The Great Christmas Light Fiasco

Five years ago I bought some outside Christmas lights on clearance. For the last 4 years I have tried to get my husband to hang them on the house. He has always politely declined. Well, this year Jacob wanted the Christmas lights hung, and so Randy started to seriously think about doing it (sure, he will do it for the kids, but not for me). On Saturday he helped our brother-in-law Steve hang lights on his house and realized that it is not as difficult as he always assumed it would be. So late in the afternoon he decided to get up on our roof and hang the lights. It was about 4:30 and it gets dark at 5:30, so time was limited. We realized we did not have the right kind of light clips to attach the lights to the roof so I ran down the street to Lowes. Wouldn't you it, they were out. So I went over to the next street to Home Depot, they were out. I went across the street to Wal Mart, they were out too. Oh, and I had Adam with me, so at every stop I had to pull him and his heavy carrier out of the car, run in, run back out, and get him back in the car as fast as I could so I could get home before dark. I was so frustrated, I finally get my husband up on the roof with the lights and everyone is out of the dang clips. When I got home I called 4 more stores in our area, and my sister-in-law Kristin stopped at one for me. They were all out too. How can 8 stores all be out of light hangers! Well, Kristin found some extras at her house and she got some extras from her neighbors. So we did scrounge up enough to do the job, but by this time it was totally dark. We left the lights just sitting stretched out on the roof and figured it would just have to wait until Monday. Well guess what happened today! It snowed! Randy is not getting up on a snowy roof. So now I can't decided if we should just pull the lights down, or leave them how they are. What do you think? They actually don't look too bad in the picture. I have to say they look pretty silly in real life. But, the wind might make the decision for us, it is blowing pretty hard right now.

Every Boys Dream Come True

A construction zone in the back yard! My boys love watching the tractors. The novelty has worn off somewhat now that is has been going for a few months. It still serves as a great distraction though, "Nathan, go see what the trucks are doing." And the near constant rumbling from 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday is great, especially when the whole house shakes during nap time. But seriously, it will be great when they are all done. The field behind our house is now the future site of several fun things. Right now they are building and elementary school. It should be done in time for Jacob to start Kindergarten next year. I will be able to spy on my kids at recess! They are also going to build a library and a rec center. We are really excited about both of those. We love the library. Who doesn't like free movie and video game rentals. The rec center is going to have a swimming pool and a gym. All of this within walking distance. I really have no idea how long it will take to complete the whole project. I hope we can live through it. Oh, and they are doing something funky with the road into our neighborhood. I am not sure how it will turn out. So, if you haven't been here in a while, you might want to call and get directions first.

A Blog About Food

I really like to cook. I am the type of person who likes to follow a recipe exactly. As a result, most of what I cook turns out really good, but I have had some mishaps. Like the time I made salsa and the recipe said 3 Tbs. of salt. I thought that seemed like a lot of salt, but it was a large batch of salsa and so I put in 3 Tbs. Yeah, that was way too much salt. I had to throw all the salsa away. Even though I love to cook and bake, I don't like to make bread, much to my husbands dismay. Bread is his favorite food. It is just to fussy for me. You have to make sure the water is the right temperature to activate the yeast and not kill it. Then you have to let it rise, then shape it, and let it rise again, then finally you bake it. It just takes to long. And kneading, forget about it, I don't knead. So one day after a discussion about why I don't like to make bread my husband found a recipe for me on the internet. "The Easiest, Bestest, Foccacia Bread Ever!" I wanted to make him happy, because that is the kind of wife I am, so I agreed to try it. Guess what! It really is the easiest bread I have ever made, and it is so good. I make it all the time now. So, I decided that I should share it with all of you. You can have yummy fresh bread tonight in under an hour and with very little work. Here is the link: www.recipezaar.com/The-Easiest-Bestest-Focaccia-Bread-Ever-27968. I just put all the ingredients into my Kitchen Aid mixer and let it do the work (remember, I don't knead). And, I don't use as much olive oil and cheese on the top as the recipe says. I hope you enjoy it.

