In Pictures

Okay, last week I didn't post many pictures, what with all the craziness we were facing. So, here is a brief recap of what we did, along with some commentary.

WEDNESDAY: Damon and I went on a "date." He had been wanting to go bowling for a long time, and his date night kept getting pushed back for one reason or another. So, after a quick dinner Wednesday night, we headed to Bowl America, which was surprisingly crowded for a Wednesday night.

Things you're thinking that you don't actually say: "Wow, Krystal, that's a huge vein in your forearm."


You're thinking: "The ball matches Damon's cheek. Doesn't she own any sunblock?"


You're thinking: "I'll bet she asks him to pose that way just to get under Jeff's skin."

THURSDAY we had to show the house again (as you well know). It was also day 4 of Damon's spring break. This was around 4:00.

You're thinking: "Where was their mother during all this destruction?" I'm thinking: "When will spring break end?"

Later that night, we went to Red Lobster for a celebration dinner. Actually, it was during our 7:00 showing of the house and we needed to be gone for an extended period of time. And we had a gift card we'd been saving since Christmas and decided we would go, and HOPE it was a celebration of a successful showing.

You're thinking: "Are you guys crazy taking three kids to a sit down restaurant?"

And now you're thinking: "Ah, I see the strategy--let Allie eat the ranch dressing with a spoon, her fingers, and her tongue. That will keep her quiet for a while."

You're thinking: "That's one cute baby, even with food all over her shirt. I bet she was the loudest of the three kids during dinner." You'd be right.

This was just after dinner, while Jeff was waiting to pay the check. We took pity on the other customers and waited outside.

You're thinking: "Does Allie ever look at the camera?" and "Didn't she used to be photogenic?" I'm thinking the same things.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY: Conference. The kids did their usual activities. Damon actually looks forward to conference because of all the candy he gets to eat. Allie couldn't help but be excited too.

You're thinking: "That's a lot of candy. But I don't blame you."

And here are a couple shots of Kyla from the week. She was tagged by Kalia, so here are a few facts you may not know about her. She has started standing by herself for a few seconds at a time. That's fun. She got her first tooth (top middle) after repeated falls drew blood and wore away the gums. She has been sad a lot lately. Maybe teeth? Maybe she's just tired of being the happy one? Who knows.

She can patty-cake, shake her head when I say no, and even started signing ("eat" ). She also shares a love of Jeff's lizards and can often be found in "talking" to them.

You're thinking: "Wow, that must have taken a lot of time. I hope she didn't neglect her kids too much while writing this post."

Fan Mail

In answer to some of the questions (fan mail) I have been getting lately...

I use HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant to do my pages. I decided against the Photoshop route because I just didn't want to put in the time to learn the program. I just want to be able to sit down and whip something out really quickly. I bought the program for myself and had Jeff give it to me for Christmas. You can find it for around $30.

All of the paper, embellishments, etc. I have found online for free (check out some of my links on this page). The program is easy to use and I have been happy with it.

I haven't printed any of my pages yet, but I have heard that Costco does a good job. A couple of friends say they are happy with the way their pages turn out. You can get a 12x12 done for $2.99 done either in Glossy or Lustre. My goal was to be caught up by the time Kyla turns one (at LEAST with her pages, and hopefully with our family's) and there is NO WAY I could make it if I wasn't doing digital. I'll let you know how they turn out when I get them printed.

You are all very sweet in complimenting me on the pages--honestly, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I still have a lot to learn and I hope my kids will be happy with the pages I DO get done, even if I am not all that thrilled about them.

Future

Some of you have asked what our plans are for the future. That's a good question. I ponder that frequently. Here's what we do know:

