Money money money

We've been spending a lot lately. For example, the new laptop we just bought so that we can have a computer that can access the Internet. We also bought a new dishwasher (being installed on Tuesday, the 4th) and a brand new washer. I was sick and tired of buying one off KSL for cheap, hauling it, practically killing myself and anyone trying to help me by moving it (esp. now that our laundry is in the basement), and then finding out it doesn't work well enough to call functional even though the previous owner thought it did... Okay, so we've only bought a washer off KSL once, but that was at least 100 times too many. So, our new washer is being delivered (and put into place and hooked up all by professionals... the delivery and all that was free, so who's going to say no?) on the 4th as well. In the meantime, laundromats it is.

Now I know many of you would like to see pictures of our new home. I would like to take pictures of our new home too and get them online for you all to see. Let's be honest, with such an investment, who doesn't want to show it off a little?! Hopefully we can pull that off soon. With 2.5 days left before going back to work, I'm hoping we can get to a point where we feel "moved in" before the holiday break ends... we'll see!

Status Update

  These are somewhat random and in no particular order.

  Painting is done. Internet is set up. Our computers are... not yet set up. We have some Internet access through Bonnie's brother's and dad's laptops that they brought with them, but we still can't get pictures up. We will when we can and we look forward to doing so.

  We got a nice wreath for our door from my brother - Thanks Lance! It's my first wreath ever and, given that Christmas lights are way down on our list of priorities right now, I'm happy to have something festive showing. We also set up our Christmas tree in our bay window which helps lower our grinchy-meter... at least when the blinds aren't closed.

  On Friday night Bonnie's Brother Andy and his family came down to visit for the weekend. They arrived after 10pm or so as I recall. A few minutes after they came in and things had settled down a bit, we started hearing someone singing. Bonnie said "What the..? That's Dad!". I thought at first someone had a recording or something they were playing since it sounded a little faint and distant. Her brother T.H. (His nickname is T.H.E. (not the, but T - H - E) but we call him T.H. for short) got an intense bewilderedly excited face on and ran outside as though being chased by a banshee. He was rightly excited to see his Dad as he is hoping to bless his baby (if she comes in time) before he goes out to Nebraska for work and really would like his Dad to be a part of it. So yes, surprise of surprises, Andy and Nita picked him up from the airport and brought him down. What fun!

  My rents* are coming home tonight from their second 1.5 year mission in New Zealand. It will be good to see them again! I'm still not sure about what we'll figure out for the holidays, but we'll figure out how to schedule things. I'm excited to see them again.

  I think that's the end of my babel. I'm working Monday through Wednesday and then will have the rest of the year off.

* rents - I had no idea what that meant when Bonnie said it the first time and it took me a while to figure that out that 'rents' is short for parents. Now I say it too without thinking about it.

Jingle Bells

It seems most everyone knows some invented lyric to the tune of Jingle Bells, and many know the same one or two. However, Amy has taught me a knew one that I had never heard before. It goes like this:

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what bum it is to ride
in a one horse open sleigh! Hey!

I just caught on today that that's what she says. I'll see if I can get a video of it. It's pretty funny!

No Internet, No Posts

  I am posting this from work. We have no Internet so we can't post much right now. I'm working on shopping for a new ISP today. (The fiber-optic that we had at our condo isn't available where we live now. Bummer.)
  While you wait, may I recommend this wonderful little video (about 16 minutes long). It's a most pleasant experience to watch.

Bonnie's Birthday

Today is Bonnie's birthday. As such, I was hoping to take Bonnie out to dinner tonight. When I told her that she said, "Um, but what if I don't want to go out to dinner tonight? What if I'd rather just keep painting? It's my birthday so... since it's supposed to be for me, can I just choose that?"

Like a hog on corn, a dog on meat, a cheetah after a gazelle, or me on ice cream, Bonnie is onto moving. Move over first trimester, you just got made priority number two!

Closing

Mark today on the calendar: we officially CLOSED!!! We went to our new home at 1pm to do a final walk through (aka. get-super-excited-and-plan-where-everything's-going-to-go). Then we went to closing at 2pm.  I highly recommend 'Equity Title' at 3?? West Center St. in Orem... they give you free Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and if that's not reason for choosing them, I don't know what is! The sellers came in one hour after us so we got to meet them. That was fun. They built the house 25 years ago (when their first child was 14 months old) and raised their family there.

