Sunshine

This has been the view I have seen repeatedly over the past four days. I have felt like I was back in Ohio; the gray skies never cleared, and it would rain off and on all day long. There are times I really miss Columbus (mostly the friends we had while we were there), but the last three days have served to remind me that I am just meant to live in a place where the "skies are not cloudy all day."

I have been singing "You Are My Sunshine" to Kyla lately, probably in an attempt to conjure up a little sunny weather, and this song has been exactly what we've needed. Even with my limited singing abilities, Kyla smiles at me, making me believe that she's never heard anything so great in all her (albeit short) life. I even sing the creepy third verse that says "if you leave me to love another you'll regret it all someday," just so I can prolong it, and get back to the chorus.

Silly as it may sound, I got a little teary-eyed yesterday when I got to the part "you'll never know, dear, how much I love you." I couldn't help but think about how I wanted to protect her, shielding her from all the gray skies that are in her future. Out of nowhere, I imagined Allie all grown up, about to become a mother herself, and wondered how it is going to feel to watch my own daughter experience the joy and pain of bringing a child into the world. Despite all the frustration she has caused me in her two plus years (she turned two on April 30th, Jaesi), I can't believe how much I love her. I took both my girls in my arms (Damon was at school, or he would've gotten it too) and squeezed them long and hard. I know I needed that after the trying afternoon/evening we had the other day, and I am always grateful for the Lord's tender mercies in my life.

As I type this, I am looking out the window and I can see blue sky. Ah, what a welcome sight! But, strange as it may sound, I am grateful for the past few days of storminess. They helped me find my sunshine elsewhere--in two little girls who make me happy when skies are gray.

Update

If you notice the timestamp on the previous post about Allie's bad day, you'll see that it was 4:44 when I posted the video clips. Allie released herself from the bathroom by cleaning up the tub toys at 7:00. She didn't scream the whole time (in fact, she didn't scream for longer than 30 mintues), but instead she laid on the floor, refusing to do anything. I locked her in there for a while, during which time she peed her pants. I probably would have blamed myself had she been locked anywhere BUT the bathroom.

Damon and I ate dinner at 6:00 (Jeff was at school late), but even the cornbread and honey butter weren't enough to entice her to clean up. I don't know what finally changed her mind, but at 7:00 she announced that it was all done. And it was. So ends another power struggle. Stubborn little thing.

Allie's Defiance

Allie has had a rough day. I'm not exactly sure why, but she decided that she didn't want to cooperate today. This was this morning. I'm not sure what she was refusing to do, but she told me five times this morning, "You not very nice. I'm not talking to you."



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This was a few minutes ago. She has yet to clean up the tub toys from her bath this morning. I told her she could come out of the bathroom when they were cleaned up. After trying, "it's too hard for me," she decided to scream. Unfortunately (or fortunately for those of you watching), she stopped screaming when I grabbed the camera. This is her trying to get her emotions under control, yet still refusing to clean up the toys. I love how she picks one up off the ground, but instead of putting it away, puts it on her finger. You'd think she was sleep deprived, but she actually took a nap today. She is just exerting her independence. I love two year olds...


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I'll let you know tomorrow how long it took to break her. She is still wailing right now. Also, the headband was her choice.

Bubbles and Cooing

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Just because I can't get enough of my baby...here she is telling herself how beautiful she is. I love that she responds to her name. Oh, and I know that her bow is too far back on her head, but it was already stuck there with Elmer's glue and I didn't want to move it. Forgive her.

Kids and Critters

The critters have been coming out lately (and I'm not just talking about the HUGE spider I killed the other day. When I smashed it with the shoe, it bounced off the carpet about three feet in the air onto the table. I couldn't help but squeal, even though I knew my kids would be more afraid. Fun times.).

A lot of you know about Jeff's collection of lizards. He has a few different kinds, but the African Fat Tailed Geckos are the ones that he has been trying to breed for a while now. He has harvested a lot of eggs (which he has incubated), but none had hatched until a few weeks ago. Out of habit, he checked the eggs in the incubator, and with as much excitement as he is likely to show, announced, "We have babies!" Yes, in fact, two of the eggs had hatched. Since that first hatching, four more have hatched. Here are the latest two. As you can see, there are more eggs still incubating, and we should have even more babies in the next few weeks.





He's going to let them grow for a while before he sells them to the pet store (or to any interested party--you want one?) I told him that he seemed more excited at the birth of his lizards than he was when Kyla was born. Hopefully not true, or at least I tell myself that.



Then, on Sunday as we were driving home from church, Jeff said he saw a turtle in the road. I wasn't sure if I believed him, but he turned around for a closer look. Sure enough, a little turtle was sunning itself in the middle of the road, perhaps a bit suicidal. Jeff picked it up and we brought it home to find out what it was.







Turns out it is a Florida Box Turtle, found only in Florida. All box turtles in North America are endangered, and can be covered in ticks. Needless to say, we decided not to keep it, but to release it into the "jungle" by our house. We all got to admire it, though, and wish we could keep it. I asked Jeff if I should put some clothes on Allie, or if we should photograph her as she usually is. We chose to keep it real.

Also, the bugs are eating our lawn. Or something. Jeff was hoping he would just be able to replace the one spot that was nearly a goner and revive the rest, but as soon as he made that decision, the rest of the lawn decided to die. This is majorly annoying because the grass here isn't even worth having. It's scratchy, needs a ton of water, and is always needing to be replaced. Who in the world wants to go to so much trouble for grass that you can't even play on? Here's our pathetic lawn which will, grudgingly, be replaced when the weather cools down.

So ends the segment on critters and such and begins the segment on kiddies. I love having the morning to spend with my girls. Most afternoons I have at least an hour when they are both sleeping (although today Kyla is accompanying at the computer), and it has been wonderful! I am able to get some important things done (like blogging and emailing and watching clips of ladies being asked to cover up on Southwest Airlines) and even have time for other things (like cleaning the bathrooms and taking a shower). It's fun to see Allie in the "older child" role, and she is really a lot of fun to play with (I can say that now that she is sleeping and not locking herself out of the house with a nearly empty jar of peanut butter, like she was this morning). Here is a picture of the two girls. It was a monumental occasion because Allie actually had clothes on AND her hair combed, a rarity.



And you may remember that we have another child. I may not have mentioned him much lately, but he is still a part of the family. Damon, in fact, is doing great at school. We have managed to get him riding the bus to and from school (YAY!) and he no longer sheds (many) tears about having to go. He was chosen as the boy Student of the Month, and is proudly displaying his certificate here.



