I'd like to go shorter...

So... here's my hair after I got it cut.

And Wendell being his normal wiggley-worm cute self.

Believe it or not, I have nothing else to say.

Motherhood Sanctifies

(Mother's Day. We didn't get an Easter picture, so here's the "next-best-I guess" for Springtime. Which picture is better? We should just photo-shop one of the kids' heads to the other photo.)

I've been looking forward to blogging all week -or weeks?- and of course, I wasn't able to start until after 10 so I really shouldn't spend much time on it. My normal bedtime tries to be 10:30.... Richard is camping. Hopefully it won't rain on them. It's really hot, humid and rain-cloudy. It sprinkled earlier with lots of thunder and some lightning. It reminds me of El Salvador.

Isabelle



Isabelle is awesome. (As you can plainly see in this rockin' photo.) She of course has her moments of notorious two-ness, but she truly has a super sweet spirit. Some neat things about her...
-Loves to learn about the gospel
-Always talks about Jesus and Mary (and "Mary had a little lamb")
-Goes about the day singing, sometimes adding little hand motions to go with her songs
-Helps out with Wendell- likes to get him toys or a "burp clot" (cloth), sing to him
-Likes to use our Nursrey manual to give her own little gospel lessons
-Loves to read to herself or to Wendell


Wendell


(First time trying solids. Can you find Isabelle?)

-Will turn 5 months on May 20; in 5 days from now.
-Weighs almost 18 pounds (for those unfamiliar with babies, uh, that's A LOT for his age. Some year-olds weigh around that.)
-Wears size 9 month clothes
-Razzes regularly (I love it)
-Grabs and plays with his feet (I love it!)
-Rolls front to back, back to front, in both directions
-"Creeps"/Army crawls
-Tried solids (Seemed to like it the first try, but not so much the next two times, so we're going to wait a week or so before trying again.)
-Exhibits stranger anxiety (since the middle of April)
-Cries/gets upset when he drops a toy he wants or it's taken away
-Cries/gets frustrated at times (like not being able to pick up furniture when he crawls into it.)
-Loves to be tickled; I started "roughhousing" a little- rolling around with him, tickling him- he loves it
-He loves Isabelle a ton, thinks she's a hoot and a holler
-Seems to get bored (His mother maintains, he gets fussy only because he's a genius...)
-Loves to be outside (Well, what kid doesn't?)


Lately I've adopted a new approach to parenting.
I'll title it "Just Say Yes." (My next book? Ha ha.) I'd been getting really frustrated: it seemed like our toddler had been becoming very difficult. I honestly didn't know what to do. What helped me discover this new approach? Studying the scriptures and praying more diligently was helping. I knew first and foremost I needed to increase the level of the Spirit in my life and heart. "What to Expect the Toddler Years" helped shed some light. Also, some talks in church gave good insight, and I was able to receive direction from the Spirit. Finally, just contemplating was helpful.

So, I decided to make "Yes" my motto. To say yes as much as I could to Isabelle. Let the little things go! To embrace agency and try to embrace selflessness. So saying yes may be more inconvenient at times.... But really, when it comes down to it, not saying yes is what is utterly inconvenient when it adds up to meltdowns and tantrums. My saying yes to the little things means having her saying yes to the big things that actually do matter. No, poking your brother in the eyeball is not an option. Yes, I will turn the jam-packed and heavy shopping cart around and detour from finally exiting Wal-mart and walk back to the drinking fountain because I know you love drinking from fountains and you asked politely even though you perfectly well know we have your water bottle in the diaper bag. (Mind you, if Wendell had been awake, crying it probably would have transformed that little thing into a big thing to which I would have insisted we use the water bottle instead.)

In addition to the "Just Say Yes", I've been trying to be more positive to her. For every correction or restriction I have to give, I try to follow up with at least three positives, whether it be three positives about her or three things she is allowed to do instead (or a combination of the two). I know the actual number you're suppose to do for corrections is like 8, but I try to immediately do three and then throughout the day, supplement with more. For me that's more realistic for now.

I can't believe what a difference this approach has made to me and Isabelle! I am waay happier and I can tell she is too. It's increased the spirit of love and patience in our home. And he doesn't know it, but Wendell is happier too (!) because his sister is a lot more gentle with him now. It seems like most people already do this sort of thing with kids. I, on the other hand, admittedly require a concious effort to overcome my power/control issues. That's the great thing about parenting, if you want to survive, you had better open to change. Changes in life and change in yourself.

I'm so grateful to be a mother. I can feel myself becoming. Sometimes the progress feels so very slow; one might even wonder if any is being made. Then I think back to where I was a few years ago and if gives me a glimmer of hope. Isn't it wonderful to know we have an infinitely patient Heavenly Father? I know that much patience in needed with me. Isn't it wonderful to have a loving Heavenly Father's example? I love my children so much that I truly want to emulate our Heavenly Father in the way I treat and parent them. What a blessing to be entrusted with his children to love and care for. He must really love us if he would allow us, in our utter imperfections, to learn how to parent on his own spirit children. That is embracing agency. That is embracing selflessness.

Videos

Isabelle reading to Wendell :) . You can hear her count to ten (just skipping 4 and 5.)

Wendell tries solids for the first time.

Wendell razzes and talks; crawls to a toy.

And here's a teaser till next time: A Before picture. I got 7 inches of hair cut off!

Still kickin'

Just wanted to say we're still lovin' life! Super busy!

It's so funny that I thought I'd be blogging once a week. Remember that little plan? Ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa!!! That was BEFORE #2 came along. I do e-mail like once a week, facebook maybe every other week, if that. Oh, I dunno, did I blog last week? I can't even remember. It's all a blur. Well, anyway, I'm trying to improve scripture study and frankly, I need 10 min of scriptures way more.

Will my house ever be clean??? I was going to expound, but I'll leave it at that.

Richard is camping with the ward (boys). Starting Tues. Richard will have a final every other day for TWO WEEKS, Saturday included!!! ARGHLEBKLEGH!!!! Who is that lamer for him or me? Oh man, trust me, I'd rather be a mom/homemaker than a vet student! But I already miss his guts and finals haven't even started. Pity party for me. The Sabbath has never been a sweeter commandment. I'm so thankful he doesn't study on Sundays.

Isabelle and Wendell are doing well. He's actually sick -again-. But seems to already be getting better. I didn't get much sleep at all last night, but we three got good naps today. I think mine was longer than I shouldn't have let it be since it's after 11 and I'm still up! Not good!!

I'd better get to bed.

Wendell Rolls Over!

So-- my kids have grown up over night!

Isabelle used to call herself "Ah-bes" (like Isabelle, only putting the s at the end), and now she uses "Isabelle" a lot of the time. That alone just makes her seem so much older. She enunciates so well when she speaks. She used to call Dixon "Dickens" and now she says that right too. (It's funny because when she says Isabelle right, she sometimes follows it with saying "Dixon," like, "Look, here's the other tricky one I've mastered.")

Then tonight at dinner she out-of-the-blue said the prayer all by herself. She hasn't been praying at mealtimes for weeks. She's been saying she wants us to do it. Then tonight she prayed, "Heavenly Father, thank thee for the food. Amen."

And earlier today... Wendell rolled over by himself for the first time!! Then a few hours after that he started some crawling action!

I'd better get to bed.

Life is good.