So excited to be a school girl!

Gwen was so excited that it is finally her turn to be a school girl. She started Preschool at a local elementary school this year. She absolutely loves it. Gwen is a funny girl she keeps me laughing, and school has added to the entertainment. Here are just a few reasons

• Everyday she comes home and tells me excitedly about school. Usually the story has to do with how she ate ice cream, lollypops, chocolate, and cookies. Some days just the girls get the ice cream, and treats. The boys just get cereal.
• She also frequently tells me about her friends Glue-y, and Crayon-y. She tells us that they are real people. I was skeptical. The punch line is that they are actually real people, and what made me laugh even more is how her cute little mind works. Yesterday, when I dropped her off at school, I asked her who these two friends were, she pointed out a boy and a girl. I asked her teacher the names of her two friends she pointed out. Glue-y. . .Chloe. Crayon-y. . .Drew. Please tell me you get it. Drew....Crayon.
• She has a definite sense of style. We have to make compromises on her outfits every day. I've decided that she has a bit of Pippy-long-stocking in her. I've started calling her Pip. Everything she wears has a little flair to it, and she can always pull it off =0). For example, this dress with the polkadot leggings. Do you remember last year when she always wore two different shoes, a red sparkly shoe and a pink one? She has decided that now she wants all of her shirts tucked in, wishes I would let her wear leggings alone with her shirt, and almost always has two mismatched socks on. She has also decided that she LOVES to wear her hair in a pony-tail (which by the way doesn't work but she doesn't care.)
• She loves to pack her back pack with all of the necessary items. Some of her favorite items include: Cut up scraps of paper, Beckham's cars, Princess figurines, her fur-real kitty, Brad's scriptures, all of her dirty clothes when she "cleans" her room, puzzle pieces, piles of books, packages of crackers, the list goes on. As you can imagine, there have been a number of days when she can't even lift her backpack to put it on her shoulders =0).

Gwen is a joy. She exudes enthusiasm and I love it. I tell her that she has a smile that makes everyone happy. It's true. I've been so proud of her as she has had to conform to a new schedule and restrictions. Even when she really doesn't want to do things (i.e. wear jeans), she always makes the right choice. Every single time. I can count on it. She may have a really hard time not crying about it, but she always makes the right choice all by herself, and I think that says a lot about her little spirit. I love this girl.

And now she's a 1st Grader

There are only a few events left until I feel like I have caught up on blogging. This is one of them. Liv started school the last day of August. It has gone amazingly well. I wondered how well the transition would go. Since she was starting a new school. Liv gets very attached to things and I thought she might really miss her old school, and her friends there. I was more than pleasantly surprised. She never looked back. Liv hopped on the bus that first day walked confidently right into her classroom, gave me a quick hug, and felt comfortable with it all from the first moment. Another thing that I was wondering was whether or not she would be ok with riding the bus. Last year she begged me to drive her all of the time, now she loves the bus. She tells me every day how much she loves her bus driver, Dwayne, as she hops happily off of the bus. Then she waits at the end of the driveway just so that she can watch the bus after it turns around at the end of the cul-de-sac and she waves away, her bus driver slows down a bit, honks, and waves out the window. You should see how happy that makes her =0). We also adore her teacher. Liv is thriving.

Do I have to put a disclaimer here?? I am using my blog as my journal, which means that I am subjecting you to what could be considered bragging about my children. Please don't take it too seriously, and skip it if you would like. This is really only here so that I can remember it, and Liv can read it someday and know what she was like.

I spoke with Liv's teacher last night on the phone. She called me about volunteering in the classroom. We ended up chatting for almost an hour. She had really wonderful things to say about "Olivia." Mrs. P said that Liv is a natural leader, and when the other children need help with something, they are gravitated to Liv to help them out. She also said Liv is a great reader and that she is "responsible with that gift." Meaning, she is very willing to help others out with their reading and she enjoys reading herself. Mrs. P said the other day, Liv came to her and said, "I'm a really good reader. Do you want to have a break from reading to the class, and I'll read everyone the afternoon story?" And so she did. Mrs. P also said that she sees Liv as someone who "watches and analyzes any situation quietly until she knows what to expect from it and then she enters confidently and thoughtfully." I love to see the person my little Miss Olivia is. It was really fun for me to talk to her teacher and find out how her personality shows in school. Love that girl =0).

