Six Monther

1 I absolutely adore this little man. How could I not when he gives me a huge grin every time he sees me.
2 His hair has not grown one teeny, tiny bit since he was born. Which we think makes him look like a cute, bald turtle. Except that he has no neck still...
3 He will grin and laugh at almost anything--but especially his big brother and sister.

4 He still won't sleep more than a 2-3 hour stretch at night or 30 minutes during the day in his crib.
5 So I bring him in bed with me often in my sleep-deprived stupor and we snuggle all night long.
6 He almost always has his tongue sticking out, his nails scratching anything in reach, and a big, goofy grin on his face.

And because I like comparisons: Grey at 6mos & Elise at 6mos

What we have been doing

Last week consisted of:

"running out of diapers"

half dressed Elise

rolling up all the rugs

lots and lots of lemonade, stickers and m&m's

high-fives, clapping & jumping up and down

And to pass the time at home we painted snowmen, read a lot of books, watched movies with popcorn & hot chocolate and had a yummy three course fondue night. I did not *obviously* do Elise's hair most of the week.

Lasagna Cups

I had some leftover wontons (which I never have) and discovered a new family favorite. These are quick and easy to make. They freeze wonderfully and make an easy lunch. I eat mine on a bed of spinach to up the healthy factor. The recipe is kind of made up and can be altered as needed. The veggies can be adjusted depending on what you have on hand. I would have liked to add in some chopped eggplant and mushrooms. Also I like to use as little meat as possible, so these are meat-free. But if you like meat, you can brown it at the beginning with the carrots.

Wonton Lasagna Cups

About 36 wonton wrappers

olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

large handful spinach, chopped

3 cups spaghetti sauce

15 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

1/8 tsp. pepper or to taste

Shredded mozzarella or cheddar

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a saucepan. Add carrots and saute until almost soft. Add zucchini and saute for 1-2 minutes then spinach until wilted. Mix in spaghetti sauce and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. While simmering combine ricotta/cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Lay a wonton wrapper in each tin and press into the edges slightly. Add a small scoop (about a tablespoon) of cheese mixture and a small scoop of sauce. Place another wonton wrapper and press down lightly. Repeat with a small scoop of cheese mixture and a small scoop of sauce. Fold edges that hang out over the edge back over the top of the lasagna cup. Top with some shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and delicious on top.

Giddy up!

I took the kids to the stock show last week to pretend we aren't city folk for a few hours... I could handle the cowboy boots, homemade jam and horses, but oh the smell. It is not for me.

I apologize for the blurry pictures--not sure what was wrong with my camera. It could have been me - I was holding Cole in one hand and taking pictures with the other. My picture skills have gone downhill rapidly the more children/less hands I have.

We wandered the grounds for HOURS. The kids loved the petting farm, riding on tractors but not walking through the indoor stockyards. Too smelly for them too--haha. We lucked out at the end and caught some men practicing a calvary horse routine with swords and all. Grey told me after we left that he will remember it forever. He loved the swords!

Elise's face the entire time in the petting farm.

The animals were freaking her out, but she didn't want to leave.

In front of the donkey--kids did not want to look at the camera!

These were Grey's favorite. He called them his little buddies.

I love doing this every year! But I wore myself out so much that I was sick in bed for three days afterwards. Probably caught something nasty from those stinky animals...

Motherhood tidbits

Even with the utter exhaustion of being of mother of young children, I absolutely TREASURE having them (particularly the three I have) in my home. I realize this time will go too quickly and little children can teach us so much. There are so many moments of joy that cannot be found anywhere else and I am grateful for the opportunity to raise these sweet spirits.

We had a FHE lesson on tithing early in the week and as always, I wondered if they even heard a word of it. Later on in the week, Grey found a penny and started talking about how he has too much money (haha) and wanted to give some of it to Heavenly Father. I asked him why. He said, "Because I just love Him so much." So today we picked up a tithing slip and he went through his piggy bank to pay his tithing. He is especially excited that his money could be going to help build a temple. I was so touched by his desire to please his Heavenly Father.

Grey is starting to recognize emotions and his eyes will well up with tears. I think he is surprised and a little confused by it. I know he will hate that he is a "crier" but with Jared & I as his parents, he has no hope. I think it shows a sensitivity to the spirit and a gentleness that I hope the world does not ever take from him. Plus the girls will love that he is sensitive as he gets older! Jared told me he cried in Tangled during a sad part. Then last week he and I had a conversation that began with Cole having a bad diaper rash, turning to wonder if he would die from it, and ending with Grey crying about me dying someday. He just started tearing up and hitting his head to try to stop the tears. He kept saying he didn't understand why his eyes were crying. It is a little funny (well the head-hitting part), but kind of sad.

I am constantly overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience to be a mother and learn from these sweet spirits. I hope I don't mess them up too badly with all of my imperfections...

Tumbling

Grey & Elise are both signed up for tumbling right now. There is quite the difference in tumbling between boys and girls. Wow! I am glad Grey enjoys it, but I think we need to focus on a different sport for him.

Elise on her first try:

Grey (hmmmmm):

A new year

I realize we are well into January, but I run on "mom of 3-kids" timing. I kind of feel like a whiner, but I was glad to see the end of 2011. There were some difficult things that I am glad are over! Lots and lots of pregnancy issues including bleeding, finding a marker that the baby could have down's syndrome, bed rest and all the emotional DRAIN and physical exhaustion that it all took on me. In March I said goodbye to my sweet grandpa. I then spent the last half of the year in a blur of postpartum depression, caring for three little ones and barely making it through the days.

I would be ungrateful to disregard the WONDERFUL parts of the year--including the most important--a healthy and strong baby boy!!! After all that worry the entire pregnancy, I was blessed to bring him home completely perfect. Well, minus the sleepless nights that are still continuing on... What can I say? He loves to snuggle his momma all night long. I feel the depression fog finally lifting and that hopeful feeling coming back again.

I am really excited for this new year. I made a decision (that most people disagree with me on--including Jared) to keep Grey home with me the rest of the year instead of sending him to preschool. I felt like I was wasting my time and his time taking him every day to not learn anything--except baby talk. Already in two weeks we have made lots and lots of crafts, visited the library to pick out books on space, made treats together, put him in swimming and tumbling classes, done reading and spelling lessons almost daily and most importantly spent TIME together. I like being the one teaching him--for now.

With the combination of this decision and having Cole grow up a little bit, I feel so much more normal. I am looking forward to getting into a routine and spending quality time with my children. That is the reason I chose to be a stay at home mom!

My focuses for 2012:

- Fitness (4-5 tough/sweaty workouts a week, try something new like barre or bootcamp)

- Family (quality time with each child, FHE, prayer, scriptures, fun outings weekly)

- Marriage (date nights!! ignoring the dishes more often and snuggling instead)

- Spirituality (deeper scripture study, pray always, monthly temple)

- Health (more vegetarian, mostly real/whole foods, homemade treats)

- Friends (make a better effort to keep in touch, girls nights often!!)

I love a new year and a fresh start!!

Five Months

This big guy is 5 months now and growing like crazy! I decided to try some oatmeal cereal with him since he has started to go for my food when I am eating. Do you think he liked it?