Hopefully a solution...

Our little Abby has been having such a hard time sleeping at night. This has been going on for months. She wakes up scared and climbs into our bed every.single.night. Neither Geoff or I sleep well when we have that extra little person in between us, so one of us, usually me, winds up on the couch. It even got to the point that we would just let her and Emily fall asleep in our bed (because Abby feels safe with Emily near) and then Geoff would carry Emily to bed and leave Abby there. I'm not exactly sure what she's scared of. We've tried everything. Nightlights, leaving the door open, songs, prayers, pep talks, rewards, ect. I kept hearing advice to lock her in her room...or lock our door...or send her back to her room and let her work thru her fears on her own. I hated all of those ideas! For one, she sleeps with her sisters and if she's awake and crying...they're awake and crying. And secondly, it makes me sad to think of her being scared when all she needs is comfort from us. Maybe I'm wrong for thinking this way, but I just didn't feel comfortable with any of those "solutions". So we decided to push Emily and Abby's beds together. They were so excited!! Tonight's the first night so we'll see how it goes. So far so good. Abby hasn't fallen asleep in her own bed for months and she is sleeping peacefully right now. Yay!! That's a huge step in the right direction! 

Crossing my fingers for a good nights sleep tonight!! 

An update, a new goal, and a pretty lengthly post

 I read this quote quite awhile ago and it's been on my mind ever since. 

"Begin today and write your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives."

--Spencer W. Kimball

I started this blog a long time ago so I could remember my daily life as a mom. Well, my daily life as a mom has taken over and I haven't kept up with things (including my blog and journals) and much as I'd like. It's a new day and I am more determined to do better. I don't want to forget what life was like has a young(ish) mom with three little ones. So this is it! The good, the bad, and the ugly. I know most people don't read my blog, and that's okay. This is more for me and my family....to help us look back on life and remember.

So here's an update with things we've been up to:

The Pumpkin Patch

 This actually happened last night. Do you dread getting ready for FHE every week? I do. I love having Family Home Evening...but getting ready for it is another story. So I was beyond thrilled when our good friends, The Willis Family, invited us to join them at the pumpkin patch for FHE. The girls were so excited to get to spend some time with their friends. (And I was pretty excited, too!) We had such a good time. Going on the hay ride, face painting, picking out some pumpkins, and tons of playing were some of the highlights.

Abby hasn't been feeling well and we were really tempted to just stay home. I'm so glad we decided to load her up with Tylenol and Motrin and get her outside. It was just what she needed. (And a little love from her "boyfriend, brudda Teagan.)  Can I tell you how much we love the Willis Family? Chris has become one of my very dearest and bestest friends. I love that we're all friends and we all love being together. It's one of those friendships that doesn't come along very often, but I'm certain will last a lifetime...and hopefully longer. 

 This girl:

 I don't even know where to begin with this girl. I love her to pieces but she can really drive me batty. I'm pretty sure she's our "girlyest" girl and loves dressing up and wearing a crown. She also has a purse that must go everywhere she goes. We're shocked at how well she's talking now. She definitely tries to rule the house and has a designated "spot" where nobody else is allowed to sit. She loves her blankie and bottle and any soft stuffed animal that she can find...usually one that one of her sisters is holding. You know that poem, The Toddler's Creed? That describes my Sophie exactly.

 This girl:

 Our poor Abby got a UTI on the 9th. She was miserable and went downhill very quick. That was by far THE most frustrating trip to the doctor! Sophie hurt her foot the day before so both of them got to go. Oh boy! I'm so glad Geoff was there to help. He got to hold Sophie down while she screamed bloody murder during x-rays and I got the task of trying to get the most stubborn 3 year old in the world to pee in a cup. I gave up trying and took her back to the room. Then the doctor suggested she pee in the hat and just pour it in a cup. That freaked her out even more. Who pees in a hat?? She kept screaming that she wasn't going to pee in a hat. She screamed for so long and so loudly that she almost threw up and then a man came in the room to see if everything was okay. Everything is so NOT okay, sir! At that point we gave up and I just figured we'd have to hold her down while they inserted a catheter. Thankfully our doctor told us to take her home and get the pee and then run it back up. (I'm sure he was pretty sick of my screaming kids at that point. And so was I!) Geoff and I had never worked so hard to keep our frustrations at bay...we both had such a headache by the end of it! So, we snuck the hat and the cup in the diaper bag and headed home. I ran inside and stuck the hat on the potty and then put her potty seat on top. She had no idea and was pretty happy to pee in her own house. But when she saw what I had done, she gave me this look of complete betrayal. And now every time she has to go to the bathroom she checks for a hat. She was doing really well with the medicine, but once we finished it, her fever came back. So we headed back to the doctor this morning. I knew they'd want her to pee in a cup again so I ran up to the clinic for more cups and another hat. I had to be really sneaky this morning but she hadn't really woken up yet so it all worked out. Before we went to the doctor I heard her practicing what she was going to say to the doctor. "No, No, Dr. Murdoch. I will not pee in da cup. I will not pee in da hat. No, No!!" Poor girl. Thankfully everything checked out okay at the doctors. She is dehydrated and has a cold but she's feeling better.  

Abby started preschool and I really wish I could say that she loves it. It is quite the fight every time she has school. Her teacher tells me that she's doing great and is super smart. She has become so attached to me and to her house...I'm thinking that's why she doesn't like to go. When we ask her if she had fun at school, she quickly says, "NO!" Or what she did do that day, "Nothin fun." I'm not sure what we're going to do about it. Preschool should be a fun thing. She begged and begged to be a school girl and was super excited. I think once she realized that I wouldn't be there with her she changed her mind. 

This girl:

Miss Emily is back at gymnastics. We pulled her out for summer to give her (and me) a break. After one week of summer she started asking when she could go back. We were able to keep her busy thru the summer, but once school started she really wanted to get back to gym. We signed her up for a kindermusik class and that held her off for a few weeks. Then one day she came to me and said, "Mom, when can I go back to gym? It's all I think about and dream about." Well, that did it for me and we signed her back up the next day. She's only going for an hour once a week and that's been enough for her for now. That first day back, she put her leotard on and said, "Oh, I feel like myself again!" What are we going to do with this girl? We have gotten alot of criticism for putting her in gymnastics. I'm not sure if people think it's me pushing her to do this, but that is clearly not the case. She has found something (for now) that she absolutely loves doing and we love that she loves it. She's good at it and I think it's been really good for her. Do we want her to compete again? Probably not until she's older and only if she really wants to. (And if we can afford it.) She's also been taking a Kindermusik class and she's really enjoyed that, too. It's been fun watching this girl discover her talents and find things she loves doing.

 Emily is in 1st grade now and doing awesome. Her teacher tells me that she's reading on a second grade level and doing very well with her sight words and math. She loves school and loves her teacher....and loves playing with her friends, of course. She has also starting drawing more and is getting pretty good.  

This is our latest purchase and we are all so thrilled. We had a piano before but with all of Abby's medical bills that had to get paid, we chose to sell it. I've been missing it ever since. I found this one on facebook for only $200! So, we jumped on it and had a piano in our home again that night. It's been so much fun practicing again. My heart swelled when Abby sat on one side of me and Sophie on the other as I playing some songs. And then when Emily starts singing along to a primary song, I could just burst with happiness. I know this piano will bring alot of fun memories into our home. A few months ago while I was sitting in Relief Society and very strong impression came upon me that we needed to have a piano in our home. The feeling was so strong that I had to text Geoff and tell him. He immediately texted back and said that he just had the same feeling. It's amazing how things work out. I guess it's just meant to be! :)

Our beautiful girls!

The girls had their pictures taken this month by our good friend Alyona Oborn. She's a great photographer and Emily's very favorite trampoline coach. We just love her! I am so in love with these pictures! This isn't all of them but I thought I'd put a few of my favorites.

 

Our summer vacation

We had such a fun summer vacation this year! It was busy but laid back...perfect for us!  We started off in Boise visiting my sister, Paddy. I had only been to Boise once before and Geoff had been there twice, so this was like a new adventure for us. The girls were so excited to sleep at Aunt Paddy's house. The first night we went to the Movie Under the Stars at the park. It was so much fun! There was free face painting and games and a DJ was playing music. Emily was in heaven with the music and couldn't stop dancing. So funny! We watched Hotel Transylvania and ate pizza and popcorn. Definitely the perfect start to our fun vacation! 