Adoption

Melissa is one of my best friends from college at BYU. She and her husband are trying to adopt. Melissa is a kind, loving person. I know that she and her husband will make wonderful parents. If you know anyone who is thinking about adoption, please pass along their link.

https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25046602/

Entry| September 28, 2010

I am just warning you that this post is mostly about things that have been on my mind lately. Take it or leave it.

- The end of last week, I would have said, "Blast these darn hormones, You are making me crazy." I'll leave it at that.

- I have been going to the Chiropractor 3 times a week. The whole thing takes up most of my morning while Gwen is at school. That is really precious time to me. It is the time that I have set aside to do my "chores" and give Beckham one on one time. He is growing up quickly, I absolutely love the stage he is in right now, and I don't know if I can give up that time. I know that I need to take care of my body and myself, but I don't know if I can give up that time. I haven't decided what to do. This decision reminds me of a talk from General Conference a while back about "Good, Better, Best." Now I need to figure out what is the best way for me to spend that time.

- I am biased towards my children. Keep that in mind when you read my blog. I think they are the smartest, cutest, most beautiful kids on the planet. I'm their mom. That's my job. On the other hand, there is a pretty great chance that I think your kids are way up there too =0).

- We had a really great family home evening last night. Nana and Puga joined us and it was seriously really great. For me, the highlight was that Liv wrote out everyone's jobs on a sheet of paper. She assigned Nana to conduct the evening. Each time we ended one thing and moved onto the next she would whisper in Nana's ear telling her exactly what she needed to say. Liv would whisper a few words, wait for Nana to say them, and then repeat. I love that girl.

- One of the highlights of my trips to the Chiropractor are that I get to talk to my mom on the phone while I drive. It's nice to have the time to chat, and it's nice to have a great mom.

- I feel really lucky to have the friends that I have. Whenever I really need help, they are always there to jump in and do anything I need. It is really nice to know I have people out there who care about me. They teach me a lot about who I want to be, how to be more faithful, how to be more caring and charitable towards other people, how to be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend. Not only that I really, really enjoy their company. I am so glad that every person in this world is different. I love getting to know them and seeing their real selves.

Today's Results

I am pleased to report that everything is turning around. Thanks to my "executive decision." The kids and I had a really great day together, followed by a really great evening with Brad as a family. Changing my mindset made all of the difference. When Liv got home from school, we sat on the "talk about what happened during your day rock" (as Liv has named it), and then we went on a walk in the woods in our back yard. It was really fun to explore, all made better by the fact that the weather was gorgeous. Then we took the scooters out on the road and rode down to the main road and back. We came inside, I cooked dinner in peace while Gwen played off in her own world, and Liv did her homework. I didn't even have to ask them! Then we all went up into the playroom (by this time Beckham woke from his nap.) I tickled Beckham and crawled around after him, Liv read her book, and Gwen chased us around too. Then Brad came home, we had a nice (yummy) dinner together, followed by a fun Family Home Evening where the girls memorized their first scripture (Matthew 7:7) and we played what did you do today charades. I think what made the difference in the day was my attitude. Just deciding that I was going to change it made everyone more happy. As I type that I realize how often I give that same advice to Liv. (All the time!) Proof again, that what is good for them is good for me =0). Also, I've been to the Chiropractor now 3 times and it is amazing how almost normal I feel. I can run around, bend over, play on the floor with my kids. It feels amazing. I think I'm even going to mop my floor today, the thought makes me happy =0).

Sing Along

Gwen has been walking around the house all morning whispering primary songs as she gets ready for school. "I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know who I am, I know God's plan, I'll follow in his name. I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ, I'll honor his name. I'll do what is right, I'll follow his light, his love I will proclaim." I can't help but have it in my head now. It's quite a catchy tune =0).

