Mom Remembers

1. I have been watching our neighbors, Ethan and Kylie, all week.  Their mom had a baby a few weeks ago and her help all left last weekend so I have been helping her with the transition.  Her kids came Monday - Thursday morning and it's been a bit of an ego boost to have them around.  It makes me feel like supermom!  (To be fair, though, all of the kids have been exceptionally even-tempered lately.) 2. Sven has been settling really well into a (more) predictable routine and he has been happy as a clam.  He slept through the night once this week (Wednesday night) and we have both gotten plenty of naps.  That makes for a happy baby and a happy mom! 3. In addition to his general good humor, Sven has been developing very noticeably this week.  He is growing up so much! 4. I am reading a lovely book called Everyday Blessings .  It's about parenting and mindfulness.  I don't agree with everything in it but it is good food for thought.  A...

I love that my boys are thumb suckers.  I know a lot of moms have a lot of reasons to dislike thumb sucking but I love it!  It is such an effective self-soothing mechanism and a great independently administered sleep prop.  So I am always happy when that behavior crops up.  Hooray for thumb sucking! Sven figured it out yesterday morning.  He has been fist sucking for a few weeks now but yesterday morning he figured out his thumb.  He was sitting on my lap while we watched the older boys play in the yard and he kept experimenting with different finger combinations.  His face was priceless when he found his thumb.  He kept sticking it back in and out, obviously very satisfied.  I imagined that he was so proud of himself.   Silly though it sounds, I know that I  was proud. He has come later to thumb sucking than my other two boys, probably because he has been happier in general.  It has probably also contributed...

Carl is holding up something he made with legos and he says: CARL:  Mom, can I keep this out for Peter?  It's his milk. ME:  Sure.  Is it rabbit milk or cow's milk? CARL:  It's rabbit milk.  Do you know how rabbits make milk? ME:  How? CARL:  They eat as much carrots as they can.  And they find as many jugs of milk as they can and drink it!

Apparently, Sven can roll both ways now! Yesterday morning, I finished feeding Sven and lay him down next to Scott in bed.  Then I left the room to get breakfast started for Carl and Soren.  When I came back, Sven was on his stomach! At first I figured that Scott had turned him over to give him some tummy time.  But Scott told me that Sven had turned over all by himself!  Cool! Although it's early for this particular milestone, I'm not really surprised.  He has been trying to turn to his front for a few weeks now.  Whenever I would put him down on his back, he would arch his back and push with his toes.  This would roll him onto his side.  It was only a matter of time before a strong thrust of those toes turned him over.  And the time was yesterday morning.

For the past 4 summers, our family has gone camping at Topaz Mountain.  This is the second time that we have deliberately gone on the Summer Solstice, to celebrate Midsummer and the longest day of the year. For me, Midsummer is a time to glory in God's goodness, as represented by the light of the sun.  When we go camping on Midsummer's Eve, the earth is enjoying more light that it has experienced all year!  Similarly, I like to remember that mankind is now experiencing more light than ever before.  The light of truth and knowledge shines bright in the world, available to more people than ever before.  In my own life, I am also enjoying more light than ever before.  My testimony has grown, my capacities have grown, and my family has grown.  Midsummer is a time to celebrate all this! The Summer Solstice is not only the day when we enjoy the most sunlight; it is also the day when that pattern of increasing light turns around, heading back towards bala...

Sometimes I think that Carl will whine forever.  Or I feel like he has  been whining forever.  That he is just constantly on the verge of a full-blown tantrum and anything could set him over the edge. A few common offenders include: having jam instead of brown sugar on his oatmeal, hating all the pajamas left in his bin, being asked to clean up his toys, seeing someone look at him funny, being told to stop when he gets to the street, or feeling the sun shine on his skin. A few weeks ago, our neighbor told him he was a Duede and would be a Duede forever.  This sent him spiraling into a screeching fit. This afternoon, I asked him to come home from the same neighbor's house and help me put Sven to bed for a nap.  That particular tantrum has only just ended and lasted 1/2 an hour! Where has my sunny boy gone?  Or do I only imagine that there was a time when things were better?  Perhaps he has always  been overly-sensitive. No, I don't think ...

