*The kids went in for their annual well visits (and Ellowyn for her 2-month...Diana and Daniel were both a few months behind for their annual visit, but close enough). They're all doing so great and growing well. They're skinny little beans (lucky!!) and super-healthy, the doctor was very happy with all of their progress. Ellowyn and Diana got a few shots each, but Daniel was spared the needle on this visit. Diana is now good until she turns 11, so no more shots until then. YAY!
Here are their stats:
- Diana: 4 years old, 34.6 lbs (39%), 40.5" (53%)
- Daniel: 2 years old, 24.9lbs (11%), 34.2" (42%)
- Ellowyn: 2 months, 11 lbs (39%), 23" (71%)
* I had a fun and relaxing Mother's Day! On Saturday (the day before), Mike went on a jeep tour with his family, so I invited my mom and sisters over to have a little Mother's Day get-together. We made crepes, painted our nails, and just sat around and talked. It's been a LONG time since just us sisters have gotten together, sans kids and husbands, and just hung out. It was so much fun! My mom showed up shortly before everyone else left because she had to work in the Temple that morning. I was sad she missed most of it, but was glad she could come by, especially since we decorated a platter for her, telling her the ways each of us loved her. Then, on Sunday, Mike made breakfast, took care of the kids, and basically gave me a nice, relaxing Mother's Day, which is all any mom EVER wants! :)
*Mike got a 'new' car (Hyundai Accent), since his old car was in need of some pricey repairs that wouldn't have made it worth it for us to keep. It's a roomier car in the back, so we finally can fit all 3 kids in his car, and we don't feel like they are shoved in there like sardines, like they are in my car. Diana was excited for daddy's new car, and we're all glad to have a comfy car to drive in together that isn't mommy's. :)
*We're so excited about the hot weather, and have taken advantage of it (before it gets too unbearably hot) by taking the kids swimming. We found out that the pool at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas is open to locals and is FREE, so we've been going there to swim, and it is SO FUN! The kids have been enjoying it, and we love it, especially since we've been long-time fans of Lake Las Vegas (I have many family members who used to work out in that area many years ago, and some that lived near there for a while). We also hit up the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store out there each time we go...we LOVE chocolate! It's sad to see the area so desolate, and I remember many years ago when it was bustling with businesses and tourists. I keep hoping that one day it will rebound and return to the type of place it used to be.
*Diana graduated from her first year of preschool, and I couldn't be prouder of my little girl!
Her teacher isn't going to be doing preschool again next year, and we are all SO SAD about that!! Diana has learned so much since she started preschool back in September, and it's crazy to look back and see how much she's progressed, both in intellect and social skills. She's such a smart little girl, and it blew my mind when I found out all the things kids are required to know BEFORE they go into kindergarten! For example, the have to be able to spell and write their own name, know and be able to write all their ABC's and numbers 1-20, know their shapes & colors, be able to read a certain number of "sight words", etc. I remember learning all the basics, like numbers, days of the week, months, etc, in kindergarten...not before. It's crazy to me! Luckily, Diana has had a fabulous teacher and she already knows how to read, write, and spell her own name, read and write all her ABC's, (she knew her colors and shapes before), read and write all her numbers, she can read a few sight words already (it, is, of, to, for, and, the, you, your, and -of course- a & I...I'm positive that there are a few more that she knows, but I'm blanking right now), she knows her days of the week, she knows her months of the year, and really so much more. She made so many friends in preschool, and it was fun to hear her stories about her friends each Tuesday and Thursday when I went to pick her up. Her teacher said she was attentive and quiet during lesson time and she seemed to be absorbing the lessons each day really well (and this is a great thing for me to hear, as I worry that she may have inherited my ADD). She's even doing well in church, she already knows the first 5 Articles of Faith (thank you, song versions!). She's such a bright, sweet, intelligent little girl, and I couldn't be more proud of her!
*The same day as Diana's Preschool "Graduation" was Mike's 31st birthday!
After Diana's school party, we headed up north to Lehi, UT to visit with family and friends for the weekend. It was SO much fun!! The kids were really, really good on the drive, it was so great! Half way to our destination, we stopped to visit with my brother James in Cedar City, UT, and it was so awesome to be able to see him! The kids enjoyed the chance to play around with him and his roommate, and I loved having the chance visit with him (and to feed the baby in a comfortable, air conditioned place so that she could happily make it the rest of the way up north). The kids had a fantastic time over that weekend and were so glad to be able to spend bunches of time with their cousin, Jacey, and to be there for her birthday party. Daniel tormented Steve and Tasha's cat (Mike's brother & sister-in-law, Jacey's parents, whom we were staying with for the weekend), and didn't learn his lesson to be nice to her, even when she scratched him a few times. He obviously has his own idea of what's considered "playing". Mike and I were so glad we could hang out with Steve, Tasha, and Jacey, and visit with his friends up there..we miss them all and it's always so fun to get to see them. The kids were extremely sad to go that Sunday...Diana cried as we put her in the car, and begged us to go back most of the way home. She misses Jacey and her "awesome house". It's always hard to say goodbye and go home, but we are so thankful we could go up and play for as long as we did!
*Ellowyn is growing so fast. It's fun to watch and sad at the same time. With my other two kids, I was rushing to get them to the next step. With her, it's like I'm trying to hold on to each phase as it slips by. I'm so grateful for all her progress, though, and it really is fun to watch her grow, step by step.
