My Little Guy is Moving on Up

I find it hard to believe that Mr. M. is five and about to start Kindergarten.  Really?  How did that happen?  Where did the time go?  I have so many great memories with him because he was the first and so many changes were happening in our lives.  With each move or important event I can see him clearly in our new surroundings.  I was so appreciative when we moved to TX that I would get to be a stay-at-home mom and I spent that first six months just reveling in the joy of it. 

He was so excited for graduation.  He talked about it for days and days.  But he absolutely hated it. 

 I spent most of my time making really silly faces at him or making Lil' D jump and yell to him.  He almost cracked a smile a time or two.

 The walk from the back of the church to the front was really, really long.  He got to our row and tried to make a beeline but the ladies on the edge pushed him onward.

 He made it.  He kept reaching is arms out for his dad and begging with those eyes to be held.  But he stayed up there.  We were so proud. :)

 We got a little snapshot of the family. It's a terrible pic, but it's the only one we have.

 We came home and he was all about snapping some pics.  I love it when they co-operate!

 For his graduation gift we gave him a ream of paper (per request) and some paints.   He spent hours on the back porch in 90 degree weather painting to his heart's content. 

I love you Mr. M.  You are so sweet and so kind.  You are thoughtful and caring.  You are also silly and smart.  I know you will do great in anything you choose to do.

Pre-School

I have a post on M's preschool graduation I need to get to. And I will get to it....eventually.

Moving

I eluded to the fact we will move in our future a few posts ago and several of you have asked questions.  We will most likely be moving next May, a year from now.  With Chevron you are required to move once in the first five years.  We have been here for almost four. We are not sure where we are going.  We have a few options, you give them your top choices, and they let you know where you are headed.  When I know, you will know.

It's Coming Off

It's been a long haul this time around with the weight.  I was getting to the point where I was just going to give up for awhile.  But then, it all clicked again.  My gumption came back!  Woohoo!!  I am one of the most informed people you will ever meet about healthy eating and living.  I've read book after book, magazine article after article, talked to health and fitness people over and over again.  It's all in my head, but all the knowledge in the world will do no good with out the motivation to change.  (And to be honest, truly understanding portion control plays a huge part.)

After D's birth I had 18 lbs. to loose to be back to pre-baby weight.  Instead of loosing I gained 17 lbs.  D's sleeping habits were so difficult that I became a little depressed.  When I'm depressed, I eat.  Every time he would cry (which was a lot because he was overtired) I would find myself in the pantry shoving anything I could find into my mouth.  And the bad rotation began.  I would eat because I felt bad about myself, I felt bad about myself because I was over-eating, etc.

I started running in January and I did loose about five pounds.  I'd loose a little here and there, but I'd gain it right back over the weekend. It was ridiculous and frustrating.  I was eating better (I always eat a ton of veggies and fruit but I also was eating a lot of carbs), but still not good enough.  I kept hearing this quote on TLC that said, "I wake up every day on a diet, and end every day a failure."  That is exactly how I felt. 

I am so happy to say, that is me no more.  Skinny Brittany is again fighting to get out.  I've lost 11 lbs. in the last three weeks and my motivation is still going strong. I no longer think of food every minute of every day.  I am gaining control back in other areas of my life as well.  I feel like I can breath again.

I am now 6 lbs away from the weight I was last time I visited Utah before I was pregnant (2 summers ago).  I am 24 lbs away from the smallest I've been since I was 16.  And for you old high school friends I am 11 lbs. lighter then when we graduated (although fat looked better then and seemed more compact), I will get there.......

and then I will get pregnant and this whole fiasco will start all over again.

A to Z Clinic

M had a field trip last week to a vet clinic.  I was not expecting it to be so awesome.  They had a ton of animals and you could get so close to them. 

Here the kids are looking at a Zebra and getting ready to feed the cow.  My children did not participate in that event.

 This Lil' Bunny was a cutie.  They also brought out a hedgehog, a chinchilla, a couple of different lizards and snakes, and.....