So... yes. We're excited beyond all reason. The funding should go through tomorrow which means hopefully we can pick up the keys tomorrow! Yaaaaaay!!! (Did I mention yet that we're excited?) It's a 5 bed 3 bath in a lovely neighborhood in North East Orem. So yes, that's our news today. Something tells me going into work will be... well... not as exciting.

June 14

I forgot to mention the due date. June 14. That's only 12 days after Noel's birthday. I'm destined to have summer babies. It makes birthday parties fun in my opinion. (I guess I don't know from the kids' perspective as I have a winter birthday - in 1 week from today in fact.) At least these last two are beginning of summer rather than end. Anyway, that's the rest of the news.

Amazing News

I had an ultrasound today and found out that I'm 12 weeks! I was thinking around 8 weeks, trying to not get my hopes up that I could be 9 or 10. I hadn't dreamed I would already be 12 weeks. I'm thrilled! A month off of pregnancy from what I expected - sounds great to me! The other crazy part is that next week is my first official appointment with my doctor, and I'll already be finishing my first trimester! (And I always say good riddance to the first trimester!) Wahoo!

Amusement

Sometimes we spend time on things for sheer amusement. This is one that didn't take a lot of time and gave me significant amusement. Follow the simple instructions on el blog de mi cuñado and enjoy... and let me know how it goes if you ever take the trip!

Proud of Us

So far today has been one of those days where things have just been going well. I love those. I'm proud of the kids (and of myself) and decided to share.

I woke up motivated - I love that - and got us all ready to go.

First stop - the car needed to be reinspected. (It failed because we needed new tires. I got new tires this week - another thing I'm proud of because who likes that task?) Everything went smoothly there, and we did on the spot renewal for our registration. Happy to have that done.

Second stop - the hospital. I have been wanting to take Amy in to get tested for allergies for a LONG TIME. I just never manage to do it. Today I took her in. Apparently it was the perfect day to do so. I told her she was going to have test. She was a little nervous that it would be owie for her like when she gets shots, but she didn't fight or protest about it. Just expressed that she was a little nervous. We had to wait about half an hour because there was quite a line at the lab. The kids did great. When it was our turn, Amy walked in, again a little nervous but not fighting it. I got to hold her on my lap for the blood draw - that's nice. The girl taking care of us was so nice and kept praising Amy like crazy for how brave and beautiful she was. Amy still never fought and only cried a little when the needle was in. She got quiet in her nervousness - that's typical of Amy. Quiet is a common response for her to many situations and emotions. But when the lab person asked if she had a favorite color, she promptly said orange. After getting bandaged, Amy got to pick a toy - a small orange bear - and got a sticker and a cookie. They spoil us. Wonderful of them. In fact, the lab tech gave Noel and me cookies too. Awesome. We both praised Amy some more, and we were on our way. On our way out the door, Amy said, "I had fun at that doctor." You've got to be kidding me. What three year old says that on her way out of getting blood work done? Amazing. We called Daddy to brag about how brave Amy was.

Before I continue with our day, I have to say how wonderful an experience we had at the hospital because people were far kinder and more courteous even than they had to be. I was so impressed by how we were treated. Especially by three people.
1 - There was a crew fixing something in the hospital, some construction-y work. Right as Amy was trying to get a drink at the drinking fountain, one of the men of the crew stopped and offered to help her get a drink. I thought she'd be too shy, but she let him hold her up. So nice. He totally didn't have to do that. Amy could either reach or ask me for help. I was grateful.
2 - A worker at the hospital saw the girls and me sitting on the floor while we waited. The chairs they had for people waiting at the lab were full - too busy this morning. We were fine and content on the floor - in fact I think the girls behaved better there than when we moved to the chairs later. But the man stopped and talked to us and asked us if he could get us some chairs. So nice. Later, he was passing by where we were again and noticed Amy interested in the fire alarm - even before I had noticed her. Instead of freaking out, he and I politely joked about how that was not such a good button to push, and Amy didn't mess with it any more. I realize that some adults would not be so nice - to Amy or to me - about her getting close enough to push the fire alarm. He didn't draw much attention to it, and it ended up being no big deal.
3 - The lab tech. Not only was she totally amazing, kind and complimentary to Amy, she was telling me what a good mom I was for preparing Amy for what was to come. She told me that makes a big difference and was probably why Amy did so well. I thought that was really sweet. Amy and I talk a lot about what we are going to do, what we are doing, and what we did every day. So it seemed pretty natural to me that I would talk to her before hand about getting the test done. No one made a big deal of it, and Amy had a positive experience. I give most of the credit to Amy about that, but I also think that those nice people helped it be a good experience for her, and I am grateful.