From what I can gather, here is how you become Student of the Month in kindergarten:

• Attach yourself instantly to the teacher, following her everywhere possible.
• Endear yourself to her by crying about something every day.
• Do everything she asks; sit criss-cross applesauce, raise your hand before speaking, and keep your hands to yourself. Come up with other rules that you think kindergartners should follow.
• Always do your best, but cry a little more when you can't do something perfectly.

Do these things and you, too, could be student of the month.

Damon Jumping Rope

I have a lot I want to post, but I have spent too much time "browsing" and now need to go feed Kyla. I am just going to put on this video clip of Damon jumping rope. He was very worried one day when he came home from school. They had had PE and he couldn't jump rope. He's been working on it. I promise more later...



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My Man

This has been circulating on some blogs I have been reading lately and I thought it would be a fun post for today.

MY MAN:
1. Who is your man? Jeff Trapnell
2. How long have you been together? About 8 years
3. Dating/Engaged/Married? Dated for almost a year, married now for 7
4. How old is your man? 30

You or your man?
1. Who eats more? Jeff, although when I'm pregnant I can compete.
2. Who said "I love you" first? Jeff. When we were dating, I was sure I was going to go on a mission, so marriage was not on my radar. Jeff had been acting kind of strange, and I had the feeling that he was going to break up with me, and I was a lot more sad than I would've thought. Turns out, though, that he had something else in mind. We were in his apartment and all of his friends had gone to another apartment to play games. He was standing by the washer/dryer and making small talk, and I kept thinking we'd better go over to the other apartment or we were going to get teased for taking so long. Finally, he told me that he loved me (a complete surpise) and I instantly knew that I loved him, too, even though I hadn't planned on it. How romantic, stinky clothes and all...
3. Who weighs more? Jeff, thankfully. I would be so depressed if I ever passed him up.
4. Who sings better? Jeff. He's always making fun of me for changing the key on him when we're singing. I just tell him it's because his voice is too high and I can't sing in the keys he picks.
5. Who's Older? Jeff, by three years
6. Who's smarter? I have typed three different answers to this question and erased them all. I think we are both good at different things, and it's too hard to compare.

Different Ways
7. Who's temper is worse? Neither one of us has a temper, which usually makes for a calm home life. I probably snap at the kids more than he does, although he says I have more patience for the things they do.
8. Who does the laundry? Me. About three years after we got a new washer/dryer in Ohio, Jeff asked me how to use them. I don't mind the washing, drying and folding, but I don't like putting the clothes away. Usually because I am jamming them into drawers and there just isn't enough room.
9. Who does the dishes? Me, most of the time. Jeff can't stand doing dishes and apparently my dislike for them isn't as strong as his because I will almost always do them first.
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me.
11. Who's feet are bigger? Jeff. He's a 10 1/2 and I'm an 8. Both pretty average.
12. Who's hair is longer? Mine. Funny question--how many husbands have longer hair than their wives?
13. Who's better with the computer? I'd say about equal. We both try to figure things out ourselves and sometimes we're successful! Besides having a mechanic friend and a photographer friend, I would love to have a computer friend. Anyone know a good one?
14. Who mows the lawn? Jeff for now. Hopefully Damon will some day.
15. Who pays the bills? Jeff
16. Who cooks dinner? I do. Jeff claims he doesn't care enough to learn how. If I am out of town, he'd rather eat chips for dinner than have to make anything (warming up leftovers is about as much effort as he wants to put in).
17. Who drives when you are together? Jeff
18. Who pays when you go out to dinner? We rarely go out to dinner, but Jeff usually pays.
19. Who's the most stubborn? Neither of us are very stubborn, but he would probably say that I am more than he is. When we were first married, we were wrestling and he had me in a scissor lock with his legs. I didn't want to give up and he always reminds me that I'd rather hurt until I'm crying than give up. Maybe I'm a wuss now, but I doubt it would come to that again. I know he is so much stronger than me and I don't have a chance.
20. Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Probably both.
21. Who's parents do you see more? It's been pretty equal since we moved far away from family--mine might visit us a tad more.
22. Who kissed who first? Jeff. This is kind of a funny story. One night before he left my apartment, we were standing in the doorway saying good-bye. The door was open, and he hugged me and kissed me quickly on the cheek. When I shut the door after he had gone, I started wondering if he was going to kiss me and if I had turned my head. I worried about it for a while (like all girls do) and finally asked him about it. We were sitting in the Benson building watching the weekly devotional (I miss BYU) and we had a conversation passing notes back and forth about it. He told me he didn't usually "miss," and that he wasn't trying to kiss me on the lips, and that I'd know when he was going to kiss me. It was a couple weeks later that he took me on a date, and kissed me in the gazebo in a park in Mapleton (same gazebo we got engaged in eight months later). Yes, definitely better than the doorway of my apartment.
23. Who asked who out? Jeff asked me out. Five minutes later, another guy from the ward called and asked me out for the same night. I like to tell Jeff that if he would've waited 6 minutes longer, I could've been married to guy #2.
24. What did you do? Went to see The Sixth Sense at the drive-in. We held hands on our first date, and Jeff will tell you that that was all me. I blame AT LEAST part of it on the scary movie.
25. Who's more sensitive? Definitely me.
26. Who's taller? Jeff
27. Who has more friends? I think I'm better at staying in contact with my friends, so I'll say me.
29. Who has more siblings? We both have 5 (he has 4 bros, 1 sis, I have 2 bros, 3 sis).
30. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Jeff. He's a great husband and dad!

Hair Today...

I don't consider myself a very vain person. I have adopted a very low-maintenance approach to life, especially when it comes to getting myself ready in the morning. I don't spend a lot of time on hair and makeup and am generally satisfied with the way that I look.


But now I am losing my hair.


I remember the first time this happened, when Damon was a few months old. I was laying on the floor and Jeff said, "Are you going bald?" That's not exactly something you want to hear from your husband (or anyone else for that matter), and I dashed into the bathroom to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, when I pulled my hair back by my temples, you could practically see to the scalp. How could I have missed it? All the signs had been there--the increased handfuls coming out when I shampooed, having to pull the elastic tighter when pulling my hair into a ponytail, and an increase in the tiny, fuzzy new hairs growing in all around my face. Somehow, I hadn't realized what was happening and I was shocked to find just how thin my hair had become on the sides of my head.


