Preschool

A few weeks ago a neighbor and I decided to start a "preschool," with our children. The kids would get together once a week and then the rest of the week we would do the lessons separately. We found a great website that has a nice curriculum laid out so it minimizes the amount of prep work involved which as all of us know is insanely helpful.

Well so far it has been a raging success. No Abbie is not reading, not even close. That isn't really the point for me. In fact she still gets confused about some of the sounds the letters make. The success is that she loves school. She asks to do it every day and throws a fit when it is over (Wait, how is this a success again?) I am less concerned that she is learning any specific things though as she knows her letters, shapes, and colors already, but I love that she loves learning. It has also been fun to have directed activities that we do together regularly.

Now here is where you come in, I am always looking for more ideas for what to do with Abbie -- as a part of school or not.
So I want to know -- "What do you do with your kids?" This isn't necessarily a preschool question. Just a question in general, what activities, crafts, games, outings, projects, do your kids love that you do together? I love getting ideas and seeing what other parents do, and I will try to hide my intimidation at your superior parenting skills as best I can.

Five Year Anniversary

Yup Russ has put up with me for five years, I can't believe it either. (For those of you who are technical our actual anniversary is May 29th, but we got married Memorial Day Weekend, so we added an extra day to our celebration vacation.) But I am incredibly grateful to say that we are a lucky couple whose marriage gets better and better with time.

How can we leave such cute kids? (Easy, as any parent knows.) I haven't had a night away from my kids since Abbie was barely one, and then it was only one night so this day has been long in coming. Looonnngg in coming. I really think that I feel more love for my kids with the opportunity to get away from them for a few days....hmmmm, maybe I should do this every week.

Russ and I drove down to St. George, talking the entire time without interruption. We haven't had an uninterrupted conversation in 2.9 years and filled every minute. It was wonderful.

Friday morning we went on the Bike Ride of Death, in order to prepare for what I'm sure will be the Race of Death after this ride. We rode 38 miles (Every mile I had to remind myself that my race is 69 miles, and I was in big trouble) over a bluff down into Snow Canyon, up Snow Canyon, back to town, back up and over the bluff and then back home, where I panicked about my race then died on the couch. Then to remind me of my physical inferiority Russ rode an additional 14 miles. After resurrecting, it was off to the temple, to go together for a session...another miracle.

Sunday we napped, rested and took a drive up past Pineview and then Monday we were going to hike in Zions. However I forgot that Zions isn't just right off the freeway. I think it moved in the last five years since I've been. By the time we got there we had to drive though in order to make it home on time. The drive however was worth it. I had forgotten what a breathtaking place it is. Pictures will never do it justice.

In a moment of cheese-iness it is sure wonderful to spend time with the best friend I married. Between work, kids, and callings, the times we spend together are often fragmented and filled with exhaustion. While we do great a dealing with the day to day it is nice to get together with him and just have fun. I love you and know you are cheesed out by this, which is why I'm doing it.
*If you visited this post before you will notice that I changed the picture of Russ he said that he looks like "Grandpa "Slouch-meister" Earl from Grumpy-Ville. So this new picture is him smiling a cheesey smile to go with my cheesey thoughts

Baby Lexi's Naptime

Abbie often puts Baby Lexi down for a nap at random times. She is really a very good mother. She feeds her, pats her back, wraps her in a blanket, reads to her and leaves her napping on a chair, the floor, or any other random place. I am then told I need to be quiet whenever I am near this spot. This is what I found when I walked into my room this morning.


Abbie takes her afternoon nap in our bed, and now, apparently so does Baby Lexi. The similarities are really striking. She is surrounded by books, has her blue blanky next to her, is sitting up -- not tired at all and apparently demanding one more glass of water (either that or saluting Hitler but I choose not to believe that my two-year-old has fascist leanings) .

Stuff I'm doing this Spring

First, I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I got to sleep until almost 8:00 which was especially fortunate because Savannah was up bright and early at 6:30...again. I came downstairs to corn meal berry pancakes and a wonderful card, illustrated by Abbie. In addition to sleeping in (really the best gift any mother can get in my humble opinion), Russ got me a beautiful rose plant to put in our planters on the patio. However the highlight was Scotty's farewell. Even though I'm not his mom, it was wonderful to hear Scotty speak and talk about women in the scriptures and then pay a beautiful tribute to my mom. I think he will make an excellent missionary.