• After 6 years of graduate school (4 dental, 2 orthodontics), Jeff will be finished with school June 28th. I couldn't be more proud of him and his dedication. That is a post in itself and I'll save it for another day.
• We will be moving in to the basement of the Trapnell Compound this summer. At one time we lived in the "Love Loft" (before kids), but are now moving up in the world and get to occupy the basement apartment. It's not much (if any) smaller than what we are living in now: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, entrance from the garage...it's very nice. It's unclear how long we will be there (until we find a house we love enough to make a very BIG commitment to). If you ask Jeff he'll say we'll be there a year or less. If you ask me I say six months or less. I have a very good relationship with my in-laws and I'm not worried about any problems, but I am just really ready to be in our own house. I understand that it's a big commitment and we need time to really look and find our perfect fit. I just hope we can find it sooner rather than later.
• The three months in between are in limbo. Most likely we will need to be out of this house in a month (the man here the other night has made an offer on the house and wants to be in May 6th). This is where things get a little tricky. Damon doesn't finish school until June 5th, and I am not crazy about any of the options that include leaving my boys here. We are currently looking for a place to rent for a month or two, packing up the majority of our stuff and moving it across the country, leaving only the essentials here for us to use until we are ready to leave. It's crazy, and now that I feel this sudden rush, I'm not exactly sure how to feel. I guess we'll just take it as it comes and figure out one thing at a time.

Okay. Now to alleviate some of the stress you are all feeling (is it just me?), here are a couple quotes from the kids.

1. Only a few minutes ago I could hear Kyla in the kitchen and sent Allie in to investigate what she was doing in there. Imagining many different scenarios, I thought I was prepared for what I'd hear. I wasn't ready for this one: "She's eating all the tuna." Sure enough, tuna covered her face. Now, I know she can't open the fridge and the tupperware of tuna by herself...definitely fishy, don't you think? :)

2. The other night we were tucking the kids in bed and Jeff said, "Alright, goodnight you little monsters." Allie took offense to this comment and said, "We are NOT little!"

Now I'm off to my day. I may not know what the future holds exactly, but I do know what today holds--laundry, some cleaning, and washing tuna off of Kyla's face and sour cream out of her hair (also courtesy of Allie this morning).

A few pages

Here are a few of the pages I have been working on. I don't claim to be a very good scrapper, but I have realized that just average pages are better than nothing at all. I like to put a lot of pictures on, and a lot of my pages end up looking the same. Tips would be appreciated. Thanks Becky for helping me figure out how to post them!

New Trick

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books Someone learned a new trick! Thanks Noel for the footage (and for acting so excited!).

Showings

So, Heather wanted to see some of the scrapbook pages I have been working on, but I haven't figured out how to post them yet. Anyone want to lend a hand, let me in on the secret? I exported them to a file in my documents, but that didn't work. Any assistance would be appreciated.

This week has been a busy one. After months of no action on the house (not IN the house, mind you:), suddenly things have picked up. Jeff's dad owns the house we live in and is really anxious to sell, even though it means he is going to lose money on it. Two days ago I got a call from Remax asking if they could show it at 3:30 and I said sure, a little surprised. I started straightening a few things (meaning, hiding books under the bed, etc) and mopped the kitchen floor. At 2:00, I heard people outside the front door, and assuming it was my kids coming back from Julie's I went to let them in. Imagine my surprise when it was a family trying to let themselves in with the key from our lock box. After nearly giving the woman a heart attack, I told her that I wasn't expecting them until 3:30 and wasn't ready (the floor was still wet, for heaven's sake!). She informed me that she was not the 3:30 showing but an earlier one. One that I hadn't been told about. Frustrating. I told her to give me a minute so I could quickly make a few last minute changes (hiding toys under beds) and hoping that the floor would dry quickly. I woke Kyla up from her nap and went to get the rest of my kids from Julie's. I must have taken too long because the potential buyers had left.

Jeff called a few minutes later and asked what was going on. He had gotten a call from the realtors and they told him, "We tried to show the house, but your wife turned them away." Yes, that was exactly what happened. I filled him in with the TRUTH and he said they were back on their way to the house. The kids and I packed up and headed to the mall to play (oh, and to spend a lot of money at Children's Place where they were having 30% off their sale prices!). We stalled long enough for both groups of people to look the house over and headed home. But not before returning the flip flops and shorts I found in our stroller, unpaid for (Allie means well, but she didn't even manage to shoplift things in her sizes).

After being informed of another showing for Wednesday, Jeff and I spent Tuesday night cleaning the carpets (they desperately needed it and we desperately needed motivation), disassembling the broken coffee table and hiding a few more things under beds. I also cleaned the back porch, which was quite an ordeal. We had to be out of the house for the 5:00 showing so I took the kids on an exciting outing to Publix. They snacked on their free cookies and we browsed all the aisles (some twice) and visited the restroom. I managed to remember to get one of the two things I really needed (forgot the poppy seeds, but I do have that drug test coming up, so maybe it was for the best). All of that took 30 minutes, so we visited Jeff at school as he was finishing. We got home, wondering if anyone had even come at all (it's hard to tell sometimes) and we found a surprise in the bathroom. Someone had rubbed deodorant all over the mirror without my knowledge. What you gonna do?

