Before I forget

For as much as I lament about January, February is pretty cool.  Probably it's cool because it's so short and it's not two degrees outside.  I mean, when you actually see some blue sky and the car thermometer hits 44?  That's pretty wicked awesome.

Lately, I've been feeling like a bit of a failure in the mom to two older boys department.  I do my best to hang out with them and hug them and love them and not get too grumpy at them but I'm failing.  Little squishy babies take up so much time, don't they?  And, my boys are getting so much bigger and so much more independent that it's just all going by so quickly.

The other night while Elliott was in the shower, Wyatt and I were laying on my bed.  He climbed up and burrowed into me and we were just hanging out.  I was tickling his toes and he was jabbering on about a lynx or something like that.  While we were talking I said, "Wyatt, what was your favorite part of the day today?" and he turned and looked at me and said, "Right now mom.  This is my favorite part of the day."

Melted my heart I tell ya.  Lying with him on the bed was probably my favorite part of the day, too.  I need to make sure to seize more of those moments with me and my boys before they are too cool to have me be their favorite part of the day.

Both big boys have had parent teacher conferences in the last three two weeks and both boys had wonderful reports from their teachers.  

Elliott got all "E" grades, which is the kindergarten equivalent of an "A".  He is also reading on a first grade level, and I think is nearly finished with the kindergarten reading books.  He passes off a book a day in school, except for Friday's when they do PE instead of reading.  His teacher, Mrs. Easton, told us that he is an exceptional student, is kind to all his classmates, is helpful and a great kid to have in class.  The couple of times I've been able to go and volunteer I've been so proud of him.  He is a champion student, and I'm pretty sure, also after volunteering, that he is one of the smartest, if not the smartest kid in his class.

Two weeks ago he was the Friday VIP.  That meant that we got to make him a poster and he got to talk about himself, his poster, and pass out treats at school.  When we were getting ready for his VIP and talking about all the different things he could do or take as a treat, he was very specific about what he wanted.  He wanted his dad to take him to buy doughnuts before school.  He wanted his dad to come and watch him do his VIP presentation.  He did not want his mom, or his baby brother (Wyatt was at school) to come and interfere.  He wanted it to just be something special for him and his dad.  Thank heavens Ross' morning was open and it all worked out.  When I picked him up from school that day, he was beaming from ear to ear.

And Wyatt?  Remarkably, he does well in school, too.  His teacher, Mrs Anderson said that he too is kind to others and a good classmate, that he follows rules, and that he is a meticulous student.  She showed me his writing samples and some of his work and he is surprisingly good at coloring in the lines, cutting straight lines and writing his name.  When we did his valentines, he would only write the "tt" for his name, but at school, he writes his whole name very well.  She also told me that he is the only kid in his class who can count to 20 and beyond without skipping a number and knows all the days of the week and months of the year.  Good for him.

I have good boys.  And, I love them a lot!

If I had any doubt, he is definitely my little brother

 

 Willie was on TV this past Wednesday as part of the Fox 13, Good Day Utah, Cool School of the Week feature with Big Buddha.  He was responsible for the first and the last segment on the morning news and did an excellent job.  He was funny and witty and when Buddha tried to make fun of him, it just didn't work.

He was a rapper, bringing out his alter ego, "Wonder Bread".  He danced as if no one was watching, leading several hundred students in the "Harlem Shake" a several week old dance phenomenon that is sweeping the Internet.

I was proud of him.

The rest of the morning's segments, the ones without him present were at best....totally lame.  It was obvious that the dance and drill teams weren't given much, if any notice that they would be performing on the televizzle.  It was a stretch to have the DECA and Anti-Bullying kids try to share a message in a 20 second spot.  It was, overall, a pretty disappointing showing for the high school.

The boys and I watched the news all morning, until it was time to head for school, to see Uncle Willie.  As I pulled into the driveway, with a sleeping Quinn in his car seat my phone rang.

It was my brother.

He was mad.

We talked about his frustration with the morning's broadcast.  About how he was a bit embarrassed about the lack of preparation.  We discussed the fact that the administration was giving him the run around while he was trying to put his high school's best face forward and how, he got so frustrated that he got in the face of a teeny tiny administrator and let him have it.

I was so proud of him.  At that moment, he was truly my little brother.

You see, us three Petersen kids were raised to be smart and mature and responsible.  When asked to do something we do our best, do it right, and hopefully make our parents proud.  We all had roles in high school, both academic (well, me not so much), athletic and personality wise that made sure everyone knew who we were.

Me?  I didn't know how to keep my mouth shut, the worst incident of which happened in an assembly towards the boys basketball coach, calling him something, he told me later, no one had every called him except his wife.

