Organizing, Mothering, and Playing...Oh My!

Figured I should do a quick update although there's nothing overly exciting to share. I've been busy working on de-junking and better organizing things. Oh, and in the middle doing mom/wife things plus working. So, needless to say I've been busy.

I started teaching Taylor and Hollie piano lessons this last week. They both seem very excited about learning and I hope to instill a love for music in them. Although I don't spend near the time I used to, I love to sing and play the piano.

I brought in Kambri's toddler bed and put it all together the other day. She seemed pretty excited about it until bedtime. I had left her crib up as well, because I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to go down. Needless to say, she starts whining and pointing to her crib saying "there". So, back to the crib we went. And honestly, I could've attempted it more...but she's my baby and she's not crawling out of the crib yet. Life gets a little more interesting when you can't keep them contained in an area. So, we'll just wait on that one!

Sometime here in the next week I'm going to repaint my kitchen as I'm changing it to the twiggy hearts and stars. What color do you think I should paint? I have a chair railing that is up now that I did have the upper part white and the lower part a brownish/tan color. Help a clueless lady out! :)

I found these cute pictures taken a month or so ago and thought I'd better share them. They're too darn cute.

Oh my gosh, I just absolutely love these pictures.

Playing with her pet salon. I love watching her play by herself.

Taylor Bug

And last, but certainly not least, my Taylor Bug! (He'd kill me if he read that.) Since the day he was born he was called Tay Bug and Tator Tot. We dropped the latter one quite some time ago but I still call him my Tay Bug.

While we were sitting at the table the other night and he starts freaking out about his mouth. Shaun looks in and his tooth is sideways barely hanging on. So out it came. And then yesterday he got home from school and had anther loose one that came right out. He has just a couple more baby teeth left, after which he gets to start with lovely braces.

Here he is doing what he loves best...his video games. Notice the gloves on his hands. He has severe exzema and we put his medicine on at night and he wears these gloves to bed to help absorb it. Poor kid, it gets to where it just cracks and bleeds.

I think he realized he had his gloves on and that's why he hid his hands.

Taylor decided to take matters into his own hands with decorating his room. Here he has plastered a bunch of pictures of Yu-Gi-Oh and then various drawings he has made. Both he and Hollie are quite good little artists and it certainly did not come from me.

As of lately, you will find Taylor and Shaun in the family room playing Animal Crossing on the Wii. I'm glad they have something they enjoy doing together. It's sometimes hard finding those things with Taylor!

Kambri Balooga

Oh my little Kambri! She's growing up so fast. Kambri has been adding new words everyday and it brings so much relief to my worried mind. She's starting to put 2 words together and it's happening quickly. The other day in the car I tried handing her drink to her and she tells me, "don't want it". I was SHOCKED! So she is definitely making strides with her speech.

The binky is gone, gone, gone! It's been like 2 weeks! HOORAY! (Which reminds me that I need to gather them out of the hiding spots and throw them away.)

Kambri and I had a wonderful day together yesterday. We cleaned the house and sat and played her Dora matching game. We made up our own little version of it so she could better understand and make it fun. Fun we did have! :)

She had to have this bowl to put her matches in. :)

Then came naptime and she has started this new thing that she takes off her diaper when she wakes up or is laying in her crib. It went something like this at naptime.

Trip #1 into her room (due to all the noise)- she's thrown her pants, diaper and blankets all overboard onto the floor. I put them back on and settle her back into bed.

Trip #2- (more noise after I thought she was finally asleep). Blankets, pants and diaper overboard...with piddle all over her sheets and legs. So I change the sheets, clean her up and leave again.

Trip #3- (she's really starting to howl at this point). I go in there and she's freaking out in the corner on her tip toes. Yes my friends, she's peed AND pooped all over her bed and is trying not to step in it. Plus, her socks are sopping wet with pee. At this point, I give up! Out of the bed she comes, get her cleaned up, wash her SECOND set of sheets...and off to play we go! (How gross to think that at the time I thought 'hmmm...I should grab my camera for my post'.) :)

I was upset initially but the greatest thing of all of this...I found humor in it! What a little stinker. I told her if she doesn't want to wear diapers anymore she needs to learn to use the potty. If only we could get her more consistent. Any tips out there?! :)

I love you so much Kami! Thanks for all the love and joy you bring to our family!

