MATTIE GAYLE MACKAY - 2 YEARS OLD

3/2/11

Weight:   31 lbs 12 oz  (93rd percentile)

Height:    35 inches (84th percentile)

Head:     20 inches  (97th percentile)

Our little baby girl is two! On March 9th she went from being a baby to a toddler. Craziness! Honestly though, it seems like she's been two forever. She talks so much and so well that we feel like she's older than she really is. She is the delight of everyone she knows and her nursery leaders can't stop talking about how much fun she is and how much they love her. She just has the most fun personality - always so excited and happy about things, and so smart for being so little and so young! We are so grateful that she is a part of this family and will enjoy her being the baby for the last few months she has left as the youngest :). Here are some things we want to remember about Mattie at two years old:

- She can count almost to 10, knows the alphabet song, knows all her colors, knows tons of animals and sounds and recognizes them too, and she is learning shapes. At first glance, she can recognize triangles, numbers 0, 6, 8, and 9, and the letters A, B, C, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, U, W, and Y (and then if you go over them with her a couple of times, she can recognize more shapes, numbers, and letters). We weren't quite sure if that is where most two year olds are or not until we went to her two-year check up and her doc - Dr. Jantzen - was so, SO impressed with not just her language (both pronunciation and amount of words she knows and the use of full 4+ word sentences), but her ability to recognize letters and shapes and animals and their sounds (all of which she demonstrated for him just in the course of his regular check-up). He couldn't stop talking about how smart she was, so that made us proud :)

- Mattie loves to sing and knows more songs than I can count right now, almost as many as CJ. She definitely knows the ABC song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I am like a Star, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, Teddy Bear Teddy Bear, Bingo, I Am a Child of God, Hey Diddle Diddle, Mary Had a Little Lamb, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and parts of plenty more. And she likes to make up her own songs too and sing to her dollies and stuffed animals.

- Speaking of stuffed animals, Mattie falls in love with all stuffed animals almost instantaneously. She loves to hold them, hug them, carry them around, sleep with them, roll and run and dance with them. And she knows they all love her back.

- If you can't tell, she is very sensitive. Unlike her older brother, Mattie is the one to snuggle with us, give tight hugs, lay her head on our shoulders or our laps, willingly hold our hands, etc. She is very loving and affectionate to people and toys alike. And on the flip side, she tends to be a little dramatic and overly sensitive when it comes to disagreements with her brother and when she doesn't get her way (she's also very sensitive to being tired or hungry - it's like night and day with her. If she's slept well and especially, if her belly is full, she is one happy, happy girl).

- Mattie LOVES animals, especially dogs. ALL dogs - and I mean all dogs, real or fake - are "cute doggies." For example, the Old Navy store here has a fake dog on display with the mannequins, and Mattie has a meltdown if we go in to Old Navy and she doesn't get to go see the doggy. And when she sees said "cute doggy," she then pets it and will even try to give it a hug. It's very tender.

- Mattie is starting to get into some girly things, at least with her appearance. She knows which tops she likes, and they are usually the ones that are pink, or that have butterflies. She also likes to have her hair in piggy-tails (though she rips them out every single time she takes a nap or sleeps), and asks where they are if I haven't put them in yet.

- Mattie loves movies. She even likes to walk around carrying the DVD cases. Her favorite movies right now include the Toy Story series, Despicable Me, and Barney. Her favorite tv shows include Monkey See Monkey Do, Bubble Guppies, Sesame Street and The Wiggles.

- She may like watching movies and tv shows, but she also loves books and puzzles and can entertain herself for quite some time with a good book and she never tires of us reading to her.  

- She is very good at saying "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and sharing, and usually without prompting. She recognizes Jesus, the temple, and the Prophet, and she is excellent at saying prayers. However, she has a hard making it through the whole hour of sacrament meeting (our sacrament meeting is last, at 3 PM), but by that time, most of us do :)

- Mattie loves baths, bubbles, her rain boots, her purple elephant bank, playing by herself in her room, dancing, jumping on Mommy and Daddy's bed, playing with her Buzz and Woody dolls (from Toy Story), her JJ stuffed animal, her pink patchwork blanket (that Gramma made her), looking for the big Native American with the moving eyes on Wenatchee Ave (it's an old Wenatchee landmark), coloring/drawing, and her "silly hats," which include anything from cowboy hats, baseball helmets, caps, Easter hats, and beanies, to mixing bowls on her head.

