Cooking

This is my little chef. He loves to make me food. Especially Lemons, Grapes, and Watermelon. Today he came to me wearing this hat. It was originally perched atop his head, with the velcro set on his older brother's head. Once I loosened it out for his big noggin, he was happy to sport it around for me to get pictures of.

Moving

This little lady is on the move. She is following in her brother's footsteps - or knees - and not crawling until after her birthday. It seems unlikely that she will move on her belly before 13 months (which is when both of them started). However, I noticed today that she is scooting on her bum.

While I was helping Beckett with something this morning, I noticed that although I wrapped her pillow around her, it was not still there. However, the pillow hadn't moved.

Then, after morning nap, I set her down on the floor near where Carter was sorting the mail. He wasn't letting her have any of it. Well, he moved on to something else and she got into his piles.

She saw some that she liked more than what she had.

Then, more.

And more. I thought for sure she wouldn't be able to slide on the rug.

But she did.

All in all, she scooted 64 inches by reaching out in front of her, grabbing the floor, and pulling her bum to her hands. The hard floor certainly helps.

Bicycle Surprises

I love to decorate. When we were first married, we decorated for Christmas, and that was all we had. We went all out though - taking the normal decorations down and replacing them with winter and Christ themed novelties. When we moved into our project house, we packed up all the decor and hid them under the stairs in the basement. Now, we have a space to sprawl. I have been festive for all the holidays. It is not cheap to amass decorations for every season all at once. I have been going to the thrift stores to collect these things at a discount. 

Shortly before Christmas, we were at GoodWill and my husband decided to go to the bike section. I thought it was odd. However, I didn't question him. Then, he thought it was a good idea to stop by Value Village. They only had one bike. He even suggested we go to St. Vincent De Paul! He hates my thrift store scouring. I didn't want to pry too much and ruin my string of good luck.

Then, a few days later - he starts welding and cutting in the garage. The smell was awful, so I kept my distance. One day - he emerges with THIS! He bought a tricycle on Craigslist, a bicycle at one of the thrift stores (he went to a GoodWill out by his work on his way home one day). He cut the bike, and welded the frame to this trike to make it stronger. Then he rigged it with a motor. It drives itself and he "drifts" all over the street. I get on him about a helmet (Didn't do much good here), but at least the kids are wearing them. 

Prayers

I was pulling out the 3T boys clothes for Beckett this morning. He is just too pudgy for the 2 T shirts, and they have never fit over his head. The 2t pants have always been too tight around the belly, unfortunately, he is not really tall enough for the 3T. I finally bit the bullet and pulled out the 3T tub. I figured, he is the last of my children to wear them and he has ripped through more pants than Carter ever did, so I might as well let him walk off the bottoms anyway (I'll roll them up the best I can).

As I get the tub, Carter sees a shirt that he desperately wants to wear. "That is my favorite shirt mom!! I want it back." I explained that he wore this when he was 3 and it probably didn't fit him any more. He begged and pleaded. He cried and cried. I sat down with him and tried to explain that he was getting bigger, and he will outgrow things. This was just part of life. He would not stop crying. He remembered all the good times he had while wearing this shirt (he is very sentimental, like me)

I told Carter I would pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to shrink my boy back down so he could fit in the shirt. He responded with:

"No, that won't work. He won't do that."

Well why not?

"Because it isn't something we NEED."

I told him that we ask him for things that we want all the time. Isn't He supposed to give us everything we pray for?

"No. Not if we don't need it. He gets to choose, not us."

But what it we really want it and we pray really hard?

"No."

But doesn't He love us?

"Yeah."

So we talked about the three answers we get from our prayers: Yes, No, and Not Right Now.

To get the Not Right Now, we have to be really in tune. It can sometimes be hard to distinguish from  Yes and No.

By then, he was no longer crying. He looked up at me, very calmly, and asked if he could try on the shirt to see how it still fit. I told him that was great problem solving. He tried on the shirt, and wouldn't you know it - it still fit!! Now I remember it being extremely large when we got it.

Family Pictures

We went to the temple recently. The weather has been very nice. I got my picture taken with Roslyn - like I did with both boys here on the temple grounds. and we got an updated family photo. The pictures of the boys turned out very nice.

There is a great feeling at the temple - even with squirmy, energetic boys. It truly is a place where families can be sealed together forever.

These pictures were from the week before when we took an impromptu trip to the temple. The challenge of taking pictures with three kids is so huge. when one kid is looking away, the others are looking AND smiling! You can see in each of these who the photo is really highlighting. I wish my Photoshop skills were better, and I could paste the good parts together.

I don't normally get good pictures of Beckett. He is not a photogenic kid. We got more than any other kid!!

Carter loves giving thumbs up:

Roslyn was great as long as I was holding her (minus the family pictures of course). We got a lot of crying in the grass pictures of her by herself. 