Mentally I began the process of researching Rogaine for Women, positive I didn't want to live the rest of my life with only a few wisps of hair, resigned to having to put sunscreen on my sensitive scalp. Fortunately for me, before my plans got too involved, I learned that losing hair is very common among women who have recently given birth, and that it would, in fact, grow back. Why didn't anyone warn me about this?, I wondered, a little relieved, but also dreading the next few months until the bald patches were covered.

In time, new hair grew back, and blended in with the rest of the hair on my head. I had nearly forgotten about the trauma of "the splotchy ponytail," as I recall it now. Then Allie was born and the cycle started again. At least the second time around, I was more prepared and dealt with the situation much better. I wasn't nearly as ashamed to wear my hair back, but just explained matter-of-factly that I was temporarily going bald and I was mostly okay with it.

And now here we go again. Yesterday in the shower I pulled strand after strand loose, wondering how long it had been since the last time I had washed my hair. When I realized that it had only been the day before, I feared that my postpartum hair loss had begun again. An examination in the mirror confirmed that it is, indeed, thinning. I'm hopeful that it won't be as bad as it was with Damon (it seemed to be slightly less noticeable with Allie), but I am offering fair warning now that if I post a picture, and you think my hair looks a little thin, smile to yourself and be thankful it isn't you.

10 Miles

For a while now I have been trying to ride 10 miles on the exercise bike in twenty minutes. I knew it was possible, because I could do it in 23 minutes, but I also knew that I'd have to average 30 mph the whole time, and I wasn't sure my thunder thighs could take that kind of workout. It turns out that they can. I made it! I had to go about 40 mph the last two minutes, and my heart was really pumping, but I did it. I wonder how many more times I'll have to do it before the cottage cheese on my legs starts disappearing...

p.s. Do you like how I left the flower in my Avatar's hair, even with the ponytail and sweatband?

Saints

I have found myself between books. That hasn't happened for a while, and I just don't quite know what to do with myself. I plodded through Wuthering Heights so I could reward myself with Eclipse, but I had already started Saints, so when I had finished the other two, I moved straight to it. I blame my lack of reading material on the priesthood; more accurately, I blame it on the priesthood meeting none of us knew about when we scheduled book club for last week, then had to change to this week to allow our men the opportunity to go. Since I finished Saints, I have been eagerly awaiting our meeting (which is tomorrow) when we will decide what to read next. Until then, I have been looking for other things to fill my time.

I don't know how many of you have heard about Saints. I'm not exactly sure how I came across it, but it was reviewed in BYU magazine this month, so I'm sure it's going to get a lot more popular in the months to come. I love Orson Scott Card and I couldn't resist finding out what his take on life in Nauvoo was like. He wrote the book in the early 1980's, but it was only published in paperback, titled "Woman of Destiny," and made out to look like a cheap romance novel (none of which were OSC's ideas). Recently, it came out in hardback, with the title OSC had meant for it to have all along, and I found it in the public library here in Jax, so I'm sure it's not that difficult to find.

The book begins in England, where the (fictional) Kirkham family comes into contact with a missionary named Heber Kimball. The mother, one son and daughter join the church and eventually make their way to Nauvoo to join the Saints there. The cover of the book shows Dinah, the daughter, standing on the ship that will take her to America. In the small rowboat in the water, you can see her husband and her two children, who are staying behind (don't mind the "Search Inside" pic from Amazon). This was probably the most heart-wrenching part of the book, and I could barely stand to look at the cover while I was reading, wondering if I would be able to say leave my children behind for the church.

In America, Dinah learns the doctrine of plural marriage and becomes one of the Prophet Joseph Smith's plural wives. Even though some of the characters are fictional, you get a good sense for what life was like for those who were close to the prophet. I never claimed to be a church historian (besides what I learned from The Work and the Glory), but there was a lot I didn't know about the church in Nauvoo. The book was extremely thought provoking, and I wonder how it will be accepted in the Mormon community. It doesn't have the same "feel good" quality that The Work and the Glory has, but I loved it for that very reason. I feel like I got to know Joseph Smith a lot better than I had before, and it was very clear that God had chosen a man to do His work, and a far from perfect man at that.

There were many things that made me a tad uncomfortable (when you're dealing with plural marriage, how could it be otherwise?), but I really enjoyed reading it. It made me really think about why God asked the early Saints to do the things they did, and why He would ask certain things of us today. I would love to read it with a book club, but it's almost 700 pages and I don't know how realistic that is. I would certainly love to discuss it with someone else who has read it (I told my dad to pick it up and let me know what he thinks), but mostly I am just so glad we aren't required to live plural marriage today. I don't know how I would do it. If you're interested at all, I would recommend it. If nothing else, you will appreciate the fact that you don't have to share your husband with another woman. If any of you decide to read it, let me know what you think!

Long Weekend

It's always hard to get back into our weekly routine after a long weekend. I'm not complaining, because we had a lot of fun this Labor Day weekend, but I wasn't too motivated this morning to get up and get back at it.

Friday was our last weekday beach trip, as Jeff doesn't have any more Friday's off. It was one of our best of the summer--not crowded, no jellyfish, no crying kids...I have loved our beach Friday and hope that we will be able to still get out there a time or two.

College football started Saturday, much to Jeff's delight. He got to spend a little "quality time" with Kyla, introducing her to the game he loves. Note the remote in his hand. Kyla was almost asleep, so I'm sure that's why she looks so disinterested. It couldn't possibly be because she has no idea what is going on.

Yesterday for Labor Day we went with a bunch of friends to a little water park in St. Mary's, Georgia, about 45 minutes away. It was so much more fun than I even expected it would be, although the day didn't start off particularly well. Jeff and I decided not to wear our swimsuits to the park, but to bring them to change into once we got there. But when we arrived, they were nowhere to be found (in fact, they were still in a bag sitting on the bed--how they didn't make it INTO the car, I don't know), and Jeff and I got to head back to Wal-Mart to browse their clearance section. Although neither of us particularly needed a new suit, we both ended up with one (fortunately for less than $10 a piece) and sported them at the water park. Sorry, no photos from yesterday; having more children than parents makes it terribly difficult to get any pictures taken, even though I HAD remembered to bring the camera. After a fun day of swimming, floating down the lazy river, and even a few rides down the waterslide, we headed back home for a BBQ put on by some of our friends. By the time we got home, it was time to put the kids to bed! Those are the best days and I only wish I had some pictures to remember it by. Oh well.

Here are some other pics that will have to do. I have loved spending time with Allie while Damon is at school. She is so much fun to play with, and is great at entertaining herself (yay!). Today I found her on her way out the door with her stroller, Bexley and her diaper bag. She told me she needed to take Bexley on a walk. How could I tell her no when she had gone to so much planning? The walk lasted about a minute and I snapped a picture of her as they came back in the house.

