Time

My baby is getting three teeth right now, which means he completely denied napping today. 

The problem with that is, if he doesn't nap then he's a grumpy toad. I'm not a fan of grumpy toads. 

But I am a fan of my baby!

So I ditched my other three Sunday afternoon sleeping family members at home and I drove my baby around for awhile letting him fall asleep. We've been sitting in a park parking lot for awhile now. An hour maybe? 

Him sleeping. Me pondering life. 

I think I needed this break more than him. 

And I'm not even getting new teeth!

I considered laying down in my car and falling asleep too, but I didn't want to wake up to a random stranger knocking on my car window (irrational fear? Welcome to my brain). 

So I'm AWAKE! 

I passed by this quote on Facebook and it stuck out to me. 

I feel this so much, lately. 

Jeff gave our Come Follow Me lesson today. He got out some monopoly money and gave some to each of us. He asked the kids what they would want to buy with it. They told him the toys they'd like, including: "100 Barbie Dreamhouses" and "Capin Merica toy!" 

Grace: "100 Captain America toys, Hunter!?" 

Hunter: "Gracie stop. Just Capin Merica toy!" 

Jeff read some scriptures about a man that wanted to buy the priesthood from the Apostles. Then Jeff explained that there are spiritual gifts that God has given us that we can't buy. 

I love watching my kids listen to Jeff bare his testimony. It is sweet seeing their faces as they take in what he is saying. 

We have lots and lots and a whole lot of chaotic moments in our house, so those moments when I can tangibly see the spirit strike my kids hearts are precious to me. 

Time is a gift from God. 

Time is fleeting. 

I am always trying to cherish the time my children are so small. Even still, I find myself wishing away the times when it is hard having such small kids. 

I think about how God gave me more time to live this life, when it was nearly taken from me, and that changes how I feel about the hard times. 

I'm thinking about how fast time is going and just wishing it would all stop. 

I know that God gives us this time to live and grow. What a fantastic gift. 

I know that He cares about us. 

I hope I can improve how I use my time. I know that there is a lot of room for improvement there, but I'm grateful to have that time. 

Mini Golf Guy

Hunter is a sports guy through and through.

 

My sister-in-law watched our kids for us a couple of months ago and when we picked them up she said to us: "I have never been around a kid that is constantly playing a sport like Hunter is."

Ha ha ha ha ha.

It IS constant.

If he isn't kicking a soccer ball he has found a stick that is his "mini golf game".

I hear approximately 10,000 times a day:

"Mom... I'm Mini Golf Guy. You're people. You watch me, Mom. MOOOMM! I'm Mini Golf Guy, Mom! WATCH ME!!!"

My kids have been all about me having my eyes GLUED to them lately, ha ha.

It's generally when I'm doing something like the dishes.... or making dinner... or changing the baby's diaper....

If I don't keep my eyes fixed on what they are doing I hear about it over and over till I do. :)

Hunter is left handed, which is going to be interesting as he gets bigger and starts really diving into sports. He's already been holding things backwards, because he tries to do it left handed.

Jeff brought his golf clubs into the garage the other day and Hunter figured out that he could go out in the garage by himself and find golf balls in the front pocket of Jeff's golf bag.

Randomly throughout the day I kept finding more and more golf balls around the house.

"Hunter! What you doing???"

Hunter: "IT MY MINI GOLF GAME, MOM. S'OKAY, MOM!!"

When Jeff got home from work that day and saw what he had been doing he was nice and went to get his putter for Hunter to play with.

It was like Christmas morning, his birthday, and going to Disneyland all in one.

He was SO proud to be using Dad's "mini golf things".

He calls just normal golf, "mini golf". So whenever Jeff is getting ready for work he'll say to me: "Daddy going mini golf for work?" He always associates Jeff working with golf, ha ha ha ha ha.

I mean... Jeff does golf quite a bit, but...

:)

I think Hunter might think that Jeff is a pro golfer and does that for his job.

 He looks up to his dad so much.

It's so visible that he wants to be exactly like Jeff.

"Mini golf" is only one reason Hunter wants to be just like Jeff.

 

Hunter is a very observant kid. Just like Jeff.

We will be driving and he points out everything as we are passing by it.

"Mom! It's McDonald's!"

"Mom! I see Target!"

"Mom! There the train!

"There the bus!"

"There the fire truck!"

"There the police guy!"

"Mom! We going to church?" (whenever we turn down the street where our church is)

"Hi free lunch!! Hi school a free lunch! Where the library? HI LIBRARY!"

"Mom, look! It the movie theater! Where the temple? Where Treehouse? Hi Treehouse!"

