Another Blanket Baby

We have another blanket lover.  4 for 4.  He hates to be swaddled but likes having a blanket.  I put it under him and just wrap the sides around him so he can't get it over his face, but he wiggles and squirms until he's holding it by his face. I've caught him trying to suck on it a few times.  I always pull it out, we aren't doing THAT again.  (Note the boy sheet!  Spencer got a real boy sheet.  After my other 2 boys used Isabelle's purple sheets, my friend just couldn't stand it and bought me a boy sheet.)

Scissors

This is Luke.  He has a pair of scissors which he used to open this box.  Scissors were on the no fly list forever around here. I'm crazy worried something will be permanently ruined with scissors. Anyway, once we moved here I set up an art area in my office for the kids to do art while I work at my desk and whenever they want.  Have glue, writing utensils, scissors, stickers and all sorts of things accessible for whenever the mood strikes.  Great plan IN THEORY....the room is often an absolute disaster and things get left out. a lot. Specifically scissors. Leaving them out and around for small hands to find. We continue to work on our art room rules. A work in progress.  It's going to be a great thing, eventually. Anyway, during all this Luke is now absolute pro with scissors.  I was laughing as I watched him open this box with kid scissors. There is NO WAY in the world I would have ever let scissors be around when Isabelle or Michael were that age, and there I stood watching Luke open a box....yeah, not the oldest kid.  He's done a great job following our scissor rules (minus the pack n play mishap). He does LOVE scissors!

Michael, the Entertainer

Last summer I found the Fisher Price Nativity for a steal!  I've been wanting it so bad!!!!  Anyway, we pulled it out for FHE last week and talked about Christ's birth.  Since then Michael has played with it a ton! He drags it all over the house or he particularly loves to set it up and play the music for Spencer.  Anytime I put Spencer down by it, he sets it all up for him. I love having a kid friendly nativity.



P.S. Mom, that is the orange spine of the book you made us propped on the nativity.  He had to show Spencer the pictures. At the rate we are going, that book might earn it's own blog entry. :)

Changing

I have some old stuff I never blogged. This was a week or so ago. Newborns change so fast!  I swear every morning he wakes up and looks a little different and every picture he looks a little different.  I love this little face and my Spencer time!

Family Fun

Since we haven't seen Mike all week and are all finally healthy, today we decided to do something fun instead of all the chores that needed to be done at home.  Isabelle picked the zoo.  We haven't been in months (the zoo in Florida during the summer is not super pleasant and smells HORRIBLE!). It was a nice 75 degrees with a breeze.  Mike thought it was too humid, but what else is new?  It was still a fun day.  We took a picnic and let the kids play in the playground forever.

The downside of taking pictures at the zoo...they are all back pictures, but I still think they are cute. And what is up with Isabelle's faces lately?!

The flamingos


The koi pond, always a hit.



Luke is really scared of slides.  He used to be a big fan, but I think our slide scared him (it's really fast) and now he doesn't like them.  He got to a spot where the only way down was on the slide, he cried at the end and just wanted Mike.  Isabelle was adorable with him.  It's so fantastic having older siblings for playgrounds!  Mike and I sat and visited and Isabelle helped Luke on all the equipment.


Gator pit

Blitz Week is OVER!

Twice a year, Mike has "Blitz Week."  It's like he's out of town, but sleeps at home.  He leaves before anyone is up and gets home late, after 10. I get to see him for a few minutes before he crashes, but the kids don't at all.  He has a bunch of manufacture reps in town. So they work all day, have an hour break (our chance for kids to talk to dad) and then he entertains all evening.  The perk of Blitz Week is the food....This is only about half of the food he brought home last week and everything is FULL. They have lots of delicious catered meals and then snacks for their work day.  We get a bunch of the leftovers. :)  I love free food!!!



The kids are in heaven with all the snacks and treats.  I'm in heaven because I don't have to cook for quite a few days. Out of the gobs and gobs of food he brought home, almost everything has dairy. Sad :(  I've been pretty strong, only because that salad is dang good. When the salad is gone, that fettuccine that smells divine will be calling my name. Haha.

Today he got home at 6:00 absolutely exhausted and the kids went nuts.  It's such a long long week for him.  It's almost easier when he is out of town.  Happy to have a regular week next week.

My Awesome Angler

Mike has gotten to do some cool stuff with work.  One event last month was participate in a charity fishing tournament for Cystic Fibrosis called "The Oldest City Red/Trout Classic.  It was a two day tournament catching red fish and trout (among other things as well).  He won the whole thing!

Day 1.  He sends me pictures like this during a work day and it makes me chuckle. How about that for "working?"  Even if he did have to get up at 4:30 am to do it.


Day 2.


This was the group of guys he fished with.  The captain of the boat, his good friend Chris from work and Mike.  The trophies were artwork. He actually won 3 pieces of art, but only had 2 hands for the photo.  Haha.   He won "Grand Master Angler," "Grand Master Team Anglers," and "Most Red Fish Caught."


He had a blast.  He came home sunburned and exhausted with his arms full of shirts, hats, bags, etc and his awards.