- She loves popsicles, chicken nuggets, cantaloupe, bananas, grapes, strawberries, canned peaches and pears, mandarin oranges, fruit by the foot, juice, fruit and cream oatmeal, cooked carrots, corn, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, noodles, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and breakfast carbs like waffles, pancakes, french toast, and German pancakes. She's not a big fan of milk (unless it's on cereal or oatmeal), meat (unless it processed and easy to eat, like turkey franks and chicken nuggets), raw veggies, and pretty much most entrees that we have for dinner :)

- CJ is her best friend and a huge influence on her. She copies him all the time...and this can be a good thing and a bad thing :)

- And Mattie has probably been ready to be potty-trained for a couple of months now, but since Mommy is pregnant, she hasn't quite had the energy to do it. In the next few weeks though...

We love you, Mattie Gayle!!

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

- Today is the last day of February. Thank goodness! This has been such an exhausting month, with several big Primary activities to plan, and my pregnancy tiredness and sickness really kicking in. I just cannot seem to get on top of the laundry and chores. And my poor husband and kids have had to deal with my crazy mood swings (stress, exhaustion, and hosting large dinners at my house don't mix well :). I'm just looking forward to putting this month behind us.

- Speaking of being pregnant, this has felt like the longest pregnancy ever! I'm only 10 weeks along (today), but considering that we found out at 4 weeks, and then had to wait 5 more weeks before ever even seeing a doctor, it just dragged on. And the fact that I'm practically counting the minutes until the first trimester is over in hopes that this pregnancy will be true to form and the pure exhaustion and yuckiness will have passed, just makes time move like a turtle. Of course, this pregnancy has been very different so far. I've never considered myself someone who gets "morning sickness" while I'm pregnant. I've never thrown up, and I don't even like to say that I feel nauseous. However, unlike my other pregnancies, I am much more sensitive to foods this time. It's really strange. And really disappointing. I think I've narrowed it down to milk, including yogurt and ice cream, as well as chocolate. If I avoid those foods, I feel much better. But it doesn't completely take the stomach-churning away. I seem to feel the worst in the evening, which makes for pretty boring nights around here, and not-so-great sleeping. I've got 30 more weeks to go, and was expecting to be able to sleep for like the next 20 of those. Man! So I'm really hoping this is soon gonna pass. Pregnancies are supposed to get easier each time, not harder, right?

- Last week, I went to pick CJ up from preschool, and one of his teachers stopped me on my way out and asked me how we discipline CJ at home. I told her that we do time-outs, and she asked me if he stays in them, and I told her yes. Her reply was, "Hm." She then told me that they have an area that they call "the blob," which is basically a time-out, but that CJ won't stay in it. So of course, my first question was, "What is CJ doing to get sent to 'the blob'?" Well CJ's preschool class is huge - there are 19 kids, and only two teachers. I'm not a big fan of that. In order to accommodate the class size and the various learning levels, they divide the kids into groups and then rotate to various stations. But apparently, CJ has just been running around to whichever station he wants and not staying in his group. And when the teachers try to get his attention, he pretty much ignores them. That sounds familiar. His other preschool teacher had the same issue, but she was able to work with him and get past that within a couple of weeks. Anyway, I was surprised when they told me the issue, because he's been going to school there for two months now, and when he first started they told me that was what he was doing but that they were ok with it because they felt like he was simply adjusting. So now, here we are, two months later, and not much has changed. And then I feel like a bad mom when CJ's teachers are asking me for advice and I am at a total loss. As I drove home from CJ's preschool that day, I went from feeling embarrassed to feeling a little annoyed. Yes, I am CJ's mom, but our environment at home is not run like a school. CJ is allowed to move from activity to activity pretty much as he pleases, not much structure. And I kind of felt like, as the trained professionals, that maybe they should have some ideas for me, rather than the other way around. Anyway, after thinking about it, I realized that CJ actually does really well when given choices, whether between two good things he should be doing, or between what he should be doing and what the consequence will be if he doesn't do the right thing. I also realized that CJ can be very motivated by rewards and by privileges being taken away. So the next school day, after having had several conversations with CJ about it, he went to school knowing that if he stayed in his group and listened to his teachers, he'd get a special treat with Daddy. But if the teachers told us that he struggled, he wouldn't be able to play the wii all weekend. Obviously he's not perfect yet, but after arming the teachers with some more insight into what works with CJ, they said he has really improved in the last two days. Here's to hoping he can keep it up, even when a reward is not offered :)

- So it happened tonight. Mattie pooped in the tub. But it's worse because CJ was in there with her too. I guess she's right on track, though. CJ was this exact age when it happened the first, and only (thank goodness), time for him too. Here's hoping that Mattie will follow in her brother's footsteps and this will be her only offense (cleaning that up was one of the most disgusting things I have ever done!!)

