Blessed

Little Lainey was given a name and a blessing yesterday (non-LDS? That means that at church on Sunday her dad was joined by a circle of priesthood holders and he announced her name - to be put on the records of the church, and also given a blessing. Hers included a blessing of health, faith, family, etc.) It was a beautiful day. We are so grateful for our wonderfully supportive family members who came to share it with us. Here is the star of the event:

Lainey started smiling yesterday (she must have enjoyed the day too). Look, here's proof:

What a sweet babe.

These kids love their Grandpa, is there any doubt? Now if only they didn't love him so hard. Also this weekend, we had our ward party (Polar Express theme - in pajamas) where we had a guest appearance by the jolly man himself! The girls were a little apprehensive and refused to sit on his lap (don't really blame them, actually). They told him what they wanted from a safe distance (Ellie, a bunk bed; Maren, a Barbie car). Everett had his eye on Santa's candy canes the entire time.

Balance Act

Yesterday I went all out for dinner. I started preparations in the early afternoon and come dinner time we had delicious steaming potato soup in freshly made bread bowls. It was so yummy. And I'd say, well worth the time it took to make them. I enjoyed my time in the kitchen, hands covered in bread dough and timers beeping. I enjoy cooking (most of the time) and I felt like I was doing a service to my family - providing healthy, homemade cooking.

Of course, as rosy as this sounds, it's not all that you think. This came at a price. Everett was extremely upset that I was paying attention to the bread dough and not to him. He was whining and crying and hanging on my leg (I've already covered that one, it's my favorite thing). Lainey wanted to be held constantly, even as she slept, and the girls were fairly occuppied with a friend, but it was still very noisy and chaotic. All of this turned this momma into a monster. I was frustrated and banned kids from the kitchen (and not in the nicest way). I yelled at kids and kept saying to Everett, "What do you want?" I knew exactly what that sweet boy wanted. He wanted a momma and that was more than this momma could give at the moment. The time between 5 and 6 is the most difficult of the day, hands down. That is dinner prep time and my kids seem to sense that mom is trying to get something done, and they just go crazy. They want my undivided attention, now. And Lainey always wants to be held that time of the day (thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn). Perhaps that is why moms turn to frozen dinners and take-out. It would be so much easier. I realized last night that I need more balance in my life. My kids need me to strike a balance too. I want homemade, quality meals, but I'm not a chef. I'm a mom. How do I find a balance between all that needs to be done?

Deep thoughts. I've become quite the philosopher lately.

Unrelated to bread bowls and screaming kids, Lainey has a stocking:

Holy cow. We have six stockings on our fireplace. SIX. It still blows my mind.

The color is wonky on this photo, sorry. We met a new, sweet cousin a few days ago. These girls are 6 weeks apart.

Everett and his cousin (aka partner in crime) came to "love" Lainey (or poke her eyes out, you be the judge).

My favorite corner of our house:

I'll get off the computer now. I have about 20 things to 'balance' right now. Hmm. Come to think of it, my kids didn't even eat my soup and bread last night.

Gobble

You bet we did! We had a very nice Thanksgiving. Our festivities began on Wednesday when we took our family to see "The Muppets". Good movie. And, the kids stayed in their seats for the most part, so I'll call that a success.

We had our Thanksgiving feast at my mom's house. Everett enjoyed the pie.

And the kids loved spending time with their cousins.

Lainey just slept and looked cute. It's a hard life.

We put up Christmas and went shopping and just enjoyed time together as a family.

I love my husband. Who says that men can't multi-task?

I just loved his smile in this one. I married myself a handsome man, yes I did.

This morning we are back to school and work and routines. It's a bittersweet thing. My boy is a miserable, clingy, snotty mess. I wish I had more sympathy for the kid as he's following me around hanging on my leg.

Falling

We have trees! With leaves! It's a first for us, and the kids were excited to go try them out. I showed them the proper way (is there a proper way? It just sounded good) to rake, throw, jump, and bury yourself in the decay. Oh, it was a good time. This particular day was freezing (it snowed later that night), but we enjoyed ourselves all the same. I'm thankful for Fall. Gap-toothed smiles are even better than the original:

We are excited for Thanksgiving festivities this week!

Lost

I warned you that this was coming: Sorry for the bloody photo. We could not have a more proud 5 year old. The tooth fairy delivered and brought her a whole dollar bill.

Here's a random photo of Ellie making blueberry muffins with her assistant:

You can see the mess on my kitchen counter - just keepin' it real :)

Growing Up

Ellie has a loose tooth. I couldn't believe it when she showed me that she could, indeed, wiggle that top incisor. My baby is growing up. It was the first wakeup for me that I won't be in this "my kids are little" stage forever, and honestly, it was a sad moment.

And more in the growing up department, look at my 'baby' that isn't much of a baby anymore:

What a beautiful girl.

Lainey is a month old.

Time really goes too quickly. Lately I've felt like I can't keep up with my own kids. I am always changing a diaper, or filling sippy cups, or trying to catch up with laundry, or cleaning up crayons off the floor. It's hard to find time to just sit and snuggle my babies, or do crafts with my girls, or chase Everett around the backyard. I need more time to enjoy my kids. Life gets in the way, ya know?

Ellie had her friends over the other day and they were discussing how nice their moms are, and Ellie says, "Except my mom, she's mean." I know it is only the beginning of such accusations. You know what that means, though? That means she doesn't get everything her little heart desires. In my book, that's a good thing. So, mean mom it is. I'm okay with that.

And now, I must go clean my house. Life is calling.

A Slice of Life

My Maren doesn't get naps anymore. Those stopped the day I went to check on her after putting her down for a nap and finding her perched on her second-story window sill with nothing holding her in but the screen. Mom freaked. She really doesn't miss them on most days, but sometimes she gets EXTRA ornery and I know she's just a little sleep deprived. Such was this day: Ellie and Maren were screaming over some toy that they both wanted (it only happens around here, like, at least once an hour). Maren got ahold of it and ran. I went to check on her later and found this. She had gone in their bedroom, locked the door, hid under the bed (only partially) and then fell asleep. Funny.

I learned yesterday that if any of my children were to be seriously ill or injured, this mom would be a whole big heap of a mess. Maren woke up complaining that her neck hurt. She spent the day on the couch and would scream in pain whenever she was moved. I was just a little freaked out, but tried to stay calm as I scheduled a doctor's appointment for later that afternoon. As the day progressed, and she was laying there crying and screaming in pain, I was ready to gather her up and head on over to the ER. I was imagining terrible, awful things. Thankfully, my sweet husband came to the rescue. He took her to her doctor appointment (um, probably because I was a sobbing mess by this point). Turns out she had an ear infection gone bad and the nodes in her neck were inflamed. All she needed was a round of antibiotics and some ibuprofren for the inflammation. She's all happy again today, thank goodness. I think that is one of the hardest parts about being a mom - when your kids are hurting and you don't know how to best help them. I don't want to over-react, or under-react, and the frugal part of me certainly doesn't want to pay for a doctors visit if it is unnecessary (side note: I hate it when people say, "Well, don't you have insurance?" Yes we have insurance, but I will certainly see that doctors visit come out of our bank account.) End of that story.

I feel I can't write a post without including one of these:
A photo of our sweet Lainey, nearly a month old already! She is starting to open her eyes a little more (appreciated in the daylight, not so much in the middle of the night). She has brought so much more joy into our home. We are so happy to have her.

Oh, and thank you, Cynthia, for the white chocolate covered popcorn. I just finished off the entire bag. So much for my 'I miss my real pants' diet. It was mostly air, right? And delicious...