I'm grateful that my kids are all sound sleepers. It may be tough to get them to sleep in the first place, but once they're asleep they are OUT.
Like last night, when Preston kept having night terrors. He was screaming and thrashing around and generally making a lot of noise. We were in there, too, trying to wake him up/calm him down. We even turned on a bit of light so we could see him better. The other two barely even stirred.
And a few weeks ago, Haley got sick in the night and threw up in the bedroom and all over the bathroom. We were cleaning it up, talking to each other, stripping beds, scrubbing carpet. In order to clean it all up, we even turned on the big overhead lights in the bedroom. Not a twitch from any of the kids. (Not even Haley, who had apparently thrown up - while wandering through the bedroom and bathroom - then went back to bed without actually waking up. She remembered nothing about it the next morning.)
All of them have at some point fallen out of a bed or off the couch while sleeping and either not woken at all, or woken for only a moment and then gone back to sleep.
Here's hoping the new baby will take after his sister and brothers! (With all the noise at our house, he'll need to!)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Days of School
It wasn't until I started to write this post that I realized I didn't take any pictures of the kids on their first days of school! That's a sad commentary on how spotty my memory is lately. Which is all the more reason to write down the things I DO remember about the first days of school before I forget them all. :)
She's been going to school for several days now and just loves first grade. She likes all the learning activities, she loves music and gym class. She's also a big fan of recess, where she gets to play on the big playground, not just the little kindergarten playground like last year. On her 2nd day of school she lost her 2nd tooth... right next to the other lost tooth so she has quite the gap in her smile now. She lost it during gym apparently, and was having so much fun running around that she never noticed it had gone until someone asked her about it. They never did find the tooth, so she agreed to take a quarter from Daddy instead of the Tooth Fairy.
The teacher was pretty impressed. She told me - 'That's a really sophisticated pattern! How old is he again?' He's so tiny, everyone always thinks he's younger than he is. (We are often asked if he and Brekken - 2 years apart - are twins, and it's not because Brekken is so big for his age!)
He didn't do very well with the scissor-cutting tasks... he was using two hands to try and work the scissors. I guess that would be because we never let him have scissors at home! We should probably relax that rule a little and let him practice. It made me laugh though, when the teacher asked him - 'Could I show you another way to do that?' and he responded - 'No. I'm busy working.' He continued trying it his way for another minute or two before he allowed her to show him a one-handed scissor grip.
He had his first actual day of preschool yesterday. He was out of bed at 5:45 and asking me to help him find his backpack and his clothes for the day. Then he told me - 'I don't know if I want to go to school.' That was enough to make me stop my mad rush to get out the door to the bus and really listen to him. I reminded him that he had really liked his teacher Miss Patty and he had been really excited to go to school. After a minute or two, he decided it was all okay again.
I went off to work and I worried a little about how his first day would go. But it went just fine. When Aaron took him to preschool, he went right in without a minute's hesitation. When Michelle picked him up, he was happy and said he'd had fun. And when I got him from daycare and asked him about his first day, he couldn't actually recall any details of his day (other than 'we had a snack, it was Fruit Loops'), but he said he had lots of fun, he made some new friends (he does not know their names) and he wanted to go back tomorrow. Sounds successful to me!
Haley started school last Wednesday. We had gone to back-to-school night on Tuesday where she met her teacher and saw her classroom, so on Wednesday morning she was excited and ready. She bounced out of bed the minute the alarm chirped and was ready to go in the blink of an eye. I'm sure Aaron wishes she would keep this up all year! (Since he gets the kids ready and drops them off in the mornings.)
She's been going to school for several days now and just loves first grade. She likes all the learning activities, she loves music and gym class. She's also a big fan of recess, where she gets to play on the big playground, not just the little kindergarten playground like last year. On her 2nd day of school she lost her 2nd tooth... right next to the other lost tooth so she has quite the gap in her smile now. She lost it during gym apparently, and was having so much fun running around that she never noticed it had gone until someone asked her about it. They never did find the tooth, so she agreed to take a quarter from Daddy instead of the Tooth Fairy.
Preston had a day of testing for preschool on Haley's first school day. I took him over and was impressed to see how well he did. They asked him to read a few words and he did it - I had no idea he could recognize those words! They also asked him to use some blocks to make a pattern. He started putting it together:
At this point I was thinking - 'hmmm... I guess he doesn't have the hang of patterns yet.' I could tell the teacher was thinking the same thing.