Happy Monday!

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

- 2/15 After having chocolate covered strawberries last night for Valentine's Day, Mattie has started asking for the "straw-beddies" today

- Even though my Valentine's Day massage was fantastic, I think it made me sick. I've been sick all week with a cold, and even though I feel better, it's still lingering.

- And CJ has had a cold even longer. Poor guy has been stuffed up and had a runny nose (I know, sounds like a contradiction, but that's what's going on) for like two weeks!

- Mattie threw up tonight. We had gone to get some dinner and as I was putting her in her car seat to go home, she kinda of leaned to her side, and stayed that way the whole way home. I guess that should have been a clue. Then, Bryce got her out of the car and was holding her when we walked inside. He was still holding her when she first just spit up a little bit...and then it all came up. Poor thing. First, I was grateful that we weren't still in the car, and second, I was grateful that we have wood floors. Clean up was so much easier than it could have been. But it was really strange. My kids don't really throw up, so when they do, I worry all day and night that they are sick. Mattie was seriously totally fine after she threw up, but she sat on Daddy's lap with no clothes on and a bowl next to her in case she threw up again. Then, when she went to bed, we must have checked on her 5 times before finally going to sleep ourselves. I kept worrying that she was going to throw up in bed, and maybe even choke on it. She's probably too old for that, but that's what goes through my worry-prone mind. Anyway, she was fine. We still aren't sure what caused it, but we're just glad it was only once.

- I got a call tonight from a woman in our ward, Jamie Kershner. Her kids are a few years older than mine (her youngest is CJ's age), and she has a friend who is moving and would like to get rid of a Little Tykes picnic table and one of those red and yellow cars for toddlers. Jamie's kids are a little too old for them, but she thought I would be interested. I was so excited! We have a yard now, but nothing in it for our kids, so this is perfect! I was just really touched that she thought of me. Jamie is even going to pick them up and drop them off for me! Wow! We have such great people in our ward here and feel really blessed to be a part of it.

- Speaking of our ward, it's such a new experience for us in many ways here in Wenatchee. Our stake split some wards last year to make a new ward, and it took a bunch of people from our ward, making it a lot smaller. I guess our ward has several rentals in it as well, making a more tansient ward than many in the stake, and we have quite a few part-member families also. So you can imagine the turn-over and lack of members. Anyway, in the Primary alone, we have recently lost our pianist, a nursery worker, and 2 teachers, all in the last two weeks! We're struggling to find replacements, and I know it's even harder for the Priesthood in the ward. Our ward is so small, we're practically a branch. But there are a lot of things I like about a small ward as well. It's nice to feel so close to most of the people. And the missionary effort seems to really be such a ward effort here, not just the full-time and ward missionaries. And personally, I like being put to work in a ward. It helps me feel close to the Lord. And being in the Primary Presidency and the Primary chorister, having a smaller Primary is nice. It's so much easier to get to know the kids individually. The longer we live here, the more I feel a confirmation of the feelings we felt when we bought our house, that this is the place we're supposed to be right now. It's a very comforting feeling.

- And you know what else is comforting? A big, fat check from the IRS!! We did our taxes this week and we're getting a ridiculous amount back. It's probably imprudent to say the amount, so I'll refrain, but let's just say, it is WAY more than I ever expected!! And it's truly humbling. To me it is an answer to prayers and a testament of the power of tithing. Bryce and I have always paid our tithing. It has never been an issue. And we make sure to pay fast offerings, as well as other contributions. I say this not to boast in any way, but to reiterate that I know that we have been blessed so much and in so many ways because of our commitment to the Lord and this commandment. When we bought our house 9 months ago, the night before we were to sign, we finally got the exact amount that our house payment would be. It was about $200 or $300 more than what we had anticipated and budgeted for. I kind of had a freak-out moment (and by "kind of," I mean that I totally broke down). Bryce tried to comfort me by telling me it would be ok, and my response, between sobs, was "How?! Where is this money going to come from?!" However, after calming down, and taking the time to pray, and really listen, I still felt that this was the house we were to get, that this was where we should be. So despite my serious reservations, I put my trust in the Lord "not knowing beforehand what I should do," and signed those big scary papers the next day. It was a huge leap of faith for me! And sure enough, all along the way these last 9 months, every time something has come up that has worried us financially, we've been so blessed to work it out. From our monthly food expense being less than we thought, to our insurance working completely different than we had expected (in our favor), to receiving an unexpected over-payment check in the mail which helped cover holiday expenses, to being able to reduce student loan payments to practically nothing, to our cars' maintenance being minimal, to receiving countless support - including financial - from family, to now receiving this tax refund which will help us with some house expenses and mainly, to prepare for the arrival of baby number 3 (like, uh, the fact that we have to get a new car that can fit 3 car seats). It really is so amazing and I feel so blessed and really, I feel unworthy of so much. It is very humbling.

