Birthday!

There's a lot of pics.  I used to make collages but they didn't transfer to my blog book well so now I just post them all and collage them in blogger when I make it.  Sorry you have to wade through them all.

We had our Midland "family" over for Lib's b-day dinner and cupcakes. The Laings were there too but they were manning the cameras.

 The kids were a dirty mess from playing outside all morning so I had to bathe them right before the party.  Miss L's hair wasn't done, which was driving me crazy until Ashleigh fixed it.

 She also woke up a bit grouchy, but she eventually came out of it.

 Here's some proof that I am actually there for these events.  I'm feeding a baby, but I'm there.

 She LOVES these wings. 

 This was Jayne in the background of one of the pics.  Oh, to be a kid!

Grouchy....happy.....grouchy....happy....

 Isn't this sweet?

 Molly apparently loved her cupcake and came out looking a bit like a couple of famous people.

 This is Lib tonight.  Did I mention she LOVES those wings?

She's asked me if she's three about fifty times.  Yes, Miss L, you are three!

My Princess is Three

Blogger is giving me hassle with downloading pics so I guess for now there's only these two.

Tomorrow my lil' girl turns 3!  I can hardly believe it.  It literally seems like yesterday that I gave birth to her.  Man, I love her.

 This is my grandpa with the Lil' Princess a couple of years ago.  He has been sick in the hospital so this pic just made my heart melt.  He wanted her to like him so bad, but Miss L really doesn't like many people - or at least she doesn't show any love.  It takes her weeks to warm up to people.  But when she does, she's a lover....well at least if you are willing to tickle her.

My grandpa is Miss L's advocate.  Whenever I tell him about her antics he tells me to quit picking on her and says he's going to come down here and stand up for the girl.  Bring it on Grandpa!  We'd love for you to visit.

Miss L,

Baby girl, I love you so much.  When you were a baby you smiled at everyone and I wrote about how much fun it was to take you places because you lit up everyone's day with that big, dimply grin.  Later you came to really only like Mommy and even later you added Daddy to that.  Many people don't even know you can talk because you are so quiet around others.  You give most people the cold shoulder.  At home, however, you are crazy.  You love to make us smile, you giggle a ton, you talk a lot, you run around like a wild woman, and you light up our lives.

The adjustment to having Baby D around has been a little hard on you, but you never take it out on him. You are very sweet to him. You beg for mommy to hold you every time it's inconvenient.  You want me to go with you everywhere.  You don't like to wait for what you want.  You get out of bed fifteen times a night to get more loves and drinks of water. Everyone comments on how you sure love your momma.

  You spend hours playing with Mr. M and trying to get Little D to look at you.  You love to help Mommy out by getting diapers and cleaning things. You can entertain yourself "reading" books in your room for hours.  You love to draw and color.  You can sing most of the States song (The fifty states in alphabetical order) but you really love to sing (or have mommy sing) Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  You are very smart, but until recently you rarely tried to show it off.  I'm realizing more and more each day how incredibly smart you are.

You are very independent.  You started dressing yourself very young.  You want to do everything by yourself. You LOVE to make BIG messes.  Your favorite mess to make is to get into the dog food and water outside and make cakes....Daddy loves that one. You didn't start liking TV until a few months ago and now you love Dora the Explorer. 

And now I'm going to go put you back in bed again.  I think you are a little excited for you birthday tomorrow.

Love,

Mommy

Sleep! We LOVE Sleep!

As I've written about many times, I've had hard time getting Damon on a schedule.  I know many of you thought I was starting a little young when I posted the first time, but I was desperate (I've read a lot of books and I tried a lot of things that just simply did not work).  At about ten weeks he was waking up every hour at night and only taking twenty minutes naps during the day.  I was exhausted, anxious, and a little depressed. We both needed sleep.  His little dark circles under his eyes were killing me. I knew he was overtired I just couldn't figure out how to get him sleep so he wouldn't be! Finally one day I just laid him down in his crib and walked away.

I sobbed and sobbed.  I called my mom and some friends and sobbed some more.  He just seemed so little but I didn't know what else to do. For about a month  I'd lay him in his bed at night and listen to him cry for at least a half-hour. Then I'd get him and nurse him to sleep and he'd sleep for a few hours.  It was much better but it only worked for a few weeks.

So I ordered Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, like many of you suggested.  I love this book.  I am a strong believer that MOST kids should be on a schedule and can be.  I knew Damon could be, I just couldn't figure out how to do it.  The first thing I learned from HSH, HC is that I was putting him to bed too late (I'd start around 8 but it usually took until 10).  At four months they should be going to bed between 6-7pm.  I started that right away and immediately saw results.  The first night he slept 11 hours.  That wasn't repeated again, but boy did it help! After that he picked up a schedule of waking at 10:30pm to eat and 3am.  After what we had been going through, it was a miracle.

Now the little guy is so much happier.  He usually goes to bed around 6pm, but if he didn't take a late afternoon  nap I'll put him to bed at 5:30 or if he took a great nap I'll shoot for 6:30 or 7.  Usually he wakes up at 10:30 for one last feeding and sometime he wakes again around 3-4am, but not always.  Most of the time he is awake when I lay him down and he doesn't cry at all.  In fact, since moving his bedtime up crying at bedtime and during the night has been minimal.

