Thanksgiving

Having 19 people in my home, 9 of them being 7 years old and under, did make me a little nervous for the Thanksgiving week, but it turned out perfectly. We did a lot of crafts, ate A LOT, stayed up LATE talking and playing games, attempted to take family pictures (it was really cold, we'll see how they turned out), put together a 500 piece "Cinderella" puzzle (it was done by the adults), played $10 in 10 minutes at Wal-mart,went to a couple of movies and expressed our gratitude for our many blessings. I was really quite pleased how everything went. Everyone was in good spirits and by trying to keep the kids' playing in the basement, the damage to my house was minimal.

How we all felt when it was all over

Now, as tradition, I'm going to let you know some things I am grateful for:

Todd, Mikey, Roger, William, Grant, My Mom, My Dad, My Siblings and Extended Family, My home, My bed (having a King-sized bed has saved our marriage), My health, My Friends, God, Joey, Heaters, Pictures, my car, gas prices going down, LeNae, med school almost being done, my family's health, my boys being potty-trained, food, good baby-sitters, temples, our country, disposable diapers, inspiration, bleach, plumbing, shoes, internet, and my marriage.

Stop talking

Mikey has reached the tattle-tale stage of life. This actually has been quite helpful. Especially when I hear things like, "Momma, Grant's eating my toys", or "William's playing in the toilet".

But I also get to hear things like this that occurred at the kitchen counter:

"Dad! Dad! Roger's almost touching my chair!...Dad! Roger's almost touching my chair!"

Then I heard Roger say, "Shhh.....Mikey stop talking!"

"Dad, Roger's almost touching my chair"

Todd went and scooted Roger's chair over.

"Dad, " Roger said in a very frustrated tone, "I was just kidding."

I don't understand them sometimes.

Week of Firsts

This past week has held a lot of firsts for us:

First Snow of the season

First Baby Shower of the season (we have 10 women that are pregnant in our ward)

First time buying and canning food storage

First Pie LeNae has ever made - and from real pumpkins!!

First dinner having no milk spilled (and no, we did not use sippy cups)

First time William put the potty seat on the toilet by himself

First time Grant has been to the Doctor's office (5 months, not bad - dang eye infection)

And this next week we will be having my whole family (besides my brother on a mission)together for the first time since my parents divorce... could be very awkward, could be very chaotic, could be very emotional...could be all the above. Maybe we'll just be emotional eaters and just stuff our faces. Too bad that this week I have reached the weight I was when I got married.

Wish me luck, and if I'm fatter after Thanksgiving, you know what happened.

Side note- The only reason I am back at my wedding weight is because my hair is much shorter, my chest has been sucked dry, and my bottom is saggy versus the long, luscious hair, fuller chest, and firm behind. So, I may be at the same weight, but I am definitely not looking the same.

Aunt Nae

Aunt 'Nae was gone visiting our parents. The boys did miss her, often asking where Nae was. A few times during dinner, William would perk up and ask in a distressed voice, "Na-Nae? Na-Nae?"

The first morning she was home, Mikey came down and acted all shy around her, talking to me in a whispered tone to not be heard by LeNae (she's lived with us for 3 months, gone one week and already Mikey's forgotten about her). William instantly responded very well to LeNae, he had been looking for her for some time now.

I was wondering how Roger was going to react. She came down the stairs. Roger got one look at her and said, "You not my best fiend, Mamma's my best fiend."

Ouch! So I tried to smooth things over by saying, "Roger, aren't you so happy to see Aunt Nae back?"

"No! Nae, you not petty, only my momma is too petty."

LeNae responded with, "I didn't even ask!"

Unfortunately this is exactly how Roger responded to LeNae before she left. Nothing changed with him. But, here is a picture of LeNae holding Roger as he fell asleep when he was sick. You think he would remember tender moments like this.

Double Take

As parents, why do we do this:

I know that to you, it appears that I have just posted several photos that are almost identical. Where you see it as almost identical, I see them as totally different. Each photo shows a different personality trait of my child, different mood, etc. And even though I will admit that these photos are all very similar, for some reason as parents we take tons of the same picture, then we post all of them, as if someone else out there really can see the difference in the pictures ...or really cares.

Aren't we so silly. But at least we are in love with our kiddos.

Todd had some interviews this week in Pennsylvania for his Residency, so I decided that since there is a chance that we may be moving to one of these places, I came along. We are still hoping that we get to stay where we are - it is our first choice - but we have to have some back-up plans in case this isn't where we're supposed to be.

Last week I called Jenny to ask her if she'd watch Joey (her kids love our dog, if I was a better person I would give Joey to them). While conversing she offered to watch a couple of my kids. No, I couldn't do that to her....but then again driving all day isn't something they enjoy, and trying to entertain them in the car all day isn't something that I enjoy either. Plus William had been wanting some more individualized attention, and it is always easier to travel with only 2 kids... so I dropped Mikey and Roger off with Jenny. Poor Jenny, but she does set herself up for these things.

