Both of my kids had to go into the doctor this month for check-ups. Molly was first, and the one I was most nervous about. I talked to her about what to expect for a few weeks before we went so we both felt prepared. She was great! Last year, she screamed the whole time the doctor was in the same room, and this year she was so grown-up! She got her blood pressure taken, stood on the scale, and passed the vision exam with flying colors (if you allow me to brag a little, all the nurses said that most 3-year-olds don't even understand the concept of the test but Molly never even skipped a beat)! When the doctor asked her if she wanted to sit on the chair by me or up on the bed for the exam she opted for the bed (I was surprised) and climbed up all by herself. Then my normally very shy little girl proceeded to tell him all about her birthday. And if that wasn't enough, when it came time for the flu "mist" she laid down and let them squirt it up her nose with no complaints. W-O-W! Molly was 27 pounds and 35 inches, 16th percentile across the board!We were at the doctor's office again 5 days later for Stockton's appointent-why they wouldn't let me do them together I still don't know. It was supposed to be his 2-month appointment but we had to re-schedule a few weeks before because the doc was sick, so it was really his five-days-before-three-months appointment. I was anxious to finally see how big our baby boy was, he seems to be growing so fast and putting on the pounds. He was 12 pounds on the dot, which is not huge but almost double his birth weight which is great! The poor little guy got three shots and one oral vaccination which pretty much knocked him out for the rest of the day.
Molly turned three on the 15th. Here is a recap of her birthday celebrations...
We invited both sets of grandparents to our house the Sunday before her birthday for dinner and cake and ice cream. The rest of our families had made the trip down the month before for the blessing so we didn't think they needed to come all the way down again. It turned out to be so fun! Molly loved having all her grandparents there and being the center of attention, which she definitely was. We started with a delicious dinner, mostly made by Justin, and then it was on to presents. The first gift she opened was this Princess pop-up book, which was an immediate hit!In fact, after she opened it, she really didn't seem interested in any other presents. She started to open the next gift but the pull of the book was too strong and she went back to it. I even said that I was going to open all her presents without her and she said, "That's okay Mom, you can open my presents if you want."
She eventually got back to the business of gift-opening and was excited to get some other fun things.After playing with her presents for a little while, it was time for cake and ice cream. Molly had been asking for a Princess cake (of course) and since I am most definitely NOT a cake decorator, my mother-in-law made this one for me. She did a great job with it and Molly loved it. We couldn't even get her to come to the table for dinner; she just stood on her chair and gazed at her cake.Molly was a little nervous when I took the knife to the cake-she told me that she wanted it "whole." It was too pretty!Her actual birthday fell on a Tuesday so I didn't have anything super fun planned. We had planned on going to the zoo the day before but Justin got sick so we ended up just staying home. We had a hard time deciding exactly what we were going to get Molly so we waited a bit too long to order her gift (it was only online). It hadn't made it to our house yet although we had a few little doo-dads for her to open when she woke up. (I think I felt worse than her-she didn't know and she had already gotten plenty of things.)The majority of the day was spent at home, me trying to keep the kids away from Justin who had come down with a highly contagious virus. We did manage to make it to storytime at the library and we had cupcakes after a dinner of German Pancakes, per Molly's request. Justin and Molly had fun making a HUGE mess with their cupcakes, but I'll give Justin some credit-he cleaned up the table after Molly went to bed (it got much worse than this).A couple days later, Molly got a package in the mail, some movies from Grandma.And the next day, the gift we were waiting for finally came. Molly was excited to open it and find some princess dress-ups.She played with them a little that night and the next morning she was up, bright and early, standing by my bed, completely naked, and asking to play with her dress-ups. Sometimes she has a hard time deciding which princess to be. The most obvious solution? Why not be all of them at the same time!
August was such a busy month; it seemed like we were always going somewhere or doing something. So it felt great to unwind in Bear Lake. We live so much further away now so we don't get there as often as we'd like; the last visit was in January! A normal trip usually involvrs a lot of junk food, laying around on the couch, playing pool, golfing, and whatever else we feel like doing!
We always enjoy a 4-wheeler ride. My favorite is to ride to the top where you can look out and see the whole lake. We also get a great view of the back of the mountain from up there.
It got windy enough that we got the kite out Sunday afternoon. My dad and Justin got it all put together and tried to fly it a few times with little success (maybe not windy enough?) and the next time I looked over the kite was in the air-and Molly was flying it!She just went over and picked up the end of it and it was in the air (the wind picked up then, I guess).
Justin and Bryce hooked up the Wii so we had some fun playing that. Come to think of it, I mostly watched while everyone else played. We were all surprised with Erin-she was the ultimate boxing champion; really, she was way better than the boys!
