This is...
It arrived today and I swear opening it was almost better then Christmas morning. I took it for its maiden run promptly after receiving it. I know only a true running addict would appreciate what this means for me but I think all would agree that it is indeed huge, fast, and red all over. Watch out Stew, I'm about to rock our biggest loser! ;)
This morning after feeding Benjie his bottle I laid him on the couch propped up with pillows while I went to the other room to blog and enjoy the fact that Angie and Bridger were slumbering away the morning. 30 minutes later I walked into the living room to check on my oh, so quiet Benjamin and to my dismay he was on the floor! He had fallen off the couch and didn't even make a sound! He was laying there smiling at me with this gleeful look in his eyes as if he was saying, "Hey, check out what I just did!" This kid is the most pleasant little guy ever. Doesn't even fuss when he falls two feet to the ground.
Well, traumatic or not this marks the baby milestone of no longer being safe chill'n on the couch by himself. Sorry Benjie. I know that was a cool trick and all but we'll not tempt fate again. :) You can sit on the couch with Daddy or Mommy anytime you want. That is way more fun anyways. :)
I just read The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate. I am a huge fan! I am planning on buying the book for kids and read that one too. So I am really curious as to what everyone's love languages are. I am sort of obsessed with trying to express my love for people but I am really lame at doing it in any other language then my top two so I am really trying to learn and I would like to know yours so I can express love in ways that will actually translate to the recipient. Here is the quiz you can take to find out. It doesn't take long and it is really quite interesting. Let me know your results!
Here are my results for the hubby version of the test (12 being the highest score and 0 the lowest):
He just took off his pants and went pee pee like a big boy (meaning standing up) in the once so scary toilet all by himself!
So a while back I decided to potty train my kids. I wasn't sure how it would go. I sort of thought we'd give it our best and then have to stop and try again a little later on down the road. And basically that is what ended up happening. I think we could have made it work but I got so busy in my own things that I lost my ambition and let my kids off the hook.
But they did great. They got so they went in the potty really well and everything all on their own...we're talking going without even needing to tell me and emptying out their potty in the toilet all by themselves. Really good right?!?! Yes, it was. But only when they were naked on their bottom half. As soon as we'd put undies on them they'd forget and wet their pants.
Time has passed and I have decided we really are going to be done with three diapers at a time. I have started PHASE TWO - Underpants training.
Basically they have to wear their underpants all day long. Every time they go in the potty they get a sticker to put on their chart and a small candy. The first time they go all day without forgetting they don't have a diaper on they get a special sticker and a prize. Once they go ten days without wetting their pants they get a toy they picked out. We are starting today.
I am excited and a little nervous. I hope this isn't too soon for Angeli, that I stick to our plan, and that we soon can be saving ourselves a heck of a lot of money on diapers!
Our Benjie Boo, as I affectionately call him, ;) is three months old. His personality has been showing more and more and it has been really fun to fall in love with every little insight into his Benjie-ness. He really is a ray of sunshine in our home. He is sleeping through the night now which is good for our sleep but I found I really sort-of miss that time with him so I have been making sure that before he goes down I have my Benjie time. We cuddle, nurse, play his little baby games, and talk. It is one of my favorite times of my day.
Bridger loves that he shares a room with Benjamin. Before I kiss Bridger good night he makes sure to remind me that Benjie is to sleep in his crib right next to his bed. I always have to assure him several times that I will make sure to bring Benjie in as soon as he is ready to go down for the night.
And Miss Ang is our little Benjie monitor. She keeps tabs on him all day long and makes sure I am on top of his care. "Mommy! Baby awake! Baby Awake! Come, come!" or "Shhh Mommy. Baby sleeping. shhhh." or "Look mommy. Baby happy! He cheese!" She has gotten confused thinking that smiles are also called "cheese" it cracks me up.:)
So, yup we all adore this kiddo. :) Here are his stats.
We have learned why the quote we originally got to have our fence installed for us was $7500. It is dang hard work! But thanks to our Ward we are doing it for less then half of that. Our ward and especially Brother Baker have banded together to help us and it has really meant the world to us. I have never seen such service. And really Brother Baker is the real hero of our fence and patio project. He has made what would have been a nightmare for us to do on our own into a fun experience. Bless his heart a million times!We really love our ward!
