Create

Can I just say how much I love the internet?!? I know it's not all good, and I probably waste tons of time just surfing. But, there are so many good things out there!! One of my new favorite things is the Mormon Messages channel on YouTube. I actually ran across this clip preparing for one of my YW lessons. I showed it to the girls and I think it absolutely made the lesson. I've probably watched it myself dozens of times, but I think it's so inspiring. I love what technology has been able to provide and how the gospel can be shared through the internet.

Enjoy!

5 Months

If someone has any suggestions on how to slow time down, I would really appreciate hearing them.

 

 I can't believe how fast Logan is growing up! He is developing a very vibrant and fun personality. This last month has probably been his hardest, though. He was hit with two different ear infections and a nasty cough that he finally seems to be getting over. But, considering that these are the first real ailments he has had to deal with, I think he's had a pretty good life so far.

We are very lucky to have Logan. He is such a happy baby! He is so curious about everything! He learned how to reach out and grab things and has been wanting to touch and learn about anything in his reach. He loves toys and can't get enough of them! He also learned how to blow raspberries this month. We have entire raspberry conversations. It's really fun. He is also learning to anticipate when he'll be teased and will have an all out belly laugh before we can even start tickling him. I have a pretty good guess that he'll be a pretty spoiled little boy. He is the absolute center of everyone's attention. Bria and Max constantly fight over who can play with him. We have to move him away from Bria during homework time because of her absolute focus on Logan.

Logan's growth is finally starting to slow down a little bit. Thank goodness! He gained just over a pound in the last month, so he is just a little bit over 16 pounds now.

 

Mama's Pizzaria

It amazes me how quickly life can end up in complete chaos. Take yesterday for example. Logan has been extremely fussy lately. He has a pretty bad ear infection. We've been pretty lucky with him so far - no major illnesses, aches or pains. He had an ear infection on Christmas, but no biggie. Now, he's finally been hit with something that really hurts, and he does not like it. Not only does he not like it, he wants everyone to be sure to know he does not like it. So, for the last two days, I've spent my time holding and calming him down. Poor baby! In the meantime, days of dishes, and crumbs and living just started piling up in our main living area. I'm not going to profess to be the best house-cleaner there ever was, but I like to keep things at least somewhat non-chaotic. Well, it was to the point that I was afraid to open the door for the UPS guy for fear that he would run away in sheer disgust! Something had to be done!!! So I rallied the troops Bria. I had to find something that would make cleaning up worthwhile. Candy? Nope, tried that. Ice cream? Maybe not worth dealing with the sugar rush later. Money? Tempting. I could probably regain my losses in the laundry room later. But, no. This had to be something better.

Ta-da! Inspiration struck. Why not have a pizza party? I've wanted to do this before, but have always been afraid of the mess. I love to cook, but I don't always love the clean-up that goes with it. I'm honestly pretty surprised I was even on board with my own idea, what with all the chaos that had to be taken care of to begin with. But, when I presented the idea to Bria and Max, they jumped right into it. Bria went to work cleaning the living room while I worked on the kitchen. Max gathered all the dirty laundry and toted it down to the laundry room. When they were finished, they went downstairs and patiently watched a movie while I finished my part because, let's face it, the kitchen is always the most time consuming to clean. Normally at a time like this, I would want take-out for dinner. No sense in messing back up all the clean, right? But, I promised and I had to follow through.

The kids had a blast! Bria made a smiley face pizza - very clever! Max made a pizza "mountain" piling the toppings as high as he could. The pizza's were yummy, too. And, surprisingly, it actually didn't make that big of a mess!

After dinner, we played a game of Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. It's fun because we all four can play at the same time. If someone is struggling, another player can pick them up and carry them. Max loves to be carried. He doesn't actually ever play, he just wants to be carried through the level. But, it's fun to play together!

What was a completely chaotic day turned out to be such a fun family night.

In my next 30 years

Yesterday was my birthday. I guess it wasn't just a birthday. It was my 30th birthday. Not that I even think it's old, or that it even matters if I am getting older. I think it's just that time has gone so fast. I remember after we got married and I just wanted to have a baby so bad. We decided to wait, but it was the longest 3 years of my life! Now, we have three kids. In like no time at all. *SIGH* I've been thinking a lot about how time is just flying by. To add to that, the Tim Mcgraw song "In My Next Thirty Years" has been replaying over and over in my head. I really do wonder what my next 30 years will be like. I've decided it will be fun to see. =)

Anyway, so it was my birthday and Bria had school. I was very tired - I had spent most of the night up with Logan, as usual. And, Max got up twice for some reason. So, I was tired. Bria asked me if I would help her get cereal. I didn't understand why because she always gets her own cereal. But, she really wanted help for some reason. But, I really was tired, so I stayed in bed and kept telling her just a minute. Just a minute lasted about 20 minutes when she couldn't stand the waiting any longer. So, I got up and came out. Bria was standing by the couch with a look of major anticipation. She excitedly said "Happy Birthday, Mom!!!" and gave me this:

She stayed up late in her room coloring it and planned to surprise me in the morning. Since I wasn't already up, she used the cereal excuse as a ruse to get me out of bed. This was by far the best birthday present of the whole day! Bria is such a sweet girl.