Anyway, I got another call today. Apparently, someone is very interested and wants to come tonight at 7:00 to see it again. I hope they want to buy it. I am tired of cleaning every day. Oh, and I hope they weren't too fond of the deodorant on the mirror. It's no longer there. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Baby Instruction Manual

My friend Sara sent this to me in an email. I must have been in just the right mood, because I couldn't stop laughing. Jeff thought it was mildly entertaining; Damon found it hilarious. Glad to know I'm on my five-year old's level.

Beach Weather?

It was warm last week. Nearing the mid 80's. And it had been so long since we had been to the beach. So we went. Was it the best possible beach day? Not by a long shot. Although warm, it was windy and the water was still too cold. Did the kids seem to mind? Not in the least.

Kyla hasn't been to the beach since she was a toothless, hairless chubby little thing (okay, time hasn't changed much, but still...). She instantly fell in love with the sand, eating as much as she could frantically shove into her mouth. Mmm, tasty. Please forgive her dorky hat--it was all I could find that would fit that noggin.

Allie suddenly requires much less attention at the beach than she did last year. That was nice. She also needs a new suit this year, although the sunglasses seem to fit just fine. Forgive her "granny panties."

Damon showed off his shark squirt gun. Very tricky.

Kyla showed off one of the things she loves to do--hang upside down. "She's like a little..." What is the best way to end that sentence?

I love this picture of the end of the day. Cole and Allie were in the truck ready to go, but had to get far enough away so Vegas wouldn't slobber all over them. Kyla wanted to join the "Trap Train." Thanks for the photos, Noel!

Easter and 10 months

Everything is coming early this year. Daylight savings the first of March? Easter on the 23rd, the same week as St Patty's Day? What is the deal? I'm not sure who created the calendar for us this year, but I am not entirely on board with the decisions made in our behalf. What do we have to look forward to now until school gets out?

Easter, although early this year, was great. We had planned to go to Orlando the end of the week to visit some friends, but at the last minute it didn't work out and we took advantage of some time at home to dye some eggs. It went much better than I anticipated it would and we ended up with some really great eggs.

I talked Allie into letting me put curlers in her hair Saturday night, which we haven't done for quite a while.

We had to be at church early because we were singing in the choir, and Jeff also had to teach Elder's Quorum. I knew I needed to get up earlier than 7:30, but I didn't. Because Jeff was preparing his lesson (how can guys get away with doing that, by the way?), I knew he wouldn't be able to help me with the kids. I'm amazed we made it to church by 9:05, although the choir director may have had a minor stroke wondering if we were going to show (Jeff IS the tenor section). We were supposed to sit on the stand for the whole meeting, but I stayed with the kids until after the sacrament. A wonderful lady in the ward offered to sit with the kids and I handed Kyla off to the bishop's wife. After the second time Allie had to be taken out (crying that she wanted med), the bishop's wife went out and got her, too. The rest of the meeting went smoothly.

I wanted to take pictures before church, but because we were running late, it didn't happen until after. Luckily (and maybe a tender mercy from above), everyone cooperated. Could it be the candy waiting inside with their Easter baskets that encouraged them to behave? Whatever it was, we were able to get a few pics that I thought were great.

Russ and Julie came over for dinner and we had a great afternoon with them. Kyla offered to put on her ears and pose for a picture, but only if I promised not to wipe her runny nose first. I reluctantly agreed.

The kids all had fun. Except for when I made them sit and pose for a picture. We only had one take, and this was it. Ah, memories...

Monday, Kyla celebrated her 10 month birthday by doing absolutely nothing different from every other day of her life. She climbed around inside the coffee table (yes, I said inside. Jeff broke the glass while he was sitting on it a couple of weeks ago and now we are sporting an open table. Kyla thinks it's a jungle gym. Jeff thinks it's just white trash).

She posed for me in the tub...

And humored me by holding Bexley for the traditional "see me grow" shot.

