Garden Planted!

I was FINALLY able to get my garden planted today!  I enlisted the help of the master hoe operator!

The expert corn planter!

And even the cutest spectator.

 

Now, since my husband has VERY HIGH expectations for this garden, I really hope that I can first make everything we planted grow, and then be able to keep it alive until harvest.  Please pray for me!

Duke - 7 Months

Weight - 17.4 lbs

Duke has FINALLY decided to sit up alone!  I was beginning to think that he was just a happy camper being lazy.  His 4 teeth that have been trying to push through have decided that they don't want to make an appearance after all.  I have come to realize that all kids develop at different rates.  My other kids were sitting up at 5-6 months, rolling over at 2 weeks-1 month, crawling at 7-8 months, and had teeth no later than 2 months.  With Duke EVERYTHING has been different.  He has no teeth, didn't roll over until 3 months, sitting up at 7 months, but he did crawl a WHOLE lot earlier than them at 5.5 months.  I shouldn't compare, I just shouldn't, they are all unique and themselves, doing things are their own rate.

Eating solids has been a huge struggle.  He did pretty good for the first couple of days, but after that he REFUSED to even open his mouth when he saw a spoon.  However, just in the past couple days he is more willing to eat like a big boy, although he still wants NOTHING to do with green beans.  But he really just wants to nurse.  We have tried and tried to give him breast milk in a bottle but he refuses, but we did get him to take it from a cup one day.

I really need to pull out the next size of clothes because his toes are about to pop out of his jammies again.  He LOVES to give kisses and is a SUPER FAST crawler.  He has also become a fan of the outdoors.  I have been putting him in his bouncer in the doorway so he can enjoy the fresh air because he screams when we come inside.  He has started to sleep on his tummy and likes to have a blanket to suck on.  He also loves to play with his feet.

School's Out!

We are officially ready for summer!  To end Lilli's year she received 5 awards at the end of school assembly on Thursday.

1. Accelerated Reader of the Year
2. Honor Roll
3. Shape Up Across Oregon Award (for running 700 miles during the school year)
4. Elementary Class Rep for Student Council
5. $10 Walmart Gift Card for all A's & B's

 She also got 4 candy bars and a MP3 Player from the local store.  She has already uploaded music and wears it all the time.

Hoss had his last day of speech last Friday and he has been busy using this 4-wheeler for EVERYTHING.  It's remote control operated so he is always running over someone or something.  But he does put it to good use with the diapers and taking them to the trash. :)

 

We also got to attend the graduation of my niece Skyler.  She graduated from Centennial High School in Boise on Saturday and had a BBQ afterward.  She made out like a bandit with all the money she got.

Engagement!

Brandon's younger brother Shane got ENGAGED last night!  YAY!  We are so excited to have Katie in the family.  She's from the Vegas area so they are planning an August wedding in the Las Vegas Temple, on Brandon's birthday!  I'm so excited for them especially for choosing the Vegas Temple, I always wanted to get married there so I could say, "I got married in Vegas!". 

11 Years Old

 It's birthday time around here!  Lilli turned 11 on the 23rd, the 2nd to last day of school!  She again, like last year, asked to take smores cups to share with her class.

When she got home she mentioned that she was tired, so I said, "Hey, it's your birthday take a nap!"  So she did.  Then we waited for Brandon to get home so we could open up her gifts.

 I asked her what she wanted to eat and she said she wanted to go to Fiesta Guadalajara, so we did.

Earlier in the week I asked what kind of cake she wanted, and she said a smores pie.  I googled for it and none of them looked good at all, but since that was what she wanted, I tried my hardest to make it yummy for her.  She said she liked it.  Hoss wouldn't even try it, Brandon only had an itty bitty sliver, and I don't like my marshmallows as burnt as she does, so I wasn't crazy about it either.

Her Activity Day Leader, and also our amazing neighbor, made her this YUMMY chocolate chip cookie!  Between her and Hoss they had the whole thing gone in a day and a half!

A few things about our newly crowned 11 year old.

• LOVES to read
• She's a great big sister
• Chews her nails, like crazy (just like her mother)
• Could wear a dress everyday and be happy
• Doesn't like to change diapers
• Enjoys helping in the kitchen
• Is a craftaholic (again like her mother)
• Has her first crush

May in Review

Lilli's at school, Hoss with Brandon and Duke is asleep, so I figure I better hurry and get everything updated while I got a few spare minutes.

To start off, no, I didn't call the mother's of the two boys that were making fun of Hoss.  Come to find out, a guy at church actually yelled at the boys themselves.  Hoss was giving a talk in Primary at church and two boys in the back were making fun of the way he talks. You know, his speech delay.  Anyway, I guess the "Momma Bear" in me kicked in and I was really hurt.  I was up with Hoss helping him and so it wasn't like I could do anything, which is probably best.  Anyway, the dad of the other little boy who gave a talk saw what was happening and, since I don't know who all reads this, I'll just say he "took care of things". 

Lilli had spirit week at school again.  Monday was Crazy Hair & Pajama day.