My sister?  One of my grandma's coined the name, "Poison Pen Petersen" because she was the absolute queen of letters to the editor, exposing all the injustice in our school.

My brother?  Well, he came into his own, calling out a bunch of dumb administrators for their lack of support, school spirit, organization, and desire to inspire kids to be great and always do better.

Later in the morning, I sent my mom a text, asking her why her children struggled and struggle so much with authority in high school.  Her response was, "too mature".  I had a conversation with Ross late on Wednesday night about the age we both were when we became truly disillusioned with authority and realized that most adults really don't care and weren't really looking out for our best interest.  There are so many good teachers (my sister and mom for example), good administrators, good kids out in the world...it's just so immensely frustrating when as a kid you feel like your surrounded by all the ones that don't really care and don't want to put in the effort.

Can I just tell you Internet, that I'm dreading junior high and high school with my boys.  Just dreading it.  But, as my mom and dad were for us, I will be an advocate for my child, a supporter of my sons' schools, and an involved mom, trying to make a difference in the lives of my boys and their friends.  I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I will.

My Grandma Huber always told us, that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself.  And, that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.  I guess that really rubbed off on us kids....just one more way that my grandma influenced our lives.  She was never one to keep her mouth shut when her family, kid, or grand kid was on the line and apparently, neither are we.

The first tooth

So, this baby of mine has been super droooly lately.  Like, enough drool to fill the great salt lake.  Or, at least enough to fill the palm of my hand.  Along with the drool, he's been a bit irritable so we sort of knew that the long process of teething was beginning.  

This baby of mine, though he doesn't nap (EVER!) has been a pretty much perfect night sleeper since he was just over two months old.  But, he's had some pretty fussy nights recently and last night in particularly, was up in the night once for a while and cried out in his sleep several times.

I should have put two and two together, but not until I was playing with him on my bed this morning did I notice the little, very sharp, white tooth under his tongue.  Yes, at 5.5 months old, he's got his first tooth and I'm pretty sure that the second is close behind.

The other two boys had serious teething issues.  Fevers, no sleep, ear infections, quit drinking bottles....you name it, we dealt with it.  But this baby!  He just fussed a bit in the night and the tooth was in.  If teething can be like this, I don't have too much problem with it.  I'm sure that there will be a struggle at some point, but how exciting that the little fart has a tooth.

It's pretty exciting.

In a nutshell....

My kid is getting really good at writing stories. We have kindergarten parent teacher conferences this week.

Went to parent teacher conferences for Mr. Personality. His preschool teacher loves him, he can write his name all by himself at school (for mom he will only write the "TT" at the end), and he is the only kid in his class who knows the days of the week, the months of the year, and can count to 20 without skipping a number.

My sister's brother-in-law got married this weekend. She wanted to do a favor for the luncheon and I insisted on cake pops. We made 160 or so, bagged and labeled them all in one night thanks to the extra helping hands of my Aunt Karen.

Valentine's day was, as always a bust. I ate the cupcakes I bought for myself, but my boys had a great day. VD is almost as big of a candy haul as Halloween.  Totally crazy.  And, why I have expectations, anticipations, interpretations, aspirations, or genuine hope for a romantic gesture on this day I don't know. Like my husband told his mother when she asked what he got me, "Nothing. She's used to disappointment". But, I guess I really ought to be grateful that my vacuum is back from the shop and works good as new. Even though that does not count as a gift.

There was some blue sky this past week. Hallelujah and praise the Lord. If only it were here to stay. I don't even care if it continues to be butt cold....I just want some blue sky and some sunshine.

Friday night was my brother's last home game as a high school athlete. It was a nail biter to the end and an awesome win to end his home court career on. Only one more region game and then it's off to the playoffs. I'm excited.

Yeah I guess that sums it up.

Family Photos Griswald Style

Months ago, Haley, my Mom and I decided that we needed a new family photo.  The last one of all of us was done when Wyatt was 2 months old.  Well, that was almost 4 years ago and we've added three babies since then so yes, we were due.

Not really knowing where to go, Haley mentioned that a teacher at school (or someone in her neighborhood?  I cannot remember) had used FotoFly and really liked it so I checked out the website and booked us an appointment that wouldn't interfere with meals or naps or any of that crazy kid stuff because with 5 kiddos 6 and under, we knew the pictures would be a bit of a challenge.

Well, today was the day.  I'd been stressing over outfits and timing for more time than it was worth, but we were all 12 of us, going to be color coordinated in red, blue, and grey - my mom's color palette of choice.  At my house, we were frantically getting ready.  Ross got home from scout camp just in time to shower and get dressed, I showered last night but hadn't washed my hair or done any make-up, and we of course didn't want to get any of  the boys dressed until the very last minute to avoid any and all wardrobe malfunctions.

