Head Under Water

Wow. With all of these new changes in our lives, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed. Chris' new job, my new job in child care, new schedules, new responsibilities in my church calling (Nixa Ward Relief Society 2nd Counselor). Add all of that with my old (yet continuing) responsibilities at home, and I have a guarantee to stay busy for a little while. I feel as though I have so much on my plate, and if I lose my grip for even a second, it may all come crashing down. But, as I strive to accomplish my long "To Do" list, I am reminded that if I keep things in proper priority with the right perspective, the Lord will help me. Today, I sang my favorite hymn, "Be Still My Soul."

Be still, my soul
The Lord is on thy side
With patience bear
Thy cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change
He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul
Thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

As I sang this song, it brought me peace and comfort. I love a good, uplifting song that helps me see things as they really are and smile.

On a different note, yesterday was a No School day, so Micah stayed home with us. He played with Paige a lot, and that gave me more time to play with Devon. We read several books. (Both of my daughters love to read.) We rolled a ball back and forth. We built towers with blocks. We played with a few puzzles. Just the two of us, we had a lot of fun together.

 "Um, hello. I'm busy with a puzzle here."

How can you look at that face and not smile?

During our Family Home Evening activity, Paige was using markers to color on some construction paper. As I was getting Micah into his bath, Paige had the unfortunate opportunity to do this.

 "Aw, Mom, you didn't even let me paint my nails."

"But, I'm still so darn cute."

It's a good thing those markers were washable. My two precious daughters. What a joy they are! Life as a mom is quite the adventure!

My Oh My, How They Grow... And Scream

Both Paige and Micah had check-ups at the doctor's office recently. Paige is 3 feet tall and weighs 27 lbs, tall and skinny. Only one shot, and she actually handled it pretty well. Micah, on the other hand, was a different story.

I decided to be truthful from the start, when he asked me if he was getting shots that day. From that point on, Micah was very concerned about it. He would ask over and over again, "Am I getting shots today?" After the doctor took his measurements and so on, Micah anticipated that the shots would come next. For about 15 minutes, he screamed, "I WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO HOME!" (My apologies to the doctors and nurses who had to hear that.) I tried to calm him down, but the only way to do that was to go home. He needed those shots for his health and in order to attend school. A male nurse came in and held Micah down while another nurse gave him his immunizations, FOUR of them. Both were very nice, telling Micah how brave he was. After all was done, they even gave him a couple of certificates to Taco Bell and Incredible Pizza. So, after that, he decided that the next time he got shots, he would be extra brave. :) I'm just glad he won't need them again until he is 12.

Paige's 3rd Birthday

On June 26th, Chris and I had family over at our house for Paige's birthday celebration. It was fun to host dinner that Sunday. Paige wanted brinner (breakfast for dinner) for our evening meal. We served pancakes, eggs, and bacon. And then, she opened her gifts. She received books, a puzzle, and clothes that she needed. Of course, there was dessert (even after our really sweet dinner): Mickey Mouse cake and ice cream.

Micah, Me, Paige, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Joe

PAPA! (He's her favorite.)

Paige loves to read. It's a good thing she got more books!

Madi, the fun and very active cousin

Grandma and Devon

Devon loves cake... to be on the wall as well as in her mouth.

Aunt Jeni, Madi, Grandma, and Devon watching Paige open her presents.

I'm sure Paige enjoyed spending time and playing with her family. We always have great times together.

Will this last forever?

Micah has developed a sense of defiance. He has a hard time obeying me. This morning, I gave him a choice to either sit in the living room or play in his room while I finished some things before waking up the girls. His response was, "I don't care!" So, I decided for him. He wasn't happy.

Later today, he had another hard time doing as I asked. I sent him to his room. He wasn't happy. I came back a few minutes later and asked him why he was sent to his room. He knew why, but then he proceeded to say, "I don't care about listening to you." I wasn't happy. I have learned the importance of listening to Micah, even if he suggests something I may not agree with. It could mean avoiding a bad argument completely.

