Marianne at Six Months

Lucky you...it's that time again where I get to gush again about my baby...
Last week Marianne reached the ripe old age of six months. She celebrated by being officially cleared of RSV by her doctor, going grocery shopping, helping set up for a relief society activity, and taking a big long nap.
Yesterday I realized I hadn't taken any official "six months" pictures so after her bath I snapped a few...dozen. Here are my favorites:
And if Marianne could tell you about herself she just might say something like this:

Hello world! I am so big now, I really should be keeping up with my big brothers and sisters. I get so mad when they walk away from me! (I like to shriek and yell at them; I cry if I'm desperate.) I can actually get up on my hands and knees and rock...

...if I could just figure my arms out then nothing would be out of reach! (Soon...very soon...) I can usually be found with a toy in hand (en route to my mouth), blowing raspberries, with a pink nose and a very excited little smile if you look my way. I love to grab things and play with them, so sitting right by the toy bucket where I can grab things and throw them makes me one very happy camper. Beau is great at playing with me - when I eat his toys he just says they're getting washed. As you can see I can sit up now pretty well, that is, until I fall over - which only makes me mad if I nose dive.

I still like to do yoga - see this awesome move where my hands and my feet are both off the ground?

My eyes are super blue, I have rubber-band-everything and my toes are super yummy.

I eat them every time I get my diaper changed or take a bath. Mom seems to love them, too. Speaking of Mom, and Dad for that matter, I am really getting used to them both and it makes me just a little sad to see them from afar. (Closer is always better.)
Anywho...I am pretty much amazing. The world revolves around me. That's pretty much it.
love,
The Bug.

Don't look at me hungry...you'll drool

Almost ten years ago Rus and I (as an engaged couple) realized we needed a computer. Rus's cousin Sam had one to sell to us. The computer didn't last super long, maybe a year or two, but the monitor he gave us lasted through several computers until last week when it turned off for the last time. The thing was a monstrosity, as deep as it was tall and I can't say I miss it at all considering the tight space it used to fill. After three days of living "in the dark" (no internet access, eek!), I am so happy to have a nice, thin new monitor and be once again connected to the outside world!
Those of you who know me well know that I love to cook. I try a new recipe at least once, sometimes twice (or more) a week. My kids will one day say how they hated this. Heck they say that now. I love Cooking Light and I love to pin recipes that I find surfing the net. I also love to make homemade pizza. We probably have that every couple of weeks, and Rus would tell you that having any repeat recipes is a rarity. If he likes a meal he'll say, "keep this on your regular rotation, meaning I want to see it in a few months." (I have gotten better at holding on to the ones I really like.)  My sis-in-law mentioned how much she loved the Pioneer Woman's potato leek pizza and I had to try it. So while my kids had a half pepperoni, half cheese pizza, I enjoyed this beauty:

I love it when my recipe turns out like the picture in the real recipe. :)

YUM! Thinly sliced potatoes, mozzarella, sauteed leeks, bacon, crumbled goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and a sprinkling of pepper. It was really good. I made it small so I could also make a man pizza for Rus - sausage, bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms and red onions...also good.
Another thing I've been up to in every second of my spare time for the last week was making these paper flower centerpieces. You know, you can make a craft for super cheap. But it will take you forever.

I made them for a luncheon our stake had yesterday for Sisters Barbara Thompson, Elaine Dalton, and Sharon Esplin from the general auxiliaries. They spoke on Friday night and it was a wonderful meeting. Anyway, they were meeting with sisters from the different stake primaries and I thought it would be fun to do something really bright. I saw the idea for colored rice HERE and the tutorial for the flowers HERE. I am so happy with how they turned out!
And here is Jacob. Yes, he is combing his hair. Jacob will undoubtedly be my dapper, clothes horse, gel-wearing kid. He loves to look handsome on Sundays and he loves to fix his hair. Here he is before he caught me with the camera:

And after...so handsome!

Marianne wants you to know that she knows yoga. I don't know yoga, so I can't tell you what pose this is, but she knows it well and practices everyday.