 The next day we went to the zoo. Sophie was in HEAVEN! I'm said to report that the favorite thing there was the fake dinosaurs. Really?!? Yep! Everytime we saw one they would have to stop and see it. Crazy girls! Sophie loved all the animals but was upset that she couldn't pet them.

 After the zoo, we were able to stop and walk around the Boise Temple grounds. It's a beautiful temple and I really wish we could've done a session while we were there. Maybe next time.

The next day we took the girls to the aquarium. Abby has been obsessed with octopus' lately so we were excited to show her one in real like. The favorite thing here was the tiny drinking fountains. (I think I need to get my girls out in the world a little more!) They also loved the jelly fish and the sting rays. Paddy bribed Emily with a prize if she touched the string ray. It took a lot of coaxing, but she did it and was so proud of herself.

 Next up was the Simplot cabin in Hagerman. I think it's so awesome that Simplot provides cabins (I think they have 4 or 5 all around Idaho) for their employees to enjoy. A few people tried to explain how the cabin looked, but was a shock it was when we saw the beautiful waterfall right in the backyard! This was definitely my favorite part of our vacation because we just relaxed! Geoff's parents joined us, too. The girls were so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Meredith all to themselves. We played pool, croquet, fished, the girls rode their scooters, and we just hung out. I loved every minute of it and we're determined to make this a yearly event. It was hard coming home and getting back to our normal life again.

 

 



Sophie turns 2

 It's so hard to believe that my baby girl is already 2 years old! I still remember driving to the hospital to have her, wondering how on earth I was going to handle 3 young kids! Well, 2 years have past and I still haven't figured out how to handle these 3 girls!

Our little Sophie has been quite the addition to our family. She keeps us all on our toes. I've never had a little one that climbs so much and isn't afraid of anything. She is quick to give us kisses and loves and then throws the best of tantrums to next second. She is talking so well and knows so many words. Everyday she learns some new word or phrase. I love this age!

 We didn't have a big party for Sophie this year. Just some family, a few presents, and cupcakes. It was perfect. Books were the theme this year and she was in heaven. She also loved her bubble lawn mower and has trouble sharing it.

 

 She wasn't too sure about blowing out the candle. She didn't even enjoy her cupcake very much. I think she would've been happier with a big bowl of popcorn all to herself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE JANE!! We love you so much!!



A great week!

 This week has been a good week.



I had a birthday on Monday. Birthdays just aren't very exciting anymore.....maybe it's the whole "getting older" thing. Geoff and the girls made it nice with beautiful flowers, words of love, and good food. Emily promised me for my birthday she would do "all my work" for me and vacuumed the living room a few times. I got a "Happy Birfday Momma!" and a love from Abby. And even more loves from Sophie.   

One of my very dearest friends gave me a gift card to Amazon so I could order my very first set of Project Life. I have been DYING to get it but just couldn't justify spending the money on something that really isn't a necessity. I was so excited when it arrived on Wednesday! I can't wait to get started on it.....if only I could find a few minutes of quiet...

 

Poor Emily wasn't feeling well on Wednesday and had to come home early from gymnastics and miss school on Thursday. Every now and then she gets terrible stomach aches, no appetite, and a slight fever. After a few days of laying around, she's back to normal.

 

I got three of our 72 hours kits done!! This is a huge accomplishment for me! I have been fretting about emergency preparedness for quite some time. We have decided to make it one of our main focuses as a family this year. The thought of being prepared is so overwhelming to me. I read and read and study for days, get overwhelmed and not know where to begin, and give up. So it's really nice to have it started.....since starting something is usually the hardest part for me. Now we are motivated and will hopefully keep going and move forward with it.

 

 This is one of Emily's latest drawings. She is really starting to get into it and I think she has a pretty good talent for it!! We were pretty impressed with this one! She had to take a picture of it with her model. :)

 Oh little Sophie. I don't even know where to begin with this gal! She can drive me so crazy and then the next minute melt my heart. I love this lady so much! She has really started talking alot lately which has been fun. She has mastered the "dirty look" which makes us laugh every time.