- 2/20 CJ said the opening prayer in Primary today. It was his first time and he was so excited to talk into the mic. I stood up there with him and didn't really know what to expect, you know, if he'd freeze or something. But he did great! He thanked Heavenly Father for the day and for Primary and he blessed Primary, and even though I coached him to say more, he then ended the prayer after blessing Primary, which was totally fine. Bryce came in to watch and we were so proud!

- How sad is it that Mattie is going to be 2 in just a couple of weeks and i can't think of anything to get her?! I've been wracking my brain and I've come up with a couple of things, but nothing much. And both Grammas are asking what to get her and I feel like a bad mom not knowing what to tell them. I'm so desperate that she may end up getting a pet of some kind. Eek! Better make sure Bryce keeps me in check.

- Speaking of Bryce, his dad signed him up this week to run the Seattle Rock n' Roll half marathon again this year. I'm jealous. I wish I could run it with him. He's going to run it with his good friend, Jessie Napenias. They've been friends since they were like 9. Isn't that so great? Anyway, as Bryce was telling me this, he reluctantly told me that he also told his dad that maybe next year he would actually run the full marathon. I about flipped!! I've been trying to get Bryce to run another marathon with me since we ran the St. George in 2006, but he just has had no desire. I'm not quite sure what is changing in him, but I don't care. All I can see is Seattle Rock n' Roll 2012: Year of the Mackay's!! (uh, can you see why he was reluctant to tell me? ;)

- After 5 weeks of waiting, we finally got to go to our first OB-GYN appointment today to confirm that I am indeed pregnant! Yea! We got to meet Dr. Pitts for the first time, and we both really like him. And then we got to see an ultrasound of our little 9 week old baby. It was amazing! Even though the baby is only 9 weeks old - roughly the size of a green olive, I guess - we were able to not only see the heart beating, but we could see the head, eyes, torso, arms, and legs. It really looked like a little baby, not just some peanut in there. It was amazing and I felt so much love instantly! It made it all so real for us! And it made the exhaustion, and yucky feeling I feel half of the time, and bloating, and 7 lb weight gain totally worth it. Totally!!

Happy Monday!

YUP, THAT'S RIGHT...

...baby #3 is on the way!

due September 26, 2011

Paige had been wanting to get pregnant again since about September, but with just moving into our new house, and Bryce just starting his new job, we wanted to wait a little while...until we at least figured out our insurance situation. It only took a couple of months to get those things figured out, so Paige was ready to get pregnant, but Bryce suggested we wait until after our much-anticipated trip to Disneyland in November (who wants to be pregnant at Disneyland??). Paige agreed. So a couple months later and here we are...guess the holidays blessed us with even more this year!

We found out on a Monday and so we had a special FHE to tell the kids. That afternoon, CJ and Mattie helped Paige make cupcakes to celebrate.

They didn't know what the cupcakes were for, but they didn't care

Then that night we had a Family Home Evening about families. While we were talking, we got a special phone call telling us that there was a package at the front door, so the kids ran to get it.

When the kids opened the package, this is what they saw:

We explained that Heavenly Father was sending a special gift; He was sending us a new baby to join our family. We tried to explain to them that CJ was going to be a big brother again and that Mattie was going to be a big sister and that Mommy had a baby growing in her belly. CJ instantly wanted to see it. And he kept commenting on how the baby was going to grow bigger and bigger and bigger. CJ seemed to understand, but we're not sure if Mattie got it. We asked CJ if he was excited about it and he said yes. When asked if she was excited about it, Mattie on the other hand, flat out said no :). But the picture below kinda sums up how we all feel:

September can't get here soon enough!

Me too, CJ. Me too.

Licking seems to be Mattie's preferred way of eating a chocolate covered strawberry

VALENTINE'S DAY 2011

Here's the super cute Valentine scrolls that CJ gave his preschool class. We made this Valentine Monster box for his valentines, but he made a valentine envelope with his class, so we kept this cute guy home.

Mattie and CJ's Valentine's Day loot from Mommy and Daddy: Elmo slippers, bubble gum, Starburst jelly beans, Fruit by the Foot, water color paints, Kit Kats and Hershey Kisses, and a mini potted plant to grow.

