I Conquered the XBox!

When Eleanor and her family were here a few weeks ago, Josh and Ethan played Xbox with Jared quite a bit. Today, he asked if he could play Lego Star Wars by himself. It took him more than an hour, but he got through the first level without help (mostly - I'm not much help, even if I wanted to be, lol). When he was done, he pumped his fist in the sky and shouted "I CONQUERED THE XBOX BECAUSE I AM AMAZING!"

(I love how the more intense the battle, the closer to the TV he gets. It makes me laugh!)

The Wonders of Marketing

I'm not sure that my kids understand about commercials. Jared was watching TV the other afternoon and a commercial for the "Scooter Store" power wheel chairs came on. At the beginning of the commercial, they ask a series of questions - Is getting around your house difficult for you? Do you have to ask others for help, especially in the bathroom and kitchen? Have you fallen down in the past 12 months? etc. Jared was very intently and seriously watching, nodding his head after each question. At the end of the commercial he told me that he was sure he needed a motorized wheel chair because he had fallen down before and because he had to ask for help sometimes. Sometimes he cracks me up. 

Bearing One Another's Burdens - It's Not Just About Carrying Heavy Stuff.

There are times that I don't like being a mother. (Gasp! Did I actually just write that? Am I allowed to admit that?!) I mean, I always love being a mother. I love my kids. I love my life. But sometimes the day to day grind wears me down. A lot. The daily battle of getting the kids to clean their rooms, do their jobs, brush their teeth Every. Single. Day. (multiple times!), be nice to one another. I feel like I say the same things over and over again. I know I yell too much.

This morning started out just like usual:
Telling Jared to go get dressed.
Checking on him 5 minutes later, finding him in his bedroom, completely naked, sitting on his floor playing with toys.
Starting to yell, telling him if he wasn't dressed by the time I counted to 10, he was grounded from everything under the sun. Then, telling him he had 5 minutes to have his room clean before he was in big trouble.
Getting distracted, coming back 15 minutes later, finding him sitting on his floor playing with toys.
Starting to yell. Telling him he has 1 minute to get all his cars picked up.
Hearing the baby cry. Going to pick her up, hoping that Jared would get started on his room.
Coming back 5 minutes later, hearing Megan and Jared happily chatting as they finished his morning jobs together.

Wait. What was that?

When I asked Megan why she was helping Jared with his jobs, she looked at me the way only an eight year old girl can, with exasperation and slight eye rolling, an unspoken"duh, mom." "It's called bearing one another's burdens, mom. It's not just about carrying heavy stuff, mom. Sometimes it means helping your little brother pick up his legos."

Megan will be baptized in a little over a month and we've been really working with her during Family Home Evening to make sure she understands what that means, the covenants she'll be making.

Mosiah 18: 8, 10 (18:5 - 11)

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Did I mention that there are times that I really love being a mom?

Megan's New Doll

So the other day, I posted on Facebook that Megan thought Kate was her own, personal, live doll. She loves to get her dressed, pick a flower or bow for her hair, etc.

Um, yeah. So today, she took it to a whole other level. During play group today, the girls asked if Kate could sit in the bouncy seat in Megan's room while they played. This is what I found when I went to check on them.

What we've been up to

We recently started an allowance program with the kids. We started a checklist with jobs they were expected to do each day at the same time. Let's just say that my house hasn't been this clean in a looooong time.

We've been playing with LOTS of friends this summer. We have someone over just about every day. Friends make the long summer days go by faster.

We take a lot of naps. As often as possible, for as long as possible (okay, so just Kate and Mom take naps. Megan and Jared read or do puzzles or something else quiet).

Mostly we are working hard at relaxing and at enjoying these long, hot summer days. And trying to not wish the summer away....And we are looking forward to the school year.

It doesn't get much cuter than this!

Asleep in the Pool

Kate was so relaxed in the pool, she fell asleep and just floated around for most of the time.

Top Ten Tuesday: Counting my blessings

Just a random list of 10 things that are making me feel especially blessed today:

1. Waking up to a clean kitchen.
2. A wonderful husband who works hard to support our family - especially on the mornings he has to leave the house at 5:45 AM.
3. A beautiful baby girl who lets me get enough sleep.
4. Two wonderful kids who keep my life interesting.
5. The internet that keeps me connected to friends and family, near and far.
6. Chocolate for breakfast.
7. Empty laundry baskets.
8. Remembering that it's trash day BEFORE the truck leaves my street.
9. Reminders from the library that they are holding a book for me.
10. Time to crawl back in bed for an extra 45 minutes of sleep.