 This has been a big week for Abby. I am proud to say that she is potty trained!! (Well, except for nighttime.) This was our second round of potty training. The first time she started doing really well and then got sick. I kept asking her if she was ready to sit on the potty and the answer was always no. (Sometimes she would even trick me and say yes and then say "Abby tricked mommy!") Tuesday morning she announced that she was going to sit on the potty today so we didn't hesitate. She's only had a few accidents. I am so proud of her! I think she looks so cute in her "wonda-weah"!!! That first day we had to bribe her with M&M's, stickers, and money. Whatever works, right? Love her!

 Emily is growing and getting smarter before our eyes. It amazes me how much she has learned in kindergarten. I am so glad that she loves to go to school. Her latest phrase is "Why do I always have to be right?". Not my favorite thing to come out of her mouth. She's a sassy one, that's for sure, but man, I love this girl! She is always quick to give a love and offer a compliment. She is still going to gymnastics and loves it. Her first competition is in February and she's super excited. When I asked her if she wanted to compete she said, "Why? Everyone already knows I'm a star!" I don't know what to do with this girl!



Life lately

I have really been neglecting our little blog! What can I say? Life has been busy, as usual. Here’s a quick run-down of what our little family has been up to:

*Emily turned the big 0-5. She thinks she’s pretty big stuff! She graduated from preschool and is all ready for kindergarten to start. She’s super bummed that she has to wait all summer. She is still in gymnastics and loves every minute of it. Her favorite things are the trampoline and tumbling…..she does not like the beams or bars!! I’m amazed at how well she has done in just a year! She has tried a back handspring all by herself! Hopefully buy the end of the summer she’ll be confident enough to do them without any fear.

*Abby turned 2 in March. I’m pretty sure a switch was flipped the minute she turned two, cause man can she throw a good tantrum! She’s pretty darn sweet though, and always keeps us laughing. Last month, after a follow up with her ENT, we discovered that she has Congenital Subglottic Stenosis….on top of her Laryngeal Cleft, narrow airway, and kidney reflux. She will need to have a surgery soon so the dr can measure her cricoid cartilage and possibly have to widen it. On top of all of that, she has a terrible ringworm rash and a staph infection that she got from taking amoxicillin. She’s doing a lot better now and will hopefully stay healthy long enough to get her surgery done this summer.

*It’s so hard to believe that our sweet little Sophie is going to be 1 next month!! This year has flown by!! She is such a sweet baby and loves to cuddle all the time. She has been crawling for about a month and is into everything! She can say “da-da”, “ma-ma”, and “wasss-at?” About a month ago she was very sick with croup. She was having so much trouble getting enough air and started going blue, so we got her into the dr. Her oxygen averaged at 81 and her heart rate was 207! Scary! She was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease (asthma) and will need an inhaler for who knows how long. She is such a happy baby and has brought such a sweet feeling into our home.

*Geoff and I have just been trying to get through each day. The goal is to end the day with a smile….but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes just finishing the day knowing that we all survived, is enough. Geoff amazedsme, though. He works hard and never complains! He always tries to have a positive attitude and is willing is jump in and help with whatever needs to be done. I love that man! I wish I could be more like him! I’m not gonna lie….life has been tough. Really tough. Dealing with Abby’s (and now Sophie’s) health problems has kinda knocked the wind out of me. It’s been hard dealing with people’s opinions and judgements. We’ve lost close relationships because we’ve been brave enough to stand up for our little family. But I know that that’s what is important right now. Not what my neighbor thinks, or someone from my ward thinks, or even what a family member thinks.  What matters, is what I think. What Geoff’s thinks. And what my beautiful daughters think. And most importantly, what my Heavenly Father thinks. I know that we are doing the very best that we can with the circumstances we have been given. And that’s what’s most important. Life really is good! We are happy and everything seems to work itself out. Here’s some quotes that have really touched me lately and helped me get through those hard days:

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." - Gordon B. Hinckley

 “Only you know your circumstances, your energy level, the needs of your children, and the emotional demands of your other obligations. Be wise during intensive seasons of your life. Cherish your agency, and don’t give it away casually. Don’t compare yourself to others — nearly always this will make you despondent. Don’t accept somebody else’s interpretation of how you should be spending your time. Make the best decision you can and then evaluate it to see how it works.” ~Chieko N. Okazaki