But then he finished his creation like this:
The teacher was pretty impressed. She told me - 'That's a really sophisticated pattern! How old is he again?' He's so tiny, everyone always thinks he's younger than he is. (We are often asked if he and Brekken - 2 years apart - are twins, and it's not because Brekken is so big for his age!)
He didn't do very well with the scissor-cutting tasks... he was using two hands to try and work the scissors. I guess that would be because we never let him have scissors at home! We should probably relax that rule a little and let him practice. It made me laugh though, when the teacher asked him - 'Could I show you another way to do that?' and he responded - 'No. I'm busy working.' He continued trying it his way for another minute or two before he allowed her to show him a one-handed scissor grip.
He had his first actual day of preschool yesterday. He was out of bed at 5:45 and asking me to help him find his backpack and his clothes for the day. Then he told me - 'I don't know if I want to go to school.' That was enough to make me stop my mad rush to get out the door to the bus and really listen to him. I reminded him that he had really liked his teacher Miss Patty and he had been really excited to go to school. After a minute or two, he decided it was all okay again.
I went off to work and I worried a little about how his first day would go. But it went just fine. When Aaron took him to preschool, he went right in without a minute's hesitation. When Michelle picked him up, he was happy and said he'd had fun. And when I got him from daycare and asked him about his first day, he couldn't actually recall any details of his day (other than 'we had a snack, it was Fruit Loops'), but he said he had lots of fun, he made some new friends (he does not know their names) and he wanted to go back tomorrow. Sounds successful to me!
Monday, August 23, 2010
What it's NOT...
I've been dealing with a few issues during this pregnancy that I find irritating because I haven't had to deal with anything like this in previous pregnancies. But after a quick trip to the doctor for a few tests on Thursday, I got the scoop.
I have some pregnancy-induced hypertension, but it's NOT pre-eclampsia. So I'm supposed to rest and stay off my feet as much as I can manage, and keep an eye on my blood pressure to make sure it's not consistently out of a certain range. But for now she hasn't reduced my work hours (with a big project going on right now, that would be kind of hard to manage). And she hasn't put me on bedrest, which would be even harder to manage (Katie, I don't know how on earth you did it for so long!)
I also have an irritable uterus, but it's NOT pre-term labor. So while that is painful (cramps and contractions every time I do anything, including just sitting at my computer) and very annoying, at least it's not making any changes to the cervix and causing problems that way. Again, about the only thing to do for it is rest and stay off my feet and keep an eye on things.
So while I'm not liking the PIH and irritable uterus symptoms, I'm trying to focus more on what it's NOT... because while things could be better, they could definitely be worse!
I have some pregnancy-induced hypertension, but it's NOT pre-eclampsia. So I'm supposed to rest and stay off my feet as much as I can manage, and keep an eye on my blood pressure to make sure it's not consistently out of a certain range. But for now she hasn't reduced my work hours (with a big project going on right now, that would be kind of hard to manage). And she hasn't put me on bedrest, which would be even harder to manage (Katie, I don't know how on earth you did it for so long!)
I also have an irritable uterus, but it's NOT pre-term labor. So while that is painful (cramps and contractions every time I do anything, including just sitting at my computer) and very annoying, at least it's not making any changes to the cervix and causing problems that way. Again, about the only thing to do for it is rest and stay off my feet and keep an eye on things.
So while I'm not liking the PIH and irritable uterus symptoms, I'm trying to focus more on what it's NOT... because while things could be better, they could definitely be worse!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Rock On
Yesterday Aaron took the kids to a rock show.
So we had plans to go to the rock show in Buena Vista this weekend. On Thursday, my doctor told me I'm supposed to be taking it easy and resting when I can, and I kind of thought that walking around an outdoor rock show for a couple of hours in August might not fit the bill.
Aaron bravely decided to take all three kids and go to the show with them. They all loaded in the van with snacks, sippies, and strollers and headed out for the day. I stayed home and cleaned the house. Yes, I know I was supposed to be resting, but I did that, too. I would clean for 15 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes. I paced myself. :) And I must say, it was much easier cleaning up without the kids pulling everything out again right behind me!
So while I enjoyed the day to myself, by the end of the afternoon I was starting to wonder how it all went. How the kids behaved. If they were having a good time. If I should call and check in. Or would that just make it seem like I didn't think Aaron was managing on his own? I didn't call, because I knew Aaron could manage just fine without me. He's done it before, and he's really better at going out with all three on his own than I am. I usually opt to stay home if it's just me with the kids.
