Spencer

 I had to create this collage because all of these faces are Spencer.  He can change his expressions quickly.  Big and smiley, serious, very sad (I didn't have one of that but I see it a lot), unsure, curious.  He has the biggest smile and it makes me happy when he smiles at me.  I'm starting to look at myself and wonder who I am.  I feel like I look different already and I'm only 32.  It's kind of creepy(I only picked that word because Macy says it all the time but it sounds like "cweepy").  We are trying to work on her 'r's.  She has a hard time.

His two little teeth.  He got one around 6 months and the 2nd shortly after.  did I already post these pictures?  They are fully in now and he has been working on other ones. I thought it was two more on the bottom but nothing has poked through yet.
Spencer is past 8 months old.  He is anxious to move.  He seems frustrated to have to be still.  He kind of gets in the crawling position but hasn't figured out how to go yet.  I'm a little fearful for him to move because it will be tiring for me in a different way.  Right now he screams and wants to be held so it just might be better for him to move and follow me around, even though I'll have to keep my eye out constantly. It's always interesting to watch your children learn and grow.  Fascinating each time.  We sure love our Spencer.  He is full of life and spirit.  He loves his siblings.

Pleased

A couple of days ago I woke up wishing I could just stay in bed.  I was really tired and grumpy.  Getting the two oldest kids out the door wasn't an unusual task, followed by my week day workout.  Spencer wasn't too happy to be awake that day either or he was just feeding off of me.  He screamed all through the workout and then had only a 20 minute nap. I was frustrated and unsure how to turn my day around.  I called a trusted companion who offered some fixes, sure that they would bring me happiness.  This annoyed me further.  It wasn't that simple.  I just needed to be heard.  Here's the best part!  Normally I would have continued on this way and the whole day would have been crappy and I would have taken it all out on Stan when he came home from work.  However, the Lord helped me to laugh at what had happened, the advice I'd been given, realize the person offering it is imperfect and not able to meet all of my needs.  My attitude shifted and I enjoyed the rest of the day.  Hooray for progress.

I love the Maytag

Before we sold our last house, we bought new appliances.  We tried to sell our dishwasher but it didn't sell, gratefully.  With all the money we have spent so far on our "new" old home, we were so happy to have our old dishwasher.  Stan got it installed on Saturday and it is so lovely to hear the hum of the dishwasher going, knowing that I don't have to scrub all the dishes by hand.  Little conveniences make such a big difference in our modern-day life!  And have I mentioned before that I'm happy my kids are at school!  It might not be the best education but I sure hope we do enough real life learning at home, to make up for all the hours spent at public school.  It sometimes does feel like babysitting, not free, and the kids do learn, and they socialize, and they learn how to deal with conflict a lot, which isn't a bad thing either.

The girls have moved into the basement

Paneling. Some wood looking and some other.  Dirty and gross.

Drywall!  My dad helped Stan get a great start when he was here for Christmas

Having some fun painting.  Brynn is a good painter!  Macy loves to help

.The mostly finished product.  We need curtain rods and decorations on the wall.  Something for their closet and a desk.  But they are in!

Spring

I've discovered, especially since living in the north, that I really like spring!  Spring gives me hope that summer will come eventually and that we will enjoy a few months without any snow, even if we get a spring snowstorm, which we usually do. 

Also, I made my first visit ever to a mental health professional.  She is a psychologist, R.N. and working toward a doctorate in Nursing, specializing in sleep something.  Through the craziness I've experienced over the last year and more, and encouragement from some family members, I decided maybe I should get some counseling.  My biggest issues are being optimistic and finding joy in everyday life.  I know these are things that lots of people deal with but Stan's benefits cover the help and it's a way to talk about my life, outside of my family, in a confidential way, with someone who can help give me some strategies.  The psychologist is a perfect fit for me.  We are similar in enough ways that she is easy to talk to.  She is a very spiritual person, which is huge for me. I've had an introductory visit and I'm really excited to move forward.  Something that she and others have helped me see lately that in order for me to be helpful to my family, I must find things I enjoy to fill up my bucket, so when life sucks it out, I won't be completely depleted.  As I have been working on that, it has made a HUGE difference.  Having "me" time has always been important.  I'm an introvert by nature and get recharged by being alone.  Being surrounded by kids all day just doesn't work.  I have to have some breaks or at least some outings to break it up.  I can easily see why homeschooling made me crazy.  However, I also recognize that things weren't too ugly until I got pregnant.  Hormones do crazy things to me.  Enough rambling...I'm excited to see someone who can help me.  Stan is actually really good at helping me too. He can see things that I don't always recognize and he's nice about pointing it out.  He's also learned when he can safely approach me, which is a big deal.

