Never a Dull Moment...

What a week! It started off so well and then ended with a bang. Literally. So, let's take it from the top.

After the hair-cutting debacle of 2009, things settled down for a bit. I managed to keep the kids in line for a good week by dangling the bribe of a trip to Aunt Kristin's in front of their noses. The kids were mostly well-behaved and cooperative last week and even though they never fully managed to clean up the basement like they were supposed to, we still headed on over to the cousin's house to spend the weekend for General Conference. Fun was had all around and there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth when we finally had to leave on Sunday evening.

Jane had her 1 month check-up on Monday (10 lbs 5 oz --75th percentile, 23 1/2 inches -- 95th percentile) and I dragged Ethan along with her for his 6 year check-up because somehow -- in all the shuffle of being pregnant and prepping for the baby -- I failed to get that scheduled for him back in June.

A rare smile -- Jane at 6 weeks.

The whole motley crew.

After the appointment, we still had some time to kill before we had to get Grace from preschool and Sophie from the neighbor's, so I decided to be a "fun mom" and simultaneously kick-start our fall festivities by stopping at the store on the way home to get a pumpkin to carve and cookies to eat for Family Home Evening that night. FHE was a hit, and while poor Scott tackled the jungle that our yard had become -- I seriously should have taken a before picture of the amber waves of grain (figuratively speaking, of course) that were undulating in the front and back yards -- the kids helped me carve our jack o'lantern. I had them draw the picture on first and luckily there was no fighting over who did what -- Grace quickly called the eyes, Ethan wanted to do the mouth, and Sophie was happy to do the nose. The resulting pumpkin was 100% my kids. It makes me laugh just looking at it. The problem with carving up a pumpkin this early in the season in our climate, however, is that less than a week later it is already starting to mold. Ew.












I continued my streak of fun mom later in the week by letting the kids decorate some pumpkin cans. As Ethan has noted this season, we are sorely lacking in Halloween decorations. Some of the few things I have are some old tin cans that I painted and decorated a long time ago to look like a family of jack 0'lanterns. The kids have been intrigued by them since I pulled them out last week and have been wanting to make some, too. Since they're relatively easy to make, I finally gave in and agreed to let them make their own. Hilarity ensued. j/k. Well kind of. I think their finished product is hilarious-looking, and since they had so much fun in the making, we may just make a few more before this season is over.

How to Paint a Pumpkin Can:

1.) Spray paint a tin can white.

2.) After white paint is dry, sponge on different shades of orange till the can is covered.

3.) Let the orange paint dry, and then use Paint Markers to draw a face on your pumpkin.

4.) Enjoy your handiwork. (Left to Right -- Ethan's, Grace's, and the original).

And now we're coming to the close. Saturday was the long-awaited and much heralded "Date" day, and the big prize for this week's chores was a trip to McDonald's. All 3 kids chose this as their date because McDonald's has hit their target demagraphic with the stupid toys they include in their Happy Meals.

THIS is the sole reason McDonald's was the venue of choice this week:




After a busy morning of trying to convince Grace that she had to finish cleaning her room or she wouldn't get her date, I took the 3 clowns and it was off to McDonald's for an extra bonus of eating and romping at the Playland. The kids got their Happy Meals, rejoiced over their junks, ate their food, and were off to play within 15 minutes. I was all settled in at the table seizing the rare moment of peace and quiet to myself by tackling the LONG needed chore of cleaning out my purse when I looked up and noticed Sophie about to climb after the kids with her shoes still on. I told her to take off her shoes and put them in the little cubbies and then I turned back to the task at hand. After a couple seconds she finally decided to comply and here is where catastrophe struck. As she was running, she tripped (over her stupid Crocs, I'm sure) and fell flat out striking her forehead on a pole. I heard it all happen and looked up just as she was starting to cry and then a split-second later watched in horror as blood started gushing from the wound. I'm really not very good in emergency situations, and to be honest I was freaking out internally as my mind was racing a hundred miles an hour trying to think what to do.

I scooped Sophie up, yelled for Ethan and Grace to get their shoes on so we could go, and tried to staunch the bleeding with a napkin, all while trying to gather up my things, calm Sophie down, and stay calm myself. Luckily the other people in the play area saw what happened and this SWEET old man ran and got some ice and wrapped it in a handkerchief -- because who really carries around handkerchiefs in this day and age except for the elderly -- to hold to her head and then gently picked her up and comforted her while I got Ethan and Grace ready to go. We trailed to the car, a pitiful site I'm sure, with Ethan crying just as loud as Sophie and freaking out that she was going to die. Grace started crying, too, and as we drove to the hospital -- which was fortunately just a few blocks away -- I tried to convince the 3 of them that Sophie would be fine and was NOT going to die. Grace was fine as soon as I said Sophie probably just needed stitches. Ethan transferred his freaking out from the thought of her dying to the new thought that getting stitches would hurt her. What a sweet big brother, right?