Another one of Randy's favorite foods is jalapeños. On Saturday we were at Costco and they were sampling jalapeño poppers. The box was a little pricey, but he had a craving, so again he turned to the internet to find a recipe. I bought the ingredients for him that night. I was thinking that I would make them for him the next day, but he really wanted them, so while I took care of the baby he and Kyle got busy in the kitchen. I was very impressed. They did a good job. Their poppers turned out good, not as good as the ones you buy, but good. Overall, Randy decided they are worth the money you pay for them because they were a lot of work. Randy is always begging for jalapeño cheese bread, a combination of his two favorite foods. Next time I will have to tell him to find a recipe and go for it, now that I know he can follow a recipe so well :0)
So, my baby Adam is seven months old and he doesn't like food. He nurses great, but he has no interest in solid food. I have tried different food, different times of day, before nursing, after nursing, in between nursings. He just won't open his mouth. He sticks out his tongue and gives it a little taste and that is about all I can get him to do. He is the total opposite of Nathan who loved food, he gobbled up everything I gave him. Maybe he just isn't ready. Maybe I nurse him too much. I don't know what to do, any suggestions. Maybe I just shouldn't worry about it.

Sick Kids on Halloween

Yes, my kids were sick on Halloween. That didn't stop us from having some Halloween fun, at least a little. We made it about halfway through the neighborhood when Jacob asked to go home. I asked him if he wanted some more candy or if he really wanted to go home, and he chose home. That told me he really wasn't feeling well.

Super Heroes and a Puppy

Jacob has been the sickest. On Saturday night he fell asleep at around 7 and he didn't wake up until after 7 on Sunday morning. That is very unusual for him. When he did wake up he climbed on Randy's lap and fell back asleep. I couldn't get him to open his eyes or talk to me. I really became concerned when he threw up on himself and didn't call me or cry or anything, he just lay there. We had Randy's brother come over and help give him a blessing. He wouldn't even sit up for it. But, as soon as it was over he sat up and asked for breakfast. Today he was almost back to normal. I am so grateful for the Priesthood.

The Magic Eraser has failed me!

Apparently the Magic Eraser, which removes just about everything from walls, does not remove blue gel pen. It has always worked for me before, sometimes with a little extra elbow grease. My darling two year old got a hold of a gel pen and left a nice scribble on the wall and then down the hall. One day I found the pen in his room and thought "Oh, I am glad that I found this before he scribbled on something." Turned out I was already too late. Well, no matter how hard I scrubbed that pen would not come out. It did get lighter, but it is definitely still there. (Note to self: Throw away all gel pens.) I did manage to remove lots of finger prints and other junk from the wall left there by little hands, that is a plus. And, I have wanted to add some new art work to the walls. So, next time you come to my house you will have to check it out, it is right when you come in, you can't miss it.

6 Months

I can hardly believe it has been six months since Adam was born. Six months! Where did the time go? Oh, I know. It went to feeding, dressing, bathing, redressing, and playing with three very active and sweet boys. And in between the time I spent caring for my children it went to making sure my house is not a pig sty. And whatever time was left after that went to my very small part time nursing job. I have found time to read some books in there, I do have to do something to keep sane. I guess part of the reason I am shocked that it has been six months is because I thought that by now I would be back to some sense of normalcy. But, I am not. With three kids my house is not as clean as I would like it to be, I am not as organized as I would like to be, I don't have the time for myself of for my husband that I would like. We go, go, go all day and at the end I think, "What did I do all day?" I guess this is my new normal. I will never be as organized or on top of things as I used to be. My three little guys are worth it though. They make me happy every day. Adam is the sweetest baby. He is very content. He doesn't cry very much. As long as he is somewhere where he can see the action he is happy. He had his first taste of food on Sunday. He enjoyed a yummy dinner of rice cereal. He seemed to like it.

My family was all at our house for Conference weekend. My parents, my brother Aaron and his family, and my brother Kyle (who lives with us). Aaron's baby, Sammy, is so cute. He is not even three months yet and he is as big as Adam. Adam is at the bottom of the charts and Sammy is at the top. They are total opposites. We had a fun weekend.

My sister-in-law Erika gave birth to the 17th Wardle grandchild on Saturday. She had a boy, they named him Elias Bradley Wardle, he was 8 lbs 1 oz. He is so cute. He looks just like my brother-in-law Jason.

Do you like my new look?

So, I have been reading a lot of blogs lately, mostly of old friends from high school and my freshman year at BYU. I have noticed that almost everyone has really cute blogs. And I was still using the boring template that I got from blogger. So, I decided it was time to update. I saw the link to Leelou blogs on a couple of peoples pages so I went there and looked. She has really cute stuff, and it was totally easy to do. I highly recommend it. The hardest part was choosing which design I wanted. Click on the link on my side bar to go and check it out.