At ten months she still has no teeth, loves copying what I am doing (patty cake, making random noises), is slowly cruising around furniture, and has given up nursing and baby food. She also loves attacking any child who is on her level (meaning, sitting or crawling) and smothering them with kisses and gentle love pats. She is yet to find anyone who enjoys it.

Killer

I think we were all expecting something big to happen.

A year ago, my mom cut off all her hair, a year earlier than she planned...
My dad was released from his calling as a member of the bishopbric of a young single adult ward..
My mom was released from her calling as Young Women's president...

We all wondered, what was coming? A call to the Stake Presidency? But Stake Conference came and went and that wasn't it.

Wayne and Tara decided to stay at Dixie for a few years instead of moving...
Heather and Samuel decided it was time to move closer to home, and relocated from Hawaii to Las Vegas, much closer to the family...
Jeff will be finished with school in 3 months and we will be living in Utah for the first time in six years...

What was coming?

We found out a few weeks ago.

My mom has breast cancer. Even typing that makes me feel like I swallowed a rock. She found a lump, had it removed, and heard the bad news about what it actually was. She had a second surgery where 20 lymph nodes were removed from under her arm. It was in 2 of the 20. Now she will have to go through chemo as well as radiation, which could put her out of commission for the next year. She'll lose her hair and won't be able to take long trips to see her grandkids. Wait, she already parted with her hair (most of it) and soon none of her grandkids will be more than 4 hours away...isn't that interesting?

We all feel that this is the Lord's will. It's serious, as all cancer is, but everyone is hopeful that she will make a full recovery. And maybe we have been prepared for a while now, as it hasn't been much of a shock for any of us. My mom admitted that she knew she was going to have to have chemo from the very beginning, knowing that anything else would be "too easy." She is already talking about how much she has learned and how tender her heart has become. It's just a bump in the road, something that will enable our family to become closer to each other and closer to the Lord.

We all made our picks for March Madness this year, and we named my mom's team "Kancer Killer." As of today, Kancer Killer is in first place in our league. That makes me smile, and also makes me think that she is going to come out on top. Where she belongs.

Love you mom. Thanks for being such a fighter.

Spring Break Carolina!

(Sung to the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama")

Wow, where to start? I know it's been a while, and I have a lot of catching up to do. Feel free to browse the pictures if you don't have time for a travelogue.

We spent several days last week in North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains for Spring Break. What a great time we had! It was a long drive, one none of us were looking forward to, but we made it. I doubt Allie or Kyla will have any long term memories from the trip, but hopefully Damon will remember a thing or two. Jeff and I certainly will.

We stopped in Columbia, SC on our way, which was a little more than halfway there (about 4 hours of driving). We had heard great things about a little bbq place called Maurice's and we just had to stop. The food was good, but I'm not sure it was any better than Hoggie's in Columbus. We were hungry, though, and it was worth it just to be surrounded by real southerners, whose accents are a bit difficult to understand.


We also visited the State House building, which was beautiful. It was under construction during the Civil War and was actually bombed in several spots by the Union. When they rebuilt it, they marked these spots with bronze stars, and Damon loved locating them on the sides of the building. It was chilly and a little rainy, but we were all glad to be out of the car, so no one complained.



We made it to Maggie Valley, NC by nightfall, meeting up with Dr. Rumble, an instructor from Jeff's school, and his wife. We were staying with them in their cabin literally 5,000 feet straight up into the mountains. The view there was amazing, especially when before the morning fog burned off.


I was sick Sunday (AGAIN) and I don't know if it was the flu or food poisoning, but I spent all day in bed while Jeff and Dr. Rumble (who the kids got to call Daddy John!) took the kids on a tour of a little town called Cataloochee. By night, I was feeling better (about 70%), thankfully, so I could join the family for the rest of the festivities. Russ and Julie (and boys) met us there Sunday night, as they were all still recovering from the flu.

Monday we went to visit Asheville, NC. What a cool little town that is. It's very artsy, yet because of it's locating so close to the mountains, it also is a popular tourist spot. We walked around the city, then stopped for lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. We had some great pizza and rootbeer (seriously, it was good) and took a picture. Julie took the pic, Russ was home in bed with the flu (does anyone believe that I had food poisoning? Probably not. But no one else in my family got it (HALLELUJAH)).


