Life In Slow Motion

If there is anything I have learned by having three kids it is that EVERYTHING takes time! I feel like I am moving in slow motion. It is as if I am stuck in cold molasses while trying to run the marathon of life. It takes me three times as long to get ready in the morning and it takes me all day to clean the house (which is messed up again in ten minutes anyways).

So the lessons that I have learned is that it is time for me to gain the art of patience. We went to Lagoon for our family trip and it was an adventure to try ones patience. I am so used to doing Lagoon the teenage way where you run from ride to ride trying to get your money's worth out of the experience, but the girls were in no hurry at all. They walked slowly while looking at things and day dreaming. Eliannah wanted to watch the little birdies that come to eat the crumbs that people leave behind! I'm thinking we could be doing that for free!

We really did have an awesome time though! It was so fun to see the girls go on the rides! At first only Tsadakah would ride them, then Ellie would ride with her and adventually she was also riding by herself. The best ride that they went on over and over again was the one with all of the animals and the kids control if it goes up or down. Tsadakah held the stick in the all-the-way up possition! You should have seen Eliannah's face as they went around! It was classic! Fear and dlight all in one! That was when I realized that I had forgotten my camera. I wish I had had it, but it would have been one more thing to be stressed about so I kinda don't mind.

My favorite part of the day was riding with Tsadakah on the Ladybug Drop! I think that miniride is better than The Rocket! It is so thrilling to me to not know when you will drop over and over and over again!

My goal for July is the same as what most people have in January, weight loss. I'm hoping for a wapping 5 lbs per week. Haha! I know that is ambitious and it might not be obtainable, but if you reach for the sun you will at least reach the moon! I'm not settling for the stars! So I have re-activated my gym membership and I am back to routine (which just adds one more thing that takes a lot of time and seems long to get through). I will be running a 5k on July 31 so I am trying to get ready for that as well.

The 4th of July was a total and complete blast! We had five days total to celebrate, which includes Saturday the 3rd. We started by going down to Mike's sister's house for her daughter's baptism. We had fabulous food and stayed for long hours talking and hanging out. Then we went to their house and in the evening we went to see fireworks in the street.

On the fourth we observed and quiet and reverent day in which we celebrated in our hearts the wonderful, miraculous events that have taken place to bring us to a free country. I am so greatful to have been blessed to live in a time and a place where I can worship how I choose.

That evening we went to my parent's house and had a bountiful meal. It was so great! There were so many fresh vegetables and fruit! This is a picture of Eliannah helping with the peas from their garden. She was mostly just playing in them.

Then on the 5th we went to a traditional Bishop's Breakfast. My dad is now in the bishopric so he was in charge of a lot of it. He did a great job bringing the spirit about in it! It was also great to see old friends I grew up with.

Later Mike went on a hike with my dad, brother in law, Troy, and his kids, Olivia, Anna, and Seth. This is also a tradition that I usually participate in but didn't this time because of the new little one. Theyhad a good time despite the difficulty. We were all impressed with them because they were so young (this is a 6-7 hr hike and fairly steep too).

When they got back we went up to Firnwood to watch all the cities fireworks. This is a picture of the sun setting before. I loved the one "star" that is out! This is my hometown. *sigh, oh how I love it!

Then we came back to the house and lit fireworks in the street. It was all so much fun!

A Long Time Coming

I have been needing to post this for over a month now. Mike finished the fence!...and a whole lot more. Mike is an amazingly fast worker. He Finished in two weeks! He does great handiwork and it is like my own oasis! These kind of projects are his hobbies. He is a service love language person, so he is telling us that he loves us. This is the sandbox which I said that I never wanted! ha ha. I've known so many people who have hated theirs because it makes your house a mess. Our girls used to go to the neighbot's sandbox and play in it like every day. So he was so nice and came over and offered to make use one if we would pay for the materials. It sounded like a good deal so I went against my better judgement and...I hate it. We have sand in our bed, on our couch and in the girls hair all the time!!!

Mike assembled this playhouse in record time as well! It took him 2 days! The kids love it and I can send them out to play so that I can have me time or take care of MiKaylah. We just need to get the wood chips or something put in.

Eliannah, Tsadakah, Madison.

Michael, the greatest man, the greatest husband, the greatest father!

Michael is so patient with the girls. I try to use him as an example when I am disciplining them. He is strong in every way. He is completely in love with his girls. I love to see him make kissy faces at MiKaylah and talk to her in a soft voice as he, a big strong guy, holds this tiny infant!

