What Motherhood Means to Me

(I saw this contest on the site 5minutesformom.com and thought I'd give it a chance. It won't hurt to give it a try.) The contest is submit a photo about what motherhood means to you. You could either tell about it or let it speak for itself.

I love baby skin, especially on their feet. I love how it's perfect--not worn from years of walking. I look at my feet and see the paths I've walked and the callouses I've received through the trials of my life. As a mother, I strive to teach my kids to choose the right paths to follow and teach them to make decisions that will take them down the path to the person they want to be. This picture reminds me that as a mother, my responsibility is to help those little feet choose right paths.

How can I not?

How can I not love this little girl?

Not a day goes by that she doesn't smile at me. Not a day goes by that she isn't happy to see me. I love all the funny faces she gives me. I love how she likes to bring toys to Cali. I love how excited she gets when she sees herself in the mirror. I love how she reaches out to touch my hand when I walk by. I love to hear her jabber. I love how her little personality develops. I love her so much. I love how she loves me despite all my flaws.

Ultimate Chubbiness!

I love this little girl, every single roll of her. She is just so chubby that when I hug her she fills my arms. Her cheeks are so chubby that I love kissing them! I just love her!

Why am I so excited for this week?

1. I get to chill with Megan for a few days and get to have adult conversation during the day.
2. Megan and I get to take the girls to the zoo.
3. Katya gets to have her 2 year check-up. I get to see how much she weighs.
4. Katya turns 2- I'm excited, but also sad she's growing up so fast.
5. Katya has a little B-day party with her friends.
6. My mom and sisters will be here to celebrate Katya's birthday (and so will my dad via Skype).
7. We get to do Skype calls with y dad so he can see the girls.
8. Jethro doesn't have to go to Provo for school.
9. It's supposed to be 75 degrees today and tomorrow.

First food

Cali ate cereal for the first time last night and she loved it! She kept wanting to eat more, but i didn't feed her a whole lot because I was afraid she'd spit it up later. She didn't spit it up, so I might feed her more today. I hope she keeps liking it.

Sewing Projects

By far, the project that I just completed has been the hardest and I'm happy that it's done. I decided that I was going to make a dress. I found a pattern that I liked and finally found fabric that I liked. Since my mom was going to be in town for a few days I thought it would be the perfect time to do it. Even though my mom told me she wouldn't help me sew any of it because I need to learn it for myself, she did provide me with a ton of guidance and direction. I'm glad she was here because I never would have figured out some of the things by myself. There were a few mistakes made, but all in all it turned out pretty well.

Why am I so excited for this week?

Last Monday I wrote this post on why I was so excited for the week. Writing that post really changed my mindset for the week. Even when things got tough during the week, I remembered that post and remembered all that I was looking forward to. I am the type of person who has to write things down to remember them (you should see my planner). Because I really enjoyed my new mindset, I've decided to do a post like that every week. I need that to help me remember what I'm looking forward to.

Why am I excited for this week?

1. My mom is coming on Tuesday. Haven't seen her since Christmas and the girls are really excited to see her too.
2. Jethro doesn't have to go to Provo.
3. Get to see a childhood friend (hopefully) at her brother's wedding reception.
4. Thursday Temple night.
5. Get to make a dress with my mom.
6. Go to the aquarium (let's hope I don't get pink eye afterwards this time).
7. I get to do next month's budget. I know I'm weird, but I absolutely love doing a budget. Don't know why, but I do.
8. Katya gets better at crawling everyday.
9. Grocery shopping- like budgeting, I don't know why I like doing it.
10. Go to Costco- love their samples, especially on Saturdays.
11. Megan's done with school at BYU and I get to see her on Thursday.

Wow, when I write it all down, there is such much to be excited for. Thinking positive sure is a wonderful thing.

Why I 'outa...

"What are you looking at? You gotta problem with me?"


"You should have seen the other guy!"


"Now, do you want to fight?"

Katya dove off my lap today to turn on the music on Cali's swing and didn't push herself up enough and hit her head on the edge of the couch. She was crying until she saw herself in the mirror and realized how cool she looked. I don't think the kids in nursery messed with her today.

Sleepover

We had a really fun night on Friday. Nya slept over and it was so much fun.

We went on a walk...

We watched movies, had a picnic and then the girls went to bed.....


Saturday, Katya and Nya just played....


It was so much fun having Nya over. Thanks Rebekah for letting us keep her for a night.

