We are potty training the boys:
I think I mentioned this already, but this consumes my life. I feel like I spend the majority of my day taking pants and undies off the boys, then chasing them around trying to get them back on then doing it again with the other one.
Everywhere we go, we have to go to the potty twice because I can't get them to coordinate. And, while I am helping one on the potty the other is reeking havoc either in the sink, or another potty, or the automatic paper towel dispenser over and over until there is a long trail across the bathroom floor. Madness!
Dad took the boys to a BYU game: Derek and Olivia have season tickets to the BYU basketball games. The boys always want to go, but instead have to stay home and go to bed. One night Olivia refused to go, so Derek said he was just going to take Camden. He asks Camden if he would like to go and of course he is through the moon excited. Derek figured he would take Carter another night. But when it was time to go, and Dad and Camden walked out to the car, Carter jumped off the kitchen stool he was sitting on, ran over to the box where his shoes are kept, opened it up, donned shoes, and ran out the door with them. There is no taking one of those guys somewhere and leaving the other behind. So, Derek took both. He said it was stressful. Hee hee!
It's also Elder's Quorum basketball season: Occasionally, I go to a game with all the kids to watch Dad because I always think it will be better than being home alone with them. I could be wrong. Every time we go, without fail some stranger also watching the game will make some comment about how I must keep so slim from chasing these kids around all day. It's madness. They are constantly running out on the floor, and I am chasing them down. We make a million visits to the potty. They always escape and try to get up on the stage. Just crazy, but they love going to watch daddy play basketball, so we keep doing it.
The weather had been fantastic this winter: Most days have been in the high 50s or even 60s. The kids and I have played outside in the yard a lot.
We have done a lot of runs to the park which are always accompanied by a picnic at said park.
I've loved it. I guess people worry about not having enough water with the lack of snow, but I am not worried about that at all. Perhaps the nice weather is the cause of unexpectedly wearing out my running shoes. Derek let me buy some new ones.
(YAY!) Mizunos of course. I always try all the shoes, but always in the end stick with Mizunos. These are a 4 grade. I'm stepping myself down to a zero drop.
Liv is in dance: Twice per week. She wanted to switch from gymnastics to dance and I hesitated because she is so good at gymnastics and seems to enjoy it, but didn't seem to love dance all that much the last time we were in it. However, this time she was going to be in class with 3 good friends, so I thought she might enjoy it more. Wrong! Dance is just not her thing. She abhors standing in one spot working on technique and thinks plie-ing is boring. So began a little wrinkle that I hope we have since smoothed out. I noticed Liv sitting by the door of her class and when I asked her about it she said her teacher told her to sit there. The next class the same thing, but as it was for a majority of the class I asked her teacher about it. Her instructor explained that Olivia is choosing not to participate. She enjoys the end portion of class where they turn on the music and work on their recital piece but doesn't like practicing technique at the beginning of class and starts hanging on the bar and things that are against class rules (in dance but totally allowed in gymnastics of course). So, she is asked to sit by the door and at each new activity is invited to join the class, but instead chooses to continue sitting at the door. I talked and talked and talked to Olivia about this until she told me I was boring because I keep saying the same thing at which point I thought she understood. Unfortunately, the very next class she choose to sit at the door and not participate for the entire 45 minute class. Then, Derek and I held a FHE lesson where we read a children's book with a message about listening and following directions and not being disruptive to class. We talked about it, and I hoped that Olivia would choose to participate in the next class. I did tell her that if I saw her sitting by the door we would go home immediately. And miracle of miracles, she participated the whole class. Thank goodness! I fear the teenage years with this child. But, it also is bringing flashbacks of my younger years. I am pretty sure I spent a good majority of my elementary school days at the principle's office.