Second,

The Tour de Cure Century bike ride, Saturday June 13th. Yup 100 miles. But I am not that crazy (or in shape), I'll leave that to Russ. I am doing the metric century -- 69 miles. To be honest, I am terrified. I've debated not posting this event until after it is over because of the very real possibility of me ending up collapsed on the side of the road. I've been riding at home three nights a week after the girls are in bed and trying to go on a longer ride on Saturday. Unfortunately my longest ride has only been 20 miles due to time restrictions so I could be in real trouble adding another 49 miles to that.

My second and less challenging project is a garden. As most of you know we are in a townhouse which doesn't have a yard for gardening. I looked into finding a community garden, but was unable to commit to the daily trips to water. My parents are too busy to do their garden this summer so they volunteered their garden space and water and Russ and I volunteered our planting and weeding abilitites. A few weeks ago we cleared out the space and yesterday we planted tomatoes, zucchini, squash, eggplant (yummy!) green and red peppers. I know it isn't much to look at now but I am excited for the prospect of fresh produce in the fall!

Finally, several books I've been reading. I've been reading a bunch of books by Sandra Dallas (Tallgrass, New Mercies, The Diary of Mattie Spencer, The Persian Pickle Club ) which I think most of you would enjoy. They include themes of friendship, family, love and all that good girlie stuff along with mystery and plot twists at the very end that make them fun. They aren't the best books I've ever read, but very good.

Don't Ever .....

Don't ever go to the Post Office at 12:30 on the Monday before Mother's Day to mail your mother-in-law's Mother's Day/Birthday present. Because if you do, your two year-old will wait until you are in the middle of a very long line to announce that she has to go potty right now. You will then discover that the US Postal Service does not want to become a pit stop and therefore have no public restroom facilities. Hopefully in your case the person in front of you in line will save your place while a postal employee will take you to a portable outside the building where there are restrooms that he will allow you to use, and only a modicum of dignity will be lost.

Don't take your children to Liberty Park for family night with the mistaken notion that they will think you are the coolest parent on the planet. Because if you do you will spend an hour and a half wandering from swing to slide as your child laughs and runs in glee-filled bliss . However when you announce to your child that it is then time to go, any joyous moments you brought to your child will be immediately forgotten in a screaming fit of fury. You will be the bane of all that is good and pleasant in the world and the ruin of any happiness that existed anywhere.....ever.

If you are Elder's Quorum president, don't ever go to a meeting at your councilor's home during a rain storm. Because if you do, your wife will lock the door and when you come home she will be completely oblivious to your pounding because she is upstairs watching YouTube videos of Brian Regan and laughing her head off unable to hear you. When you go to throw rocks at the back window to get her attention she will become annoyed that it is starting to hail and worry that it will wake up the kids.

"Are you Dating Anyone?"

Russ and I have had more conversations like this than I care to remember...

Two Two-Year-Olds + Five Minutes

All I did was put the laundry away and put a bobby pin in my hair. I swear.

Advice Anyone?

Many of you have been parents much longer than me, some of you fewer, and some of you have not yet entered that chaotic/exhausting love-fest known as parenthood. Anyway I am open to advice from anyone on these subjects - quote experts, tell me what you do, or make something up --really I'm open.


1 - Abbie is tiny. She turns three in under two months and I have to roll 2T pants to get them to stay on her tiny little bum (she did not get that from her mother unfortunately). This creates two problems. 1 - If she wears shorts and I roll them it starts to look like she is in daisy dukes. While she is way too young to notice/care/remember/or be sexualized by this I really don't like how it looks. 2 - She has a long torso and when I roll her pants the 3T shirts that I buy don't reach the pants and then we have belly showing if she moves (which for some reason she likes to do.) Ideas? (This is making me dread teenage-hood.)

2 - What games/activities/art projects do you do with your kids when you are stuck at home and they are booAAArrrd?


3 - How do you divide toys with your kids? Abbie is convinced that there are specific toys that are hers and others that are Savannah's. Savannah is not allowed to touch any of Abbie's toys without a massive sharing summit, while she (Abbie) can play with pretty much whatever she wants. Savannah just wants to play with whatever is on the floor. Are all the toys everyone's? Do we have to discuss sharing twenty times a day?

