1

Coleman is 1

His first teeth broke through just in time for his birthday!
Coleman was not such a fan of the frosting on his cake.

Coleman loves balls and to play pass
he says UH-OH, mom, dad, and has said things that sound like Keiton and kitty and dog
He is cruising around like a champ

He is becoming very clingy and demanding and is really fighting being weened. Today he de-pantsed me. He is often screaming while pushing and pulling on my pants.

He has finally decided he will take a bottle so hopefully the night time nursing and early morning nursings will get under control.
He is being picky with self feed food and I'm not on top of baby food and hand feeding him enough. I'm defiantly paying for it at night.
He doesn't like his high-chair and wants to eat on the move even while nursing,
He is a climber and at times gets himself stuck in a precarious situation
He wants to be big and if often copying what the older kids do.
He LOVES to dig in the dirt (like spend over and hour in one spot digging.)
throws temper tantrums and will hit his head while throwing himself around.
love to be outside and books it to the door anytime it is open.


Keiton

Did you pee on the floor?
"No the wee wees are still in my pea nuts"
lots of wining :( frustration and demands, grabbing, hitting,
He can be the sweetest helper and buddy when getting enough attention. I really need to drop all my projects and focus on him.
He is starting to have an interest in learning new things right now and is starting the alphabet song, and counting better and wanting to do his reading lesson
He is getting really good at puzzles and can about do a 24 piece 3-6 year old puzzle by himself
He loves to be outside but wants to be with mommy and coleman

Brielle

singing much of the day, mostly "let it go" but also things like "these are the f stops, these are the tuners" while going up the scale.
she often is telling me she is sorry for making poor choices
Brielle is really enjoying violin. She didn't participate at all at her first lesson so we went back to observing with a mini lesson 5 min max and practicing at home. I think she is ready for her next lesson.
very much into princesses dresses and things the "twirl" and often falls apart if she has to wear pants.
We are working on picking up and thus gunny Bag has taken almost all of her princesses dresses away and she has be resorting to sleeping in her swimsuit instead on account that it has a little skirt attached. She can earn her dress ups back but she can't seem to keep her few things left in her room picked up.
she is getting so big playing with the big girls on the block
crossing the street by herself with mommy watching

3

My oldest turned 3 so crazy how time flys.


She loves to tell people her birthday and that she is now 3.
She also talks a lot about sleeping beauty touching the spinning wheel and dying.
She continues to be the second mother, talking Keiton through how to do something or sympathizing "OH" before she solves his problem. She totes Coleman everywhere. luckily he knows how to get off most predicaments like off couches chairs, and going up and down stairs. He has been put in baskets and bathtubs, boxes and ottomans you name it, Brielle has put him in it. She also had gotten him out of his port crib. That didn't go over to well :(
She is very into writing her name and loves her little art kit she got for her birthday. Interesting that know that she know some letters and shapes she no longer draws her faces.
She is starting to through out fun phrases like silly goose, silly man, stinky robot, my child, Whats going on here, gross,
She is becoming quite dramatic and is LOVING her imaginative worlds she creates. She spends most every min. of everyday in one of her dress ups and switches out multiple times a day.
She is very giving and is quick to share half of her candy bar, or trade seats, bikes, toys, cups ect.  with Keiton to make him happy.
She and Keiton love to twirl.
She would prefer to play with older girls and eats up their games and role plays.
She is pretty aware of others emotions and tries to fix them. "are you frustrated?"

Keiton

Keiton is starting to gets so he can do a 25 piece 3-6 year old puzzle with hardly any help.
He has most of his colors down and we are getting a few shapes
He loves his Scheich horses and riders
He continues to be all about anything with wheels
He is very sensitive and at time defiant and stubborn but I am getting better and meeting his emotion needs and we are having let explosions from both of us.
He is really got and getting Brielle to do things for him and goes places and people seem to give him things he likes and so now he things he can take or get whatever he likes.  
Dave is loving that Keiton really likes watching skiing, and motorcycling videos with him.
He also loves watching shark tank just so he can see the tank of sharks before each segment.
He is starting to really join Brielle and contribute to their creative play.


Colman is 11 months so crazy he is almost a year.

* throws ball to play pass
* draws with a writing tool on iPad like pad
* knows cars go down ramps
*crowns go on your head
* He started walking a few weeks ago and it really starting to go far and do it a lot. He is really proud of himself. I have decided i have a third walker.

* He feeds himself pretty well and is showing a lot of interest in silverware and cups.
* He is getting into any cupboard he can and dumping.
* he likes to stick his tongue out to the side of him mouth. I need to capture a picture

resolutions

I am posting to hopefully hold myself more accountable. My two goals are to conquer my morning and to become less materialistic and focus on memories, experiences and people.