Life With Three

Three children has been an adventure! I love my kids more than anything, but I almost feel like a first-time-mom again. I am at a learning curve and I have to work hard to maintain ballance. I have had to limit the activities I go and do.
The thing that I have noticed the most is that it is not just a learning curve for me, but also for the older two. Tsadakah is having to learn to do more for herself than I would have ever pushed her to do if I hadn't had a new baby. Sometimes my hands are just full and I have to tell her that she has to do it herself. She is doing well with that. I think that it is good for her self-esteem. Eliannah's learning curve is learning that tempertantrums don't work. This little one is the queen of tantrum throwing, and in the past I have given in because it was easier than dealing with a tenth tantrum for hour. (ha ha she really wasn't that bad) I usually made Tsadakah give her the toy she wanted or whatever, but now when she takes MiKaylah's toys or her burp rags I take them away and put my foot down. She is learning, but it hurts me too because I feel bad for her having to feel like her place has been taken.
She's been doing some cute and funny things too. She takes MiKaylah's pajamas out of the drawer and tries to put them on. She gets one arm on and runs around the house saying "Mine!"

MiKaylah is doing really well on all her development stages. She is staring at me for a long time to memorize my face, she is moving as if she is cycling a bike, and she is more awake and allert during the day. She is getting chunkier every day which is making her look change a lot. Everywhere I go people are noticing the change. She's a beauty and I have been struck by qupid because I am definitely in love!

Tsadakah is so much like me in her personality! She loves to dress up! She found this horse costume and wanted to wear it. It is like a 18 month old costume so it was a squeeze! Then she found the one that I bought for my sister and she insisted Ellie wear it, as you can see she is not as thrilled! ha ha. They are so much fun!

A Day At the Zoo!

It was mandatory for Mike to work on Father's Day, so we didn't get to see him that day. We really missed him. He got the next day off for it though. I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate and he said that he wanted to take the kids to the zoo. He is such a great dad because he is always choosing to do things that are great for the kids. Last year we came to the zoo for his birthday. I think that makes him feel the happiest as a dad, to see his kids excited; and they were definitely excited! This is Eliannah who is very excited about an animal that she could see. It was the Giraffe, which is my favorite animal at the zoo, that she is pointing at. Believe it or not, this was not her favorite. We went to the Giraffe building and Mike took them up to the second level. He said that Eliannah climbed under the gate to where the zoo workers only and he had to grab her just by her feet and pull her back. Yeah when we go to Lagoon we will for sure be getting her a monkey leash!!

Tsadakah was more excited about the Rhino than the Elephant and her new baby, Zuri. We went to the Elephant show and I really enjoyed seeing what the elephant could do! She got down on one knee like she was proposing and then down on her tummy like a dog.

Tsadakah loved to see the animals and she was so excited to see them. Just like last year all she talked about and searched for was the Lion. I don't think that they have one, so I am glad we are going to Lagoon because I think that they have some. The Tiger sufficed for the time though.

Ellie playing at the playground.

Sadye being a turtle.

The Zebras weren't there and we missed them a lot. I didn't get a picture of Eliannah in front of the animals that were her favorite because she was so excited about them she wouldn't hold still at all!! She kept moving, jumping, and swinging. It was so cute how excited she got about the monkeys. It made me so happy to see her so excited. That reminds me that we saw an Orangutan sitting right up against the glass. He was eating a fruit and being silly. It was awesome to see face to face like that!

Ward Party & Family Reunion

Tsadakah: She has a LOT of favorites in her little world, but her all time favorite and treasured possession is her yellow blanket! She can't sleep without it and she will not let anyone else play with it. She has even caused Michael to have to break into someone's house once to get it back after she left it there. Well she WILL share it with MiKaylah! She tucks her in with it all the time. CUTE!

Eliannah: So she is doing really well still and she is such a joy! She makes me laugh all the time with her adorable sense of humor and personality. The other day I went into me room and found her stuffing as many nursing pads as possible down her shirt. I totally cracked up! the all fell out the bottom of her shirt. she looked down at the pile and said "oh no"

MiKaylah: She has gained a whole pound already! She never lost weight! The sad thing is that she is already out growing some of her outfits! *sigh! She is changing a lot in the face and looking chubby!! She is now 22" and 8lb 6oz. that puts her at 95% for height!

It was a really great weekend! Friday we went to our ward party. We had good food (dutch oevn chicken), good company and good entertainment. We sat with two of my good friends. One of whom just had her baby girl 2 weeks before I had MiKaylah.
The entertainment was a talent show. Tsadakah definately wanted to get up and do something! She stood up on the stage and confidently sang her favorite primary song, "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" Then they played a little music in the end and Eliannah and I danced the Mocaraina together. It was fun! Mike went around and scared the little girls who were running around the church. They were loving it! it was funny!