 A Lil' goat.

 There were a lot of turtles and tortoises.

 And an alligator.

 In this room they saw spiders and other creepy crawlies.  I love how Lib just fits right in.  She spent most of it whining for me to hold her and pouting but towards the end she loosened up.

 Here she is sitting my M's best school buddy Austin (in orange).  For some reason Mr. M. was being a loner and he was hard to capture pics of.

 Damon kept getting away and visiting the other moms and teachers.  They, of course, adored him.

They also had a wild turkey, baby ducks the kids were able to hold, baby chicks, a bobcat, a monkey, and some other exotic animals I can't think of names for. 

Mr. M graduates from preschool this week.  I can't believe it.  I am very anxious for him to start kindergarten.  Part of me wants to homeschool but I'm just not sure I have the patience or organization for it.  We also considered some private schools (the top-runner being one that is 1/2 homeschool) but we are probably moving next May and decided for now not to go through the hassle of getting him in, just to up and leave in one year.  I can't believe he's five and ready to start school.  Life flies by.

Silly Girl

We recently got a home security system.  When someone opens a door it talks and says which door has been opened.  The morning after we got it Miss L went out the garage door and in my room it said, "Garage door.  Beep. Beep." I went running to see who was trying to escape and she was standing in laundry room still holding the door (but she had shut it) looking terrified.  "Mommy!  The door speaked to me!"

The same day we went to a field trip with M's school (pics later) to a local animal clinic.   This place was awesome.  It was like a petting zoo.  We came home and I said,
"Hey Lib, what was your favorite part?"
She said, "The dancing."  (There was no dancing.)
"Ok.  What was your favorite animal?" 
"The Giraffe."  (Nope.  No giraffe.)

She's a Hoodlum, But I Love Her

Tonight was the Father/Son Campout for church.  I love this campout every year because I get to have a girl's night with Miss L.  I get reminded of how precious and sweet she is and how lucky I am. 

 She's silly and cute and loves to entertain.  She's mischievous and sneaky.  I can always tell when she is lying (which is often, sometimes I call her The Fibster).  She gets this huge grin on her face and puts her hands behind her back like she's hiding something.

She is a natural Mommy.  She wants to do everything for Little D.  This was a surprise for me, she wasn't into dolls or interested in babies at all until he came along.  She seems to fall more and more in love with him every day.  When M is gone she spends much of her day either cuddled up to me or being a mother hen to D. I'm interested to see how much she changes in August when M starts school.  Right now she has so many sides to her personality.

I see baby steps in her "public personality" improving.  I've noticed she'll talk to teachers and people old enough to be grandparents.  Every once in awhile she nods at someone who is speaking to her.  There are signs that maybe someday she'll stop being a people-hater and become at least cordial.  For now, I guess I should appreciate the fact that she would never, ever let a stranger anywhere near her without me know it.

Eight Months

Dear Damon,

You are growing up too fast.  Stop it! Seriously though, the time is going by so fast.

 This week your big brother decided he could carry you around.  He ended up putting you on the couch and you fell of on your noggin.  I've found myself explaining over and over again that I am not being mean, it's just that I've been alive for thirty years and in those years I've learned a lot about babies and what they can and can't do, so Daddy and I are the only ones around here who can carry you around.

 This month you really got crawling down.  You go from room to room and I hate to admit it but sometimes I loose you.  I'll be cooking or folding laundry and you'll sneak away and I'll have to hunt you down.  You are speedy and so independent. One time Daddy found you in the green table.  This table has a shelf on bottom and a glass top and you were stuck inbetween the table and the glass top. 

 You also learned to pull yourself up and can even creep along the furniture a little bit.  You love to hold on with one hand and even no hands every once in awhile. You think you are really funny when you do it too and often you laugh and laugh at yourself.  You think you're pretty awesome, and you are.

 You also cut another tooth on the top right and the top left is really close.  You bite really hard now and I'm not loving that part. You have also been a little miserable but inbetween the owies you are a joy to be around.

