4 Years Young!

Can you believe it?

This girl is FOUR today!
We have so many fun things planned today but Toys R Us doesnt open til 10am and our movie doesn't start til noon so I have some blogging time this morning while my princess is enthralled with her new Barbie convertible. :)

Starting at the age of 3, I like to do a birthday interview with my kids to see how their answers change over time. Hayley and I did our interview last night and here it is:

How old are you?

4

What is your favorite movie?

Ninja Turtles and the Dora that goes to get her costumes back.

What is your favorite color?

Pink

Who is your best friend?

Annalie and Brooklyn

Anybody else?

Nah, not anymore friends. Oh except Dallen and Grandma and Jamie. I really like them.

What’s your favorite animal?

Lion.

What do you love most about Andersen?

When he says Im 4 and that I can open my presents.  

What do you love most about mommy?

Playing hide n go seek and duck duck goose with you.

What do you love most about daddy?

Playing with him too.

What is your favorite thing to do?

When Andy naps and I get to play play doh.

What is your favorite food?

Waffles.

She is such a funny girl.

I will most definitely post about her special birthday later today or tomorrow but I just wanted to make sure I blogged and wished our girly a happy happy birthday! I cant believe she is already 4 years old! She is such a smart, talented, beautiful, and compasisonate little girl and I am very lucky to be her mom.

And that's how Suze sees it.

The Monday Brags: All About Spidey

Since most of this week will be revolving around the two birthdays in our home this month, I thought I'd give our Spidey some face time on the blog for my Monday Brags.

I know I get repetitive when talking about this little guy because he is just a bundle of JOY and DIRT mixed into one happy mini-Boss. (He really does remind me so much of his dad. His blog nickname should be mini-Boss.)

Spidey's favorite things right now are Toy Story and Ninja Turtles. I find it hilarious that both kids love to watch the old Ninja Turtle movies and they aren't even the animated version! I would imagine them to be too scary for my 3 and 2 yr olds but I guess they aren't because neither kid has ever been afraid.

In my post yesterday, I mentioned that Spidey was the perfect child to have as my "baby" when going through secondary infertility. He is the perfect mixture of "big boy independence" and "baby who will cuddle with mommy" and seems to know when it is the appropriate timing for either one of those things.

Right now, my son is watching Toy Story 3 and quoting most of the movie. It. Is. Adorable. And adorable is really the best word to describe my son.

My Spidey isn't perfect, obviously. He likes to pick on his big sister and likes to kick people. He thinks he is too big for naptime but I do not agree. He likes to SCREAM and it gives me headaches...did I mention he screams for fun, not because he is crying or angry?

But his laugh is the best. Seriously. The video below doesn't do it justice but it shows his crazy laugh off a little bit.

I love this video because it shows how busy my little boy is. He can self entertain for hours because he is creative and uses his imagination so well. (I did try to edit the video and turn it around but it looks like it didnt work. If yours is turned the right way, hooray! If not, I'm sorry.)

Well, that's all the bragging time I have for today. I am off to clean my house so we can have company over tonight without being completely embarrassed.

The people that made me a mother

I am so blessed.

This afternoon has been quiet. Both of my favorite boys are sleeping and my favorite girl is watching Enchanted while I do one of my favorite things...blog. :)
It has been a wonderful Mother's Day, not because of the thoughtful gifts I've received (though I'm not complaining about them...) but because of the people I get to share this day with.

This morning when I woke up to breakfast in bed, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for a husband who loves and adores me. "Crabby wife" made many appearances this weekend and I am grateful that he is able to look beyond that and show me how much he appreciates the work I do in our home. I know we will celebrate him on Father's Day but I can't help but give him recognition today also because he is the reason I am a mother. He helped me create two beautiful, perfect, healthy children and he is a wonderful person to be working side by side with to raise these special babies.