Sooo...Next week I hope to not have a baby with RSV, not have a Beau with a fever, and not freak out because my kids are off school two extra days because of parent/teacher conferences. I hope to paint a sign, orchestrate entertainment for nursery kids for a RS activity, and make a provoking argument to many women about how and why to keep their family history now. I also hope to win my playoff game. (Hockey. I'm actually looking forward to this "to do.")

Toepick!!

I am having a rare quiet moment, both Marianne and Beau asleep...I rushed and rushed this morning to get my house from "dirty/smelly" to "decent/clean" for Beau's preschool group so it's nice to relax for a minute. I have pictures to share, but mostly I just want to air my thoughts for a minute - it may be boring to you but there are some things I want to remember...
This morning Beau sat by the window in Bekah's little purple rocking chair, holding his dad's bird book. I think I've shared that Rus is a bird geek. Beau has been paying attention; he kept turning to pictures, looking outside, and saying, "There's a new bird!" It was really cute. Beau is so fun to hang out with one on one. He is talkative and perceptive and has lots of questions. He is also super imaginative, which really makes legos/ninjas/a spoon fun. (Do you sense a "but" coming?) But when he gets around Bekah and Jacob he turns into the stereotypical little brother "pest." He knows everyone's buttons and how to push them. He knows that if he walks by Bekah and pinches her or bumps into her, or blows a raspberry in her general direction she will fly off the handle. Bekah is pretty easy to get, I admit, but he even knows Jacob's buttons. I don't even know Jacob's buttons. If it wasn't my own life, I'd think it was pretty comical. As it is, I usually find myself telling Jacob and Bekah to "toughen up." How horrible is that. I am also constantly reminding them to be his friend and include him, because if they do he is much easier to deal with. It is hard though and I understand it although I pray that Beau won't be the pest forever. ;)

On to Marianne. This little chub just has me wrapped around her finger. She is so sweet, and again (I've exhausted this word, I know), so squishy. She is starting to sit up better, although she needs help to stay like this:

and not this:

I love her smiles and she gives them pretty freely. She's also really ticklish, especially around her neck. She can be really talkative at times and it is such a happy sound - somewhere between a coo and shriek. I have her sit on the counter in her bumbo (under close supervision, believe me) while I make breakfast/lunch/dinner and it turns out she loves to munch on kitchen utensils... 

...and the bread bag. And the pretzel bag. And cups. Everything goes to her mouth. She still loves to lay on the floor and play with toys and man can she get around. It's mostly just rolling and a tiny bit of scooting, but she is getting up on her knees more. I might just have an early crawler - this is bad news because I am not good at keeping my floors clean and my floors are mostly just concrete.

Now Jacob and Bekah - They both participated in the school's science fair last week. Rus was so excited to do projects with them so we struck a deal: Rus did the project, compiled the data, took pictures, made sure the kids understood their projects, and I helped them do their boards. This worked out great for both of us, I think. I made my kids hand write their boards (which the judges loved for Jacob, but didn't for Bekah), and this was a small form of torture. We all survived. Barely. Bekah's project was "Why Stuff Floats,"

and Jacob's was "Which Fuel Boils Water Fastest?"

They both received ribbons for participating and Jacob was so proud of his he taped it to his board. We went to the science fair to see their boards on exhibit and I had to laugh at some of the other projects, especially the one entitled, "Which Kind of Gum Do I Like Best?" My favorite was one a third grader from our ward did, "Which is More Effective at Crime Scenes, Dental Records or Fingerprints?" She then had her family members "steal" cookies from the table and she used the different methods to identify who took what. It was very original.

Other news: Rus and I have started working out more. He and his dad are trying to lose a bunch of weight by this summer. I'm cutting down on cookie production and increasing veggie intake as a way of being supportive. Rus might contest that all I'm doing is giving him gas. He's been running and biking, I've been running and playing hockey, (hence the "Cutting Edge" reference in the title). Inline hockey. (Roller blades, not ice skates). I joined an inline adult recreational hockey team. It's coed, 16 and up, and we play games only (no practices), on Monday and Wednesday nights. It is SO FUN. My sister thinks I'm crazy. Rus is mostly supportive (just not of the bruises and sleep deprivation because games go late). But seriously, I am super grateful to have something to do that is just fun. Wondering where the pension for hockey came from? Me too. I did it because I love to roller blade, a favorite childhood pastime, and because I like team settings. I played street hockey one summer with my brother and some friends when I was younger. The team that I am on now has all skill levels and they are really patient and supportive. I'm not the only girl - our team leader is a woman maybe in her late thirties.
Anyway...that is the news of late...what fun things are you up to?