It was such a great trip-the kids did great on the drive. Although I was a little disappointed that Molly took no naps in the car-all six hours!
This was Stockton's first trip to the cabin. I think he liked it!
That's right, folks, we now have a 3-year-old. Where did the time go? Here are some of the things that our 3-year-old enjoys day-to-day...
Helping in the kitchen Molly enjoys pouring and stirring when it's time to make dinner, or those occasional times we make cookies. It usually ends up being more work for me because she inevitably makes a mess on the floor that I have to clean up, but we have fun together. One day when we were making pizza sauce, I went to get something out of the pantry and when I got back-oops!-Molly had poured the whole jar of oregano in the bowl. We had to throw that one out and start again!Stories Oh my, she loves it when anyone will tell her a story. This started out with the Princess stories (Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) and has now branched out to The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, The Three Billy Goats Gruff (her all-time favorite), and Little Red Riding Hood. She is constantly begging Justin or me to tell her a story, "please, please, please." This website has kept me sane, although a warning for all parents-the stories don't necessarily end "nice." Molly will occasionally tells us stories; sometimes she gets her stories mixed up!
I'm trying to talk her into being Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween-Justin thinks it's lame, I think it would be easy!
Dressing herself Thankfully, this fetish has passed a little-meaning, she will usually stay in one "outfit" each day, rather than changing her clothes 5 times a day, and she usually lets me pick. But it hasn't always been like this-I was always excited to see what she would put together each day. For example, one Sunday after church we told Molly to go upstairs and get changed out of her dress. After a few minutes we heard her walking down the stairs and she was so excited about something. "Mom, I found a new dress!" she kept saying. This is what she had chosen:I burst out laughing right then and there, Justin did too. I'm not sure you can tell what this really is; it's actually just a cotton skirt and she's put an arm and her head where her legs should have been. So I fixed the skirt and she went back upstairs to find a shirt. She looked like this the rest of the afternoon:When the day was over, that shirt was washed and packed away-it's a little too short!
Dressing up Not only dressing herself, but dressing up as well. She finally got some actual dress-ups for her birthday, but before she had to make do with what was available.(My nursing cover is used everyday in dressing up-it's her "cape.")
Blocks She got a bag of blocks for Christmas and liked them okay but lately they've been out everyday. She builds towers, houses, trains, lighthouses, bridges, and "compadies" (which translated means "companies," a word she learned from her new favorite movie, Monsters, Inc.). She's very thoughtful when building towers and always builds a small one for Stockton.Princesses The princess frenzy still continues and we don't really see an end in sight. Her favorite store is the Disney Store in the mall, even though we don't buy anything there. We are looking forward to attending this event in November, which is all about princesses.Singing Couldn't resist this video, it's too cute! She often makes up her own songs which are pretty funny!
She still loves her brother, the novelty of being a big sister has not yet worn off. But he doesn't try to steal her toys yet so it might change. No exaggerating, she has never done anything mean to him, just always very loving and kind. But that doesn't mean she doesn't do silly things, like put bowls on his head and pretend he's wearing a hat.I laugh at this for two reasons-1. Molly picked her own clothes and 2. The look on Stockton's face!
She sure keeps me on my feet! But what would we ever do without her?
Stockton started smiling in response to his daddy on his one month birthday, July 25th. It was so cute but we had the hardest time catching it on camera! The little stinker would clam up as soon as the camera came out. But oh how we tried, and tried, and tried...you get the idea. We have a lot of pictures will silly grins like thisor like this.These are definitely cute, but not what I was going for. Finally the day came that I timed it just right! And then came this.Love the double chin!
We are definitely enjoying our time with this boy. He is so easy-going and fun. He hardly ever cries and just goes with the flow. I think I spend more energy taking care of his older sister than I do taking care of him! He loves when anyone will pay a little bit of attention to him-his whole face lights up. He also loves to talk; Justin and I don't remember Molly jabbering this much at this young of an age. He is very ticklish on his legs and under his armpits and we can occasionally get him to laugh pretty hard. We love having him as part of our family and look forward to watching him grow!
I've never lived more than 1 1/2 hours away from my parents house, so I was surprised when 2 full months had passed without visiting. That has to be the longest I've ever gone. When the four of us finally made it, we packed it full of fun!
