Mile Markers

As you know, Wade has been in school for a few weeks now. He, absolutely, loves it (so do I!) His teacher is wonderful and has created a neat system implemented in her classroom called "mile markers."

If the kids are good they get to move their name one mile marker. Every so often, along the path, there is a reward. I didn't know about this program until my friend, Lalani, told me what it was (her son is in Wade's class.) Wade isn't a big talker about what he does in school. Each day, when I ask how his day was, he responds with an, "I don't know." (I can already see how the teenage years are going to go... :).)

Jackson (Lalani's son) is quite the opposite, so he has been telling his mom about the "mile markers" everyday. Apparently, Wade is ahead of the entire class and this past Friday, he got to choose a pencil for his reward! This is the second reward he has gotten, the first was the privilege of painting (when he brought his painting home a week or so ago, I thought everyone got to paint!)

On top of the pencil, he received a "Character Counts" certificate recognizing him for being responsible! We are so excited for Wade! He is pretty pumped up too and we continue to work on his communication skills :)!

As I mentioned, we are just loving school! Also, on Friday, was an "Ice Cream Social." All the students and their families met at the school cafeteria to make ice cream sundaes, dance to some music and visit with friends. My entire family had a great time. Matt had to carry Seth out kicking and screaming because he was having so much fun!

Speaking of mile markers, my little Trent is 3 MONTHS OLD!!! I CANNOT believe it! Time is flying and this sweet baby is growing too fast. Since there is no well check at 3 months, my guess is that he weighs about 14lbs. He has grown out of all his newborn clothes and is now wearing 6 month stuff :(.

He still loves to be held, but is so busy taking in everything around him. He coo's and babbles a lot, sucks on his little hands and drools a lot. He is very easy going and just a joy to have around.

He also has a new trick:

As he lays on his back, he will pick up his legs and drop/swing them to the side so it turns his body the other direction. He also doesn't mind tummy time too much, which is always a relief.

Speaking of tummy time, I have been a crazy person about Trent's head. Let me explain. Seth (as most of you know) had to wear a helmet when he was 6 months until 9 months because his head was extremely flat on one side because he favored that side of his head when he was laying down. (This pic is of Seth--I am telling you my boys are TRIPLETS!)

From the day Trent was born, I have been watching him to make sure he wasn't favoring one side of his head over another. Well, he was. I talked to our pediatrician about it and, together, we decided to send Trent to physical therapy. We have been to 2 sessions and I feel a little silly going because his head isn't that flat and deep down I know he doesn't have to go, but...I just wanted to be sure.

I don't think we will be going back, but I am thankful for a pediatrician who listen to the needs of her patients (and their crazy mom's :)!) Before I know it, this little guy will be sitting on his own. AAAHHHH, it is going too fast!

More Goodbyes

Even though we live away from where we grew up and our families (with the exception of Jess and Ben of course), we have still been blessed with lots of visits, which are always a lot of fun! My dad and Paula came into town this past weekend so Matt could do some dental work for Paula (and an unplanned quick fix on my dad.)

In addition to the dental work, we were able to spend lots of time hanging out and visiting. The boys LOVE their Ampa and know they are in for lots of fun when he is around.


We made our traditional trip to "Peter Piper", had some much needed help entertaining during sacremeent meeting and played at home.

Jess and I also had the opportunity to go to dinner with my dad and Paula, which was a lot of fun. It is fun and rewarding to see how happy my dad is and I enjoy getting to know Paula better each time we see them. Our little Trent is also particuarlly fond of Paula :)--he loves to be held by her!

Their trip was too fast--they always are! We wished we had more time with them, but are thankful for what we got!

We said another sad goodbye, yesterday. Our friends, Scott and Bekah, are off to dental school in Michigan. Although we are REALLY excited and happy for them, it will be weird to have them gone. Matt grew up with Scott and they have lived in AZ for 4 years so they are like family to us.

We will miss you guys and seeing that little, Reagan grow and change! Good luck, you will be great!