Primary Program

Today was our ward's Primary Program. My little Sunbeam, Jacob, had a part. He did so good. I was so proud of him. I have seen a lot of Primary Programs in my life, and I have participated in a lot of programs, seeing as how I have been a primary teacher for more years of my marriage than I have not. On a side note, I was released as a primary teacher today after almost three years. Anyway, the program is so much funner to watch when it is your child up there. Here is a video of him saying his part.


If you didn't catch that it is, "I am a Child of God, and I lived with him in the premortal world." Isn't he cute. He had a hard time saying "premortal" we had to work on that a little. He wanted to say "premobil".

Here is a picture of cute Adam sitting up. I wouldn't leave him alone on a hard surface yet, but he is doing really good.

Farewell Summer

We went for a hike yesterday evening and I realized that it is truly fall. The leaves in the canyon are changing colors already, and it was cold enough for sweatshirts. I have been holding on, not quite ready for it to be fall. Really, I am not ready for it to be winter. I know that we don't have the worst winters in the world, but they seriously seem to last forever here. So, here is a look back at some of the fun things we did this summer.

We went to parades and came home with lots of salt water taffy.








We had lots of outdoor adventures, including hiking, camping, fishing, and boating on three different kinds of boats, a sail boat, a motor boat, and a raft with paddles.






We went on a Wardle Family vacation to Bear Lake


We went to museums. The Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum with cousins, and The Hill Air Force Base museum.


We played with farm animals at Wheeler Farm and Thanksgiving Point.


We played with friends. Jacob loves playing with our next door neighbor Lexi. I got to reunite with some of my old high school friends/college roommates. We have a lot of kids between the four of us now.


We played at the park a lot. We mostly went to the splash park by our house. We had a cousins play group there once a week. These pictures are from Copperton Park.


I drug Adam along on all of these trips. He is the best baby, he never complained. He is five months old now. He has learned to roll, and he is working on sitting.


We had a great summer. We had a lot of adventures without going very far from home. In fact, the furthest place we went was Bear Lake, just a couple of hours north of here. I am sad to see the summer end. But at lease fall has some fun things in store too, like BYU football, cooler weather, preschool for Jacob, pumpkins, and fall leaves. All topics for another post.

Young at heart, if not in body

This weekend I had the opportunity to do something I haven't done in a long time. I went water skiing. I love to water ski. Every time I get on a speed boat I have pleasant memories from my youth. My family never owned a boat, but every summer we had youth activities that included boating on the Columbia River. I wouldn't say that I was ever a good water skier, but I did get to the point where I could get up every time and venture out over the wake if I was feeling really brave. Since I have been married I have had very little opportunity to go skiing. The last time was about six years ago, before I had kids. I had a lot of fun that time, I still had my old skills. Well, this Saturday some friends in our neighborhood organized a neighborhood day at the lake. We went and hitched a ride in our neighbors boat. It was so much fun. My kids loved the ride. We had quite and adventure on the tube. They had this giant tube that fit three people. Randy, our friend Rob (who owns the boat), and his son, Steven, went for ride on the tube. I was next to ride on the tube with Steven. I thought about letting Jacob ride, but I was really glad that I didn't when Steven and I found ourselves abruptly in the water. We were speeding along, having a great time, when all of the sudden the ride stopped, it felt like we were sucked of the tube and pulled into the water. We popped out of the water sputtering, and saw the tube in two pieces. The top part ripped and the whole thing fell apart. It was only their second time using the thing. I hope Rob can get a refund. Well, since I was already wet I decided to try my hand a skiing. It took me several tries, but I did eventually get up on the skis. I didn't last for long because the water was very choppy. I tried again and got up a second time, the water was still choppy and this time I fell hard. It hurt. I decided I was done. I was proud of myself for doing it though. Today I am so sore. I am even sore in places you wouldn't expect, like my chin, I must have hit the water with my chin. My forearms are sore, it hurts to squeeze anything, you would be surprised how many things you squeeze, I guess that is from holding onto the rope for dear life. Every muscle in my shoulders hurts, my thighs hurt. I have had a hard time moving around today. Every time I feel my sore muscles all I can think is "I am not as young as I used to be." Despite all the aches and pains, I would do it again. I love it, we had a great day.

I love Weight Watchers!