Iron Man

First of all, how cute is this little Indian? At Michael's 4 year check up, he was slightly anemic.  I was surprised by this because he is a good meat eater and always happy to drink some of my morning green smoothie.  He usually even has seconds, anyway, we needed a better multivitamin. Then it was Thanksgiving.  We went to my parents and I completely forgot about it all.  As the week went on he was looking tired.  Dark circles under his eyes.  Flopping around and complaining about everything.  I attributed it to vacation tired. After a few days at home on a schedule and in his own bed it was getting worse.  I was so confused and at a loss of what to do. Then last week at lunch on Tuesday I remembered!  OH IRON!!!!  Mike brought some home.  Two days of an iron supplement and my old Michael is back, but crazier than ever!!  Thursday morning when I woke up, he was literally bouncing all over my house and shaking his arms and head.  He had so much energy he didn't even know what to do with it all.  He's being more obedient, helpful, happy, and just plain nice again.  So grateful for those promptings we get as parents to help us raise these kids we have been blessed with.

Ana and Maria

Meet Ana and her mom, Maria.  These wonderful ladies live across the street.  They are in our ward and were the angels Heavenly Father sent when things were horrible. I definitely would not have survived the last 10 months without them.

When we first moved in Maria brought me soup and a sweater because she was sure I hadn't eaten (which I hadn't) and that I was cold (which I wasn't).  That is Maria in a nutshell. She always thinks of people, and that they need a sweater, even in the dead of summer. It's pretty hilarious.  She is always concerned about everyone.  She keeps an eye on us through her front window.  She reminds us when it's garbage day and that our garage door is open.  She tells my children they need shoes and should settle down.   She reminds me to drink lots of fluids and told me my shirts were too tight and would hurt the baby when I was pregnant.  She's the perfect loving, critical, Bolivian grandma.  Luke calls her "Ria!"  Ana has had a few things she had to be gone for overnight and we would check on Grandma regularly. She knitted Spencer a beautiful blanket.  Her health is going downhill and she's loosing her memory and hearing making conversations with her short and often quite hilarious.  She just moved to California to live with her other daughter for a while (and we forgot about garbage day and have left our garage door open all night twice since she moved.  haha!)  She always made me laugh. We miss her.

Ana is a hard worker and a very spiritual woman. She was the answer to many many of my prayers. She absolutely loves my kids, and my kids absolutely love her.  She is an extra grandma to them and she treats them that way.  I love this woman!  She was here alot as a service oriented woman when we were first moving in just being the extra hands I needed  trying to unpack with small children.  As time went by I struggled with some depression and she just showed up on numerous occasions in the moments I really needed help.  She has a job, but only on Fridays.  She'd been looking for more work but hadn't had much luck.  However, I was in need of a little extra help and could afford to pay for it.  We were each other's answer to prayers.  It wasn't much at the beginning, but she would come over and do whatever I needed help. Once I got pregnant and there were many chores I flat out couldn't do, she picked up my slack.  As my pregnancy went on, she was here A LOT! She would show up and do literally whatever I needed, scrubbed toilets, made lunch, laundry, dishes, vacuum, played with kids so I could clean, babysat for dr appointments....the list goes on. When I was on bedrest she came over in the morning, got kids fed and dressed and off to school, and then came back for dinner and bedtime.  She's been my babysitter and always available during the day.  I'm not sure I can EVER have a teenager babysit again. I've been completely SPOILED!  She watched my kids overnight and for the days Mike was in the hospital.  When she's here, I never have to worry.  She lets me play her piano.  We can visit for HOURS!  She has been my mom when mine couldn't be here.

I know Heavenly Father had a plan in us buying this exact house. It's been such a testimony builder to see just how well my Heavenly Father knows my needs. I definitely would not have made it without her.

Our Other Wild Things

We all know we have 4 wild animals living in my house, but we also lots of wildlife in our backyard.  I LOVE my yard here.  We have a large lot next to community open space (but it's at the very back of a long neighborhood so it's rarely used).  And we back acres of woods.  My kids can run wild and not bother anyone. As I sit in my chair in the playroom nursing, I've started taking pictures through the window of all our wild friends that use my yard as their road ways.

Some sort of massive falcon like bird.



Mr. bobcat #1...this makes me a little nervous.  We saw it rarely for a while, but his sightings are becoming much more regular.  The kids can only play in the backyard in large numbers.


Mr. Bobcat #2...Once I started seeing 2, I'm getting more nervous about my kids being out.  We have seen no pattern in timing of their crossings to watch for good times to be outside.  There is new construction on the other side of these woods and I think it's pushing everyone our direction.


This was a HUGE vulture.


Everyone said backing woods we would see lots of snakes....the only snake we've seen all year. 18 inches long, the diameter of my pinkie finger.


Our deer friends.  There are 3 of them, one was already behind the playhouse, you can see her back leg and tail. We see them the most often.


We also had a momma raccoon with 5 babies that I never got a picture of and haven't seen lately.  And then of course our hundreds of lizards and frogs that my kids chase and catch.

What will we see next?!