Yep, a show where you go to look at (and buy) rocks. Aaron is an avid gem and mineral collector, so he likes to go to a few rock shows every year to add to his collection. The kids have learned to enjoy it from him, so they all like to go to the rock show and pick out new specimens for their own collections. It's a really nice way for them all to do something together. I'm not really into rocks and rock shows much myself, but I do enjoy watching them all enjoy themselves.
So we had plans to go to the rock show in Buena Vista this weekend. On Thursday, my doctor told me I'm supposed to be taking it easy and resting when I can, and I kind of thought that walking around an outdoor rock show for a couple of hours in August might not fit the bill.
Aaron bravely decided to take all three kids and go to the show with them. They all loaded in the van with snacks, sippies, and strollers and headed out for the day. I stayed home and cleaned the house. Yes, I know I was supposed to be resting, but I did that, too. I would clean for 15 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes. I paced myself. :) And I must say, it was much easier cleaning up without the kids pulling everything out again right behind me!
So while I enjoyed the day to myself, by the end of the afternoon I was starting to wonder how it all went. How the kids behaved. If they were having a good time. If I should call and check in. Or would that just make it seem like I didn't think Aaron was managing on his own? I didn't call, because I knew Aaron could manage just fine without me. He's done it before, and he's really better at going out with all three on his own than I am. I usually opt to stay home if it's just me with the kids.
They came home at dinner time and everyone happily showed me their treasures from the rock show. They had a great day with Daddy.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
It's a Colorful Day in the Neighborhood
A week or so ago, I posted about the bright yellow house next door. I finally managed to find the cord for my camera and upload the picture:
See, I wasn't kidding about how bright it is! What's more, apparently the colorful new paint job has inspired the neighbors across the street. When we returned home from vacation last week, we saw this:
Yes, it's a lovely bright lavender house just across the street from the yellow house.
And that's not to mention the bright red house just up the block.
Or the fact that the neighbor a few houses down says that all the bright colors make her want to brighten up her house, too. She's talking about turquoise. I don't think she's kidding, either.
In order to "keep up with the Joneses" in our neighborhood, I think we're going to have to go for lime green. What do you think?
See, I wasn't kidding about how bright it is! What's more, apparently the colorful new paint job has inspired the neighbors across the street. When we returned home from vacation last week, we saw this:
Yes, it's a lovely bright lavender house just across the street from the yellow house.
And that's not to mention the bright red house just up the block.
Or the fact that the neighbor a few houses down says that all the bright colors make her want to brighten up her house, too. She's talking about turquoise. I don't think she's kidding, either.
In order to "keep up with the Joneses" in our neighborhood, I think we're going to have to go for lime green. What do you think?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Camera Catch-Up
Another random collection of photos from the last little while...
A sweet hug between Preston and Great-Grandpa Curtis at the Reunion.
Daddy & Brekken hiding out from the rain at the Reunion.
Uncle Boy helping Haley fish.
Grandpa Schurz helping Preston fish.
Haley, Brekken, Preston and cousin Coby watching the giant elephant statue at the zoo (it plays music and squirts water from the trunk.)
Cousin Cameron was the only one brave enough to actually go close to the elephant statue.
Haley lost her first tooth while eating lunch at the zoo. (bottom middle tooth)
A sweet hug between Preston and Great-Grandpa Curtis at the Reunion.
Daddy & Brekken hiding out from the rain at the Reunion.
Uncle Boy helping Haley fish.
Grandpa Schurz helping Preston fish.
Haley, Brekken, Preston and cousin Coby watching the giant elephant statue at the zoo (it plays music and squirts water from the trunk.)
Cousin Cameron was the only one brave enough to actually go close to the elephant statue.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Quick Funny from Preston
Grandpa Shields was talking to Preston and called him a 'kid.' Preston responded:
"I'm not a kid! I'm a toddler!"
"I'm not a kid! I'm a toddler!"
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Family Time x 2
We got to have a double dose of family time this week, since we went to visit my family and then straight on to Aaron's family!
We went to Vernal first for a Schurz family reunion. This is my Dad's side of the family. This year we were in charge, so we've spent the last while planning meals and games and other entertainment. We had a picnic at the park with lots of water games for the kids. Technically, the water games were supposed to be for everyone, but the adults were mostly spoilsports and wouldn't come out to play in the water. Hooray for my Dad who was one of the few grown-ups to play in the water. He got soaked in the water fight that followed the more organized games. But hey, it was almost 100 degrees out - the water felt great! The other adults should have joined in.