I am a more peaceful mother when I begin my day with the inner work of prayer and scripture study. I love to start my day with clean kitchen counters.  I feel less stress when the dishes are done. My day goes smoother when I have a plan. My proudest mothering moments are those times when I have lovingly stood by my children when they were hurting. My own happiness is magnified when I reach out in love to my children, especially at times when they aren't expecting it. I enjoy teaching my children. It is easier for me to be kind when I am singing. I feel more love for my children (and they for me) when I speak gently to them. I can discipline more truthfully when I see the best in my sons and remember their great potential. I feel confident when I remember that Heavenly Father sent these boys to me for a reason (and it's not because I'm perfect!). I will make mistakes.  Repentance enables me to be a better mother: a free and joyful mother. My children wil...

Our routine has stabilized a lot in the couple of months.  The last months of my pregnancy and the first months of Sven's life really threw a wrench in our normally well-ordered family life.  But we've settled into a new normal and I am loving it. One of the things that we have re-introduced to our daily schedule is table time .  It isn't that complicated but I was talking to a neighbor about it and she said I should write about it on the blog.  Apparently, she thought it was a brilliant idea.  So here I am, writing about it on the blog. Table time is pretty self-explanatory.  The short version is this: during table time, the boys play at the table.  That's it. This is the long version:  When our family comes inside from an afternoon out in the yard, I need to nurse the baby and make dinner.  Soren and Carl can choose what they want to do but I choose where  they do it: at the table.  They can draw, play with p...

CARL:  Dear Heavenly Father, please bless this food that it will nourish our bodies.  Please bless Texas and Elizabeth that they will have fun today.  Please bless Mommy's computer that it won't freak out.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1. His cheeks are probably my very favorite thing about him.  I love love love  to kiss his soft chubby cheeks! 2. He smells so good!  Scott oils and massages him once a week with lavender oil and I love the way that smell mixes with his own personal scent.  I like to breath him in almost as much as I like to kiss him. 3. He has such a lovely smile and he shares it often. 4. His eyes are bright and beautiful. 5. His innie belly-button is so adorable!  Just like his whole little body. 6. I love the way he kicks his legs when he is excited. 7. He looks intently at me while he's nursing.  I could just look into his eyes all day.  Can you tell I'm totally in love? 8. Everyone else loves him, too.  Most people remark on what a calm and happy baby he is. 9. He usually only wakes up once during the night to eat and then goes right back to sleep.  Sometimes (but not all this past week) he sleeps all night long! 10. He looks so cute and pea...

Last night, we had some neighbors over for dinner.  Their family is awesome -- but moving this weekend! -- so we took advantage of our last chance to spend some time together.  Their 10-, 8-, and 6-year-old kids played with Soren and Carl all evening, making a huge ruckus in the bedroom and entertaining my older boys to no end.  Their 13-year-old (who often babysits for game night) sat by Sven's bouncer and talked with him, tickling his feet. Sven was loving all the attention.  He was smiling so big it made him slouch in his bouncer.  Then he let out a charming little chuckle followed by a squeal of delight; it was his first real laugh! The family's dad told us that in Navajo culture, a baby's first laugh marks his birth as a social being.  And the person who makes the baby laugh is given the honor of organizing a First Laugh Ceremony, which is a celebration of the baby's generosity. I like this idea of the baby's birth as a social creature.  I...

SOREN:   (holding up a drawing)   "Look, Mom!  I made something!" ME:  Yep, you did. SOREN:  It's for you! ME:  Thank you.  What is it? SOREN:  It's some ice cream for your birthday! ME:  Oh, cool!  Should I put it in the freezer so it doesn't melt? SOREN:  Do you know what?  It's just pretend.

One morning last week, Soren was helping me to dry the breakfast dishes and telling me about his new dream. "Tandem bikes are really cool.  I would really like to have a tandem bike." "That does sound nice," I said, absently. Soren continued, "Carl and I could ride together on a tandem bike.  It would be so fun."  He sounded so wistful and for a moment, I could almost see his vision.  I could just picture him and Carl, riding happily together down the driveway with the sunlight glinting around the corners of my mind's eye.  It was such a happy scene.  Oh, if only Soren could have a tandem bike, then the world would be a brighter place. "Will you get me a tandem bike?"  he asked. "No," I replied, casting the dream aside.  "That's not how I choose to spend my money."   We kept drying dishes and I figured that was the end of it.  When the counters were clean, Soren hurried off to go draw something ...