9 months

My sweetest little Kael is 9 months old.
He is seriously the cutest, chubbiest, happy little thing.
He got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago and is getting another.
He started crawling this week.  He's been scooting around but not going forward.  Kire took his toy and put it a few feet in front of him and he went for it.  And he's been going crazy ever since.
He loves his brothers and dad, but still a momma's boy for sure.
He babbles and sticks out his tongue over and over like a lizard.
He's eating everything, and just stopped nursing last month.
His eyes are brown in the middle then go out to a greyish-blue, they are supper big and beautiful and he has Erik's dark long lashes.
He goes down awesome for naps and bedtime with a binky and a swaddling blanket that he holds up to his face.

 Baby legs are especially cute on chubby thighs.

 He has one dimple on his right cheek when he smiles big.

He's my favorite.

And a couple of weeks ago I cut my hair short again.  I like it.  It's super easy and fun for summer.

Done??

I've been getting rid of my baby things when Kael is done with them. This weekend I gave away my swing & bouncer and Erik is like, "Well I guess we're done?" We kind of joke about the kid situation.

I've always thought I'd have 3 kids. I came from a family of 5 kids and thought that was too many, so 3 seemed good. Erik came from 4 and thinks 4 sounds good, but he is understanding and knows I do 90 percent of the work, so he is ok with 3.

I know it's too early to say for sure, but I really want to be done. I've broken down a few times lately because I feel like I'm spread so thin that I can't give my kids what they need. Kire is so easy and good that I don't hardly pay him attention because he does everything himself. Jack gets to hang out with me all day, but Kael needs so much attention now that I feel like Jack never gets my full attention. And he's such a stinker and is trying my patience constantly that I lose my temper with him. I feel guilty that none of my kids is really getting what they need, how do families with more kids do it?

Then part of it is selfish, I know. I want to have time for myself. My kids are so fun right now, but I want there to be an end insight. Maybe if Erik made more, or was home more, I would maybe think I could handle it. But I know myself and know I cannot. 3 kids is a lot!

Jack's 3!

My sweet buddy Jack turned 3 yesterday. Jack is such a special kid. He's hilarious and cracks us up everyday with his expressions and with what he says. He has this crazy awesome vocabulary and we have conversations like he's 7 years old.
A few funny stories about Jack:
Jack has been carrying around squeekers (the purple bird) since before he was one. He carries it by one arm. About 6 months ago the arm fell off, but instead of holding onto the other arm, he holds this nub of a string on the arm he liked. Soon after that he set squeekers on the stove and he burned off half of the other arm. Recently he lost both eyes. About 2 weeks ago I was putting Jack to bed and he didn't have squeekers, so I asked if he needed me to get him. He told me that squeekers was mean to him and he didn't want him anymore. He still holds him now and then but is not nearly as attached.Another story. I was talking to the boys about strangers and what to do if a stranger approached them. I was telling them to run, go to a house, kick and scream. I asked Jack what he should do if a stranger came up to him. He told me he would grab a stick and stab him in the neck or get a knife and cut off both his legs. Let's just hope he is not ever approached.

Jack is obsessed with Darth Vader. He has 2 pairs of Darth vader pj's and 1 shirt, and that is all he will ever wear. So he wanted a blue Darth Vader cake. I am no pro, but it at least looks like darth vader.
Our family knows him too well. He got a darth vader helmet, flash light, light saber, and toy. I got him one of those swivel cars you wiggle and they propel forward and some puzzles.
I think Jack is a mini-me.

29

Today I'm 29. WT Freak! I'm getting old. And birthdays aren't very fun anymore, not because I'm getting old, but because I don't get to celebrate it, not really. Today I ran some errands, then finished painting my table, all while taking care of 3 kids. And errands are not fun with kids. Tonight I have to go to a fund raiser my boss is doing. I told Erik that all I want for my birthday is to sleep all night tonight. Kael still wakes up a couple times a night, so tonight I'm going to get some earplugs and sleep downstairs on the couch. Is that sad? We are going to dinner tomorrow night, and I did buy myself an ipod shuffle to wear working out.

And I am excited about my new table.

I had a bar heighth table in my kitchen, which looked good in our small space, but wasn't very kid friendly. I'd been looking for a used table and found one on ksl a couple of weeks ago. It's perfect.

Before:

this is not the table, but it was the same color

After:

So I sold our table and bought this one. I already had the green paint, just had to buy some black spray paint. So the project, including the table, cost me about $70.

Now I'm going to share a tip with you women.

This is for sexually active women only.

Seriously, if you are a guy, stop reading.

Ok.

My friends from work, the are both 50 and so fun, decided to share this advice with me. Out of the blue. So you know after S.E.X. you kind of leak afterwards...you know. Well, they told me to put a tampon in afterwards, leave it in for a little while and then you won't leak! Brilliant! You're welcome. Sorry if that was TMI, I warned you.