Here's CJ's Valentine's Day envelope filled with treats from his class. It wasn't quite big enough, so he has a paper bag in the background filled with stuff too!

Waiting in the "relaxation room" for our massages

Bryce surprised Paige with a clean house, a sweet hand-written card, and breakfast in bed in the morning, and then flowers and a book that afternoon. Paige surprised Bryce with a couples' massage, dinner for two at Applewood Grill, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.

 (the grimy hair: an unexpected result of getting a massage on date night)

Aren't these three the best Valentines someone could have?!

"ALL THE WRINKLED LADIES"

Someone in our ward - I think it was Bishop Miller - had the brilliant idea (I hope you can sense my sarcasm) of having a ward skit night. Each auxiliary was in charge of a skit. So, after weeks of not knowing what to do as the Primary Presidency, Sandra found this great parody of Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies." It's by Anita Renfroe and it's called, "All the Wrinkled Ladies." We loved it and decided to take it on. There are three verses, plus the chorus, and we broke it down so that Lana would sing the first verse, I'd sing the second verse, Lana and I would split the third verse, and we'd all sing the chorus, along with do a choreographed dance routine. We spent hours practicing and making our costumes, and were all set, dreading the night :). Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for her, Lana and her family had to get over to Seattle for a family function and the weather the day of the skit was predicting snow, so they took off early so they could get there safely. With no one to sing the first and part of the third verse, Camilla's daughter, Isabella, stepped up as our 4th Wrinkled Lady. We opted to lip-sync instead of actually sing, and during Lana's parts, we just kept dancing. It actually turned out really great and was lots of fun...especially practicing with these fun ladies! Love these gals!

All dressed up and ready for the stage!

The Wrinkled Ladies (L-R): Sandra Ising, Camilla Rose, Isabella Rose, Paige

Do you like the wrinkles that we drew on our faces?

Bryce helped the YM put together a hilarious skit that totally stole the show. The boys were practicing what the morning of a missionary would be: eat breakfast, bush your teeth, shave, do your hair, tie a tie, etc - but what was hilarious was that the boys who were in front of the curtain had their arms inside their shirt and down on a table so they looked like short legs. Then, the boys behind the curtain had their arms in the sleeves of the shirts, so they were actually the ones doing everything, without being able to see. It was so funny the audience was in tears! Despite the anxiety associated with preparing for this activity, it was a really fun night. And we have it all on video, if you're interested...:)

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

- Whenever Mattie plays with the Woody and Jessie dolls she runs around saying, "Ee-ah! Ee-ah!" (hee-haw). I can tell she's gonna be a great Barbie player, just like her mama was.

- Mattie has made some little songs up that she sings quite often. One she sings usually when she's playing with her dolly. It's a sweet lullaby and goes something like this, "Ba-by bed, ba-by bed, go to slee-ee-ee-ee-eep," repeated over and over. And then when she's playing, she often starts singing a song about jumping: "I eh Jump-eh, jump-eh, jump-eh." She's quite the songstress!

- Why is it that twice in the last week, my kids have decided that it's fun to dump nearly half of their bath water all over the floor? The first time I was on the phone just outside the door when it happened. The second time, I walked out of the bathroom for not even two minutes, and when I came back, the floor was soaked. Because I was on the phone the first time, they got away with it. The second time they weren't so lucky. Their bath immediately ended with a quick hair wash, and then they both went straight to time outs in their rooms, before they were even dressed. Moments of frustration like that bring out the worst in me...and I hate it.

- Speaking of anger, Bryce sent a letter a few weeks ago to Russ Kopak, the contractor who built our house. It wasn't a legal letter, and it wasn't an angry or threatening letter, but it did inform him that if we did not hear from him, our only choice would be to take legal action. And what do you know...the next day he gave us a call! He seems to think he has several months to get things taken care of. So we had another contractor come in and look at our yard and we're awaiting his estimate for the cost to take care of the situation. If we are advised by this other contractor to have it taken care of before Spring, yes, we will be back to hounding Russ again. Ugh.

- Mattie has hardly napped at all the last two weeks and it's killing me! Besides totally needing a nap myself, maybe the worst part is that she still needs a nap. If we go anywhere in the car, she falls asleep. And she starts to get sleepy at 6 PM at night. And she gets so ornery without a nap. Help! I don't know what is going on!

