We must be doing something right

I took Jaedyn to the doctors on Friday and wanted to announce that she now weights 12 pounds 6 ounces!! That means she has gained 8 ounces in the past two weeks - and a full pound in the last month! The iron drops must be working! She has also grown 1" in length in the last month and her head is getting bigger too. We might be able to move her up to the size 3 diapers before her first birthday! She is getting much happier and more mobile too. She has learned how to go from laying on her tummy to sitting up, and she is also giving "kisses" - so so cute! We will continue to feed her as much as possible, and hope for the day that she will be drinking from a sippy cup. We are so excited about her growth and I am thankful to everyone that has been so concerned about her.

My new little job

This week I started a new job, in hopes of curing my stay-at-home mom blues. I am now working as a Crossing Guard for the City of West Jordan! I have been training this week with the girl whose position I will be taking. It has been pretty fun so far, even though it has been cold and snowy. I am hoping that having some reason to get up and get ready in the mornings and being able to go outside and get some fresh air will help my attitude. So, if you are on the corner of 2400 West and 7000 South between 7:50 am and 8:30 am or 3:10 pm and 3:40 pm - Wave, honk, or yell "hi" - just don't hit me with your car!!

The world through Orange colored glasses

Carson's most absolute favorite color is the color Orange. If there is a choice between anything - he always wants the orange one. Cups, spoons, bowls, clothes, cars & trucks, food. He just loves the color orange. I was thinking about this last night and was thinking how I never really liked the color orange. I don't ever recall anyone else picking orange as their favorite color either. I began to think about all the things that I like that are orange....sunsets, tigers, orange Gerber Daisies, Nemo, fruit (oranges, peaches, tangerines)...but there isn't a whole lot of orange things. I am beginning to think that orange is the most under-appreciated color. I am grateful for the opportunities to see things through a 2 year olds perspective and am gaining a new appreciation for the color orange. Thanks Carson!!

Carson and his orange shirt!

Confessions of a Stay-at-home mom

January has been rough, and I'm not sure how much of my troubles are because of the weather or because of my attitude. I have been feeling like the worst stay-at-home wife and mother ever! I started this "new job" back in May when Jaedyn was born, with stars in my eyes. I thought I was going to be the next Carol Brady or June Cleaver, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had! I am feeling so guilty about EVERYTHING - not having the house spotless, not decorating the house, not having my children reading the encyclopedia by the age of 2, not budgeting our finances to the penny, not fixing delicious and healthy meals (on the table by 5:30), not spending enough time with my husband, not ironing, not keeping on top of the laundry, not having a fully stocked fridge and pantry, not having our evenings and weekends planned, not exercising, not playing with my kids enough, watching too much t.v., not taking up a hobby, and the list goes on and on and on.... You also don't realize when you quit your out of the house job how isolated you become. I don't feel like I'm in touch with what is going on outside my front door. You feel like the world is revolving around you , but you are staying in one spot - cleaning up messy hands, faces, and bums. Your whole identity has become that of "MOM" - you start to lose who you are. I started this job with good intentions, I went the library and got a few books (but there are surprisingly few books on how to be a good stay at home mom). I talked to a few friends that are stay at home moms, I even wrote down a schedule. I feel like there is some piece that is missing and I can't seem to find it. Now, don't get me wrong - I am very grateful to my husband for providing the means for our family so that I can stay home. I can't imagine dropping my two little cuties off to the babysitter. I am glad to be home when Kelsi gets home from school. I am grateful that I am able to run errands, visit my visiting teaching sisters, take meals to the neighbors, go to Kelsi's school program on short notice, watch my kids' firsts, get lots of hugs and kisses from the kids, and be able to be free of the daily grind at a corporation. I just wonder what I am doing wrong. Why don't I feel like this is "the greatest job in the world" or "my life's calling"? Am I the only one that feels this way? Got any advice?

Catching up

Well, January is over and I've been meaning to blog some of our adventures, so better late than never.....
Carson has started potty training!! We are now two weeks into it and he is doing amazingly well! He is so excited every time he makes it to the potty and wants his two orange gumballs for a prize. We also went and got him some new underwear and the Thomas the Trains are his favorite. I think he was more ready to be potty trained than I was to potty train him, but I am sure glad I did - now if we could only get Jaedyn out of diapers!!

Kelsi earned STUDENT OF THE MONTH in January! She earned it for responsibility - she is the most responsible kid I know (well, except for getting up in the mornings, but she got that from her mom). I am so proud of her!

We took Jaedyn back into the doctor to find out the results of her blood work, and thankfully the only thing the doctor could see that was off was her iron level - she is anemic. He prescribed her some iron drops and encouraged us to continuing feeding her as much as she wants and sneaking formula into her food. After two weeks of the iron drops she had gained 7 ounces!! She is almost up to 12 pounds now!! Her face is starting to fill out a little and her clothes are starting to fit her better. The doctor wants to continue to monitor her weight, but thinks we are headed in the right direction. I want to take a minute to reflect and thank my Heavenly Father once again for answers to prayers. The test results could have turned up so many different things that she would have had to deal with her whole life, and we are so grateful that it was an easy fix solution. I know that the Lord gives us challenges and tests us and I am grateful for those experiences.
Jaedyn is also clapping and giving "kisses". She is getting ready to crawl and I think once she gets brave enough there will be no stopping her! She is getting to be such a big girl! I can't believe that it was almost 9 months ago that we had her!
A few other things that happened in January were Gracie's 3rd Birthday! Ashlie and Ryan did such a cute job with Gracie's party. There was a magician, balloons, food and a cute birthday cake that Grandma Honey decorated. Carson had so much fun at her party and kept saying he wanted to go to Gracie's birthday all week after. I can't believe how quick these kids are growing up! Gracie is such a cute little girl and is so so smart! We love you Gracie!

Paul and I took Carson to the train show at Thanksgiving Pointe. They had displays of all kinds of trains from Lego trains to really small train sets, to a really big train set that you could ride! Carson is so into planes, trains, cars and anything he can "tow". We had a good time and even got to bring home some souvenir train cars.

On January 29th we got to go to the Draper Temple Open House. Grandma Honey, Papa, Mike & Ashley, Mike's brother Steven, Paul & I and the kids went. The temple is absolutely beautiful and they have done a really nice job coordinating the open-house. I think we might have gone on the busiest night though because they were running a little behind on shuttling us up to the temple (there was a fire at one of the church meeting spots or something). I was so excited to go to the temple and to be able to take my kids to show them the inside of a temple. I think Kelsi really had a spiritual experience and kept saying how she was excited to turn 12 this June and to be able to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. She also was so impressed with the bride's dressing room and sealing room and said she wanted to get married in the temple. I told her to always remember that and to live her life so that when she does meet Mr. Right (hopefully a REAAAALLLLLY long time from now) that she will be worthy to go the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity. It was a moment that makes a mother proud. Carson and Jaedyn are still to young to realize what the temple means, but I was glad that we were able to take them with us. I think Carson's memories of the temple will consist of the bus ride up to the temple and the cookies in the church afterwards. I am so grateful to live in the Salt Lake valley where there are so many temples close by. Paul and I need to try to get to the temple more often, and seeing the Draper Temple just reminds me how blessed we are to be able to have them so readily available and that we have a responsibility to do our Heavenly Father's work in the temples.

January seems to drag on, the cold - dark - gray days, and I am grateful January is over and am looking forward to Spring!!