She has also resorted to talking to Kyla, as Damon is no longer around to tell things to. I love it. Here's a cute shot I got of them. I love Kyla's grin in this one.

One of the funniest things she has been doing is taking a book in the bathroom with her. She must have learned this from her dad, but it cracks me up when I see her in there reading to herself. And yes, she is naked most of the time, even though I am constantly putting her clothes back on her.

We borrowed Noel's Bumbo for Kyla to try out. Her legs are already almost too big for it, but I think she looks so darn cute when she's sitting up like a big girl. Don't ask me what that look on her face is.

Finally, here is one for Tara. I like to call Allie an "Esplin girl" when I put her in b-ball shorts and a ponytail. The shoes were actually Damon's, too, so she's really sporting the boy's clothes in this one. I'm not trying to force her to be sporty, but I will be glad to give her opportunities to do so.

Power of 10

So, has anyone been watching "Power of Ten" on tv? This is the time of year that Jeff calls "the duldrums," after the NBA finals and before college football starts (our lives revolve sports way too much), and between the end of our summer shows and the beginning of the new fall lineup (our lives revolve around TV way too much). We have been enjoying"Don't Forget the Lyrics," and "The Singing Bee," and I think it would be so much fun to play a variation of either with a group of people ("Don't Forget the Hymn" on a Sunday even), and I'm waiting for someone to plan, and host, the activity for me (any takers?). In the meantime, we have been passing the time trying to figure out what Americans (U.S. Americans, even) think about a variety of topics.

If you haven't seen the show, basically contestants try to guess what percentage of Americans polled answered a question a certain way. For example, "what percentage of people polled said that their parents explained the birds and the bees to them when they were kids?" (42%), or "What percentage of Americans say they floss their teeth every day?" (45%). They have to guess within a 40 point range on the first question, a 30 point range on the second question and so on until they either get a question wrong or walk away with the money they have. Kind of fun.

A couple of the questions last night on the show had me thinking. "What percentage of Americans think people are born gay?" (51%). "What percentage of American men would leave their partner is she gained 100 pounds?" (29%). But the one I have been thinking about the most was "What percentage of Americans think it is harder to be a stay-at-home parent than a working parent?"

How many of us have had a conversation like this with your husbands:
Husband: "Today was a long day. I'm so glad it's over. I just want to sit down and relax. "
Wife: "Today was a long day for me, too, and I would also love to sit down and relax."
{Maybe this next part goes unsaid, or maybe it is acutally verbalized}
"Unfortunately, dinner isn't going to finish making itself. And after we eat, all those dishes aren't going to magically disappear. And then the kids need to be bathed, changed and put to bed. Then the baby is going to need to be nursed and played with for a while before she's ready for bed. Oh, and the house is a disaster, despite the hundred thousand times I have straightened up, and it would be nice to go to bed with a clean house. So, even though I would love to sit down and relax, my job isn't done."

*I realize that I am not giving any credit to the husband for the role that he will, inevitably, play in the rest of the evening, but by and large, it is the mom who does most of those things, day in and day out.*

In my opinion, everyone should agree that it's harder to be a stay-at-home parent than a working parent. It is. It's a lot more fun, but it's a lot harder. There is no escape, and there is very little relaxing on the job. I love being a mom and I can't imagine anything being more rewarding than staying home with my kids every day and experiencing life with them. But just because it's rewarding doesn't mean it's easy. There are days that I envy Jeff as he walks out of the house, able to trade in the whining and complaining for actual adult conversation. There are times that I feel that if I have to put clothes on a naked Allie one more time I might actually lose my mind. There are moments when my head aches, yet still one (or more!) of the kids won't stop crying and I feel like crying myself.

But those moments pass, and are replaced by things that I would never want to miss: Damon's face lighting up when he tells me he gets to have a trophy on his desk for being student of the month; Allie talking incoherently, in what I can only assume is her "voice of authority," explaining who's in charge; and Kyla discovering her hands as if they are the most amazing moving objects she's ever seen. Being a stay-at-home parent is the best. But it DEFINITELY is the hardest. That's why I was more than a little surprised to find that the number of Americans who agreed with me was only 43%. A little low, don't you think?

So, here's to all the moms who have had a long day today. You're doing an amazing job, and the hardest, most important, work you could possibly be doing. Let's band together and figure out a way to pawn off some (or all) of our responsibilities for one night. Maybe not tonight, but some night soon. I know I could use it. And now if you'll excuse me, I hear one of my many responsibilities crying and my brief moment of "me time" is over.

Kyla collage

One week, one month, two months and three months. Amazing how time flies! Do you like how I finally got around to start with the collages? I don't know how often I will do them, but at least for comparison's sake I really like it.

Girls Girls Girls

What do you do when you run open the drawer, looking for another set of panties for the newest toilet-using member of your family, and find that there are no more clean ones? Have her wear a pair that her older brother has outgrown, of course. Personally, I think she looks pretty cute in boy's underwear. Thank goodness it wasn't the other way around, with Damon wearing her panties. Jeff would never have forgiven me for that (just to clarify, I highly doubt I would put my son in panties, even out of desperation, but I can't be entirely sure).

Kyla is three months old. She is getting old, and in fact, I think she may be checking for wrinkles in this picture. It's safe to say she didn't find any, although I will tell her that there are no such things as "wrinkles," only "lines of experience." Please tell me that in a couple years in case I forget.

One shot of "tummy time." The headband definitely makes her look like more of a girl. The fact that she now has eyelashes helps, too, although you can't really see them in this picture.

This is Allie singing "I Love to See the Temple," if you can't tell. I could've gotten her dressed, fixed her hair, and perhaps even wiped her nose before I took this video. I did none of those things. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

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Report Card

In honor of Damon surviving his first week of kindergarten, I am going to give him (and the rest of us) a report card on the past week.
Damon: C+I think he does fine once he's at school, but tears were shed every day last week, either when I picked him up or dropped him off. One morning, he cried all the way to school because he knew he was going to have to draw what he did before school and he couldn't do it right. He had grand visions of drawing himself sitting on a chair, at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, and the thought of not being able to draw that was sending him into panic mode. I tried to reassure him that his teacher was not going to expect anything more than he was capable of and that he just needed to do his best. As is always the case with Damon, once he realized he could do it, he was fine and he has been drawing nonstop all week.

