See mom......matching.

Here is Clayre. Doesn't she look so cute in her matching red and white striped shirt and purple flowered pants. (see earlier post: Unique style)

A Park without Swings

I have been taking my girls to the park lately. It has been amazing weather here. (That's an open invitation to any who wants to come visit). I like to keep them guessing, so we will go to different parks around town. There are a lot of great parks here, and they all have there advantages--but I have found that my favorites, are the ones without swings.

I remember when I just had Parly, oh so many years ago, and we would go to the park alone. She enjoyed the swing a lot and I didn't mind pushing her. And bonus, we were doing something outside of the house for a change. A park with or without swings...what a luxury. Then we were invited to go to the park with a friend and she said let's go to one without swings. Really? Now I get it.

With 4 kiddies, I know like most moms know- that if I go to a park with swings...I will be pushing my child (or children) on the swings the whole time. And now when I go to the park I try to invite another mom + kids to come along with us, so I have someone to else to talk to (an adult conversation, which is hard to come by as a stay-at-home mom) and my kids have more kids to play with and thus need less attention from me. Genius, I know. So if you're like me...you want to visit instead of push kids on the swings the whole time.

Now I know Shayne is reading this and saying, "Just tell them you won't push them on the swings." That's easy. No, not really. It's just easier to avoid that whole conversation that repeats over and over and over and over....by going to a park without swings.


Of course it was great a few days ago when I took Clayre, Kate, and Maggie to a park with swings....and I gave Clayre one underdog push and she swung for 40 minutes (pumping herself). Now that was nice! Push a child on a swing and they will swing for a few minutes- teach a child how to pump on the swing and they will swing forever...by themselves. Way to go Clayre!

Good for you, Sadie!

Sisters: Emily, Sadie, Me
Moms and Babies: Me & Maggie, Emily & Jane, Bonnie & Angie

So I got to go to Logan for the weekend. Just me and the baby. It was great! I went because my little sister, Sadie is getting married and we were having a bridal shower for her. Of course my other sister and I were thinking it would be better for us if she never married, then she would be available to come and babysit for us while we go on trips with our husbands whenever we need her to. She did this for me and Shayne when we went to New York last year before Maggie was born. She watched the other 3 girls for a week. Pretty much we trust her with our children more than we trust ourselves. Selfish..I know. I'm very excited for her. She is marring a great guy.

It was a lot of fun being back with the family. Sometimes I wonder if other people find my siblings as funny as I do. I pretty much laugh the whole time. Everyone in my family is very clever and smart...so if you aren't you'll get yourself into trouble. That being said... I take a hit every now and then, unless I can come up with a good come back-which isn't very often.

You see growing up I was the target. I was the one that they would all tease. Probably because I would get mad and bugged and oh... put on a pretty good show. Instead of learning to ignore or join in, I would just react. It's funny now. And since then I have realized because I didn't learn... I married Shayne, the biggest tease that ever lived! And he is trying his best to tease me straight!

So I enjoyed myself this last weekend. And it's not only because I was without 3 of my 4 little angels (2 of them throwing up all Saturday night. Sorry Shayne), or not having to plan or make any meals-just eat...(now that's heaven), or the cute clothes I got shopping (thanks, mom), it was all the great conversations! Thanks Family. You know how I love CON-VER-SAY-SHE-OHNNN!

Baby Jane, I owe you!

So I went to Logan and had a great time. I will blog about that later. Let's talk about my trip with Maggie. As I mentioned earlier Maggie has been sick, and of course the morning Maggie and I are leaving she won't eat (nurse). I'm stressing. Shayne says just feed her on the plane. So I try on the plane. Nope. And the only time she cried was when I tried to nurse her. So we land and again I try. No...she refuses. Then my mom and sister picked us up we all went shopping. I had to hand pump because she hadn't eaten since 10:30 p.m. the night before. I was finally was able to get Maggie to eat a little around 11:30 a.m. in a dressing room stall. So we continue to shop. I try again around 3:30. Nope.