 Your brother and sister still love all over you.  They really want to hold your hands and walk you around but I have to keep a close eye on that.  Sometimes if you are awake, and they are not, you get really mad.  You love to have them around to watch and giggle at.

When I put you to bed at night I lay you down and hand you your stuffed blue bear.  You grap it, wrap your arms around it, and roll over to cuddle.  It's unbelievably cute.

I love you a ton,
Mommy
_________________________________________________________________

I don't know what it is about having babies around that is so special but I really dread the day when I know I won't be having anymore.  There is nothing greater....except maybe grandbabies, I think.
_________________________________________________________________
For my own record:  Sleep with Damon at 8 months.

He's not the best sleeper ever. He goes to bed between 6pm and 7pm.  He sleeps in the pack n' play in our closet where it's nice and quiet and dark until about 10:30pm.  He wakes up to eat (he doesn't eat well when I put him to bed, he still wants to play) and goes right back down but this time in his crib in his room.  At 1:30am he usually wakes up again.  I have not gone into get him at that time in at least two months, but he still wakes up and cries for a little while almost every single night.  Then he wakes again at 4am where I feed him and move him back to the pack n' play because he'll sleep in a little bit if he's in there (he'll wake at 6 if he's in his room).  He wakes between 6:30 and 7am, no matter what time he goes to bed.  His naps are still crazy.  Sometimes he sleeps for 1.5 hrs. sometimes, 30-40.  Usually he sleeps at 9 and 1 and maybe again around 4.  But with two older children I can't always stick to these times. I'm just glad we are so far ahead of where we were.

Muffins with Moms

I went to Muffins with Moms at M's school today.  I forgot the camera but this video is so much better anyway.  This kid is awesome.  I love his little made-up songs.

Here's the Survey they helped him fill out about me.  I thought his answers we so sweet.

My Mother

Why I love her.

She is pretty.

What does she look like?

brown hair, green eyes, tall and pretty

What makes her mad?

When we do wrong things.

What I do to help her?

Pick up toys.

What she does to help me.

everything

What my Mother does best.

Make me lunch.

When is she happiest?

When we do good things.

When is she prettiest?

When she goes on a date with Dad.

Why does Mother love me?

Because I am hers.

 I know this pic is not the best quality but I love how you can see pure joy on his cute face.

Survey

The Elder's Quorum had an activity a few weeks ago.  Beforehand they had us fill out a survey.  Here's some answers our crazy kids gave.

-What is your favorite dessert?
Mr. M - Jerky
Miss L - Pepperoni

I think this is because when we go grocery shopping, if they are well-behaved, they can have beef jerky from the check-out.  So they now consider it a treat/dessert.  And I think M's answer made Miss L remember her undying love of low-fat turkey pepperoni.

-What do you like to do with your family?
Mr. M.  - Play. (Ok, normal enough.)
Miss L - Show my muscles. (Mmmmhhhmmmm....ok.)

I Love This Stage. Well, Really I Love All Stages Except Age 3.

History Repeats Itself

For the first few months Damon just seemed chill (other than sleeping).  He was so relaxed and in no hurry to grow up.  I was excited to finally have a relaxed baby. 

Well those days are over.  He's CRAZY!  He never stops moving.

He can pull himself up and even creep along furniture a little. 

His movements reminds me so much of M when he was a baby.  In fact, I have a pic of M in this exact shirt holding onto this exact laundry basket.   

If fact, here they are:

Easter

Caleb took some fun pics over Easter, it was hard to narrow it down! (And yes, this is the narrowed down version.)

 They apparently took their baskets outside and filled them with potting soil.  I have found potting soil all over the house for a WEEK! It's driving me crazy.  I've dumped out the baskets but still keep finding it everywhere.  Lib is still the master mess-maker.  And she usually gives me that big ole cheesy grin when she is in trouble too.

 The Peeps were decapitated and torn to shreds.  Poor little guys.  I'm so happy I bought a shop-vac two weeks ago.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my shop-vac.