my new calling

I am the new Laurel Advisor in Young Women's! I am really excited and can't wait for the opportunity to serve and get to know more people in our ward.

p.s. Asia woke up this morning STARVING and feeling much better. She has felt fine all day...THANK HEAVENS! We are going to Walsh's for dinner tonight. I can't wait it's going to be so much fun!!

round 2

Early this morning around 4, Asia started throwing up and pretty much hasn't stopped all day. Poor thing, she is already so thin and we worry about her not eating enough and now she is starving, but can't keep a single morsel down. Luckily, Mariah's only lasted for a day and she felt 100% better the next day. She's been asleep for a while now and had started feeling a touch better before that, but still hasn't eaten anything. I am supposed to get a new calling in church tomorrow and Will has to work. We will see how it goes.

Happy Turkeys!

Let's just say I AM BEAT!! It's been a crazy few days since all the happenings around here. Yesterday we went to Mary Lou's for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, Will didn't have to work! We also learned that he doesn't work on Christmas or New Years Days!!! How that happened?! I have no idea!

So I got up unusually early this year. I am used to going alone now since living on island. I'd have loved to of had someone to go with, but my mom and sisters were in Utah for my Grandma Woolsey's 85th birthday and Dotty, my only really close friend still in Vancouver, was in Seattle. I really wanted some $4 pjs and $8 winter coats at Wal Mart and a few of their other good deals, so I went out at 3 am today instead of my usual 4:30. I wasn't the first one in line either. I was about the 75th person from the door. It was raining and cold, but OH SO EXCITING!!!! I had my little chair and my handy dandy notebook and was ready to go. I got everything I had gone for and A TON more that I didn't plan for. LOL

After Wal Mart, I went to the newly remodeled Toys R Us in Jantzen Beach with the brand new Babies R Us that they just added on and they totally duped me! I got there and they were offering a free crib with the purchase of the combo and armoire set. I just couldn't resist. One of my dreams is coming true! I know it's silly, but I have longed to decorate a nursery since Mariah was born. I have never even owned a crib. I know, right?! 5 kids and no crib!! It was ridiculously expensive, but I got a free crib!!! I already have many a vision of what I want to do in her nursery...stay tuned!

Thanksgiving was really fun and super relaxed. We spent the day in Rainier with Will's family. Poor Mariah spent the entire day lying in Grandma's bed watching the new DVD's she just bought them. Barbie in a Christmas Carol and Tinkerbell. She only ate a few soda crackers and sipped water all day. The food was super YUM and the day went off without a hitch! The only bummer was that Bryan and Ellene weren't there for the dinner, they were with his family and then caught up with us later in the afternoon for pies and such.

Baby's 1st Thanksgiving.
I don't want to get my picture taken!

Our matching tops =D

Trying to get a decent photo of the grandkids (minus Mariah)

Ha HA HAAAA!!

*SiiiiGH*

Tonight while I was making dinner and doing some pre-Thanksgiving stuff, all of a sudden Roxelle let out that baby "I'm hurt" scream. Will and I dropped everything and ran into the living room to find Tatum with a piece to Roxelle's toy that she was laying under in her hand. She had taken it off and reamed Roxelle twice on the forehead. How do we know it was twice, you ask? Because there were 2 red, risen triangular bumps that showed up a few minutes later that matched that edge of the piece she was holding. That was just the beginning of the night.

Just before dinner was ready, Mariah said that her tummy was hurting. A little while before that, they had been playing and Brinlee kicked Mariah in the stomach (2nd time in 2 days) and now she said that her tummy was still hurting. She said she didn't feel sick, but just that her tummy hurt where Brinlee kicked her. So she layed down in front of the fire and said she wasn't hungry. We all ate and I saw that Mariah had fallen asleep, I went to wake her so that she could eat and go to bed at a normal time. She got up and went to the freezer to get her freezer mug, while I cleaned up the blankets off the floor. All of a sudden, she starts vomiting all over the floor and inside the door of the freezer. We couldn't decide if she was sick, or the force of being kicked made her throw up. She said that she felt much better, though. But, that's not all....

While I was upstairs showering Mariah, the other girls were running a muck and being crazy. I was upstairs and heard Will getting after somebody. I went down to find that Asia had gotten too close to the fire and the back of her night gown had melted to the front of glass. YIKES! We told her how lucky she is that she didn't catch on fire.