After all our shopping we headed to Layton to met Sadie's finance for dinner. Oh, and my other sister Emily with her baby Jane (3 months) arrived later in the afternoon. Now all this time Maggie was pretty good. She didn't fuss much and took naps here and there....only problem- not nursing. I tried again just before dinner. And again, no. Maggie was on a nursing strike! So by this time I am really full..I've pumped a couple of times...but those who have breastfed before know that babies are really the best at emptying. So Emily offers to let me nurse her baby, since Maggie won't. I was desperate so I did. We're all family. Let me just tell you, Jane saved me. I've had a breast infection before-not fun! I wasn't about to let one of those ruin my trip to Logan. So letting Jane nurse was just what I needed...two empty breasts.

When we got to Logan, I took Maggie to the Insta-care. Surprised? Not me...and neither was Shayne when I told him. Maggie didn't have an ear infection like I suspected, but she did have an onset of bronchitis..I knew I heard a little raspiness in her breathing...doctor's diagnoses -she was probably not wanting to nurse because it was harder for her to breathe and nurse at the same time. Made sense. So after a horrifying ordeal taking ex rays of her lungs (anyone know what I'm talking about. That contraption that looks like a 14th century torcher chamber) and a breathing treatment we were able to go home. Maggie finally ate good and went to bed around 10:00 p.m. What a day! But it was all worth it....I was in Logan!

Pictures are of Maggie getting another breathing treatment. Isn't she cute! Even when sick.

It feels like the plague

Look close and you can see it- Maggie's first tooth.

So I think Maggie is coming down with something. In an earlier entry, I mentioned her first tooth possibly coming. It did. So that could still explain the extra fussiness, coughing, constant runny nose and loss of interest in nursing. (She's only nursing on one side at a feeding, usually both sides, which made for an awkward afternoon of running errands-then coming home and noticing my shirt was wet on one side in a perfect circle..crap!) But as much as I want it to just be the teething....I'm afraid it's not.

Where to go from here? I have so much to say about sick kids. And it seems that our family is starting to become accustomed to the drill of drinking fever medicine by the gallon, going through cases of tissues boxes, and then the magic ice water (again...mentioned in an earlier entry-so if your confused..stop..read previous entries..then start again). Going through this winter season with 4 kids has been an adventure to say the least. Especially with one in school and another in preschool. Germs I surrender!

I don't think there has been a weeks time where someone hasn't been coughing, sniffling, running a fever, or at least complaining about tummy, ear, or throat hurting. And so when one of the little brats comes down with something...I have learned it's just a matter of time before she passes it on to the rest of them..one by one. If they could just all get it at the same time...it would be a nightmare, but then I would wake up (figuratively speaking) and it would all be over.

Which goes right into my next point: If I could just know when they would be done being sick, I mean if someone said their fever will break in exactly 2 days and 48 minutes. I could handle it. It's the not-knowing (also when to just give in and take them to the doctor's-but I won't go into that now) and waiting that kills me. Oh and the whining, crying, clinginess, and constant need for attention.

Shayne thinks that during these sick fests I become a pessimist. But what he doesn't understand is that it is much easier to go to bed thinking--or just planning--on being up all night- so if I actually do get some kind of sleep, I am pleasantly surprised. That's not pessimism that's survival!

Also..why does it always seem like kids get sick at the worst possible times. I don't know if there has been a time while visiting family in Logan -that we haven't gone to the insta-care or at least thought about it. So just in time for my trip to Logan this weekend-- Maggie has come through...and is coming down with something.

It's here..this time..I know it!

So Maggie's first tooth is breaking through. That explains all the drooling, coughing, and crankiness. Of course I have been telling Shayne this for weeks maybe months..."I think she is teething " to explain why the change in behavior....like why she woke up from her nap early, why she is requiring more attention than just a smile from across the room, or why she is rubbing her ears, etc... this time it is really happening. I'm pretty sure.