Saturday was Mike's family reunion. It is always at the same park. Well we definately got rained out! So we went to the nearest relative's house and BBQ'ed there. It was a good time. The kids still wanted to play outside despite the wind and scattered showers. Well Tsadakah was trying to pick their flowers near the pretty little pond that they had and oops! she fell in! Went under completely! She climbed out and stood there holding her dress out and looking at it. It was quite funny to all the adults who laughed and she ate up all the attention that she was getting for it. I had to wash her at their house. Good thing that I had something to put on her, although it was Eliannah's clothes. ha ha good thing she is such a skinny thing!

Baby Life

For my June goal I am focusing on family. I know that it is really hard on the older kids when there is a new addition to the family because it takes mom's time away. So I am trying to make time for them and create the best environement of love here in our home so that they can feel secure.
The blessings that have come from it have been so wonderful! I feel closer to them and I don't think that I have been as much of a yeller as I have been in the past. I am practicing patience and just trying to stay consistant while still remaining calm.
We have been doing so much better with family scripture study, prayer and FHE too. I feel closer to Mike because we are trying harder to do these things together, and we communicate better.
I think that there is no better way to bring two sisters together than to have another baby. Ha ha. Here is what Tsadakah and Eliannah have been doing to bond, locking each other inside a laundry basket by sitting on top of it. They really were playing well together and laughing about it. Their playing together has gotten more frequent since they realized that the time mommy has for them is lessened but the time their sister has for them hasn't changed.
The other night after tucking them into bed I shut the door to their room and listened to them giggling for some time. I realized that I will never be a part of that relationship. I will never be in on the things that they titter about in the night time. I will not hear the secrets that they share with each other throughout the years. In that sense I will always be the outsider. Knowing that they share that makes be smile though.

MiKaylah is so precious! I want to take her picture all the time! When she is sleeping, when she is waking up, and when she is awake.

She is so fun to hold! I enjoy holding here in quiet moments early in the morning when the other girls haven't gotten up yet, or in the middle of church in the mother's lounge when its just the two of us!

I keep trying to catch a picture of her smiling! she is so cute all the time that I want to document every aspect, not just the sleeping all the time, but the smiles and the scrunched up faces too.

My mom came and helped out for the first coulple days back from the hospital.
She was great! And of course she loved holding MiKaylah.

Eliannah is still all over MiKaylah any time that she is awake! She loves to hold her. I have gotten to the point where I have them lay down together because that is easier for her and less stressful for me! lol. She loves to help burp the baby.

Tsadakah is also a little mommy. Her favorite thing to help give La La baths.

Eliannah hasn't shown any jealousy toward the baby, but she has been super clingy to me. She wants me to hold her all the time!! She is more insecure about going somewhere without me, like when I drop her off at nursery. I prefer this to jealousy so I am glad that she hasn't had that reaction.

Tsadakah's second favorite thing to help with is giving La La her bottle. I think that it is a good way for them to bond. They love her so much!

I am feeling much better and am glad to not be pregnant anymore. I love being a mother and I am so happy because my kids do so many things that make me smile.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mike is now 29! For his birthday I made him his fav breakfast and gave him his gifts: A wallet and a PS3 game. His brother, Devin and family came to visit and see our new baby. It was perfect timing too because they were able to celebrate with us.

This is Devin's son, Jaxton. Tsadakah and him are the best of friends! He really loved his cake, but he didn't get to eat it for very long.

This was so funny because one minute he was playing and laughing and the next he was zonked out on his mommy's lap. We were laughing so hard. Becky said that the first thing that he said when he woke up the next morning was, "That was the best cake I ever had in my whole life!"
Tsadakah just loved the frosting...like always.

I never went to the store to get more candles so he only got one on his cake. oops! He picked out this cake because it had a rum flavored drizzle to make it moist and real whipped cream frosting. Then we put Heath candy on top. The filling in the middle was a dark chocolate. Because of the rum drizzle it ended up being lop-sided, but it still tasted good.

For all the things that he has done for us, and the way that he is always so good to us! Happy Birthday, Mike! I love you!

Oh ya one more thing that was a side splitting funny part of his birthday was that night when we watched a movie. Mike chose to lay on the floor where Xander, Devin's second son, was playing. Xander kept trying to sit on Mike's head. He would crawl around to his face turn his butt on him and then plunk down. Mike just lay there letting it happen. Then Xander started getting frustrated that he kept sliding off so he got more persistent and twice he fell forward onto his own head. It was all super hilarious!!