On our way up we stopped at Lagoon. Who doesn't secretly love Lagoon, with it's huge crowds, long lines, and all the interesting outfit choices you see? Well, I do, even when I'm not riding any rides. This year we went for Molly-we were excited because we thought she was big enough to go on some rides besides just the boats and the train. There were also quite a few new rides in the kid section which we wanted her to try. She liked the whales.She liked Puff.She liked the cars.And she liked the merry-go-round.Those boats that she loved last year? Not so much this time. She was so tired so we took off early-of course she didn't fall asleep in the car and then she was too excited to be having a sleep-over at grandma's that she didn't fall asleep until sometime around 11 pm! Go figure.
The next day was Sunday so off to church we went.I love lazy Sunday afternoons, especially in the summer. We had a barbecue, a family home evening lesson, and then played games. Mom and Dad had these new bikes so they set up an obstacle course in the driveway and we had races. Here is the look on Justin's face as I lap him! And here is a cute baby.We packed in all we could on Monday. For Justin that included 18 holes of golf and some fishing. He was pretty excited to reel this one in!For me and the kids it included hanging out with my friend Karla and her daughter Jane and playing dress-up with Chloe.Ben had planned a "surprise" birthday party for his dad so we enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream and then headed to the Raptor's game. We got there late and left early but we made sure Molly got to meet the Dinosaur (can't remember his name, maybe "Raptor"). This is funny...and now I am done!
It took me three or four weeks before I felt brave enough to venture out but once I did we were able to do a few fun things.
The Gateway Lunch with my mom and sister, shopping, and then cooling off in the fountain.Family Night in Big Cottonwood Canyon Roasting hot dogs and smores. Playing in the river-Molly slipped and fell in the water and ended up wearing her pajamas the rest of the night. Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park Very crowded! Very hot! But the rides were fun and the snow cones were delish!Swimming Finally-I'd been wanting to go swimming all summer! Molly jumped off the side a few times but once she tried the slide, we couldn't get her off!
Feb 27: We went shopping with my mom and sister. We spent a lot of time at one store and Molly got hot and bored. When we were leaving she said, "I'm so glad we are done. That was so hot and...like...fashionable." Big sigh.
Jan 7: "Dad, today was so busy I didn't even get an opportunity to fight with boy."
January 2012: Stockton found some Tums and was wanting to eat them. I told him no because they would make him sick. Molly explained it further: "Stocky, it's just like what the devil does. He makes something look really good or exciting but it's not really that good or exciting at all."
November 1: "Mom, can I have some ranch for my carrots? Oh never mind, I didn't know they were melted." (cooked carrots, rather than raw)
November 1: "Wow, this water is ice hot!"
October: Every time a decision has to be made, Molly plays eeney-meeney-miney-moe . She tries to do it so nobody notices but I know exactly what she is doing!
8-30 Molly and I were playing a guessing game in the car. I was trying to get her to guess the word "arrow." Me: "It points you in the right direction..." Molly: "Jesus!!"
8-12 Molly was reading the story of Nephi getting the brass plates: "And then Nephi found Laban and he was drooped." (she meant drunk)
7-15 Molly was playing with an attachment for the vacuum-twirling it in the air like a baton. "Mom, watch me crouton this!"
6-26 Molly told us this joke on the way home from church: Which ghost has the best hearing? The eeriest!
6-13 Molly trying to get Stockton to say "helicopter:" "Stocky, say hell. Stocky say hell."
6-12 To Stockton: "The car won't say hi back to you, buddy."
6-10 Molly and Gavin were eating sour watermelon candy when Molly asked Gavin, "Do you want me to suck the sour off for you?"
USU Graduation, May 2007
Seattle, Washington, August 2008
Louisville, Kentucky, May 2009
June 25, 2009
Stockton Ray
2 years
April 29: starts sleeping in a "big boy" bed
May 2011: gets confused with hot and cold-calls everything hot; becomes obsessed with cars and trucks; can finally say his own name
May 30: Figured out how to climb to the top bunk-yikes!
end of May/early June- Stockton's last tooth comes in
August: says "Da-ee" and "Mo-ee" for Daddy and Molly
August 17: poops in the toilet!
August 21: pees in the toilet
September: calls Justin "Daddi-o" (he does this when he's happy, angry, sad, silly, you name it!); knows all his colors; counts to ten: "one, free, four, ten!"
October 2nd: We were watching General Conference. Stockton heard the congregation laugh after something President Monson said so he giggles and says: "Si-ee prophet."
November 5: Justin and I were watching a college football game downstairs long after we'd put the kids to bed. All of a sudden we hear Stockton clear upstairs yell "Tackle football game!" and run downstairs to watch.
November: His night-time farewell: "Night-night M&M face head!" in the silliest voice he can muster. He came up with it on his own.
November: At dinner each night we say what we are thankful for. Every time we ask what he is thankful for he says "crayons." All month long.
