Realizations

We sure have been happy lately but yet last week I was a little mopey. My family had just left after visiting for a few days and I don't know when I'll see them again, maybe not even until Christmas time. I also had heard about a couple of fun get-togethers in Laramie, reminding me that we are the only ones who aren't there. I also couldn't find a babysitter when I needed to go to the dentist and I missed being near family sooo much. I've felt a little lonely and "cheated" that my kids don't get to spend as much time with their grandparents and cousins as the other kids do. 

I was also feeling a little bummed that I am not teaching school like so many of my friends. I had a combined piano recital with the elementary music teacher here (who had guitar students perform) and she was so nice to allow me to share her music room for the event and it made me wish I had her job. :)

But then on Saturday instead of having some sort of "end of summer bash"  we just stayed home. We helped clean the church and the boys were actually quite helpful and I loved that they knew it was an important thing to do. Then Matt took the older boys one on one and helped them learn to ride their bikes. Later that evening we played bocce (which Brennen is getting pretty good at) then went to the elementary school to play on the playground and let the boys ride on the bike path while we walked along with them in the chilly fall-like air. 

Brennen still has training wheels but he's getting really good at riding and he can go pretty fast! I felt like it was a metaphor for how life is going to be now that he won't be home with me during the day. He rode so far ahead that I couldn't see him and I felt a bit of panic until I remembered that he knows to stay on the path. He knows where he is going and I don't really need to keep him under my watchful eye every second of every day anymore.

The school is just east of town, right at the start of the black hills, and it was just so beautiful. Dean was singing to himself the whole time, Seth was so happy and smiling and Matt and I held hands and talked about the upcoming school year and about how happy we are with the life we have made together so far.

Side note: He was super sick a couple weeks ago, feverish and delirious for days. It made me realize just how much I love him and how I would be sunk if anything ever happened to him. Not only would my kids not have an amazing father around but no other man would ever want me (or be able to put up with me) and there's no way I would ever want to be with anyone else. He really is my perfect half and I love that I can feel comfort and peace in the fact that he is mine forever. (end of cheesy lovey dovey side note)

I just felt so much joy that night (and the feeling has stayed with me) and I know that even though sometimes it's hard to be far from family and to feel a little lonely that I am truly happy here with my little family and with my life. 

Lately I feel like I'm seeing myself through different eyes. I looked at myself and realized that I AM my mother. I am what I see when I think of her. I am what I remember her being when I was just starting school. She was 29 when I went into kindergarten and I am 30 now when my first baby is going. (I was her 3rd baby but whatever). :) When in the world did that happen??

I just realized that so many things that I think are a big deal or that I think matter a lot just don't and I need to be able to let certain things go. I need to remember to be thankful for my blessings because I have more than I can count. To be SO thankful for the beautiful life I have and be at peace with the choices I have made.

another side note: I didn't read through this before posting so I apologize if it doesn't make sense or sounds rambling. :)

Seth is 9 months old

Time flies! Again!

My baby is 9 months old. He is seriously the happiest, smiliest, sweetest baby ever. He is so much fun. We were able to see a ton of family at a family reunion this past weekend and the poor little guy was not feeling well at all. It made me sad because no one (especially his grandparents) got to see his true personality. 

He went to the doc yesterday. He is still so skinny but the doctor isn't worried. He just said I could give him whole milk once a day if I want. No doc has ever given that go-ahead before a year. Sweet. He only cried for about 5 seconds after his shots. Brennen cried for longer and kept hugging him. What a sweet brother. 

Here are the stats:

Weight: 17 pounds (9%)

Length: 28 1/2 inches (53%)

Head: 45 cm (48%)

• He smiles at everything!
• He LOVES to climb.
• He chases his brothers everywhere. 
• He loves being outside. If he's fussy for no apparent reason I just take him outside and it is a quick fix.
• He decided he no longer wants to nurse. I think it's because he was sick and the bottle was just so much faster. I always have mixed feelings when this time comes.
• His favorite food is bread. He scarfs it and I have to only give him one little piece at a time or he tries to shove too much into his mouth.
• I cannot keep him away from the piano. Especially if anyone is playing it. He loves to play it and to push down the pedals.
• He snuggles into me whenever a stranger talks to him. 
• He gives the best hugs after he wakes up. 
• He babbles "da da da da" all the time but is starting to say "mum mum" and I'm getting him to try to say "bite." It sounds like "buh."
• He has two teeth!

We love our little Seth!

Fantastic Summer

I'm going to go backwards. :)

We bought a house this week! It's great. Just a cute, little thing here in Newcastle and it needs a little bit of work but it's ours and it was a steal (at least I think so). No pictures just yet but we're in the process of moving and I will hopefully post some soon. YAY! The boys are loving it so far and have been helping me pack and load/unload today. Seth is not too happy about the process, I think he feels lost in the house because he just wanders around and cries. Poor kid! We hope to be settled in by the end of the week.

