Some Sweet & Sours, but Mostly Sweet.

Ever since I came home from Chicago (which I will eventually blog about) life has been crazy. 

I have been *blessed* with crazy, curious, and busy children. When I would babysit I didn't quite understand why parents needed a break from their adorable children, or why their home was always a mess. Like a huge mess. Never made sense to me...until I had these darling little creatures...

Sour -Laney thinking it's super funny to untwist every sippy cup/bottle lid and dump out its contents everywhere. I can't keep up. So here she is in timeout. Which didn't work. She's too cute. 

 Sweet-My kids finally back together under one roof! Really love that. 

 Crew loves playing the piano. (I really want to paint this piano, but I just can't do it. It's an instrument...like I wouldn't paint a violin? Ya know? I'm thinking a slightly darker stain instead.)

 Sweet & Sour-Crew changing his clothes a thousand times a day. Really. His mind is so creative; he chooses book characters or movie characters and dresses up accordingly. So it's sweet because he plays for hours, but then sour because he makes such a mess!

 Sweet-brothers taking a bath. 

 Sweet-The deal I scored on amazon prime day. I love this pressure cooker. Cooked that corn in 4 minutes perfectly. I also cooked frozen chicken in 30 min. This is perfect for me because I never plan ahead and always forget to thaw meat out. 

 Major SOUR- I opened up my camera bag and pulled this beauty out to find this crack. I think it happened on the plane because they made me store it above me instead of under my seat. I already had a big bag under my seat. I'm really sad about it...I can't really use it that much right now until it is fixed because of how cracked it is. I'm afraid it will break more. I didn't cry over it...but I will once I find out how much it costs to fix it...and I don't know when that will be. (tears...) 

 We kind of selfishly like Aunt Mariah working so we can gobble these girls up all day long. Major Sweet!

 Peter stole her binky. I'm proud to say that I caught their first "fight" on camera. 

(Why is it always my kids who start things?!)

 Sour-Crew swallowed a token from Peter Piper Pizza. It was as big as a quarter. We originally decided not to take him in after talking to an ER dr in our ward...but then today he started gagging and saying his tummy hurt. So Grandpa Lane took him in for us...and those two had a grand ol' time. Crew is totally fine. Should have just kept him home because now I have to wait even longer to get my camera fixed to pay for this little mishap. I swear I watch my children. They really are just crazy, and into everything. 

 Sweet-Cousin time with 'Hazel Basil'

Major Sweet-Crew got to feed Ivy because I had to nurse Peter. I put those two on the same schedule today thinking it was a good idea...until they both wanted to eat at the same time! HA! Rookie mistake. Crew did a great job and loved watching her snork down those 4 little ounces! 

Tuesday Tangents

I've decided that writing is going to become my therapy because heaven knows I need some of that around here! Last weekend was absolutely insane. Alex was working all day Friday and Saturday. (being a bug guy-as Crew calls him, isn't as easy as we thought it was going to be...but we are learning) Actually anything worth it in life is not easy...like being a wife and mother amongst other things. I was looking forward so badly to a quiet Sunday morning while the gang was at church. I needed quiet time so much. So...in the middle of the night, Alex wakes up with this terrible cough and so did Crew. Alex literally sounded like death...of course nobody went to church. I was a tad bummed to say the least.

Sunday everything sort of exploded. I had a meltdown...finally after bottling it all up for a couple weeks. I'm pretty good at that. 3 kids is hard you guys. I think if we spaced them out a bit more it would be more...manageable...but still hard. So many little needs to go around and only two parents, well one that day, who could fulfill them. I sent Alex and the kids off to family dinner while Peter and I stayed home. I needed quiet for more than 5 whole minutes or else I was really going to go insane :)

It's Tuesday now and all is well. I have made dinner (what?!) the past 2 nights. My house is completely messy by the end of the day, but I have homework to do, so it doesn't get cleaned. That's something I'm learning to be ok with. All of these messes will be gone for good one day and I know I'll miss it. (I think...) I told Alex today that I am envious of moms who graduated college before they had kids, (there I said it) and I'm envious of moms who didn't go to college, but who are totally happy with that decision. I'm somewhere in the middle. I would regret it 100% if I quit right now, but I wish I wouldn't regret that choice if I made it. I'm doing everything half-way because my mind is occupied with so many things.

I still miss pregnancy and everything that comes along with it. Honestly. I love it way too much. My midwife is moving out of state so that totally stinks. I'm still not over that completely--I'm so weird.

Peter loves to nurse! I love it. I just wish he didn't love to nurse so much during the night...or love to be held so much during the night. Once he hits 6 weeks, I'm going to try my hardest to get him to sleep longer stretches.

Laney has almost gone 1 week without her binky. It breaks my heart! I miss seeing her with it so much. She is teething this week, so she is extra fussy. I know her binky would help, but it's time for her to give it up.

Crew is getting a little better. He was acting up a lot when the baby was born. We are trying to get him to listen to us still, which is a miss most days. One of these days I really am going to give away sell all of his toys if he doesn't clean them up. I know he know's how to clean. I've seen him :)

We are still discussing a minivan...which I seriously don't want to drive. I thought I did, but I've changed my mind. However, they are the most convenient vehicles on the planet earth.

I'm still so thankful for the meals being brought to us. People are so so nice. I love my ward and having family close by.

Kill the Ipad!

I've been wanting to write an honest post about motherhood lately but don't really know how to write it up. Let me just start out by saying I really do love being a mom and wife. Totally love it and I am so grateful for what I have. Mothering Crew lately has been a bit of a challenge and one that I was not prepared for. As a baby he really was so easy and so sweet to us. He was a fun toddler and all around a great little boy. He still IS! He is just turning 3 in a month. He is no longer a toddler anymore and I'm still trying to accept that. Crew needs my attention in ways that are different from the attention I give Laney. It's hard being stretched between 2 little kids who are in different stages of life. (I can handle 3 right?)

I am grateful for technology and social media to an extent these days. However right now in our stage of life they are causing more harm than good I believe. Crew knows how to get whatever show he wants on the ipad. (I blame that on being sick, tired and pregnant) Now that I'm feeling a little better I feel terribly guilty for letting him even see an ipad. I cannot and refuse to shelter my children from technology. I want to teach them how to use it for good and how to moderate the use of it. Guess what though? 2 year olds do not understand that. He just knows he wants a show and wants it immediately. Today it's pouring rain and he is so bored with his toys...so he's watching shows. Days like today I totally don't care. Heck! I'm so bored out here and so tired of the toys we have! Anything we do out here costs money so I can't go out every single day to entertain my kids. I need to do a better job of teaching them how to entertain themselves. He really does do a fine job of doing that but we are just at the end of our rope out here. I'm hoping that when we get home, the darn ipad can disappear until next summer. We also don't live with a TV over summers so the ipad is our only source for movies.

I'm so thankful I'm not doing this parenting gig alone because that would be very hard. I feel that I am a great parent and mom when it comes to cleaning, feeding the kids and making sure their basic needs are met. Alex is a much better parent with handling discipline and difficult situations. He knows how to remain level headed and not lose his cool. I am learning how to be a mother from him daily! He's just so good at what he does. I know that Crew is our first born and we are both learning how to raise him. The more children we have, the more experience we will have and I feel that my patience will become better with each child. (crossing fingers) I didn't think I would be the mom who "lost it" at times and it honestly makes me so sad. I don't like the person I am when I lose all patience with the kids. I am learning. I'm not perfect, and it certainly doesn't help to compare myself to other mothers. I don't know what's going on in their life and don't really need to know. I just need to focus on what's best for my children and growing family.

I love you Crew more than you know.