We parted ways with Julie, and headed to the Grove Park Inn, a luxurious spa and resort that opened it's doors in 1913. It was gorgeous, and I'd like to go back someday. Maybe I can win a contest and go for free, I'm sure it's not cheap. Does it remind you of something out of a JRR Tolkien book?

We had heard that the fireplaces were huge, so we headed into the lobby to check them out. Sure enough, we could've fit our family in them. I know the picture is blurry, but you get the idea.



Next on the list was Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak in North Carolina. Actually, it is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, which we all thought was really cool. You can drive most the way there, which was very appealing to the small children and the still queasy wife. We went to the summit, trekking through the mud the last little bit. On observation tower is under construction, hence the rebar, but at least we can say we stood at the highest point.



We found a better picture location a little lower, after a nature hike through the woods. There was ice everywhere, which Damon found incredibly enjoyable. Kyla, on the other hand, was not in the mood for any nature. In fact, she wasn't in the mood for much of anything. But she didn't have much of a choice. Notice we're all in green--it was St. Patrick's Day.



Tuesday we spent in the Smoky Mountains. It was about an hour's drive from Maggie Valley to Gatlinburg, TN, and we really enjoyed ourselves. There wasn't much to see along the way (it was incredibly foggy), but we tried. Here Damon and Jeff pose in front of the mountains. They are there (we were assured).



Here is my favorite pic from the trip--we pulled over to a lookout and hiked around a little. Jeff put his camera on timer and we got this shot (on our third attempt no less!). I want to print an 8x10 to frame in our house. It will be a great reminder of all the fun we had on our trip. We took the video camera the rest of the day, visiting Gatlinburg, mining for gems in Cherokee, NC, and hiking to Mingo Falls (which was more of a cardio blast than an actual hike--158 steps up!). Sorry no pics from that, but it was great!


We are all glad to be home and have spent the last several days trying to recover from the trip (and watching March Madness nonstop). I still have so much to get caught up on. I am trying to read all the blogs I have missed out on, but have given up leaving any comments. At least until I am caught up. I have missed you all, though, and have enjoyed reading about what I have missed. Hope Easter treated you well!!

p.s. The best quote of the trip comes from my nephew, Cole, who has two brothers and no sisters. He was watching me change Kyla's diaper and commented, "She sure doesn't have a penis!"

Not entirely accurate

Have you seen these circulating lately? I was desperate to break 90, but was hovering between 80-85 for many attempts. So, when I got this one, I had to record it! Try it, it's fun and a bit of a cardio workout!



94 words

Speed test

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts that have been running through my head this past week:

1. While doing laundry this week, I folded 3 pair of Damon's underwear, 15 pair of Allie's. Is Damon bathing enough? When will Allie stop having accidents?

2. After being sick this weekend (more on that later), I commented to Jeff that I am not ready to be pregnant again. He responded by telling me that I have 3 1/2 years left. For what you might ask? That's the time he's giving me for having babies. After that, he's not putting out anymore. I'm still not ready to be pregnant, and I think 3 1/2 years is enough.

3. I guess I am weaning Kyla. I had hoped to nurse her until she was one, but my body has apparently decided now is the time. I woke up one morning after my trip and noticed that something looked different in the mirror. It turned out to be my chest, which is shrinking. Sad, but true. I'm going to still try to nurse in the morning and at night, but I may be done besides that.

4. Speaking of chests, my mom had a lump removed from her breast yesterday. Damon was praying for her Sunday night, and asked Heavenly Father to "bless Grandma's bump in her breast." We all thought that was rather humorous, and now Allie has started praying for Grandma's "bumpy breast." I'm sure she would be so thrilled.

5. I think Jeff and Allie may have escaped the flu bug that bit the rest of us. I left for Time Out for Women in Tallahassee Friday afternoon (amid tornado warnings!), just in time for Damon to throw up at school. Jeff picked him up, and he threw up three more times that night. I started feeling sick during dinner, and spent half of Sheri Dew's talk in the bathroom, trying not to throw up (great timing, huh?). I finally gave in about 1 am and threw up a few times after that. Kyla, who had started the whole thing by throwing up Wednesday, got diarrhea and wouldn't eat anything for Jeff. What a weekend for him to be stuck home with the kids! And what a daddy!