3rd Stop - Visiting Teaching. The girls came with me. (Thanks to Jessica for letting me bring them! That's a big help.) Everything went well there. I like Jessica and always feel edified from being around her and from her example.

Off to home. The girls behaved so well almost the whole time. This is impressive too considering that Noel usually naps in the morning and didn't get to. So I was proud of her too.

THEN, after lunch came nap time. Amy's pretty much given up naps for the most part. But lately I NEED to sleep during the day. The baby in my tummy says so. I keep trying to figure out ways to get Amy to have "quiet time" without it feeling like a punishment for her. After a little play time together, she lay on the couch with her books and her Joy School music. A little later she wanted to play with toys in my room, and I told her she couldn't talk. She whispered with the toys for I don't know how long while I slept. Finally she climbed into bed with me and played right by me. I smiled to myself. By then I was awake, but I didn't let her know. I was still happy to lie with my eyes closed and having her have quiet time. She finally started talking to me, and I was happy to interact with her again. We talked about how wonderful she had done at letting me sleep, and she told me with a proud smile that she had done service for me. My heart melted.

Night with the Girls

I just came home from a bridal shower - bless it. It was wonderful and refreshing to be with girl friends (from college - how fun!) It was fun to hear my sweet friend, Mary, talk about her sweetheart and how excited they are to start their lives together. It was all romantic and cute. And I love that I have many, many friends who are trying to live the best way they can. What a strength they are to me! I came home excited to see my family and to love on them more. What a boost!

A Comment in Answer to the Comments

Thanks everyone! We're excited too! Nancy, Maria, and Lauren, I didn't even know Friday night when we were hanging out or Saturday night when I watched Rudy. We just found out Monday morning. Friday night I felt fine so it was no problem (and I had SO much fun making clips for my girls.) Saturday night was fine too because I was just exhausted and appreciated sleeping. I promise I wasn't holding out on you. We told people just as fast as we could get those pictures on the blog yesterday.

Heather, I totally was feeling left out. It's true. :) It does always make me baby hungry when other people are pregnant. Of course, just about anything can make me baby hungry. I love babies!

As far as the house hunt goes, we never stopped it; we just got stuck on a house that took FOREVER to deal with and finally came to nothing. We're back in the groove though. Who knows when the time will come, but we will move eventually.

As far as the night-waking stuff, my doctor said not likely related to my medication. So maybe it is pregnancy. It's a pretty new symptom to have regularly. I keep thinking I'll be exhausted all day, but I really haven't been. It has given me more time to read and listen to books and catch up on blogs - fun to do, just not quite as fun as sleeping.

So despite how nervous I am sometimes about being pregnant and this time WITH anxiety and all that entails, I am thrilled that a new baby is on the way to our family. Matt is too. I feel so blessed that I am able to have babies (and so far without difficulty or complications.) Thanks for all your support!

Symptoms

It's 3:22 am. I'm awake. This is becoming normal for me. One of the kids will do one small thing that disturbs my sleep - like cry out in their sleep - and I'm up. I lie on the couch and listen to a conference talk or a book on CD to keep my mind from racing. Sometimes I go back to sleep soon; sometimes I don't. I've never really had trouble with sleeping before. I am thinking that it might be a side effect of my anxiety medication. If so, something needs to change. Strangely though I don't suffer as much as it would seem on so much less sleep. I am often more functional than I think I should be. Considering the circumstances in my life, I think that is a blessing.

Saturday night I started feeling SO TIRED. (I "babysat" Rudy by crashing on the couch at his house at like 8:00 at night.) Sunday morning I understood why. I was sick. Just a cold. Coughing, sneezing, blowing nose like crazy, difficulty breathing - especially when I eat.

Then Monday morning I wake up, still sick and still noticing nausea in my life - the kind where I all of a sudden have to eat if I want to feel better. It feels familiar. I wonder. Yep.

The amazing thing is that through these symptoms I HAVEN'T been having anxiety or depression. Those symptoms are enough to get people down, but the last few days I have been sustained and helped. I am SO GRATEFUL for that. My struggles have not seemed so hard to bear. I thank my Heavenly Father for that. And Matt. He stayed home from work yesterday to take care of us. Cleaned the house when he wasn't busy parenting and doctoring. Thanks, Honey. So begins another day. I hope I can get back to sleep soon and can take it easy today.