I decided to take a picture of the mess on the fireplace. While I was doing that, Brinlee accidentally clocked Tatum in the face with a toy. I turned around to see Tatum holding her breath in a fit. I grabbed her on my lap and turned to ask Brinlee what happened when Will walked in and said that Tatum was bleeding. Just as I looked down a drop of blood fell on her shirt. My immediate reaction was to tip her back so that it wouldn't continue to bleed on her shirt, but as she was laying back, she caught sight of the blood and freaked out. I've never seen someones eyes bulge in an instant like that and then she flipped out of my arms. Will grabbed her up and took her to the kitchen. It all happened so fast, like 5 seconds, but it seemed like I was watching in slow motion. She bled for about 5 minutes.

Poor Brinlee looked like she thought she killed Tatum. She had already been having trauma over thinking that she made Mariah throw up. She crumbled to the floor in a mess of tears. I grabbed her onto my lap and hugged her and held her for a long while.

I told the other girls to go and brush their teeth and get ready for bed. About 2 minutes later Will heard Mariah vomiting all over the upstairs bathroom. Oh, no, not in the toilet, but all over the floor and out on the carpet. UGH!

She has thrown up 2 or 3 more times since then. Will went out to the garage to get a razor blade to see if he could clean off the glass of the fireplace and accidently dropped the tray from his tool box that holds all the little nuts, bolts and screws and sent them all over the floor. He came inside with a complete look of exasperation and said "I am so done".

I am going to feed Roxelle and try to get some sleep before I have to wake up around 4 to start the dough for my rolls.

Family Night

I forgot that last Thursday night was Family Night at Truman Elementary. The PTA puts it on every year and families of students get to go and make cute little crafts and have dancing and refreshments in the cafeteria. Will ended up having to work, and I couldn't disappoint Mariah and Brinlee. They had been talking about it all week. So I braved going out with all 5. It was a little crazy at times, but I think everyone had fun. Brinlee and Asia even joined in on the Macarena in the Cafeteria!

Mini School

Last Thursday, I got to help out at Asia's Mini Feast. It's a Mini School Thanksgiving tradition. They always push all the snack tables together to make one really long table. They make their own placemats and head gear. It's really cute. I have always volunteered to bring popcorn and help out. I think Asia had a good time!

Today was their November Sing. They get to sing all the songs they've been practicing in November for the parents. Just like Mariah, Asia refused to participate and sat there with a long face =<. I was such a "ham" as a kid that I can't figure out why my girls are so stage shy!

I could not agree more

I found this article about "Are we damaging our baby by letting him cry himself to sleep?" Click HERE to read it. It's NOT the article that I agree with, it's the responses that I could not agree more with. As I read the article, I scoffed and hmmmphed, feeling sorry for the poor tired moms who are turning to the internet to find help with getting their babies to sleep, who might come across this article. Well, I am not a member of the forum that this article was in, so I could not leave a comment there, but the HUNDREDS of people that responded, said it all for me, in MANY ways. I was starting to fume at the idiocy of the person that wrote this article. ALL 5 of my very well adjusted children have cried it out and YES it is traumatic for everyone to listen to a tiny baby crying, but the result of a soundly-sleeping baby after only a few short days, is blissful. For example, Roxelle has been sleeping a FULL (not even waking to eat) 9 hours since she was about 3 weeks old. THREE WEEKS!!! She is not the only one. ALL FIVE of my kids have done this and it's not because it's in their genes, it's because I patiently and meticulously schedule their days from the minute they are born. We all know what to expect and it makes it so much easier to leave them with someone else because we can tell them exactly what to expect.

On another note, it is healthy for a baby to cry. I've heard that anywhere from 2 to 4 hours (not consecutively, of course) in a 24 hour period is healthy for a baby's lungs and muscle developement. It's pretty hard to "spoil" a baby, but it's important to tell yourself that a little fussing and crying isn't going to hurt them either. I remind myself, each time she cries and I can't get to her right away, that she doesn't lay and cry all day long and a little fussing and crying is actually doing her good.

Roxelle smiling

BUMBO

I can't believe that no one invented this sooner. Seriously the BUMBO is the #1 BEST invention for babies out there!!! I loved it with Tatum and was so excited when the Lomax's brought one for us when Roxelle was born. I couldn't wait to start using it! She does pretty well in it, but not for very long periods yet.

