My Little Wandering Child

As many of you know my little girl has a bad habit of wandering away from me and getting herself lost. She is an independant soul and sometimes that is not a good thing. 2 Christmas's ago, she got lost in Walmart and we had to do a "code Adam" and have the associates help me find her. That time I was more worried than she was and she didn't even shed a tear, although I was close to it. Also 2 years ago at our family reunion at Heise she wandered away from the camp ground and I was mortified I would find her floating in the river, luckily a good man heard us calling for her and noticed her wandering and brought her back to us! (there are still good people in this world, thank goodness!). And this summer she has wandered off to the nighbors a couple of times without telling me, each time I get panicked and of course think the worst! Well that little stinker has done it once again!! I think I am going to have to get a leash for her and attach her to me when we go out in public, would I get in trouble for that??? We went to Walmart yesterday and once again she wasn't right behind me like I thought she was, I went back to where we had been to get her and she was no where to be seen. I looked up and down the aisles next to where we had been and no sight of her. Great! So I went to customer service and once again they had to do "code Adam". I gave the description of her and what she was wearing, luckily I paid attention that morning! After a few minutes they had an associate on the other end say that he had found her and they were bringing her to the front of the store. She must have started running through the store when she lost sight of me because they found her clear on the opposite end of the store, no where near where I had been. Luckily she was found safe and sound and this time she had been crying and was scared about the whole situation. Maybe that is what it will take to get her to learn to stay right beside me in the store! I really wanted to spank her bum for wandering off, but I didn't. I just held her and told her it would be alright. It took her most of the day before she would tell me where she went and what happened. I guess she lost sight of me and started heading toward the other end of the store. She saw a little girl with her mommy and the lady happened to ask if she was lost and Paige said that she couldn't find me and she told the lady my name and the lady said she would help her find me. Then the walmart emplyoee found her and brought her to the front. Thank Goodness!! Things like that get me freaked out and worried, she has given me more grey hairs than I can count, and I am sure this is just the beginning. I am just glad it ended well and that I have my little girl home with me safe and sound...for now anyways!

This Girl!!

We recently got new neighbors next door and both Parker and Paige are thrilled. They were sad to see the Hansen's move, but very excited when they found out that their friends Claire and Avery were going to be moving in. They have wanted to play with them every day and it usually happens. 2 weeks ago, after they had been moved in for a week, the kids were outside with Matt, who I thought was watching them. I was inside with Paxten, who had fallen asleep. Before I know it Parker and Matt came in for the night, but Paige was not with them. I asked where she was and Matt thought she had come inside. We looked in the house and she did not come inside. So Matt thought maybe she went to my parents house because my dad was outside earlier and Paige was talking to him. Matt sent Parker over to get Paige and a few minutes later my dad and Parker were outside looking for her. That got me very nervous that she wasnt with my dad and she wasn't with Matt. We all ended up outside looking for her. I went to the new neighbors house and knocked on the door, no one answered. So I then was getting very nervous. One of their vehicles were gone, so I thought they weren't home and then I was really wondering where she could have gone. My dad was walking around the neigborhood and block to see if the other neighbors had seen her. I was looking in the garage, in the car, under the cars, behind the truck, (and heaven forbid, under the truck) She was no where!! Matt even went down the street a little bit to the "sketchy" neigbors house and they hadn't seen her either. We were all begining to panic. I was calling her name and about in tears thinking that my little girl was lost, or kidnapped. I was about to call the police, when I decided to call the neigbors next door and see if they had seen her. I had remembered them telling me how thick their walls were and that they couldn't hear even the trains. Also that their doorbell wasn't working. So I frantically called Dave and as soon as he anwsered the phone I was frantically asking if he had seen Paige. He said no. I was then a wreck telling him how we had looked all over the place and couldn't find her anywhere. I walked up his stairs and then he said, "She's here." What a relief!!! He was downstairs in his "man" cave watching TV and his girls had opened the door for Paige and they went upstairs to play. He had no idea that she was there and felt so bad that we had been looking for her and she was at their house the whole time. I am just so grateful that that is where she was and that nothing bad had happened to her. When I saw her I told her she was in trouble and that she always needed to ask before going to someones house. She was like, "it's okay mommy, I'm okay!" Yeah this time!!! She got in trouble, but I just wanted to hold her and never let go!!! I am so glad that she was okay!! This girl has no been lost 3 times like that and she is only 4 years old!! She is going to give me a heart attack one of these days! I don't know what I am going to do with her!!!!