I think my dehydration contributed to my lack of milk, but it was totally worth it. I felt much better Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed the conference (more on THAT in a minute). When I got home Saturday night, the house was clean, the kids were happy and feeling better, and I was greeted with the biggest smile I have ever seen on Kyla's face.

6. Today after dropping the neighbor girl off after school and getting back into the van, I was nearly knocked over by the stench ("what is that stench? It's fantastic! Max, grab a bag. We'll come back for the rest. Of course when I say WE I mean YOU." Movie?). Upon questioning, I found that the stinky one was Kyla. Girl can pack a punch!

7. TOFW (which may have just as well stood as THROWIN' UP FLIPPIN' WEEKEND). We had a great time. I went with six other ladies and we all squeezed into one minivan for the 3 hour trip to Tallahassee. I'm so glad we all got to go together--we had such a good time. Conversation topics varied from how many girls our husbands kissed before us and what we would want to do if we knew we would never have kids to the health benefits of breast milk and "business socks." We set Lindsay's camera on the tv, turned the timer on, and proceeded to take lots and lots of pictures of ourselves, trying to get a good one. We all joked that was something only women would do. Thanks for the pics, Lindsay!

Night one, pre-puking. (Back-Daisy, Lindsay, April and me. Front, Mariah, Julie and Noel (my two SIL's that live here in Jax).

Day two, post-puke, inside the convention center. Noel, what are you standing on that makes you look SO tall?

At our lunch break, we called home to check on the hubbies and kids. Lindsay thought it was funny that we were all on the phone at once.

It really was an awesome weekend, but my favorites were Hilary Weeks, Sheri Dew (the part I heard) and Mary Ellen Edmunds. I came home feeling rejuvanated, with all kinds of goals to help me be a better wife and mother. All Jeff wanted to know what what I had told the other ladies about him. I couldn't of anything that he would be upset about, so he said it was a successful weekend, too. Love you all! Thanks for making it possible!

Timeout!

After deliberately pouring a cup of water on the table while we waited for Jeff to get home for dinner, the child in question was sent to timeout. I may have assisted the child's progress by gently nudging him/her with my foot, which was not well received. While in timeout, this is what I heard from the other room: "I don't like mom." Then it was sung, "I don't like mom, I don't like mom." When this got no response, the child ventured, "I'm going to say butt to you (this part made me laugh) and kill you (this part didn't)." Do I enforce "soap words" when they are said during a timeout, when bad behavior is already being ignored? Conundrum. When I still ignored this outburst, the song started again, a little more angrily this time. "I don't like mom!" Any guesses which delightful child I am referring to?

The Rest

CHANCE: It's hard to know even where to start with what I learned from my brief encounter with our second baby. I know that the Lord wanted me to learn to have faith in Him, and to trust in His plan. My testimony grew more during December 2003 than in any other period of my life. The hardest things for us can also be the best, and I feel that I am a better person, a better mother and a better disciple of my Savior because of it. Even still today, I am learning things from the experience, and my perfect son who watches over us from heaven. We took several pictures of him in the hospital shortly after he was delivered, but most of them didn't turn out because the flash wasn't on (it was a disposable camera at the hospital). Here are a couple that did turn out, because I know you are probably curious as to how big a 10 in 12 oz baby is:

ALLIE: Ah, the many lessons of Allie. I know the Lord decided I needed to learn patience when He blessed me with her. That is the case with all children, I know, but especially with Allie. She has been a challenge from the beginning and I don't see the end in sight. She came into our family when I was desperate for a baby (any baby), and that made it much easier to deal with all the crying, and there was a lot. Now, she has grown out of the crying, but tests my patience in so many other ways. While it is hard to discipline Damon because he truly seems remorseful after he does something wrong, it's hard to have sympathy for Allie because she doesn't seem sorry. I am optomistic about her future, but also realistic, and I think we are in for a battle with our little independent child who doesn't really care about what anyone else wants. I love her, don't get me wrong, and my life would be empty without her, but I know she is here to teach me patience. I hope I learn that lesson soon!

She can be very sweet, but this is how I remember her as a baby:

She loves life and doesn't stress out about things like Damon does. She is willing to try anything, and I think that will help her out in life. She is strong-willed, sneaky, and eternally optomistic about not ever doing anything wrong again. I love this little girl.