I get great quality time at night with the other kids because of his schedule.  I no longer have to listen to him scream while I brush teeth, and give baths, and read books.  It's HEAVENLY! I've also started this great chore program with the older munchkins.  I get quality time with them and things are getting done around the house.  My house is no longer a disaster because all my kids are in bed by 7:30 so I have plenty of time to go for a run, clean, and read or watch a show. 

I feel like I ran a marathon and won.  We're both well-rested and oh so much happier.  And everyone knows if Mama's happy, everyone's happy.

One of my favorite quotes from the book (mainly because people are always shocked when I say he goes to bed at 6pm):
I think we have simply grown accustomed to having overtired children in the evening hours, and because it is so common we have assumed that fussiness or irritabliltiy near the end of the day was normal. Imagine what was a "normal" bedtime before electric lights, radio, television, videos, commuting, or dual-income families traveling from work to daycare to home.

Who Knew?

Sorry they are in their underwear - it's just how it is around here - especially in the mornings.

I asked them to put the couch cushions I had just cleaned back on the couch. 

It took a half-hour.

It was awesome entertainment.

And a half-hour less of them making a mess.

Success!

Beautiful Weather and Beautiful Boys

We had a beautiful day yesterday.  Miss L and daddy were napping so the boys and I went for a walk. We picked up leaves and went home to sort them and categorize them and learn all we could.  I remember doing that in elementary school and loving it, so I do it once a year with my kiddos.  Miss L woke up in the middle of it thought it was the best thing ever.

 I don't post many serious faces from Damon but they are cute too!

 But man the smiles .... they just melt me.

Lib came out later with us and colored with sidewalk chalk and rode her tri-cycle up and down the street. Sunshine is good for the soul.  We had such a great day and I felt so renewed.

The Libster

At the end of sacrament meeting today Miss L burst in to tears.  She was sitting with friends and none of us knew what had happened.  She was sobbing and saying something over and over again.  Daddy figured out she was mad that she didn't get to give the closing prayer.  So we just sat down and had a quick prayer and she was good to go.

She wrote her name for the first time the other day (with prompts).  She is one smart cookie but she's not a fan of structured type things, like writing.  She gets up every few seconds and runs off.  But she did it and was so proud. The picture won't post landscape for some reason.

 She loves to be creative and apparently now enjoys having her picture taken - especially when wearing silly things, like shorts, on her head.

Her schedule has been off because of Mr. M being in preschool and suddenly the girl who would only sleep in her room now sleeps anywhere.  One of the things I love about her is she sometimes recognizes when she's tired and doesn't fight it.  Today in the midst of a fit she said, I'm tired." And went to bed.

I'm in shock that this sweet, sassy, independent girl will be three in just a few days.  Really?!

Damon and Abby

(Damon: 4 mo.; Abby: 4 weeks)

Ashleigh and I do a lot of things together....like having babies.  Mine is three months older and that seems HUGE now but in a year or so it won't seem like such a big gap.  Miss L and Molly are 9 months apart and they are best buddies.

Mertzon, TX

Our friends just bought a house in Mertzon, TX.  They invited us for the night.  It's our dream house.  It's a beautiful log cabin located on a river and 8 acres of land.  Our kids (and us) were in heaven. We arrived at night and I thought the lights were so beautiful.  The previous owner apparently loved electricity.

 The night we got there Damon was in a great mood.  He and I hung out and played while daddy and his friend geocached. Mr. M and Miss L watched movies with their friend Preston.

 This is Preston.  He is one of the greatest ten-year-old boys I know. He loves Malachi and played with him the entire time. This pic was taken while geocaching in San Angelo.

 We like San Angelo.  It's a pretty spot and only a couple hours away.

 With the cloudy sky the water looked like black glass.  It was gorgeous.

 The kids loved climbing the rocks.  I was a little nervous for about two seconds, they are really great climbers.

 "Mom we did it! I used my super strength to get to the top!"

 Damon was a wee bit cold in this pic but we soon bundled him up better, put a little hat on him, and he slept in my arms while I hiked all over some crazy woods searching for geocaches and I had a thorn in my foot. I'm a true geocacher now, I guess.

 Throwing rocks in water is the best entertainment for all ages I think. Everyone seems to enjoy it for at least a little while.

 I loved pics of her just walking because she had such purpose.  She knew where she was going and was determined to get there.

 This is the pond outside their house with ducks and fish in it.

 The awesome backyard.

 Some random porch out in the middle of nowhere for some reason.

 The back of the house from the random porch pictured above.

 Carter and Preston playing by the river.

 Sword  Stick fighting.

 They fished for a long time.  I was starting to think there was nothing in the water but lo and behold a teeny tiny bass.

 Mr. M got drenched and wanted to go back to the house to get warm.  I started to take him and Miss L said, "No mom.  I'll take him," and pushed me back. She walked him back with me following far behind. She walked him right up to the door, opened it, let him in, and turned to walk back to the river.  I protectively watched until I knew one of the adults had an eye on her then headed back in.  Sometimes she reminds me so much of me when I was little.

 One of the deer we saw as we were headed out, this one was a buck.

It was fun and relaxing and I hope they invite us back soon! (They don't read the blog.)