 6 kiddos, I even surprise myself since I didn't see it coming, but Heavenly Father knows best and knows this is what I need and how to make my life more fulfilling. This isn't to say that smaller families aren't, I am all for doing what is best for you. Challenges come in all shapes and sizes and so do personal limits. Do what you can and be proud, I am!

An award for ME?

I was given my very first award. Thanks!

I have received the Kreativ Blogger Award! I want to thank Rebecca at A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Away for presenting me this award! Sorry it took so long to acknowledge it. Now I nominate (in no particular order):

Jeremy

Hunter

and anyone else who reads my blog. I am sure I read yours too and enjoy it! I love all the parenting stories, craft ideas, and just plain old life experiences you share. I would list you but it would take a while. So here's to you!

This is what you need to do. Thank the person who gave the award to you, post the award on your blog or on a post, nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude, link to the people you chose on your post, and comment on their blogs to tell them about the award!

The Twinnies Party.

Amongst our birthday traditions, donuts, dancing, going out to dinner, we do a family birthday party. At that party the guest(s) of honor get to pick the menu. This was a unique request from the girls but Jeremy said lets do it! So for dinner they asked for cereal, more specifially Lucky Charms, Reese's Puffs (it is the best!), and Cinnamon Toast crunch. For dessert they asked for vanilla ice cream. As parents we added a fruit salad and bear claws. With all that sugar I am suprised they went to bed on time without a sugar high! Hopefully they will remember this and that we scored some points as the coolest parents ever.

As always the girls were spoiled, the got a few games (the old fashioned kind that have pieces and stuff), some games for the Wii, clothes, money and puzzles. They also got bikes. Our new goal is to make sure our kids can ride a bike.

Here's a little video of the girls.

Lots of updates...

February 1st was the day Jackson was blessed. We didn't take too many pictures, actually we only took one.

Jeremy gave our little caboose a beautiful blessing. The people in the circle with Jeremy were great friends. We are extremely fortunate to be surrounded by so many people who will be a part of our lives and a good example to Jackson. In the circle there was, President Score, Bishop Lopez, Uncle Chris, Rossi, Tim, and Matt.

I took Lauren for her 18 month check-up, it's late and I was pre-occupied. She weighs 24lbs, that's the 30th percentile for her age. For her height she was in the 95th percentile at 34.75" tall. She still is our lollipop, tall, skinny with a beautifully round head.

Logan lost his second tooth, it's been loose since September! While rinsing it off in the sink it went down the drain. Brave Aunt Tamra dug through grossness to no avail, the tooth is gone. 1 week later and the silly tooth fairy has still not come even though there has been a note explaining the situation. The fairy needs to be fired.

Haylie and Hannah turned 4 yesterday. We began celebrating by getting traditional birthday donuts and dancing to Happy Birthday from the Splash Dance CD. We ended the day by going to Mimi's for dinner. Just the 8 of us, and it was enjoyable and the kids were awesome. After we came home and watched Igor. The girls opened a few presents but will get their big presents tomorrow when we celebrate with family. If I get some time I will put together a video to the Happy Birthday song. It's really catchy.

And just for kicks since most people only put the good stuff on blogs I will share a good story about me. Today as I was leaving for church with Jackson in arms I slipped on a hanger that was haphazardly lying in the hallway. We were both unharmed, with the exception of my ego. I picked up the hanger and threw it down the hall, it broke. I then lectured the kids on why they need to put stuff away. Seriously folks I am a klutz with out the help of objects. So we get home from church (yes to be spiritually uplifted and all that jazz) and the kids are to finish cleaning up the mess they made before church (it is amazing what two hours with out dad at home can do to a house!) So Logan comes out to show Jeremy a broken hanger, he threw it in his room. Jeremy said, where did you learn that? Logan's mumbled response "from mom!" To defend my self a little the kids were in the car when I threw the hanger so it was not in anyway directed at them. They just happened to be looking at me threw the windshield! Maybe this is where Lauren has learned to throw fits?!

With that I am signing off until next time when I have something worth while to share. And for kicks one last picture of my beautiful girls.