Here's Grant's reaction upon finding out that we weren't taking Mikey and Roger

Here's William's

We left Sunday night, and traveled to the eastern side of Pennsylvania. On Monday, while Todd was in his interviews, I went and visited my cousin Natalie who is living in Philly. It was great to see her. William played really well with Weston, especially since Mikey and Roger weren't there to compete with the attention. We talked for awhile (we are our mother's daughters), and even made me a magnetic board for the boys' room.

That evening I went and picked up Todd and we went out to eat. It was pretty much a date, since we only had two kids. It was amazing. Usually whenever I go somewhere I get a lot of giggles (like, wow, this woman has her hands full) or some glares (like, I can't believe people would have so many children, it is just mean to everyone). But with just the two I got more adoring looks and smiles. Interesting.

Tuesday Todd didn't have an interview, so we drove up to NYC to visit Lyndee and the city. We went to the temple, which is beautiful and always pleasant. Then that evening Todd and I went out on the "town" while Lyndee watched the boys.

Here's Todd and Grant on the Subway

Here's William on the Subway. This is actually his 2nd time to NYC, and in this same stroller.

Wednesday Todd had another interview, but Lyndee hung out with me all day. Since we had to drive to the next area (which was 5 hours away) that night, we didn't have a hotel. So we drove around the area and did whatever we could do. Lyndee was impressed that I thought of going to the park and library, but really, if you have kids this is a no-brainer.

That night we said good-bye to Lyndee and drove to Erie, PA. It was a long night. After Todd's interview the next day we drove home. It was a great trip. Fun time to spend with Todd, and to get a break from the normal everyday mom chores, and have a break from 4 kids. I remember when I just had Mikey & Roger, when they were the ages that William and Grant are, and I totally thought I was overwhelmed. Man, if I could I would go back and slap myself...but then I'll probably feel the same way about myself in a few years. I guess it's just all that you've become conditioned to handle.

Mikey and Roger did well, and I am happy to say that Jenny survived, just barely though. She did say that she could see how difficult it is for me to go anywhere (dealing with shoes, coats, potty stops, etc), and wondered why I ever go anywhere. Desperation is all I can think of.

Here's an email I got from her one morning:

Hi Loni,
I am up at 3:45 w/Roger who woke up looking for you, nicely, just looking, not crying. But he was hungry - probably b/c he would not eat much for dinner - go figure, it wasn't mom's cooking. He is chatting w/me about Joey, etc. "Sister Morten, look at these funny lights. I don't have those at my house. My lights too pretty."
He is cracking me up.
I'd better stop him from drinking the entire sippy cup of milk or we may have an accident later.
Such fun - love your kids!
Jen

She said that Mikey was really pleasant, he played with Nathan a lot, and actually talked a lot. Roger had his ups and downs (big surprise). She did say that he kept on telling Anna, "You too pretty". At one point Roger and Anna had this conversation:

Roger: You too pretty

Anna: No! I not pretty! I Anna!

Roger: You too pretty?

Anna: No! I not pretty!

After this went on for some time, Anna finally slugged Roger. Jenny had to tell Roger that even though Anna's very pretty, do not tell her that she's pretty. Sounds like Anna is playing hard-to-get, not falling for the smooth talking.

Glad to be home...I think.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Meet Nathan:

He is Mikey's friend. He is four years-old, is one of the funniest little kids - very different from any other kid you've ever met, he's very smart (during Joy school he's the only one that listens the entire time and gives correct answers), he likes to play karate (turn on any kind of music he starts doing his moves, very seriously), he's a very picky eater and he HATES fruit. (I know, I don't understand it. Fruit is the closest thing to candy, like I said, he's not like any kid you've ever met).

Meet Nathan's mom, Jenny:

She is a dietician (sp). She actually got her Master's in dietetics. One would assume that after so many years of studying nutrition and the effects of it on the body that you would know how to feed your kids nutritional food, yet she has created a son that will not eat fruit - applesauce is even out - and I cannot tell you how many times I have come to her house only to witness her daughter "drinking" maple syrup out of the container. Actually, here's a photo of Anna's usual afternoon snack, Whipped Cream:

In all actuality, Jenny is really good at feeding her kids nutritious foods, the maple syrup and whipped cream are more exceptions just showing that she isn't super strict about their diets, which would cause a lot of mental anguish. Somehow I will have lunch quite often with her - I'm not sure how this happens, I just seem to be over at her house during lunch time - and I am always impressed how balanced even her lunches are (versus my peanut butter and honey sandwiches at home).

