To Punish or Not to Punish

I love having a child who is not a baby. He can dress, feed, wash, wipe, and entertain himself. He doesn't scream at my feet if I'm trying to do the dishes or make dinner. He doesn't constantly ask for milk and then throw it on the floor and scream (again with the screaming) for no reason. Independence is a great thing. Very slowly a burden is being lifted off my shoulders.

For some reason babies make me feel claustrophobic, like I'm trapped forever with no escape. Hyrum is helping me realize babyhood doesn't last FOREVER, which in turn is helping me enjoy the baby years more.

Along with independence comes more complicated issues though. Nothing is black and white anymore. For example: The other day I went to pick up Hyrum at preschool and his teacher pulled me aside and explained that Hyrum had a problem pushing that day. I was surprised. Hyrum isn't an aggressive boy and we've never had an issue at his school before. I didn't take it too seriously though, I assumed the boys were playing a little rough and Hyrum was the one who got caught. So on the way home I explained in my most authoritative voice that we never push. Hyrum's anxious response startled me: "But, MOM! They wouldn't stop scaring Sara! Sara's my friend and I had to protect her!"

Ummm... do I punish my child for trying to protect a friend? Am I a "Zero Tolerance" Mom? I tried to explain that pushing is unacceptable if the offender is only teasing. BUT if someone is actually hurting him or another person he can kick and bite and push all he wants in order to get away. It's so difficult to teach kids to be polite, but if someone crosses a line, to become a super ninja.

No matter what phase of life my kids are in, motherhood is HARD- in a beautiful, exciting and courageous sort of way.

Best Buds

Hyrum and Ivy have formed such a powerful bond in their short little lives. I feel so fortunate to witness their friendship blossom every day. We are SO LUCKY Hyrum is such a gentle and unselfish big brother. He sets the example and Ivy loves to follow.

The first word out of Ivy's mouth every morning is "HYWUM!" She CONSTANTLY asks where he is when he's at school. Whenever he is upset, (which is several times a day) you can easily see the concern and alarm on Ivy's face. She cries with him even though she has no idea what the drama is.

Hyrum is Ivy's constant protector. He explains to her that she can't run in the road or touch the hot oven in a little sing-song voice. He holds her hand while we're walking so she doesn't trip and fall. He even feeds Ivy breakfast when mom needs a few more minutes sleep. The other day Ivy wouldn't come when it was time to get in the car at the park. Hyrum and I started walking away (hoping Ivy would become frightened and run towards us-- she just kept playing) and Hyrum immediately became frantically upset thinking we were leaving his little sis. "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE IVY, I NEED HER! (sob, sob, sob)" His absolute terror touched me so deeply, I almost broke down.

I will never be able express my gratitude that my fervent prayers have be answered positively. I can only keep praying this current felicity will continue into their teenage years!

Ivy Speaks

Every time I turn on the camera my rambunctious, talkative, and hilarious kids turn into little zombies. They'll be singing songs or playing a clever little game and I'll rush to find the dang thing, turn it on without them noticing, and then record five minutes of them staring at the camera. It's like they know there's pressure attached to the little device in mom's hands. Maybe they can sense my anxiety as I send the do something really cute and funny vibes. So every time you watch one of our videos, just remember, right before I turned on the camera they were doing something really entertaining!

Here's our little Ivy girl doing what she does best- Telling us over and over again what an object is just in case we forgot what she said two seconds ago:

Out to the Races

We won two free tickets (through our grocery store receipt) to the International Raceway in Richmond. Nascar is a huge deal around here and it was an great chance to see what all the hype was about. I so generously out of the love of my charitable heart gave up my tickets for Hyrum (who I knew would appreciate it much more than me).

Hyrum loved the parachute guy with the American flag.

Bry was BRILLIANT-as always- and brought ear plugs which were a lifesaver.


I didn't miss all the noise and the beer guzzling, cigar smoking, sailor mouthed men. But I sure wish I could have been there to see Hyrum's eyes light up with excitement to see the real Lighting McQueen. He really loved it. Now whenever he sees a checkered flag (which are all over the place all of a sudden) he thinks we're in a race.

Wecome to the Family

These last few months have been crazy busy for accumualting new members of the family.

First, my baby sis is engaged to a fun and handsome dude, Zack. We actually spent some time with him over the Summer and were very impressed. We think he'll be a great new brother. Welcome to the crazy Webb family Zack!

Next, I have a delectable new baby nephew James.

He's PAINFULLY CUTE.

And I promise I won't call him Jimmy, even if I really want to Tyler!

And last, but certainly not least is our new Betta Fish who thinks he's a shark.

He's a feisty little fish who devours his flake food like a piranha and even attacks the fish net. What name did Hyrum bestow on this belligerent fish?

Dorothy.

Meet the Crew

(For the Journal)

Captain Smarts of the Dawn Treader 2.