Speedy Shoes

Last week I took the kids to get some new shoes, mostly Paige needed shoes, but Parker ended up getting some as well. We went to Target, have I mentioned that I love Target!! They were having some good deals and I can always find something to buy there. Paige got a pair of princess shoes and two pairs of flip flops for the summer. I found some with elastic on the backs and decided to snatch them up while they had them. I know if I wait until spring time they will all be gone in her size and I would have regretted not getting them. Parker said he needed new tennis shoes, although he did get some for Christmas, he was able to pick some shoes out as well. He is now in a size 13!! He picked out Lightning McQueen shoes, but they don't have character/cartoon shoes in his size anymore, he was disappointed. But we managed to find some nice looking lace up shoes. Even better, they were on clearance!!! He got a pair of flip flops and a pair of crocs as well. He also got a new pair of jeans because he has managed to wear holes in all of the pants I bought him last fall. So for the past few weeks he has been wearing holey pants, and will continue to do so until it is time for shorts. I refuse to buy him more pants!! How can a kid wear out 8 pairs of pants in 5 months!!!! So the shopping trip was a success!

I didn't realize how much Parker liked the shoes he got until he put them on again after he got his pajamas on that night. He was very excited to run next door and show grandma his new shoes. He spent about an hour over there and then came home. It wasn't until a few days later when my mom told me that when Parker was over showing her his shoes he said the funniest thing. He had on his new tennis shoes and told her. "these shoes came with extra speed!" while demonstrating how fast he could now run. She thought, "just what you need, extra speed!" It was pretty funny. Sometimes he says the funniest things and is so serious about it. He cracks me up!!

Cupcakes

 

It seems the more kids I have the sooner they seem to begin eating solid foods and sweets. Paxten is no exception, he was given a tast if ice cream at like 4 months and has been trying stuff like that ever since. We had cupcakes over the weekend and Paxten was wanting one of his own. Luckily they were mini cupcakes, so I didn't feel too guilty giving him the entire thing. I set him in his high chair, went to get the camera, and when I got back, he had practically eaten the entire thing already. I think he liked it! I can't wait to see him dig into his birthday cake. I think he will be the first kid I have had that will attack it and eat as much as he can. We will see!

Walking

 

Paxten is officially a walker!! He is getting better by the day! He still prefers crawling as his method of transportation, but he will walk for quite a ways. He is still a little wobbly, but is getting better at keeping his balance. I am sure he will be running before his birthday, which is in 9 days! He looks so funny walking all over the place because he is still so little. I guess he isn’t a baby anymore, I now have a toddler on my hands.

Adventure Seeker

 

Paxten is quite the adventure seeker. He doesn’t like to stay in one place for long. He is a mover and a shaker! I often have to go behind him cleaning up after him and helping him get out of situations where he ends up stuck. He crawls under tables, or between tables, or under the bed or crib and sometimes can’t figure out how to get out. It is pretty funny to watch. The other day, Sunday, I was at the computer working on a project and Paxten somehow managed to get the desk drawer open, after which he crawled into. It wasn’t good enough for him to get it open and pull stuff out, he had to be in the drawer! He often climbs inside he toy basket as well, looking for that specific toy. He is a silly boy and I love to watch him explore things for the first time and to see him try and figure things out. It is amazing how little they are and still how smart they are! I am amazed all the time at my kids and the things they know, and the things they are learning.

Tea Party for 3

Paige got this cute table and chairs and a tea set for Christmas. But we have yet to use it and have a tea party. Last week, while Parker was at school Paige wanted to play dress up and have a tea party. So we got out the dishes and got the kids a snack out and some water. It was a fun time. Paxten really enjoyed the mini oreos, as you can tell. We need to do things like this more often! I love spending time with my kids and seeing them smile and having fun.

Easy Entertainment

Whenever I am in the kitchen (Which seems lika a lot) this ie where Paxten is if he isn't at my feet begging me to pick him up.




He loves to play in the tupperware drawers. I have one drawer that is full of lids and one that is full of containers, he loves to take out as much as he can. It does make a big mess, but it is easily cleaned up and if it will buy me a few minutes to get something done, I am all for it!

