On the Other Hand...

It is pretty worthwhile when a sweet little voice says, "Am I your little sweetheart mommy?" and a chubby faced baby blows raspberries and smacks her lips while eating mushed green beans.

Frustrated!

I haven't been doing as much blogging as I would like because by the end of the day, when I finally have a few minutes to actually do something I would like to do (not that I don't like being with my kids all day), I am too exhausted to do much of anything...

This is mostly due to our spirited red-head Curly who has recently begun the practice of bullying her sister for no reason - biting, hitting, hair pulling, eye-poking... she doesn't need to be upset about something, she'll just do it whenever! That along with bedtime battles (mentioned previously), potty training, tantrums, and the fact that she is two years old are a bad combination. It doesn't help that 8 month old Lou is still waking up at least once each night and currently has a terrible diaper rash making her cranky (which is unusual for her).

I hope it doesn't sound like I am complaining, I accept that these challenges are the side effects of being a parent (and I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything). Mostly I am just venting and wondering if anyone has some stellar advice for me.

Headlines

In the news...

New and Old Cousins are United!

Lou got to meet her new little cousin, just three weeks old!
Curly loved playing with one of her favorite friends and cousin! They are exactly one year apart and are finally starting to play nicely together most of the time. This picture was taken after dinner at "Old Spaghetti Factory" in Spokane. Amazingly they were very well behaved and chowed down on all the yummy pasta.

Busy Mom Finds Time to Celebrate!

This is the scene that greeted me when I arrived home from a 10 day trip on my birthday. Thoughtful Fisher stuck every hat we own in the ceiling tiles with a sign reading, "Hat's Off for Lainey's Birthday!" He also made speech bubbles for all our framed pictures with a conversation about how "young" I am getting.
This is one of the three yummy birthday treats people gave me (Not to mention the Craigo's "Cookie Monster" I had with my family in Rexburg). This delicious Russian "Bird's Milk" cake was made by my sister. Fisher also made me a lemon birthday cake and my good friend Ashleigh made me a yummy huckleberry cheesecake - oh the calories! But it is my birthday, right! And I "don't eat the WHOLE cake!"

2 1/2 Year Old Girl Uses the Potty!

That's right, yesterday was "P-day." It actually went really well...only one accident so far... Curly thinks being diaper free is great and keeps jumping and dancing all around the house enjoying her new freedom.

So Blessed!

I am in Rexburg this weekend for the dedication of the Rexburg Temple. It has been a very special weekend for me. I was able to attend the "Celebration" that is performed the night before the dedication. Most of the participants are young adults, teenagers, and children. The performance included music, dancing, and narrative about the history of this area. Learning more about all the trials and work that made settling this area possible made me appreciate Idaho even more. I loved growing up here, but now I feel even more blessed for that opportunity. Not only was the celebration educational for me it was also amazing! I was so impressed with the talents of all the people who performed. My sister sang in the choir and they sounded beautiful!

Today I attended the first dedicatory session of the temple. President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the temple. He said it was his first official act as the newly sustained president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. Before dedicating the temple, he sealed the cornerstone of the temple as is tradition. He was so funny. What a sense of humor! I just wanted to share my thoughts about this wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Nate the Great!

Today is my big brother Nathan's Birthday! Happy Birthday! We love you!