Our Family Today

Or in Amy's words:




[Update]: Amy just informed us of the name: Agano (uh-gay'-no)

Amy's Birthday

Amy's birthday was already over 2 weeks ago. She loves being three and likes to tell people that she is. The Saturday before her birthday Amy had an AWESOME birthday party. There were like 20 kids there. We just did it at our pavilion in our complex. The hit of the party was the part where the kids played "Throw water balloons at Amy's Daddy."

On Amy's actual birthday I think her stomach hurt a little for a while, but she got better. It was also the first day of Joy School. That was fun. I made her a birthday crown for Joy School, and we sang her a birthday song. We went out for lunch and then came home for naps. (3 or not, some things don't change. :) I also wrote in her journal some things about her at 3 and let her color a picture. It was a fun day.

Gowen and Biango

Amy got this adorable statue from our wonderful friends, the Gardners (known in our house as Janice and Bishop. Bishop Gardner is the one who was recently released in our ward.) The night Amy brought it home she named her Gowen and decided to say her personal prayers (which she rarely decides to say) to be like Gowen. Gowen has a little doll by her legs who Amy named Biango (Bee-ann-go). We were a little concerned that if we let Amy play with Gowen at all she would break her, but Amy is so careful. She LOVES Gowen and Biango.

Amy has been naming all sorts of toys, stuffed animals, and imaginary things lately. She likes to name the babies in her tummy for instance. And she comes up with the awesomest names. I love this stage. My niece, Lillianne is professional at coming up with awesome names for things, and I'm thrilled that Amy is doing it too. (Lillie's baby in her tummy is named Minas.)

The Very First...

Haircut!!!

Before:



After:





I think Amy looks adorable!

Thanks to my fabulous friend, Heather for doing such a great job and to Matt for letting it happen!

An Update

After more days than I thought it would take of letting movies babysit, having the kids play together with minimal interaction from me, and having barely passable meals at infrequent times - not because I am SO sick but because I want to take good care of myself so that I can get better - I finally went to the doctor yesterday. He said I have a sinus infection. He gave me some antibiotics, and I am resting as much as possible still. I am feeling better than I have been but not all the way better. So many friends have been so nice to help - taking the kids and more. Thank you all. Thanks to wonderful service, I have enjoyed much more rest and relaxation than I am used to. Granted, the symptoms aren't great, but I do take some pleasure in lying in bed reading for long periods of time without feeling guilty about it. :)

Random Catch Up

I finally uploaded pictures and videos from the camera the other day after a long delay. Some of the things in this post I already blogged about; now I'm just showing pictures/ videos. The main reason is because I think my kids are cute. The other is because I like to make sure and post all my favorite pics and videos. This is partly because we once lost our hard drive, and I was so grateful for the blog because I hadn't lost my favorites. Even though things are backed up better now, I still like to save my faves on here. So a lot of these are random.

Look at that face:


Dancing at Grandma Anne's when cousins were here:






At the 24th of July Parade:




The Zoo!




This elephant was cracking us up!

Sickihead

The last few days I have been feeling a little bit sick - enough to make things unpleasant but not enough to stay in bed all day. (Although I do get to stay in bed most of today because Matt is home - wonderful stake conference.) Just achy and fever-y. Comes and goes. Unfortunate. I think it was brought on by not enough sleep and to much stress this week. I'm not planning on doing much this week - we'll see how that goes.

FIRST STEP!

Noel just took her first step! I'm at work, but Bonnie called me to tell me immediately! She was practicing with her standing on her own (she would hold her up and let her go) and she took her first step and immediately fell down, but it counts!!! YAY NOEL! Congratulations!

Education Week

My cousin, Kara, and I switched off babysitting this last week so that we could both attend Education Week. (I think I mentioned that in an earlier post.) Anyway, I got to go to 8 hours of lectures, and it was very enjoyable. I learned quite a bit that is pertinent to things I am interested in right now. That's one thing I love about Education Week. Each time I go, I am in a different stage and focused different things. And there are always things that I am interested in being taught. I really think some of that info is going to help me in some struggles I am having. Yay!

The Not-so-hot Date

Wednesday night Matt and I went to a REAL Salt Lake game. (Thanks, Kara, for watching the girls!) It was very fun for quite a while. During the first half each team scored a goal. Unfortunately, SL scored during the last few minutes of the half when we were getting refreshments. Miss. It was a beautiful night, and we were enjoying being out on our "hot date."