Sneaky Sneaky

I like to think of myself as a mom that maked good, nutritious food for her kids. Although sometimes I do have to be sneaky. My kids are relatively good about eating fruits and veggies and I try to include them in our meals and as snacks. Ever since I began watchin Daniel every day, it is a little bit harder for me to get my kids to eat fruits and veggies at lunch because Daniel won't eat them, so they don't want to eat them. I thought my kids were picky, but then I met Daniel! He is by far the pickiest kid I have ever met, and sometimes I give him a hard time about not eating fruits and veggies. I try to get him to eat stuff, but he usually turns up his nose and we end up wasting food. Although I have become pretty sneaky. The kids will eat macaroni and cheese and they all love it and clean their bowls completely. What they don't know is that I put carrots or squash in the cheese sauce, so they are getting some veggies!! Hahaha (insert evil laugh here) I feel like such a sneaky person when I do this and I just want to say, hahah you just ate some veggies! But I don't, I don't want to ruin it, so I will continue to keep it a secret and keep being sneaky!!

David Archuleta

For my birthday, my mom got me tickets to go see David Archuleta at the Performing Atrs Center while he is on his My Kind Of Christmas Tour. Matt said that he didn't want to go, that wasn't his type of music. So I asked my mom to go with me and Matt got to watch the kids. It was fun to go to a concert and to get a way for a few hours. I didn't really watch David when he was on American Idol, but I do know who he is and think he has a great voice. There have been a few articles in various magazines that I have read about him and his journey to becoming a singer. It is really pretty interesting. The concert was packed, not an empyt seat and a lot of which were high school teenage girls who were going crazy over seeing him, even from a distance. It was pretty entertaining just watching the girls be all crazy about the fact that they were seeing him. He does have a great voice and it is amazing how much sound can come from that little person! I had a great time and enjoyed the concert with my mom, I told Matt he missed out on a great date night with me...too bad for him!

What's Up Your Nose?

Last night we had a bit of a scare. Matt was working a double shift and I had been alone with the kids all day. My mom came over for a little while to watch the kids while I finished making my ornaments for my annual ornament exchange. It was bed time and I sent both Parker and Paige to go get in their beds. A few minutes later, Paige came back out and said she wasn't tired and didn't want to go to sleep. But she said it in a very winy voice. She was definitely tired. She started throwing a fit and said that something in her nose hurt. My mom and I thought that she had a stuffy nose so we asked her if she just needed to try and blow it. She started crying and said she put something up her nose! She was so upset by the fact that she put something up there and it was now stuck that she couldn't stop crying to tell up what she put up there. After talking to her for a minute, and telling her that she wasn't in trouble, I was able to get her to tell me that she had put one of Parker's fluoride pills up her nose. He had left it on the counter and she saw it and for some reason put it up her nose. When she tried to get it out, it went further up and then she came out to the living room crying.

I had to look with a flashlight in her little nostril and saw it pretty far in there, I was considering taking her to the hospital, but decided to call Matt at work and have him see what one of the nurses said to do. I also called the Dentist, who prescribed the fluoride, to see if he thought it would dissolve, and would it cause and pain or anything like that. The dentist was shocked that she would put something like that up her nose, (so was I) and said that it would probably dissolve,but may cause some burning. His concern was if she sniffed it up into her sinus. He suggested calling the ER and talking to the on-call Dr. to see what he said to do. After I got off the phone with the dentist, (I am remaining surprisingly calm through all of this) Matt showed up at the house with a few ideas to try. He had Paige close off the back of her throat with her tongue and then he plugged the other nostril and blew in her mouth, hoping the air would go up her sinuses and pop the pill right out the nostril. Well, she is only 3 and had a hard time closing off the back of her throat. So that didn't work. The next thing he tried, only a parent would do, he put a straw in her nose and slowly sucked to try and get the pill out. He did three or four small sucks with the straw and before we knew it the pill was out!! I was amazed! And he didn't get any of her snot in his mouth, he was happy about that! Daddy to the rescue. After a few big hugs and wiping of tears everyone was alright.

What surprised me the most was that Parker was very upset about the whole situation. He thought it was his fault that something bad happened to Paige because he left the pill out. He was so mad at himself and it took a few minutes to calm him down and explain to him that he wasn't in trouble and that accidents happen and that Paige was alright. It showed me that he really does care about his little sister, and that he must tease he so much because he loves her!

We had the talk with all the kids about not putting things up noses and coming to tell mommy or daddy immediately when something happens so that we can help fix it or get help quickly. It turned out to not be something serious, but it sure got my heart racing and I was glad my mom happened to be over so that she could help out with the kids. I am glad that Matt works with good people that are knowledgeable and allowed him to leave to help his family out. So we learned a good lesson at our house last night! It was eventful. Tell your kids to not put things in their noses!!