I think he has the way to his grandparents houses, the grocery store, church, the park, and library all memorized.

He's a smart boy.

Someone that Hunter absolutely loves lately is Logan.

I can already see that they will inseparable as they continue to grow.

Whenever Hunter sees Logan, even if it's only been 2 minutes, he gets the happiest face, laughs, and says: "LOOOOGAN!?!?!"

They love each other. They make each other laugh like no one else can. They like to wrestle and be silly. They are already best little buds.

Hunter is really at my favorite age. Their is so much obvious growth at his age. He's so innocent, but also so mischievous and hilarious at the same time. 

I love my Hunter Boy. 

5 Years of Parenthood

"Every baby is so different."

I heard those words come out of the nurse's mouth that I met with a little over a month ago. She said it probably five times while we met.

Logan is my perfect baby.

He was born perfect.

Perfectly healthy, perfect size, perfect eater.

I can't say the same about my other kids. They both struggled to breathe at birth. They both had a hard time as we figured out the best way to feed them.

I didn't nurse Grace really at all. I've talked about that before. I nursed Hunter for a whole year, however, he required supplementing with fortified formula from the very beginning, because he was so small.

Logan was and IS my rockstar baby who exclusively nursed.

Six months of his life went by quickly and without a drop of formula. I was floored.

I was literally on the floor.

Probably playing with Paw Patrols.

I was so amazed that I had given him literally every ounce of sustenance in his life.

It was crazy to me to have a baby capable of doing that... more so that I, MYSELF, was capable of sustaining a baby completely.

Third time's the charm, I guess?

At his six month appointment Logan dropped from being the 54th percentile in weight his first six months of life to the 23rd percentile.

WHAT?!?!?!

I was sustaining this human!

Completely!

It was all me!

I was doing it!

That baby....

He was NEVER hungry. I had to wake him up to eat. He was content as content could be.

At his six month appointment his doctor reassured me with: "The protein in breast milk changes a lot at six months, so this drop is very common to see..."

Alright, cool, let's just keep this train going then...

At his nine month appointment his percentile dropped AGAIN.

He was now down to the 9th (NINTH!!!) percentile for weight.

Well...

This isn't my first rodeo, people.

I immediately took action...

Because I'm an action kind of mom.

I got an appointment with the lactation people at the hospital (something I wish I would have known about when Grace was a tiny newborn) and we did a weighted feeding.

At the weighted feeding we learned that Logan was taking in two ounces of milk for the whole. dang. feeding.

He was NINE MONTHS OLD.

He was eating 5 times a day.

Two ounces would not cut it! Although, he was somewhat distracted being in a new place for the weighted feeding, I factored in that he would maybe get a little more for a normal feeding.... but still.

It was no where near what he needed to be getting.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-4 ounces was not okay with me.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

So since I am well educated in the fact that formula is not poison, we started supplementing.

You want to know something kinda crazy?

When Grace was a tiny baby....

Cue the title: "5 Years of Parenthood".

There were ideas and opinions out there that caused me great mourning and grief when we switched her to formula.

My mental health was deteriorating rapidly before my eyes, because I couldn't feed my baby and then the idea that formula wasn't good enough for her caused me many nights...weeks...of worry.

Let me tell you here and now.....

As was stated before, formula is NOT poison.

Formula will not delay your child.

Formula will not hurt any single part of your baby.

Grace... Hunter.... even Logan as young as he is... are smart children.

They are above average in cognition, emotional regulation (I mean come on, they are tiny kids, but really).

And....

They have all been given an ocean of formula.

Logan, not so much, but let's get back to him.

It has been a hard transition moving to formula with Logan.

We are still moving in fact. I still nurse him part of the time.

You'd think that since I've given my other two kids bottles it wouldn't be so hard, but it has been!

I've cried a lot over it.

My tiny baby doesn't solely need me and only me.

Being a mom is tough, man.

Moms go through a lot with each baby.

And every baby is SO different.

If I were to sum up my five years of parenthood, that would be a major heading...

Every Baby is So Different

One thing that I have learned from being a mom to three unique little ones, in this short space of five years, has been that loving them is sometimes all you can do.

Sometimes I am at a loss of how to handle situations that come up. Some times are hard and I just have to live on faith.

Another thing that I have learned is...

I have really good kids.

Yes, they are kids. And they are CRAZY!

Whenever I have friends over who are either single or don't have kids yet I can see by their wide eyes and worried faces that they are questioning if they ever want to have children of their own after watching my circus...

But ya know what.... that's just typical small children. They are loud! They have lots of energy. They love to have fun!

Overall, my kids are good kids.