It's still hard to be tough with him when he is so obviously upset, but Jeff and I both feel that babying him isn't going to make things any better. I'm hoping that as he continues to realize that he can do hard things (one of my mottos for him), he'll start feeling more confident and be able to handle the anxieties that he is dealing with right now.

Allie: B- Of course I am mostly talking about pottytraining with her and she has done about as well as I expected she would do. Of course there have been accidents, but only one that made me question my judgment that she was ready for this. We went to the park on Saturday evening and it was too much for her to take. She peed in her underwear, then about a half an hour later, pooped into them. That one accident alone earns her a one-half grade dock, as she would be holding solid in the B range without it. She managed to stay mostly dry at church yesterday (because the humidity makes everything damp anyway, I'm not sure if the moisture was from "a couple drops," or from sweating), which was a miracle. One of my most vivid memories of potty-training this week was one morning when I knew she opened the door and it took me a couple of minutes to finish what I was doing before I could go outside and see what she was doing. Dressed only in a pair of underwear, she had seen the neighbor's sprinkler on across the street and had run over to it. When I peeked out, she was pulling down her underwear and letting the water wash over her body. I called for her to come home, but ran to grab the camera, hoping she would delay her obedience long enough for me to get a picture. Sadly, and contrary to her nature, obeyed instantly, and ran home with her wet underwear sagging below her bottom.

Also taken into account in her final grade was that fact that she has been taking naps again almost every day, for which I am giving her a solid A+. Her mischieviousness gets her a few more deductions, but overall she is doing really well. Yesterday she was holding the "modider (monitor)" up to her ear and talking into it like it was a microphone. I could hear her wishing the person on the other end good luck and then asked if they would send her some Starbursts (a common request from Damon and Allie to their Aunt Tara). I asked her who she was talking to, expecting it to be one of her aunts, and she replied, "Jesus." Great. Ask him if he could send some for me, too.

Kyla: A- She only gets the half grade dock because she's woken up at 5:00 three times this week. She hasn't needed to eat, and I have been getting her to go back to sleep by just sticking the binkie back in her mouth, but sometimes it takes 5 or 6 tries before she falls back asleep. I'm not giving in, though, unless 10 attempts of offering the binkie fail. Last night she slept from 10:30 until 7:30, so I know she can do it if she wants. Other than that, though, I am falling in love with her more every day.

Trapnell Family: A We finally managed to read scriptures together 5 times last week (our goal) and rewarded ourselves with some brownies and ice cream last night. Let's see if we can make it two weeks in a row (the Sunday treat thing should motivate us enough!).

My Sister, Heather: A Not only did she get both parts of my previous challenge right (Jeff could never love the Buckeyes more than the Cougars, even though Ohio State is so much better, and the quote was from Ever After--ten points to Laura for figuring that out, too--), she also went through 28 hours of labor before having to have a C-section on Friday. Kalia Ruth Bigler was 9 lbs (the main reason she ended up with the C-section) and, from what I hear, was worth every minute. I can't begin to imagine all that Heather went through to get her here, but we're all so glad everything is fine. And yay for a new niece whose name goes so nicely with Kyla's! Unfortunately, I won't be able to see Heather, or Kalia, until Christmas, but thanks to modern technology should be able to see a ton of pics as soon as Heather gets home from the hospital!!

Okay, that's all for now. I just (minutes ago, actually) finished Eclipse and will post about that after I process it a little more. I also finished Wuthering Heights for my bookclub (strange coincidence, because WH is quoted a lot in E) and I may write a little bit about that, too, once we discuss.

Miss South Carolina

This is just too funny! Thanks to Patti for posting this on her blog so I could enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. A couple of notes before you watch it:

1. You can clearly tell that she's trying not to say the word "like," but is trying to replace it with the more scholastic "such as," although she fails at that.

2. She doesn't answer the question, but instead rambles on nonsensically about South Africa and THE Iraq, and so typifies the very "U.S. Americans" who can't find the U.S. on a map. Did anyone test her on that, I'd like to know?

3. She made it to the top five. Yikes!

Welcome to the beach!

Unlike her cousin Tyson, Kyla was never great at sleeping through our beach days when she was little (listen to me talk about her like she's all grown up!), but maybe she is figuring things out, because she has been such a happy little beach bum the last couple of times we've gone. Last week I even broke out the swimsuit, mostly for looks, and we dipped her toes in the Atlantic for the first time.

I can't say with one hundred percent certainty that she was hooked and can't wait to go back, but she didn't complain (despite the face she is making in this picture--I blame in on the fact that it looks as though her arms are being ripped from their sockets). The suit claims to be size 12 months, but I think it's mislabeled. Her thighs are looking quite chunky these days, a trait I am trying desperately not to share with her.

After all the fun in the water (that totaled about 2 minutes), she lounged with me in the shade. Noel took this picture of her peaceful slumber. Try to focus on the sweet sleeping baby and not the tighty whitey mama holding her (unfortuanately, I have spent far less time in the sun than the rest of the family, due to the fact that Kyla prefers not to have the sun ruin her perfect skin).

She may not be able to enjoy the beach as much as the rest of us, but at least she has the right attire (that is something she has in common with Tyson)!

Seven Years

Sunday was mine and Jeff's seven year anniversary. Yay for seven years! Most of our wedding pictures are in the bedroom where Kyla is currently sleeping, but for some reason we scanned this one on the computer. It's not one of my favorites or anything, so I don't know why we scanned it, but posting this one is a much better alternative to going in Kyla's closet and rummaging around.

In honor of our seven years together, I thought I would tell you a few things you might not know about my sweetie, two for every year we've been married. This is the "truth or partial truth" version. Everything is true except for one tiny thing. See if you can guess what isn't true.

1. He claims he can open a can of tuna fish without getting any on his fingers. I don't remember whether or not I believe him.
2. He had jaw surgery after we had been married for about a year to correct his bite. He also had to have a bone graft to fill in his cheeks.
3. He has had braces three different times, leaving the roots on his front four teeth really short. He's always afraid that his teeth are going to get knocked out and I see him standing in front of the mirror wiggling them to see if they are any looser.
4. He graduated with a degree in Geography from BYU, not only because it was one of the shortest majors, but he because he loves geography.
5. He collects coins, currency, maps and sports cards.
6. Although his eyes aren't too bad (compared to a lot of people), he can't wait to have Lasik done.
7. He loves reading about the discovery and exploration of America. He served his mission in the Dominican Republic, where Christopher Columbus created the first settlement in the new world. That may have something to do with it.
8. His greatest love (other than me, of course) is college football. He loves THE Ohio State Buckeyes more than anyone else, but still loves the BYU Cougars. He also can't stand the Florida Gators, although he doesn't broadcast that much here in Florida.