February

January-March are pretty dull for us here in Utah. We're not big fans of the snow, or the cold. We have taken the boys sledding, but we haven't had much snow this year. We're hoping winter is over soon because we are sick of being stuck inside with runny noses playing Zombies vs plants and Where's the Water on my kindle.

I am working Tuesdays and Thursdays now. I have 2 friends that have been so awesome to help me with the boys. They get to play with their friends Austin & Carson on Tuesdays, and Thursdays they go over to "the girls" house where Jack gets to play with his "best friend" Josie. I watch the girls sometimes on wednesdays & Fridays while their mom works from home. SO at least we have some friends to play with when we are trapped inside.
Kael is growing up too fast. He's a chubby little thing and doesn't move much yet, but he's started playing in the walker/bouncer and sits up by himself.

6 months

My sweetest little Kael is 6 months. He is still such a joy. Everyone who is around him just loves him. He has the best temperament and will go to anyone. He's found his voice and loves to babble, especially early in the morning. His brothers love to find new ways to make him giggle.

Jack is usually really good with him, but he does try to wrestle him.

Kael's been making the funniest faces lately. He likes to suck on his top lip and pout out his bottom one and he looks like a frog.

I love his chubby body.

Kire is the sweetest brother. He is always snuggling and kissing him.

I started feeding him food about a month ago and he loves it. Last year I bought a Blendtek blender and it has been awesome. I haven't had to buy any baby food, I just blend him up some fresh fruit, or steam some veggies and blend them up. I put the extra in an ice cube tray and freeze it and use it for the week. I wish I had done that with my other kids; it's so much healthier and cheaper.

I gave up nursing my other 2 babies at about this age, but I'm still nursing. My milk just doesn't seem to increase at this stage, so I have to supplement a little. So when I had to start giving my other boys bottles, they just weened naturally and seemed to prefer it. But Kael is still nursing great and prefers it to a bottle so I'm going to keep going as long as I can. I am getting anxious to be done because I have such a hard time losing weight while I'm nursing, but he is probably my last so I am going to enjoy him and the snuggling I get when I nurse.

FML

It's been a while since I've done one of these. Last month I received a book in the mail with a bill. It was some cooking book that I never ordered but somehow I got on this companies mailing list. BTW I hate companies that mail you things and you either have to mail it back or pay a bill, seriously- if I don't order something, I don't want it. Anyways, so I call the company, demand to be taken off of their mailing list and then get online to print a return label. Then I have to go to the post office to return the stupid book. Yesterday I got a bill for the item. I was so pissed. I called the office this morning, finally got a hold of an actual person, they said they believed that I returned it and said they credited my account. I really don't trust it, I will be waiting for another bill from them.

Another thing...Erik was put in the bishopric 2 months ago. This month was his first month conducting. He bore his testimony on fast Sunday and while he was talking he said the word "suck." Ok, he shouldn't have said it, but he was nervous and he was saying how he sucks at some things and is trying to do better this year... On Sunday he had a meeting because someone complained and told the stake president that he said suck. Really, he bares his testimony and all you can think to do is bother the stake president? If it was so offensive couldn't you have mentioned it to Erik or the bishop? Really, some people SUCK.

Christmas

Christmas was so fun this year with 3 little boys. I don't really like Santa Clause, and I didn't want to spoil the kids, so we kept it simple. We talked about Jesus and were able to go to church that morning. Erik have a nice talk.

I tried to get the boys presents that would keep them busy during the winter when we're stuck inside. Jack got a basketball hoop and remote control car. Kire got some legos and 2 games for the PS3. Erik got a new phone and surprised me with a Kindle fire. Erik is a histrically bad gift giver, so I was thrilled. Usually I just buy my own presents, especially after the year he bought me a fushia track suit.

Then my dad and brothers came over and made waffles.

Later that day we went to my moms for dinner with my whole family. All but 1 of my siblings are married now, so it was a big fun group.

The stockings were hung

Baby Kael liked the lights

The boys got some Chargers gear

Shooting hoop

A couple of days before Christmas my sister Julia had her first baby, and my boys first cousin on my side of the family. Here is Kael meeting Mack (Mckay) for the first time.

I love Christmas, but I'm so glad my house is back to normal.

White elephant party

A few years ago my siblings and I decided to do dinner and a white elephant party instead of exchanging gifts and it has been SOO FUN!

We went out to eat at good old ABD Mandarin and then back to our house for presents. There were some awesome gifts this year.

I opened a sweet EMINEM 2012 calendar AND a dvd of a burning fireplace that we can play on our tv.

Erik was nice enough to steal this Bieber standup for me.

Kire got the worlds largest gummy bear and Jack got some candy.

This is Trevor & my sister Julia, Grady with the shake weight and his wife Lauren, then my brother Trevor and his wife Megan is hidden by the hand.
My sister Amy and her boyfriend Dave were lucky enough to open the Neti Pot and pickle ornament I brought.
And here is Kire with his gummy bear. The boys have been taking bites out of it for the past couple of days, it's pretty disgusting.

