7 Months Old

We're all in

RAPTURES

with this squishy, fuzzy, soft, cuddly, giggly, chubby, goofy, little guy...
now if we could just get him to sleep!!!

Low-Key Halloween

I haven't forgotten about you my dear, dear blog. You were in my thoughts everyday. I'm finally not feeling completely zombieish anymore. Because of many sleepless nights, a vacation, and lots and lots of sickness the blog has taken a back seat. I have missed writing about our silly little lives and keeping updated on everyone else's!

Delia had a super hard October with needle-like protuberances ripping through her gums all day and night ("teething" just doesn't do this EVIL stage of life justice). Our darling, happy-go-lucky baby has turned into a grumpy monster!!!!

I was talking to my friend about our difficulties and she sent me this PERFECT quote:

In the church news today, they quoted Elder Holland about the seasons of life a woman goes through. I thought you might relate at this time in your life. I sure remember feeling this way.

"The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife--or both--may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband's bread-winning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent. The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs--Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard. The car, if there is one, runs on smooth tires and an empty tank. But with night feedings and night teethings, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island...Even so, young mothers will still find magnificent ways to serve faithfully in the Church, even as others serve and strengthen them and their families in like manner. Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones."

THANK YOU ELDER HOLLAND (and Stephanie)!!!! It's amazing how just sending along a simple quote can give so much comfort!  The most difficult moments I've had as a mom have been during sleep deprivation- BY FAR. I'm grumpy, I don't eat healthy, I don't exercise... I pretty much stop taking care of myself and just survive, it's miserable (I'm not sure why this happens, maybe some sleep expert can tell me).

So... on to the actual topic of this post:  I usually make a big deal about Halloween and have costumes planned and made months in advance, activites and crafts prepared ... not so much this year. It still ended up being a fun holiday and I don't think the kids noticed things weren't planned or prepared!



We had a great time at the Ward Festival.
 (Dee Dee was too sad to party, so Bry stayed home with her)
Here the kids are eating a healthy dinner of rolls and Root Beer.



I always think such a well-rounded meal should end with a cupcake.
(Does anyone else think there's too much junk-food at stuff like this?)

Besides candy, cupcakes, and doughnuts the kids got lots of fun little toys and stickers at the carnival.
The best prize of the evening were super cool balloon shapes
(Hyrum's is a light saber of course!)

Ivy chose a fairy wand which almost survived the whole night. 

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns is always the funnest Halloween activity (not so much the clean up)

On the actual night we tried to have a quick dinner and get homework done, but the kids were too excited to Trick-or-Treat... we figured it wasn't a battle worth fighting. 



Poor Dee Dee couldn't walk in her bumble bee costume, but she sure looked adorable!



She didn't quite get the Trick-or-Treating thing this year (it wasn't expected that she would).  She just wanted to sit and eat the treat the FIRST house gave her.  Why would she put it in a bucket?  Why would she walk up to complete strangers when she already had a piece of candy?  It was so fun to see her confusion and frustration.



Ivy decided to go as a fairy/princess/ballerina. 
We love how she poses for pictures now.




Hyrum chose to wear his Spiderman pjs (could it be any easier?). 
He refused any make-up on his face, but I couldn't complain! 



We have a SUPER fun neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating now.  Everyone goes all out with decorations and music.  The festivites even ended early since it was a school night.  It ended up being a fun weekend of celebration!

Pajama Party

We have a serious problem at our house: 

We can't get Hyrum and Ivy to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  They play and play while we make threats, take away "pillow pets" and special blankets, scream our heads off, and finally, one of them ends up on the extra crib mattress in the bathroom.  After five minutes of being separated they both completely zonk out.  Is it too much to expect a 3 and 6 year old to let each other sleep in their own beds?

It's a problem because #1.  They wake up at the same early hour every morning whether they've gotten enough sleep or not.  AND #2.  Bry and I spend those precious hours before our own bedtime fighting with the kiddos instead of spending quality time together.

I don't get it, it's not like they don't get enough play time or aren't completely exhausted by the time we tuck them in.  I also don't understand why this is starting right now.  It's never been a huge problem before.  HELP!

So, last night I decided to use the best card I had, the one I knew couldn't lose- I threatened them with NO OUTSIDE time tomorrow if they didn't go to bed immediately.  Well, my best card ended up biting me in the rear because, since they completely disregarded the threat, I had to actually follow through.  That meant no pool, no park, no bikes, and no other outdoor entertainment to keep them busy and happy enough to forget driving me crazy!

This morning, with the gloom of a day stuck inside hanging over me I decided to make the most of my terrible mistake and have a mommy vacation, so we had our first official "pajama day" of the summer.

My mommy vacation consisted of the following do NOTS: Do NOT make yourself feel guilty for the number of hours the TV is on,  Do NOT clean up every mess (immediately), Do NOT dress the kids or fix their hair (teeth brushing was still mandatory), Do NOT stress about how many fruits and veggies everyone does (or does not) ingest, and do NOT even think about following a strict schedule.

There was lots of toy time

Lunch consisted of popcorn and chocolate milk... in the playroom!  SCANDALOUS! 

Messes stayed messy

All in all, I really enjoyed my mommy vacation, but one day is long enough for now.  Hopefully the kids get to bed tonight so we can enjoy a full and busy day tomorrow!