Dec 15: "Stocky, is daddy a boy or a girl?" "A boy." "Is Stockton a boy or a girl?" "Boy." "Is mommy a boy or a girl?" "Girl." "Is Molly a boy or a girl?" "Girl." "Is Brynn a boy or a girl?" "A baby."
December: It's been fun watching Stockton get excited for Christmas. He says "Merry Santa!"
Dec 21: Stockton has croup. He had to get a steroid shot.
Jan 12: Just playing tonight and out of the blue Stockton says, "Dad, I be baby Jesus!" and lays down on Justin's chest
Jan 19: Stocky is constantly telling us this joke he make up: "Mom, I have a joke for you." "What?" "What you eat for breakfast?" "What?" "A crib!" And then he says the whole thing again.
late February: Asking Stockton why Brynn is crying (he hit her): "Stockton, why is Brynn crying?" "Whaaaa!" "No, Stockton, why is Brynn crying?" "Whaaaa!" He gets his "who, what, where, when, why, and how's" a little mixed up.
Feb. 28: Stocky threw his binkies away today!!
Mar. 1: love that he says cute things like: "doonin'" = doing "Hold you" when he wants to be held
Mar. 25: "Mom, let's go play rice frisbee." (He wants to play catch with the frisbee.)
May 12: Stocky stays dry in underwear all day!
March 2010
March 7, 2011
Brynn April
13 months
June 30- rolls over belly to back
mid July-starts playing with her toes
September 7-turns 6 months old and has her first taste of baby food: rice cereal
September 11-Brynn's been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking forward and backward for very short amounts of time. I'm hoping that crawling is still a long way off!
September 18-She's been practicing sitting up on her own and is getting so strong. She can sit on her own for long periods of time now and only falls over when she is reaching for something.
September: Molly and Stockton have been calling her "coo-coo"
October 5: starts crawling!
October 20: Today she went from crawling to sitting. She is also trying so hard to pull herself up on things.
October: starts babbling a lot: mostly "da-da" but a few "ma-ma's" and "ba-ba's" too
October 31: First Halloween. Noticed today that her first tooth was starting to come in. On the bottom (middle left).
November 30: Second tooth. Bottom, middle, right.
end November: Brynn has not been sleeping well. She's always gone right back to sleep when I feed her but now she's up for hours at a time. We've had to start letting her cry it out if she wakes up before a certain time at night.
December: saying "ma ma" a lot
December: Brynn has been mimicking us. At dinner we all put both arms in the air and she smiles and does the same.
December 10: Brynn stood on her own for literally a full 5 seconds! She starts doing this more and more over the next few weeks. She's getting very brave.
December 12: Noticed first tooth coming in on the top. Middle right.
Dec 19: first ponytail!
Dec 25: starts walking along furniture
last week in December: Justin's been holding Brynn's fingers and helping her walk all around the house. She is getting so strong and is actually very stable.
Jan 3, 2012: Brynn slept all night!
Jan 9: first steps...very wobbly, but they were steps alright!
second week in Jan: 4th tooth came in. Top, middle, right
Jan. 22: starts climbing the stairs
mid-February: gives kisses
last week in February: starts climbing on everything!
March 14: At her 12-month well-check she weighed 14 lbs 4 oz. She also got 4 shots!
Mar 21: 5th tooth-top left
April 1: nursed Brynn for the last time
tooth #6, 7, & 8: mid-April, end April, mid-May
June 23: first haircut
Disneyland, June 2011
October 2011
"Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil. Every sister who strengthens and protects her family is doing the work of God. Every sister who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come."
We were at the doctor's office again 5 days later for Stockton's appointent-why they wouldn't let me do them together I still don't know. It was supposed to be his 2-month appointment but we had to re-schedule a few weeks before because the doc was sick, so it was really his five-days-before-three-months appointment. I was anxious to finally see how big our baby boy was, he seems to be growing so fast and putting on the pounds. He was 12 pounds on the dot, which is not huge but almost double his birth weight which is great! The poor little guy got three shots and one oral vaccination which pretty much knocked him out for the rest of the day.
We were at the doctor's office again 5 days later for Stockton's appointent-why they wouldn't let me do them together I still don't know. It was supposed to be his 2-month appointment but we had to re-schedule a few weeks before because the doc was sick, so it was really his five-days-before-three-months appointment. I was anxious to finally see how big our baby boy was, he seems to be growing so fast and putting on the pounds. He was 12 pounds on the dot, which is not huge but almost double his birth weight which is great! The poor little guy got three shots and one oral vaccination which pretty much knocked him out for the rest of the day.