An executive decision

"There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise." -Story people

I know I just posted this quote, but I am posting it again because I have been thinking a lot about it last night and today. I love being with my kids, and somehow I can't seem to grab ahold of that feeling the last couple of days. Not that I don't like being with them, I just haven't loved it the way I usually do. It seems that as soon as something knocks my life off balance, I lose my patience and I can't enjoy the child chaos. Since I have been dealing with my back, I have had less patience with my kids ups and downs. I hate feeling that way. It's funny how if Mom is off balance, everybody is off balance. Like I said, I have been thinking about this quote and decided that I'm changing my ways, and it is time for me to be an example, get down on their level, and enjoy them. I am going to make them laugh and then soak it all in. I'm excited about it.

Betsy

P.S. My back is on the mends. I definitely still feel like I have to be super careful, but it's definitely feeling much better. The chiropractor has been successful so far =0).

A perfect day

Today was one of those days where we didn't do anything special, but at the same time we got tons accomplished and got to spend tons of time together. It was perfect. Adding to it all, the lighting tonight was beautiful. The picture of Beckham at the bottom of the slide is of him waiting for Gwen to slide down. I love the expression on his face. He was so excited =0). Gwen accidentally wacked him in the face as she came down (she was backwards). He didn't care one bit. He was just excited at how much fun the girls were having. The one of the grass on his hand was just the grass that stuck to them as he crawled around. Pretty impressive =0). The girls were excited that they each got to ride on the tractor with Brad and help him mow.

"There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise." -Story people - I saw this quote recently, and it spoke to me. It was a good reminder.

She has a van

While playing UNO with my girls, Gwen said, "This is my van. Hey guys, let's pretend I have a van." I looked over to see her using the cards in her hand to fan herself. I love the way kids talk It made me smile.

P.S. While I type this, the girls are occupied by putting smelly lotion all over their bodies. Amidst the process, Liv had a serendipitous moment when she accidentally made a "toot" sound with her hand in her armpit. Now Liv is perfecting her new talent and the girls are giggling over it.... =0). So am I.

Frustrated

Yesterday morning, I had an appointment with a Chiropractor. My back has been sore for quite a while (especially since our move.... lots of heavy boxes). Then last week, I moved just right while picking up Beckham and finally created an actual "injury." I yelled to Brad to come get Beckham, and then laid on the ground trying to be still. For the next 2 days I moved very carefully, and even had friends help me with Beckham. Then gradually I felt better, or at least tolerable. Tuesday of this week I was experiencing some different pain and muscle tightness, I realized that things weren't getting better, and came to the conclusion that it was time to see a doctor about it. So, the chiropractor it was. Driving down, I felt very relieved and almost excited that I had this appointment and he was going to fix me. When I got there, and started doing some flexibility tests, I began to realize just how limited my mobility is, and how I couldn't do really basic things like lay flat on the table or arch my back backwards without pain. As I talked to my doctor at the end, I realized that this injury is going to be around for a while, and if I'm not careful, I could have problems the rest of my life (Oh please don't let that happen). That is when I broke down, became frustrated, disappointed. Why is it so hard to be told that you have to slow down? That you can't do everything you want to do? Why can't I just think, it's fine, I'll rest today, and get that done tomorrow (or next month)? Right now, as I type this, I'm feeling weepy, and disappointed. My back feels sore about like it did before my appointment, but much more flexible. Here's to hoping that I can figure out a way to enjoy the activities I CAN do. And that in the end I will feel normal again.

P.S. Please don't worry about me, I'm sure all will be well soon enough.

Betsy

My Boy

Happy Birthday Beckham!

Look at this sweet boy! He turned 1 August 28th.

Some things about Beckham

1. Definitely his favorite thing to do is eat. This boy can put away some food. He loves it, and he will let you know when you are not feeding him fast enough! He ate his birthday cupcake in 2 bites!

2. The #1 word I would use to describe him is SWEET. He is a patient, happy, smiley, social little guy. He rarely makes a complaint {unless you aren't feeding him fast enough =0)}.

