MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

Tuesday July 26th - Monday August 1st

- 7/26 Today is CJ's 4th birthday! I can't believe 4 years ago he came into our lives. He's grown up and changed so much! Sometimes I can't believe the things that come out of his mouth! Though he can be frustrating at times because he doesn't do a very good job at listening to his parents (yet he seems to do great listening to his teachers, coaches, friends, etc), we're so grateful to have a boy that is not your rough-and-tumble run-of-the-mill boy. Don't get me wrong - he loves boy things: bugs, sports, potty humor, etc. But he doesn't have the aggressive personality that I see in a lot of boys his age. He doesn't push, he doesn't hit, he doesn't take things (unless it's from Mattie :), he's not super competitive, and he's not one to retaliate. That often means he gets his place in line taken, his toys and candy taken, his seat taken. And though it breaks my heart to see these things happen, I'm so grateful that it's not my son who does those things. I feel blessed to have my oldest child be a good example to his siblings - and parents - of tolerance, patience, and forgiveness. I sure love that boy! 

- We had our first birthday party this week. It was the first I've thrown and CJ's first to have, and let me tell you, it was exhausting!! Maybe because I'm 8 months pregnant in the middle of the summer. Or maybe it's because it was 6 kids all 4 and under. Or maybe because I spent the last two days straight prepping for this thing (not including the many hours spent weeks in advance) and that takes a toll. Whatever the reason, even though it was very tiring, it was so great seeing how much CJ enjoyed having his little Sunbeam class over. They all get along so well and had so much fun together, that no matter how exhausting it was, it was SO worth it! Definitely doing it again next year!

- 7/27 Today was the kids last day of swim lessons. It's so great to see how much CJ's confidence grows when he gets involved in physical activities. He didn't really want to go under much, was a little cautious with the kicking, and refused to wear the goggles. But he did well at blowing bubbles, floating on his back, and listening to his teacher and following instructions. The most important thing is that he liked the class and wants to go back. So we're excited to get him more used to the water and get him classes again next year. Mattie also grew to like her class. She went from crying almost the entire time the first day, to laughing through most of her last class. The point of her class was really just to get her accustom to the water, so I think it worked and hopefully she'll remember next summer that she like the water.

- We went to see the Wenatchee Youth Circus this week. It was fun to get out, and the kids liked it, for the most part. It was good there were some other moms and kids from church and playgroup there or I don't think they would have lasted the whole TWO HOURS! That was my only complaint (besides the pounding heat)...it was a little too long for a bunch of little kids. But it was a fun Wenatchee experience and I'm sure we'll go again next year.

- Bryce had scout camp this week. It was hard having him gone, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Especially since when he first got the calling of Scoutmaster I was under the impression that he had to be there for all 5 days, but it turns out that's not the case. He left early Monday morning, and came back Wednesday afternoon. Not too bad. Only two nights alone, which is the worst part for me. I HATE being alone at night. But I missed him for other reasons too :). It was so great to get him back Wednesday, and let me tell you, the kids were beyond excited!

- On a sad note, I was released from being the Primary secretary this week. We've had a few new families move in to the ward so the bishopric has been trying to get them callings. They called Lana (the Primary Pres.) and reminded her that I had two callings, secretary and chorister, and asked her to let them know which one she'd like me to stay in and give some suggestions for whom to call to replace me. Lana called me and asked me how I felt about it and I told her that I totally trusted her and her inspiration and would be fine either way. But then I told her that if I had to choose, I would rather be the secretary (mainly because I love working with the ladies in the presidency). And that was the end of it. And to my surprise, a few days later, one of the new sisters in our ward told me that she had just been called to be the secretary and was excited to work with me. Oh. Ok. I think I covered it up pretty well smiling and telling her how great that was and how wonderful Primary is, but as we drove away, I cried. And then I cried for a lot that night, and it bummed me out the entire next day. Turns out that Lana didn't even know the bishopric had made that change, and that she had in fact, suggested this sister to replace me as chorister, not secretary. But the bishopric does have the final say, and is entitled to different/more inspiration I guess, so that's that. I'm now just the chorister, and that's ok. I really do love working with the kids and I get much more interaction with the kids than the Presidency does, sadly. I would have missed that. But being chorister can be taxing. I know that what I remember most from Primary is the songs, so I feel a big responsibility in teaching these kids these songs. The messages are so important and will stay with them for a lifetime, and sometimes that weighs a little heavy on me. And it can be draining trying to come up with fun, different, creative ways to teach/review songs each week. And I absolutely dread finding a sub when I need it. There are not very many people willing to do music, and it takes a lot of work to prepare, and it can be kind of scary/intimidating, so I hate trying to find people, and I hate asking the same people over and over. That would have been the biggest relief - not to have to find a sub when we go out of town (not that go out of town very often, but with Bryce's family only 2 1/2 hours away in Seattle, it would be nice to have a little more freedom to stay longer when we visit). And I've had this calling in 3 or the last 4 wards we've been in...and I have a feeling I'm going to be in this calling for quite some time in this ward, so I'm trying not to get burned out. Wow, that's a lot of negativity. Don't mean it to be that way. Especially because I am grateful for my calling and I do have faith that this is what the Lord wants for me right now. Hopefully having a baby just a few weeks - like 3 - before the Primary Sacrament Program won't be an issue...we'll see :)