Beau-man

This morning we woke up to at least six inches of snow. Miraculously, school was still in session and the bus even made it up the hill to our house. We were digging out the driveway because it was ten minutes past time for the bus to come, but then all of the sudden there was Bill our bus driver, hooray! Once Marianne laid down for a nap, Beau and I headed out to shovel the driveway and build a snowman. Here he is! Our first snowman! Beau and I had a great conversation about summer, melting snowmen, good guy/bad guy snowmen, and we also sang the "once there was a snowman" song a couple times. I love conversations with a three year old!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Jacob decided that he wanted to make these awesome valentines that he came up with himself, and he wanted to give everyone a cookie. I found a recipe on pinterest to try where you make two balls and then pinch the ends together to make a heart. The picture in the recipe shows cute little heart shaped cookies from the oven. Mine looked like this:

 Although I know it's supposed to look like a heart, I can't help but think I should call them "Cupid Butts."
And here is Bekah with the valentine we made for her friends. Isn't her hat cute? She made that herself on her knifty knitter.

 And here is a Happy Valentine's Day picture from my kids this morning: Give Marianne a bow and arrow and a naked bum and she'd make a great cupid!

Also:
My dad unwittingly started a tradition of writing "Roses are red" poems when I was in middle school. I still remember my favorite one:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You're the master of plaster
And we cast our love to you!
That was the year I had broken my wrist, and then a few months later broke my thumb. If my dad realized what a high precedent he was setting he probably wouldn't have even written the first note. Now Amy and I hound him every year to write us our poems. Yesterday I emailed him this poem:
Chips love dip,
Cheese loves curds,
If you don’t send me a valentine
I'll tell everyone you’re a terd.
He emailed me back:
Wash your mouth out with soap! I still have a few hours left...
And he did not disappoint. Just this morning I received this email, in my dad's familiar extravagant prose:
Roses are Red,
Creative of beauty that’s shockey;
Like my sweet artist, mother of four,
Who bashing and crashing plays hockey!
(I'll have to fill you in on the hockey thing later...)
So...here are the poems I am sending out this year...
To Amy:
Roses are red,
Jello is jiggly,
For all your sisterly care,
I love you BIGLY!
FYI, "bigly" is a word. Amy's son Luke says so. And the scrabble dictionary actually confirms that. Who knew!?
To my Dad:
Chips love dips,
Socks love shoes,
Mustaches love lips,
And I love yous.
I'd share Tyler's, but it's humor only he will get. (I hope.)
I hope you all have a wonderful day of love! And that it doesn't backfire: I made my kids pink crepes for breakfast this morning. I made crepes because that's one of the few breakfast foods Bekah will actually eat. Except for this morning...when I said I thought she liked crepes she said, "I do! Just not pink ones! Why didn't you ask before you made them pink?!"
I love my kids.
I love my kids.
I love my kids.
Hope your day is filled with lots of love too. Let me know if you're successful at getting your kids to love each other. :)

Beaumonia

Like "pneumonia."
Yep.
It's not nearly as serious as I thought pneumonia would be - really it's just all of Beau's worst and hardest qualities amplified a little bit (mean, rough, unreasonable), plus a bad cough, runny nose, and fever. I took him to the doctor for what I thought was an ear infection, and I was right but as a bonus he also has lower lung congestion = pneumonia. Don't you love taking your kid to the doctor because you think something is wrong and then you're actually right? It's validation of the super-mom-sense, I think. And despite the obvious drawbacks of medication I love that I can give him something and, viola, he's all better. Super mom (and dad) again. :)

I just had to include this picture I took from my kitchen window. I just missed getting the shot of Beau and his cousin peeing off the back of the trailer. But this picture's not too bad, either. :)

On another note the Bug turned five months and got a bad cold. I was really worried that she had what Beau has, but in the form of RSV or something, but when I took her in they said it was just a bad cold. Poor bug, she is not a happy camper at all. The world is so unfair when you're five months old and sick...But you can still be super cute and chubby! Here, look, I found her neck!!