2 Months Old

Roxelle is 2 months old today. It just seems like time has stood still. It is the weirdest feeling. Time always seems to be flying by, but over the past 2 months, it seems to have frozen. I feel like Roxelle has been here for so much longer than just 8 short weeks. I can't explain it. When I look at her, I don't think of her as a 2 month old. Not that she does anything extraordinary for a 2 month old, but it's interesting that she doesn't seem only 2 months old. Like I said, I can't explain it.

Anyway, she had her first dr. appt today since she was born. We were in the middle of moving when she was 2 weeks old. Lucky for us, she is healthy and happy! The dr gave her a clean bill of health and she weighed in at a healthy 10 lbs 8 oz. and is 23 5/8 inches. Dr. Fuchs said that she is in the 75% for height!!!!! All of our others are between 8% (Brinlee) and 40% for height. Might we average size folks have a tall one?! (I would consider 5'6 "tall" for a girl...LOL! ha ha ha). She is 50% for head. This is also unusual. All the others are 80% to 95% (Brinlee). She is 40% for weight.

Tatum's chatter

This video is pretty long, but Tatum loves to watch it. Usually every afternoon at 4:30 when I am feeding Roxelle, she wanders around the kitchen chattering. The other girls are usually outside playing and she is relishing some alone time with me. She cracks me up at the way she talks and just watching her eyes, you can see her thinking everything over. I love it!

webcam fun

I was just trying out our new webcam. Here's a pic to satisfy until I can upload all the others.

Autumn

I forgot how much I love the Fall season. The leaves changing color and crisp cool smell in the air! It brings on the excitement of knowing my 3 favorite holidays are coming; Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving!! Click HERE to enjoy the Rainbows of Fall. BEAUTIFUL!! Thanks for sharing Uncle Stanley!

Mini School

Today was Asia's second day at Mini School. It's my favorite preschool ever! I was so caught up in the day yesterday, that I totally forgot to take my camera to the school, so I got some pics of her at home and some video and then more pics today. That's been the story of my life lately...too busy for any and every thing!

Mariah attended Mini School for 2 years when we lived in Vancouver before. I absolutely loved it then too. The best part is the drive up service. You drive up from the back of the school and pull right up to the classroom door and the teacher opens the car door, unbuckles/buckles your child and you don't have to pile all the kids out of the car to pick up.

FIRST DAY

SECOND DAY

MRS. PROVINE

Seven Rules for parents

This one was on the back

Seven rules for parents

Here are seven rules for parents:

1. Do not quarrel in front of your children.

2. Never lie to a child.

3. Always answer children's questions

4. Treat all your children with equal affection

5. There should be comradeship between parents and children

6. Treat your childrens friends as welcome visitors

7. Concentrate on your children's good points and don't overemphasize their failures.

from The Rev. Paul Osumi

12 alternatives to lashing out at your kid

I have add this print out on my fridge for years. I have no idea where it came from, but I just re-read it for the first time in a while and think it is great advice. (I will transpose it verbatim.)

12 alternatives to lashing out at your kid.

You'll feel better...and so will your child.

1. Take a deep breath. And another. Then remember you are the adult...

2. Close your eyes and imagine you're hearing what your child is about to hear.

3. Press your lips together and count to 10. Or better yet, to 20.

4. Put your child in a time-out chair. (Remember the rule: one time-out minute for each year of age.)

5. Put yourself in a time-out chair. Think about why you are angry; is it your child, or is your child simply a convenient target for your anger?

6. Phone a friend.

7. If someone can watch the children, go outside and take a walk.

8. Take a hot bath or splash cold water on your face.

9. Hug a pillow.

10. Turn on some music. Maybe even sing along.

11. Pick up a pencil and write down as many helpful words as you can think of. Save the list.

12. Write for prevention information:

National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse

PO Box 2866L

Chicago, IL 60690

Stop using words that hurt.

Start using words that help.

I don't know if that information is even still valid, but I am sure if you need the info, it can be found online.

A Big Mess

I know I promised pics today, but it's just not gonna happen!