When it came to getting our children ready for church, my husband was willing to do all of the work but he knows how much I love getting my kids dressed up so I did help with that. I wasn't quite sure how Boss would react to the bow tie I had bought for our son a LONG time ago and forgotten about and when our studly little man walked out of his room dressed like the above picture, Boss couldn't help but smile. Our son, that little man that we had together created, looked adorable in his outfit. Pride swelled in my heart for a son who always brings a smile to my face when I don't feel like smiling. He was the perfect second child and the perfect child to have as my "baby" while I've been going through these infertility difficulties. His little 2 year old body is small compared to the old spirit that is inside of him. He has really given me a testimony of premortal existence because I know his spirit is not 2 years old! He is wise, he is loving, and I am grateful to know without a doubt that he is mine forever.

Then came church. As I read the program for our sacrament meeting, I realized my daughter would be participating in the traditional Mother's Day singing up on the stage for the very first time. Even though I had to take her up to the stage and she mostly just stood there looking terrified, my heart swelled with pride that I helped create her.  I couldn't help but stare into her beautiful blue eyes and see a daughter of God, attempting to be brave and sing for her mother. I know she may not understand yet exactly why she was up there but I know she knows how special I think she is and how much gratitude I have for her that she would do a hard thing because it would make mommy smile. She is wonderful at making me smile and I'm so grateful for her. I feel so blessed to know that she is mine forever.

It has been the perfect day. Nothing fancy or embellished but a day with my little family (and tonight my extended family). Perfection.

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: I am very thankful for my mother and mother in law also and I have not forgotten them on this special day. :)

Mommy Wars or Mommy Support Systems?

I'm sure by now most of you have seen the TIME magazine cover of a mother beastfeeding her 3 year old son (who, in the picture looks like he's about 6 years old).

And if you have, have you taken the time to read some of the colorful comments regarding this mother who strongly believes in "attachment parenting"?

I am definitely not going to sit here and say that I agree with attachment parenting or that I think older children should be breastfed but that isn't really the point I'm here to make.

My least favorite part of the magazine cover was the phrase, or shall I say challenge, that said "Are you mom enough?".

Am I mom enough to what? Breastfeed my toddler? Well, obviously not since I didnt even breastfeed my children when they were babies.

So am I not mom enough? Or am I just a mother who had struggles and decided against breastfeeding two times in a row and may or may not choose to breastfeed in the future?

What gets me is the word "enough" in this challenge to all mothers. Enough? Don't we, as mothers, struggle with that word daily.

Are we cleaning up the house enough?

Are we giving our children enough attention?

Are we skinny enough?

Are we disciplining enough?

Are we loving enough?

I could literally go on and on with rhetorical questions much like the ones above because as mothers, we often struggle to know whether we are enough.

And we are. We just don't always believe it because we are constantly being attacked by the media and by each other.

Whether one mother chooses to breastfeed til her child is 8 and another mom never tries to breastfeed a day in her life, both mothers are enough. We are enough because we are trying to do our best for our children.

While I don't agree with attachment parenting, I don't think a mother is a bad mother because she uses that method of teaching. I can accept that she is trying to do what is best for her child without believing in her method and using it on my own kids.

These things that people call "Mommy Wars" don't need to exist. I am friends with people that don't immunize their children and yet, I strongly believe in immunizing mine. I wont belittle a mom for her choice that she believes to be correct. But please don't belittle my choices either.

I'm not crazy, unloving, or psychotic because I choose to immunize, circumcize, formula-feed, or give medications to my children. It's as simple as having a different viewpoint and leaving it at that.

I'm not bad and neither are you.    

 

So please join me in building up the mothers around you. Join me in supporting each other because motherhood is hard (refer to my last post) and we really do need to support each other all that we can.

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: Happy mother's day weekend!!! (I'm voting that we get the whole weekend this year...) :)

PSS: Please dont comment if all you have to say is that medications are toxins or that formula is like poison to a newborn or that immunizations will give my children autism. That really would defeat the purpose of my entire post.

Hard Mom Day

Today was a hard day.

My sassy, beautiful 3 yr old (for 6 more days) had a super hard day and it made the rest of us have a hard day.

