Jacob's 1st Day of School

(So excited to wear the "How to Train Your Dragon" shirt he chose)

Jacob started school on August 31st. He was so excited and had been counting down the days for approximately 5 weeks. Now you'll notice I said that Jacob started school on August 31st, rather than the first day of school was on August 31st. I took him to school that Tuesday and soon learned that school actually started on Monday, August 30th! Jacob missed the first day of school! It was definitely not my most fabulous 'Mother' moment. In my defense, the whole school situation had been crazy leading up to the first day of school.

As soon as we knew for sure where we'd be moving, we contacted the elementary school to arrange for registration to make sure we would get in. I even had my aunt Tami go into the school to pick up the paperwork. When she went in they told her that because a new elementary school had just been built, there would be plenty of space for all the kids, and to just have us come in when we moved to the area. The day we moved into our apartment, Jeff and I went to the school and found that they were already closed for the summer. So I waited until the day the office opened, August 17th, and called. The message said the school wouldn't open until the 19th, so I called again then, picked up all the paperwork and filled everything out and turned it in that very day. At that point, they told us that 1st grade was very full and they didn't know if there would be enough room, but they wouldn't know for sure until all the schools turned in numbers. So the waiting game began. I called the office multiple times to hear status updates. Finally they told me that there would be a big district meeting and they would know for sure on Friday, August 27th.

The principle finally called me back that afternoon, the 27th, and told me that the 1st grade classes were too full, so 10 1st graders would be getting bussed from the school to another school. I was so upset- we had tried everything we could, and now because they hadn't given my aunt the paperwork when she went in- because they told her not to worry about it- Jacob was going to be shipped off to another elementary school. That meant that either Jacob would ride the bus to school or I would take him, then he would have to get on another bus to the other school, or I would have to drive him to and from the other school every day. They also told me not to worry about going to the 'Back to School Night' that night because Jacob wouldn't be attending the school anyway. I was really sad about the situation, and there was nothing we could do. My sweet aunt Tami had been involved with the whole process too, and we spent a lot of time talking together about the situation.

I felt frustrated and couldn't understand why everything had to work out the way it did. Eventually though, after spending time talking about things with Jeff and praying about everything, we were both felt better about the situation and felt that everything would work out okay. We actually hadn't said much to Jacob about the situation- that's a lot of stress for a 6-year old to worry about. So rather than be disappointed, we tried to just be positive and make it a good experience for Jacob.

So Saturday rolls around, just 3 days (or so I thought) before school started. My phone rang. Would you believe it, it was the principle from the elementary school. She said that there was a child in the first grade who had just moved, so there was one more extra spot and that Jacob could have it! We were thrilled! So happy and excited. Now Jacob would get to go to school with his friends from church, with the kids in our neighborhood, and with his cousin. We felt so grateful with how everything worked out.

And that is my excuse for why I thought school started on Tuesday, August 31st and why Jacob missed his first day of school. We hadn't been able to go to Back to School night where the kids meet their teachers and get all the necessary paperwork, we didn't even know he would be at the school until Saturday afternoon, so I didn't have any information other than what I thought. It makes for a pretty funny story though, I was definitely feeling very human. But more than anything, I was just grateful that Jacob got into the elementary school. It was such a blessing!

Back to School Shopping

When I was in school, we had a tradition in our family of going back to school shopping with my mom. We would work during the summer doing various things and save up our money. Then we would draw names of the order we would go in, and we would each have a chance to spend a couple hours going shopping with my mom for a back to school outfit/school supplies/etc. We would also get to choose where to go to eat for lunch (cheap of course). When we got home, we would model the clothes for each other. It was such a fun tradition, that I wanted to continue it with my kids.