- We had a Super Bowl Party. I know - can you believe it?! It's the first thing we've really hosted since we've been here in Wenatchee, and it was super fun! Though I remember why I'm not a huge fan of hosting things. It's just so much work. Cleaning the entire house, making sure there is enough food for everyone, arranging comfortable seating for everyone, making sure the kids have plenty to do too (which is why we never really invite couples with older kids...I feel bad, but we have absolutely nothing to do for older kids). It's exhausting! It's always worth it, but still, so exhausting! And I meant to take a picture to document the fact that we actually do have a couple of friends here in Wenatchee (I know some people are skeptical :), but we were having so much fun that I forgot until most everyone had left. At one point, all the ladies were sitting on the floor in Mattie's room chatting away while the guys, and the kids, were out in the other rooms watching the game and playing. It was fantastic! That's my kind of party!!

- On the same note, I feel like I can't get anything done outside spending every single second with my children, otherwise we have 1/8 inch of water all over the bathroom floor, crying little sisters every 3 minutes, broken DVD players, torn books, eaten chapstick, destroyed rooms, etc, etc, etc. I feel like the biggest struggle in my life currently is finding a way to live up to my sacred role of motherhood - not just feeding, clothing, bathing, etc., but caring, teaching, nurturing - AND fulfilling my other responsibilities of wife, homemaker, visiting teacher, church member, etc. It's exhausting, it's frustrating, and it's disappointing because I can't seem to do it at this point. Lots of things get put on the back burner, not just one or two. And I in no way expect to be able to do everything. Trust me, I know. I actually have pretty low/reasonable expectations for myself: do my visiting teaching each month, do laundry once a week, keep the house picked up, try to stay on top of the dishes, make dinner 3 times a week, do an activity with my kids each day, spend some quality one-on-one time with Bryce once or twice a week, read my scriptures every day, etc. See? Nothing crazy. Nothing extraordinary. Just things that most people I know seem to be able to do, but I just can't seem to get it done. Generally, if I get the other stuff done, my kids spend the day with themselves, except for when I'm telling them not to do something, and I go to bed feeling guilt and failure at what kind of mom I am and fearing that the only memories CJ especially is going to have of me are going to be associated with fear and anger. If I try to spend quality time with my kids, the house ends up a disaster, the laundry piles up, the blog gets neglected, I fall asleep before I can get my scriptures read (and have it actually mean something), and I feel like a slacker. With two kids, a house, and 5 years of marriage under my belt, I thought I'd have started to figure it out by now. What am I doing wrong here? Working on trying to figure it out...

- I'm the youngest of 6 kids - 3 boys and 3 girls - and for years I've felt like there is somewhat of a void in my life because I'm not that close to my siblings. Even when we lived in Utah, I only saw my sisters every few months, and it's not like we were talking on the phone all the time. And my brothers that live in other states - I talk to them just a couple of times a year. So anyway, I decided that it was time I got to know my family a little better, know what's going on in their lives. So I emailed each of my siblings a few weeks ago letting them know how I felt and that I wanted to communicate with them on a more regular basis. My two sisters got back to me and one of my brothers. And the funny thing is, for feeling like I don't know my siblings that well, I could have predicted who would get back to me and in what order, and so far, it's been up to par. Should I be hurt, though, that two of my brothers still haven't gotten back to me? I'm trying not to let it bother me. We'll see what happens...

- Last week CJ woke up at 4 AM on two different days! On one day, he woke up to go potty. Then he went back to bed, but shortly thereafter came back in wanting me to cut his toenails - strange request for 4:30 AM! Craziness with the sleep habits of our kids here lately, at a time when I need my sleep most!

- Mattie has started this new fake cry, and it gets so dramatic that she covers her eyes with her hands...but then we always catch her peeking through her fingers waiting for our reaction :)

- Today was Valentine's Day. Bryce got up, before any earthly person should, to clean the house and make me breakfast in bed! CJ got up and helped a little, especially in writing me their card - it was so sweet! Mattie and CJ also got to enjoy the morning with their own Valentine goodies from Mommy and Daddy, and then CJ went off to preschool for his first Valentine's Day party. I could not believe all the loot he came home with - it was crazy! Bryce came home from work a little early for our Valentine's date, and he surprised me with pretty yellow flowers and a book I was interested in. Then we were off to get our - surprise! - couples' massage! It was fantastic!! After an over-priced, just ok dinner (but the company and the conversation were fantastic :), we headed home to relieve the babysitter. Then we all had chocolate covered strawberries - a Valentine's Day tradition - and called it a night. Valentine's Day 2011 was a success!!