The second half started to get a bit unfortunate. Panama was the other team. They never had control as much as SL the whole game. So they started trying to stall like CRAZY so that SL would have less chance to score. I can't even tell you how many times the first aid people ran onto the field with a stretcher. I'm sure some of the people were actually hurt, but it was so ridiculous how many people milked that for all it was worth. I thought it was ridiculous and a bit unfortunate. Many of the people around us thought it was a personal insult that needed booing. Matt and I are rather bothered by booing and unsportsman-behavior, so that was making things less fun for us. But when a whole section of the crowd started swearing in unison, we were personally offended - I know that doesn't really make sense, but it's true. We immediately left, and I was angry. I don't get angry very often at all so add to my anger surprise that I was angry. I'm over it now. It was just sad.

The other thing is that Matt was so hoping I'd enjoy the game, and I was at first. This certainly hasn't turned me off of soccer or of watching sports in stadiums - I LOVE going to baseball games. But it was really too bad.

I am just grateful that Matt and I felt the same way - and that we so often do. We talked about that on the way back to the car (and about how to work myself back down after getting so upset.)

Amy Conversation

I had the following great conversation with Amy today. After playing a bit, she decided to snuggle with me on the couch.
Me: Amy, cual es tu color preferido? (Favorite color)
Amy: I dunno
Me: Cual te gusta mas: morado o verde? (purple or green)
Amy: Verde
Me: Caul te gusta mas: verde o azul? (green or blue)
Amy: Azul
Me: Caul te gusta mas: azul o anaranjado? (blue or orange)
Amy: Anaranjado
Me: Caul te gusta mas: anaranjado o morado? (orange or purple)
Amy: Morado
Me: Solo escojes el ultimo que yo diga verdad? (you just pick the last one I say)
Amy: ?
Me: Cual te gusta mas: morado o anaranjado? (purple or orange)
Amy: Anaranjado

... yep. Whichever I say last, she picks. I don't think she quite got it. The next bit was fantastic.

Me: Amy, quien es tu amigo preferido? Con quien te gusta jugar mas? (Who's your favorite friend - you do you like to play with the most)
Amy: Ummm... Rudy
Me: Porque?
Amy (in a quiet, cute, tender voice): Because I love him.

You hear that, Rudy! Keep it up!

The Suspense!

Friday night I get a call from Matt saying we have an appointment with one of the stake presidency. Dun dun dun! My first thought was that it was totally unexpected and out of the blue. Then I realized, it's not as unexpected really. Still, we speculated about ALL the possibilities of what it could be about. We were nuts - so antsy for it to be 5:00 on Saturday. Saturday night came and went, and we were so antsy for it to be Sunday at 1:00 for the rest of the mystery to be revealed and to watch the events transpire. You see I am one who LOVES ward business. (Ward business is the time when administrative changes are announced and accepted by the congregation in the LDS church. The juicier the better. I like stake and general kind of business too, but ward business is my favorite because I know the people involved. And the resulting Sacrament Meeting was sweet and wonderful.

















So....
Matt DID get released as second counselor in the bishopric because a new bishop was called. (Bishop Gardner has been a bishop over five years, and it was time for a switch.)

















And...

















the new bishop called Matt to be his second counselor as well. So really, not much has changed for us.

Except that we get to meet and welcome a new couple into our ward who seem WONDERFUL - they actually live in our stake but not our ward - and we have to say goodbye to the Gardners who we LOVE so much! We are really sad about that last part. Bishop and Janice Gardner have spoiled our family rotten. They home teach us - often throwing in dinner or ice cream into the mix. They get us presents for our birthdays. They love on our kids. - Bishop would sometimes get distracted in a meeting because he'd be too busy flirting with Amy or Noel to pay attention. This is in meetings he was conducting, mind you. They really are grandparent-figures to our kids which is so nice, extra nice since our parents are far away. And they served so many so well in our ward all this time. I appreciate so much all the support Bishop Gardner has always given me in each of my callings in this ward. I always felt like anytime I had an idea, it would be taken seriously, appreciated, encouraged, and supported. He'd even tell others to be supportive of whatever I was trying to do. That has always meant so much to me. We'll miss you!!!

The rest of the mystery for us was the identity of the first counselor. President Funk hadn't told us that. It's Brother Coleman, the same first counselor from before.