We had crockpots full of pulled pork for the main meal. My sisters cooked that up and it was delicious. Sadly (for them!) quite a few people ended up leaving before the dinner, so we had a lot of meat left over. Enough that we decided we could freeze it and then feed it to the Fletcher reunion coming up next weekend! I'm all for conservation of effort... no need to cook again for the next reunion.
Even though it was only a short time since we saw my family for the Wardle reunion, it was so nice to see them again. And fun to see the extended family that I rarely get to visit with.
On Sunday we headed out to Roy to visit Aaron's parents. We spent Monday just relaxing around the house. That made a nice break after the busy time organizing the reunion! On Tuesday we went to the zoo. It was almost 100 degrees again, so I must admit that the zoo wasn't my first choice. I don't deal well with the heat when I'm pregnant and it made me feel pretty sick. But the kids had a great time with Grandpa & Grandma and their cousins.
While we were at the zoo, Haley lost her first tooth! She had only noticed it was loose the day before. While we were eating lunch, she said it was really hard to eat with her loose tooth. Then suddenly held her hand out to me with the loose tooth. It came out so quick and easy. The tooth fairy hasn't visited yet, since we've been away from home. But I believe tonight the tooth fairy will be stopping by our house.
On our way home yesterday, we detoured through Logan, UT. Aaron and I went to school there and it's where we met. It's been a long time since either of us has been back. We had a good time showing the kids some of the places where we had lived and gone to classes. They got a kick out of the Golden Toaster (nickname for the church building where we used to attend meetings). We stopped for some Aggie ice cream and we all really enjoyed that.
It was a long drive home from there. I don't know why it's always so much longer on the way home than on the way there... it doesn't just FEEL that way, it really is longer. We finally arrived home around 1 a.m. And once we got things hauled in from the car, kids to bed, etc. it was after 2 a.m. It made it awfully hard to get up when my alarm started going off a little after 5 a.m.! (Actually, I didn't manage to get up until 6, so I missed the bus. But I did enjoy that extra hour of sleep!)
We went to Vernal first for a Schurz family reunion. This is my Dad's side of the family. This year we were in charge, so we've spent the last while planning meals and games and other entertainment. We had a picnic at the park with lots of water games for the kids. Technically, the water games were supposed to be for everyone, but the adults were mostly spoilsports and wouldn't come out to play in the water. Hooray for my Dad who was one of the few grown-ups to play in the water. He got soaked in the water fight that followed the more organized games. But hey, it was almost 100 degrees out - the water felt great! The other adults should have joined in.
We had crockpots full of pulled pork for the main meal. My sisters cooked that up and it was delicious. Sadly (for them!) quite a few people ended up leaving before the dinner, so we had a lot of meat left over. Enough that we decided we could freeze it and then feed it to the Fletcher reunion coming up next weekend! I'm all for conservation of effort... no need to cook again for the next reunion.
Even though it was only a short time since we saw my family for the Wardle reunion, it was so nice to see them again. And fun to see the extended family that I rarely get to visit with.
On Sunday we headed out to Roy to visit Aaron's parents. We spent Monday just relaxing around the house. That made a nice break after the busy time organizing the reunion! On Tuesday we went to the zoo. It was almost 100 degrees again, so I must admit that the zoo wasn't my first choice. I don't deal well with the heat when I'm pregnant and it made me feel pretty sick. But the kids had a great time with Grandpa & Grandma and their cousins.
While we were at the zoo, Haley lost her first tooth! She had only noticed it was loose the day before. While we were eating lunch, she said it was really hard to eat with her loose tooth. Then suddenly held her hand out to me with the loose tooth. It came out so quick and easy. The tooth fairy hasn't visited yet, since we've been away from home. But I believe tonight the tooth fairy will be stopping by our house.
On our way home yesterday, we detoured through Logan, UT. Aaron and I went to school there and it's where we met. It's been a long time since either of us has been back. We had a good time showing the kids some of the places where we had lived and gone to classes. They got a kick out of the Golden Toaster (nickname for the church building where we used to attend meetings). We stopped for some Aggie ice cream and we all really enjoyed that.
It was a long drive home from there. I don't know why it's always so much longer on the way home than on the way there... it doesn't just FEEL that way, it really is longer. We finally arrived home around 1 a.m. And once we got things hauled in from the car, kids to bed, etc. it was after 2 a.m. It made it awfully hard to get up when my alarm started going off a little after 5 a.m.! (Actually, I didn't manage to get up until 6, so I missed the bus. But I did enjoy that extra hour of sleep!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)