More canoeing

On Saturday, Ben invited some friends of ours to go canoeing. Once again, I stayed ashore. I went to where they were going to get out of the water and walked back till I met them. It was fun!

Buster is 6 months old!

I could not get him to keep his legs straight to show his length. And the bee he is supposed to hold for scale? No, thanks, Mom, I'll just hold my toes...and grin like all get-out. I love his dimple!

Thank goodness for blogs!

Can I just say I love blogs? I am really enjoying keeping in touch with cousins, friends, and others. Wow! So thanks all of you for blogging! If you notice that I'm missing any links for family that you have, please e-mail me or post a comment and let me know.

Quotable Quotes III

1. At the store, Sunny and Buster were side-by-side in the cart. Getting frustrated with Buster grabbing her dress, Sunny hollered, "Buster's driving me nervous!"

2. Lunch was ready, so I told Sunny to get up on her stool. "Okay," she responded, "but only if I do the stinky-diaper sit." Um, I changed her diaper!

3. Yesterday while we were getting ready for church, I needed Sunny so I could do her hair. Ben called up the stairs: "Sunny, your mother is requesting your presence this instant!" Sunny zipped down the stairs and came to me really quickly. As I started doing her hair she asked, "Where are my presents?"

Why I love my jobs

I have 2 jobs: Mom and Realtor.

I love being Mom because there are no better rewards on the planet! There is just nothing like lying in bed with your baby on a lazy Saturday morning and smiling at each other--especially if your spouse is there, too! I like tickles, giggles, snuggles, and hugs, all of which are right around when you want them. I know yesterday I was complaining, but that is part of any job. There are good days, and there are not so good days. Days when you think you have the best job in the world, and days when you think you do not want to ever go back to that job.

Kandy said something quietly the other day, and I made her repeat it. Sheepishly she admitted to saying something about wishing she didn't have sisters. I'm sure she was expecting a lecture about needing to love her sisters all the time. Instead I told her honestly that there are moments I wish I didn't have kids. I sure wouldn't trade them for anything!!! But Ben and I say that sometimes we wish we could just visit the newlywed phase again.

Anyway, I also love the joy in watching my children accomplish something. I love watching them grow and become independent. With a busy day in real estate and Ben gone, they made their own lunch! They help each other and encourage each other. And there is no sweeter sound than my baby's laughter.

I like being a Realtor because I get paid to look at houses. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I've seen houses that make me drool, and I've seen houses that send me running and screaming for my hand sanitizer. There is also great satisfaction in helping people find a new home. When I get a house under contract or closed, there is a great sense of accomplishment. I love that my paying job allows plenty of time for my kids and family. There are spurts of wild and frenetic activity, but there are large lulls, too. If I don't want to answer my phone, I don't have to. I love having a reason to associate with other adults to discuss things other than sleeping, potty training, and losing teeth.

And speaking of jobs, I really should back to work on both of them!

Survival of the Determined or Socially Deprived

How many of you young parents feel like you are just trying to survive? I know I feel that way sometimes! I try and think of the last time I did things with friends just for fun, and I draw a blank. Oh, you know, there are the playdates where you get to talk to the other mom, but that just isn't the same thing! I keep thinking I would like to something more often with old friends, but the weeks and months just fly by. I try to count the time since I last saw my best friend from high school, and I can't remember when it was. Five or six months, I think.

There are days that are lots of fun (like the fair below), and I do enjoy spending time with my kids. I don't get enough dates or adult time, though. If I do have "adult time," it's usually because I'm off showing houses to clients or attending continuing education classes for real estate. I do enjoy it, but it's not exactly a leisure activity.

And I guess I do go walking with my friends...I have been too busy to do that this week. Maybe that's part of my problem. It has been a very long time since Ben and I got out without kids!

So let's get together and have some fun!

Davis County Fair 2008

One of our favorite annual traditions is attending the Davis County Fair. Free admission, free petting zoo, and free pony rides!!! For all the best pictures, you can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/fruitcake42/DavisCountyFair2008. Here are a few, though...

Missy, Sunny, and Kandy waiting for their turn to ride the ponies

Missy

Sunny
Kandy

Sleep Training

Ah, sleep training. With an infant, there is always some sleep training involved. The biggest question is who is training who! Although I am a very firm and strict believer in the cry-it-out method, it is still not easy for me to listen to it. Due to hormonal fluctuations and other considerations, I have had a harder time enduring it with the two younger children. As I look back over the last few months, I really am not sure who was doing the training--me or Buster. In his life so far, sometimes he has gone down without complaint in his bed. Sometimes he has cried a little and settled down. For a while, he really wanted me right there next to his bed, ready to put the pacifier back in instantaneously. And sometimes he did great for his first nap and rotten for the second. He has also transferred very well in general. If I did rock or nurse him to sleep, I could put him in bed just fine.