We went on a 4 mile hike the other day. Brennen walked the whole way! Dean mostly rode Matt's shoulders and Seth was very content in the back pack.

A couple cuties after church last week. Dean made a mask in nursery and Seth is wearing his cute white shirt and tie given to us by our friend Kathleen!

A couple weeks ago I ran a half marathon! I had been training for a few months and it felt great to accomplish such a thing. I doubt if I'll ever do one again but I'm so glad (and can't believe) I did one! I beat my goal time by nearly 15 minutes, finishing in 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The first week of July my sister and her family came this way! They stayed with us on Monday night then we went to Devil's Tower with them then they were off to see the other sights. It was great to have visitors from such a great distance!

For the 4th of July we went camping the night before then just had fun shooting our own little fireworks and watching the big ones on Saturday. Seth was ticked camping and finally had to sleep in the car with Matt (after a long drive). He decided to start teething that night... but the other boys had a blast! We found a beautiful spot and had good food and went on a nice little hike.

In June Matt's brother Lane and his family came to visit, too! We went with them to Bear Country (I didn't get any pictures...) then they went and saw a bunch of stuff in the beautiful black hills. We had a little picnic at the park and the guys had a chance to go fishing. It was a great weekend!

Over Father's Day weekend we had a family reunion at Bear Lake. It was such a blast! The boys absolutely loved the tent, and playing on the boat and in the water with their cousins.

We loved seeing everyone!

 It was just perfect and nice.

We were away for about a week, we spent time in Lyman before and after the reunion and even got to go to the temple thanks to my dad and sister for watching the kids! On the way back we made a detour to see Ayer's Natural Bridge. 






On June 15th my little baby turned 5! He is such a good boy. He is SO smart, he's getting better every day at reading and math, he helps with his brothers, helps me around the house, loves to play outside and run around, is getting quite good at piano, and is excited to start kindergarten this fall!

At the very beginning of June we had even more visitors! My mom, dad, and brother Kasey came. We went to Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, through Custer Stake Park on the Needles highway and had a great dinner in Rapid City. They even got to see Brennen play a t-ball game. It was wonderful to have them and they'll have to come back so we can see even more!

We love exploring the outdoors, going on hikes, fishing, camping and picnics. Here are a few more pictures of such things we've done so far this summer!

Happy Summer! :)

A Little Bit of Updating!

My little baby is 7 months old today! I was holding him as he slept last night and I couldn't believe how big he was! Here are a few things about him.

• He sleeps through the night, most of the time. Sometimes he wakes up at 4 but then he'll go back to sleep for a few hours which is nice!
• He finally drinks bottles! So he's down to about 3 nursings a day and drinks a little formula and eats a few solid meals.
• He is SUCH a good, happy baby. So easy to please. He loves to smile and laugh and lately has taken to attacking his brothers.
• He has been able to sit on his own for about a month. He can also get from crawling/scooting back into a sitting position with ease.
• He absolutely LOVES baths! He goes crazy in there and my hands are always hovering just over him to make sure he won't bash his face or try to drink the water.
• He loves to crawl and gets all over the house. He can pull up on toys and the stairs and can even stand for a few seconds without holding on. He follows me everywhere!
• He is a crazy, wild boy but can also be such a cute cuddler. 
• He is starting to stop and pose for pictures. I love it!

We sure love him!

We have visited family in Laramie a few times lately, for Easter, a weekend visit, and this last weekend for Mary's graduation from high school. It was great to be able to see so many family members!

Brennen played soccer this spring and also finished up preschool! It was crazy for me when I picked him up. I said, "This was your last day of preschool ever!" and he said, "Alright! Time for kindergarten! And you don't drop me off. I'll just ride the bus." Excuse me?? When did he get so big and independent??

He's easy to spot in this one because he has the goofiest face.

Dean is just a cute kid. There's nothing too new to report about him. :) His cutest antic of late is that he says, "Mom, I love you!" whenever he thinks he's about to get in trouble. Or whenever Seth is crying...

We had some wet snow so we finally got to make a little Dean-sized snowman!

My boys were so cute on Mother's Day. They gave me flowers and candy and helped Matt make me breakfast.

We survived soccer season and now Matt is almost done with the school year. The kids have their last day today then he has two days of staff development next week.

We have been house hunting! It's been a little stressful but fun and I just have been panicking that we aren't making the best choices and this is a huge decision! But we are pretty sure we've found the house for us. It isn't what I first envisioned when buying a house but it is not the house we will live in forever. I think we're getting a good deal and it will be great for us for awhile! I'm excited to make improvements and have a little more space for our family!