But the real reason of this post is not to tease Jenny's food choices, it is that today, 29 years ago (or something like that) Jenny was born, thus it is her birthday. I wanted everyone, including those that don't have the opportunity to know Jenny, to know how great Jenny is. I have put together a few facts about her:

1. She's a great mother. She is super patient with her children. She never is selfish with them. And at points when I would scream or cry, she's still thinking reasonably (if you have kids, you know how amazing this really is). She also doesn't get the nightly break of having a husband relieve her of the stress (this does mean she's available, so if any guys are interested, submit a resume to me - if you pass the bar I'll give you her #).

2. She is always working or moving, not a lazy bone in her body. It really does make me sick to watch her.

3. She is always serving others. Here she is, a single mother of three children, and she is always offering to give me a break from my kids. But I'm not the only one, at least once a week she's watching someone else's kids. And even though I try not to burden her, she's the one who watches my kids when I have appointments and such. She's just too willing and cheerful.

4. She's very laid back and easy-going. Even though I think she should be the most stressed, 'cause she does have the most amount of stresses, she is the most laid-back of all my friends. She never plays the drama card, even though she has the heaviest in her hands.

5. She's a righteous example. She's very dedicated to God. She performs her church duties, she served a mission. She holds FHE regularly! Again, sometimes she makes me sick. If I didn't like her so much, I would hate her.

6. She should live in a studio apartment. Her daughter, Anna, sleeps with her. Nathan sleeps in a toddler bed that is in her room, and her other son, Curtis, sleeps on the floor in her room. Don't worry, there are two other bedrooms that have beds in them, but the kids just like being near her. She puts up with this, even though Anna will lie on top of her and Nathan will have loud conversations in his sleep.

I could go on a long time about the many great qualities of Jenny, but I've got to get to work on cleaning my house. Jenny, I hope you have a great birthday, and we are so glad that we know you. Jenny really hates attention like this, so when you see her, make sure to mention her birthday.

My Fellow Americans

Tuesday night I was disappointed to find out that Ohio had voted for Obama, which lead more to him winning. And, if you know me, you know I did not want Obama to win, I do not like big government, I actually am quite a Libertarian in most senses.

BUT

I am going to support Obama. This does not mean that I will accept everything that he says and change my beliefs to coincide with his, follow him blindly. But when he speaks or proposes ideas I am going to try to keep all biases out and listen to his ideas trying to see how they would be beneficial and only then decide if I agree with that particular proposal. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

These last terms of Bush I have been very sickened by not just the lack of support but more out right defiance against our President. People display their "Kerry / Edwards" bummer stickers with pride as if to say, "I didn't vote for Bush; therefore I am going to fight anything he says. I hope the nation tanks so I can say 'told you so'." And as much as I would desire to now answer back with something like, "well, now you have the chance, don't wreck the nation on your watch or else I'll be saying 'told you so'." I really do not desire for our nation to falter. I want us to be successful. I want us to hold on to our Independence. I want my children to have a great nation to live in. I WANT OBAMA TO LEAD US TO SUCCESS!!

We all got the opportunity to go to the polls. There were more that wanted Obama, so he won. Despite who we voted for, we should support our leader, the man that won more votes. I was very impressed with McCain (something that doesn't happen much) when he urged us to support our newly elected President. He doesn't want division in our country, nor do I. Our agendas should not be focused on whether something is good or bad for our political party, but rather whether we feel if something is good or bad for our nation, our freedoms, our children.

So, sit and sulk for a couple of days (those that voted the way I did) because after disappointment you must cope with it. Then after your allotted time, I urge you to stand up and support our new President. Don't speak badly about him just because he wasn't your choice. Rather let's give him a chance, let's give our nation a chance. Remember him in your prayers, pray that he will be inspired and guided to do that which would be best for the people. He's signed himself up for a difficult job, why should we make it more difficult?

On a greater note, Ohio voted against having a casino come into our state - YAY!!! I'm glad that people saw that gambling is not a business that would benefit our people. And even better news, Proposition 8 passed!!!!! That was really the biggest vote that I was concerned about. I really do not hate gays/lesbians, if anything I feel badly for them and the struggles they have to deal with. They can live their lives how they want to and deem worthy, but do not force the schools to teach my children that something that I feel is morally wrong is something it is not. I feel that the gays/lesbians can live together and have enough laws that protect their lifestyle that there is not a need to take away or confuse the sanctuary of marriage.

Tuesday did come out to be a success in my book. The issues that I was concerned about passed in the ways they wanted to. And just as important, millions and millions of Americans got out to get their voices heard. What a great place we live in.

Side note - almost totally unrelated. The shirt that Michelle was wearing during the acceptance speech, I thought it looked terrible. I thought it made her look pregnant (maybe I'm just super not-look-pregnant paranoid). Then I saw on a online paper that they were saying how awesome her outfit was that night. Weird.