(I have been meaning to write this post since Monday, but I was a little busy reading Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. I didn't have time for anything else.)
I seriously love Weight Watchers. Thank you, thank you Kristin, for talking me into doing it after I had Nathan. It is the best thing that I ever did for myself. It is so easy to loose weight when you follow their plan. While I was pregnant with my second baby all of my sisters-in-law, except Erika who is already skinny (I know what you are thinking, but give yourself some credit, you are 8 months pregnant right now), started WW. After I had the baby Kristin started telling me how great the program is. I resisted, I didn't really think that I needed that much help loosing the weight, but then she reminded me that it took me over a year to loose all of my baby weight after my first baby. And I admitted to her that my ideal weight was about 20 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. She told me that I would be able to loose all of my baby weight and be at my goal weight by Thanksgiving, this was in June. I decided to give it a try. And, she was right. By Thanksgiving I was at my goal weight and by Christmas I was a WW Lifetime Member, which means that I as long as I go once a month and stay at my goal I don't have to pay. Well, I just had baby number three and made a goal be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by Labor Day. I did it! On Monday I slipped into my favorite pair of size 4 pants and went out to lunch with my sisters-in-law. It feels great. I am so happy and proud of myself for meeting my goal. Oh, and I have to say that we all look pretty hot now that we are so thin. We seriously need a new family picture now.

A Potty Question

Randy and I are starting to contemplate potty training our two year old, Nathan. He is not quite ready, but it shouldn't be too much longer. I hope by the end of the year it will be done, but no worries if it is not. Recently we realized that we have slightly different terminology for what you do in the bathroom. I didn't realizes this until after Jacob was potty trained and he kept using the word the wrong way, then I heard Randy use it that way and knew where Jacob got it. I say "potty" is another word for toilet, and a general term for anything you have to do on the toilet, and pee pee and poop are more specific. Randy says "potty" means pee pee, he does not use the word pee pee. I know it is not a big deal, but neither of us can comprehend how the other can think the way they do. And we are both unwilling to change. I guess that is because we have been saying it the way we do for pretty much all our lives. So, we want to know, who is right? What do you guys think? We would appreciate some comments. I am wondering if this is a Utah thing, or a Wardle thing. I am pretty sure that everyone who was potty trained by the same person he was says it the same way. Which brings me to another question, Is it a "pillow slip" or a "pillow case"?

Olympic Sleep Depravation

I love the Olympics. They are by far my favorite sporting event, I even love them more than BYU football. Maybe that is because they only come around every four years. I am having a real problem this time thought. With the Olympics being in China and the broadcasters desire to show things live, they are on dang late at night. I usually go to bed at 10 pm, 10:30 is pushing it. My kids get up at crack of dawn and I am usually up once during the night feeding the baby. I need my sleep. I don't think I have gone to be earlier than 11 since the Olympics started. And, boy am I feeling it. I am so tired. I am grumpy. Every night I think that I will go to be early, but I had to watch all of Michael Phelps races, and the gymnastics, those people are amazing. When swimming ended I though I would get some more sleep, but they keep showing more gymnastics. And even thought I know Welsh and May are going to win their beach volleyball match I still have to watch. Now we are getting into track and field. I thought I would be able to sleep now, but have you seen the way those Jamaicans run? Holy Cow! They are fast! And don't forget Lolo Jones, she is amazing to watch on the hurdles. I am just so amazed at the way these athletes have perfected their sport. It is fun to watch the best people in the world do what they do so well. I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics this year, but I will really be glad when they are over so we can get back to living our normal life.

Zucchini

I ignored the garden for about a week. When Randy finally did go out to check on it he pulled out four massive zucchinis. We have had zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini brownies (my personal favorite way to eat the squash), grilled zucchini, steamed zucchini, and sauted zucchini. I have also frozen some zucchini so we can enjoy it in the winter, I love it in soup. Tonight we are having zucchini stir fry for dinner. I have a recipe for zucchini cobbler I want to try, but I am a little scared, I don't know if we will like it. I guess if we don't all I am out is some zucchini, which I have more than enough of right now. Does anyone want some? We would be happy to share.

I'm loosing my hair!

This is not the first time this has happened to me, and I have been expecting it to happen for a couple of months, but it is still distressing when you start pulling handfuls of hair out of your head every time you shampoo. For nearly nine months I did not loose any hair, some strange side effect of pregnancy. Now the postpartum hair loss has begun. I was getting used to my thick head of hair, and I was starting to think I might keep it this time. Oh well, the one consolation is when I see gray hairs in with the rest. Worse than loosing my hair is going gray before I am even 30. Oh the things having children does to our bodies.

On a happier note, thanks to Weight Watchers and breastfeeding, I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I should be back in my skinny pants before Labor Day. Yeah!