Paige screams when she's upset. She loves to express herself loudly. It drives Micah nuts, so he yells at her for yelling. So, I'm trying to teach him to help her feel better instead of making the noise louder. And, of course, teaching Paige to not scream will come with time.

I hate to say this for risk of announcing a favorite child, but Devon is absolutely adorable! She is crawling everywhere, so the only thing I get frustrated with is her constantly trying to get into the cat food. But, oh my goodness, she is so cute! She has the most adorable giggles and sounds. While Micah's defiance and Paige's screams won't last forever, I'm hoping Devon's cuteness will last awhile.

Chris has made some great progress in his weight loss journey. He is freaking amazing!!! Check out his blog to find out where he is in running and on the scale. http://heavysteps5k.blogspot.com

Before the snow falls...

...the leaves fall from the trees.

A few weeks ago, I was out with my kids in our backyard. The weather was mild, but the wind was blowing fairly hard. (I'm glad we went out, because lately the temperature has been freezing. The high today was 40 degrees! For us, that's cold, too cold to go out!) Most of the leaves had fallen, and Micah and Paige enjoyed to the fullest throwing the leaves, diving into the leaves, making piles of leaves, and so on.
The leaves swirled everywhere, and then most of them ended up in our neighbor's yard, even after I asked Micah not to throw the leaves by the fence.
Paige didn't throw them so much as she did dump them.

It was tons of fun watching my little ones. If we want to go out again soon, then it's time to buy some really-cold-weather gear so we're not stuck indoors for the next few months.

On a different note, Chris and I discovered that Devon is cutting 4 top teeth all at once! That's the most I've had with any of my kids. She is hardly cranky at all, so if I didn't actually look for the teeth, then I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. She will be 9 months old in about a week. Wow.

Halloween

Last Halloween, the kids got a massive amount of candy from 2 Trunk or Treats, and they also went trick-or-treating on Sunday. There was a lot more candy than last year, because Paige joined in the quest of collecting the sweets. (I wish I had a picture of the candy in our biggest bowl.) Micah decided to be Thomas the Tank Engine. Paige was a princess, and Devon followed the tradition of being a Tootsie Roll. Chris and I were gangsters. Speaking of that, Micah sort of looks like a gangster in the bottom picture the way his hat is.

They're still growing!

Yesterday, I had a WIC appointment to re-certify Micah and Paige. WIC updates their records by measuring the kids every 6 months. Here are their stats:

Micah
Height: 40 3/4 in.
Weight: 35 lbs. 10 oz.

Paige
Height: 34 1/2 in.
Weight: 26 lbs. 3 oz.

For both of them, their height is about average and their weight is a little below average. There you have it. Healthy kids.

Micah has become quite the chatterbox in the presence of family and friends. It's a challenge to be patient with that sometimes, especially when he constantly asks "Why?". I thought for awhile he was past that stage but apparently not. I'm glad, though, that he is so inquisitive. Encouraging him to ask questions will help him develop a love of learning.

Paige is quickly learning new words. In the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin, she can point and tell me all the things in the scenery the moose makes for his puppet show. She loves to sing "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam," and she'll sing the alphabet song with Micah in the store. If you listen carefully enough, you can catch her even counting to ten. Today, she saw me play "This Little Piggy" with Devon's toes, and afterward, she tried to do it as well. I have to admit, that made me giggle.

Devon turned over from her back to her stomach for the first time today! It was so good to see her learning. I often wonder how Devon will develop, because she was a preemie. But, she seems to be doing alright. Overall, things are going great with the kids.

Sleeping

For about a week, Paige has been sleeping in her new bed, a toddler bed. As is usual, she loves to get out of bed and walk around. Comparing frustrations, I feel as though I get less upset with Paige than I did with Micah in the crib-to-bed transfer. Either I'm becoming more patient or Paige is just easier to deal with. Maybe neither. Maybe I've just found a better way of teaching Paige about using the bed. In any case, it's going pretty well. Some nights are better than others, but that is to be expected.