Another trip to the zoo

It was such a nice day on Friday that I decided to take another trip to the zoo. I was lucky and found a really good parking spot. There were tons and tons of people there so it was crazy. There were at least 4 school groups that I saw. Tons of people everywhere. It was fun to go though. Katya always loves the zoo and it was just nice to get out of the house. I look forward to going so much more this summer. Here are some pics from our trip.

Clouds

As I was coming home from class on Wednesday (my last night this semester, woot!) I saw this crazy cloud formation. It looks so cool. It was just after the point of the mountain.

What I would do if I didn't need sleep

Okay, the email subscription officially up and running now. If you signed up before, you need to sign up again, I hadn't activated the service earlier.

If I didn't have to sleep at night, I would:

1. Learn a new language (a lot over the course of the years)
2. Start a business
3. Exercise
4. Take online classes in a bunch of different subjects
5. Be a vigilante

I am sure I would be able to do other things, but that is a good start. Great idea for a post, Staci. She sure is wonderful!

My new favorite quote

"...motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

-Elder M. Russell Ballard

Why I'm glad Katya doesn't walk

Even though I want Katya to start walking really bad, there are some advantages to her not walking.

1. When she starts to throw a tantrum about going to bed, she starts to roll and crawl away, but she is pretty easy to catch.
2. I can take her outside and set her on a blanket and not have to chase her around the yard.
3. When she has something she's not supposed to, her rolling away is much easier than her running away from me.
4. She can't destroy my scrapbook and sewing stuff yet.
5. Cali's face is safe from her sisters hands while she is in the jumperoo.
6. No running into the street or parking lot.
   
7. I don't have to fight to put shoes on because she doesn't need them.
   

Even though having to carry her all time is hard, right now I am enjoying the advantages of her not walking.

If Only We Didn't Need Sleep

I often wish that adults didn't need sleep. I dream of what it would be like. I could put my kids in bed and then have about 12 hours to do stuff that I can't do during the day. This is my "if I never needed sleep" list:

1. Make a dress for Katya and Cali
2. Make 3 skirts for me
3. Make a dress for me
4. Make 2 dolls
5. Make a soft Nativity set
6. Make 4 bags
7. Finish Katya's scrapbook (I'm backed up till September)
8. Update Cali's scrapbook (All I have is her first couple of days)
9. Finish Our scrapbook (This one's also backed up till September)
10. Finish crackle painted our last name letters
11. Finish a recipe book
12. Finish Jethro's mission books
13. Finish 3 books on CD
14. Label and sort all the pics on my computer
15. Learn how to decorate cakes
16. Write a children's book
17. Read a bunch of classic books
18. And so much more...
    

Who knows when I will ever get around to doing these things. Most will probably sit in my home unfinished and get moved around in boxes until I finally decide that 30 years is too long to keep them and then they'll probably end up as projects at my kids houses or at DI. Who knows.

What would you do if you never needed sleep?

Wow. Small Conversation, Big Realizations

As I left work yesterday, I saw a guy named Jay, who teaches history at my school. To say hello, I said, "Well, Jay, another day." He responded with, "Another buck." Thinking he would understand what I meant as he is a fellow teacher, I quipped, "But just one buck, just one!" He said, "Jethro, how long you been teaching?" After I told this seasoned veteran of 20+ years that I have been teaching only two, he responded with a sage comment, "Jethro, don't ever complain about the money, because that is all you will ever think about and you will never be happy." I smiled and said that it was a good point. But then I realized, teachers here in Utah really do get paid poorly, and I mean bottom of the barrel. He does make a strike an interesting chord, though, and I must remember it. It is not all about the money, but I still need to support my family.

After having a day to think about that conversation, though, I have begun to realize again that I have been so blessed by the Lord. I certainly don't make a lot of money. In fact, according to Utah's Right to Know, I make...well, if you really want to know, you can go check it out. When you do the math on that, paying tithing first, realizing that taxes are taken out, then you add in rent, groceries, over-priced health insurance, and car payment and insurance, that doesn't leave us with very much each month to buy food, diapers, and other necessities. But, we have been very blessed. Katya gets SSI money from the government every month. I have been able to find easy, non-time consuming second jobs while I have been going to graduate school for the last two years. We always end up with just enough or a little extra. That is not because the legislature decided to give us a little extra pay, or the district "forgot" to pay us the full amount, or whatever. It is because the Lord is looking out for us. He finds ways to stretch that money and give us extra money. I know that it is because we pay our tithing first. The Lord blesses us for our sacrifice, and I am grateful that He does. We could not survive without His blessings.
It isn't about the money, but it is.

