The Move

My best friend in the world, Amy, moved today. It is quite bittersweet for me. We met a couple years ago when I got my horse and our horses were neighbors at the barn we were boarding them at. Our friendship grew around the horses and we found we have SO much in common. We have had lots of fun times together, and THANKFULLY she didn't move too horribly far away - only about 30 or 40 minutes tops.

We really saw each other alot at the barn, but since her new place has a barn for her to keep her horses there, we won't be seeing each other quite so much, which saddens me. But I am hoping we can get together often, and I know my horse has a standing invitation to move there when I am ready to retire her. I would board her at Amy's now, except where I board Olivia is only 2 minutes from my house. Quite convenient and I can see and play with her every day. If I moved her to Amy's, I would probably really only be able to get out to see her once a week.

I am so excited for Amy and this new chapter of her life. I know she'll have a blast having her own farm. Her new house is SO amazing. It is old and I mean OLD. One of those beautiful charming old farm houses that was built over 100 years ago. In the basement you can see the joists for the floors are tree trunks - yes - trunks - with the bark still on it! And they have a summer kitchen off to the side of their house. SO CUTE! and they have one of those really old rustic looking barns and a HUGE pasture. Her horses aren't going to know what to do with themselves!! Train tracks cut right behind the pasture - I told her I would LOVE to be there the first time a train comes through after she moves the horses. They are going to freak! ha ha. She was worried I wouldn't like her new house because it's old and needs some work, but it was the exact oposite. I LOVE her new house! It has so much charm and sitting in it, you can almost see all of the families that lived there and all of the history it must have.

I will take my camera next time I go so I can take some pictures to post. It really is a WAY CUTE house and I am so jealous!!

Joey had a blast today playing with Alyssa, Amy's daughter at their old and new house while we were moving. Savanna was with Meemaw and was just a model baby. I was sad to be away from Savanna all day, but she obviously didn't miss me at all! I'm glad she's such a happy and easy-going baby. Makes it much easier to leave her!

Good luck, Amy!! I will definatly miss you at the barn, but I can't wait for all the fun that is to come!! You better get used to seeing me at your place cause I'm going to be there LOTS! :-) I'll help clean stalls - promise!!

What's a mom to do? Advice please!!

I need some advice from other moms about my son, Joey. This may sound stupid to some of you, but this is an honest concern I have, and maybe some of you have some solutions I'm not seeing. My biggest problem with Joey is getting him to eat. I swear the kid is NEVER hungry. It surprises me sometimes how long he can go without eating at all, or eating so little. Obviously he's growing and developing fine, so I'm not concerned with his growth - I know he's eating enough to grow, but it's more of a disipline thing.

Take this morning for example: He got up and I asked him what he wanted for breakfast - he said he didn't know. So I asked if he wanted some eggs with cheese like his Grammy made him the other day (he ate them for her....) and he said yes. I asked if he wanted sausage, too, and he said no. So I made the eggs with cheese. I babysit and the little guy I babysit who is Joey's age was here too, so I made him eggs and cheese too. I sit them down at their little table and Ethan wolfs down his eggs. Joey sits there looking at them. I coax him into taking one bite - which he did. So in the time it took Ethan to eat all of his eggs, Joey had only taken one bite. Then I got him to take another bite, which he ended up holding in his mouth forever until I let him spit it out. Ugh. So, he only had one bite of eggs for breakfast, and when it came time for lunch today, he started balking at that, too.

In August he will be going to pre-school - in the morning. Many times when I sit him down to eat, if he eats all his food, it takes an hour! Don't get me wrong - I don't expect him to be a part of the 'clean plate club' at every meal, but I do expect him to at least take a few bites. I worry when he starts going to preschool, he will rarely actually eat anything before he goes, because there's nothing he really likes, and even if he does eat it takes him FOREVER. I do give him carnation instant breakfasts sometimes, but even that takes him like 3 hours to actually finish drinking it - by the time he's done with it, it's time for lunch. He will eat his food and stuff faster if I hover over him saying 'Joey eat, Joey eat, Joey EAT' but that REALLY gets old for me and Joey. And then I think he feels so much pressure to eat that it makes him not want to eat.

So this is the solution I've come up with for now... Let me know what you think, if you think it will work, or if you have any other suggestions. I'm trying it with lunch as we speak. Joey LOVES his cars - they are all he plays with. He also loves anything chocolate. I put his favorite two cars on the counter, along with a piece of chocolate. I set the kitchen timer we have for 40 minutes (ample time I think...) and told him he needs to eat, and if he eats enough by the time the beeper goes off, then he will get his cars and the chocolate, but if not, then the cars and chocolate will stay there until dinner tonight.