Of course it's a little different with just one child in 1st grade and a child in preschool- especially since they're boys and shopping isn't very high on their enjoyment list, but I tried to make it fun for them. Caleb obviously didn't need much for preschool, but we went to Target after his preschool orientation and I let him choose a couple shirts and then a fun little toy. His favorite part though was choosing a treat at Target's little fast-food restaurant. He chose a pretzel and some popcorn. Caleb is definitely my worst shopper- and I say that in the best possible way- he just loves to run around and can't stand to sit there and make decisions over the best deals. :) Most of his friends are starting kindergarten this year. Because of his birthday, he missed the deadline by one day and to be completely honest- I am very happy to keep this sweet, busy, little guy of mine home for another year.

Jacob had fun choosing a couple shirts and pair of pants- he found a "How to Train Your Dragon" t-shirt on the clearance rack for $3 and immediately knew that would be his first day of school outfit. :) Although it wouldn't have been my first choice, I'm learning that kids have their own opinions and I love to see them choose things that they love. He was so excited about the shirt & so was Caleb. They are definitely boys. Jacob and I had fun going to get a bite to eat too. I went back to get a straw and turned around to see Jacob sitting on the chair looking out the window. I just had a moment of disbelief wash over me. To me, Jacob is still my firstborn little boy, how could he really be old enough to be going to 1st grade? I'm so grateful for him, and his sweet little personality.

It was a lot of fun to have both kids for some one-on-one time together and they both had fun spending time alone with me too. I definitely want to keep this a tradition.

Last Day of Summer

(These boys are so funny- I love the pictures they come up with)

Today was the last day of summer. Jacob has been counting down days until school for about 5 weeks now. I've been excited for the kids to start school, to make new friends, to get life back into more of an organized schedule, but I admit there are lots of things I will miss about summer. Tonight the kids ran around in the 'yard', at least that's what we call our small section of grass. I love sitting on a chair on the porch, holding Emily, enjoying the warm weather and watching the boys come up with funny little games to play- racing cars, crab races, hopping on one foot, backwards running, tag is another favorite. They would play for hours. I'll miss the fun nights and lazy mornings, afternoons at the park, going on long walks and eating popsicles, reading books during nap time, and pretty much having an excuse to be together and just play. Goodbye summer and hello new school year.

Happy Birthday

I turned 26 on August 23rd. Crazy! I'm now closer to 30 than 20. My birthday was great. Jeff had to work, and we still only had one car so I told the boys they could choose where to go for lunch- anywhere within walking distance. They chose McDonald's with the outdoor playground, so off we went. It was a nice day for a walk and we pretty much had the playground to ourselves. Jeff ended up getting the afternoon off, so he surprised us by showing up later on too.


We enjoyed having dinner together-and it's always nice when I don't have to make it! We got some take-out from PF Changs and they even gave me the slice of cake for free! Then the boys gave me the present they picked out- a cd player. I was pretty excited since our last one died about 4 years ago. It was great!
After presents, we put a candle on the cake and everyone sang happy birthday. I've decided PF Chang's 'Great Wall of Chocolate' is the perfect sized birthday cake- just enough for everyoen to have a piece without tons of leftover cake that just sits there forever.
Emily was pretty into it- the cake that is. Even though she's young, I get the feeling she knows exactly what that cake is all about! She kept reaching for it, trying to grab it, and as you can see, one time she got lucky- for about 2 seconds. I know I'm mean- I wouldn't let her have any, she got some apple/blueberry baby food instead. :)
I had a great birthday. For me as a mom, the best part of a birthday is being able to do fun things with my kids all day and seeing how excited they are for everything. I think they're just as excited about my birthday as they are about their own. I love that! Really, my family is the best gift I could ever have! I also love all the sweet phone calls, emails, texts, and messages from friends and family. It was a great birthday!

Fun with Family

One reason we were excited to move to our new place was because it meant we would have some family close. We're so excited to live close to Kyle & Tami, my aunt & uncle, and their cute kids now. They're only about 5 minutes away-close enough even to walk- and we've been over quite a bit already. Another huge perk- Kylee just left for college, but Kourtnee & Kenlee are just about the best babysitters around! We love that!
Back in August another aunt & uncle, Robyn & Will and kids, came up to visit for a couple days. It was a blast to see them. We met each other at the park one night and enjoyed visiting until dark while the kids ran around and played together. Even though both families' kids are older, they get along so well with ours. I love seeing my kids being able to run and around and have a blast with my cousins. The kids are all so sweet & we loved spending time with everyone.
On Friday night, Tami & Kyle had a little BBQ at their place so we all got together and enjoyed a yummy dinner. It was fun to sit out in their beautiful backyard and enjoy the evening. We finished off the night with some kickball, and other games.
Emily was in heaven with all the attention she got from everyone. I love the picture of her with Kaden- too cute!