- And to end on a more positive note, Bryce's parents came over and helped us do our front yard this last weekend. Can you believe it?! It actually looks like people live here now! We could not have done it without them - literally - creatively, financially, and physically. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, and weren't very motivated. But thanks to Bryce's parents using one of their few free weekends, we were able to get that practical-pit filled and plants and a tree planted. And then we were able get some great bushes to accent our garage and underneath our front windows. It's simple and it's great! We love it and admire it every time we're outside. And I'm so grateful to have such generous, hardworking, and selfless in-laws. They are way too good to us and such amazing examples to me. I'm blessed.

Happy Monday!

NEW BUNK BED

We've moved the kids into one room (pics of that to come later), and to our surprise, it has gone really well. In order to utilize space, we decided to get a bunk bed for the kids and CJ was so excited!

7/16 CJ's first time in the new bunk bed. We worried about him being able to get up and down ok, especially when he needs to go potty, but it only took a few times up and down for him to get it. He loves it!

7/24 When we decided on a bunk bed, Paige started looking for some new bedding. Here's CJ's new bed, on the top bunk (unfortunately, after a few returns, we're still looking for Mattie's bedding).

7/24 Mattie's first time in her new big-girl bed. She's on the bottom bunk but since she's kind of a crazy sleeper and we don't have a bed rail yet, we're currently using a chair to keep her from falling out. Classy, we know. Besides the lack of bedding and a bed rail, Mattie has been great and really likes her new bed. And CJ and Mattie are perfect for each other, or at least, CJ is perfect for Mattie. He falls asleep in about 15 minutes and can sleep through Mattie's hour or more of chatting until she falls asleep. Now if we can just get Mattie to sleep through CJ waking up at 6:30 AM, then things would be perfect! :)

CAR SEAT CANOPIES

Sunday July 24th

Oh my heavens, Paige can actually sew something! :) Even though Mattie is only 2 1/2, Paige never had one of these nifty contraptions when Mattie was a baby, so she wanted to make one for her sister-in-law, Gaby, who just had their baby a few days ago, and one for herself as well.

Green is Gaby's favorite color, and Gaby wanted the green on top. This is how her canopy turned out.

And this his how Paige's canopy turned out. We really like it! And it's neutral enough that we should be able to use it for any subsequent babies too.

CHUCK E. CHEESE's

Saturday July 23rd

Weeks before his birthday, CJ asked if we could go to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday party. We don't have a Chuck E. Cheese here in Wenatchee, so a party there with his friends wasn't an option. Thank goodness Papa and Gramma only live a couple of miles away from a Chuck E. Cheese so we were able to make CJ's birthday wish of going to Chuck E. Cheese come true. And even though it wasn't a party with his friends, he had enough family around, including a surprise visit from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Mackay, and cousins, Will and Jacob, who were in town after going on a cruise. And, of course, cousin Reese made the party even more special! We didn't have a cake or candles since his big birthday party was going to be a few days later on his actual birthday, but we had cupcakes for dessert and CJ even got a few presents. It was lots of fun and CJ is now asking if we can go again when he's five. We can probably handle once a year :)

Some of Mattie's favorite games

Some of CJ's favorite games

It's more fun if you're playing with someone

Enjoying cupcakes (after we had all had pizza) and presents with the whole gang

Four generations! Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Mackay, Papa Mackay, Daddy, CJ, and Mattie

MATTIE's VCUG

Friday July 22nd

A year and a half ago, when Mattie was just 11 months old, she had to get a VCUG due to a UTI that she had. At that time they found that she had a grade 2 reflux from her bladder back into her kidneys and that's what was causing the infection. We were given a prophylactic to give her and told that in a year and half she'd need another VCUG to see if she had grown out of her condition. So here we are, a year and a half later, doing it all over again...except this time was much more stressful since Mattie is older now and was not as sedated as we would have liked. We checked into the Central Valley hospital at 9:00 AM and were headed home by 11:30 AM. It wasn't any fun, but had to be done. Turns out that Mattie still has a grade 2 reflux - not good news - but her pediatrician thinks that her grade is low enough that we no longer need to continue with the medicine and that we shouldn't need to do another VCUG - great news! We're meeting with a urologist who specializes in children in a couple of weeks just to get an expert's opinion, but we're hopeful that this ordeal is behind us.

We entertained ourselves while we waited for the medicine to kick in by watching Toy Story and playing with the coins in Mommy's wallet. The doctors gave Mattie a cocktail of medicine. It had a slight sedative affect on her, as you can tell by her face, but it wasn't enough. When we left Mommy's wallet and Toy Story to go to the x-ray room for the procedure, Mattie cried and cried. Like we said, not enough sedative.