9. I have only seen him cry twice in my life, and I don't think there have been many times other than that. He's just one of the most stable, steady people you will ever meet.
10. He can play the piano, although he doesn't think he's as good as he really is. He can sight read most hymns and has a few songs memorized that he can sit down and play (Maple Leaf Rag, the Charlie Brown theme song, and "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey).
11. He's got a great singing voice, but doesn't consider himself a soloist. When he was trying to win me over, he learned "It's Your Love" on the guitar and sang it to me. It worked.
12. He gets the words wrong to songs a lot, which I find very funny.
13. He loves fishing, and one of his dream vacations would be fishing in Alaska. He also went fishing in south Florida for lemon shark, which scares me a little bit.
14. He is the perfect match for me. {"She's your match, Henry" (name that movie for a bonus point)}. We love so many of the same things and we are both calm and rational, so we don't really ever fight. Everyone said that would change as time went on, and kids came into our family, but I love the fact that it hasn't. I love you, Jeff, even though I doubt you'll ever read this!

p.s. this was supposed to be another pic of Jeff and me, but I can't seem to find any...interesting.

Today

Today was just like I expected it would be. Today was nothing like I expected it would be. Today was Damon's first day of all day kindergarten. Here he is just before we left for school. Is he trying to show off his bicep? I'm sure he learned that from my brother, Jonny.







As you can tell from the fake smile, he wasn't a hundred percent sure he was going to like it. Allie, on the other hand, looks delighted.

When I dropped him off, he was very nervous, but didn't complain too much. And when I picked him up, he said he had fun, but admitted that he cried a little when his teacher left the cafeteria to go eat lunch. None of this surprised me in the least, but was exactly how I expected this day to be. I was ready to feel a little sad, and a little overwhelmed, by the prospect of sending my sweet son to a school full of kids I have never met to begin his education. I was ready for the lump in my throat when he waved good-bye, his face saying that he knew he had to stay, but really didn't want to. I was prepared for all of that. Today was exactly like I thought it would be.

Today was nothing like I thought it would be. I had laundry baskets full of dirty clothes ready to be washed. Allie was in her "potty training dress (see above)," ready for her first full day of potty training. I had finished my workout and had taken a shower. And then Allie swallowed the plastic cap to the bottle of detangler. She loves to use it as a little cup, filling it with water time and again. I saw her putting it in her mouth and then it was gone. She described it as, "the lid poked my mouth." Crap, I thought, wondering if she could've possibly gotten the plastic cap down her throat without any problems. The coughing and her slight discomfort led me to believe that it hadn't cleared all the way into her stomach. After a few phone calls, I realized that I needed to take her into the ER to make sure it wasn't lodged somewhere that was going to cause problems later. And so we spent the next few hours with Dr. Tyson and her incredibly nice nurses at the hospital. Fortunately, there were no signs of any obstruction in her airway, and it was determined that she will pass it (perhaps painfully) in the next 24 hours.

Today was nothing like I thought it would be. I am way behind on the laundry, I'm not going to cook dinner, and Allie had to go back in a diaper for a good part of the day. BUT...everyone is fine (you can't really tell in the pic, but Allie put mascara on herself AGAIN while I was on the phone with the doctor's office, and even managed to get some on Kyla's eyelid, too. In fact, the doctor's parting words as we left the hospital were, "Bye Allie. Your makeup looks nice."). I knew we would end up in the ER sooner or later with Allie, and I hope the law of averages is satisified with today and we won't have to go back any time soon.

There were other things I wanted to do today (another post I had planned to write, as well). But I guess there's always tomorrow.

Percentages

I love about 75% of having a 5-year old.

Damon understands so much more than he used to and can carry his end of conversations quite nicely. I love watching Trading Spaces with him and watching him get so excited about the room transformations. He is also so willing to believe everything we are teaching him. One night he was cutting out coupons and couldn't find one he was looking for. I kept encouraging him to keep looking for it, when he appeared by my side, a look of total consternation on his face. He tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, so that his grandpa and uncle in the room wouldn't hear, "I prayed, and I still can't find it." My heart was pricked; his faith in the power of prayer is so absolute, he didn't understand how he could possibly not have been answered.

I won't go into the 25% of things I don't love about having a 5-year old, but if you have been reading with me, you probably can figure most of that out on your own.

I love about 50% of having a 2-year old.

Allie is so different from Damon, and I love to see her growing in such a different way. She is extremely independent and wants to do everything for herself. One day I needed to run into the store to get some milk and asked her to please stay right with me and not run away, because I can't carry Kyla, two gallons of milk, and her, too. Without any hint of regret, she said, "I run away." I was a little shocked at her honesty, but wasn't laughing five minutes later as I chased her down the aisles of CVS, milk and baby in hand.

But I love to watch her imagination at work. She actually tried to pass off giving Damon a pretend jelly bean, while keeping the real ones in her other hand. I found her on the floor one day, with her doll, Bexley, the boppy, and a book, and had to wonder how many times she has seen me in a similar position with Kyla. I love her curiosity, her ability to process things I wouldn't think she is able to, and her constant vocal serenading. I also love that she asks to watch "Nephi and the Grass Plates."

I won't go into the 50% of things I don't love about having a 2-year old, but anyone who has had a child in that stage can probably guess the things I don't love.

I love 90% of having a baby.

This is in response to Emily's question, "how is your baby?" I LOVE having a baby. I had forgotten how much I enjoy almost everything about having a baby. I am actually a bit surprised to find myself saying this, but it's absolutely true. Kyla is the easiest of the three kids, even with all she demands from me, because I hardly ever feel frustrated with her. I am fifty times more patient with her than I am with my other kids (maybe that's sad, but it's true). I just can't get enough of her chubby little body, and find myself pinching her rolls when I change her diaper.

I love the way she still flails her body when she's scared. I love how she smiles at the ceiling fan, prompting me to conjecture that she must be conversing with angels. I love how she grabs on to her clothes and flips up her dresses. In the mornings, I love to unwrap her from her blanket coccoon and watch her purse her lips and stretch. I love to catch her watching me when I'm not aware of it, instantly flashing me one of her huge open-mouth smiles. I love holding her when she's falling asleep, as she lays her head on my shoulder and sighs. I love to hear her cooing to the other kids, as though she's desperately trying to tell them something important. I love giving her a bath and watching her splash with delight...

