Tooting our Horn

I'm going to take a second, or more and tell you how awesome my six year old is.  I try to keep my bragging to a minimum, for many reasons, but then I realized was sort of neglecting him.  In hopes I didn't make him conceded I wasn't praising him, and then I realized that is what he really wants.  He isn't that touchy, he doesn't want that much quality time, but he really loves for people to tell him how awesome he is.
He is awesome, he taught himself how to read a little over a year ago, when he was barely 5.  Sure we have always read to him, sure we have more books than most people, sure we sort of, occasionally did phonetics, sure he went to preschool for most of a school year, and sure he spent a lot of time on StarFall.com.  But I didn't teach him, nor did my husband.  It took him a few months to believe us that he knew how to read.  Then he figured it out, and enjoyed short books, then by early fall he exploded, he read all the time, books, much too hard for kindergarten in the beginning of the year.  He would read to his sister, it was awesome.  Until he started reading facebook, we put an end to that.  Reading pinterest even worse!
I waited in anticipation for reading groups to start in Kindergarten, it was going to be so fun.  The first day was great, he got this super long  book, with a sentence one page, a paragraph on the next, he read the whole thing to me.  I thought hooray his teacher understands his level.  Turns out he was suppose to read the sentence I was suppose to read the paragraph.  Every book after that for until after Christmas, was a short 6 page book, that said "A bird flies", "A cat walks" (he favors non-fiction).  I didn't know what to do, I was so annoyed, but I didn't want to be that annoying mom who says, my child is smarter than you think.  I talked all the time to Brent about it, I called my mom, I called my sister.  Then I started drowning in sunbeams, I couldn't really fight any other battles, going to church on Sunday was enough battles for one life.  It was giving me headaches that would last through Tuesday, I really didn't care about book groups.
In December I started talking to my friend who's son is in the same class, I told her my annoyance she said just email the teacher, you don't need a conference I email her all the time.  So was going to in the new year, like I said I was drowning in Sunbeams.  Oh I will also say, at first I was really annoyed with the teacher, then I started helping out in the class, I cut her some slack, a lot of slack, she has 25 kindergartens in the morning for three hours, some of which are still working on letters, and then 17 more in the afternoon for another three hours. It is her first year teaching kindergarten, she spent a previous 4 years in First grade.  After thinking about teaching that many children five days a week, I cut her a lot of slack.
Well January came and my friend asked for her son to be moved up reading levels, she was sick of reading the same books, J moved up too, without me asking. I did start emailing the teacher, we talked about his strengthens and weaknesses, she said don't push him to read books too big.  I realized that a week before she said that, I tried to get him to read to me a beginner fiction chapter book, I thought we were both about to die we were so miserable.  He could read it, he just didn't care about it. But then I started noticing he was reading non-fiction twice the size.  He recently told me he loves wierd non-fiction.  I said, I can tell, Ripley's Believe it or Not books, Creatures of the Deep Sea.  The wierder the better for him. There are two reason for his non-fiction love, one he just doesn't care much about much fiction stories, second he doesn't like reading a book start to finish.  He likes to jump around, but he will eventually read it all.  J has since moved up reading levels three times.  He is now in chapter books from the teacher.  Recently when I was helping I noticed he read an extra book with the teacher after his book group was over, it was a longer book, with chapters.  She looked like she was genuinely enjoying the time with him.  I was relieved, not because I want everyone to know how smart my kid is, I take no credit, its just who he is, but because he is a fun kid and its fun to read chapter books with such a young kid.  He loves learning, and reading, so its fun.
Yesterday we had some friends over, J was reading A.A. Milne's Poetry, I'm not sure if he was reading Now We Are Six, or When We Were Very Young, but the none the less he was reading it to himself.
He is a fun smart kid, but he can also be pretty stubborn. The child is amazing at writing and penmanship, but we literally had to force him to write his last name on homework.  He and his dad love to do math together, sometimes they do simple addition, but they also get into prime numbers and division, but when he asks to play the computer and I ask him to read a face clock and tell me if it is after two, you would think I was trying to pull his fingernails out.  He knows how to tell time, they just haven't covered it in kindergarten yet, so he doesn't want to do it.  If Miss K hasn't told him to do it, he sees no reason to do it unless he wants to.  He wants to add, he wants to manipulate mini marshmallows into groups (division) but read the clock, you would think he was being torturer.  Although he is a fabulous kid and super fun, he doesn't like doing anything that is not easy for him, which is why he told me and his preschool teacher for months he couldn't read, when we would watch him read. It is also why he doesn't like telling time, he doesn't like to count out the minutes, he wants to just look and know.  Which is also why the child was writing completely sentences before he could write his last name. Sure he was capable enough to write it he just refused.  Eventually with his last name his dad said enough is enough, and fed his sister marshmallows until J spent the 20 minutes to learned.  Then J got the rest of the bag.
He is super fun, he has elected the last two nights to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid to himself instead of having us read to him.  We just got him three more books for his series.  He also likes Knights of the Lunch Table.
And like I said, anything weird, creepy, and about the deep dark sea.  He loves biology non-fiction, as long it is involves no big mammals, except for humans. He loves, plants, bugs, protozoas, fungi, human anatomy, reptiles, fish, birds but anything I would find exciting at the zoo he has no interest.  Elephants, apes, etc  Surprisingly he did find the giraffe interesting, but not like the flamingos, or penguins, and definitely not like the aquarium.
Here is an interesting antidote to finish of this long post.  Supposedly girls are better in school.  J's reading group which is the top in the class has five boys, and no girls. Not a single girl in his 25 student class, has made it to the highest reading group.  I don't know how these demographics will change as he ages, but for one I will say, his school does an excellent job of providing non-fiction.  He has only ever gotten 2 fiction books from the school library, and there is enough non-fiction in the class room library that he can bring home a different non-fiction book for months without repeating if he so chooses. About once every few weeks he does bring home a fiction, and he does repeat his non-fiction but he tells me its because he wants too.
Can I just say, I love his school librarians.