We made it to the emergency room (which, by the way, is Sophie's FIFTH trip in her 2 1/2 years of life), I got us signed in, and then managed to find a courtesy phone to call Scott at home -- because of course this was the one time I didn't have my cell phone with me -- while trying to keep us as far away as possible from the guy who was coughing up a lung in the waiting room. Fun times, in deed. Scott came with Jane to meet up with us, we switched places -- the last thing I wanted was my newborn to catch some infectious disease from the hospital, Grace ran away while I was gathering up all of our stuff, and Ethan ran off to "bring her back."

We finally made it home, and about an hour later Scott and Sophie returned with her gash taped together and glued shut with some Dermabond. Here are some pictures of our little supermuppet. The wound detracts from the hair cut, don't you think?

Side-note. This outfit is the reason why I love letting my children dress themselves. How fabulous does she look? It's like she knew she would need to look extra cute for some grand adventure today. And she was even so far-sighted that she had packed her pluggie in her purse for a little extra comforting as needed.







Alright, we're winding down here. Today was our debut at church as a family of 6. I wanted to get a family picture before-hand, and we were well-slated to make it to church on time where I hoped to grab someone to snap a quick pic before the kids were all in disarray, when our plans for punctuality were foiled by a self-medicating 2 year old. Yep, that's right. Sophie somehow managed to get the child-proof lid off the Children's Motrin and downed a dosage cup full (this according to Ethan who couldn't stop her in time) while I was still getting dressed and Scott was trying to get all our stuff ready to go. Nothing like a call to Poison Control to get your week started off right. Luckily the 3 or 4 teaspoons she managed to ingest were not a fatal amount, and after that minor setback we were finally off to church (brief synopsis -- We were 20 minutes late, Ethan freaked out during sacrament meeting because Scott wouldn't play the "Dot Game" with him, I realized once again that Sophie's volume control is seriously lacking during church, Grace lost it by the end of Primary, and Jane was a super champ. All in all, it went much better than I was expecting. And in the end, I managed to get a shot of all the kids after church).

All in a day's work.










And just for fun...

Here's a picture of Sophie in happier times doing her "pageant pose." If any of you have watched TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" I think you'll recognize the ridiculous move I'm talking about. I trained her to do this move on command a couple months ago, and every single time she does it -- head nodding and bobbing on her little fist while doing a "cute" little "pouty" face -- I die. Laughing that is. Enjoy:

Ultimate Grand Supreme material. No?

A Rite of Passage

A quick story before bedtime...

After spending a remarkably productive morning cleaning up and organizing the family room while Jane was sleeping in the swing, I should have realized that the girls were being a LITTLE too quiet down in the basement. So, I shouldn't have been all that shocked when Grace traipsed up the stairs at approximately 10:45 this morning, informing me that Sophie had cut her hair. Sophie has been obsessed with cutting things lately and no matter how many times I've taken scissors away and put them out of reach for her, she somehow keeps finding more, so really its only been a matter of time before something like this happens. Nevertheless, I stormed down the stairs to fuss at the little rat and there she was sitting on the couch with a chunk of hair cut off the side, said hair strewn all around her, and a pair of child's safety scissors beside her as she sat unperturbed watching "A Bug's Life." I yelled at her to get upstairs to her room for a time out, and then as she followed me up the stairs the truth came out.

"Gracie cut my hair, mommy!" she said. I turned to Grace in a fury and asked if she was telling me the truth or a lie when she said that Sophie was the one who cut her hair. "The truth?" she said with wide-eyed innocence, followed a few minutes later with a "Sorry, mom!" spoken with noticeable fear and trembling. Aaaahhhh! I was more upset with her for lying (a recurring theme with her) than I was for the hair-cutting -- although I was plenty mad about that as well. I sent her up to her room and let her stew there for a good 20 minutes while I got Sophie a snack and fed the baby. When I finally went up to talk to her I asked her why she lied to me and she started to cry and told me it was because she was scared. I decided to use this as a teaching opportunity and tried to explain to her that the reason she was feeling that way was because the Holy Ghost was letting her know that she had made a bad choice by cutting Sophie's hair. Apparently this was the wrong tactic to take, because Grace made a hairpin turn from sorry and contrite to kicking and screaming that the Holy Ghost didn't tell her anything because she did NOT hear anyone talking to her! No amount of explaining could snap her out of the new mood, and it was only exacerbated when I told her that her consequence for cutting the hair and then lying about it was that she can't get the Kit Kitteredge (American Girl Doll) for her birthday. She was NOT a happy camper.