I think I do that a lot. I'm not exactly sure what "that" is but I do it. I guess that it's coming up with reasons for why things are happening. Like the teething or why you put heat verses ice on a sore muscle, or why you really should wear shoes outside when it is cold (it's not that you will catch a cold, everyone knows that a cold is a virus...but cold body and feet keep the body busy working on warming it up, it's distracted, and so the virus has a better chance of slipping by and taking over), or how I have convinced my girls that water is magic and can help you when you are sick by : stopping the coughing, bringing a fever down, even helping you get better faster. Magic!

Then, when I tell Shayne one of my creative theories (not proven by science, yet!) he will say, "It sounds like you know what you are talking about."

I think I have gotten closer to real theories because once I even convinced a doctor:
Maggie had been sick and wasn't eating well. Any time I would get her ready to nurse she would get very upset...and it was mostly when I attempted to nurse her on a certain side. So I thought maybe she has an ear infection and that the ear that hurts was in more pain when she had to lay and nurse in that particular position. Sure enough she had an ear infection in one ear. When I told the doctor my theory, he said he had never heard of a baby refusing one side because it hurt more...but that it all made sense. Crazy! It's a little scary that I can convince a doctor of my crazy ideas.

Tell me how it is...Zing!

Clayre and Parly. Cute sisters!

The other night, Shayne sneezed and Clayre said, "Dad, you achoo like a girl." Zing.

Clayre has always been very matter-of-fact. She just tells you how it is. You can never be sure what your children will say when you are not around (or even when you are), and out of all of my girls, Clayre is one that I just never know what she is going to say. Her older sister seems to have the sensitivity gene and so, she is aware, almost beyond her years, that things she might say could hurt someone's feelings.

Then there's Clayre's younger sister..no worries. .. very few people can really understand what she is saying. It's Clayre that has had her share of classic moments. Once she asked one of our friends soon after having a baby why her tummy was still big if the baby was already out. I was right there and could see the horror on this first-time mom's face....so I quickly explained that the baby was just a few days old and tried to apologize to our friend. Not good. What can you really say?

Another time... Clayre didn't want to go to her new primary class: she has two male primary teachers and so she was a little nervous. I asked her how her first time in class went and she told me that a lady in the Primary Presidency was trying to get her to go and so she told her that both of her teachers were really funny and that she would have fun if she went. Clayre then said, "But mom, they were not funny..and I kept waiting for them to say something funny but they never did." Nice!

Of course sometimes her blatant honesty can come in handy. Here's a good story...a couple nights ago Shayne was dishing out ice cream for me and himself. Clayre came upstairs and said, "Mom, is your ice cream the one in the bowl?" I said, "Probably, why?" She then went on to report, "Because I saw Daddy fill up a glass full of ice cream for him and then put a little bit in a bowl." Zing and Busted! I later asked Shayne about it...laughing.. he told me that he had filled his up with milk, so it just probably looked like more.

Thanks for the heads up, Clayre.

Unique Style

I am one of those moms that lets her kids pick the clothes that they wear everyday. I think that they should be able to have their own sense of style. Of course I'm not real big on style myself, so maybe that's why I don't care as much. I also found it's easier than arguing about it everyday- I'm picking my battles. It's been real fun to see the outfits that my girls have chosen to wear. My oldest, Parly, has really gotten into it lately. She wears skirts with her jeans under them-it actually looks cute. And she took a belt out of one of her capris and uses it as a sash around her neck- again it looks cute... definitely not something I would do or wear. But it is fun to see her experimenting.
Well my 3 year old has been watching her sister and wants to do the same. She wants to wear 2 shirts like Parly (Parly wears a long sleeve under a short sleeve..very common), well Kate doesn't quite understand the concept and puts 2 short sleeved shirts on. Cute. I also love how matching to a 3 year old is flowers and flowers or stripes and stripes. So Kate will come down in a flowered shirt with flowered shorts, each having different colors and sizes, even kinds of flowers, "But they both have flowers, mom." See matching.