These pics are mainly for the parents. I know they are excited, a little nervous and wishing they could be here to help so we wanted to share the evidence of Studly Stew's and our Ward's hard work!
After our Benjie was born and I was having my post delivery freakout I was praying that I could meet the needs of my now THREE children. We had this adorable boy with complete faith that we could afford him and take care of all of the demands of three kids three and under. The spirit whispered to my heart (the Spirit comes to me in distinct words) that just as "where much is given much is required" so also "where much is required much is given". The Lord seemed to say that I was indeed being asked a lot of and that I would only be asked more of as time went on but I would always have the promise that I would be blessed a hundred fold as I went forward with faith. It was a really sweet experience for me. So three months later...
we are getting a fence! Three months ago if someone told me we'd be getting a fence at this point of our "med-schoolhood" I would be ecstatic and very disbelieving. But we are. It is sitting in our garage right now. It arrived yesterday. YAY! :O) Our lives have pretty much been consumed with our fence saga this past month now. And not only are we getting a fence but a PATIO too!!! AND I guess what you'd call blessing number three is that I am getting a triple stroller. I am selling my beloved B.O.B. double jogging stroller. A lady is picking it up today. :( It makes me very sad to see it go, but it is all in the cause of getting a triple jogger. Yes, they make those and yes, they are ridiculously huge. AND blessing number FOUR is our new park. Our house is in a funny little place that unbeknownst to us was once completely surrounded by trailer parks. But years before we moved here they flooded out and all that has been there since is dry ugly Nevada dust, tumble weeds, and the Trukee river. I have been obsessed with the idea that they turn the huge abandoned trailer park into a park and guess what!?! They have! It will open later this spring. It is going to be my dream park. We are talking running trails and everything. I went and explored it the other day on a little run and I was so dang thrilled! I sort of feel like the Lord had them build it just to make me happy. Running is my life-line and trail running is my FAVORITE thing ever. And now I have it two minutes from my front door! Honestly the windows of heaven are opening up for us and I am thrilled and even a little disbelieving.
I am doing a new promotion where if you host a party with your friends you get 15% of the profit to use towards impressions or 10% in cash. I wanted my friends to know about it because I really do think this could be fun. I love doing impressions of my friends little kiddos. If you are interested give me a call, comment, or email and we will set things up.
Here is a little show and tell of my latest fun ceramic endeavors since I had Benjie Boy. Its fun having a baby to take impressions with. What can I say, I am in love with his hands and feet. ;)
I did a new arrangement on our wall this week with this as the center piece which I have been wanting to do since we moved here. Everyday the kids have me hold them up so they can place their hands in their impressions. Its fun that they think it is special too. :)
Watch out everyone I am turning into Rogue. I decided to let my hair grow out a bit to see how bad it would be to go all natural. Its bad. I am totally getting this white section right along my hair line just like Rouge from X-Man. It all started shortly after I married Stew. I could just think of it as premature aging put on by my insistence on acting 10 years older then my real age but I'd rather like to think I was getting some mutant super powers. ;)
Today I had one errand to run. Only one but I was dreading it because every time I go there it doesn't go so hot. Today wasn't much different. The kids were crazy but something magical happened that made all the difference in the world. Almost everyone smiled at me and told me how beautiful my children were. One lady even said looking at my kids made her want to have another one!!! I always thought that people saw my out of control life and had the opposite reaction. Benjie was hungry and not eating well, Bridger and Angeli were building a fort using all the office chairs they could find in the office, and still my dreaded errand wasn't bad at all because of peoples smiles.
So next time you see a mommy out and about smile at her. It makes all the difference in the world. :O)
Ok girl friends with your computer savvy and crafty cuteness I am pleading with you for some help. We are getting a fence...yup, so great right?!?!? Yeah, it is except its way expensive and so I need to make sure my business brings in the money. With the economy going how it is its hard times for lots of us. Anyways, to get to the the point, I really need to upgrade my advertisement I have in the local kid magazine. My local competition is stealing all my business because her little ad is way much better then mine...although I am a bit biased to my style way better if you ask me! ;) So you digital scrapers and you computer savvy peeps do you have any ideas?