Finally, the last "goodbye" I said this week was to Seth--just to joy school for 2 hours, 2 times a week though! Some of my friends in the ward, with kids the same age, have gotten together and formed a "joy school."

It is the perfect scenario for Seth's age because he is too young for real preschool, but old enough to need more than playing at home all day with mom. His "class" has 8 little kids and each mom takes a week where we teach them.

I did this with Wade and it was so great! I am excited to do it again and thrilled the first week was a success--Seth loves it!

My "Manny"

My "Manny" (defined as a male nanny) left this morning to blissfully backpack through Europe and join my little sis, Julie (his wife), on her cruise ship adventure. My manny was none other than Uncle John Wright and we already miss him so much.

John has been staying with us for the past three weeks and was the GREATEST blessing I could have asked for. He was, seriously, my nanny (for free!) and I could not have paid for a better helper!

Each day began with my knock on John's room to wake him so I could leave Trent (and sometimes Wade, Seth and any friends that were over) with him while I scooted off to the gym and ran a few errands before I had to be home to feed Trent again--how great is that :)!

While at home, I was able to accomplish much more then usual because John was there to help out. He made lunches, played games, watched and sang along with "Playhouse Disney" and did whatever else I asked of him.
He would also accompany me to my various favorite stores, you know: Target, Costco, etc and entertained the boys so I could get all my shopping done or lift the heavy items (ie: water bottles at Costco--aren't those SOOO heavy?!)

Not only was he a huge help, but a lot of fun to hang around with. I feel like I was able to really get to know him better then I have in the past since he and Ju have only been married 3 years and have always lived away in Vegas. My boys miss him too. They keep asking about him and wondering when he will be back.

We wish him well on his adventure and hope he brings Ju home with him. We love them both very much. In the meantime, we are trying to get back to normal and function without our one-of-a-kind "manny" :).

First Day of School

It has now come and gone, Wade's first day of "real" school. Well, at least it felt real to me (considering it is only half-day Kindersteps) because Matt and I walked him up to the elementary schoolyard, took pictures, filmed him and his buddies and said goodbye and like that he was off.
He was so excited to play on the playground and be with his friends that he barely noticed that we were still standing at the gate. I yelled, "bye Wade, I love you!" He stopped for a minute to look at me and waved and went back to playing. So, I yelled it again, "bye Wade, I love you!" I couldn't help it, I had to say it again.
I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. A few hours where I don't have to worry about one of my kids and the opportunity to accomplish more things in the day, and some free entertainment and knowledge for my otherwise bored four-almost-five year old. But I feel differently then I thought I would. I miss him, I can't believe I have a child old enough to go to school and a part of me felt empty to see him run away and play without a second thought.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have wanted it to go any differently. I am so proud of my little boy and the person he is. He is ready to learn, grow and change, he is ready for more. This is a perfect situation for him and me to be in. I look forward to an exciting year of new beginnings for him and for me. I am honored to be his mom and today, for the first time, I sent him on his way.

2 months

Our little guy is already over 2 months old! They grow up so fast! We visited the doctor last week and here are his stats:

Weight: 11lbs 14oz (54%)

Length: 23in (53%)

Head: 15.25 cm (22%)

(my kids always have small heads!)

We LOVE this little boy so much! He brings so much joy to our home! He is smiling and cooing up a storm. We are (finally!) on a schedule and everyone (especially me) is happy about it.


I keep trying to figure out why this baby feels different from my others, but he does--in a good way. I feel like I am living in the moment more and appreciating the little things differently then I did with my other two. All I know is that I can't get enough of Trent!

The other day, I was walking in the mall and he was asleep in the stroller and I was, actually, aching to hold him--for him to be in my arms and close to me. Is that silly? I just want to hold and love him all day :).

Some other things I am REALLY enjoying this time around are:

The Moby Wrap (thanks Mandi)

This is the coolest wrap that allows me to strap Trent to my body while freeing my arms and hands to take care of everything else! We like to say the moby wrap brings Trent to his happy place--he falls alseep within seconds of being wrapped up.