KYLA: Well, the verdict is still out on my latest love, and what I have to learn from her. So far, I have learned just how much love is in my heart. There's never a shortage, which is amazing. She is so sweet and fun and excited about life. I can't wait to learn all there is to learn from her! This is from early this fall at Sea World.

This is the point where I would end with something really great. But Kyla is screaming and Allie is begging for attention and so this is going to have to do.

DAMON

Have you ever thought that your children were sent to you to teach you a lesson? And I don't mean that in a bad way (although, come to think of it...), but this morning as I was taking a shower I started thinking about how different each of my children are and what that should mean to me in my life. Basically, I am trying to figure out what it is about these kids that make them right for our family, and me in particular. Here is what I have come up with:

DAMON: Ah, the firstborn, the one who changes everything. I honestly believe that having that first baby was harder than having the second or third. And he wasn't a hard baby or anything, but it completely changed my life. I think I needed to learn that unconditional love and selflessness that is required to be a mother. But I think Damon was sent to us, to me, specifically to teach me how to love. He is so easy to love, because he loves so easily. I know I have complained before because he seems to be TOO affectionate, but it is one of the things I love most about him. He doesn't leave in the morning before giving everyone hugs and kisses (Allie has insisted she be included), and usually multiple times. He is, and always has been, hard to discipline because he is so tender and I hate hurting his feelings. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Damon, my lover boy:

About 9 months old. He had the best cheeks!

Almost two in both of these.

This one is the one I can see Kyla in. He has very different eyes, but this look of his reminds me a lot of her.

And this one makes me laugh. He learned to make a piggy noise when he was one and it was his greatest trick (that, and responding to the question "what are you?" with "OBESE!" about the same time). Here he is mid-snort.

I was going to do just one post on all of the kids and what I have learned from them, but it is now time to pick Damon up from school, so I think I will go ahead and post this one and finish the rest later.

Funky town

I'm in a sort of funk today. I'm not really sure why. I vacillate between being very easily annoyed and not particularly caring about anything. It's a strange state of mind, and I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. The "easily annoyed part" mostly centers around my sweet baby. She loves me, as I have previously mentioned, and tries to follow me around. It's fun--for a couple minutes. But when I am trying to do things (especially fold the laundry), it's annoying. This morning I plopped her down next to Allie and I could hear them playing so cute together. Until I walked into the room. Kyla immediately got a goofy grin on her face and dashed toward me (by "dashed," I mean rolled her body onto all fours and crawled as quickly as she could, reminiscent of the turtles that keep showing up outside our house). I tried to capture the sweetness of my girls playing together for once, but this is what I got, Kyla beginning her "dash." I think she may have a career in track and field ahead of her...

After picking Damon up from school today, we had to stop at the post office on an errand from Jeff (always fun with three kids) and I decided to run into Publix and do our weekly grocery shopping. I didn't have a long list (just 12 things) and since it is so close to the post office, decided I would go ahead. I dislike grocery shopping so much, but it must be done. While I love buying food, I hate watching the total climb higher and higher than I planned and I especially dislike dealing with the three kids who have gotten completely out of control.

For most of the shopping trip, I was rutted solidly in the "not caring" frame of mind, and it didn't really bother me when I had to take Allie and Damon to the bathroom or pull Allie from the cart kicking and screaming because she wanted to sit upside down. But an hours worth of shopping can get to you (why did it take so long, I was only going in for 12 things!!), and by the end, I couldn't shove cheerios in Kyla's mouth fast enough and Allie started complaining about having to hold the bread and started squishing it. I went from not caring to annoyed in 1.1 seconds and flicked Allie's ear from behind. Don't ask where that behavior comes from, it was a total gut reaction. I felt bad after because it was neither logical nor loving, which I am trying harder to be, and then slipped back into not caring again. Strange.

I hope I bust out of this funk soon. I have a lot of fun things to look forward to--Time Out for Women is in Tallahassee this weekend and I am so excited to take a trip with some of my favorite ladies for a great weekend. Too bad it's only Monday.

Speaking of funks, these books have shown up in the mail the past few weeks, all addressed to my hard-working honey. Can you tell by the titles that someone else is in a funk too and is counting down the days until he is finished with school?

UPDATE: I wrote this yesterday, but never published it because Blogger was having some troubles. I feel better this morning. Thank goodness for mornings.