Hollie Bear

I've decided this week to blog individually about my kiddos. A good friend of mine once said that when she focuses on the good, it helps to block out the bad.

I must be having cabin fever, because I'm just struggling pulling myself out of this slump I feel like I'm in. I was being a not-so-nice Mom and was having very little patience with Hollie earlier, but we got it turned around. After a mini-meltdown of tears I felt a bit better. (In all truthfulness, the tears had been working themselves up all day, it wasn't her necessarily.)

So, we sat down and played Disney Sorry! and a Memory Game. I have to add that she has a memory like no other. She can recall things that were said or done YEARS ago and it carries over into the Memory game. She always feels sorry for me and throws me a few matches here and there. :)

After we were done playing the games we were talking a bit. She starts asking about the various places I've had stitches and what happened. (There's a lot!) Well she got a bit confused and started thinking that stitches are from surgery so I explained to her the difference and that when you cut open the skin they basically "sew" you back together.

Hollie: So Jesus sewed me together before he sent me down to Earth? (You totally have to know the tone she uses when she's talking about things that get me laughing. She totally feeds into me.)
Me: Not exactly. (As I'm dying of laughter).
Hollie: Well how did he get my neck to stick to my head? And my ears?
Me: When you were in my tummy your whole body was formed inside me.
Hollie: Oh, so Jesus sent me down in an egg? (Again the whole tone thing)
Me: More laughter

Anyways, so it went even farther to her wanting to know why the egg wasn't sent to Shaun for him to 'hatch' and so forth. It was absolutely hilarious. Taylor has never cared about ?'s like this and her mind just works so actively on these topics. But the ending consensus was that she 'doesn't ever want to go back in there again'- referring to my tummy! The things they come up with.

I took these pictures a few weeks ago and never did post them. I got home from work and she had set up this concert for Shaun and I to come to in her room. We have a lot of concerts in this house, she's my little rock star.

She had refreshments ready for all of us which included bread, water, and various candy.

She had made a picture/letter for each person.

The 2 rock stars!!

Receiving my letter.

Hollie dancing. For never having had dancing lessons of any sort, she's a natural little ballet gal. I've got to get her enrolled.

I love you my sweet Hollie! Thank you so much for the joy you bring into my life.

25 Random Facts About Me

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Consider yourself tagged if you're reading this! :)

1. I have been married to Shaun for 7 1/2 wonderful years, and have 3 children with no more possible!

2. I feel very inadequate in all areas of my life and it causes me some real anxiety some days.

3. I nap every day if I don't work, or I'm really moody.

4. I have a puking aversion which includes: seeing or hearing it, having to do it myself, or anything else related to it.

5. I am fearful of many things. The top 3 include mice, puking and fires.

6. I love to read!

7. I wanted to be a psychologist when I was younger. Now I just really need one! ;)

8. I love spending QUALITY time with my husband and kids when everyone can get along.

9. I enjoy watching figure skating and have always secretly wished I could do it.

10. I have an angel sister, Michelle, who died when she was 4 and I miss her terribly!

11. I had my tongue pierced at one point in my life, how stupid was I?!

12. I love to bake and hate to cook.

13. My newest hobby is my Cricut! Thanks Mom!

14. I have always loved to sing and play the piano. However, my talent with both has gone downhill and I want to rebuild it.

15. I drink so much Diet Pepsi in a day that if it were alcohol I would be dead, I'm most certain.

16. I am the oldest of four children.

17. I was hard core into selling Mary Kay for a while, now I'm just trying to sell off my stock! (I'll hook you up in a cheap way!)

18. I am yearning for a new house and I'm trying to become more grateful for what I already have and love it!

19. I love Melina's/ Bella's and could eat there once a week.

20. I am a nursery leader for the 3rd time and I'm quite ready to head on to Relief Society. (Now if my Kambri could figure out it's ok for mom to leave for a bit and not break into hysterics it might be an option before she turns 12.) :)

21. I am not good at disciplining my kids and it shows. I have good intentions though.

22. I love spending time with my family at the condos and wish we got away more.

23. I'm a clean freak, although my house doesn't necessarily show it. The clutter weighs down on my brain and I de-junk frequently.

24. I can't watch scary movies unless Shaun is home.

25. I love chick flicks.