Oh, and to one City Girl, a friend who reads my blog and who goes by code names on the internet, Bishop mentioned in his talk about the time right after he was called over our ward that you and Cowboy raked his lawn. He talked about how much that meant to him and how that was just one example of how people welcomed the Gardners into this new ward that was formed. Just thought you'd like to know you were mentioned.


UPDATE (Matt writing): Funny, after reading her post, I didn't realize either that we had not mentioned the new Bishop's name! Thanks Maria for pointing it out. =) The new Bishop is Bishop David Handy. He also lives outside our ward boundaries, only a few doors down from Bishop Gardner actually. He and his wife, Toni, have been serving for the last 5+ years as addiction recovery missionaries.

Possible, but...

My cousin, Kara, and I decided to do a babysitting swap this week so that we could both attend Education Week. This morning I was playing outside with Christian, Noel, and Amy, and two different people asked/ commented about how close my kids were. I calmed their fears that I was totally nuts by explaining that Christian is a cousin. He will be 2 next week, and Amy will be 3 the week after. It's possible that the three kids could be siblings. There is enough time for a pregnancy between each one, but just barely. Especially Christian and Noel - 9 1/2 months apart. Some people do it, and I have nothing but respect for them. But that's a little too close even for perma-baby-hungry me.

An invitation to forgive

Watching the story of another's trial, and particularly the overcoming of it, always inspires me to follow the example. This video illustrates one man's trial and seems to accurately depict the peace in forgiveness without underestimating the sorrow of the trial, both of which can be felt simultaneously. Watching this invites and encourages me to let go of my perceived mistreatments, small and big. In the words of Arbinger, it invites me "out of the box."

Books That Have Helped Me

There is a term I hear a lot in my family - being "onto" something. Especially my mom gets onto certain things. Matt does too. In 2010 there are two things I'm feeling particularly onto - parenting and mental health.

I'm pretty much always onto parenting. I love learning about it and finding ways to improve. I LOVE getting to do this wonderful, enjoyable, and most important work. And I love learning how to do it better.

I also have been really interested lately in mental health because I get anxious. So I have been utilizing many resources to help me cope in hard times. And it's been great to learn all the things I have.

With that in mind, I thought I would share about two books I'm currently reading. I probably shouldn't review a book before finishing since I often change my mind about books by the end. But oh well.

My friend, Maria, lent me Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth because I told her about the struggles I've had getting kids to bed at reasonable times. It's been helpful for me to have reinforced how good and important it is for kids to get good sleep. And somehow, sleep has become less stressful rather than more as I have made it a higher priority. I'm able to say no to things that conflict with naptimes or bed more. I just try to protect their sleep needs. And I feel satisfied about it. They certainly are happier when they get good sleep. Certainly, this doesn't come without some sacrifice. Sometimes I get a little stir crazy and wish that we could go on more outings - although I am often a bit of a homebody anyway and don't know where I'd go if we did go. And there are times when I really would rather keep the kids up - for my sake or theirs - for whatever reason. And I am certainly not an advocate for being totally rigid about it. I think the author goes a little oveboard sometimes. It's just not realistic that EVERYTHING in life will revolve around your kids' sleep schedules no matter how hard you try and what sacrifices you make. Still, I feel very satisfied when I know my girls sleep better, and I know we are all happier and better behaved as a result.

I am also reading Self-Coaching by Joseph J. Luciani. At this stage I am just reading it, not really jumping in and applying it yet, but I'd like to. I am a believer in the power of working on improving thoughts to improve attitude and mental health. I don't think that is sufficient by itself in many cases, but it can be very helpful. On that note, something that I advocate strongly - as do many in my family - is Recovery International. The principles taught there could help ANYONE manage temper and negative though patterns. It is especially helpful for those who struggle with mental health. And it has helped my A TON in a very little time.

Anyway, it would probably be helpful of me to review these books after I finish them. Maybe I'll give a follow-up. But I really wanted to share in case there were others who could benefit.

I'm just getting started on my quest for knowledge and experience in parenting and dealing with mental health. Sometimes I get in an attitude of thinking I know what's what. Perhaps I'll laugh at this teenager-tendency in young-mother-me when I am older. I know there is a lot to know out there on each of these subjects, a million theories, studies, and people sharing from there experiences. I look forward to continuing to study and learn - and hopefully improve - in these areas.

Does anyone else have any suggestions/ resources they have found helpful? I am all ears. Sometimes I just want to read and study with way more of my time. But then I would miss all the chances to practice what I learn. Doesn't work that way. Still, I'll get around to lots of parenting and mental health books eventually.