For a long while now, she's been smiling at all of us, and a few weeks ago, she got to the point where she started smiling at everyone. She is SUCH a smiley baby. She has the biggest, most adorable smiles! She literally smiles so big that she laughs most of the time. I just love it!! She's a lot like her big sister, and LOVES to talk talk talk! I know that once she learns real words in a year or two, that her and Diana will talk to each other non-stop. She LOVES Diana and Daniel so very much! They are her favorites! She was really afraid of Daniel for a while, because he was not soft with her and thought it was playing to jump on her and scream "BOO!!" in her face while she was sleeping, and all that other stuff. Now we've worked with him enough that he's gentle most of the time with her, and she's no longer scared of him. She actually gets excited and throws on her gigantic, giggly-smile when she sees Diana or Daniel walk by. And, of course, these two just LOVE LOVE LOVE her! So many kisses, hugs, and talking with Ellowyn from both of them. They can't get enough of her and her big, sweet smiles, and it gets to the point where sometimes I have to jump in and ask them to leave her alone just long enough that she can get a nap.
She loves to watch movies, just like Diana, and I can usually get her to stop crying for a bit when I'm not holding her if I stick her in front of the tv. I know, I know, but you try having three kids as crazy as mine and then you can judge me!
Like most babies, Ellowyn is easily scared, and so many of her "play times" with Diana and Daniel end in tears, but Diana and Daniel are always quick to try to soothe her cries with hugs, kisses, and words of encouragement. She definitely has a great brother and sister. :) She also HATES being set down...and I mean HATES it. She cries constantly if she is set down, so I either spend the day listening to her scream and have a semi-clean house, or don't do a thing and enjoy some quiet because I'm holding her. I bought a lightweight wrap-style baby carrier that I'm going to use to hopefully pacify her so I can get some housework done. I hope it does the trick!
She does great with tummy time and is pretty close to rolling over (love the rolling over, it's so cute). She found her thumb several weeks ago and now, sticking her thumb in her mouth is one of the first things she does when she's upset or tired. It's so cute, but I know I'm going to have a problem on my hands when she gets older. Oh, boy.
She has beautiful, dark eyes, though no one can seem to tell what color they actually are. My guess is they're a dark olive-grey color, but some days it's so hard to tell. With my other kids, it was so obvious. Diana's always had stunning light-blue eyes, Daniel's always had the big, rich, warm brown eyes. I'm interested to see how Ellowyn's eye color looks as she grows. Speaking of eyes, she's got a clogged tear duct that she's dealt with since she was a week old, but it seems to be getting better. Luckily all it means is excess discharge from her eye when she first wakes up and an extra watery eye the rest of the time. So, no biggie.
(My wedding & engagement photos....)
Daniel is a little trouble maker, but so cute, too! He definitely loves mischief and gets himself into trouble any way he can. He constantly keeps me on my toes and extra-dreadful of any time he is silent. He's a boy through-and-through, there's no doubt about it. He loves cars, dirt, being dirty, being naked, being loud, running, climbing, jumping (especially off high things), bugs....again, total boy.
But, despite his boyish ways, he's such a big snuggle-bug and lovey-dovey little man. He loves giving lots of hugs and especially kisses, and loves to be held and snuggled. He is my little boy!! He also love to sing along with every song we listen to, and has become a BIG movie-quoter (his FAVORITES right now are Lego Movie and Cars), just like his mommy and big sister. It's been so much fun to quote movies all day long with my kids (and hear Daniel's vocabulary grow by leaps and bounds because of it) and sing songs (in parts!) together. I'm sure we drive Mike crazy when he's home. :)
But, as much as Daniel is sweet and sensitive and lover of his mommy and sisters, he's also a big man's man. His favorite people (aside from his mom and his sisters) are his daddy and his grandpas (or 'PaPa's, as he calls them). Seriously, if we are around one of his PaPas, no one else matters. No one. And that's how he feels when his daddy gets home from work every day. He'll plow through everyone and anyone to get to his daddy.
He's getting so smart, too. There are days when I can't understand a words that's coming out of his mouth at a mile a minute, but then there are days we totally communicate, and I just love it! I love to hear him count to three and mimic Diana and I. He's so sweet and so funny, I love having this little monster in my life, no matter how much of a busy handful he is!
Diana is still Diana. A smart, funny, beautiful, imaginative, girly-girl princess. She loves to sing and with pour her heart out through song.
She loves to make up her own songs, and it's so fun to hear her sing them..many times, they make me laugh. Her favorite movies right now are Frozen and Lego movie (she's got all of Frozen memorized, and, of course, quotes along with the movie as she watches). She still loves My Little Pony and everything pink and Disney Princess-related. She's got a big, sparkly imagination, and I know that will make her an even greater person as she grows. She's got a big heart, and just loves everyone to pieces. She's very social, and loves making friends with everyone she meets. She's tough, but sensitive, and is hurt when others are mean to her or don't want to play with her.
She loves Ellowyn and Daniel more than anyone else, and loves to be "the mom". She definitely fits well into her big sister roll. She's such a hard worker and loves to help out. She often volunteers to help me with dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and dusting, and will always happily clean up not only her own messes, but the messes her very messy little brother makes. I often tell Daniel how spoiled and lucky he is to have such an awesome sister to clean up after him.
Diana and I definitely butt heads a lot because our stubborn personalities are so similar, but I love her to bits and am so, SO thankful Heavenly Father sent her to me, and sent her first. I seriously don't know what I'd do without her.
Mike and I are doing well and just plugging along in our daily activities. Mike's SO CLOSE to being done with his Master's Degree that I can smell the ink on his diploma! He should have been done 4 months ago, but situations at work have made it impossible for him to finish so far. So soon, very soon, he'll be all done, and we all can't wait!!
That's life in a rather large nutshell for us lately. Until next month!