A Vega Cousin

My kids are no longer my parents only grandchildren. Early this morning, at 3:45 am, my brother Aaron's wife Sophia gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They named him Samuel Hosea Vega, after my dad and Sophia's brother. He is so cute, with lots of black hair and big brown eyes. He is a big boy too, he weighted 8 lbs. 7 oz. I have lots of nephews and nieces on Randy's side. When I joined the Wardle family there were only 3 grandchildren, and now there are 16, so I have been around for lots of births, but this one is special for me. This is my brother's baby, my flesh and blood nephew. It is fun to see how he looks similar to my kids, especially Nathan, my darkest baby, but he also has some distinct features that come from Sophia's family. I think Aaron and Sophia are going to make great parents. I am so excited for them and I wish them the best of luck.

Town Days

We had a fun filled day on Saturday. It was Herriman Town Days. I love Herriman Town Days, it has become one of my favorite summer traditions. I don't remember anything like this in any of the places I lived growing up. I don't know if that is because town days aren't done in other parts of the country, or because my family didn't participate. But I do know that town days are a big part of summer in Utah. I think Utahans are very proud of their heritage. I mean, we even have a special holiday celebrating our state, Pioneer Day. Here is a list of some of my favorite things about town days.

• The parade- complete with motorcycle cops riding in formation, fire trucks, political candidates, the high school band, beauty queens, dance and martial arts studios, and anyone else who wants to attract the attention of a large audience, and who is willing to throw out bucketfuls of candy to excited kids. Jacob started chanting, "Throw more candy, throw more candy."
• The sweltering heat- Randy realized that he has become his mother when he started spraying our kids with a water bottle. You can't go to town days without one.
• Kid rides at the park- pony rides, the homemade train pulled by a tractor, rides that spin you around and around and make your kids sick (surprisingly mine did fine), bounce house, inflatable slide.
  
• Booths- we always have neighbors trying to sell their crafty things. It is fun to stop and chat.
• Free concerts- this year my brother-in-laws jazz band played. My kids loved it. There was also some country singer who I had never heard of, he talked too much, but he was okay.
• My favorite part of town days- Fireworks. Laying on my back on the grass with my family all around me watching the spectacular fireworks and listening to patriotic music.
  

Waiting for the Parade to start

In between the town day festivities we did another fun activity. Randy's friend from work, Dave, invited us to go sailing on his boat on the Great Salt Lake. Randy's sister Kristin and her family came with us. Overall it was a fun experience, I am glad we went. The boat was a little buggy, apparently spiders make their home on boats docked at the Salt Lake. They probably like to eat the little tiny brine flies that live around the lake. The bugs didn't bother me too much though. It was a nice boat with a little cabin underneath where I was able to keep Adam. It was hard to enjoy the ride as much as I could have when I was taking care of my kids and feeling a little sea sick. But, the time that I did get to spend just sitting up on top of the boat feeling the wind and watching the beautiful water was enjoyable. My boys really liked it. And, Randy got to take a swim in the middle of the buoyant lake, he didn't even have to tread water.

Tagged

This was enlightening and very funny. Thanks for tagging us Isaac and Erika.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Don't eat your shirt.

2. What makes mom happy? When I don't eat my shirt or take my shoes off.
3. What makes mom sad? When I eat my shirt and take my shoes off.

4. How does mom make you laugh? By saying funny questions.

5. What was your mom like as a child? A baby.

6. How old is your mom? 26 (thanks for knocking 2 years off)

7. How tall is your mom? 21

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Play with me.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Yell for me.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? It will be for your baby.

11. What is your mom really good at? Loading the washer and dryer.
12. What is your mom not very good at? Giving me things that I want.

13. What does your mom do for her job? Load the dishes and the washer and dryer.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Sandwiches.

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When we play games together.

16. If your mom was a cartoon character who would she be? I don't know.

17. What do you and your mom do together? We play games, and read books, we do lots of kinds of things together.

18. How are you and your mom the same? We both have feet.

19. How are you and your mom different? Our hair aren't the same.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because we do lots of fun things together.

I am glad that Jacob thinks we do lots of fun things together. I try. I guess we will tag Alyssa.

