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!

One of each, in no particular order

Allie thought she'd like to try on a swimsuit I bought on clearance from Target (I'm taking it back because it is WAY too low cut). It looks pretty good on her, even though, as Damon observed, she has no breasts.

I get told all the time that Damon is so smart. While I don't entirely disagree with that statement, I also know that he is no genius. To prove it, he took the gum he was chewing, which he only gets to chew in the car, and wrapped it around his head like a crown. I turned back to look at him when he started crying, frantically trying to pull it out. We ended up having to cut it out, revealing a "bald spot," as I refer to it.

Apparently, Kyla was in need of a quick stroll, so Damon put her in Allie's doll stroller and wheeled her to the bathroom, where I was sitting with Allie. Luckily she doesn't weigh more than than she does and the $7 stroller was able to support her. He did promise he wouldn't do that any more.

Damon's World

Damon has been bugging me to let him take pictures with our camera for weeks now. Not willing to trust him with our Canon, I found our old digital camera and let him "practice" with it. He actually got some cute pictures until it got dropped, and now all the pictures he takes have weird lines on them, proving my point that he wasn't old enough to use our good camera. All of these are pictures that he took (before "the fall"). I like to think of them as the world through Damon's eyes. Here is Allie taking advantage of Damon's attention being elsewhere and playing with his blocks and cars.

Kyla and me.

Here is a picture of Kyla and me on the computer, a common place he would find us.

As you can see, she loves blogging as much as I do. Also, do you get the feeling that Damon's world consists of his mom and his little sister? You would be correct.

And here is a picture of how I have been spending many hours these past few days, reading Harry Potter.

I just finished last night and I am still panting and gasping for breath (I'm not going to give anything away, so if you haven't read it yet, but are planning to, there WON'T be any spoilers here). I haven't bought any of the others in hardback, and even though I was sorely tempted to buy this one, I withheld. I borrowed this one from a friend after she sped through it in two days. I had just finished rereading #6 so I would be ready for this one, and just in the nick of time, it turns out. I tried hard to read it slowly, and to savor every little bit, but when things got exciting the last 200 pages or so I had to neglect my family and dive right into JK Rowling's world (to be fair, Damon and Allie were in bed, so it was just Jeff and Kyla I neglected).

It was everything I hoped it would be. I laughed, I cried, I predicted some things correctly, I was terribly wrong on others, and I enjoyed it more than I even thought I could. When I was finished I had an overwhelming feeling of love for my kids (a little strange, as I'm sure JK Rowling never intended that to be a response to reading it) and I had to give them all a little squeeze. I am sure I dreamt about it, but when I woke up, I was a little bit sad that it was all over. I want to go back and read some parts again. And someday I will read them all to Damon (provided he gets over his fear of anything remotely scary), and hope he will make them a part of his world, too.

Some Pics

I was looking through my pictures, trying to figure out what I wanted to post today, and decided to just post a few of my favorites from the past month. Here is Allie, looking very dirty. I can't for the life of me remember how she got this way, but that isn't too unusual, because she is dirty most of her life. She also loves to change her clothes and has been trying to do this for some time by herself. Most recently, we went swimming on Wednesday and Jeff left his wet swimsuit and underwear on the tub in our bathroom. How could I keep from laughing when Allie came out with his wet underwear on her head?

This one is Damon's five year old shot. I have been taking a picture of him wearing Jeff's Sunday shirt every year on his birthday since he was two. The idea is that over the years you will be able to see him grow into it (as long as Jeff doesn't get any bigger and have to get bigger shirts!). This year he wanted to wear the shoes, too.

Damon also finished swim lessons last Friday and we now have one more swimmer in the house! He did great and even swam across the pool without grabbing onto Jeff. As is typically the case with Damon, he just needed to realize he could do it and he took off.

I laughed when I saw this picture.These are the kids in his swim class getting ready to jump in to their teacher. As you can see, Damon is looking at the little boy's crack in front of him. I can only imagine what is going through his mind, because Damon told me that the same, lowriding little boy pooped in the water at one of the lessons (unbeknownst to the teacher, of course). Maybe he's checking to be sure there isn't anything down there on that particular day.

Here is the best picture I could get of my jellyfish sting. This was probably 4 or 5 days later, so all the swelling had gone down. It's still there today, a week later, although it does seem to be getting lighter.

And here's yet another picture of Kyla. The look on her face seems to say, "Are you really putting me in this carseat again?" You can't really tell, but she is wearing a skirt. Jeff told me, "Put a headband in her hair so she doesn't look like a boy in a skirt." I did. Heaven forbid anyone think we are dressing up our son in girl clothes! Grudgingly, though, I do admit that she looks like a boy. She just needs some more hair.

Two Months

As Heather observed, the most asked question when you are pregnant is "Is it a boy or a girl?," followed by "Have you picked out any names?" After the baby is born, though, there is one question that is asked more than any other. And that is "Who does she look like?"

Jeff had barely finished cutting Kyla's cord and the nurses were still wiping her with warm towels, yet my mom and I were gazing expectantly at her, wondering who she looked like. "She's got Allie's nose," my mom said, "and Damon's chin. But where did she get that fair skin?" Of course, in a matter of minutes, her skin was no longer so pale and in fact, she didn't look all that much like the baby I remembered holding before. Now she is two months old, and only slightly resembles the baby we brought home from the hospital.

Here is the two month photo of her and Bexley. You can tell that she is getting bigger, and you can also tell that Bexley is in serious need of a trip to the washing machine. All the medicine Allie has rubbed on her has left its mark.

And the post wouldn't be complete without a picture of her huge grin. She may not be the most photogenic child you ever saw, but can you really help but smile when you see something like this?

And one minute later she wasn't quite so happy. Is she trying to flip me the bird?

We heard her first giggle the other night, too. I was making silly faces at her and we were rewarded with a slightly awkward laugh, as well as various cooing noises. Amazing what gets me excited these days.

One more thing. I will leave you with something I heard Damon saying to Allie yesterday.
"When you grow up, you will have breasts. Right now you only have nipples."
It really makes me wonder what else was going on in there...

One Arm Wonder

I learned when Allie was a baby that I could find a way to do most things in life with only one arm. Allie loved to be held (and didn't love much else) and I had to find ways to adapt. So far, Kyla has not been as high maintenance as Allie was, but she has her moments, and I have been reminded that while some things are manageable if you only have one arm free, other things are extremely difficult. For example:

Manageable: Eating a peach.
Difficult: Opening a can of peaches.

Manageable: Brushing my teeth.
Difficult: Flossing my teeth.

Manageable: Doing sit-ups.
Difficult: Doing push-ups.

Manageable: Putting bread into the toaster.
Difficult: Buttering a slice of toast.

Manageable: Going to the bathroom.
Difficult: Pulling my pants back up.

Manageable: Checking other people's blogs.
Difficult: Writing on my own blog.

I am, however, still trying to find ways to keep posting, even though I may be typing with only one hand (right now Kyla is enjoying the memory foam on my bed, so gratefully, I have two hands for this job).

I was tempted to photoshop an extra set of arms on a picture of my body (yes, I just used "photoshop" as a verb) and send it to Santa labeled "My Wish List." I don't necessarily want to be an octopus, but I sure wouldn't mind having four arms. Go Go Gadget Arms!