Mattie, who loves her some breakfast, was SO happy that the painful procedure was over and she finally got to eat something. Her face says it all!

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

Tuesday July 19th - Monday July 25th

- 7/19  I had a melt down today. I was just so frustrated with our house being a mess, the kids not listening to anything I said, and being so exhausted all the time, that I just sat down and started to cry. But that's not what this story is about. This story is about CJ. When CJ saw I was crying he asked me why I was so sad. I told him that I didn't feel well, and so he ran over and got my vitamins that I take every day and brought them to me. Awww. Then he said he wanted me to be happy and asked again why I was sad. I told him that I had too much to do and that I couldn't do it all, to which he replied that he had strong muscles and that he would do it. Isn't he such a sweetie?!

- I went to the doctor last week and Yea! I had only gained two pounds in three weeks!! That part was great! But what was not great was the fact that my belly grew SIX CM in three weeks! I went from being 29 cm (vertically, of course), to 35. I had to ask Dr. Pitts to repeat the number because I thought I had heard him wrong. I was shocked, but he wasn't too concerned. See why my clothes don't fit?! Anyway, Dr. Pitts thought it was due to fluids. I haven't felt like I've been retaining fluids - and my weight didn't seem to reflect that - but oh well. If the doctor is ok with it, then I guess I am too...except that I'm busting out of all my clothes.

- Two big things with Mattie this week: first, on Friday the 22nd she had her second VCUG. The first one was a year and a half ago when she was just 11 months old. After having a UTI, they did a VCUG to see if she had reflux (from her bladder back into her kidneys) causing the infection. Sure enough she did :(. It was a mild enough case that they reassured us she'd grow out of it, but they did put her on a prophylactic and said we'd need to do another VCUG a year and half later to see where she was at. So that brings us to this past Friday. It was interesting to see the difference between how the procedure was handled in the "big city" of Spokane compared to here in Wenatchee. First, they wanted to just send Mattie to the Radiology dept at the clinic, but I knew that Mattie could not be "talked through" a catheter. Last time they had given her a sedative to relax her and I was really hoping for that this time. So instead we opted to head over to Seattle because they do an injection instead of a catheter, which sounded much better to us. Then our pediatrician called us a few days before and said they could give Mattie a sedative here at the hospital and so we wouldn't have to go to Seattle. Ok, sounds good. However, when we arrived at the hospital Friday morning they seemed to be all prepped to put Mattie completely under. I wasn't comfortable with that. When the anesthesiologist came in to speak to me, I told her about what had been done in Spokane and she was shocked. Then I was surprised that she was so surprised that Mattie was sedated but never went under. Then she decided to follow my lead, I guess, which was awkward for me since she's the doctor and all. After speaking with the pediatric nurse who was assigned to Mattie, they decided to give her some concoction of medicine that had pain reliever in it and that had an amnesia effect. I asked if there was a sedative in it, and they told me there was, but I based on Mattie's behavior, I wasn't so sure I believed them. Mattie did calm down, but not to the point she had been in Spokane. I had been entertaining Mattie with some coins and when it was time to go to the x-ray room for the procedure, I tried to take the coins from her and she got really upset about it...that and the fact that we weren't watching Toy Story anymore. If she had been on a sedative I think she would have been a little more relaxed about it. Then, when we got to the x-ray room and it was time to insert the catheter, Mattie was definitely not relaxed, like a sedative would have made her. And it didn't help that her nurse had to try about 5 or 6 times to insert the catheter before calling another nurse in to do it. Mattie was in pain (of course! the catheters were coming out with blood on them!) and squirming everywhere, naturally, and I asked again if her medication had a sedative in it, and they told me it did, but I still don't know if I believe them. Anyway, after finally getting a catheter inserted, I had to walk behind the glass because I'm pregnant, so Mattie was left with 3 strangers holding her down and turning her from side to side while they x-rayed her bladder filling up. Mattie was so upset, it broke my heart. Then we had to wait for her to release before we could go because they had to take another set of x-rays after she went potty to see if there was any reflux. Mattie was holding it, but her bladder was beyond full, so she was in pain, and that part was difficult too. She finally released and they were able to quickly get the x-rays they needed and I was finally able to hold Mattie and tell her it was all over. The radiologist couldn't tell me definitively, but he did say that Mattie still has reflux, about grade 2 (which is what it was a year and a half ago), and that she'd most likely still need to stay on her prophylactic and get another VCUG in a year. Ugh. Not what we wanted to hear, especially after how intense this experience was for her. We'll see if Dr. Jantzen has anything different to say after he sees her test results.