The Angel Monitor

This is a PERFECT monitor for crazy :) mom's like me. I have been known to stay up most of the night watching my newborn sleep in fear that he would stop breathing and I wouldn't know it. Or, I have also checked on my sleeping babies a dozen times, just to put my hand on their belly to make sure everything is okay. I, also, have the hardest time moving my baby out of our room for the same fear. Well, this invention has changed it all for me!!!

It is a monitor with a sensor pad you place under the crib mattress. The pad is so sensitive, it will sense the slightest movement and if it feels no movment for 20 seconds, an alarm goes off. How cool is that? I have never slept better with a newborn! I HIGHLY recommend this.

My nursery
It still isn't finished, but it IS a work in progress. I LOVE my crib bedding and the color of the walls. Here is a pic (I promise to post a pic of the nursery when it is finished too):

MAM binky's

I thought I would try the "Soothie" brand binky and totally regret it. My poor Trent, went several weeks with restless sleep and an oblivious mommy. I was oblivious to the fact that he couldn't hold that binky in and he REALLY likes to suck (as most babies do!) When I, finally, figured it out--with the help from Kristy (THANKS!!)--he has been happily sucking away (sleeping in his crib and happily riding in the car) ever since!

Spanx

So this is one for me, but definitely a WONDERFUL invention. All mom's know that one of the (if not THE) worst part of having a baby is a post partum body--not fitting into your old clothes, stetchy/ flabby skin, etc. With all the hormones we already have to deal with, it isn't fun to be on a diet too. Well, Spanx has helped me (of course, it is all worth it, but still...a flabby belly is the worst!)

If you don't know what Spanx are, it is basically a modern day corset--squeezing in your middle area (tummy, love handles, butt.) With Spanx, I have been able to fit into my pants quicker and, at least, appear to have a flatter tummy and smaller bottom then I really do. Spanx are the best!

So, those are some of my favorites this time around. I LOVE all the new things they come up with and feel very spoiled to be having babies during this day and age :)!

Trent's Blessing

We decided to bless Trent in Utah because we had planned a vacation up there for my family reunion and if we had it in Cedar all of our family would be together. When we blessed Wade and Seth, we didn't have a lot of family attend so we thought this would be a nice change.

It was really wonderful to have so much family support and it felt amazing to watch and hear Matt's blessing for our sweet baby boy.

In the circle stood 4 generations of family: My grandpa, my dad, Matt and (of course) Trent. We also had Matt's dad, Gary, Ben, Chris Holmes, Jeff Bushnell, my cousin Carson, and Scott Shakespear.

I dressed our boys in the same blessing outfit. When I pulled out Wade and Seth's blessing pictures, it was AMAZING how much they look alike! I have to say, I think they are all ADORABLE :)!

Trent:

Seth:

Wade:

Family Reunion

This year my grandma and aunts organized a family reunion in Springdale, UT where Zion National Park is. All of my cousins (and their kids), aunts/uncles, my dad, etc were there! The only people missing were Ju and John. We had such a great time!

They rented all our rooms on the bottom level in a row. Each room opened up to a porch and grassy area. We were able to lounge in chairs and visit while our kids ran up and down the grass. During the couple of days that we were there, we had many adventures:

Hiking the Narrows (well the beginning part of the trail) at Zion:

The squirrel's were so tame, they would have let my kids touch them if I would have allowed it!



Playing in the "backyard":

In this pic, Seth is playing with my cousin's son. You might notice that they are dressed in the same shirt. We did this completely on accident, but great minds think alike!!!

Family pictures:
My grandma organized to have us all in a big family pic--can't wait to see how it turned out!

The restaurant at the hotel had bands and singers perform every day! Our little, Seth LOVES music!:

Feeding the horses nearby:

Playing at the park during the Springdale 4th of July celebration:

It was so much fun, we all talked about making it an annual tradition! I look forward to many more adventures to come :).