Macy is good at being 5

I have a short memory and I don't really remember what my other kids were like at age 5.  Macy has really looked forward to being this age and has been talking about it for 6 months or more.  She was excited to:

Open presents

go out to eat for dinner

And have a friend party. 
She is really excited that she is now old enough to go to school, even though she has to wait until September.

It's May!

I'm on a journey to the new me.  It's been hard, depressing at times, exciting, and hopeful!  I've been a mother for over 9 years and somehow lost myself as I was giving to my children, not realizing that they, and I, needed me.  I'm making a comeback and it feels so good.  I feel alive again and excited to be a mother and a wife, a fiddlest(I've only had two lessons), an exerciser again and boy does that feel great!. I actually played basketball with Stan and Joel outside the other day.  It was so fun. I forgot how much I love sports.  I still read a lot because it is a great source of spiritual communication for me.  I receive many answers to my prayers as I read and learn.  My favorite reads of late:  The Acts of Faith Series by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn. It's historical Chrisitian fiction around the time just after the Savior was crucified.  I'm in the middle of book 2.  They are wholesome and uplifting and cultural and I like that.  Phil Callaway is another Christian author I've been reading.  He writes about having a positive outlook on life and finding humor in all the little, everyday things.  I desparately need that. And...the book I'm just finishing is Stephanie Nielson's Heaven is Here.  She shares her experience of her perfect life before her airplane crash that burned 80% of her body, and her recovery  up to now.  It is amazing!  She is a very personal writer and shares the struggles she faced as she has come back to life from near death.  I read it in just over 2 days.
Thanks to my family and friends for encouraging me and helping me in ways that has saved me from further despair.  I'm so grateful!

Joel

 Joel is a very logical thinker.  We had some pots and pans out and the kids were drumming.  He looked at the bottom of the pan and said "I can tell how old this pan is."  "How do you know?" we say.  He said, "I counted the rings."  Then we figured out he was counting the rings like you would a tree.  Smart kid.

 

Joel played basketball again this year and this is a picture of him from his tournament.  They don't keep score, which is good.  It's a good way to get experience playing other teams.  Joel loves to play sports and is going to try soccer this year.  We have to hope for a good spring.  I've always boycotted soccer here in Canada because it's always too cold and snowy for much of the season.  I wish they would do it in the fall when the weather is nice. 

Random happenings

Macy is helping me make Shrimp Scampi, a new favorite recipe.  We love it and it's so quick and easy.

Brynn and Joel had a lot of fun this day making forts out of our abundant supply of wood and the little bit of snow to help it stay up.  Since this picture, we got a couple of feet of snow, most of which has now melted again. 

 

A Sunday afternoon.  I'm pretty sure Stan is napping.  Joel's trying to help Spencer be happy while he is on his tummy.   

Spencer at 6 months

 

 

 

Spencer sure is growing.  He is sitting up really well and has been for most of the last month.  He is happiest when being held and walked around, particularly by Mom.  He does really well too if the kids take him away and play with him, where he can't see me.  He still has to be completely wrapped tight in order to sleep.  He's so strong now that we have to wrap him twice, once with a thin blanket and then again with a stretchy knit blanket so we can wrap him tight, so his arms don't escape.  It seems extreme but he sleeps pretty well.  Right after the last month's post about him sleeping through the night, he stopped.  I never know if I'm creating a habit or if he really has a need.  He goes to bed at 7 or so.  He is now sleeping through the night again.  He usually has 2 really good naps a day and sometimes a 3rd.  I'm grateful for that, as those are the times when I can get something done.  He really likes to be outside and in areas where there are lots of people to look at.  We are grateful that he is healthy and strong.