One Day More

This morning I got up early, put Grant in his carseat, and drove towards Cleveland. I found my destination, parked the car, and entered a rally in which Sarah Palin was attending!!! I got there pretty early (which explains why I look so pretty), and knowing that I had a couple of hours before Palin arrived, I started looking for somewhere to sit. I noticed that the bleachers behind the podium were not full, so I walked right up, and a security guard let me through. So, I sat on the very front row just to the left of where Palin was going to be speaking.

It was amazing. There were so many people, and being so close was amazing. Grant was such a good baby, didn't cry or fuss. Afterwards, Todd Palin came over by us. I shook his hand and he asked me how old my baby was. He's probably forgotten about that by now, but I thought it was pretty cool. Well, his baby is Grant's age, so he was probably just sizing up his baby. You know how it is when you see a baby or child about the same size as yours, you ask how old and size them up. I know this because I did this to the lady sitting next to me, she had a little girl William's age, the girl was bigger. Not suprised though, William is wearing 12 month clothes. He turns 2 in January.

As I have mentioned before, I'm not too much of a fan of McCain, but I do love Sarah Palin.

She is so awesome - and gorgeous! In fact I would consider not voting for her because of my jealousy of how good she looks. She had her fifth baby the same time I had my fourth, she's twenty years older than I am, and looks 80% better than I do, dang it! But I love that she's a real mom, real American, wanting us to maintain our freedoms.

I'm really not a fan of Obama. The Pro-"choice" bothers me, but mainly I really like having my agency and making the choices I deem appropriate for my family. I don't agree with raising the minimum wage (another term for inflation) - jobs that offer minimum wage were never meant to raise a family with. Raising minimum wage is raising the high schooler's job wages, but not the father's, in fact it makes the money that the father is earning worth less while he doesn't get a raise and actually is in risk of being laid off. I do understand the feeling of comfort that comes from thinking of our economy becoming a socialism economy - it really does feel like there are no worries knowing that you will get money one way or another. But, in exchange, we are giving up our freedoms. Not only does socialism create mediocrity (I visited Russia once, I was amazed how I felt like I was visiting the 1940's, with no capital gain there is no drive for people to succeed), it gives the government more control of our lives and families. Churchill once said:

a socialist policy is abhorrent to the British ideas of freedom. Socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the object worship of the state. It will prescribe for every one where they are to work, what they are to work at, where they may go and what they may say. Socialism is an attack on the right to breathe freely. [color added]

As a mother of four small children in an area where the NORM is to have the most two children that are at least 3 or 4 years apart, I feel that in order to protect my decisions to have children and when to have them is to restrict how much control the government has in my personal life. I also do not want my children's lives dictated by someone else.

ANYWAY - you now obviously know how I feel - it is my personal opinion and you do not have to agree. BUT what I want to do is to encourage you to go vote tomorrow - no matter who you are voting for. What a great privilege we have to elect our officials. No matter if you live in a place that you can already tell who will win, go to the polls! That is a gift our founding fathers gave us, it is priceless and did not come without sacrifices. Even if you know that you are voting for different things than I am, my desire is for everyone to get their voice heard. Even if those that I do not want to get elected are victorious tomorrow, at least it will be because the people chose it that way. In 1776 Independence was declared - I hope tomorrow you support and maintain that declaration and vote.

5 Months

Doesn't he have beautiful eyes?

Can you believe it's been 5 months already?!

Grant is such a good baby (I know everyone says that about their baby, but only I am telling the truth). He is getting so chunky. He LOVES food. I usually like to hold back the solids (with Mikey I was so excited to feed him solids, but once I realized what a pain it can be, I am much more patient) but Grant will sit in the high chair while I cook dinner, so I started with giving him crackers, and now he is hooked. He will eat SO much. On top of nursing (he's not nursing less either), he will eat several crackers, rice cereal at night, and during the day he'll total eating more than a cup of baby food. It's a good thing I make my own baby food or else I'd be really poor.

We've really enjoyed having him around. Roger calls him "Granty", which is so super cute. I will have Mikey hold Grant (while Mikey's sitting, I'm not an idiot) if I need to run do something. William still believes that Grant is his possession. I hate to break it to the poor kid that Grant is not his possession, but rather is his competition. (kidding - I really do love all my kids).

Grant has been sleeping through the night (only because we made him cry it out - something I really hate) the last couple of days. I am kind of sad that he doesn't come and join us in our bed in the middle of the night anymore. But, my sadness is soothed by the other 3 boys that have recently made it their habit to join us around 3 AM. Todd really is upset by this, only because they will wake him up by climbing over him to get closer to me. He's just jealous that he can't sleep by me.