- Speaking of Valentine's Day, I thought a lot about my dad today. I don't know why. Maybe because I realized it was the first Valentine's Day my mom would have without my dad in like 45 years. Or maybe it was because my dad was always sure to get my mom something...and when he got to the point where he couldn't do much on his own anymore, he enlisted his kids (namely me, when we lived there) to help him get things for my mom. Or maybe it was because my mom always gave us treats for Valentine's Day, and my dad's name was always on the card. Even though I always knew he didn't really have much to do with picking out the treats or anything, it didn't bother me. But one year, when I was in college, he gave my mom flowers, and then surprised me with a single rose that was meant just for me. I kept that rose for years, until it recently fell apart in one of our many moves. It's a good memory. I miss my dad...

Happy Monday!

WHAT'S UP WITH OUR KIDS' SLEEPING HABITS LATELY?

And if you can't tell, Mattie is actually curled up, lying across the short end of her crib in one pic, and her face is completely smashed against the slats in the other pic

GOOD THING THESE ARE ALL THE RAGE...

...because they're all Mattie wants to wear

(and considering they're like 3 sizes too big, it's amazing they even stay on her feet)

SSSSKILLZ

Check out the sweet snake CJ made at Papa and Grandma's house a couple of weeks ago
(ok, so maybe Daddy actually formed the snake body itself, but CJ did the snake's pattern)

CHRISTMAS AFTERMATH

The kids have really enjoyed their Christmas gifts. Here's just a few pictures to prove it:

12/29 "Excuse me while I take this call..."

12/29 No joke, the minute Bryce walks in the door from work every day, the first think CJ says is, "Let's do my Marble Works."

1/4 Ok, this isn't related to Christmas toys, but when CJ started "swimming" on the floor, we had to take a pic and throw it in here

1/6 Mattie loves her Zhu-Zhu pet, and she loves CJ's Woody doll (it causes problems sometimes :)

1/11 CJ and his Thomas Train. He put this together all by himself

1/13 Hiding in the closet coloring

1/14 Camping out in the front room. The night included pizza, a movie, s'mores, and sleeping in the front room...well, at least half of us slept in the front room. Mattie only lasted about 15 minutes before we ended up putting her in her crib, and Bryce was sick, so he ended up going to our bedroom.

1/17 Thoroughly enjoying their pillow pets

1/18 More Toy Story coloring 

They are even enjoying Mommy and Daddy's Christmas gifts too

1/7 

1/18

1/21 The kids love Daddy's frog slippers

2/4  CJ got inside his tent, zipped it all up, and started rolling around the house in it. It was pretty funny, but we didn't want him to ruin his tent, so it didn't last too long

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

- CJ has really been into the hand held vacuum the last few days, and I keep catching him plugging it in, and then putting his mouth on the nozzle. Gross. On the upside, he's been very helpful cleaning up as well. Last Tuesday he saw that Mattie had dropped some corn kernels on the table, so he grabbed the brush and dustpan and swept them up all by himself. And by swept up, I mean, swept them on to the floor and left them there...

- I like that CJ can interpret for Mattie sometimes. For example, last week I gave CJ a marshmallow. Mattie was off playing so I figured she was fine without one. My mistake. A few minutes later, after having seen CJ with his marshmallow, she starts crying about how she "wants wash-woah-woah." I could not understand her and kept asking her what it was that she wanted to watch. Finally, CJ speaks up and informs me that Mattie wants a marshmallow. Oooooh. Ok. Probably wouldn't have figured that one out on my own.

- Mattie has maybe picked up on too much of our lingo and has started saying, "um" a lot. Especially if you ask her a question, her answer is always preceded by, "um."

- And speaking of Mattie, I don't know if I really like the fact that my not-even-two year old baby shuts the door every time she goes in her room. Aren't I supposed to get, like, another 10 or 11 years before that starts? C'mon!

- I'm not a big daytime tv person. The kids have their shows that they watch in the mornings, then we get ready, play, run errands, do chores, go to preschool, etc, before having lunch and taking naps. Sometimes I'll watch something while the kids are sleeping, but if I'm not taking a nap myself - yes, I'm not ashamed to admit that I nap with my kids - I'm usually doing something that really needs to get done, not watching tv. However, I do like Ellen (we DVR it and watch it at our own convenience). After their naps, the kids may watch a couple shows before Bryce gets home while they have a snack or something, but they are usually playing. Not on all days, but on most, there is a window between when CJ wakes up and when Mattie wakes up, and it's usually around 3 PM. So to keep it kind of quite while Mattie is still sleeping, CJ has become my Ellen-watching buddy. I think Ellen is hilarious and she seems like a really great person and I totally enjoy her show...and now CJ does too.