Seriously, how homeless does she look? The irony is that this was about the same age Grace was when Ethan chopped off HER hair. Oh well. Sophie is pretty vain about her "pretty hair" so perhaps this will help to temper that a bit. And while there isn't a single haircut that can camouflage this mess, Scott came up with the fabulous idea of simply switching the part in her hair -- and it works like a charm. Her cowlick is pretty intense, though, so it might take some coaxing to get her hair to stay on the other side.





In other cutting-related news, ALL of the children are now banned from scissor usage due to another casualty from this week -- Ethan's shoe. I don't know what he was even thinking (and to be honest I don't think he even knows), but he came downstairs from bed a few nights ago with one of his Crocs in his hand with the back strap cut in half. I just don't understand the destructive tendencies at work here! Thanks to this lapse of judgment, Ethan's consequence is that he is basically my slave for the next little bit. I told him he owes me the 30 bucks those shoes cost to buy, and he has to earn the money to pay for it. So far he's earned only $2.75, so this could take a while.





Random side-note. The above picture has proven to be a lifesaver in the morning. In order to squeeze in as much sleep as possible, I've taken to setting out the breakfast spread at night before I go to bed for the kids. And then -- so they don't have to deal with pouring from the heavy gallon -- I put cups of milk in the fridge for Ethan and Grace to pour over their cereal if that's what they choose to eat. I do have to say, though, that I think we might single-handedly be keeping Kellogg's Pop Tarts in business. Specifically the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts. Because they're dairy-free, even Sophie can eat them and let's just say they've become the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack of choice these days.


Other than the scissor trauma, things have been pretty uneventful around here lately. Unless you count the fact that poor little Jane has been sick for the last week with a low fever and stuffed up nose. And the development that Grace and Sophie have taken to fighting with each other like cats and dogs -- not to mention the fact that Sophie has WAY too much attitude for a 2-year-old. Oh, and let's not forget that Ethan has some MAJOR frustration issues and anger management problems -- he seriously goes from 0 to 10 in a split second when he's aggravated. So, yeah. Nothing too exciting going on here! However, I am surviving. That was my only goal for 2009, so overall life is still good -- busy, sometimes stressful, occasionally frustrating, and almost always exhausting -- but still good.

Well, folks that's the latest. Jane is one month old today, and the time has literally FLOWN by. At this rate it will be Christmas before you know it!

Cute little Janie Boo looking beatific at bedtime.

Thank you and goodnight!

Life is Good?

(Expressed hesitantly, with deep fear that I will jinx things and this week will take a turn for the horrible...)


Week one back in the REAL world was a success! The girls got back a week ago, and boy did they have a blast with Sarah and Eleanor (and Andrew, too, I'm sure). Grace didn't even want to come home, evidenced by a phone call home asking if they could stay longer than one week. However, that was not going to be a possibility seeing as to how Grace's first day of Preschool was this week, she and Ethan had a dentist appointment on Monday, and we just plain missed those crazy girlie bugs.

Apparently, Grace and Sophie got hooked on Mary Poppins while they were at Sarah's, and here are my favorite pictures of the creativity that flowed from that:

"Grace Poppins" modeling her movie-inspired hat.

Working the camera. I think this is her Blue Steel look.

Alright, now for a quick run-down on our busy week. Grace started Preschool on Monday, and of course, I was not prepared for that. So, after getting Ethan dropped off at the bus stop, I loaded the 3 girls up and off we went to Target to get school supplies, a backpack, and some "playground shoes" (Crocs are not allowed) followed by a mad dash home to feed the baby, get Grace and Sophie their lunch, and then run Grace over to her school.

She was SUPER excited to go, and even more excited to wear her new school outfit with the dogs on it. The dog on the sweater vest was the cause of a major melt-down, however, when Grace put on her name tag and saw that it was covering up "Lulu." Eventually she calmed down and reassured me that she would be good and listen to her teacher.

Notice the way she's trying to showcase the dog on her vest?

So, as I was taking one last picture of Grace in front of her school, another parent was walking by and offered to take a picture with me in it. My first thought was of how nice that was, and of course I would love to be in the picture with her. It wasn't until I was actually in front of the camera that I remembered what I looked like that day. Oh well. Showering, wearing contacts, and getting dressed for the day are overrated anyway.

Ethan and Grace had their dental check-ups after school and fortunately for me Scott was able to come home a little early from work so that I wouldn't have to take all 4 kids with me. As for the check-up itself, in what has become a recurring theme in our family, Ethan got a clean bill of health, and Grace has 3 new cavities to be filled.