I loved the different ways they smell flowers:

(After this, she actually tore all the pedals off by squeezing it in on itself)

Potty Time

Beckett has started the trek into big boy hood by conquering the toilet. It started out one month ago. I could catch him when he was ready and plop him on there. Unlike his older brother, who was so bothered by the disruption to his unloading that he would hold it for another day, this kid will finish what he started regardless of where he is.

He loves to sit on the toilet, but if you leave him alone - he will blow his nose with the entire roll.

He is angry at me in this picture because he was using the plunger as a microphone and I took it away.

He did eventually perk up.

Well, He has finally taken that big step from needing to be told to go, to taking the initiative. He ran into the bathroom on Monday, pulled up a stool, and got the seat insert out. I came in as he was putting it all together. We were on our way out the door to take Carter to school and I thought he was just playing. I told him he had to wait. When we got back home, he ran right to the bathroom (I had honestly forgotten and was putting Roslyn down for her nap). He got himself all set up. I came in and took his diaper off. He sat right down and did his thing.

He has tried multiple times since then to pee, but to no avail. He refuses to sit, he will only stand. I don't know if I am ready for this, as the kid can't even talk yet. Oh well, I guess they have their own time line.

October 4th

October 4th, 2003 my best friend and I met up 673 miles from me and 832 miles from him in Salt Lake City, Utah to go to an LDS General Conference. We went with a group of friends and got to sit in the newly built conference center down town. We had a really great time. In the evening, we snuck away to visit the Provo, Utah temple where he pulled a beautiful ring out of his pocket, put it on my hand, and kissed me for the first time. He went off with his friends to the Priesthood Session, and I began planning my wedding.

This evening, 11 years later, we had a wonderful day out together in Seattle. We got home, and David went out to attend the Priesthood Session at our local building. The job of reading bedtime stories to Carter was left to me. After we finish, Carter looks up at me and tells me he wants to marry me. I ask him what that means. He says when you love someone a lot, you marry them and then you get kids. He says he wants 5. I told him that I'm done having kids, but that he can have a wife someday that he loves very much, and they can have kids together. He still wants to marry me, because he loves me, and I let him love me because he is a cute, rambunctious, albeit exasperating, little boy.

(This picture is two years old. Apparently I don't have any pictures with him and me together. I am working to correct that.)

Carter's funny thoughts

Yesterday while we were brushing his teeth, Carter tells me:

"When you're seven, you always listen to your parents. But when you're one hundred, you don't have to any more."

I asked him why that was.

"Because they're dead."

Yeah, probably.

After school, he starts pretending to shoot a gun saying that his Lego guys had killed a bad guy. He pauses and says "I can say they're dead, because they're just Legos. When it is people, you say they 'Passed Away'."

I asked him to reach up on the counter to grab something. I hear him say "I have little T-Rex arms. I can't reach it."

David asked Carter last night at dinner if he knew what a Poodle was. He reminded Carter that we have friends who have one. Carter says "Oh yeah! Like a sheep."

First Day of Pre-K

Today was Carter's first day of Pre-K. The elementary school that we moved into has a program for kids who are already 4 as of August 31st. Carter is the oldest kid in class. It is a really neat program, and we are excited that he made it in.

He's got his Ninja Turtles back pack that my mother sent him, and his SeaHawks shirt that David's mother got him, and he is set.

Carter and his teacher Mrs. Richards.

Last night, David grabbed his bag so we'd be all ready for the morning. Carter had it pre-loaded. What does a little boy need on his first day of Pre-K?

Something spiritual:"Teachings of the Living Prophets, Joseph Fielding Smith"; something to take notes in: a spiral bound notepad; a book to read: "Get Up and Go!"; Something to remember family: a postcard from Grandma's trip; physical protection: knee pads and elbow pads along with sunscreen; a flashlight; a change of clothes; 7 toy cars; a stuffed animal that I have never seen before; a toy from Vacation Bible School; and a block with the month and day the packed his bag.

Big Girl

Guess who finally moved out of our room!!

She turned the big 3 months, and is now sleeping in the office. I wish there was a better arrangement, but this is what we've got right now.

Carter was sleeping 6 to 8 hours at 1 month, and moved into his room then. He was sleeping 13 to 14 hours a night by 3 months.

Beckett was moved out of our room at 9 months, only because we moved and didn't have enough room in our bedroom to keep him. He was only sleeping 2 - 4 hour stretches at that time. It was miserable. Once he was not in our room, it was easier to let him cry it out. I know many people are against the cry it out method. I really tried for 9 months to comfort him, but it just wasn't working. I was a zombie. I also became pregnant, and needed that sleep even more. When he was 10 or 11 months, we moved him to Carter's room. That was a hard transition, but it is working out better. He now sleeps about 14 hours a night.

Roslyn is sleeping 6 to 8 hours a night, and will hopefully follow her brothers soon.