Tuesday was Sports Day.  THANKS Aunt DJ!

 Wednesday was Eldery Day.

 Then after a few dishonest choices she made, she wasn't allowed to participate in the rest of spirit week.  So, she missed out on Duct Tape Day and Red Day.

Hoss decided to make a "house" for Duke.

One day, Lilli and Hoss were playing outside and Hoss came running in asking for help to get his barbie car out of the weeds.  He drove it in and couldn't get it out. He then decided he could get it out by hooking a chain to the 4-wheeler.  They came around the corner looking like this.

That is not at all what I was expecting.  I was thinking they would be PULLING the barbie car BEHIND the 4-wheeler, not using the chain to put the jeep ON TOP of the 4-wheeler.  But hey, what do I know about towing things?

 

I was asked by one of my Laurels (Yes, I got a new calling, I am no longer the Mia Maid adviser, I'm the Laurel adviser.) at church to help her with some gifts she wanted to give to her friends that are graduating.  I did a total of 20 towels for her, I think they turned out so cute!

We have been busy pulling weeds.

Look at this - notice the mark on the back of Duke's head?

 Let's take a closer look shall we?

It's a RUG BURN!  Hoss got in big trouble for this!  He is ALWAYS dragging/pulling him around the house.

Hoss buried his bike in the grass clippings.

Brandon got my garden tilled-up, now to get it planted! I better hurry or I'm going to run out of time!  I'm not too excited that he pretty much tilled up the entire back yard!  That is going to be TONS of weeding!

  

 Mother's Day - at church the kids filled out a questionnaire about their moms.  Here's what Hoss said - I guess I spank too much and need to play the Wii more. :)

 Then Lilli seems to think that I never clean.  So I asked her about it and she said, "well, if you clean more, then I don't have to."  I keep telling myself that there will come a day when she will thank me for teaching her how to work, right?!?!?!

 Hoss REALLY enjoys feeding Duke.  I'm not sure which is more entertaining, watching Hoss and his facial expressions or watching Duke and his facial expressions with each bite.  It's a toss up!

 

We still have a busy month ahead of us.  Lilli's birthday, graduation(s), wedding(s), a baby blessing, end of school, and more.  I'm taking it day by day, and enjoying it all!

Sick, Sick, Sickies

Hoss, Duke and myself all got sick a while back.  Like really sick, well me at least.  Hoss and Duke both just had the common cold, runny noses and coughs, but I got it bad.  Well, a different kind of sick.  Brandon caught me as I was taking a picture and insisted that I shouldn't post it and wouldn't let me finish taking it.  I got mastitis.  I wasn't taking a picture of me, I was trying to take a picture of the bottle of milk.  4 ounces, 2 milk and 2 blood.  Brandon told me that a picture would be too inappropriate.

I could feel it coming on.....chills...hot and cold flashes...fever.....headaches...sore muscles...nausea.  I didn't want to admit it though or accept it.  I wanted to catch it before it hit too hard so I got out a rice sock and tossed it in the microwave and used it for the next few days.  It seemed to go away, but then came on full swing three days later.  I was out for two days, the pain is so severe I hope none of you have ever been through or will go through it.

I googled to find out what actually bring it on.  Here's what I found:

• Cracked nipples
• Engorgement
• Poor nutrition by Mother - this is totally me.  I've always leaned toward "quick 'n easy" instead of "healthy and nutritious".
  
• Poor latch
• Too tight of a Bra - this could be it too, better go shopping.
  
• Not fully emptying the breast during each feeding

Any of these could be it.  I also found out that if you have had it once, you will most likely get it again.  I did have it 4 times with Hoss, so I guess I'm just prone to it.  However, I was determined not to let it get me down and stop nursing.  I vowed to work through it.  I am happy to say that we are all back to normal again, eating, and pain free.

However, I would recommend NOT googling it.  Why is it that they only show you worst case scenarios?

Question of the day...

As a mom, if my child is being rude or making fun of another kid, I would want to know.  So, if I witness another person's child doing this to my kid, do I tell their mother or let it go?

Quick Update

 So much has been going on around here, but with no spare time to blog about it.  I'll just quickly share some pictures of Hoss & Duke from last week. 

First, Duke crawls (yes crawls) over to Hoss, climbs up on his chest.

 

And EATS his ear.  YUMMMY

Hoss LOVES every. single. minute.

More to come - hopefully sooner than later.  No promises though.

Duke - 6 Months

Height - 27.5 inches

Weight - 16.5 lbs

Head Circumference - 17 inches

Duke is on the move!  Right after I posted his 5 month stats mentioning that he rolls around like crazy, he started CRAWLING!  I blame Lilli. :)  She always puts a toy just out of reach for him to inch his way to grab.  Now he's all over the place.  We can't leave any doors open, especially the bathroom door, or else he is into everything once inside. 

After being yelled at by people at church for not feeding him normal food yet, we have started him on solids.  He likes carrots, but not so much the green beans. He gags every single time he takes a bite of them.  He likes mashed potatoes from my plate and graham crackers.  He still LOVES to nurse and would MUCH rather eat that way instead of messing with a spoon.  It's a work in progress.