Yesterday, Will picked up a shift from 10pm until 6:30 this morning through the temp agency he works for. After dinner last night, he took a nap before having to leave. Around 9:30, the hospital called him to find out if he could take a shift today from 7am to 7:30pm. He couldn't pass up the opportunity for OT, so he took that, too. The bad part is that I get to take the girls to church by myself, AGAIN. Last week, was awful. Brinlee and Asia were audibly crying for most of sacrament meeting. Mariah was just being ornery (blowing in Roxelle's face for no reason, teasing Asia, and just having drama). Tatum was actually pretty good last week. She was quietly coloring and doing her own thing. This week, Tatum was screaming for about 20 minutes before the meeting started (I had to be there 30 minutes early to meet with a member of the bishopric). Once it started, Tatum cried intermittently, Roxelle was fussy, Asia kept talking out loud and Mariah was crying because she wanted to color some page that Brinlee colored. UGH!

Plus, the day started off with Brinlee and Mariah helpfully getting everyone breakfast so that I could sleep a little longer before Roxelle woke up. However, that only lasted about 10 minutes. Brinlee rushed in saying that Asia accidentally knocked over the milk pitcher, an old 4 cup Tupperware measurer with a lid that I put milk in so that the girls can get their own cereal and not have to lift the heavy gallon. So there was a milk "pond" on the island and all over the floor. Brinlee had mopped up most of the floor, but she said that it just kept spreading (good try, Brins).

After church, I was dragging my feet in making dinner. The kids really wanted mashed potatoes and gravy. I am so spoiled. I have hardly ever had to peel potatoes in our entire marriage. I did not want to drag out the bag and peeler (SO LAZY! lol). So I get the steak started in the electric fry pan and peel potatoes. When steak had finished, I took the smaller of the 2 out on a plate to cool so I could cut it up for the kids. I turned to call my mom back and just as it's ringing, I heard a HUGE crash. Tatum had somehow pulled the electric fry pan off the counter and it flipped all over the floor, oven, cupboards, pantry, and down the front of Tatum's dress. There was meat grease and seasoned drippings everywhere. I told my mom what had just happened and said I'd call her back. Tatum was fine, but the MESS. UGH! The kids were all whining that they are hungry, and since we don't have a mop, I'm on my hands and knees trying to wipe up the grease. I ended up pouring straight dish soap onto the floor and wiping it with a hot cloth and it still feels greasy over there.

Once I got dinner on the table, Mariah says "I can't see the gravy on my pototoes." (Mashed potatoes and gravy is her most favorite food). I said "Don't even go there! Tatum spilled your gravy all over the floor." ha ha ha

So I've had one long day. The kids are all in bed. Will got home around 8. We exchanged stories about our crazy days (he said the hospital was really busy) and now I am going to feed Roxelle one last time for the night and go to bed myself. I am exhausted!

Back online!

We are finally back online. I know, you guys (my sisters) are dying to see new baby pics, but I just don't have that set up on this computer yet. And I've been swamped with a whole bunch of NOTHING! LOL j/k you all know how busy newborns keep you. I promise I'll post something tomorrow.

p.s. PLEASE sign the FOCA petition and get your spouses and of age children to do it, too.

It snowed

The bonus room upstairs was only partially finished. Well, it's finished, it just didn't have a heat source and according to the inspector, there is no insulation above that room in the attic space. This is going to be Asia and Tatum's room. So Will said he could finish it and he did a fabulous job, but the mess! YIKES!

We rented an insulation blowing machine from Home Depot and bought these cubes of loose insulation (cellulose) that you feed into this machine and it blows it through a hose. Will was up in the attic and I was in the garage trying to feed it in, but I was apparently doing something wrong, so I called Mike Loomis to help. Mike said he used to do this as an occupation and they knocked it out in no time. Thanks for the help, Mike!

When I went upstairs into the room, it already felt warmer. It had been the indoor freezer room until now. The kids toys are all strewn around on the floor, but they weren't allowed to play in there without jackets. LOL!

the dowry

Well, one of 'em is spoken for already. Wendy asked me today if Brinlee told me that TJ proposed. I guess he came home from school on Friday and told Trevor (the dad) that he proposed to Brinlee. Trevor asked what she said and TJ told him she said yes.

Plus, the other day, Brinlee came home from school and said, with a big old grin, "I think Trevor (she calls him Trevor, not TJ) thinks I'm cute or something."

OH BROTHER! I can't decide whether to think it's cute or be worried. I know they are only 6, but I know kids at an even younger age that have been "curious". Any advice??