About a week and a half ago, though, I spent the day at Ben's sister's house. I rocked him to sleep for both naps. It seems that ever since then, that is all he wants! And even if I do rock him to sleep and succeed in transferring him to his bed, he wakes up about 45 minutes later. He definitely had me trained. And stressed, very stressed. My house is a disaster area because this week, he has been taking one good nap a day, followed by a string of feedings, holding, crying, and cat naps. You can accomplish a lot with a baby on your hip, but it's no joke when they can't quite sit on your hip yet and weigh over 17 pounds. That's a lot of weight to support with an arm while keeping chubby little reaching arms out of everything.

I know I'm supposed to be consistent. For much of his life, I decided I could consistently sit with him while he fell asleep. Again, this isn't because I think it's best for him, honestly. It's just that I could not cope with a crying baby in one room and demanding children right around me. I found I could cope and be nicer when I sat with Buster for a while, leaving the kids to play. Happy baby, happy kids, happy mom. Now, though, that whole consistency thing is tough. Sometimes my nerves can better handle staying with him while he falls asleep or rocking him. Sometimes I'm so frustrated with him that he is safer in his bed while I stay with the other kids.

Last night I discovered something surprising, though. Although it isn't fun listening to him cry, I can actually cope with staying in the room where he can't see me. This minimized demands on me from the other children (which really stresses me out while he's crying), and although I'm not actually helping him, it helps me emotionally to not feel like I have totally abandoned him to his crib.

I think this week has been harder because he seems to be teething, and we also finally got him out of his bassinet into a crib.

Yesterday evening, he cried for 45 minutes before falling asleep for 20 minutes. Today he finally zonked after 30-45 minutes. Unfortunately, I need to wake him soon to feed him before getting his sisters from school. And letting him cry it out at night would involve removing either him or his sisters from the room they all share. I'm also not quite sure of how to break him of the very bad habit of nursing to sleep at night.

Ah, well, this too shall pass. Most of you probably tuned out halfway through the first paragraph, but that's fine. I just wanted to vent my frustrations about this painful rite of passage for babies and their parents. Anyone have any better ideas?

Family Fun!

Several of Ben's out-of-town siblings were here recently. We had lots of fun family gatherings. We also went down the Jordan River in the canoes with Billy's family. Here are few highlights:

Missy and cousins enjoying pizza!

More pizza!

Jumping on Aunt Karen's tramp.
Wow, that's a lot of little girls!

Cousins! 3 families of at least 3 girls and one more makes 10!

We were amazed to discover that Kandy and her cousin
had the exact same glasses!

Another picture of all those little girls

Buster and the 11th little girl at the park.

Canoes on the Jordan River. We have a very nice friend who loaned us
two of his canoes to hold Ben's brothers family and his dad.
I stayed home with Buster.Kandy, her cousin, and Grandpa

Phew! What a weekend! Buster and Lizzie tuckered out on Sunday afternoon at their cousin's homecoming reception.

Buster's milestones

Buster turned 5 months old recently. He also got to try solid food for the first official time. (Dad really likes to sneak him tidbits...) He is still trying to figure out if he likes it or not.

First Days of School!

Kandy started 2nd Grade on August 4. Missy had her assessment last week and started kindergarten today! Wow, the house is quiet. Sunny hasn't complained yet, though, which is good.

Kandy on August 4

Missy on August 11

Playing on the swingset before going to school on Missy's first day!

Answer to prayers

God moves in a mysterious way. We have been really working hard to reduce our expenses, paying our tithing, and praying for more income. Today Ben received an e-mail offering him a teaching job in rural Utah for much more than he is currently making. He mentioned to someone at work that he was just considering the job. After calling the district HR director, he learned it would not be a good fit--no room for a family! Nevertheless, he was informed that he will be getting a raise next pay period.

When we learned, we were both moved to tears with gratitude to our Heavenly Father. God truly hears and answers prayers!

Nuttin' Honey

I pulled up my blog today and saw how long it has been since I updated it. This hasn't been a very eventful week, and I seem to have misplaced my camera... Blogging is interesting because some people write about events, some write about thoughts and feelings, and some do both. As I have been looking at my blog, I keep thinking I should write some deep thoughts. Unfortunately, I'm most likely to have deep thoughts while in the shower, far from my keyboard. When I sit down and try to come up with some thoughtful thoughts, my brain goes blank!

So I just thought I'd write today and say we're all here and alive! I have had some fun nights this week with friends. I went walking on Tuesday, and we had book club last night. I think it's time for Ben to go have a guys night because it has been a while since he has had one!

I guess the other "exciting" thing is the Great Clothing Change. I have been digging out all the hand-me-downs for Buster to find all the 6-9 month clothes (he was 5 months on Tuesday, but like I said, no camera!). I finally got around to getting out the 3T clothes for Sunny and cleaning out all the 24 month and 2T things. School uniforms need to come out of boxes for Missy. My living room is a disaster!

We are looking forward to a few things. Kandy starts 2nd grade on Monday, and Missy has her kindergarten assessment next week. A lot of Ben's family is in from out of town, so the girls are excited to play with cousins.