So far it's working - he's eating his food. But I know he has no concept of time and he's actually really stressed about it. He keeps wanting me to sit with him because he thinks the timer will scare him when it goes off. But it is accomplishing the goal - he is eating. I don't think he's tasting, but he's eating quickly because I told him I'll turn it off if he eats enough...

What do you think? Do you think it would be good for me to continue setting the timer when he's eating to encourage him to stay on task and eat with a prize at the end? Do you have any ideas of what else I can do? Did you ever deal with anything like this with your kids? I know it's totally normal for kids to not want to eat and to take forever, but when it's every day, every meal it really gets old! Help!! :-)

Quilt

My mom made that quilt that is in the photos with Savanna in the previous blog post. I love it! Just thought I'd give credit where credit is due. My mom is so good at that stuff!!

Look who is 6 months old!

Me, me! I am 6 months old! Can you believe it?? I love being 6 months! I get to lay around and eat 'real' food and play and squeal and make noise. It's so fun. I even discovered my feet recently - they are awesome!

Sunday was Savanna's 6 month birthday. I can't believe it's been 6 months already!! It seems like only yesterday she was a newborn. The time is flying! I know that's how it goes tho. It's the same way with Joey - I just cannot believe he is 3 already!! Where did my chubby baby boy go?? Now he's a little boy! No longer a baby. Savanna won't be a baby much longer, either. I just can't believe it.
Yesterday (monday) was her 6 month check up. Of course she is healthy as can be! She was 17lbs and 15 oz (90%) and 27 1/2 inches long (90%) and her head was 17 inches (50%). So she is cosistently growing. She really is a happy baby too - really easy going. Although recently she's gotten in the habit of being held alot - kinda annoying.... but she calms down really quickly, which is nice. No long screaming fits. She's really quick to smile and she's so pleasant. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure: (I am a really bad photographer...)

This was Joey's favorite toy when he was Savanna's age. Now Savanna really likes it, too. So cute.


Also, Friday night I started Savanna on rice cereal. I was determined to wait until she was 6 months old - I just about made it! Just 2 days early! She really took to it well! Hopefully she's always this easy to feed - she hasn't fought it at all and is aways excited to eat from a spoon (unless she's too hungry of course!!)

She has the worlds most sensitive skin - that's why her face all looks broken out. But she's fine - it's not as bad as it looks. I just have to aquaphor her face every day.

The following 2 pictures are totally unrelated but I thought I would include them because they're cute. Last week when everything was still snow covered but it was warming up, I sent Joey and Ethan out to play in the snow. I thought this was hilarious (which is why I took the pics) because Joey was doing 'ice angels'. He was trying to do snow angels, but since all the snow was just a big sheet of ice, his motions were not making any impression on the ice at all. I just thought it was funny. Although I am SICK of the soggy muddy stuff, I am happy to see all that snow gone. I don't like it that much! I like fluffy nice snow, but all that ice and stuff is just blah. Don't like it! And winter with 2 kids is difficult. Summers are much easier with kids! Only 5 more weeks till spring.......... Can't wait!!!!

Happy Birthday, Kris!!!!

****Mushy alert - if you can't take the mushy posts, then don't read this one!****

I know most of my posts recently that have mentioned my husband are either to complain about him or to give updates on his recent health scares, or both. Well I wanted to do a post for Kris' birthday to tell everyone what an amazing husband he really is. His 26th birthday was last Saturday (yes - he's 3 months younger than me!). Poor guy had his birthday just 2 days after his gall bladder surgery - which by the way went great and without any complications - and he's recovering well. We didn't do much for his birthday, and I didn't even have a present for him because I had been so busy and stressed with everything else going on. But I hope he knows how much he means to me. So I will write this post to him.

Kris, you always amaze me how much you do. You are a work-a-holic, which, believe it or not, I am thankful for. You provide so well for our family so we can live comfortably. I know this is no small sacrifice for you. I swear you are going to kill yourself by how hard you work, but I truly do appreciate all that you do for our family.

I am so greatful for what a great father you are. You are such a good example for our kids in your work ethic and your worthiness to hold the priesthood. I love seeing you cuddle and love on our children. I know they will grow being thankful that they had such a loving and involved father.

I am also greatful that you help me fulfil my dreams. You motivate me and stick by my side in my decisions. You are very much a realist and you help me think through things the way that I really can't some times. I don't know where I would be without your analytical imput.