Caleb showing off his mad kickball skills

Jeff was probably a bad influence, but he showed the kids how he could climb up the basketball hoop and onto the deck. Kenlee is a daredevil and was able to do it too. The kids ran around playing tag with nerf guns, and had some pretty good games of arcade basketball. We probably stayed way too late, but it was so nice to sit and visit with everyone. I used to spend a lot of time visiting with my aunts- they're more like sisters than anything- and with everyone so spread out and busy, you don't get to spend nearly enough time with each other. It was such a fun evening.

Houston & Becca

These two will be tying the knot in November!

Houston met Becca at BYU and it didn't take long to know that she was the one. She's smart, beautiful, talented, and 'perfect' according to Houston. He proposed to her this summer and they will be getting married in November. They make such a cute couple and we are so excited to add another sister to our family!

5 Months

Emily is 5 Months!

August 19th

12.9 Pounds (7th percentile)

24.75 Inches (27th percentile)

-We introduced solids this month. It took a little time for her to get used to them and decide that she liked them. She did a little better each day, then she really caught on after about 1.5 weeks and decided that she loves solid food.

- She gets so excited to eat her solid food. She giggles between bites, kicks her feet, and says her little version of 'mmm' between the bites. She also likes to suck on her fingers between each bite. I don't know if it helps her eat better or if she does it just because. It can make for a messy eater!

-She is a pretty sweet and happy baby, but she is NOISY at church!

-She's really starting to like to grab everything! She loves to grab a hold of hair, papers, things we're holding, plates of food, etc. You have to watch her while you're eating or she'll pull the plate right off the table.
- She loves to squeal, giggle, and 'talk' all the time. This is a common facial expression she makes when she's 'singing'. It really makes the boys laugh.

-She loves to touch people's faces. I think she's fascinated by them, and she's surprisingly gentle. I usually don't have to worry about getting gouged- she just likes to pat the face or touch it gently.
- She started doing her 'stink eye' expression this month. She'll squint one eye and give you a funny look. I'm not sure why she does it, but it sure is cute.

-She's getting a little tricky to hold sometimes. She loves to squirm and wiggle and move around.
-Emily goes crazy over crinkly things; plastic bags, plastic wipes container, wrapping paper, newspaper, etc. She kicks her feet as fast as she can and tries as hard as she can to reach the object. Unfortunately those things are usually not baby friendly so sadly, mommy never lets her play with them. If she ever does get a hold of something and it's taken away, she cries!
- When she's in the bath-which she loves!- or sitting her her bouncer, she likes to kick one of her legs constantly. It kind of reminds us of Thumper.

-She likes to cover her eyes with her arms when she's eating from a bottle and nursing. I think it's so cute!
-She's already pushing up on her knees and still gets around the room pretty well. It's still hard to keep her on a blanket.

- Because she likes to roll around and go all over, she has already gotten herself stuck in some places. The funniest one was when she rolled herself underneath our little makeshift desk- she got a little upset when she realized she couldn't get herself back out. Then mommy saved her.

We can't believe she's already 5 months old!

Busy Girl

"Sometimes my daddy feeds me."

I'm not sure why, but when Jeff feeds Emily, she usually ends the meal looking like this. Jeff thinks it's so funny. It probably doesn't help that Emily loves to stick her fingers in her mouth in between each and every bite. Good thing she's cute!

She's also a pretty busy girl. You can't just leave her in her bumbo chair because she really can get out of it! She is super sweet, but I have a feeling she's going to be as busy as the boys. :)

Daddy is holding her in on this one.