- Moving on to the second thing with Mattie, on Sunday, July 24th, we put Mattie in her own big-girl bed...in the same room as CJ! Surprisingly, it went really well, better than expected. We only had to tell them to stay in bed a few times, and it only took putting Mattie back into bed a couple of times before she stayed in there and talked herself to sleep. CJ was a trooper too because he was able to still fall asleep within 15 or so minutes, despite Mattie's chatting for almost an hour. So I think they'll work well together. The only thing that's not too fun is that Mattie can sleep a good hour or two longer than CJ, but now that they're in the same room, she's up with him at 7 AM. Bummer! Otherwise, Bryce and I were expecting the worst and actually got pretty much the best, so a very, very pleasant (and much appreciated) surprise.

- We headed over to Redmond on Friday evening so that we could take CJ to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday for his birthday. Saturday morning we got CJ's 4 year pictures taken. We tried to take a couple of CJ and Mattie together but of course, not one turned out where they were both smiling and looking at the camera, or even had their eyes open. I partially blame the completely inexperienced and not-so-great-with-kids photographer who seemed to miss all the great moments. It was very frustrating. Oh well. In the end, we got a pretty good pose of CJ and all his pics for only 12 bucks, so I guess it was worth it. Then we made CJ's dreams come true...or at least, that's what it seemed like by how excited he had been for weeks to go to Chuck E. Cheese. The place was super busy, but CJ didn't seem to mind that the place was PACKED with like 5 or 6 birthday parties on top of the people not there with a party, like us (though we had cupcakes and gifts and enough people to be counted as a party :). Mattie's favorite ride was the white horsey, for sure, and CJ loved doing the football toss and the basketball game with Daddy. It was lots of fun and may just turn into a birthday tradition!

Happy Monday!

CJ's NEW HAT

Friday July 15th

Mommy got CJ this hat a couple of weeks ago and he's been wearing it non-stop. Even though it's a little big, it still looks really cute!

Mattie wanted to join in the fun so she put on her hat...maybe we should get Mattie a hat that's a little more versatile than Minnie Mouse :)

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

Tuesday July 12th - Monday July 18th

- 7/12 I asked CJ what he wanted for dinner tonight and he matter-of-factly said marshmallows, strawberries, and taquitos...Ok. I can work with that.

- Ok yes, I haven't started potty-training Mattie yet. I know, I know. I need to. And I'm going to...soon.Like after CJ's birthday. I promise. But while she's still in diapers, I thought I'd just share that she has started to be really "helpful," in both good and bad ways. Bad way: she takes her diaper off herself, which has resulted in a couple of wet accidents. Good way: after we change her diaper, she offers to take it to the garbage in the garage for us. So sweet, right? :)

- I realize that there's not very much about Bryce on here. I need to be better at keeping him involved in this "family" journal (it's just that it's my journal. You know, from my point of view and I spend the majority of my time with my kids, so that's what it ends up being about), so let's see...Bryce has been pretty busy as work lately. He goes through lulls, which I kind of like. He'll have weeks where he's home by 5:15-5:30 every night, which is great. Then he'll have other weeks where he may be home by 5:30-6:00, but then he goes back in from 9:00-midnight, and may even get up and go into work at 6:30 or 7:00 AM. But I don't mind it that much when he goes back in later. We still get our time with him - especially the kids - and he's getting plenty of hours (he has a required number of billable hours that he's supposed to hit each year). Plus he likes being able to go back in and really focus, so it works for everyone. Anyway, so he's been busy lately, which is really great. That means he's really impressed a lot of lawyers/partners at his firm who are entrusting him with work (especially since it doesn't seem that some of the other associates are as busy). I'm not surprised. The only downside is that it's a lot of litigation, which is not exactly Bryce's favorite. He doesn't like the pettiness and irrantionality that's invovled. Too bad he's pretty good at it or maybe he wouldn't be getting so much work :)

- And speaking of Bryce working, our (and when I say "our," I mean "Bryce's") paper route got canceled last month. It's kind of a relief to have our Tuesdays back - no more folding papers at 10 PM and delivering them at midnight - but I've got to be honest, that extra $272 a month was really great (it paid our cell phone, internet, and cable bills), so we're bummed. We'll just have to try to be frugal these next few months until Bryce is up for a raise in September. Of course, that's much easier said than done...especially considering we have CJ's 4th birthday with a party, Chuck E. Cheese, and portraits, an engine, brakes, and muffler to replace, school loans to pay, landscaping to do, a shared room to set up for the kids (so a new bunkbed, mattress, bedding, storage, dresser, etc), a wedding out of state to attend, baby gifts, wedding gifts, and graduation gifts to buy, and CJ starting preschool again - all before the baby and a raise comes in September. Wish us luck!

- We started reading scriptures as a family this week. After evaluating our relationship last week, and both agreeing that our marriage and our family needs more spirituality, we decided to commit ourselves to reading scriptures as a family daily. I know...duh, right? Well since our kids are so young, we'd, or at least, I had convinced myself that we didn't need to start yet. Bryce and I read on our own, and we read a little from the scriptures when we have family home evening, but that's it. And since CJ is about to turn 4 it's time. He's old enough to know who the prophets in the scriptures are and some of the stories, so we bought the classic Book of Mormon Stories book from the distribution center and have been using that as we read. We only read 10 verses a night, but already on the second day of reading, both kids started all of their verses with "And it came to pass," regardless if that's what it said or not :). It's so amazing to see how children, who are innocent and so close to the Lord, really gravitate toward things that are right and true, and this has been no exception. To my surprise, our kids are excited to read the "squipehs," as Mattie calls them, and have even been the ones to remind us.