Grace and Sophie finalized their Halloween costume decisions on Wednesday -- Grace wants to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and Sophie wants a ball dress like Felicity's (you know, as in Felicity from the American Girl Doll Collection, of course). The patterns have been purchased along with the material for Grace's costume, and I'm sure they'd love for me to get right to work on them, but I don't think that's gonna happen just yet.

Thursday Scott went out of town for a quick (and I mean QUICK) recruiting trip to BYU. He arrived in SLC at 1:30Pm and left the next morning on the 8:30 flight. While he was there he spent the night at Freddie's, which prompted major water works from Grace who says she wants us to move back to Provo because she just misses Uncle Dodo too much. And while there's no way we'll be able to oblige her in that request, I do have to say that at this time of year especially, I have to sympathize with her in missing Provo.

Friday was the Fall Festival at Ethan's school. Scott opted out of going and so graciously volunteered to stay home with Jane while I took the 3 clowns to the festivities. We stayed for a little over an hour -- 35 minutes of which were spent waiting in line to jump in a Space Walk (or Bounce House or Jumping Castle or whatever you may call it) for a mere 3 minutes because Grace REALLY, REALLY wanted to jump. Fun. Fortunately, the line for the obstacle course was not nearly as long and Ethan was able to get that out of his system once we were done jumping, and Sophie found happiness with a parachute. After a quick romp on the playground we were done and on our way home for bed.

"Look, mom, I'm a monkey!" she kept saying.

Saturday was the icing on the cake for the kids. Ethan has been waiting a whole year for this weekend -- P&G Dividend Day at King's Island. Scott took Ethan, Grace -- and this year, Sophie -- to the amusement park and they spent the day in paradise. Paradise for the kids that is. I don't think it was quite as fun for Scott, but that's what makes him such a great dad, right? Not surprisingly, Sophie was not tall enough for most of the rides, so perhaps it wasn't quite as fun for her either.











Also happening this week was Jane's very first real bath! She LOVED it and didn't cry at all which was very surprising to me. I think all the other kids screamed the whole entire time during their first bath.

I was trying to get a close up of how curly her hair gets when its wet.

She is now 3 weeks old, and according to our home scale is weighing in at a hefty 9 1/2 pounds. As for eating, sleeping, fussing, etc. I would say she is a typical newborn. She's a good eater -- although, I did discover that she has a "bubble palate" after going to a lactation consultant during her second week of life. I had never heard of this before but it's essentially a bubble-like arch in the hard palate of the mouth. Basically, it contributes to painful nursing. Fortunately for me the painful part has started to subside now that the baby is getting bigger and more efficient at nursing. And while Jane is the first of my babies that I've heard this "diagnosis" with, I'd be willing to bet money that all my children have bubble palates based on the initial nursing issues I had with each of them!

As for sleeping -- she spends most of her day naps in the swing or carseat, but she has started to sleep better in her bassinet at night. She still wakes up 2 or 3 times to eat during the night, but I can count on her falling right back asleep for at least the first feeding and sometimes the second as well. So really, I can't complain. Fortunately she's not a super fussy baby and, all in all, things are good!

Jane makes really funny faces, and Scott was able to snap a picture of this one.

And just because I think she's so cute.

The transition to four kids has not been nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be. Then again, when you expect the worst, it's easy to be pleasantly surprised when things are not as bad as you feared. With Ethan in school, there are only 3 kids at home to take care of -- a number which I'm used to anyway -- and once Grace is at preschool and Sophie is taking a nap, I'm down to just one child that needs my attention and help. And then when Jane sleeps while Sophie is taking a nap and I get to take a nap, too -- well, that's just a little lagniappe for me.

So there you go. My first week with 4 kids in a nutshell. Life is good. Hopefully this week will not make me have to eat my words.

And now as promised -- here are comparison pictures of all 4 kids:

Here is a shot of all 4 of their hospital pictures.

I couldn't decide which baby pictures to use, so I picked three from each of them to showcase their hair and skin color to compare to Jane's. Since Ethan and Grace were both born in the pre-digital camera age, I had to take pictures of their pictures which I figured was easier and less time-consuming than scanning them would be. Here we go...

Ethan

(Thankfully Amy has always been willing to help me with my babies.)








Grace









Sophie

And there you have it. Jane is certainly the darkest of them all prompting Ethan to ask me on several occasions why her skin is brown. I, however, have no answer for that one.

If you are still reading this, you win a prize. Hahaha. Happy early birthday, Freddie! Grace really misses you.

The End.