The Writing on The Walls...Literally

I came home one night last week after being at my mom's for a few minutes and this is what I found all over the house. Someone had used a black crayon and put "t's" all over the house. There wasn't one wall untouched! As I looked around the house I just kept seeing more and more crayon on the walls and I found myself getting madder and madder. Who did this? and did it while Matt was supervising??? There is only one guess....Miss Paige! She has been a little naughty lately and I knew this was something she would do. She has been writing on all sorts of stuff lately, except paper. So she did get in trouble and the next day she spent about 30 minutes cleaning my walls, chairs, and tables...I hope she learned her lesson!

 

Just for Fun

This is what we do around here for fun and entertainement.

Paige Says....

Paige is quite the silly little girl. She is pretty darn smart for her age and sometimes she randomly says stuff that just makes me laugh. Lately whenever she likes something she says... I do like______ (whatever she happens to like right then) for instance these are a few of the things she is liking right now and tells me all the time.

When Parker leaves for school Paige has to go outside too to wait for the school bus, and after the bus leaves she walks into the house and says, "I do like school buses!" She does this every day, I can almost count on her saying it. It is so funny!

She also says, "I do like pop", "I do like makeup", " I do like Cheetos" you get the point. It is pretty funny. Last night we were talking about the kids growing up and that Parker would be the first to leave the house if he went on a mission and that maybe Paige would be the first to get married if she didn't go on a mission and then she proclaimed, "I do like missions". It was hilarious!

Yesterday she came to me and said for Christmas she wanted new shoes, an IPAD, and new makeup. What?? She's 3 years old and she thinks she needs and IPAD! It was funny because she said it so quickly like I wouldn't catch it. I guess she is going to be disappointed, because she is NOT getting and IPAD for Christmas!

Missing Front Tooth

Parker's front tooth has been loose for quite a while and we have told him to be wiggling it all the time to get it to fall out. Last Monday I felt it just to see how loose it was and it felt like it was just hanging on. Matt even tried to pull it out like he did with one of his bottom teeth, but he was unable to get it. Well later that afternoon Parker and Paige were playing with each other messing around and Parker came running to me and said that Paige had kicked him in the face and it knocked out his tooth. He was so excited about it, never mind that she had accidentally kicked him. It bled for quite a while and left a big hole in Parker's mouth. I am not used to seeing him like that and of course he has school pictures tomorrow. Now he will be asking for his front tooth for Christmas! The tooth fairy came that night and left him a dollar under his pillow. He was very excited about that!

My Kind Of Pet

We are not a pet family...we tried having goldfish, but they have all ended up dead. The kids would really love a pet, but I don't want one, I have enough people to clean up after. My kids have really taken to a couple of stuffed animals that they have. First it was Parker with a stiffed Dalmatian that he named pup pup(quite original don't ya think?) He would make sure pup pup was with his each night and he carried him around with him for a long time. Now he usually just sleeps each night with Parker. Now Paige has taken to a stuffed puppy that she got for Christmas 2 years ago and has just now seemed to notice it's existence. She named her puppy Cheddar. All on her own, I thought that was quite unique for her to come up with that name. Cheddar now sleeps with he each night and keeps he company in her room when it is dark. These are my kind of pets. They don't shed, the don't bark, they don't chew up furniture, they don't require feeding and watering and they don't make messes. For now this is what I can handle and the kids love having their stuffed animals with them. Whatever makes us all happy.

Other Happenings

I have been slacking on the blogging, but I am trying to stay with my goal of 10 posts a month.

Parker is doing good in school and seems to like it for the most part. He was sent home with a note last week saying that the teacher was having problems with some students in her afternoon class not obeying the rules. After calling and talking with his teacher, I found out that Parker has been disruptive in class letting out random screams being the coat closet. The teacher had told him that he couldn't do that, because it was disruptive to the other students and wanted us to reinforce it at home. Parker is a loud boy and I am sure it is hard for him to be quiet for 3 hours! Hopefully he is doing better, I will check in with the teacher later this week.

Paige says she loves preschool and always is excited to go on the days she does have school. But she has cried in class 2 times! 1 of which I had to go and pick her up because she wouldn't stop crying and the teachers couldn't figure out why. I think she was tired that day. Yesterday she cried a little bit when she was overwhelmed with the work and when she didn't have enough tickets to go to the treasure box. So I guess I need to work with her to not be so emotional over little things. It may be an eventful year. She is still little and some things are still hard for her, so she may just have to do what she thinks she can and call it good.

Paxten is getting big! He is squirmy and trying to move all over the place. He can roll from his back to his tummy. He can stand along the coffee table for quite a long time. I said to Matt the other day "I want another new baby, he is getting too big!" Matt looked at me and said, "No you don't, not right now." he was right, I don't, but I miss having a tiny baby that cuddles and sleeps! I love every stage, but Paxten has grown up faster than my other two. (It seems that way!)