5 months on Earth

Our sweet baby is now five months old. It feels like longer, in some ways, but the time has gone by quickly. Spencer is growing and changing and we are enjoying the process. This past month, he loves his jolly jumper. He does a little dance in it and it's so cute to watch. The other night he laughed and laughed at Joel who was being a very silly boy, throwing his lunch kit around and running into things.

This pumpkin hat has been worn by all of our kids. Brynn was a pumpkin one year for Halloween. The kids wanted to dress Spencer up and this is what they found. He's a cute pumpkin head.

Brynn got a make-up set for Christmas and Macy loves to be her client!

Spencer is sleeping through the night most of the time now, which is a welcome blessing. He likes to be held much of his waking time these days. It hurts my back but I know it doesn't last forever. He just likes to be near me or someone and see all that is going on. He's almost sitting up and seems anxious to be growing up, but he doesn't like to be on the floor much.

We've been hit again with nasty colds. Stan and I are just a little sick and I'm trying hard to learn about natural ways to stay healthy. One guy that my mom has been reading for years has some great ideas. I'm reading his brochure online right now about cold and flu. Check it out, he has some really interesting stuff.
I've been doing pretty good with my whole foods eating plan. It's hard and expensive to keep fresh stuff in the house all the time but I know my body enjoys it a lot more.
Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day and here's the link to some health stuff
Dr. Richard Schulze BLOG

I got a REAL bedroom door with a lock

Yesterday was a wonderful day with a most wonderful ending.  Stan and I went on a date and it was so fun to spend time together.  While we were out we bought a bedroom door.  Since October this door is the one on my bedroom.  Notice Macy waving through the glass.  She would sit there and watch whatever was going on in my bedroom.  I would have to be sneaky if I wanted any privacy.  We didn't have a lock either.

This is at the end of the day!  No windows and a beautiful door knob with a lock.  Happy day for a mama.

The awesome installers

Spencer at 4 months

Isn't Spencer so cute? This is what we get most of the time from him now. He's a happy kid and has learned to roll from tummy to back. I don't put him on the floor much. I need to keep an eye on him if I do, so he doesn't roll away and down our unsafe stairs.

Happy New Year

Spencer is now 4 months old.  Time is passing quickly.  He is so much more content these days and interacting with him is so much fun.  He is 15 pounds and closer to the 50th percentile.  I think they have changed the growth charts since my other kids were babies.  However, he is my smallest at this age.  Crazy!  He is still healthy and chubby, which is great.  As a gift to us, he has slept 9 hours the last two nights.  I hope he is on to something.  After weeks of waking up every 3 hours instead of 6-8, we welcome the 9 hours with much enthusiasm.  I just might make it with some decent sleep.  We forget to take pictures of him, partly because my camera batteries died and partly because I just don't think about it. I need to do better.
We are happy it's a new year and that we've had a very mild winter to this point.  We enjoyed having my parents here for Christmas and the week after.  Stan had a few days off and that was great.  We have set some new goals and really look forward to having a fresh, new start that comes with the new year.

We have survived!

Brynn has talent. She's playing "Jingle Bells" while holding Spencer.

The kids built some forts and wanted Spencer to have the king chair.

We (Spencer and I) have both survived the first 3 months! Recently Spencer is really interactive. He loves to talk and make noises with his mouth, especially when you put him on his change table. Brynn loves to change his diaper now, just for the conversation. The fussiness is decreasing, or I'm finally getting smart enough to know what is wrong. This last week he's figured out how to squeal and scream. Doesn't work so well at Church, but it's kind of fun. Sometimes he likes to be rocked to sleep and sometimes he just wants to be put in bed. We swaddle him up tight and he likes that, and he likes his soother. What would we do without it?
We sure are enjoying him. He is healthy and big and so adorable!