This time is very difficult for us because we don't make a lot, but we have never been happier. Making more money right now wouldn't make us happier. We are struggling and that is okay. We are making wise financial decisions right now to help us enjoy life later. It will be a struggle for a few more years. The Lord is not going to stop blessing us just because we caught Him in the act. He is going to continue to give us just enough to get by and be happy. He is the one who makes us happy. He is the one who blesses us. He is the one who makes everything worth it.

I thank Him for inspiring Jay to remind me about what really makes me happy. My faith and assurance and trust in God makes me happy. He has blessed me with the most beautiful and wonderful wife a body could ever ask for, and two amazing daughters that bring joy to my heart when they smile at me as I walk in the door at the end of a long day.

How can I not be grateful?

New Options

I just learned something today while preparing for my TechnoThursdays class this week. You can subscribe to new updates to our blog and have it delivered in your email whenever we update. You can receive HTML or text updates. Anyway, (Diana and Ralph) you should throw your email address in the box to the left, just under our picture, and that way you don't have to check every day to see if Staci put up any cute pictures of the kids.

Attention! Attention Please!

To Whom it may concern:

Gone are the days when baby boys strictly wear blue and baby girls strictly wear pink. Gone are the days when baby girls are always dressed up in tons and tons of poofy dresses with lots of lace. Welcome to now. Baby girls and baby boys both wear blue, yellow, brown, white and green. Some baby boys might even wear pink, but I have yet to see one. I can dress my baby girl in whatever color I choose to. Because she is a girl and because I do dress her in girl clothes, whatever she is wearing usually has flowers, ribbon, bows, ruffles, or lace somewhere on the clothing. Because my baby is a girl, if she does have a blanket on her in her car seat, it is usually pink or purple (girly colors). Because babies are babies, they can usually have a lot or a little bit of hair regardless of gender. Baby girls can be big or little. Baby girls can wear plain white tennis shoes or ones with flowers and pink on them.

If after looking at a baby and seeing the bows, ribbons, lace, etc. that exclaim "It's a girl!" and saying things like "oh how cute" and "how precious" don't conclude your conversion with "now how old is HE?". If you wonder about the gender of a baby, ask questions like "how old?" or "what's this little angel's name?'. After asking questions with no implied gender, listen carefully to the answers and you will then discover your answer. If the answer to such a question is "She is 5 months old" then you know it's a girl. After hearing the reply in which you discover that the baby is a girl, DON'T and I mean DON'T call her a HE. If you are going to carry on a conversation with someone, open your ears and pay attention. If you couldn't gather from the bows, flowers, ribbons, etc. that it's a girl or from the trains, trucks, cars, blue blanket, etc. that it's a boy or from the conversation what gender the baby is, then just close your mouth and walk away. You've probably made a big enough fool of yourself already and any other words from your mouth will probably guarantee you a spot in the Idiots Hall of Fame.

I am a mother who is proud to dress my girls in blue, green, yellow, white and brown. I am a mother who sees that my girls clothes are from the girls section and have some sort of flower, ribbon, lace, bow, etc. that clearly identifies that the child that I have with me is a girl. My child may not have a lot of hair, but that doesn't mean that she is a boy. My child may be wearing blue, but look at the bows and ribbon that is on that blue. You may not be able to see my child's outfit, but look at the pink blanket that is tucked around her in her car seat. I am a mother of GIRLS.

Sincerely,
A mother of girls

My Dear Cali...

I love being your mom. I love every day that I get to spend with you. I love it when you you smile at me. I love it when you laugh at me. I love it when you let me squeeze you so tight. I love it when you want me to hold you. I love that you are still a baby, but I love that you are growing up and learning new things. I love all the funny faces you make.




I love how you suck on your hands. I love how you scrunch your toes really tight when someone tickles your foot.


I love the face that you make to let me know you're tired of me taking your picture.


I love you Cali and am so happy to have you as my daughter.

What a beautiful day!

It is 70 degrees outside and absolutely beautiful. It's a little windy, but that's ok. My friend Amber and I decided to take the kids to the park. It was pretty nice and not too many people there.

Katya was so excited to be there.

Just chillin'.

Cali wasn't quite as happy, but she still enjoyed it.

Katya and her friend Brendan.