Thanks for reading my rantings.

July

Wow. July's been busy and wonderful. I haven't taken many pictures, but here are the highlights:

fun 4th - I blogged about that already.

My parents were in town from the 7th to the 19th
Loved having them here. Played some and worked a lot. They had a lot to take care of as they were only in Utah that long after being in China for 10 months. It was a little difficult to balance 4 adults' schedule needs and priorities along with 2 kids with frequent sleeping and eating needs. But I not-so-secretly loved the fact that they were so dependent on me - they had not car for half the time and no phone at all - because it forced them to spend lots of time with me. I'm totally selfish and want all the time and attention from my parents I can get, even if it means doing responsible adult things that I'd rather avoid. We had a good time, and I'm so glad they were here for a while. Then they took off across the country and had a good time doing so, making stops to see/ stay with family in Denver, Kansas City, Nauvoo, Toronto, and Boston, where they will be staying with my sister for the next school year. I miss them already.

My sister and her family were in town from the 15th through the 28th, and we were able to spend time with them from the 23rd through the 28th.
Friday the 23rd I got a wonderful surprise when my 3-year-old niece, Lillianne showed up at my door. I knew I was going to see her that day, but I didn't know their whole family was going to show up at MY house and as early as they came. I was thrilled. Burns and Ry went on my aunt's boat with their 3 oldest as well as some cousins. I kept her two youngest - Lillianne and Sam (1). We had a mostly wonderful and a little bit exhausting time together. We built a fort in the living room and Boochie (Lil's nickname) and Amy and I read 18 books together in our reading marathon. It was great.
Saturday the 24th we had our ward annual pioneer day parade in the morning - love it. There are about 3 times as many people watching the parade as in it, and they make so much noise. It's so informal and fun for the kids. We actually were preceded and followed by a gap so all the cheers for my two little pioneer girls in their wagon were JUST for them and no one else. So fun. That afternoon, we were up at my googalie, Shelly's house to begin "Armstrong days." She is so nice to host our family when Burns is in town so we have a place to gather and visit. Thanks Shelly! That afternoon we went to the zoo for Matt's work party. We all had a good time there. In fact when I asked Amy yesterday her favorite part of our time with cousins, she said the giraffes and the she added the elephants. I don't really believe her that that was her favorite part; she doesn't always understand favorite. We had a nice meal and won a cool outside canopy thing - excited about that. The major drawback of the zoo was Noel getting heat exhaustion. So sad! We didn't realize how hot she was in her stroller sleeping. She was really lethargic and sleepy. We felt so bad about it. It took her until Monday morning to really be recovered.
Sunday the 25th was a normal, crazy busy Sunday. We came home and went to our ward and then headed back up to Shelly's. I was so glad that Matt kept coming back and forth even though he had to work. He spent as much time with all of us as he could, and I was glad.
My brother, Andy was hanging out with us Saturday through Monday. We were so happy to have him there although we missed his wife and kids who are in Toronto. We played games, did races with number and word puzzles, played the piano together - we each take a hand - and had long talks about parenting and mental health in the beautiful back yard. It was such a beautiful and relaxing day. Although Andy had to leave Monday night, we had another wonderful, relaxing, not doing very much day Tuesday. Matt got to stay til like 1 in the afternoon, and that was great! Then he had to go work 12 hours which was not so great for him. Wednesday we cleaned up and packed up and hung out a little. Then took Arnolds to the airport. Sad. What a fun time we all had together though! For our family, the biggest drawbacks were not getting to be with ALL the family the WHOLE time - We missed lots of Armstrongs - and sickness. Besides Noel's heat exhaustion, Amy got sick yesterday as well. Sam had been throwing up randomly throughout the week, and Amy took her turn yesterday. Sad.

Hope you all made it through all that. I don't know if anyone would care about all that detail but us. But we have had a wonderful time. I love time to play, and I've been grateful for a few days in between play time to recover. Like today. Saturday, we get to end the month with a Parks family reunion. Looking forward to that - if my kids are healthy enough to go. Hope so!

Oh, and there are no pictures because I couldn't be bothered taking many pictures when we were all just relaxing. I have a few from the zoo I think that I can add later.

BYU Scholar commercial

For those who've not yet seen it, you may find this rather amusing. BYU did a library spoof off these new old spice commercials. If you haven't seen the old spice commercials, watch them first for context. It makes this a whole lot funnier.

Romantic Activity

Matt found this article:

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/familyconnections/100713romance.html

Sounds like fun!