He's not sleeping the 8-9 hours at night like he used to.  He's waking up to eat more often, which I'm sure is a sign that yes, I should be feeding him more regular food. His naps during the day are the same, very minimal 30 minute naps here and there.  He's by all means, not on any type of schedule during the day. 

He laughs more and more everyday and is ticklish in his armpits and his belly.  It's pretty much just like the Pillsbury Doughboy, poke his belly and get a laugh, but much cuter.

Cake Decorating 101

Lilli had been extra helpful a few weeks ago so I let her pick something fun to do as a reward.  She chose a cake decorating class at JoAnn's.

 Even better, right around the same time as she asked to sign up, a coupon for $10 off a Kids Class came in the mail.  WOOHOO!!

She was the only participant.  They said they don't get many sign ups for the kids' classes.  But, since it was only her in the class, she had all the help she ever needed!

 She finished in 1 hour instead of taking the whole 2 hour block, and she has already asked to take another class.

 

The Outlaws

****When blogger updated the dashboard all of the sudden it showed me this post that I had originally started back in September of 2010!  Where had it gone?  Crazy, anyway I was reading it the other day and decided that it's still worthy of publishing, a year and a half later!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Outlaws - is that a bad thing to call the ex-in laws? I think it sounds better, so that is what I call them. When I got divorced I never had hard feelings toward anyone in that family. I have, to this day, still considered them my family. In fact, their blogs are listed on my side bar under "Tiffany's Family", not "Friends" or any other title. So when I found out that a family member died, I knew I had to go to the funeral. Not because it was Lilli's family, because I still felt that it was my family.

His name was Clyde Burns. He was a special man. I visited him quite a few times while legally in the family and he always stuck out to me as a gem. He was nice, kind, and utterly hilarious! I was always going to name my son after him. Actually, that is still a name that I plan to use, if I ever have more kids. My husband has even ok'd it! (Update - we have had another boy and it was in the top running, but you all know we ended up with the name Duke instead)

I had already taken the day off work for a Chamber function, so I dropped that event and headed to Utah. My cousin, Deena, lives 30 miles from Vernal, the place the funeral was to be held. She was VERY excited to have us visit. Her husband had gone to Idaho Falls for a wedding so she was happy for the company. Deena is one of those women who can do everything and anything. She is a busy mom of 4 that I have always admired.  (Update - she now has 5 kids, and today is actually her BIRTHDAY!!)I was glad to stay there. It reminded me of all the fun times we had when we were younger. Including the time in 4th grade when we hated each other and my grandma had to intervene and get us to like each other again. HA! FUN TIMES!

Some things I learned on my trip...

~ Never travel without a cell phone charger.

~ Some songs just make you dance & sing. So much so that other drivers give you dirty looks.

~ $5 Walmart Sunglasses are wonderful!

~ When visiting a new Temple, ALWAYS call before attending.

~ Some people should NOT wear shorts. Ever.

~ Dinosaur Museums never get old.

~ Live in Utah? Nope, not me. Not ever.

~ I'm sure I found a Polygamist community.

~ Lilli could read all day long.

~ The outlaws still consider me family.

~ My husband is very supportive.

PPW

Virtue Project:
I had found a reward system for each time we finished a book within the Book of Mormon.  We had to go to Nampa yesterday so we got to reward ourselves while we were there.

1 Nephi Reward - Skating
OK - the skating rink was closed so we went to Jumpin' Jungle instead.  So I suppose we "jumped away" from Jerusalem instead of skated away.  Oh well, we will still go skating because I already purchased the Groupon for it.   I have until October to use it, hopefully we can squeeze in another family trip that direction before it expires.

2 Nephi Reward - Ice Cream

We decided to go to Dairy Queen and let the kids get WHATEVER they wanted.  Normally they have to get something off the kids menu with their meal. (dilly bar, sandwich or itty bitty cone)  Hoss chose a vanilla & banana sundae.

 Lilli chose a butterfinger blizzard.

 Duke got his very first taste of ice cream. And Hoss decided to use the holder from Brandon's waffle cone as his hat.  Very stylish.

Jacob Reward - Olive Garden

Hoss fed Duke his very first breadstick.  He didn't really like it all that much.

Enos Reward - Late Night

The kids were OVERLY excited for this one.  We let them stay up, watch movies and sleep in the living room.  They made a fort, complete with bungee cords and clips to hold up the blankets.

Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon Reward - McDonald's

 Another first food for Duke, this time french fries.

 We are almost done with Mosiah and our reward is to have a family service project.  We thought of one that would be fun to do on Easter, but we missed it by just a couple days.  WHOOPS, we should have planned ahead and read a little more.  Oh well, we'll have to think of something else.


 Divine Nature Project:

 This is what I came back to after rotating a load of laundry.  This quilt is NEVER going to get done if this is what I have to work with!  He can't even crawl yet, but he is into everything.  He rolls and rolls and rolls until he is right in the middle of the action!  He's on the move!!