Continuing on the subject of sleep, Micah is officially not required to take naps. A few weeks ago, I was having a hard time getting him to take his naps. Since then, I figured he is at that age where he really doesn't need to nap anymore. So, instead of sleeping after lunch, (after I put the other two kids down) I give Micah Classroom Time. For half an hour, I teach him things he should learn prior to enrolling in Kindergarten. One day, it's numbers. The next day, letters. Another day, shapes, etc. After that, he is allowed to play quietly in his room while I (try) to get stuff done. The past couple of days, however, he has snuggled in bed of his own free choice and slept. I try not to let him sleep for too long, though, or it will not be easy for him to bed down at night. If he does decide to take a nap (of which I do not object,) he gets Classroom Time after. Pretty soon, we will buy some safety scissors and have him practice cutting paper. Ooo, scary!

Is Paige a "Terrible Two" Toddler?

Nah. She's not terrible, but she can scream really high and loud if something doesn't go her way.

Paige is now a two-year-old! Her birthday is on June 27th, but we celebrated it the week before so the whole Crosby family could have a party. She received two books, a bubble wand, a pair of pajamas, a swimsuit, a baby doll, and her absolute favorite, a Perry the Platypus plush toy. Her (and Micah's) favorite cartoon is Phineas and Ferb. She lights up every time we turn it on. Perry is with her every night. :)

Paige had her doctor's appointment today. Stats are below:

Height: 33.5 inches
Weight: 26.2 lbs.
Overall: She is doing great! She says more words and phrases every few days. She LOVES the dirt. She likes to climb on me when I am nursing Devon. Chris and I wonder if she will be a tomboy, especially since Micah is the older sibling and plays with her.

Speaking of Micah, he finds rude actions to be funny. Like spitting or not listening to me. Yes, he'll laugh when he spits at me or laugh and run away when I'm trying to talk to him. Ugh. Today, he got a lollipop from his aunt and uncle. But, I told him he couldn't eat it until after lunch. He went to his Papa and asked if he could eat it. Papa came to me to ask, and I said, "No, not until after lunch." The matter is settled, right? We are driving home after Paige's appointment when I hear a crunching sound.

"Micah, are you eating that lollipop?" Nothing.

"Micah, are you eating that lollipop?" Nothing.

With more feeling, "Micah, are you eating that lollipop?"

"Yes..."

I pull the car over, take the lollipop away from him, and say, "You are not getting anymore of this lollipop, because you did not listen!" Of course, he is upset. I know, because later on down the road, he yells, "Mom, Phineas and Ferb, now!" (He means he wants to listen to the soundtrack.) Um...excuse me?

"No, not until you ask nicely."

Sigh... "May I please have Phineas and Ferb, please?" (He always says "please" twice.)

"Yes, you may. Thank you for asking nicely." Sigh... Will they always be like this?

Micah's Silly Quote

Micah decided to play with his sports water bottle (filled with water) by putting his hand in it. Well, his hand got stuck, and he was making a mess trying to get his hand out. Paige decided to play with the water mess he created, and here's what Micah said:

"Paige Adam Crosby! Do not play in the water!"

He must think "Adam" is a universal middle name. This bout of sillyness made my day. (Oh, and Micah did get his hand out of the water bottle all by himself, which he followed up by saying, "I am so strong!")

Playing in the Backyard

We recently had a fence built around our backyard. According to our subdivision covenants, if we were to have a fence, it would need to be a 6 ft. privacy (wood) fence. It is finally done, and now our kids can play in the backyard without running off too far. I can easily keep my eye on them whether I'm outside with them or inside the house. Below is a picture of the kids getting dirty. (Paige is the little speck by the fence.)

Our cutie is covered in dirt! Oh well. Let them be little.








This handsome little man is also covered in dirt. And later, he tracked it into our house!






Devon is doing very well. She eats, sleeps, and poops. She is not too difficult to take care of, but I am always watching her to make sure she is okay. It seems as though she is growing; I know her appetite is! I will have more stats on her later, after her next doctor's appointment which is the first week in May.

Our little miracle. She is such a joy and blessing. And I guess the other kids are, too. :) Just kidding!