Also known as "the Dentist".

For this swashbuckler torments his prey by giving shots and filling cavities.

Madame Quartermaster

This feindish female uses tickle tourture to induce giggle fits. Has been known to poison unsuspecting victims with her cooking. Beware her craft room. Many a noble gent has entered never to be seen again...

Gripes

Don't be fooled by his piety and charm, this terror of the seas can mope and whine until the hardiest pirate will beg for Davy Jone's Locker!

Squirts

This red-headed spit fire pillages and plunders every cuboard, drawer, garbage and clean clothes pile in the land with no mercy.

Rise and Shout the Utahns are Out!...Week 2

sleep, eat, swim, repeat...

add in a some awesome shopping and life couldn't get much better

We are so lucky to have this generous, courageous, gentle, and stylish Grandma in our lives!

Mom Trump is an amazing photographer. She captured these sweet shots:

We took advantage of the pool in the backyard as much as possible of course.

Here's Bry showing off his neato tricks.

Hyrum learned to swim in a matter of days. He's had months of swimming lessons, which frightened him more than anything, all he needed was his own pool and lots of cousins to lead the way. So, to anyone who is struggling with their own child's swimming dilemmas- just buy a pool! I'm sure they're not that expensive...

Ivy lovin' life

Hyrum and his "best cousins" Sarah and Robert

They looked out for him and showed so much patience the whole trip.

And what did we do when we weren't in the pool you ask?

Action packed ping pong tournaments

Amazing displays of acrobatics

Swingin'

Zoning on shows

Swingin' some more

Eating

Did I already mention eating?

Running 10ks

and just being darn cute

We spent a fun afternoon with our dear dental school friends the Lamms

My fam even came to enjoy the water

Grandpa was the babysitter

AND this darling baby bump turned into...

this DARLING BABY!

Being away from this new little life is so painful. Missing birthdays, baptisms, vacations, holidays, and simple family dinners is plenty rough, but babies- pain.

Everyday Hyrum asks when we're going to live in Utah. "Why do you want to live in Utah?" I ask. "Because my Grandmas are so sweet" his simple, but insightful answer.

Rise and Shout the Utahns Are Out! ...Week 1

My Family: "We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."
~Erma Bombeck

Yes. This defines the Webbs perfectly. When I reminisce about our quarrelsome early days, I realize what a miracle it is that we're all such close friends. I can't say when the change from enemies to comrades occurred, but the transformation has meant EVERYTHING to me.

As soon as we entered my parent's condo, Ivy had to convey her dominance. Her first order of business was giving her Grandad a tour of his own house.

Is there any way to "hire a Grandma" when you live across the country from the actual individual?

She must be held to a high standard:

• She will cook for you, clean after you, and watch your kids so you can take a nap, exercise, and go on a date.
• She must pay for you to go out to eat, and go to the movies and museums.
• She will gladly watch chick flicks that your hubby refuses to watch with you.
• She allows you to chatter for hours about the most mundane experiences and is actually interested enough to give insightful, heartfelt advice.
• She will love and cherish your children as if she knows that they won't be small forever.
• She'll never expect any kind of pay or even thanks for the constant sacrifices- I need one of those!

Here's our little characters at the Utah Museum of Natural History.

There was a super cool frog exhibit- thus, the witches.

Dinosaur footprint

Here's all the grand kids. I love how each picture says SO MUCH about each personality.

Here's me with my darling pregnant sisters.

It's sad that the only time I can get a reliable picture of those squishy faces is when they're zoned on a movie. Every other second they're screaming and running laps.

The new aquarium was super cool.

Our favorite part is touching the rays.

Hyrum's favorite part of the Dinosaur Museum is always the pretend fossil dig at the very end. So, pretty much we're paying for him to sit in a big sandbox with twenty other kids.

Right by my parent's parking space is a dude who's a "luxury" car dealer. Bry couldn't resist getting pictures by these beauties (you'll have to ask him what kind of car they are).

One of the bonuses of visiting Utah is all the loving attention our kids get. All the built-in babysitters is such a relief.

Christian and handsome baby Junah.

When we came back to Virginia my kids walked around in stunned silence for a few days. The poor little ones were just looking for all their friends.

I had lots of fun showing the girls how to make bows. My mom and sisters are all so intelligent and talented- sharing some of my humble knowledge was a real treat.

One of the most paradisaical places on Earth is my parent's ranch house in Wyoming. We had so much fun exploring the property, biking, taking in the amazing view, inhaling the fresh mountain air, sitting by the fire, and staying up late watching spooky movies.


There's a saying: Family by chance, Friends by choice

I am so very grateful that each member of my family has made the friendship choice. Sharing a support group of adults with such integrity, aptitude, devotion, and just plain coolness is more valuable than I can describe with words. In the world I'm just a nobody, when I'm with my siblings I'm important. And that's all I've ever wanted.