Awesome

Don't you wish I had something awesome to post?  Me too, I've been too busy and tired to think.  Seriously, I had so many kitchen mishaps today.  Phew!
Anyway, right now I'm thinking and scheming, wondering if I have time/ energy to make a dent in our family records.  When I was pregnant the second time I made a short baby book for #1, I need to do that for child #2.  She loves book #1, and tries to retell it.  Problem: Baby book #1, has hospital bracelets, baby hat, baby socks all together in the book. Heck if I know where any of that is for baby #2. Baby #3 heaven help me!  I use to think later children had less pictures in most families because it was 'been there done that', now I realize parents just don't have time to take as many pictures with subsequent children.
I also have boxes and boxes of my children's school assignments.  I need to organize them into a binder with school pictures for them.  Personally I do not want boxes and boxes, and will get rid of loose papers, and most papers once I make a binder.  The current problem is I have a horder in my house, and looks at me like I've betrayed all that is honest and good in the world, when I throw away old homework. Once he has a binder of treasures, he will just have to get over his betrayal.  Is it bad that I already pray he will grow up and one day meet a nice girl who loves to throw everything out?

Trashed

Can I tell you something.... this baby is trashing me good already.  My brother told me yesterday get use to it, it never changes.  I know I was tired during all the other pregnancies, but I had less to do, so I just slept more, didn't need to crash every few days.  I'm so exhausted.  Not to mention, I don't know if its exhaustion, dehydration at 7,000 ft, or something else, but every so often, I get these killer headaches that last for days.
I hope it dehydration, which my guess it is, if you pay attention its pretty easy to tell if you are dehydrated. The problem is being pregnant and at this altitude it seems to take me days to get back hydrated.  I try to keep up a steady water intake, but apparently some days I just forget.  Sure I'm still drinking more water than most of you, but for some reason my body thinks it needs about three quarts a day when I'm pregnant.

Holy Smokes

Holy Smokes, I'm 18 weeks, where did the time go?
Just for fun, see if any of you out there will comment, see how many people actually will comment.
What would you name my baby if I let you.  Leave a comment and we'll see if I have more than 5 friends.

My secret

Normally I don't announce this type of thing on my blog, and normally I wait another four weeks, for my blog. Last time I just casually mentioned it, but I'm just giddy this time. (This baby makes me cheesy and giddy.)  So now you know I'm pregnant, I'm 17 weeks, and I'm so giddy to find out what I'm having in three weeks.  Until my husband told me we might have to postpone it.  I said WHAT?! Anyway, different story for a different medium.
I had no doubt in my mind what gender my previous children were.  The only reason I was excited to get the ultrasounds with my first two kids was to prove to everyone was right, I was sick of those demeaning looks of oh yes, you think you know what you are having but everyone is wrong.
But this time, I have no idea at all what this baby is going to be. I honestly have no idea.  Brent's family seems to have a boy first, then a slew of girls so most likely I would guess its a girl, at the same time I wouldn't be shocked at all if it was a boy. Not to mention my belly is shaped like it was with my daughter, I know that is a wives tale, but none the less, it wasn't shaped the same with #1-- a boy.
The other day I started to reorganizing baby clothes, (they are a mess from the move) and I saw all the sweet boy clothes and I said to Brent, if we don't have anymore boys, then I'm going to just give all these clothes away without ever looking at them again.  He looked confused why that even needed an announcement.  Oh whenever I see J's old clothes, I want another boy so bad.   Plus my mom bought what I considered the cutest 3 month white shirt for a baby boy for my oldest's blessing.  Then we blessed him when he was three days old and 7 lbs, a little small for 3 mon shirt.  I want a baby boy blessed in that shirt. Other than that I'm pretty sure I don't care at all what we have ever again.
Except for the fact that we have agreed on my most favorite girl name ever, and so I really want to use it. So I do want a girl, but mostly for my daughter's sake.  Brent has enix-nayed (how do you spell pig latin, what is even the orgin of that word?) all favorite boy names, so I have no hopes and dreams in that area.
But the point of this post:
Isn't this not the sweetest looking baby blessing luncheon, ever?  Other then if I have a future son, he wouldn't be wearing a tie for his blessing. Oh after looking at all those boy clothes and seeing the unused blessing shirt, and seeing that luncheon..... just oh! *sigh*



I know most people feel this way about dresses and hair clips, but come on think of the drama in my house if this one is a girl.  Whoa girls are a lot.