To help with the materialistic goal I am going on a 6 month spending freeze with only purchasing essentials. I have set a small food budget for perishables but besides that I want to eat through my freezer storage and food storage to help rotate things. Dave's Christmas present was a date family packet with 1 family outing and 2 date nights. We will be spending money on these but they were all buy one get one free so still lots of savings. Beside these and a few projects that are half finished I want to really try to save save save and not buy anything that we don't absolutely need. Wish me luck, encourage me and ask how I'm doing.

Conquer my morning will be the hard one but I know will make a big difference for everyone in the family. I need to be ready to feed the kids by 8. That means work out scriptures and get ready. I think If i wasn't always chasing my day we all would be a lot happier. Sad thing is It is the 12 and I have made no progress. I really like sleeping in and staying warm in my bed. Help I need suggestions and really just a few kicks in the butt.

Christmas

November

Whats new?

Coleman at 7.5 months is walking furniture and in between furniture and can cross a room holding on to only one hand. He loves his tougue and it is often seen hanging out of his mouth.  He likes to laugh when tickled. He is finally sleeping better and we have had a few sleep through the night. but he still often wakes at 4 and I try to make him cry it out but at 5-5:30 I give up and go nurse him. But hey this is better then twice a night which was the norm just 2 weeks ago. He is everywhere and has broken his first piece of home decor :( I need to get a gate on the stairs but man is that going to be really annoying, especially on account that you can't fully open the front door with the child gate on the stairs. Can't wait until we can bump out our entry. I really enjoy babies but toddlers is a whole new game that I'm struggling enjoying. The only good part is watching them learn and seeing that progress and little light bulb go on when that grasp something. I am all about empowering kids to do things themselves but I'm struggling with the consequences of that in the realm of time and mess :(

Keiton has mastered opening doors and climbing out of his crib naps and night time are always a battle.

Brielle is in an obstinate phase (i hope) and refuses to do much of what she is asked.

I have much to learn about patience.  I never realized until having my own how hard being a good mom is. I am so grateful that I had an amazing mom now the challenge is not to compare myself to her. I always thought I'd be grate at the juggling game of mothering and keeping everything a float especially with lots of kids. We all no not everyone is cut out for a large family (not that large means better) but I always thought I was. Now I'm rethinking that. To bad we can't trade choose how long our children stay in different stages of childhood. I'd take the infant stage longer and speed up the toddler one.

I have had a lot of thoughts on the kind of Parent Heavenly Father is to me and the kind of parent I am to my kids. Man do i have a loooooooooooo........ng journey to become anything like him. sigh!

preschool

I have started a preschool co op and I have kind of gone crazy over it and am a little intense and over the top. BUT of all the things I could be putting my time money and energy into right now this would be around the top.

Brielle " your hurting my body"
Keiton "I want to sleep with my bones" interpretation I want to sleep with our book about the human body.

At times I will find Brielle in the learning center playing away or working away for a long time instead of playing in the playroom with all the toys.

I must be doing something right.

The kids are enjoying doing more and more themselves and Keiton the last week has been found with just his diaper on in the mornings because he is practicing taking off his clothes.

I am starting to get a little more sleep at night and thus have more energy and the craziness is starting to begin. I am almost finished with phase 2 of the kitchen and already I'm drawing up plans for built in's around our fireplace with a new mantel, hearth and fireplace surround.

Dave is taking the twins to Idaho this weekend and I am hoping to tackle the built in's.

I know I'm crazy! I've just accepted that about myself.

coleman continues to be active getting himself from one room to another and over all is happy and sleep  8 hours last night without a feeding. Oh happy day.

Crawling/Standing

Coleman at 5 months started to pull himself around and one day I lost him! Keiton and I had been changing diapers with him in Keiton's room and we both when to through the diapers away. After a few minutes I stopped hearing Coleman's coos and asked Keiton to go see how he was doing. Keiton came back after a min and ask where Coleman was. I panicked and raced into the room only to not find him so I started racing through the rest of the house. My Brain and Memory especially is not running 100% these days and I thought maybe I had forgotten where we had changed diapers. Then I thought he must be under something. I race back to Keiton's room look under the crib and there is Coleman in the far back corner grinning at me.

At 5.5 months he pulled himself to standing and has continued to do so and had a few hard falls. I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be the mobile but here goes.

Coleman continues to be my angle baby and I am so grateful. I am very busy and very tired at the end of every day.

I have started a preschool co op with 4 moms in my neighborhood and my kids are loving our new learning center. I love the montessori method of teaching and have felt a lot of satisfaction in providing that kid of learning environment for my kids. Hopefully I can keep it all up.

I am hoping by the end of the month I will have 98% of by kitchen painted and ready to be put back togeather and left alone until be can afford to replace the window and finish the final stage of our kitchen remodel. It really has been a LONG hall.