- Before I forget, I wanted to write down that Mattie calles oatmeal "eat-meal." It makes me laugh every time I hear it!

- Bryce and I switched the kids into one room on Saturday. Well, almost. We got the bunkbed up and CJ's been sleeping on it, but the other mattress for Mattie hasn't come yet, so she's still sleeping in the crib in what will be the baby's room. She's not too happy about it. It may be her crib that she's used to, but the room is not and so she cries every time we put her to bed. We're just hoping that after her mattress comes, the kids can quickly adjust to sleeping together (and Mattie to sleeping in a regular bed). We don't need to have all 4 (5) of us adjusting when the baby comes, that's for sure! 

- The kids started swim lessons today. As expected, CJ was so excited all day, but when we got there, he cried and did not want to do it. Bryce was able to calm him down and walk him over to his class, with the promise that he would go in the water with CJ if CJ needed it. Once CJ got to his class and his teacher started talking to him, he was fine. No crying the rest of the time. He let go of Bryce's hand, got in the water, and spent the rest of the class doing just fine (besides having to get out at one point to warm up a bit because he was shivering so much). Then it was time for Mattie's Bobbin' Babies class. Mattie had a hard time waiting for her class - she wanted to jump in the whole time CJ was swimming and we really had to distract her. But the second she got in the pool with Bryce, she was done! She wanted out, and unlike CJ, she spent most of her class clinging to Daddy with a death-grip. The teacher was great and really understanding, explaining that the purpose of the class was to help the kids get comfortable with the water so she told Bryce to just do whatever made Mattie comfortable (meaning, he didn't need to follow the instructions she was giving). Mattie finally started to warm up the last several minutes of the class and Bryce was even able to get her under the water. I was very proud of both of my kids. It's not easy doing something new, especially when it scares you, so I'm proud of them for doing it anyway! CJ, by the way, spent the time during Mattie's lesson entertaining himself by following the water aerobics instructor on the other end of the pool. It was pretty funny!

- And FYI, I have now graduated into wearing Bryce's tee-shirts for comfy clothes at night. Ugh. This baby couldn't come soon enough.

Happy Monday!

UNDIE ENVY

Sunday July 10th

Mattie often entertains us with her antics, and this Sunday was no exception. What's she doing here, you ask? Take a close look...

She came running into the living room to show us all what she had done. She was so proud of herself! And we all fed her pride with our laughter and picture-taking.

But wait! What's that?!

She has not one, but TWO pairs of CJ's undies on!!

LAKE CHELAN

Saturday July 9th

Our good friends, the Bromiley's, invited the Kershner family and us to join them at their family's cabin at the lake a couple of weekends ago. It was a wonderful day to introduce Paige and the kids to Lake Chelan. The water is crystal clear and the surrounding landscape is beautiful...but what really made it was the company!

CJ and Mattie warmed up to the water by first playing on the boat ramp

The dock was where all the fun was: a pool filled with warm water and toys to warm-up (if needed) and relax in, water fights, snacks like fresh cherries, Red Vines, and Cheetos, and lounge chairs to chat and sun in! 

As is the case most of the time, Bryce was the Pied Piper of all the kids there

CJ and Mattie got to experience everything: the dock, the floating tube, the boat (CJ even went on the tube with Daddy), and even canoe rides with Marin Kershner. They had a blast!

We really enjoyed Lake Chelan and are so glad the Bromiley's invited us. Hopefully we can make many more family memories there!

VROOM VROOM

Thursday July 7th

Our friends, the Bromiley's, had us over for a BBQ with a couple of other families last week. They have this great kids' 4-wheeler in their backyard that both Mattie and CJ LOVE! CJ's actually pretty good at driving it. Anyway, the battery had died at this point, but Mattie didn't care. While all the other kids were inside playing, Mattie was outside making her own engine noises (that's what she's doing in these pics) and having a blast!

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

Tuesday July 5th - Monday July 11th

- Have I told you about The Adventures of CJ? It's this really great series of stories in which CJ is the hero! He does things from find Amanda's wedding ring (Cameron's fiance), to visit the temple, to take care of Mommy and his soon-to-be baby brother. They're pretty great stories, and based on the demand (from CJ), I think the author (Bryce) should seriously consider a book deal :)