I don't have many things figured out, but I am learning as I go. The things that I do know have been found out through a lot of trial and error.

I have very forgiving kids and an even more forgiving husband. If I've learned anything after becoming a mom five years ago, it's that having good people on your side makes all the difference. I am grateful to have a good man by my side and many others that care about me.

I am a very fortunate mom.

I love my babies.

I wouldn't trade any hardship or struggle, because they refine me to teach me how to love my family even more.

FREE or Cheap Activities - Summer Bucket List

I live for summer.

Okay, back up...

I live for each season at its appropriate time.

I love the holidays during the winter. I definitely love the crisp fall air and beautiful leaves. I love the fresh, new life feel of spring.

Spring this year has been NON EXISTENT.

Spring in Utah generally only lasts, maybe, two weeks anyway, but this year it didn't even happen.

It's been so cold and so wet this year.

I mean, that's good.

We need that awful sounding word.... moisture.

Global warming is a thing.

Or maybe it's not.

Or maybe it is!

I'm not traveling to the North Pole to watch the ice melt, so who knows.

ALL I KNOW....

... it is cold and has been cold...

...and my summer lovin' self is done.

Because I have things to do.

I have fun things to experience.

I have places to be, people.

My good friend and I were asked to give a presentation to the moms in our church group on free or cheap things to do around our area.

We made a list and then after presenting realized there were so many things we forgot to add, ha ha ha ha.

The list of fun things NEVER ENDS.

I was amazed at the number of FREE things we listed though. The free things outweighed the cheap things.

I will add our list to the end of this blog for any moms in Weber or Davis counties (or really Northern Utah ish) that want to take their kids and do fun things.

I LOVE taking my kids places.

It is a BREAK for me. No joke.

If I am stressed out that my children have turned my amuculate looking house into World War III by 8:00 AM then I know we need to just leave for the day.

Is it any wonder we are out doing stuff so much? Ha ha ha ha.

My other dear friend posted on her Facebook yesterday a summer bucket list she wants to do with her kids. I want to have a bucket list too!

So...

Without further ado...

The things I want to do this summer...

Island Park!
Family Cabin X2
LAGOON (season passes, baby!)
Laguna Beach
Fireworks
Mini golf
Bowling
Drive In
Read 3 books myself
Swim lessons
Grace's Birthday
Hunter's Birthday
Logan's Birthday
(Apparently we only have children in the summer)
Swimming with cousins
Antelope Island
Splash Pad X 75
Camping
Roasting marshmallows
Duck pond
Start on Logan's baby picture book
Free movies
Try 3-4 new parks on the list
Grandpa camp
Have a BBQ
Sleepover in family room
Hike
Zeppes
Sleepovers at Grandma's
Real Salt Lake games
Burger Bar
Ride bikes (a lot)
Read 50+ books to the kids
Finish my birthday board


Hunter legitimately has been running around our house for 3 days straight yelling: "I play mini golf, Mom. Mom....I PLAY MINI GOLF! WATCH ME! Mom, watch me!!! Mom, you the orange team, me the blue team....MOM watch me....MOM!"

It's like I'm not watching him or something?

Ha ha ha ha ha

BRING ON SUMMER!!!

This was our kick off to summer, since Grace is all done with preschool! These cookies are....... 

Bucket list worthy.

Logan snatched a handful of frosting before I could stop him. Sneaky kid!

My comedian.

Ha ha ha ha ha. Hunter led the way for crazy faces. They think they're hilarious.

***************************************************

If you scrolled down just for this....

(I would have)

FREE or Cheap Summer Activities:

FREE ACTIVITIES

-Parks

ü  North Park

ü  Roy West Park

ü  Riverdale (4300 Parker Dr, Riverdale, UT 84405)

ü  Adventure Park (251 18^th St. Ogden, UT 84401)

ü  Swing Park (90 W 200 S, Clearfield, UT 84015)

ü  Duck Pond ( Meadow Creek Village Park, Roy, UT 84067)

ü  Creekside (600 Mill St. Bountiful, UT 84010)

ü  Brookside Park (4863 Fish Hook Rd. South Jordan, UT 84095)

-Splash Pads

ü  North Park

ü  Riverdale (4300 Parker Dr, Riverdale, UT 84405)

ü  Harrisville (1350 US-89, Ogden, UT 84404)

ü  South Ogden (1175 E 5875 S St, South Ogden, UT 84405)

ü  Ellison Park (700 N. 2200 W. Layton, UT 84041)

ü  Kaysville (250 N. Fairfield Rd. Kaysville, UT 84037)

ü  Wardle Fields (14148 2700 W, Bluffdale, UT 84065.  WORTH IT!!)

