Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Rain Dance

We're so desperate for rain that when it comes, the we insist on celebrating it by running in it. Unfortunately it wasn't enough of a downfall to create the giant puddles Isaac loves splashing in, but they made do.



The kids are growing fast, literally. We just measured Keila again, and in 3 months time she's grown 2 inches. Isaac's grown 1 inch. He keeps telling me that since he's four, he needs to be at the number 4 (or 4 feet tall). I told him I must be seriously stunted because I am only just over 5 feet tall. He looked at me with his serious eyes and said with a little pat on the back, "That's okay Mama." Cute kid.



Isaac's back in preschool and loving it. He's so excited to learn and we've begun some reading lessons and I love to see his eyes light up when he knows he's read the word all on his own. I love the little growing Independence. For instance, I can send him to his room to get dressed and make his bed. Once or twice, when he's woken early on a Saturday, he'll get up and do it all on his own and come in to gently wake us and tell us how 'focused on task' he was and that we should be proud of him - and we are. He just recently had his first primary presentation and his part was memorized within minutes. He has an incredible memory and we were so proud to see him say his part and sing all the songs. You can tell he's a firstborn since during the presentation he gently correct his friend Noa and all his antics. It had us and several others in the congregation chuckling.



Keila loves attending the playroom when I aide at the preschool. She's developed an obsession with another little girl her age, Talia, and constantly asks for her. She's at that stage where you get a play by play of everything she's doing and every thought that passes through her mind. It's funny and a little eerie to hear her lecture her dolls, "Blue-blue, sit. Good girl, don't touch, hot, careful. Time to eat, veggie good for you..." Can't imagine where she got that from! Her favorite songs at bedtime are Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree and Ring Around the Rosie. The latter has her often spinning around the room endlessly while holding a stuffed animal. It's a wonder she hasn't thrown up yet. Unfortunately she's done napping (otherwise we are up at 5am) which is rather difficult on me right now. It seems too soon, how quickly they grow up.

As for me, the pregnancy has been difficult. I always knew I loved food, but never knew how much it meant to me until I experience all this nausea. There's only dread (instead of joy) at cooking, eating has become a chore and the worst of it all is knowing that in a half and hour I'll just want to curl up in a ball. I've tried everything, eating ginger, sipping ginger ale, using sea bands, etc. I've lost weight and Kent remarks he can physically see it on me. We just had another appointment with the doctor I was given Zofran to help out with it. The whole family was there for the appointment to hear the heartbeat and Isaac, out of everyone is the most thrilled with the growing development of the baby. He has a book he looks through to see the monthly changes in the baby. I'd read it to him and try and describe how big the baby was (for example, by now at 11 weeks, it's about the length of my thumb) but when we got to the ninth month, his eyes got big and with some apprehension he said, "But Mama, that's BIG! That's going to hurt when he comes out!" We all seem to think that this one is a boy, but we shall see in a few months.



This seems to be a common occurence in our household lately! Hopefully things will ease up in a few more weeks and I'll be back to blogging and my old self.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Preschool At LONG Last!

Having done preschool last year and then having to wait until after Labor Day to start was very, VERY difficult on Isaac this year. I suppose he was imagining all the fun he was missing out on and over 3 weeks of waiting is hard for a boy his age. So we downplayed it by not mentioning it at all. Lo and behold, I forgot all about it until the night before. (thank heavens a few preggie brain cells kicked on in time!) Isaac was rather bewildered this morning and a little apprehensive given the rush to get ready, but in the end, he didn't want to go home. Preschool is back!


Here he is with Mrs. Bernieburg. It was apparent from all the 'wrestling' that he already loves his new teacher!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Things We Do For Love

So .... I have an announcement ....I am officially 7 weeks pregnant. We had an ultrasound on Monday and I was relieved to see the fluttering of a tiny heart. That being said, pregnancy is much worse with age! Kent has noticed that compared with the other pregnancies I have been more nauseated and bothered by smells. The fatigue is CRAZY! The other day I donned my shoes, pulled out my purse and announced to the kiddos to grab their shoes, we were headed to the library. I sat down on the couch to wait and awoke 40 mins later to hear them happily playing in their room. When Isaac heard me he said in surprise, "Mama, your awake!" I'm so grateful that nothing was needed of me in that time and nothing more was done than a messy bedroom.

So.... when we decided to go on the ward camp out as a family, I was NOT looking forward to it! The idea of being around others when I felt nauseous, gross, anti-social and then topping it off a flimsy apparatus to pass as shelter thus ensuring I wouldn't get good sleep - I was NOT excited to say the least. But ... Keila had never had the camping experience (unless you count the fiasco we had last year - see second half of Lessons learned) and Isaac always wanted us to go as a family. The next opportunity would be at least 2 years from now and really, what was my discomfort in the face of good ole family bonding time. So we packed up and went off for the adventure.

I didn't get a good night's sleep, the nausea was worse for it but there was so much that I would have missed out on. The site was perfect, the weather was gorgeous and there was so much fun to be had for everyone. I wandered around trying to catch the moments with the camera and couldn't be more pleased with the results.



Keila testing out the coziness of the cot. Pei-pei (Blankie) makes EVERYTHING better!


Isaac and Alex pleased as can be at the result of their digging. Do you see their dance of joy?


Keila loves Nala, our neighbor's dog. Whenever she wandered off, it was always with "Na-Na!" and if not with her, you could always hear her calling the dog loudly.


Isaac's favorite part of camping - Smores!!!



Keila hates being a mess and couldn't appreciate the treat. She'd take one bite, drop it and yell, "Sicky, sicky, wash hands!"



The warden has just come around to talk to the kids about not picking the flower. Isaac felt bad so he spent a good deal of his morning replanting them. He's such a sweetie!


Keila donning Baba's hat in all her camping grubbiness!

We stopped in a field of flowers to try and take some family pictures. Everyone was much too tired and campish to feel like posing much, but there were a few nice shots.




So here's to the things we do for love ... it's worth it in the end!