Goals

In the beginning of the year I didn't post my new years goals on my blog, but I did set them.  I wanted success this year, so I didn't post them.
I guess now that is it is March it is time to reevaluate?  Not really.
I didn't want to set myself up for failure this year, I wanted to make my life easier and happier, not more complicated.  I guess you could interpret this as lazy, but I don't see it this way. A few weeks ago I saw this picture/quote online, and thought this is exactly what I'm going for with my goals this year.

Here are my goals with maturity for my family, in hopes of finding a simple, joyful life.

• Cook dinner for my family more nights a week than I don't-- usually at least 5 (the week I set this, we had just come home from christmas vacation at my mom's and my children literally ate cold cereal for dinner every night)
• Clean my house on a regular basis-- how can my house be a temple if it is not clean?
• Look for ways to LITTLE ways to serve others
• Study the Ensign
• Read the Friend with my kids
• Get to know my neighbors

Then Lord wanted me to step up my game, or maybe he didn't want me to fail, so our family was assigned to be a ward mission family for the next 6 months. I want to feel like I tried my best with the assignment no matter what the outcome, come June. As I've mentioned before Brent and I try to live no regrets, not looking back wishing for what I can no longer change.

I feel like my goals are plenty lofty.  I feel like if I accomplish all this all year, then I will have lived a good faithful year.  Plus, what it is really all about is simplifying my life, how can I enjoy my children and spend time with them, if I'm obsessed with so many things that don't matter.  Especially if they don't matter to kids.  Normally I have at least twice as many goals, but I wanted to set myself up for success this year.  I really feel like this year, who cares, move at a pace that is good for you and family. I've also realized if I focus on those six things then I spend less money, I spend less time focused on the world, and more time focused on my family and home.  

The other thing I have been working on that isn't my goal for 2012, because it has been my goal since Brent moved in with us, it is that I'm trying to have a home that is inviting to others, and open to friends and neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues.  

Now it is March and I have had some level of success with my goals, I hope I have been a small blessing in my friends' lives from time to time, when trying to help them.  I really have actually lacked with studying the gospel, but I am trying. 

But like I said, I'm stepping up my game.

(Side Note: One thing about little ways to serve, that mostly includes sharing child care with friends, help building a support system among friends, but also isn't it the friendly smile, or being polite to a store clerk. I feel like it is.)

It is spring and although it will probably snow a good twenty times from here until the end of June, it is warmer some days, so I want to get and be active with my kids-- goal seven.

Plus I have started indexing again-- goal eight.  I haven't indexed in 4 years, what?! Four years, I couldn't believe it has been so long, when I started again, it turned me to shame.  I actually feel like I've been nudged for months by the spirit to index, but I kept coming up with excuses.  When finally one day I said to myself, Lesli do you want the blessings you are praying for or not?  Then the answer was clear, get on the computer and index. K, lets be honest, I was probably already on the computer.  I don't index everyday, but I'm trying to index every day I have spare time, which is not always.  The spirit is helping, it tells me INDEX when I'm wasting time online, so I do a batch or two.  

Last sunday Brent taught a lesson on Family History, he shared a story of mine that happened from indexing four years ago.  Later that day when discussing his lesson, I said, really how many blessings does the Lord have waiting for us, if we just change a minor thing? This was more a knock to myself than anyone else.

Moral of the story: Simplify. Move at a pace that is comfortable. Who cares what marathon Sally Super Next Door Neighbor is running, life is not a competition, it is not a zero sum game.  You can't love those who you judge, and that includes yourself. 

Missed it

I wanted to post on the year anniversary of when we put an offer on our house. I missed it by two weekends, we came out here the last week in February. Phew, Februaries are a whirlwind in our family.  It has been a long year in a way, and in a year I can't believe all that has happened and all that we have done.
That weekend was so monumental for us, that we considered celebrating our last weekend without kids, by staying some where over night without our kids. Have I ever mentioned we have great friends here?  I feel like I know multiple families we could ask. Oh yes, I have mentioned we have great friends.
Anyway, its been a long road this last year, we had to jump through hoops for the bank to let us buy the house, buying from a bank instead of a person is a nightmare.  We had to end our lease on our apartment.  Brent had to go back and finish school.  We have almost finished painting the interior, I really think we can finish before we have lived here a year.  Brent wired the whole house, with CAT something cables, that was a nightmare.  We have a beautiful master bath, now to find a the money to fix the other bathroom.  Its been a long road.
In the beginning even though I loved the neighborhood I wasn't happy about buying the house, I wasn't ready to be an adult, for the responsibility, or for the investment. But months after we repainted most of the house, I finally grew into the decision and realize what a blessing it is.  I needed some months to forget the dirty blank slate we bought.  Now, I want to live here for a very long time, so I can fulfill all the potential I see in the house.