Just as we were literally heading out the door - late of course, my mom called Ross' phone.  My sister had been trying to get a hold of me.  On their way to the photo studio, Molly puked all over herself in the car.

Ug!  Poor little girl.  She'd been sort of sick but Haley thought she would be okay for the pictures.  She wasn't.  Not wanting to cancel the appointment, the five of us in our color coordinated outfits did the photo session anyway and the results were....well...not too shabby.  I dislike getting my picture taken, and feel like an oompa loopma in every single picture, but I'm happy to have a record of what my little family looks like right now.

And, fotofly was awesome.  They were prompt and our photographer was so cute and great with the kids.  An hour after our pictures were taken, they have them ready for us to view and buy.  They have a flat fee that includes your session and all your pictures on a CD (Or flash drive) and they'll sell you prints of your pictures right then and there.  The whole experience was really pretty great.  I will definitely be going back...no more Jacques Penne for our kiddo pictures.

So, want to see a few?  I'm partial, but my boys are really cute.  Even my husband.  Go figure.

A game....in pictures

This past Friday was a huge game for the wolverines.  They were up against their toughest region competition, looking to remain undefeated in region play, and facing the opportunity to be 10-9 on the season and finally have a winning record.

Well, they won.

They are still undefeated in region play.

They finally have a winning record.

I took my camera, just in case.

Quinn: 5 months

 

Hello my boy.  Today you are 5 whole months old.  I can hardly believe it.  Time is going by so quickly and you are growing up so fast.

 

Let's see, what have you been up to in the last couple of weeks?

Well, there have been a few major milestones.

 

You can roll from your back to your tummy, but cannot quite pull your arm out from under your fat belly.

 

You can grab onto anything that gets even close to your hands and you are so fast, too.

 

You are eating cereal, fruit and vegetables every single day.  Mom was a dummy and rushed you a bit from once a day to twice a day on the food and that seemed to upset the balance of your digestive system for a few days so I backed you back down to once a day and things are much better.

 

You laugh and laugh and laugh.  You also are starting to talk to me and dad and your brothers quite a lot.

 

You stare like it's nobody's business.  Sometimes, it seems like you can go a lifetime without blinking once you lock in on something, but you are definitely a boy who concentrates on the world around him.

 

You finally started to like the bathtub and put your feet in the water.  You have also started to splash a bit and sit up in the little bathtub.  Your favorite bath time activity is to have me pour water over your hands while you open and close your tightly clenched fists.

 

You swing your left arm like a gorilla - but hardly swing your right.  Dad thinks that this means you are left handed but I'm not so sure we can make those predictions now.

 

If anyone gets close to your face, you rub their face back and then lean in real slow like a turtle and plant a slobbery open mouthed kiss right on the face.

 

When it's time to eat, or get out of your swing you kick your feet wildly.

 

You have finally moved up in the world to the baby Einstein and you seem to like it.  Standing up has not been your thing.  Your brothers before you never wanted to lay down.  They always wanted to be sitting and standing.  By 5 months, Wyatt was starting to pull himself up on stuff so he could stand.  You?  Well, you my boy are perfectly content laying on the floor and scooting yourself in a circle.  It's good to know that your legs work, and the Einstein is helping you get a little more inteersted in standing so that's a start at least.

 

Dad is the only one who can get you to bed at night.  He has a perfect record, too.  I'm not sure what he does with you, but it's obviously magic.

 

You take zero naps during the day.  If I'm lucky, you'll doze in the car for 20 minutes on the school drop-off or pick-up run, but that's about it.  You're never out for longer than 30 minutes, and that only happens once, maybe twice a day.  Unlike your brothers who always fell asleep in the car, you are perfectly content to look around, eat your toy giraffe, and just hang out.  And, for a boy who has no naps you are remarkably pleasant to be around the majority of the day.  For this, I am grateful.

 

And, no naps seems to mean, at least right now, that you are an excellent sleeper (knock on wood).  Generally speaking, you're out between 8:00-8:30 at night and sleep until at least 7:00 in the morning.  You've been doing this for quite a while now, and I know that there will be some bumps along the road, but your dad and I think it's pretty remarkable and are very grateful that you are so good at sleeping at night.  I'll take a full night over naps any day.

 

Above all else my boy, you are an absolute dream.  I just love spending my days with such a sweet little boy.  You are my littlest buddy and I love you so much.  You are a joy to tickle and snuggle with.  A joy to hold and play with.  It is so much fun to see your eyes sparkle when you are happy, and even when you are ticked off at the world, that's pretty cute, too.  Annoying, but cute.

 

We are so blessed that you are so healthy and happy.  Dad figures you weigh about 21 pounds right now which means you've passed up cousin Jack, even though he's still much longer and seems bigger than you.

 

Love you, love you, love you!