Camping Trip

We went on a spur of the moment camping trip this last weekend. Randy called me on Friday morning and said he wanted to go camping. I wasn't really excited about the idea, I had things I wanted to get done over the weekend. But, I went along with it because I thought it would be fun for the boys. Randy's brother Jason and his family went with us. It turned out to be a fun adventure. We found a great, although a little primitive (no bathroom), camping spot. We roasted hot dogs for dinner. That is really the best way to eat a hot dog. We also had yummy s'mores. Needless to say, we used a lot of wipes. The kids had a blast with their cousins. Adam did really good. I carried him in a sling and he just slept. At night we bundled him up and he slept in his car seat. I couldn't believe how cold it got at night. I had a hard time sleeping because I was so cold. It is the middle of June for goodness sakes. Luckily the kids seemed to be warm enough, at least they didn't complain.

Nathan and Alayna, cheesy kids
Isaac and Jacob

On Saturday morning we enjoyed a pancake and bacon breakfast and the packed up. We wanted to go fishing, but we had a hard time finding a lake that wasn't frozen over or that had a shore that wasn't covered in snow or mud. We did finally find a nice spot a Trial Lake. Jacob caught his first ever fish. We go fishing all the time at The Cove, but he has never caught a fish on his own. Jason talked him into kissing it, he said, "It is very slimy." Then Alayna wanted to kiss it too, apparently she thinks it is fun to kiss fish. Nathan had to follow along. Anyone who has ever kissed Nathan knows that he likes use his tung, kissing a fish was no different. You might want to think twice if he ever wants to kiss you. Jacob ended up catching another fish before we left and Isaac caught one. We had a lot of fun. I am really glad that we went, even though we didn't get any work done a home. My honey-do list is getting longer and longer.

Randy with Jacob and his first fish

Jacob and Isaac fishing

Joy School Graduation and The Best Present I Ever Got

Okay, I am a little behind in writing this post, but hey, I am a busy mom of three, I do what I can. A week and a half ago, on May 29, we had Jacob's Joy School Graduation. For those of you who don't know what Joy School is, it is basically a home school preschool. It focuses more on, well, teaching our children joy, than anything academic. It is a really cute program and we had a lot of fun with it this year. We had a little graduation ceremony in my friends back yard, complete with mortar boards and diplomas. It was just a short program, the kids sang some songs and we talked about some of the fun things we did during the year. My favorite part was that Jacob buttoned his own shirt. He missed a button and it was like that the whole evening. These kids are so cute. We are going to miss Joy School, especially the part where Jacob got to go do something for two and half hours twice a week.

Our Joy School Class-Emily, Sonia, Makailey, and Jacob

I have the most wonderful Husband in the whole world. He is so kind and thoughtful. I love him so much. Ever since we moved into our house five years ago I have wanted a new washer and dryer. We got our washer and dryer for free from Randy's great uncle Everett. They weren't a matching set and they were very clunky, but they got our clothes clean. But, every time I have done laundry for the last five years I have secretly hoped this would be the time the washing machine spins itself to death. I was very close to buying myself a new set when my fridge broke and I had to buy a new fridge. Then Randy had to get dental work done, which cost as much as the new fridge. Then the water heater broke. My hopes of getting a new washer and dryer went down the drain. Well, Randy got a little bonus at work and the first thing he did was surprise me with a new LG front loading washer and dryer. I got them last week. They are beautiful. I love them. They are so quiet, and they don't use a lot of water or laundry detergent. And, they provide hours, okay, minutes, of entertainment to my little boys who think it is cool to watch their cloths being washed. I do have to admit that even with a beautiful new washer and dryer doing laundry is still, well, doing laundry. Too bad it doesn't fold the cloths too. That would be something. Randy also bough himself something with his bonus. A new flat screen HD TV. It is really nice. The picture we get is incredible, and it is just hooked up to an antenna in the attic. Our old TV was a hand me down from Randy's grandparents. It was almost dead so they got a new one and since we didn't have one we took it. That was also five years ago. I think he felt the same way about the TV that I felt about the washer and dryer, just hoping it would die so we could get a new one. So, now I feel like we have taken another step into the 21st century with these fancy new things. I am so grateful for the things we were given and they lasted so long. But I am also grateful that we are doing well enough that we can take a step up from hand me downs.
Last thing, Adam is now two months old. Isn't he cute. They change so fast. He weighs 10 lbs now, and he is just starting to smile. We all love him a lot.