Wow, I can't believe I have three kids. Three wonderful, awesome, amazing kids. That many children and a house is a lot of work and responsibility. Chris and I are a great team, though, so we handle it well. At least I think so.

And they grow, and they grow...

Last Thursday was a busy day of appointments but also accomplishments.

My OB/GYN appt. at 1:00: Our future baby girl, Devon, is doing quite well. She measured at about 4 lbs. and looks and sounds healthy. The ultrasound technician tried to get a picture of her face, but she wouldn't move her hand away. Still, we are looking forward to seeing what she looks like after she is born.

The kids' WIC appt. at 3:00: Nothing too exciting. Just re-certifying them in the program. I'm grateful for WIC as it helps with grocery expenses. :) Here are some stats for Micah and Paige:

Micah weighs 34.6 lbs, and he is 39 1/2 inches tall.
Paige weighs 23.2 lbs, and she is 31 5/8 inches tall.

I was hoping Micah would be somewhere near 40 lbs., so we could get him a booster seat for the car. But, he still has quite a ways to go. Paige is a lightweight as well. Her cousin, who is 9 months younger, is only about 2 lbs. lighter! Crazy!

Paige's doctor appt. at 4:00: The most frustrating part of the day was around this point. My WIC appt. went on and on. I called the doctor's office around 3:45 to let them know she would probably be late. Finally, the WIC appt. concluded and overlapped Paige's other appt., and I was rushing the kids to go across the street where I thought the doc's office was. Well, it turns out they had moved...to the building I had just come from! So, I scrambled them back into the car to go to where I had once just been. We were 45 minutes late, and I was pretty panicky. I did NOT want to make another appt.! So, I rushed to the check-in desk to find out...

...that since I had made that phone call, they were expecting me late, and I could still keep Paige's appt. Thank goodness! I was so relieved that even Micah running around and not listening to me didn't bother me. :) Lesson learned: When scheduling appointments, do NOT set them only an hour apart, even if they are both in the same building.

Our Kids (No Longer Babies)

Well, I have said a lot about our new house, but I need to catch everyone up on the real important stuff, the kids.

Micah: He is such a handsome boy. He turned 3 last July, and he is SO independent. Seriously, he wants to do everything by himself. It's interesting. I've obviously gotten myself into a habit of helping him with the little things since he couldn't do them before, like pouring his milk. Here, let me share with you a typical breakfast meal. We go into the kitchen, and he has to turn on the lights. He gets his own cereal or oatmeal, milk and juice out of the refridgerator, and spoon. The only reason I get his cup and bowl is because he can't reach it. He sits down in his chair and pours the cereal or oatmeal, milk, and juice by himself (with my supervision.) I just watch to make sure he doesn't pour too much or spill. When he's done, I ask him to put his dishes in the sink. (It's funny how I have to ask him to clean up by himself.) After that, he has to be the one to push a dining chair to the sink to wash his hands (and face if need be.)

Going to the bathroom is similar. I get him started by turning on the light (the bathroom is really dark,) and helping him pull down his pants. Once he starts going, though, he asks me, "Please go." So, I go, and let him do the rest. I'm not complaining about him doing things by himself, because he needs to learn those things. Sometimes I do get annoyed when I do something for him, and he has a huge temper over it, like I can't do anything at all for him anymore. Wow, kids want to grow up so fast.

Paige: Our little girl is a feisty one. She has a temper like Micah's; her screams can blow up your eardrums! (Seriously, it's loud.) She likes to hit things (and people) right now, and throw her toys. She's just starting to learn how to put herself to sleep. For awhile, it was WWIII if I didn't rock her or rub her back to help her go to sleep. She is very much attached to her mommy. Honestly, sometimes it's annoying, but most of the time, it's really awesome. Paige is completely off of baby foods; she graduated to adult food, just in much smaller bites. She has also recently stopped using a bottle, so she is using whole milk in just her sippy cup. Now, I need to focus on getting her used to more juice and water. Milk shouldn't be her only drink, I don't think.

Paige took her first step last week! She hasn't done anymore by herself since then, but it was one step closer to learning how to walk. Right now, I think she feels just fine with crawling. It gets her where she needs to go.