- I haven't really talked about my pregnancy much. Maybe because there's not much to report, except that I'm bigger than ever and that this little guy is apparently pretty cramped in there because he is constantly kicking and jabbing and moving. And I've got to be honest, it's pretty uncomfortable. I can't believe I still have 11 weeks to go - they are going to be the longest 11 weeks of my life! It's not that I'm ready for the baby yet, but more just really ready to not be pregnant any more. I sleep horribly, I'm uncomfortable most of the time, and summer has finally hit Wenatchee, making me hot and sweaty (and irritable) just about always. I seem to have energy in the morning, but by 1 or 2, it's gone and I'm wasted the rest of the day. My poor kids. Last summer was the "lost summer" because Bryce was studying for the bar, and this summer is going to be the "boring summer" because I'm too hot and tired to do anything. And I won't even talk about how I've already gained as much weight as I gained with Mattie the entire pregnancy, and  I STILL HAVE 11 WEEKS TO GO!! Ugh. My doctor is really nice about it, and I'm frustrated because I've been trying to walk and keep active and not eat a bunch of junk, but I still seem to put on about 50% more weight that I'd like each month. It's been very frustrating and I just hope that I can get it all off when this over (and that I don't gain 60 pounds, like my mom said she did with each of her babies...but she always got it all off). And I'm trying not to be too vain, because I can really get caught up in that kind of stuff. I just need to focus on my good health (besides getting ginormous) and the good health of the baby. 11 more weeks to go...

- Speaking of 11 weeks to go, we got my mom tickets to come here a few weeks ago. We bought her tickets for a week before my due date and to stay for two weeks. Part of me hopes that I have the baby before then, but she's our babysitting plan, and I really don't want to call anyone in the middle of the night to come be with our kids, so I guess I'm leaning more towards going to 39 weeks than going before that. But if I haven't had the baby before she gets here (39 wks), I'm asking the doctor to strip my membranes the minute her flight lands!

- Hopefully by the time the baby comes we'll have decided on a name. We're between two names, leaning towards one more than the other, but it might just come down to looking at our little guy to get a sense of who he is. It's kind of unnerving because I knew before CJ and Mattie were even conceived what I wanted to name them. And if this baby had been a girl, it would have been the same thing, but now we're torn. Oh well. At least we'll have another boy's name for any future baby boys.

- Mattie has started calling Bryce and me "Dad" and "Mom" instead of Daddy and Mommy. On the one hand, I'm not a big fan. She has the rest of her life to call us that - it's only this small window of toddlerhood that we get to be called Mommy and Daddy. However, it is cute to hear her talk so grown-up with her little voice.

- Our good friends, the Bromiley's, have a family cabin up at Lake Chelan. Bryce has been telling me about Lake Chelan since before we ever even moved to Washington, and so we jumped at the chance when the Bromiley's invited us up for some fun on the lake. And it did not disappoint! Besides not being as hot as we had anticipated (which was great for me because I didn't jump in the cold lake, like some of the others), it was just as beautiful as I had heard. That, and it helps to have such great people to hang out with. The only thing that wasn't great - besides my pregnant self in a bathing suit - was dealing with our kids. I hate to use the word "dealing," but that's what it felt like most of the time. It's hard sometimes for CJ, or rather, for us, when CJ is around older kids because he wants to play with them and do what they're doing and ends up completely ignoring us. For example, after a few hours of playing at the lake, we walked up the street a little way to a cute resort to get some ice cream. We were walking on the shoulder of a two-lane road so we needed to stay pretty much single file. But in his attempt to keep up with the older kids, CJ kept ending up in the road. And even worse than that, when the older kids started to run, CJ ran too, tripping not once, but twice, with the second trip being pretty bad, especially on the palms of his hands. Then when we got our ice cream, the older kids were walking on the dock, and so CJ wanted to run on the dock (again, not a good idea in his flip flops), and they were sitting on the ledge by the water. Considering CJ has an issue with balance, and had already fallen in the lake (he was sitting on a tube in the water reaching for the rope and just reached too far - thank goodness for life jackets), we weren't too keen on him sitting on the ledge, or running on the ledge either like he kept trying to do. And he kept completely ignoring us and running away from us. It was frustrating, to say the least. However, at one point, it was just CJ and Bennett, who is his age, and Austin, who is 5. All the kids were on the boat (except Mattie), and CJ was great. No issues of craziness. And then there was Mattie. She kept wanting to play in the water, but get there by practically walking off the dock. And then, a couple of hours after being there, the kids all went on a boat ride. They came back sooner than expected to drop Mattie off because she was crying. And then she cried inconsolably for almost half an hour. I could not figure out what was wrong. She said she had an owie on her privates, but when I took off her diaper, she looked fine (no redness, no rash, no scrapes or dirt or anything). It really was worrying me, but after about half an hour she calmed down and then was fine the rest of the afternoon. Anyway, if you can't tell, it was fun but exhausting for us. I like to think it would have been a little better if I wasn't pregnant and had a little more energy. But regardless, it was TOTALLY worth it and we'd go again in a heartbeat! Thank you, Bromiley's!!

Happy Monday! 

SPLASH PAD

After the 4th, summer decided to finally come to Wenatchee, so we headed over to the splash pad for play group. It was only our second time there this season (and the first time was pretty cool so it was a bust), but we're hoping for more warm, windless days so we can enjoy the fact that we live so close to this park. 