Kires 6!

My sweet Kire turned 6 today. We celebrated his birthday yesterday by taking him and 2 of his best friends to the Classic Fun Center.

Kire brought his new razor scooter and the boys skated and played on the bouncy toys. Then we came back to our house and had pizza & cake with his cousins. He wanted a LEGO party so we drew LEGO faces on these balloons.

Then I attempted to make a LEGO cake. We put marshmallows on the top of the cake to make the little bumps, and cupcakes with LEGO faces.
He got a couple of LEGO sets, some art supplies and a couple of games, so he had a great day. On Saturday I took him by himself, no Jack or Kael, to Boondocks where he rode go carts and played arcade games. Then we went to dinner. Usually Erik gets to take the boys to do all the fun things so I was happy to be the fun one for once.

Kire is such a special kid and I love him so much.

He is sweet and sensitive.

He is sooo smart and would rather draw or build with Legos than throw a ball.

He loves his brothers, even though Jack is a bully and steals his things.

He is perticular and organized.

He has all of his "special" thinks lined up on his dresser.

He is so creative. He is constantly making things out of cardboard or popcicle sticks that he finds around.

He always kisses me goodnight and tells me he loves me before he goes anywhere, even if it's just into the other room.

St. George

We went to St. George a couple of weeks ago for a quick getaway. Erik's cousin Judd coaches at Dixie State and Erik wanted to see a game. The ride down was AWFUL. There was construction and it took us about an hour just to get through Nephi. Luckily the trip home was easier (we will remember to travel in the evening from now on-all of the kids slept most of the way).

The boys were so fun this trip. THey are old enough now to actually enjoy hiking. We went up to the redrocks and hiked. This was fun because there aren't really any trails, you can just climb up the rocks.

Kire was the only one who was able to fit up this narrow crack in the rock.
And the boys got to play at the park.

Babies don't keep.

I get so frustrated when my house is messy and my boys are fighting and my belly is hanging over my pants. But this reminds me of what is really important.

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo,
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Halloween

I love Halloween. Usually I try to do a family theme (Last year was Toy Story, we've done knights & dragons and farmers with animals too), but this year I didn't really care. I bought a skeleton costume last year on clearance from Pottery barn that Kire wanted to wear. Jack fit into a Dragon costume Kire wore and few years ago, and last week I found the same dragon on sale at Old Navy for under $5 for Kael.

So here's my cute little dragons at a party.

Last week I met with some girlfriends with our kids for a little Halloween party/dinner. I walked into my friend Joni's house to find this:

She has a freaking trampoline in her front room! I was so jealous. Her house has just the right floor plan that she can get away with it. The kids loved it, I want one.
3 of us had kids this summer: Kael 3 months, Alta 6 months, & Owen 5 moths

We have a fun tradition of going to the Ogden Dinosaur Park every halloween. They play scary music and have bodies hanging out of the dinosaurs mouths. The kids get to trick or treat and walk in a costume parade.

Kael is so fat that I started to make him a Jabba the Hutt costume, but the dragon turned out darling.

3 months

Seriously I can't believe my baby is 3 months. Kael is such a joy. He is the happiest little chub. He's still eating every 3 hours and wakes me up 2 times a night; I get jealous when I read about babies who sleep through the night, but we'll get there. He wakes me up every morning at 7 just giggling and talking to himself. The boys still smother him, but he'll enjoy the attention in a couple of months. He has this cute little dimple on one of his cheeks that shows up when he smiles big. He loves to babble and make bubbles with his lips. He loves being in the bath or shower.

The saddest part about it for me is that I haven't lost any weight in 2 months! I like being able to say that I have a newborn so I have an excuse but I can't say that anymore. I have the hardest time losing weight when I'm nursing. I stopped nursing Kire at 6 months and Jack at 5 because I was so sick of being fat. Kael is nursing so well and I'm really enjoying it this time, I didn't so much with the last 2, so I am planning on going longer this time ( not to mention formula is SOOO expensive).

I bought a juicer and a nice blender and have vegetable juice every morning and I don't feel that I eat like crap. But nursing drains a lot of energy and makes me hungrier than I normally am.

Sorry to complain. I know I am so blessed to have a healthy baby and a healthy body, even if it is chubbier than I'd like : )

Kaels Blessing

Yesterday Erik gave Kael a beautiful blessing at our church. We both bore our testimonies and afterwards a lady in our ward came up to me and gave me a sheet of paper that she had written down the blessing and what Erik & I had said, isn't that the sweetest thing ever?

We were so lucky to have all but one member of our family there.
Unfortunately this was the best family photo we got.

I love this picture (Kael looks darling and it hides my double chin : )
Here is all of my side of the family together for the first time. My brother Grady and his wife Lauren came in town, my brother Trevor and his wife Megan just got back from their honeymoon, My sister Julia & her husband Trevor, my youngest sister Amy and my dad.