Liv got strep twice: Derek got strep around Christmas and failed to take his antibiotics properly which I believe was the result of another round of strep a month later. Then, a week after that Liv came down with strep, and 5 days after finishing a full course of Amoxicillin her school called me saying that she did not feel well and I better come pick her up. I was actually a little annoyed because she had been acting just fine all morning, and then as soon as we got to school she faked being asleep. I pulled her out of the car and distributed her and hoped she wasn't pulling some dance attitude at school too. Then, when they called me and said she says, "I'm tired, and my head hurts, and my bones hurt, and it even hurts to wear my necklace." I drove to the school mad the whole time sure she was pulling an attitude thing. I told her how upset I was with her (mind you this was the day after the 45 min dance sit out). Then, I realized while driving home that she didn't look too well. She had that glossy look to her eyes that you get with a fever. And when we got home, sure enough a fever of 102. Unfortunately, I needed to leave right then for work. So, I dropped the boys off, brought Liv to work with me and sat her in a chair in my office with the Ipad. Luckily, Diane was able to get her after a little while. I felt so bad, and apologized to Liv for not believing she was sick. She keeps reminding me of the time she was sick and I didn't believe her. At work, I checked her throat...positive for strep again! Now I'm starting to get worried this little miss is going to need her tonsils out.
Grocery store woes: The grocery trips are no longer easy (but then again I guess they never were). We usually go when Liv is at school so I am down one kid. The boys used to sit in the front of the car carts, but now have learned how to squirm out of their seat belts and it's never long before both are free and running in separate directions around the store. I have also tired putting them inside the big basket with the food which they can also climb out of and if they stay usually squish most of the items I buy. We always have to go to the potty. And the other day, while I was bagging produce to put in the basket, the boys both grabbed habanero peppers. When I turned around, I noticed they had them in their hands and were ready to bite into them. I told them to put them down and warned them that they were really spicy. Camden of course followed directions immediately after being caught in the act, and Carter of course bit into his before I could take it away. I would have been more worried about stealing and all, but I think he learned his lesson. His face turned bright red, and he kept asking for milk and rubbing his tongue for the rest of the grocery trip.
Olivia always goes to school looking embarrassing: She got this CTR crown from her primary class and insisted on wearing it to school the next day.
Today she "braided" her own hair just on one side, and it was such a mess but she insisted on displaying her labors to her class.
The boys are always getting into trouble: Besides constantly taking their clothes off and running around naked and sometimes peeing on the floor they always seem to be getting into something. I constantly find them on top of the kitchen counters with their hand in the sugar or flour bowl putting fistfuls of the stuff in their mouths. Two or maybe three times now they have moved the bathroom stool out into the kitchen and under the fridge water dispenser and flooded the floor. One day while I was cooking dinner at the stove, the boys climbed on the counter and threw my recently chopped spinach all over the floor and I found this when I turned around to throw it in my dish:
Camden came into the bathroom where I was getting ready for the day while he was supposedly entertained eating breakfast like this with cereal also found all down the hall from his journey (luckily the dog took care of that).
They always pull these stunts right before we have to get into the car to go somewhere- shampooing their hair with all their clothes on:
Here they found a whole tub of moisturizer and were smearing it on their clothed bodies handfuls at a time:
I try to remind myself that they are cute. Derek and I think Camden sort of looks like Elton John in these glasses:
They recently got much needed haircuts which helps with the cuteness factor:
Camden's hair always looks so white after a hair cut (it sort of yellows as it grows out). Camden I've decided is my recessive gene baby (blond hair/blue eyes) but definitely has a dominant personality. Carter has the dominant genes, but a more recessive personality.
Sibling love:Despite the craziness with these 3 kids, sometimes when they are having fun and playing well together, I remember how hard it was for us to get them here and how blessed we are to have them. And then, I get all teary and overwhelmingly glad that they have each other.
I've been cooking a lot: I love to cook. It makes me happy to find and conquer a new recipe. I think it's how I counterbalance all the other craziness.
And Derek took me out to a new sushi place for a Valentine's lunch date. I LOVE SUSHI!