We celebrated my mom's birthday on Sunday with a family get together. Matt made his famous ribs and wings for her, she loved them and loved not having to cook anything. We had fun spending time together and enjoyed what may be one of our last outdoor BBQ's. My mom was recently put in as the Relief Society President and has been very busy trying to figure out that calling. So I am excited to be working with her in the relief society and having her in class on Sundays.

Our ward Primary program was this last Sunday as well. Parker had a small part and did pretty good reciting it. He said. "We are blessed to be led by a living prophet." I worked and worked with him and I thought he had it memorized, but when the time came he still needed help at the microphone. Maybe it was nerves looking out into the congregation and he forgot what he was supposed to say. Nevertheless, the did a good job. I especially enjoyed the program because I actually got to sit and watch it and didn't have to write it, or help the kids. The first time in 5 years!! It was great!

I have done quite a bit of canning this month peaches, pears, pickles, and chili sauce. I also went and took advantage of the case lot sale. My shelves are full and I love that feeling!

Worst Day Ever

Parker had his first bad experience at school yesterday, on the first day of course! Well I guess the bad experience happened after school. I went to his bus stop to pick him up, I was all excited to greet him as he walked off the bus, camera in hand ready to shoot a few pictures. When I walked up to the bus doors the driver asked me what kids was mine, I said, "Parker" she looked at all the kids and said, "I don't have a Parker." MY first thought was, "Oh great, he is going to be so scared, I told him nothing would happen!" So I waited while the driver tried to track him down. She had just heard over the radio that another driver had an extra kid on her bus. So the driver, Theresa was her name, asked if the boy happened to be a Parker. Yes it was!! Yay at least he was still on a bus somewhere. I ran home called the transportation department and made arrangements for them to drop him off. They called me back when the bus was close and I went to the corner to meet him. As he got off the bus I tried to have a positive attitude so I wouldn't upset him. I told him that he got an extra long bus ride. Well he was already upset and said that he didn't want to ride the bus that long. He had the saddest look on his face and said he had "The Worst Day Ever" It took me a while to talk him down and to convince him that it wouldn't happen again. (Let's hope it doesn't!) I guess what happened was that he got on the right bus at the kindergarten, then had to switch busses at one of the schools after they picked up the grade school kids. He said that someone told him to get on that bus. So hoepefully today they have things straightened out and my little boy won't get lost again. What an eventful first day. I was just grateful that they kept track of him and didn't let him off the bus somewhere and then he really would have been lost!! I am sending him to school with a note on his shirt with the bus route info, it can't hurt to help them out!

Lost Keys?

This morning Matt was frantically searching the house for his truck keys. He was supposed to be at work at 6:30 and it was now 7:00 and he had searched the house for 20 minutes looking for the keys. Matt is always locking the keys inside his truck or the van and he thought that maybe last night when he went to lock everything up he accidentally locked them inside. He made a call to the locksmith and hoped they would be inside. The locksmith arrived and charged $50 for a service call and they didn't find the keys. To have another key made that will start the truck would have been another $130!!! So Matt decided to take another look inside the house. When we came inside to start looking again Parker woke up. Matt asked him if he knew where his keys were. Parker got a smile on his face and said "Yes!" He then went into his bedroom and moved a few toys around and unburied Matt's truck keys. He said, "I took them so that I could see you." I wanted to be so mad at him for costing us $50 and for making Matt an hour late for work(he had called and told them the situation). Matt wanted to cry, he felt so bad for not being around enough that his 5 year old son has to hide his truck keys in order to see him. We had a talk with Parker and explained why that was not a good thing to do. But it did work I guess because he did get to see his dad before work. He is one smart kid....he's a stinker, but he is smart. Lesson to learn, spend more time with your kids, they crave the attention. That is exactly what we are going to do this weekend and we can hardly wait!!

This Never Happens

 

Something must be wrong at our house, because this never happens!! My kids are not nappers and haven't ever been nappers, even when they were babies. So for both of them to fall asleep, at the same time is unheard of. I know that Parker didn't feel well, in fact he threw up after I woke him up for dinner this day. I was amazed that this happened and had to take a picture so that I would remember this ocassion. Although, they were both grumpy when they woke up and didn't go to bed until 11:00 that night, so I wouln't say it was completely a good thing. But they both must have worn themselves out and needed a recharge. Too bad I couln't have gotten a nap in as well!