Bed Time

When Jacob was about 4.5 months old, I found a crib for him at a yard sale. It was just a basic white crib that had already gone through the family's three boys. We were in our 2nd year of medical school, so although the crib wasn't perfect, the $40 price tag was.

This crib went through all three of our boys as well and was great. When we moved we had absolutely no extra space, our trailer was literally packed to the top, so sadly I had to leave the crib behind.

When we moved out, I figured I'd just find another used crib on Craigslist. I found a nice used mattress & baby monitor on craigslist, but much to my surprise, there wasn't much available for cribs. It was usually one of two things: 1- the crib was so old that it was completely outdated on all modern safety standards 2- the people wanted over $200 for it. I looked for over a month, and we finally decided it would be better & cheaper to just buy a new one. It's nice that you can actually buy new cribs for just over $100 these days.

So for the first time in our lives, we got a new crib and Emily finally has her first real bed at 5 months old. It was also the first time I finally bought some crib bedding. Our boys just did with a hand-me-down bumper from ebay because Holy Cow! $300 for a bedding set?! I looked around and found a set that I loved for Emily for about $70. Still a good chunk of money, but I used birthday money and thought it was worth the splurge. It's so fun to have a cute crib setup for our little girl. She seems so little in the big crib after the pack 'n play.

We also finally got a little bed for Matthew. Poor kid, he slept in the crib up until we moved and since then he's been camping out on the floor on blankets. He was SO excited to have his very own bed! He and Emily share a little bedroom so a toddler bed was the perfect fit. It's also nice that Matthew is now more excited for bedtime!

August Happenings

Just some everyday experiences...

When my mom used to tell us that all she wanted for a gift was happy, loving kids, I didn't really believe her. But now as a mom, I can fully understand and agree with her that honestly and truly the thing that makes me most happy in the world is when the kids are kind and loving to each other. There's nothing like seeing them playing happily together. I love these kids (so strange not being able to say 'boys' anymore- I can't really group Emily into that mix. :) They are the world to me! This picture was a completely candid shot and I didn't even have to force them to smile for the camera. They were just playing together and making Emily laugh. Such a perfect afternoon.

Sweet little baby. Even though it's so cute, it kind of makes me feel bad to see the picture. I guess it just pulls the heart strings. She does great at being on a schedule, she was just so tired she fell right asleep in the 2 minutes I had her in her little chair. I just had to take a picture, but then she went straight to bed.

We've loved having a pool in our apartment complex. It's been great having it right next door. Even better, it's a 24-hour pool! So we can go anytime we want. Not that we keep the kids out late, but it's nice being able to go around a flexible schedule. The kids love it!

We're all so excited when Daddy comes home from work we can hardly even wait for him to get out of the car! :) Jeff had to finish up a call about a patient and Matthew was knocking on the window saying, "Daddy! Daddy!" They started a game of chase as soon as Jeff was out!

These boys really do love their little sister. They're always bringing her toys, playing with her, hugging her, and trying to get her to smile. Sometimes I have to remind them to give her a little space! I love watching them together.

I wish pictures could do this justice. I got bit by a spider. Crazy thing is I've never even seen one in our apartment. But one night I was laying on the floor working on the computer when my arm started to burn a little. I didn't pay much attention, it was itchy but would burn if I scratched it. Over the next day it swelled up huge, and you could see two little bite marks. My arm was about twice it's normal size and it started to be painful. Just about the time that even Jeff was getting concerned about the redness & swelling and ready to prescribe some medication the swelling finally started to subside. This picture was taken at the end of the ordeal. I hate spiders!

This little girl loves to jump! I decided to sell the baby swing since it wasn't getting much use, and found a great deal on a jumper on Craigslist. We could all sit and just watch Emily go forever. She's so funny to watch and gets so excited. (Still sucking those fingers)

Caleb got this cool dinosaur from Kaden. It's been the hit toy at our house and the center of many make believe dinosaur games.

Project: Saturday.

Dinosaurs do a good job of entertaining kids while parents tackle projects.