11 months

I can't believe that in less than a month we will be celebrating this sweet boy's first birthday.

I had to give him something to hold so he would lay still enough to take a few.  Then he was off.

Perfect capture of Jackson's "rubber band wrist."

Some things about Jackson at 11 months,

• He's off.  He is still mostly army crawling, but he is fast.  I set him down, and suddenly he is in another room.
• I forgot how carefully you have to baby proof for a crawler.  He finds things on a just swept kitchen floor.  And having two 3 year old brothers leave things around doesn't make it easier.
• I know all his ticklish spots--the top of his legs and armpits are the best.
• He is at the stage where changing diapers or getting him dressed turns into a wrestling match.
• He is a sociable baby.  He is my little shopping buddy while the twins are in preschool, and wherever we go, people stop to talk to him, and he just flashes a big grin.
• Now that he holds his own bottle, I don't sit and feed him anymore, with two exceptions.  His first bottle of the day (which unfortunately is usually at about 5 followed by a few more hours of sleep) and the last.  I love that last feeding.  He is tired, and snuggly.  He reaches up and grabs my shirt or neck.  I especially love when he is really tired, and he covers his eyes with his arm.

Thanksgiving 2012

We had such a great Thanksgiving last week.  My parents hosted, which means they did the Turkey, potatoes, and stuffing.  My sister brought her famous rolls, my brother made the zuchinni casserole, and I did sweet potatoes and pies.  It was actually my first time making pies, and they turned out great.  Maybe I'll try making my own crust next time.  :)

Here's a little photo documentation of our dinner.

First up, the spread.  Are we the only ones how don't set up the food on the table?  For years now, we just pile all the food up and serve ourselves buffet style.

The kids table.  Yes, Carter is missing.  He is by far my best eater, and poor kid fell asleep on the way to grandma's. (We live 5 minutes from her house.)

Tyler's big Thanksgiving dinner, aka 2 rolls.

We were a little small in numbers this year.  Here's one side of the table: my mom, my niece Jenica, my brother David, my dad.

And the other side of the table: my sister Rebecca, my nephew Jake, and Dan.

The traditional after dinner nap.

Actually Carter slept before, during and after dinner.  He did get a plate when he woke up which he devoured.

Jackson and my niece Abby.

And the one and only picture of me, looking like a dork, but proving I was there.

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Again.

I did a good, bad, and ugly post once before,  and I think it's time again.

The Good.

The twins can buckle their own car seats!!  When Jackson was born, and I had to fit three car seats in my minivan, I put both the twins in the back.  I figured I wasn't about to put Jackson's carrier in the back, and if I was putting one I might as well put both.  After all, I was going to be climbing in the back no matter what.  So after 11 months of climbing into the back of the van every time we went anywhere--I don't have to anymore! Believe me, this is something that makes me so happy.

 

The Bad.

In a bit of seriousness, parenting these two can be hard.  I don't know if it's the fact that there are 2 of them, their age, or just their personalities, but they try my patience.  Let me just say, I love them to pieces and most of the time they are great, but they also have a streak.  They are destructive (you should see our walls and my parents' walls too), they won't sit still (every week, church is a nightmare), and their temper tantrums embarrass me.  And being consistent is hard because I feel like I am outnumbered.  I am trying every day to be a better parent to these two.  To all my boys.

The Ugly.

I don't want to gross anyone out, so let me keep this brief.  One of the twins is not quite #2 potty trained.  We had a poop catastrophe this week that involved two baths, one bathtub disinfecting session, carpet cleaning, and an extra load of laundry.  Gotta love being a mom.

Family pictures

There was one big thing that happened last month that I never blogged about.

Kelsey came to town!

She is one of the biggest reasons I still miss Texas.

I wanted a new family picture, but who was going to take it?  Kelsey's taken our family pictures for literally years now.  I threw out the idea to her of flying out here to do them--and she was able to work us in to her busy fall schedule.  So not only did we get amazing pictures, but I got to see one of my best friends.  We managed to get in some shopping, just a little Cafe Rio (only once a day), and she made me want to move back.  I miss you Kelsey!

And here are just a few of the amazing shots we got.  I am holding back a few of my favorites that are on our Christmas card, but take a look at the awesomeness.

Aren't they great?  Here's Kelsey's contact info.

Life is routine

After a very fun and busy October, November has been pretty ho-hum.  We have certainly stayed busy, but not with exciting activities--just routine.  And my life has become very routine the last few months.  Want to see how routine?   Here's our typical schedule.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday are my gym days.  I try to get up at 6:30 for some scripture study.  The kids are usually up by 7.  We get breakfast, and Tyler gets ready and out the door by 7:45.  Once he has left, I feed Jackson and myself and get the twins ready.  Then I spend about an hour doing chores--usually cleaning the kitchen.  Sometimes I can get a bathroom clean or even mop the kitchen floor.  We leave for the gym at 9:30 or 10.  I wanted to shed 15 pounds of baby weight, so I started working out with a trainer.  I love it, and it has become my me time.  After the gym, we go home, I shower, and we eat lunch.  We usually have some time before we need to get Tyler, and I either finish up chores or the twins and I will read books or play games together.

Tuesday and Thursday are preschool days.  I get up at 6 so I can get ready and read scriptures before everyone else is up.  I get Tyler out the door the same way, and then we get the twins ready and head out at 8:45 to drop them off at school.  Then I get 2 1/2 hours with just Jackson.  We go to the grocery store every Tuesday, and spend Thursday running other errands or doing stuff at home that I can't do with little fingers helping me.  After lunch, we might go to the library, do a craft, or I just send them off to the playroom so I can do chores.  (Yes, I feel like I am always doing these chores.  With 4 boys it never ends.)

Once we pick up Tyler from school, it is mostly about him.  He gets a snack, we do homework.  He has karate 2 days a week and cub scouts.  Dinnertime rolls around again.  We do baths, read books, and get everyone to bed.  Jackson is down my 8, the twins about 8:30 and Tyler by 9. 

On top of this oh-so-exciting routine, Dan has been traveling a lot.  He's been gone probably 10 nights this month.  I am glad that he is going to be gone one night this week, and then no more traveling for a while, maybe till the end of the year.

If you think this was boring to read, imagine how I have felt living it!

And just to make it worth your while, here are the 4 pictures I have taken this month.

First, Carter was getting in my way while I was trying to wash dishes, so I had him help.   He loved it.  

Next, this little boy can FINALLY hold his own bottle!

I just loved this picture of my three sweet boys watching tv together.

And finally the cool rainbow we saw this afternoon.