- I did it. I went to the gym last week. Ok, so I only did a yoga class, but it kicked my butt! And it was a great reminder of how UNflexible I am. Nothing like watching yourself in a not-so-flattering mirror (you know, the ones that make you look short and stubby) trying to bend in these crazy ways. Ugh. But I definitely want to go back. I felt so relaxed afterwards and I think I could eventually actually loosen up or something :)

- Mattie can finally open doors all by herself. Yea for increased dexterity! Boo for decreased control and privacy (which was practically non-existent anyway, but now it's completely gone)!

- When Mattie gets hurt or upset and starts to cry, she has started informing us when she is finished by saying, "I all done kwying." Thanks for letting us know :)

- And CJ has started saying, "that sounds like idea," instead of "that's sounds like a good idea." It's cute, but we've got to work on his annunciation and thinking things through a bit before speaking. For instance, he knows that the correct way to ask for something is to say, "May I please have..." But the first time he says it, every time, he says "ay I have..." It's not until I make him say it again slowly that he says it the correct way. If repetition is the key, CJ's gonna be a genius!

- So Mattie has never really been a big "no" girl, but she chose Sacrament meeting this last week to start to angrily shout a drawn out and loud "Nooo" on several different occasions. Impeccable timing.

- Picky, picky. After practically begging me for some Cheetos on Sunday, when I finally went to get him some, CJ specified his request by telling me not to get him a lot of them, just four. Um, ok. He watched me count out exactly 4 Cheetos as I put them in his dish, and then he thanked me and took off. He was perfectly satisfied. Man, wish I had some of that self-discipline...

- The internet. It's a blessing and a curse. So these cracks in the walls have been freaking me out. Found two more this week, and these two were a lot longer and not at a ceiling/wall connection. It's stressing me out, not that our house is going to fall apart or anything, but that we are going to be financially responsible for repairs that cost more than we can afford (which right now, is pretty much nothing). So what did I do? Hopped on the internet, of course. I found some really helpful things...and maybe some not-so-helpful things, things that really just kind of make me super paranoid and are kind of worse-case-scenarios, but then I start thinking we're a worse-case scenario. Have you done that before? I do it with all sorts of things: illness, car problems, learning abilities, etc. I guess the only solution would be to not look things up, but to actually speak to a professional...yeah, right. Like I have the patience to wait to speak to someone about it!

- 1/31 I got some alphabet flashcards out today to use with CJ, but out of curiosity thought I'd see what Mattie knew. She could recognize A, B, and C, then she missed a few, and then she lost interest. Considering we've never really worked on letters, I was impressed.

- So we're trying to wean CJ off his chocolate milk addiction. I know people think we're the worst parents because we give CJ chocolate milk all the time, but first of all, Judgey-Judgersons, we don't give him real chocolate milk. It's actually chocolate Pediasure mixed with milk to dilute it and to make it last longer. And second of all, considering he barely eats anything at all, I'm ok with him downing "chocolate milk," if it gives him some essential vitamins and nutrients. But now that it's been over a year that we've had him on the stuff, our wallets are definitely feeling it, so just a week or two ago we switched over to Carnation Instant Breakfast. Probably not as many nutrients as Pediasure, but it is much cheaper, and much better than just chocolate milk mix. And considering that 98% of the time all he really ends up having for breakfast is a sippy cup of "chocolate milk," I guess a breakfast drink is a good alternative. But now we're trying to scale back on how much of it he drinks during the day too. He really needs to be drinking more water, but again, it's hard when he eats so sparsely. Right now I'm ok with some chocolate milk in the morning, and some chocolate milk in the evening. He can drink whatever he didn't finish in the morning at lunch, but once it's gone, he either gets plain milk, water, or juice (though juice is SO sugary that we don't drink much of that around here). He seems to doing ok with it. I just hope he's still getting all the vitamins and nutrients that he needs. Life would be so much easier if he would just eat...

Happy Monday!

FAVORITE BOOKS

Mattie's favorite book right now is

She likes to read it over and over and over again. Maybe it's because we read it like an actual song with stomping, clapping, and bouncing. So fun!

And CJ's favorite book right now is

Paige's brother, Nathan, gave it to us last year for Christmas, and even got the artist to sign the book:

"For C.J. Mackay,

Welcome to the Land of Enchantment

with best wishes,

Scott Gustafson

2009"

The artwork is beautiful and fun and creative, and CJ loves the rhymes. His favorites are Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and Hey Diddle, Diddle.