I could go on and on and on, I love my baby so. The 10% of things I don't love about having a baby don't even begin to compare to the 90% of things I love so much, and look forward to more than anything else in my life right now. To answer your question, Emily, my baby is amazing, sweet and perfect; just like my other two were. And hopefully, if you are reading this and have the pleasure of having a baby in the other room (or in your arms right now), just like yours is, too.

A friend for Kyla

My friend, Mariah, and I have been working up a good sweat walking in the mornings a couple of times a week. This is her little boy, Parker, snuggling up with Kyla after one of our drenching walks. He is about six weeks older than she is and weighs about the same as she does. A couple of cuties!

On days I don't go walking, I have been trying to work out here at home. I like My Workout and Denise Austin's Daily Workout on Lifetime (yesterday I did one of each). Some days I ride our exercise bike and do push-ups, sit-ups and weights. Progress is slow, but I learned with Allie that it may take up to a year to get those final pounds off (boo!). I bought a pair of shorts on clearance at Target and I can fit into them, just not too comfortably yet. Hopefully by the time I can fit in them it will still be warm enough to wear them! One of the benefits of living in Florida is that it stays warm for a long time (off and on), so I will keep you posted on when I acheive that goal.

Good luck to all of you who are working on your own exercise goals!

Tampa

Last week was a very busy one and I am still trying to recover. Jeff had the week off before his second year of school started and so we took advantage of a little time together. We took a quick trip to Tampa, stopping in Orlando on the way to go to the temple. We had decided that with a nursing baby, it would be best to switch off doing initiatory. We got a bunch of names from our ward and headed down. Jeff went in first and did 12 names in a little over an hour. But when I went in for my turn, the lady greeting people told me that the initiatory was closed for the rest of the day because they didn't have enough workers. She asked if I would like to do a session, but I explained to her that my husband was waiting with the three kids, one of whom was a two-month old nursing baby. Tears brimming in my eyes, I told her I just couldn't do it and she encouraged me to come again. "We'll try," I said. I left feeling so discouraged. We had driven over two hours to get there, had called on the way to find out when to be there for initiatory, only to get there and find that they didn't have enough workers. I don't think you should ever leave the temple feeling like you want to cry, but unfortunately, it's not a perfect world we live in. And so, I wiped my tears away, hoping I would get some blessings for the effort, and we drove on to Tampa.

Besides the fact that it was blazing hot, we really enjoyed the time we spent there. We went to a national park devoted to Hernando de Soto, who was a European explorer who led an expedition from Tampa throughout the south looking for gold in the early 1500's. It was one of the first expeditions in the new world and Jeff was very excited to see the place (although, as it turns out, they don't know exactly where he left from and the national park is just an approximation, so he was a little disappointed). Here are Damon and Allie preparing to move into their new hut. We've come a long way, haven't we? I'm barely able to live in Florida with modern conveniences; I don't know how people did it when this was all they had.

Jeff claimed it was worth the drive just to see this tree.

Moments after Damon got busted for trying to climb on it, a nice ranger offered to take our picture (he probably felt bad that the lady who yelled at Damon wasn't very nice). You can see that Damon is still pouting. Who knows what Allie is doing--mocking him behind her hands?

Inside the visitor's center (or whatever it's called), Damon and Allie tried on some of the armor the Spanish explorers would have been wearing. An entire suit of armor weighed about 70 pounds (I think half was in the chain mail!) and the kids were struggling just to stay on their feet.

We spent the rest of the day at the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa. We had a good time and we saw a lot of fun things, but I don't think it was worth what we paid to get in. On the brochure, they claimed to have shows, and so we crowded around a mat on the ground, trying to find a place to watch the "Penguin Promenade." There are a few things I would like to remember if we ever go back:

1. Just because something is called a "show" doesn't mean it is worth your time. The penguin promenade consisted of two 6 pound penguins being wheeled out in a wagon to the mat. One penguin waddled around the mat, trying to eat the trainer's keychain, while the other one remained in the wagon. The lady with the microphone spouted little tidbits of trivia about penguins, such as "they eat fish," and "they don't fly." Very informative.

2. When hundreds of people are crowding around a tiny area to see even tinier animals, parents start to get testy when their precious child's view is blocked. As the show was starting, kids started crowding in from all sides, pushing their way to the front. Jeff had to eventually hold Allie up so she could see, as kids inevitably stood right in front of her. The lady standing next to me kept barking at other kids, telling them to move so her little boy could see. Had she known what was coming, I wonder if she would've been so concerned about her son having the best seat.

3. When in a large crowd of people, hold your breath. Someone WILL eventually pass gas and there's just nowhere to go to get away from it.

Valuable lessons, all. We did have a good time, despite the joke of a penguin show. Here is a cool pic of Jeff and the kiddos in front of one of the big tanks.

But the best part of the trip was free. We walked out onto the beach about an hour before sunset, just as things were starting to cool off, and watched, for the first time in Florida, the sun set on the water. That's the one thing that is missing living on the Atlantic--the sun doesn't set on the water. But Tampa is on the Gulf of Mexico, where the sand is white, the waves are small, and there are amazing sunsets. Here are a couple pictures from the beach. You can't see Allie's diaper sagging off her behind, or smell the bug spray that kept drifting our way, but it's almost as good as being there.

Personality Test

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's Your Personality Type?

Don't you love personality tests? I found this one on Lisha's blog and couldn't resist. I think some of my results describe me, but I have a bit of an issue with my potential job choices; I would be a terrible interior decorator, I don't particularly like to cook, and considering that I have yet to help my son overcome his irrational fears, I don't think child psychlogist is my best career path. Try it and see what you get!

Tooth Fairy

Last night we were talking to Damon about losing his baby teeth and I might have mentioned a tiny little winged woman who would bring him some money when his teeth fall out. I didn't realize that there are children out there who are scared of the tooth fairy, but of course, Damon managed to get himself all worked up about not wanting her to come.

Fast forward a few hours. It's 4 am and I am sleeping peacefully with my many pillows when I hear little feet scurrying across the carpet toward my room. Instantly, Damon is at my side, claiming he heard a noise and he is sure it's the tooth fairy. Oh, and he's scared. For the next hour, Jeff and I take turns putting him back to bed and reassuring him that there's nothing to be afraid of. At one point, Jeff said, "the tooth fairy isn't real, so there's nothing to be scared of." At 5 am I got up to feed Kyla and Damon pokes his head in the room and asks, "Is the tooth fairy just a story?" I didn't know exactly what to say, but I desperately wanted him to go back to bed before he woke Allie up, so I said, "yes, she's not real."