Good reads

I really like to read non-fiction books.  I recently read two that I'd like to recommend.  The first one is called Why Gender Matters, by Leonard Sax.  Those like myself, who believe that we are created by God and each given a divine role, as men or women, already know that gender does matter.  In this book, I felt that the author also believes this but he gives some scientific reasons how and why boys and girls are different.  This really helped me as a parent in the discipline and interaction with my boys and girls.  Great book.  I got it from the library.
The other book I read was called Miserly Moms, by Jonni McCoy.  She was a career woman who felt the need to be a stay-at-home mom and raise her own children.  She and her husband had the courage to do so and her book is all about making your dollars stretch.  She offered lots of great tips to make things cheap, from scratch is always cheaper and healthier, making double and freezing it for another meal, etc.  My favorite is buying homo milk (ie, the kind that has the most fat) and diluting it with water, thus getting two jugs of milk for the price of one.  I have done this and it is awesome.  It tastes somewhere in between 1% and 2%.  I love learning ways to spend less money on things that we have to have, food, clothing, and shelter, thus allowing us to have a little more fun with our money like: vacations, skiing, an occasional dinner out, etc.  We pay A LOT to taxes and living expenses and it feels like we never have enough left to do what we enjoy.  The principles and tips in this book motivate me to be more miserly so we can have fun!

2 months old!

Look at this handsome dude! Spencer is growing and developing just as he should. He had his first shots today. Sad... He weighs 12 pounds, 11 oz. and is about 23+ inches long. He is almost 75th percentile for his weight and height. He must be getting enough to eat. It's nice to have chubby babies and then we don't have to worry about them.

Brynn and her friend made dinner for us one night. It was awesome. Look at their plate of healthy stuff. So beautifully arranged.

Stan is away on a business trip, halfway across the world. He left Saturday. 3 days down...
Brynn and Joel are being helpful when they are home and I'm really glad for that.
Life is good, even though it's challenging.
I thought I was tired when I was pregnant. Amazing how this newborn phase makes you realize that you really weren't tired before. This phase will be past before I know it and I'm not sure what parts I'll miss. Maybe the baby sleeping lots. Who knows, I'm trying to enjoy what I can while it's here.

7 weeks and Las Vegas, Halloween too

I believe Joel carved the left one, Macy's in the middle, and Brynn on the right. They were moldy by Halloween. No candles. We ended up trick or treating with friends in a different neighborhood so we weren't even home. It's fun to carve and display anyway.

I just had to show the big belly on the little man. My sister-in-law said it reminds her of a frog and the way babies have their legs spread way out. He's adorable anyway

This pic is of Stan and Spencer at the Las Vegas airport. We saw a few of these creations and had to take a picture to show the kids.

Stan and me in front of the LV Temple. Beautiful place.

The happy couple. My brother, Reed, and my new sister-in-law, Jana.

My sis, Niki, and me on Temple grounds.

Us in front of the Venetian Hotel.

I love these two kids' seat for the movie. They even had "seat belt" for safety in that suitcase.
Vegas was a lot of fun. So nice to have a break and to spend some time with Stan and my family. The wedding was more than the hi-light of the trip. It was awesome. I'm so happy for my brother. His new wife is awesome. It was so great to be in the Temple. Our temple has been closed since July and doesn't reopen until December. I have missed it.

As for baby, I forgot how hard the newborn phase is. Tricky to go back after being so independent. It's a challenge to have very little me time and free time. I'm trying to enjoy it but my house is a mess an so unorganized from the move. I need to get a few things done, not to mention keeping up with the older kids. I'm really grateful Brynn and Joel are at school but it's hard to keep up with what's going on in their lives. I probably should just sit on the couch, hold the baby, and read all day. Anyone want to do my dishes since I don't have a dishwasher? Actually I have 3 but we all work a little slow.
Despite the house mess, our neighbors are awesome and have made live great since the move. The kids are so happy have someone to play with everyday and I love having someone next door to share help in many ways.