Her day goes something like this when she is happy and not sick:
* Wake up in her own room (the guest room). Turns out Marianne does raspberries in her sleep and this bothers Bekah. Rus and I thought Bekah was making it up, but then Rus heard her in the middle of the night actually blowing raspberries. She slept all night that night.
* Eat lots, burp loud, poop lots, eat some more.
* Play in the bumbo while I get the kids ready for school. Marianne loves kitchen utensils - she'll suck on a spatula or spoon while I make sandwiches. Once she even got a Hershey's wrapper - the girl has good taste.
* Play on the floor in Beau's room while Beau and I play with legos/transformers/ninjas.
* Sit and play in the swing while I shower. (Did you accidentally read "sit and play while I sing in the shower" like I did when I proof read? That's not what I said.;)
* Naptime! She'll decide she's done playing and grump just enough so that I lay her down. I swaddle her, but leave one arm out (or else she gets really mad) and lay her down on her tummy. She'll cry for a few minutes and then go to sleep.
* Forty minutes to two hours later she'll wake up and then her, Beau, and I run errands.
* Marianne will gracefully accept all compliments and coos from every adoring stranger - sure they sound funny but she'll smile at them anyway.
* More food (if she didn't eat any on the run).
* Naptime again! This one is usually longer.
* Awake time - more eating, burping, pooping, and laughing at Beau blowing raspberries at her. (You wonder where she got her cold?)
And so it goes on...Marianne eventually goes to bed around ten at night and when she is feeling good she'll usually sleep all night. Right now she's up more than she's asleep and it is b.r.u.t.a.l.
Marianne loves to lay on the floor and play while the big kids play around her. She works really hard to grab anything nearby and test it out in her mouth. She is super talkative; I can see her being a very opinionated person when she's older. :) And fyi, at five months she is 16lbs, 14oz and wearing a size 6-9months.
Love you Bug!
Here are some pics:

The colorful blanket in the last few pictures was made by her cousin Claire. Excellent job, Claire!

I'm a grown up. Ug.

Did you know that I have four kids? And a dog? And two of my kids are in school? And when I do all the laundry it makes a mountain on my bed that is three feet high at the peak?
I know all of that, really I do...but sometimes it hits me like a truck just how grown up I'm supposed to be.
One of my favorite things to inwardly (or outwardly) whine about (when I'm not feeling grown up), is my kids' homework. For the life of me I cannot seem to write down the title and author of whatever book I read with Jacob every night, along with the time we spend reading - a task that his teacher requires every night of every week. On hard, long nights I don't even let him read because it really taxes my already spent patience. I'm serious. Reading with Jacob is brutal. Not hard, tedious. Bekah is also supposed to write down her reading that she is supposed to do every night. But she doesn't write it down. And then just like me on Friday mornings she stretches her memory to fill in the blanks. Ug. Homework sucks, even in Kindergarten/2nd grade.
So some fun things of late:
Beau fell asleep at the counter while I was making dinner. In the middle of eating a snack. While wearing a cape. Superheros do sleep. I just left him there until he woke up. He was not happy when he did, just so ya know...

I have fallen in love with the local roller skating rink. Bekah and Jacob are enrolled in a skating class, and last week I took Beau and his cousin Wesley to the 2-6 year old class. It was comical.

They were fine in their skates on the carpet but it turns out the rink is a little more slippery. Like glass. They stuck it out for all of five minutes on the rink, just long enough to learn how to get up properly...

And then fall down again.

And then they asked the nice girl to escort them off the rink,

So they could enjoy other pursuits, like exploring holes in the wall,

...feeling Wesley's spikey hair. (He was very worried that Beau would mess it up.)

...hanging out and watching the good kids learn...

...and complaining about the music

It was actually really fun, despite my little skaters acting like miscreants.