Around 5:30 Allie did wake up (I am blaming this completely on my terror-stricken son, who had yet to fall back asleep). She could hear the whistles of the boats on the river and came running to my bedside to let me know that she wasn't scared. "Great," I said. "Now go get back in bed." They both did, miraculously. A few minutes later a horn blared. This time they were both back in our bedroom, and they were both scared. Jeff took them back to bed and took up sleeping on the couch for the rest of the night/morning. It didn't take long before he had to lock them in, reassuring Damon again that he didn't need a light on to protect him from the tooth fairy. Eventually, everyone fell back to sleep, although no one had a good night's rest (except for Kyla, who was oblivious to the whole fiasco).

This morning, however, we talked about nothing but the tooth fairy. Some of Damon's questions about her were:

• How does she get into our house? (she's magic)
• What does she look like? (I don't know, I've never seen her)
• How big is she? (*I made an approximation with my fingers*)
• If I catch her, do I have to go to timeout? (no, if you catch her, ask her for more money)
• Can she see me when I'm naked? (yes, but she doesn't look)
• Does she sleep during the day time if she's awake at night? (yes)
• Is she real? (she's only real if you believe in her)

At this point we had to ban all further talk of the tooth fairy. Damon claims he is no longer afraid of her and is now trying to wiggle his teeth, hoping one will be loose. I am just praying that none of those teeth will fall out until he has gotten over some of his fears. Particularly those ones that involve tiny magical creatures whose only purpose in life is to buy baby teeth.

By the Numbers

As you have watched Kyla growing and changing every day, I'm sure the burning question on your mind is "Will she get as big as Damon was?" That remains to be seen, but she is well on her way. We had her two month checkup today and she topped the scale at 13 lbs 3 oz, which is 90th percentile! That's my chubby girl! She was also 23 inches long, which is 75th percentile (not nearly as impressive, but we don't expect her to be very tall). Now, I don't know what Damon's stats were at two months, but at three months he weighed 15 lbs 3 oz, so she's got some growing to do if she wants to match that. Allie was only 12 lbs 1 oz at her two month appointment, so right now it seems that Kyla is somewhere in between the two.

Now, for a few numbers:

57- Number of times Damon kissed Kyla in one day. And those were the ones I saw. He may have slipped in a few more when I was out of the room. Here's a picture of classic Damon (Kyla was about a week old here).

5-Number of hours I was gone to bookclub last night. We did discuss the book (Life of Pi) for quite a while, but no bookclub would be complete without eating and chatting about things other than books. Good times.

14- Number of days since I was stung by the jellyfish. It has taken that long for the wound to stop bothering me. It blistered and itched like crazy about a week ago (just when I thought it was getting better), and I'm guessing it will leave a pretty good scar. What a nasty creature, that jellyfish! If you look closely, you can see the blisters.

2- Number of pounds I've lost since last time we were at the pediatrician's office (a month ago). Progress, sure, but not all the encouraging.

$24.85-Amount I paid the library in lost book/fines yesterday. I don't know what happened to Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars, but I guess if we find it, it's now ours to keep. I think if I can make it the rest of the time here in Florida without getting any fines I should get a prize, like a nice dinner somewhere...now I just need to inform Jeff of that plan.

Hundreds- Number of times I have heard "Book of Mormon Stories" from Damon and Allie in the past few days. They sing it over and over and over. Their favorite verse is the one about Abinadi. Allie will sing "He was true, and he died righteously" no matter where we are. I'm sure most people have no idea what kind of wacky parent I am, teaching my daughter songs about someone dying righteously. I'm all for learning and singing primary songs, but could they learn another one perhaps??

Accountability

We decided the other night that my blog is going to serve as our family's journal, which is good because it means that all the time I spend writing on it actually serves a purpose. Because of that, though, I thought it was important to keep a record of our family goals and how we are doing. We had a family meeting on Sunday to review where we're at a little more than halfway through the year. It turns out we're not doing so well. Our family goals are:
1. Read scriptures together Sunday-Thursday. Since Kyla was born, we have been really bad at that, and so we committed to do better. If we read 5 days a week, we will reward ourselves with a family treat on Sunday.
2. Attend the temple 4 times this year. With the temple in Orlando 2 1/2 hours away, we are farther from a temple than we ever have been. Add that to the fact that we have three kids (one of them being a very recent addition), and you will understand that we haven't been since March. I went in February when I was down there for Time Out For Women, so I am halfway there. We are planning a trip for next week, when Jeff has a few days off before he starts his second (and last!) year of school, so we are a bit closer to acheiving that goal.
3. Write together in a journal on Sunday's. We actually have never done this. Jeff said it wouldn't count for our ward's goal and since the kids are too young to write for themselves, we just haven't ever done it. Instead, we decided that my blog would serve as our family journal, so I guess we have met this goal, only a modified version of it.

I also have set some personal goals, some of which are going better than others.
1. Exercise at least 4 times a week. I'm not perfect yet, but I am consistently working out at least 3 times a week. My friend, Mariah, and I have been walking some mornings and when we don't walk I try to do a workout on tv (with weights, sit-ups and push-ups). I know I still have a few pounds (and more importantly, inches) to go before I feel like my pre-pregnancy self, and the idea is that I will be able to do it by October 11 when Jeff and I leave for our cruise. And then I will reward myself with a new swuimsuit.
2. Read scriptures personally Monday-Friday. With the end of the school year and the birth of Kyla, my scripture reading routine was shot to pieces. I am still trying to figure out what will work best for me. I'd say I'm about 50%, but working to get better. I think the reward for this one is having the Spirit with me more, which will help me with everything.
3. Read at least one book a month. I would definitely say this is the goal I am doing the best at, as I have really benefitted from turning the tv off and reading more. Of course, having bookclub books to read have really helped, but still, this is going well. And my reward is getting to go to bookclub every month and get a night out away from the kiddos!
4. Don't get angry. Well, at least don't show anger, but trying to stay calm and patient with my kids. This was the goal I set for myself at our family meeting for this week (and forever, really). I asked Damon to remind me and I am really making an effort. Again, nowhere near perfect, but I'm doing much better. The reward for this is a happier family.

Damon's goal for the week: Be brave. He actually seems to be doing a little better.
Jeff's goal for the week: Have us read scriptures every day (he must have a treat in mind for Sunday!)
Allie's goal for the week: Obey mom and dad. She is the one who is struggling the most with her goal, but what else would we expect? We'll keep reminding her.

Okay, boring for those of you reading, I know, but I thought I needed to keep track of where we are and where we are going. Hope all your goals are going better than ours!