Nathan's Happy (Birthday)

Jacob, Nathan, and Nathan's "Happy"

My little Nathan turned two on Memorial Day, although, if you ask him he is three. We had a great day despite the rain that ruined our plans for an outdoor barbecue. We still had the barbecue, we just did it in Grandma Wardle's basement. In the morning, before the party, we made cake while daddy went to get the present. The boys helped me pick out which birthday cake we should make. We settled on a Monkey cake since that is their favorite animal. It had peanut butter frosting, so yummy. Nathan kept calling the cake his "Happy". When he was talking to Grandma Gina he said, "I show you my happy" and he walked over to the counter and pointed up to the cake, like she could see it. He paused there and then walked back to the living room to continue his conversation. He is still calling it his happy, "Mom, my happy all gone?" Nathan got a new sand box for our backyard from Randy and me, and sand toys to go with it from Grandma Wardle, Ryan and Penny, and Jason and Erika. No sand though, we still need to do that. Maybe when it stops raining. My kids had lots of fun playing with their cousins, it is one of their favorite things to do. They also had a lot of fun playing with balloons.


Much cleaner than last year

PS Does any one else have lots of trouble putting pictures on here? I can never get them to go where I want them. I can't figure out how to write something under them. And when I do think I have everything where I want it is turns out totally different when I actually post it. I am really frustrated. Any suggestions?

Update

For those of you who read my last posting, and felt sorry for me, I just want to let you know that things are much better now. Yesterday I actually did 4 loads of laundry, washed, dried, folded, and put away! I was very proud of myself. I even got the dishes done!! But the counter didn't get wiped off, I can only do so much. Now that Adam is 5 weeks old he is sleeping a little better and I am not so exhausted. He is also liking the swing better and will lay on the floor for limited stretches of time, so I don't have to hold him all the time. He is such a sweet baby. We love him so much, holding him really is a joy, even if it prevents me from completing household tasks. His brothers also love him and are great help for me. We are very happy.

A Day in the Life of a Mother with a Preschooler, a Toddler, and a Newborn

1:30 am- Baby is crying. What time did I feed him last? Okay, I guess it has been 3 hours. Get up, go to bathroom (there are times when you must take care of your own needs first), change baby’s diaper, swaddle baby, get back in bed and start nursing. Doze on and off while baby eats. Baby stops nursing. Put him up to shoulder to burp. Fall asleep.

2:30- Wake up. What time is it? I guess he doesn’t need to burp. Put him down in bassinet and pull it close to bed. Get back in bed. Hear baby spit up. I guess he did need to burp. Reach over and half heartedly wipe up spit up. Fall back to sleep.

4:00- Baby is crying. It can’t be time to feed him again. Okay, I guess it is. Repeat process.

6:00- Baby is crying. I am not ready to feed him again. Pull him into bed, both fall back to sleep.

6:30- Preschooler and Toddler come running into room. Wonderful Husband gets up with them.

7:00- Wonderful Husband leaves for work. Pull self out of bed. Kids are eating breakfast and watching Curious George. Change baby, sit down to feed baby. Look around house. How did it get so messy? I will get all that laundry piled on the couch put away today. I will get the kitchen cleaned up too.

7:30- Toddler is in high chair yelling, “Done, I done mom.” Stop nursing, get Toddler out of high chair and wash his hands and face. Go back to nursing.

8:00- Put baby down. Eat breakfast myself.

8:30- When did I last bath my children? I can’t remember. “Quick, everyone in the bath.”

8:50- Wrestle screaming Toddler into cloths. Encourage Preschooler to hurry and get dressed. “No, those pants are on backward, take them off and start again. Hurry, we are going to be late.”

9:05- Leave for preschool late. It could be worse.

9:15- Back home. Baby is hungry again. Change baby, feed baby, burp baby, put sleeping baby down.

9:45- Toddler says, “I hungy mom, want snak” rubbing his belly. Get him snack. Baby is crying again.

10:10- Put sleeping baby down. Finally, time for a shower. Weigh self first. Shouldn't have done that.

10:25- Stand in closet staring at cloths. I hate getting dressed. Select a shirt that fits over extra large boobs and jeans that are 4 sizes larger than what I was wearing pre-baby. It is better than sweats.

11:00- Dressed, hair done, minimal make up on. Baby still sleeping. Time to tackle some chores. Where to start?

11:30- Dishwasher half loaded. Baby crying. Time to pick up Preschooler.

11:40- Baby cried the whole time we were gone. Now I know why. His back is wet, diaper leaked. Time for a complete outfit change. He is also hungry.

12:00- Kids are saying they are hungry. I tell them we will eat lunch as soon as baby is done nursing. I hear a rustling in the Kitchen. They are helping themselves to a little pre-lunch snack. “Stop eating, we are going to have lunch.” I hope this doesn’t ruin their appetites.