CJ looks like he's having fun, but he wanted to go home the whole time

Mattie refused to let Paige take a picture of her

Paige's friend, Andrea, insisted on taking a picture of Paige with the kids because moms are usually behind the camera. Despite feeling like a tub-o, Paige reluctantly was in the picture and it actually turned out pretty cute. Yea for taking pictures with the kids!!

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

Tuesday June 28th - Monday July 4th

- Bribery, coercion, incentives, motivation, whatever you want to call it, Mattie has finally started responding to it, especially at meal time. You know, "Mattie, you can have some more watermelon after you eat a bite of chicken." It has made things a lot easier around here.

- CJ's been watching So You Think You Can Dance with us and that must be where he is getting his new dance moves. Almost once a day he tells us to watch his new dance moves, and then he goes on to wow us with his abilities :)

- 6/28 Mattie put on her own shoes today! Ok, they were flip flops, but she got the correct shoes on the correct feet and the strap of the shoes between the correct toes, all by herself! Such a smarty pants!

- I went to a little birthday girls' night for my friend, Lana, this week. It was so fun and nice to get out, but it also really made me miss some of my close friends. Though I've made friends here, being at Lana's party and seeing how close some of the gals are - like best friends - it really made me miss my best friends and wonder if I'm ever going to have such close friends again.

- CJ had soccer again this week. Bryce stayed home with Mattie because he had a scout activity at our house at the same time, so it was just me with CJ this time. When we got there, he was super clingy at first and I was worried that I was going to have to hold him the whole time - ugh. Before class started, the kids were just playing with balls, but CJ had absolutely no interest. In fact, he kept trying to go back to the car. I tried to motivate him with promises of slurpees, gum, and treats, if he'd go and play with the soccer ball but all CJ wanted to do was sit on my lap. When it was time to start and the coach called all the kids into the middle of the field to start, I walked CJ (it was practically pulling) out to the center with the other kids. And to my surprise, he let go of my hand and joined the other kids and was fine the rest of the time. Thank goodness! He actually has some great skills. At one point, they set up tons of cones all around, and the kids had to walk their balls, without using their hands of course, through the cones without touching the cones, and shoot it into the net on the other side. CJ was, I would say, one of two kids who were the best at this, not using their hands and getting the ball through the cones at a decent pace without knocking any of the cones over. I was very proud! I was also really proud of his pseudo-cartwheel that he did as his celebration after he made his goals (per the coach's request). Who knew he could do that?!

- Speaking of CJ being clingy, he seems to have developed some stage fright. First it was his talk that he refused to give on Sunday, then his preschool graduation on Wednesday. All the kids, which was about 30, got up to sing some songs they had learned. CJ did not want to go up with the other kids, so I went up with him, but he didn't even want to stand. He wanted me to hold him. So I sat at the end of the group of kids and CJ sat on my lap...and cried. It was really sad, and disappointing. Only one other little girl refused to go up as well, but all the other kids did great. I was bummed to not see CJ sing these songs that I know he knows - he sings them around the house - with his friends. They only sang a handful of songs, so it wasn't much, but it's just got me wondering. I know this is probably a phase that he's going through, but I just wonder what we can do to help build his confidence in front of crowds...

- However, CJ's confidence definitely is growing when it comes to physical activities. It's almost strange for me to have a son climbing up huge slides that are meant for big kids and telling me that he can do it by himself, or insisting that he jump off big things, etc. I'm not used to having to be more aware of what CJ is doing because he was never one of those "crazy" kids. But his occupational therapy seems to be bringing out the crazy in him, for sure, and it's a good thing, something I can definitely get used to :)

- Ok, one last thing about CJ. I'm so glad that I have a kid who is not aggressive. The other day at his preschool graduation, CJ saw this little blond boy and pointed him out to me as his friend, Landon. CJ said hi and waved and a few minutes later, a group of 3 boys showed up by CJ. CJ was excited and tried to talk to them and join them. They kind of ignored him, not intentionally I don't think, they were just already playing something. CJ didn't seem to mind because they left as quickly as they showed up and CJ was more interested in waiting for Bryce to show up then playing with the other kids. Anyway, this Landon boy comes trailing behind these bigger boys and walks up behind CJ and closed-fist hits CJ in the back! CJ turned around, surprised, and said, "He hit me." As Mama Bear, I tried to contain my anger towards that little boy, reminding myself that he is only a 3 or 4  year old kid and is (hopefully) still learning about not hitting. The boy didn't say or do anything, just hit CJ and left. But what made me proud was that 1, CJ didn't cry or get upset, and even more importantly, 2, CJ didn't hit him back! I made sure to tell CJ how proud I was of him that he didn't hit him back and that just because someone else hits, does not make it ok. Part of me struggles with the fact that I may be teaching my son to not stick up for himself, but I'd rather err on the side of tolerance and compassion. Man, this parenting thing is hard.