Cali and Amber

Why am I so excited for this week?

I woke up yesterday morning so excited for this week. I woke up this morning totally excited again. I keep smiling at how wonderful this week will be. Here's why I'm so excited:

1. Jethro's last class is on Wednesday. Now he can actually be home at night and we can eat dinner together. One more semester down, two more to go. Way to go Jethro!
2. It was so nice outside yesterday and so nice today. It is about 10 a.m. and it's 54 degrees. That in itself puts a smile on my face.
3. I don't have to read The Scarlett Letter this week. That's right. I finished it yesterday. It has taken me absolutely forever to read. I liked it, but it just took way too long to read.
4. Katya is starting to crawl. I am so excited for this. I've waited a long time for it and I'm glad it's finally happening.
5. Our garden is getting started. I am so excited for our garden this year. Everyday I dream about what I can do with all the fruits and vegetables. My mind is just swimming with ideas and I can't wait.
6. I get to see this every day:

Katya absolutely loves giving Cali hugs. Cali
loves it too and just laughs every time.

I love that it's Spring and all that it brings. I'm just so excited I can't help it!

This is What We in the Business Like to Call "A Momentous Occasion"

I have been sick for this whole week, and I have actually been doing a lot more talking than usual at school, so my students have had to deal with me going through puberty for the second time, and if you watch this video (and trust me, you do!) you will experience the re-puberting of Jethro as well. But don't worry, this video is not about me, and it is only 16 seconds long.

Blog Book

A couple months ago Erin posted about a blog book. One of my Twitter friends mentioned that his wife printed their blog out as well. He said it was good quality. We thought it would be fun, so we decided to give it a shot. We downloaded the software from Blurb.com. It was pretty easy to do, though the software is still a little buggy. Staci did all the hard work, and I just gave her encouragement. She says that it took her a total of 12 hours to make the book. Which is much better than the 24-36 it took me to make our video from 2006. The book only cost about $35, which is not a lot considering the 333 photos we had would have cost at least that much to print off. This way, we got all the pictures, and good descriptions of them, and dates of each picture for just a little bit of money. If you are crazy enough to actually want to purchase this book, I can open it up to be sold, so you can get one for yourself. I am sure that only grandparents would want this book. But, anyway, here it is:

More sewing projects

I was at Walmart awhile back and saw fabric that I just couldn't resist. The minute I saw it I knew exactly what I was going to do. Here is the finished project.

I absolutely love these dresses and they were so easy. The fabric was made to do for dresses for kids that are quite a bit bigger, but with a little cutting they fit just perfect.

Katya's Fork

In celebration of our 200th post, we would like to post a video of Katya eating with her fork. Sadly, she was done with the super-cuteness when I busted out the video. It is just her regular cuteness in the video. She was able to see the video as it was being recorded, so she was very distracted by that.

Apologies for the low quality and squeaky chair.

What about Preschool?

Katya is almost 2. A lot of preschools around here will take kids when they are 2, but some won't take them until they're 3. I know that you should always see if your child is ready to go to a preschool environment and if the have the ability to pay attention and such. I take that all into account. My question to you readers is: What do you think about sending kids to preschool at 2? If anyone has experiences with doing so, opinions on the matter, and what not, please share. I am only one mother so I would love to here what everybody else thinks.

It must be comfortable

I went into to check on Cali this morning and she was totally asleep and scrunched up a the bottom of her Pea Pod. By the time I got a picture she as awake and not as squished. She is so funny!

Why? Because she can.

Why does Cali fall asleep like this?

Because she can. She mostly falls asleep like this on Sundays. It's pretty funny and cute.

Dinosaur Museum

Because it was too cold for the zoo, we went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. It was so much fun. The kids favorite part was probably playing in the sand and water. Jethro was so funny and loved it just like the rest of the little kids. It is so much fun to be around all these kids and just play. We took a ton of pics so I don't have too much to say. We also don't have many of Cali because she slept most of the time.

Lily and Cali

Nya and Katya

Katya digging for bones

Katya liked eating the dirt more than digging in it

Nya digging

The kids touching one of the many "touchable" exhibits

Playing in the cave

Jethro and I

Emma being silly

Assembling dinosaurs

Katya and Nya giving each other a hug

Lily and I with the dinosaur we built

Nya and Lily making dino land

Jethro and Jonah

Creating dams so they can flood their dino habitat

Nya playing in sand

Amy and Katya

Anna and the dinosaur