-Outdoor Exploration, Duck Ponds

ü  Layton Commons (437 Wasatch Dr. Layton, UT 84041)

ü  Jensen Nature Park (3176 S Bluff Rd, Syracuse, UT 84075)

ü  USU Botanical Center (920 S 50 W, Kaysville, UT 84037)

ü  The Great Salt Lake Shorelines Reserve (S 3200 W, Layton, UT 84041)

-Fishing

ü  Roy City Pond

ü  Clinton City Pond

-Walk around the Temple                               (Seven within an hour of Roy)

ü  Ogden, Brigham City, Bountiful, Logan, Jordan River, Draper, Oquirrh Mountain

-Antelope Island

ü  Buffalo Point Trail

ü  Lady Finger Point

ü  Bridger Bay

ü  Watch wildlife

-Library (Southwest Branch on 4000 S.) ***This one is specific for Roy residents, so just Google your local library and have fun! 

ü  BOOKS! Movies! Toys! Play area!

ü  Discovery Time

o   Every Wednesday at 10:30 OR 11:30

o   Two classes

§  0-3 Year Olds

§  4-5 Year Olds

ü  FREE Events

o   Fan Con (June 1^st 12:00-3:00)

o   Blast Off with Books (June 3^rd and June 17^th at 10:30)

o   Summer concert: (June 11^th 6:30 PM)

o   Discover 4H: Potato Palooza (June 13^th at 4:00)

ü  FREE classes

o   Sensory Story Hour (Geared toward children with special needs and their families. Fridays at 10:30)

o   Yoga (Mondays at 6:30 PM)

o   Chess Club (Wednesdays at 4:00)

Hiking

ü  Waterfall Canyon (Ogden)

ü  Indian Trail

ü  Ben Lomond

ü  Rainbow Trail (By Dino Park)

ü  Birdsong Trail (By Dino Park)

ü  Shoreline Trail

ü  Adams Waterfall (Layton)

ü  Lagoon Trail (Farmington)

-South Weber Model Railroad Club (631 East Petersen Parkway South Weber, UT)

-Visit a University

-City Creek in Salt Lake City

ü  Dinosaur playground in the food court

ü  Fun stream down the pathway

ü  Fountains

-Temple Square in Salt Lake City

ü  Museums

ü  Photo ops

ü  Teach Church history

-Free Lunch at North Park Elementary

-Free Movies

ü  The Ed Kenley Amphitheater in Layton has FREE movies every Friday night in the summer

ü  At the library auditorium (Saturdays at 2:00 PM)

ü  Roy Parks and Recreation (3 free movies in the summer)

ü  Kaysville Theater (Wednesday and Thursday Matinee FREE)

- Hill Aerospace Museum (7961 Wardleigh Rd, Hill AFB, UT 84056)

-Clark Planetarium (110 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101)

- Watch planes at the Ogden Airport including a playground

- Bike Rodeo 

- Tour a police or fire station

Cheap (ish) Activities

-Treehouse Museum (Kids $8, Adults $5)

-Dinosaur Park (Kids $5, Adults $7)

-North Ogden Fish Farm (Minimal cost for feeding the fish. Pay for fishing.)

-Swimming

ü  Roy Aquatic Center

ü  Roy Rec Center

ü  North Shore

ü  Clearfield Aquatic Center

ü  Classic Water Slides

ü  Ben Lomond Pool

ü  Cherry Hill

ü  Surf N Swim

-Ogden Nature Center (Kids $3, Adults $5)

-Scavenger Hunts

-Flynn’s Retro Arcade (3626 W 5600 S, Roy, UT 84067)

-Pepperidge Farm and Fat Boys (Logan)

-Discovery Gateway ($12.50. Downtown SLC)

-S & S Shortline Train Park (575 N 1525 W, Farmington, UT 84025)

-Union Station (2501 Wall Ave, Ogden, UT 84401)

ü  FREE if you just walk around outside

ü  Museum: Kids $3, Adults $5

-Natural History Museum of Utah (FREE days – June 3^rd, August 26^th. Kids $10, Adults $15)

-Seaquest (Kids $8, Adults $13. Layton Hills Mall)

-Living Planet Aquarium (Kids $15, Adults $20. Sandy, UT)

-Thanksgiving Point (Lehi, UT)

ü  Museum of Curiosity

ü  Butterfly Biosphere

ü  Gardens

-Take the train… anywhere!

ü  Farmington Station (fountains/playground)

ü  Downtown SLC

ü  The Junction in Ogden

Bandages

I found this sitting on my window bench seat this morning...