4 - How do you manage dinner time? Russ doesn't get home until 6:30 at the earliest, by that time my kids are staaaaaaaaaarvvvving! I try to make dinner, give them enough snacks to tide them over but not so much that they wont eat dinner as a family, and keep them entertained at the end of the day when we are all a little tired of each other. This is not a smooth process at my house.

Random Thoughts

Well it has been long enough that I can announce - Savannah is sleeping through the night! !!!We started two weeks ago and after three rough nights seemed to be doing pretty good. Then we went out of town and had to start over. But I think it is official. Yippee!!! Yippee!! Yippee!! (As you know from previous complaining, this really does deserve three yells of glorious joy.) Not surprisingly I have more energy than I ever remember having, and Russ has commented that I have been much more pleasant to be around.

This last weekend we went to St. George with my family for Easter. We went hiking in Snow Canyon, rode four-wheelers over sand dunes, swam at a local rec center, colored eggs, found eggs, and tried to teach the true meaning of Easter. Sadly though after all of this effort (and driving I might add), Abbie's favorite part was playing Mario cart on Uncle Britton's Wii with Uncle Blaine.

I love the new reusable grocery bags. Not only do I feel like I'm helping the environment, but they hold more stuff, organize it better, work great for carrying library books, have better handles, and make for less trips from my car once I get home. Now only if I could remember to get them out of the car before I shop.
Savannah is getting her first teeth, and is very well behaved about it.

We didn't bring the camera to St. George so I don't have any pictures of our trip or of the girls in their dresses. Clearly I am failing as a mother.

Most Annoying Kid Shows

My vote...



Sid the Science Kid. While I like the idea of having kids get excited about science, all of the characters are extremely annoying. Create a person who has an annoying voice, makes lame jokes, makes more lame jokes, makes inane observations about life times them by seven characters and you have Sid the Science Kid.

What's your vote?

Success!!!..........Mostly

For the past three nights Savannah has slept through the glorious night. She has woken up to cry once or twice for a minute but then she falls back to sleep. This was after three nights of two hour crying bouts and a long and frustrating history you are familiar with, but I think she might have it.

(Of course after saying that she did wake up this morning with a really yucky nose so an ear infection might be on its way to spoil my fun.)



Please don't think this has meant I have gotten to sleep through the night. Unfortunately my internal alarm is still set to 4:30 a.m. -awake for an hour and then back to sleep but I'll take what I can get.

Random Thoughts Friday

Is anyone else ready for nice warm spring weather? Anyone? Anyone? Please???

I have tried to limit the amount of TV my kids watch at home. Not eliminate, but limit. I figure I didn't quit my job to let the TV raise them. That said we do like PBS Kids at our house. I had thought I had done a pretty good job of limiting the amount of TV until I heard Abbie say while playing with her cars, "One call, that's all!" Not doing as well as I had thought.

Tonight is the night ladies and gentlemen (Are there any gentlemen reading this blog (besides Russ?)). The semester is over. Russ doesn't need to be teaching at 7:15 a.m. anymore. It is time to teach Savannah that she is capable of sleeping for 11-12 hours without a nighttime feeding. She is 8 1/2 months old. It is WAY past time. Wish us luck my friends we are going to need it.I am very afraid.


Bangs?


Or no bangs?
We have reached a point where a decision must be made about Abbie's bangs. Let your voice be heard on this pressing issue of the day. Be involved. Take a stand. (Or not. It is really up to you.)

I just realized that Abbie looks rather sad in these pictures. Those are just the pictures that showed the hair choices the best. She is a happy kid. I promise.


I love teaching my American Government class. I love seeing kids get excited about learning and the way they can have a voice in the issues that affect them. I love helping them get up close and personal with policy issues and realize that coming up with viable solutions is not as simple as they (or any political commentators) seem to think. And yet despite that difficulty good solutions can be found, and if they don't like what is being proposed they can do something about it. I love when they see that discussion and not divisive debate help move good policy forward both as a county and as people. And I love that the semester is over and I get my Thursday nights to myself (well as much as I get any night to myself).