Hope you are feeling especially blessed today, too! Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Cousins by chance, friends by choice.

We LOVE it when our cousins come to visit! We had such a fun weekend!

We went to the splash pad, went swimming, ran through the sprinklers and played on the slip-and-slide. What else is there to do in July in Houston?

(Sorry for the poor quality of this photo - my poor camera on my phone is pretty lousy. This night at the Boyers was the first time that Megan jumped off the diving board. Once she tried it, she went crazy, jumping 15 or so times.)

We ate yummy food that Travis cooked for us...

And we introduced Eleanor's kids to some fun new ways to eat dairy...

I didn't get pictures, but the kids all had a blast playing together. Josh and Ethan were especially nice to play with Jared. He LOVED having his big cousins spend so much time with him, playing Xbox.

And best of all, we had ice cream at Ritters. But I didn't get any pictures. Had other things (ie. eating ice cream as quickly as possible) on my mind.

Here's a picture of the newest cousins - they are 4 months apart in age. Aren't they adorable?

What we've been up to

 Kate is growing and growing and growing. She's got little rolls on her legs and arms. It's so cute! She is eating a LOT! It's great to see her healthy appetite, especially because it helps her sleep more at night. She is starting to be awake a lot more during the day, which is really fun. She is smiling and cooing and starting to laugh. It's pretty cute.

The kids (especially Jared) have been anxious for her to start being more interest in toys and playing. Jared will pile toys around her, trying to catch her attention. So far she hasn't been interested, but I can tell that she is getting closer. She loves to kick her legs and she is starting to try to reach for things. If you put something in her hand, she will hold on to it with all her might.

Megan LOVES being a big sister. I think every newborn should come with an almost-eight-year-old girl who loves playing "mommy". She feeds her and burps her and rocks her. She's learning to change her clothes and diapers.

Jared is trying so hard to find ways to play with the baby, but mostly he plays near the baby. It's pretty cute to hear him talk to her, calling her Princess Leia as he waves his light saber around, fighting off imaginary bad guys.

Beautiful Katelyn

Isn't she sweet?

I am ever an obedient servant...

Text Received at 6:08 pm, July 11, 2011 from Holly Reese:
Quit slacking on the blog! I want pictures!

Is this what you wanted, Holly?

For all of you who didn't grow up on the Rez, this was a major source of fun for us, living hours from the nearest spa. (I looked for one of the two of us together, but it seems that I was always on the other side of the camera. I am so, so, so sorry for that. Um, yeah. Sorry...)

4th of July Celebrations

We had a WONDERFUL 4th of July. Fun from sun up to sun down (and beyond). Lots of yummy food and good friends. Couldn't ask for more.

We started the day at the church for a pancake breakfast. Travis made quiche (which was gone in about 30 seconds). Before we left for the church, I made everyone go out and pose for pictures - I knew we wouldn't make it through the day in our festive clothes. :D

After the breakfast, we went shopping for a couple things we needed for dinner later, new sandals for Megan and Jared (how do their feet grow so quickly?!?), and a swimsuit for Kate.

Then we dashed home to start cooking. Travis had big plans for things to take to the Boyer's bbq. Bleu cheese burgers, homemade buns, pasta salad, corn on the cob, and red, white, and blue almond cookies.

Aren't they GORGEOUS? They were really yummy. (although I think they needed more chocolate. ;D)

We had a WONDERFUL time at the Boyers. Someday I hope to be as gracious a host as they are. Everything was fun and relaxed and welcoming. The kids had a blast eating and swimming and playing with their friends.

Even Katelyn got into the pool for about 20 minutes. She absolutely LOVED it.

Posing with Kate

Megan wanted me to take some pictures of her and Katelyn today after church because their dresses coordinated (she was disappointed that they didn't have anything that matched).

Of course, Jared had to get in on the action as well.

Megan and Jared were happy to sit and smile, but after 3 hours of church, Katelyn wasn't too happy to pose for pictures. But even crying, she's still really cute.