Amisms2

   Bonnie and Grammy were in the changing room in D.I., both missing a piece of clothing (i.e. they couldn't just leave the dressing room). Amy crawled underneath the changing room door, looked back and said in total seriousness "I'll be right back."

... well Okay Amy! You just have your run of the store for a minute while Bonnie and Grammy hurriedly get modest again so they can come after you! Funny.

Amisms

"I'm going to sleep in Mommy's bed and Daddy's bed and Amy's bed and the closet! That makes sense!"

After I laughed a good bit over that one I told her: "Amy, tu eres chistosa!"
Her reply: "No! I'm NOT funny!"

No Amy, you're not a bit funny... Except for those times when you exist.

Fireworks

Monday night we also did a few fireworks with our neighbor, Kenzie. I am glad we invited her because she made things more fun. This is how Noel was feeling:







but I don't really think she was scared, just feeling sad. She liked the part where she did this though.



We did a few while it was still light outside. Kenzie and I weren't too impressed with the black snakes. They looked like something I am ALL too familiar with in this stage of my life.

We did a few more after it got darker. I didn't get too many pictures of the fireworks.
Amy was very brave as we did a few flowers and chickens and some others. She was obedient too, didn't go near the fireworks at all - love that cautious girl. But the sparklers scared her. She was ok with them for everyone else, but she did not want one. She stayed on my lap the whole time for that part.

It was a fun day!

4th of July

For our Independence Day Celebration we...

watched


a parade


with great friends.


This is how Amy felt about it.


But it wasn't all fun and games. It was serious business, and Amy took seriously her part.




We saw a few of these,




lots of these,


and even a few of these.






Amy liked the hot air balloons we saw on the way over (not pictured - I was driving) as well as these balloons.




These guys




were troopers on our LONG walk to and from the parade - over a mile each way I think.

And Maria's my hero. She did all that AFTER running a 10k that morning. Did I mention she's 21 weeks pregnant? She can do hard things.

We had a great time!

Yard Sales!!!

I love yard sales. Amy does too. We drove around Saturday looking for sales and for signs pointing to sales. We got a lot of good loot. Including a present that came the night before from Grandma and Grandpa in New Zealand, here are all the things we got Saturday for under $42:



That includes the couches! Wahoo!

So we obviously don't have room for couches in our living room, but... there they are. $20, who could pass them up. And they are comfy too. I actually haven't minded having them even though they take up a lot of living room. I like the extra space to sit and comfort in our living room. The longer we have them, the more I like them. The idea is that it won't be THAT much longer before we move. (We are looking right now for those who didn't know.) And in a bigger house we will certainly need more than a love seat and chair. I'm really happy with that find. And all the others. It was a good yard sale day!

And here are the people who were here while we moved the couches in and rearranged the living room:


It was a little squishy and complicated, but the kids were great. They helped bring in the cushions and got rides on the chairs as I moved things around. And we all tried to stay out of each other's way. That didn't work so much.

Those are a big finds!

Noel's Favorite New Pastime

Climbing in the (clean) potty. Lovely. Actually, Noel will climb on anything right now. She loves climbing and gets herself in precarious predicaments. And sometimes she hurts herself. Do you think that stops her?






I love that face:


Noel has also been doing a lot of "talking." My nephew, Finn, used to say "Do-pe-dah" a lot, and Noel has a jiberring sound very similar to that. She likes to say Mom - sometimes with a mad voice when I don't know what she really wants - and Da and hi. Those have been her three words for a long time. But she certainly is exploring new sounds all the time. Today I heard her say the n sound when I asked her if she wanted to nurse.

Something to Blog About

I still have more blogging I'd like to do, but I'm too sleepy. More later. And also, MY PARENTS ARE COMING TOMORROW! I'm so excited! They are on a plane somewhere between Beijing and Salt Lake right now. We can't wait to see them.

Hair

I don't know how many of you care about the way I do my girls' hair. And it's nothing too fancy, but it's something I'm proud of anyway. Not all the time. But sometimes. So I take pictures. Here are some fun hair shots lately:

Noel HATED me doing this. I did it anyway.


I didn't know the pigtails were going to stick out! I loved them! (But I put clips in before church so they didn't remain sticking out.


These are just normal french braids, I know. But they are the first normal french braids I've ever done that look presentable. I was really proud. I never french braided hair before Amy's. I'm glad to know how.


No caption needed.

Swimming With Friends