12:15- The kids are happily munching on PB & J and bananas. I scarf down a turkey sandwich, ignoring the cries coming for the swing. He can’t really think he is still hungry, can he?

12:30- The baby is finally content in the swing. I hurry and finish loading the dishwasher. I just manage to get it started before the cries start again. Just before I pick up the baby my toddler announces that he is done with his lunch. The snack did ruin his appetite. I think he got more food on his clothes than in his mouth. I clean his hands and face, then I wrestle him out of his dirty shirt while he screams.

12:45- Story time. All four of us snuggle on the couch.

1:00- Nap Time, Hooray! With only a little trouble I get my toddler down for a nap and turn on the computer for my preschooler to play a computer game. I think I will feed the baby a little early and have a nap myself.

1:10- As I am changing the baby’s diaper he pees, a nice stream goes over his head, over the blanket, and onto the carpet. Fabulous, time for complete outfit change number two.

1:45- The baby is sleeping, the toddler is sleeping, the preschooler is happily playing a racing game on nickjr.com, time for mommy to have a rest.

3:15- I wake up. My preschooler is still playing on the computer. I should really get up now and do something with him, but my body feels so heavy I will just lie here a little longer. Am I a terrible mom?

3:30- The only thing that gets me up is the promise of sweet chocolate goodness waiting for me in the pantry. If I get up now, my kids won’t know I had a Swiss Roll. I’ll get my preschooler off the computer when I am done. I am a terrible mom, he has been on the computer for over 2 hrs.

4:15- Just as I finish feeding the baby I hear my toddler calling me from his room.

4:30- Snack time. The baby is asleep, while the other two eat I finally get to wiping off the counters and wash some bowels that have been hanging out in the sink for a few days. I clean the kitchen in shifts now.

5:00 Oprah ends, the news starts. Is it seriously 5 already? I got the kitchen clean in time to dirty it again. What are we going to have for dinner? Something easy, spaghetti? Pancakes? Sandwiches? Or go out?

5:15 Get call from Wonderful Husband. He will be home a little late. Baby is stirring, time to eat again.

6:00 Garage door opens. Kids start yelling, “Daddy is home!!!” They wait for him by the door. He comes in and immediately starts playing with kids while I finish up dinner.

6:30 Sit down to dinner. Constantly remind Preschooler to eat. He gets so distracted, besides the fact that dinner is his least favorite meal of the day.

7:30 Watching TV while I feed the baby. Preschooler just finished eating, finally.

8:00 Start bedtime routine, get PJs on, read stories, brush teeth.

8:30 Kids are finally in bed, daddy is tucking them in and telling stories.

9:00 Time to feed the baby again.

9:30 Pump, or as my preschooler calls it, using my milker, need I say more. Notice the laundry still unfolded on the couch.

11:00 The evening has passed by in a blur of bad TV. The baby is feed, but not asleep. Pass him off to daddy and climb in bed. Fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.

The cycle starts all over again.

Need a good laugh...

Go to a T-Ball game. My son Jacob is on a team with his cousin Isaac, the Mud Cats. It is seriously one of the funniest things to watch. A bunch of 3 and 4 year olds trying to play baseball. They have no concept of the rules. Most of them struggle to hit the ball off the T. When they do hit the ball they don't know what to do next. People are yelling, "Run, run, that way." They sometimes run to third base, or even second. My Jacob likes to head for first then veer off to second, "No, this way." They are so spacey. Jacob's coach is telling him to look at the ball before he tries to hit it, he is staring off into space, looking everywhere but the ball. I must say I was very proud of him when he did finally hit the ball all by himself at last nights game. He did a great job. The outfield is my favorite. There are kids rolling around in the grass (Isaac), and spinning around in circles (Jacob). Jacob and Isaac are tackling each other. Jacob is chewing on his mit. Randy says he used to do the same thing when he played baseball. Our team rotates positions in the outfield so they all get a turn to handle the ball, only the ones in the front of the field go for the ball when it is hit. But other teams don't do that. When the ball is hit all the kids run toward it and try to grab it. Last night the other team, the Grasshoppers, ended up with a dog pile. The kid on bottom came up crying. It was so funny. Our team has a special award for the kid who plays the best, the golden ball. Last night Jacob won the golden ball for hitting the ball so well. His face light up, I don't know if I have ever seen him so proud of himself. It was so cute. I was very proud of him. We have played three games so far. They are getting better. Hopefully by the end of the season they won't need so much help. So, if you want to see the really funny stuff you better come to a game soon.