Correction!!!!

This is a little note to clarify one important detail in my last post. I am not pregnant! I was simply wondering if and when I do get pregnant, what I'll learn from the fourth one. That was not an announcement! Sorry for the confusion!!

Evolution of a Mother

As I sat at the computer tonight, I found myself scrolling through Alex's baby pictures. A flood of memories swept over me as I combed the pictures. I couldn't help but compare the kind of mother I was then to the mother I am now. As a young, 23 year old mom, motherhood was just as much about me as it was about Alex. When he cried I thought, "What's wrong with me, what am I doing wrong?". When he learned to roll over, it was, "Look what my baby can do." That was insecurity that comes with being a young new mom. I was making the transition from wanting a career as a dietitian to wanting one as a mother. I was getting use to staying home all day long...and not feeling guilty for it. Mostly I was trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. To help me in this, I began to read the books...parenting books for every topic. Experts explained how to get your baby to sleep, to eat, even to develop more dendrites. You name it -I read it.
And of course I believed everything in the books to be absolute truth. I began to wonder why everyone else didn't do things like my books said they should...

Then Alex became a toddler and things changed a little. I knew it was time to add another child to our family. With Jeff still in grad school it seemed, to some, ill timed. But it was the right thing. My pregnancy with Isaac was different than with Alex. With Alex it was all about how my body was changing, how the baby was inside of me. With Isaac, everything became about the baby. I was so excited to meet him! When he was born, both Jeff and I looked at each other and cried. We knew how much happiness this little guy would bring. What I didn't know was how 2 children complicated life a bit. There had to be a book about that, right?

It wasn't until number three came around that I learned a valuable lesson in mothering: the mother is the nurturer. When Jackson was 5 weeks old he got sick with RSV and had to be in the hospital for 5 days. After he was admitted, Jeff came by the hospital to give him a blessing. Then he left. I, of course, was the one who stayed with Jackson in the hospital. I knew that Jackson needed me. Not just because I had to feed him, but because I needed to nurture him. Those were 5 very sweet days when my only job was to be by Jackson's side and take care of all his needs. I discovered that there were mothering traits that couldn't be found in books. I learned that I had those traits all along, I just needed to find them.

I'm beginning to get the baby bug again and am so excited to see what number four will teach me...I'll keep you posted.

Alexander

Isaac

Jackson

Entrepreneur

I often wonder what Alex is going to be when he grows up. For a seven year old, he certainly has an eye for selling things. This past week, Alex decide to turn our front yard into a mini-golf course. The charge of admission was $2.00 (pretty step considering the whole course consisted of one hole). With signs posted on the community mail boxes and clubs in hand he waited for customers. And waited... and waited...until Dad came home and played his course. Word spread around the family and Margie stopped by after work. Alex netted $5 and squandered it at WinCo buying candy.

A few days later, he decided to form a club. He walked around the neighborhood asking kids of all ages to join his club. There were a few takers and the first official club meeting was held Saturday afternoon in the play structure. He named the club, "Art and Craft and War Club". We quickly vetoed the "war" part of the name. I really don't know what he'll come up with next, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.

Turning 30

October is the month of birthdays for our little family. One week after Alex turned 7 I celebrated my 30th year on earth. My romantic husband took me away for the weekend to Bend, OR. We had a fabulous time. A million thanks to Margie for watching our boys!

When we returned from Bend, our house was decorated with hearts and signs. The young women of our ward and one very fun leader (Wendy Talbot) made me feel so loved on my b-day.




When I walked in the door, Margie and the boys had baked a cake, decorated the room and written special notes to me.

Here are the notes:

Dear Mommy,

I love you! You are the best in the neighborhood!
I have a song for you...it goes like this:
Mommy, Mommy is great!
Mommy, Mommy is fun!
Mommy, Mommy, Mommy...is the best one!

Happy Birthday!
Love From,
Alex.L


Dear Mommy,

I love your very much and I hope you have a good day.
I love you even though you're fancy.
My favorite thing about Mommy is that she is cool
and the best person in the world. I love you even though you're cool.
I love you 200 extra. And you're the best in the neighborhood.
My most fun thing I like to do with you is play games.

(dictated to Grandma Margie from Ikey)

Coming home to this great family was the best gift I could have been given!

Birthday Bash

Cyberchase we're moving
We're beating Hacker at his game.
Don't tell me that he's trying to hack the Motherboard
we'll get him every time.
Cosmic worlds! Freaky places that we've seen
We've got the power of ONE TWO THREE FOUR!
Running in a cyberchase, we'll meet him face to face
we'll stick together all the time!
Adventures in cyberspace. The chase is on just wait.
C Y B E R CHASE!
http://www.thirteen.org/cyberchasenews/downloads/mathsports/cyberchase.wma



Alex celebrated his 7th birthday with a Cyberchase theme (the great cartoon on PBS). The theme song (posted above) echoed throughout the house all last week, as Alex memorized the words. It was a great party. The kids went on three missions to save Motherboard from the evil Hacker. First they broke geodes open, revealing "powerful" crystals, second they dropped tiny sponge animals into water to see them expand, third they played a life size game of Cyberland (like Candy Land). Much fun was had by all.

The Buzz cake was a hit too!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I always knew my son Ikey was a chatter box. He's the one who stops complete strangers in a store and tells them all about the goings ons of his day. He's been known to ask employees of JoAnn Fabric for a quarter so he can buy candy. He is always talking to someone and I can't always edit what he says. This week in church was another example. In primary they were talking about talents. Kids were naming all the different kinds of talents people have. Ikey raised his hand and said, "Some people's talents are to have babies!". Four different friends have called to tell us about this comment. Oh, the world through a four year old's mind! It's appropriate that the name Isaac means "laughing one".

Soccer is a'going!

We are in full swing of soccer season now. We've adjusted to the schedule, the practices, the new friends. Now we get to sit back and enjoy the games. Alex is learning some skills and is getting great exercise. The highlight for this week, however, was bringing the after game snacks. Boys and food - a connection I'm beginning to understand!

The other boys keep themselves entertained by swinging and kicking the soccer ball around. We love starting our Saturdays with a little outdoor recreation and exercise!