Here is my 3 year old, Kate, posing for the camera. In this picture she is actually wearing her older sister's clothes. And yes the hair band was also her idea. Adorable...right?

I'm kind of like Elaine

No it's not because of the dancing. Although, my girls maybe the only ones that think I am a good dancer or at least better than Elaine. It's really because...If ever I run into one of Shayne's friends (without Shayne) or I answer the phone first when one of them calls (which is always because Shayne hates talking on the phone) I'm usually at a loss for words. Me? Crazy I know. It's just, what do I say? I want to say something that is funny or interesting. So...I usually resort to, what I call the "Elaine and George" where I bring up something we have in common...Shayne. On Seinfeld, Elaine and George are always together with Jerry. Well, one episode Jerry can't go and tells them to go together. It's a little awkward. What should they talk about ? What do they have in common? Jerry. So they start talking about Jerry...funny things, embarrassing things, laughing about him. That is what I do.... I might talk about Shayne's golf game he had the other day, or something he told me that related to the person I was talking to (which later I find out he told me in confidence and I shouldn't bring up with anyone else...oops), or for a more specific example...a friend will ask me where Shayne is and I will say napping....which was the truth -once.... I'm usually the one napping. So I tease, joke, and sometimes even embarrass just so I can be cool. It's awful, I know. But in the beginning, I truly thought Shayne wouldn't care. He likes teasing and joking around and doesn't care what people think of him. Later I realized...it's different when it's me, using him as the joke. I wouldn't want him to do that to me...we should have each others backs. So now I don't do it....or at least try not to. I'm definitely flawed. You know-I'm kind of like Elaine.

The Luckiest

Maybe I should explain the title of my blog. I never really considered myself a very lucky person, in fact I'm mostly unlucky and the only other person more unlucky is my husband...so that is not a good combo. I never win anything, nothing is ever just handed over, and unlucky things just happen to me, especially growing up: I always went to the Valentine's Tea and the performance assembly at the end of the school year, with the most nerdy or smelly boy in the class. Except in 3rd grade, I got paired with another girl because there weren't enough boys (sad...but this, I actually thought was lucky). And then in 5th grade I surprisingly got paired up with the boy I had a crush on all year....but because we didn't have enough boys again, another girl got to dance with him too...so I only danced 1/2 the dance...see unlucky. Now days, it's things like being all ready to watch a favorite T.V show and finding out it didn't record (I hate that, T.V. is just way to important). Or always picking the slowest line at the grocery store checkout ...never fails. Or not cooking the hamburger first before putting it in with the casserole for a Shepard's Pie dish. (Don't worry we didn't eat it and now I know and have made it since, yummy...especially with my homemade mashed potatoes). Okay, that's enough examples for the moment, but unluckiness happens to me....of course I also think sometimes maybe the things that happen to other people make them more lucky. Thus making me feel unlucky. Interesting.

But I guess I realized that I'm lucky where it counts. I have an awesome husband, 4 beautiful daughters (don't feel sorry for me...I don't, not yet anyway, ask me again when they are all teenagers), we live in a great neighborhood (this maybe our biggest luck of all..building our house before the housing market skyrocketed), good friends, I could go on...but you know, lucky where it counts. So the titular line : "I know...that I am, I am the luckiest" comes from a Ben Folds song called The Luckiest. And that's me. Great song by the way!

Insider Info: I first heard this song on a CD that Shayne made me for Valentine's Day. Nice, I know...but if you know him you would know it really is GREAT because he is not a fan of V-day. Anyway, his instructions to me, when he gave me the CD were get a tissue ready when you listen to the last song.."The Luckiest". All the songs on there were super, but that one...wipe a tear...see I am the luckiest.