- And it's especially hard when you have no control over the influences your child gets outside your home. I knew that CJ would face things in school, but I didn't expect it to start in preschool. I mean, not only is CJ telling us he needs Sketchers, because everyone has Sketchers (someone is already telling him he has to fit the mold?!), but now he has picked up taunting. You know that sing-song that kids do: "nah nah nah nah naaaah nah"? Well CJ uses that same little song for things like, "I got a popsicle" or "I got a piece of gum." I know he doesn't mean to be hurtful, but I've been trying to teach him that saying those things to Mattie, in that way, can hurt her feelings and that he needs to stop singing that little song. However, it's proving to be a hard habit to break :(. How do you teach your kids to empathize and have compassion for others, especially when they are so young??

- This weekend we headed over to Seattle again for our friends, Kate and Kyle's wedding. Kyle started at JDSA when Bryce did, and so we've been able to build a friendship with them over the last 9  months. They are great people and we felt very honored to be at their wedding. They were married on Vashon Island and it was a beautiful day, plus it was nice to leave the kids with Bryce's parents and enjoy just each other for a few hours (seems like a rarity these days). The only other people from the firm (which surprised me) was one of the managing partners, Jim Danielson, and his wife Carol. We spent pretty much the entire time with them, both at the ceremony and the reception, and it was great to get to know them better. The whole experience just reiterated to us why we came to JDSA: because of the people.

- And I really must be pregnant because my emotions are getting the best of me lately (even worse than when I'm not pregnant). I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but Jim Danielson, one of the partners at Bryce's firm, reminds me of my dad. He's got the round face, glasses, salt and pepper hair, and gray/white beard. But it's not just his looks. He's one of those guys who can talk to anyone and who has a story for everything, usually with some sort of joke, just like my dad was. And this past weekend at the wedding, I saw another side of Jim that really got the best of me. After Kyle and Kate had their first dance, and danced with their parents, they opened the floor to everyone. And who walks out on the floor but Jim and Carol, who really showed all of us boring young adults what it really means to dance. As I watched Jim bounce to the beat, and twirl his wife Carol around, I literally started to cry. My eyes welled up and I had to excuse myself so that I could get some control. It's funny because I never really saw my dad dance much, but I know how much he loved music, and I know that dancing was a huge part of my parents' life. It's actually how they met. So as I saw this man, who reminds me so much of my dad, enjoy himself so much on the dance floor, I was just swept with emotion. I can't even really put my finger on what I felt...sadness that my dad is gone, regret that I never got to see him enjoy dancing like this, happiness in the memories I do have of him, enjoyment in the reminder of him...I'm not 100% sure. But I am sure that I'm glad I got to see Jim and Carol dancing...and I'm hoping no one saw me. 

- It was also 4th of July weekend, but I must admit, it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I guess I'm just used to the 4th in Utah, where it's pretty big. Growing up, we used to get up for the stake flag raising ceremony and breakfast (not every year, but I do remember going), go to the big parade in Provo, maybe walk around and enjoy the festivities afterwards, go swimming, BBQ (often at a park), do our own fireworks, and even go to my Grandma's to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. I just remember it always being a holiday of family, patriotism, and even spirituality (probably thanks to my dad), and that's probably why it is my favorite holiday. But since leaving Utah, I just haven't found the same type of celebration, the same sentiment, as we had in Utah, and so every year I'm a little disappointed. Guess I'm going to have to make more of an effort to make it a special holiday for my family (that, or just make it to Utah for the 4th every year :).

Happy Monday!

4TH OF JULY WEEKEND

Our friends, Kyle and Kate, got married over the holiday weekend, so we headed over to Seattle to attend the wedding and enjoy the weekend with family. On Saturday, we went to the park in downtown Bellevue and had dinner. Then the boys (minus little Zack) went to the Mariners game and the girls went shopping.

7/2 Mattie, CJ, and Zack playing at the park in Bellevue. And, look! CJ swinging on the big-boy swing all by himself for the first time!

After sacrament meeting on Sunday, Bryce and Paige left the kids with Gramma and Papa, and took off the catch a ferry to Vashon Island for Kyle and Kate's wedding. They were married by the lighthouse and the weather was beautiful...but not as beautiful as the bride!

7/3 Bryce and Kyle are both first year associates at JDSA, but the only other people from Bryce's firm at the wedding were Jim and Carol Danielson (Jim is a managing partner), so we spent most of the day with them. It was great to get to know them better and really was such fun!

The 4th was spent at the park, at the Crossroads mall riding the 25 cent rides (isn't that great?!), playing in the kiddie pool in the backyard, at a BBQ at the White's, and seeing the fireworks of Wenatchee as we drove home.

7/4 Happy 4th of July! The cousins - CJ, Zack, and Mattie - wearing the holiday clothes Gramma got them

CJ was trying to hug Mattie and she refused. Why can't we get a picture of these two actually showing some love for each other?? :)

These kiddos could have stayed on this 25 cent carousel all day

Happy 4th of July!