My first reaction was to laugh, because my tornado children are always doing funny things.

My second reaction was stepping back and thinking about how this image is a physical representation of what Christ can do for us.

I honestly have no idea where my child got this scroll of bandages. I haven't ever seen it before. I certainly didn't have it out recently. Jeff might know where it came from, but I really do not, ha ha. It was so random to me that it was there, sitting on Christ's hand, because I personally haven't ever touched it.

It made me pause my busy morning and think about how Jesus Christ can bandage up our bad days. He can tape up our emotional wounds. He can piece back together our broken hearts.

I know He lives.

I know that He is waiting to help us.

Ever since we introduced Come Follow Me into our home we have done really well reading scriptures every night.

There is such a stark difference in the home when scriptures are or are not being read.

Our children can generally only listen to about 5-10 verses of scripture before we've lost them, so we don't read a ton each night.

I have noticed the big difference it makes though.

As we have studied the New Testament, my children have been more focused on the details of Christ's ministry.

Where before Grace would give the baby answer of "JESUS" to every question, she now stops and thinks. Yes, the answer probably has something to do with Jesus, but what about Him? What are we focusing on? She gives more detailed answers now. In some ways Hunter does too. He will say things like: "Jesus say be nice."

We've been able to apply things from Christ's teachings to our lives and most notably to Grace's life. She can see that application and why we are talking about the things we are saying.

Last week we talked about sharing what we have with the poor and needy. On Sunday we took some food to a community food box. It is kind of like a neighborhood library... you know the bird house looking things that people put books in and then others can come take them... trade them, etc.

I guess a few years ago an eagle scout made a similar box, but its purpose is for non-perishable food! So people can drop off or pick up whatever they would like.

We picked through our pantry and took a bag of food to the box to donate.

It always amazes me how selfless children can be.

Our kids were excited to do it. We had been learning about why we should share with those less fortunate than us that week in the scriptures so the principle was fresh on their mind.

Grace and Hunter were both happy to help us place some food in the box.

As we drove away Grace called out, "Bye our food! I hope you go to some people who need you!"

I think one of the biggest things I can try to do, that will set my children up for success is to teach them that it's not all about them.

Yes, they matter. They matter immensely.

But there are so many others in this world that don't have what we have. Not even close!

I was walking our garbage cans out to the road today and as I walked back I looked up at my house. I saw our two cars in the garage. I saw our heaps of possessions that we are lucky to own.

We are very fortunate people.

I hope I can teach my children how blessed they are. I hope they know how much they have and use it to give to others.

More than the physical things in life, I know that Christ is there to help us make it through the emotional storms of life too. We don't ever have to feel alone.

When I do feel alone and like nobody could possibly know how to feel...

Whether it is in the hardships of motherhood...

My health with diabetes...

Or any other thing I have to work through, I know that Christ knows my pain.

I know He is waiting... both literally and figuratively with bandages to patch us up. He can dust us off and make it worth it.

This beautiful, crazy life is worth it!

Big Kid Words

I never want to forget the things that Hunter is saying at this stage in life.

My favorite thing that he says to this day.... or rather my favorite pronunciation of his is how he says: "stairs".

He says it: "stay-ers".

"I go up-stay-ers, Mom."

"It down-stay-ers, Mom. I go down-stay-ers."

It makes me smile every time.

He is loving Captain America right now. He tells me dozens of times a day: "I Captain America, Mom. I be Captain America."

He wants a Captain America birthday party. He wants a Captain America toy. He wants a Captain America shield. He would like to be Captain America.

He is starting to say more complex sentences. When he is talking fast and trying to get to the point he uses the broken up sentences without all the fill in words, but when he slows down and thinks about it he says very grammatically correct thoughts.

The other day he shocked me with sounding super old. He was mad at Grace, because she was saying she is bigger than him and he said: "I am just as big as you, Grace. I am really big, just like you!"

I did a double take.....like what?

One of the funniest things he is saying right now is "thingy".

Thingy pretty much means whatever object he is holding/playing with.

"Shoot thingy!"

"I get the tool thingy!"

"My gun thingy!"

"Oh no, the book thingy!"

Ha ha ha ha ha

He brings me so much joy.

He is a smart, smart little boy.

He is not outwardly, show offy smart like Grace has always been. Because of that he gets overlooked a lot, I think.

I have been sitting down with him, going through books and I'm amazed at what he knows. He knows very obscure animals and objects. His comprehension is really good. He understands emotions well for his age.

I love my Hunter Boy.

He's my comedian and cuddle bug. I can always count on him to make me laugh and give me the biggest hugs.

If I could I would have 10 more little boys just like him!