3. Like I said, he is smiley. People talk to him everywhere we go, because he smiles at everyone he sees.

4. He has super soft hair. I love to rub my cheek on his soft head.

5. Beckham always smells good. No matter what, he always smells sweet, and he has always been that way.

6. He is sleepy, and loves his bed, and his pacifier.

7. Beckham is well loved. His sisters give him lots of attention, and he always puts up with it. They always tell me that he is the cutest boy in the whole world, and they love him so much.

8. He weighed in at 23.5 lbs, and 30 inches at 1 year. Right around 70th percentile.

9. He's handsome!

10. We love, love, love him. Beckham makes life better. Something about his chubby little body and the twinkle in his grin makes everyone happy.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy. I love you more than I ever imagined was possible.

Entry | September 11, 2010 | A few things that make me happy today

• My new favorite thing is my dust mop. I finally bit the bullet and bought it yesterday. It cuts my sweeping time by 5/6's (at least). That makes me happy.
• BR
• Our grass is growing. Evenly, might I add.
• Had a fallish day today, which reminded me of fall scented candles. smile.
• Smelling Beckham's head, and feeling his soft baby hair next to my cheek. Then hoping I will always remember that.
• Going to a friends house for a barbeque and seeing Gwen gleefully hop into their pool fully clothed =0). Funny (wet) girl.
• Realizing that even though life can always be frustrating and challenging, when I really look at things right now, I love, love, love where we are.
• Being one Saturday morning closer to finishing our projects.

Mommy Liv Date

A few weeks ago, I heard on the radio that one of my favorite singers, Easton Corbin, was coming to the Union Fair in Union, Maine. The idea always intrigued me, because I LOVE a few of his songs. But, Brad and I have had a bit of a crazy life lately, and the idea seemed like just another thing to add to everything else. I am so glad that Brad REALLY thought I should go. Just enough enthusiasm to set me over the edge and get me moving on it. First, Liv and I went to see the fair for a couple of hours, fed the goats, got Liv's face painted and ate fair food for dinner (not my favorite, but I prefer the food over riding the spinning rides.) Liv wasn't interested in waiting by the stage to make sure we would get great seats, so we played until it was time for the show. Somehow, we still managed to find a place in the left corner of the front row that was empty. We meandered our way there, through a bunch of people, and claimed it. A few things about it all made the whole experience very lucky. We found out shortly after getting there that he was going to be signing autographs right next to where we were, and for some reason the people in front of the stage weren't standing, so since Liv and I were standing and dancing the whole time, we got the attention of Easton Corbin. He smiled at us and pointed to Liv a bunch of times. After the show, Liv was able to give him the flowers that she brought him, he signed her picture of him, and then he gave her a hug, and said, "thanks for coming dolly." Liv was thrilled about that and told everyone she saw for a few days. She told me what a fun time she had all the way to the car. The only bad parts of the whole night were that Liv had SUCH a hard time sleeping the whole way home, and I got lost going home on back roads in the complete dark, so it took us almost twice as long as it should have. I said a thank you prayer as soon as we got to a place I was familiar with and I knew we would get home safely at some point.

Can you tell this is a picture of Liv giving Easton Corbin her flowers?? Cute Girl =0).

Summer miscellany 2010

We got home from Spokane on Sunday and moved into our house on Wednesday. The longer we are here, the more we love it. We like being forest dwellers =0). One of our fun surprises was finding the entire perimeter of our yard is covered in black and raspberries, yum. We picked about 3 quarts of berries every Sunday for about 4 weeks. Then we would eat them with yogurt for breakfast for 3 days. YUM! Other than all of the things we have had to do, we have spent every possible minute down at the lake, relaxing in the sun. The girls love running down the dock and jumping in. I should say Liv's specialty is jumping in, and Gwen's specialty is being up for a swim with anyone, anytime. We haven't spent nearly enough time there. Our permanent goal is to make our summers completely obligation free so that we can do nothing but relax and play. The last pictures are of Nora and Gwen, when we are down at camp together, there always comes a time when they disappear over at the little play house to make "soup" and other play food out of the leaves and branches around. Inevitably, we don't hear from them again for a couple of hours.