This picture was taken on our trip out west in August, 2006

This is Kris being the great dad he is. Joey is 1 in this picture.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures on this computer of when Joey was born, but this is Kris with me as we were awaiting Savanna's arrival.

Our first picture with our new daughter, Savanna


Daddy with his brand new baby girl - she already had him wrapped around his finger and every day that wrap gets tighter and tighter. Just recently her baby babbles hav started saying 'da da da' and he is just delighted!!


Our family on Savanna's blessing day. I am sooooo happy I have a husband who can hold the priesthood and perform these ordinances for our family.

Daddy chilling with his 2 favorite little people in the world.

Daddy and Joey - I think Joey was 1 in this picture, too, but I'm not sure.

A more recent picture of Daddy cuddling with Joey - he probably will be less than pleased with me for putting this one in, but I think it's just precious!!!!

I have always dreamed since I was a child of having a horse of my own. I love horses and they truly are a passion of mine. Although I know Kris doesn't completely understand it, he still respects it. He has helped me fulfil my dream of having my horse and he supports me in taking care of her, which does take away alot of time from the family. I can't thank him enough for this - it truly is good for my soul!

Kris, I will forever be thankful for you and all you do. I am so happy to have you as my eternal companion. I hope you had a happy birthday, even though you were laid up. I love you, truly I do!!! :-)

The proper way - according to my cuties!!

The Proper Way to... According to Joey

This is the proper way to wear a hat and celebrate a birthday!

This is the proper way to use a couch - strip it of cushions and JUMP before you get caught!

This is the proper way to help mom cook - look totally innocent when she's looking but do something like sneeze in the batter when she's not!

The proper way to work - I learned this from my Daddy!
(Joey got this laptop for Christmas in 2007 - though he never showed any interest in it until recently when he figured out some of the games - now he is ALWAYS on it! And when I call him to dinner or something like that he says 'But I'm working right now!!' - sounds just like his father!!)

The Proper Way to... According to Savanna

This is the proper way to watch TV - naked and on the floor
(And yes - that is Spongebob my mommy is letting me watch!! You got a problem with it?!? he he)

The proper way to sleep - anywhere, anyhow, as long as I can stretch out, I'm happy!

The proper way to suck on a pacifier
(yes - this is a new habit she has begun recently. I think she may be teething and her bottom gums are bothering her because she will fiddle with her pacifier until she gets it in like this and yes - actually sucks on it like this. I think the hard plastic on her bottom gums must feel good. It makes me nervous tho cause I worry she might choke on it! I always correct it - hopefully she'll stop doing it soon! But till then, it's quite interesting that she's figured it out!)

The proper way to open a can - who needs a can opener??

Awww poop - I dropped it. So much for gumming my way to the pineapples!

Sooooooooo big!!!

I had to post about my little boy who is quickly becoming a big boy! It is amazing me how quickly he is growing up!! It is so fun to see his little personality coming out and view his emotions and reactions to different things. Sometimes it amazes me how grown-up he acts and how understanding he is of everything, and then other times (like yesterday!) I see he is still just 3 years old and i need to remember that in the temper tantrums he still rarely throws.

We were at a play date yesterday and he was doing great, but I think he was just over tired and started throwing a fit because (*gasp*!) someone else touched his cars. So since he wouldn't get over his fit I said we had to go home - which made him even madder and he was screaming his head off. Quite embarrassing in front of the other moms, but I know they have ALL been there before, and I know Joey will be there someday with his kids as well! I get so frustrated, but I know I have to remember that he is still just 3! He's not the little adult he acts like most of the time!

At the beginning of the year, he started in primary at church. At our church, nursery is for kids 18 months to 3 years old and primary is for kids 3 to 12 years old. The switch to primary was a big one for Joey because instead of playing the whole time, they actually have lessons and a children's service and stuff. He seems to really like it. Well I know it's sinking in because we really don't sing many church songs around the house just because I really don't think about it. Usually Joey prefers to listen to the Cars movie soundtrack. But Sunday on the way home from church I over heard him in the back seat singing 'lead me, guide me, walk beside me...' How cute! Then later on that day he was singing 'Hello, Hello, Hello...' (the Hello song for visitors). Then today he was playing and I overheard him singing 'Follow the prophet.' How cute! I am so glad he is in primary now and is obviously taking it all in - even though when I check on him in there he looks less-than-interested. And his new teacher is just amazing! She is so high-energy and keeps the 8 - 3 year olds she has under control! Thank you Sister Dawes!!

At any rate, I am so proud of my little Joey. He tries so hard to be a good boy and he's so smart. It is soooo fun watching him grow and learn. It amazes me every day the things he does. I love my little man!!!