Funny how that works.
This girl complains all day long of being hungry. I don't even think she knows what it would feel like to get full. I'm serious! She could have eaten the biggest meal of her life and MINUTES later, she is whining and saying she is "starving" and needs more food.
If you're wondering how I feel about this, it is driving me crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!
Also, Miss Thang doesn't take the word "no" very well anymore. Anytime I tell her no, she freaks out and goes into full fit mode. Could someone explain to me why this is happening? This is my good girl! She is usually more happy-go-lucky than this and likes to share and make everyone around her smile. But lately, I'm at a loss.
Today, when the super huge tantrum started, I just put her in her room. After screaming to the point of gagging (I was praying she wouldn't throw up and thankfully, she didn't), she finally calmed down long enough to come out and apologize. Then I sat there and calmy explained to her that she would be taking a nap today because of her morning behavior. She whined for a minute and then accepted her consequence.
But of course, did she nap? Nope. She just kept her brother up from his nap and they played in their room for 2.5 hours. And I was ok with that because I got a 2.5 hour break.

It's days like today that I am thankful I only have 2 children. What will I do when there are more and one is in a horrible mood and after a ripple effect, all of my children are flying off the handle with me? Sometimes it just scares me to think about. Sometimes, I'm grateful that right now, we only have 2. I hope for more someday but there will already be at least a 3 year gap between our next kid and my baby boy and that is more than fine with me.

I apologize for rambling on tonight. It really was just a hard mom day. I could not believe the way my loving, caring little girl was acting. It was just nonsense. I'm hoping that doesn't keep happening because it wore me out but in a way, it also forced me to learn more patience. I hardly yelled at her because I knew the more escalated I was, the more escalated she would become. So maybe the test of my patience was worth it for having a rough day.

I love my little girl so much. I hope she will know that throughout her entire life. I hope I can be the best mother for her because she really deserves it. I know she's a good girl and whether this is a hard phase or just a really hard day, she will always be my good girl. I just love her to pieces!

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: She is seriously going to be FOUR in less than a week. What the...?

Peace is possible, Kids are hilarious

The growth of my children is happening too fast.
No babies in this home anymore.
Two potty trained, sentence speaking, big kid bed toddlers have taken over our home and have left no sign of anything baby around here.
And the weird realization is that yesterday, I was totally comfortable with that. It's not necessarily that I've decided we are done having babies but moreso that I am more comfortable with the feeling that we may never get to have more babies. I'm sure there are going to be moments where I don't feel this way and that I'll have a hard time watching sisters or sister in laws have more kids but at least I know peace is possible.

On a much much MUCH brighter note, my kids have been keeping me entertained and busy. Maybe that's why things are going so well. :) As I said, they are both growing up much too quickly but the things they are learning and saying are so adorable!

Petey says the weirdest things daily. Her imagination baffles me and I don't know why she thinks of half the things she thinks of! For example:
"Mom, if I was like a giant, I could put my fork up to the ceiling."
P: People grow and animals grow and plants grow but cars don't grow and strollers dont grow and plastic doesnt grow but plastic and paper goes in the blue recycle trash so we can use it again someday.
Me: Where did you learn all of that?
P: Dallen taught me from his preschool class.
We are driving by and see a lady walking on the sidewalk: "Wow, her bottom is really huge, Mom. I've never seen one that huge."

And then there's my Spidey. I have tons of videos that I took yesterday but they'll have to be their own post because I haven't uploaded them yet. Some of the funny things Spidey has said lately:
I was holding him and HAPPILY talking with a friend and he started yelling, "Stop fighting! No fighting!" I tried to convince him we weren't fighting but he was not convinced.
Me: We are going to Grandma's house!
S (in a sing song voice): Hooray! Hooray! We going to Grandma's house. Hooray!

Really though, Spidey's new laugh is the most entertaining thing about him at the moment. It's hilarious! I'll make sure to get those videos up this week.

And that's how Suze sees it, brags, loves her children, etc. :)

The Monday Brags: Multitasking

Oh. my. son.

My little boy who always has something funny to say or do and who is always making us laugh.

The other day, I walked in the family room to find this...

Whoever said boys can't multitask?

At least he loves brushing his teeth, right?

And practicing his bike riding on the giraffe.

:)

I love you, Spidey.

You remind me so much of your dad and it makes me happy.

And that's how Suze brags.