Changes

Everyone goes through changes. Some are big, some are small. I have had my fair share of changes in the last few years. My world changed when Mom was diagnosed with cancer. It changed again when I moved to Alabama. And again with the birth of each child. Not all of the changes in my life have been things that I wanted, or even ever thought I could deal with. Yet as I look back even Mom getting cancer has had some hidden blessings in it. The silver lining. I have gotten closer to my Dad, been able to see my Mom in a new way and draw on her strength even more and I have become much more articulate when it comes to expressing my feelings. Today I woke up unable to walk on my foot without extreme pain. After going to the doctors I found out that at the age of 22 I have gout.
For the last 2 1/2 hours I have been crying and trying to wrap my mind around it. After a great talk with my Mom I realized that sometimes the blessings that are recieved through trials aren't given to those going through the trial. I haven't had cancer, yet I have been so blessed because of my Mom's trial. Maybe in 50 years I can look back and see that there is something good that had come out of this. Right now I am just praying for the companionship and comfort that the Lord provides.
I know my life is changing again and I am not sure where it is headed. I hope that this doesn't impact the things I do, but part of me is fearing the worst. The larger part of me however, is calming down and is trying let the Lord lead my path. I trust him and I know that even though I can't see where my life is headed, he can and he is guiding me and molding me into who I am supposed to be. Maybe ill have days where I can't run around and play with my kids, but I can still snuggle up and read stories until im hoarse.
My Grandpa has gout. He's had it as long as I can remember. I don't remember him ever playing rough with us, but it didn't matter. He is still an amazing Grandpa. He wrote a book and I loved to sit and listen to him read it, my imagination soaring. He dug around in boxes one evening looking for a specific book to share with me, if he was in pain, it didn't matter. His love didn't change because he has a hard time walking, or he is in pain. That is the way I want to be.
Whatever happens, happens, and I will make the best of it. 'Come what may and love it' is my new motto. Thanks to Elder Wirthlin for sharing his message that is helping me get over the hurdle of 'having gout.'

Soft C

For the soft C sound we started off by gathering up all her CINDERELLA books and reading them. I find it surprising(but then not) that she can sight read the word CINDERELLA, but she can. After we had read all 5 of our books, yes, five books dedicated to Cinderella...that doesn't include the other princess', we read a book about the CIRCUS. It looked like so much fun that we decided to have our own circus. She practiced being the tightrope walker by walking the back of the couch with her arms open. She was a bear tamer(we have no stuffed lions) and made sure they listened to her and did their routine. Then we had the best time turning her into a clown. She loved that the makeup was 'so silly!' To end our day she got to watch Cinderella. It was a fun day!

Hard C

For hard C we had a blast! We started off by taking a fieldtrip to CURVES where she got to visit with the CURVES COACH - (Miss Peggy.) Kira loves to go to the gym 'where mommy works out her stress.' It surprises me when she asks to go because when we are there she is so shy. On our way home from the gym we sang 'CASTLE on a CLOUD.' Kira is doing really well learning this song. She loved singing it and we sang it over and over and over again! Upon arriving home we took a picture of a CASTLE. She had to COLOR the picture, apply COTTON to make it on a CLOUD and then CUT the picture out. She had so much fun with this project. It is prominently displayed on her wall. When we had finished with our project we went and laid outside on a blanket and enjoyed looking at the CLOUD. Her imagination is really blossoming and its so enjoyable to see what she thinks. "This one is a monster, a dinosaur, a mommy, Cinderella!" When we had finished cloud gazing we came in for a COLD drink and lunch. We ate CUT up CARROTS and peanut butter sandwiches, which she got to use a COOKIE CUTTER to make in the shape of a CAT. It was a great day!

How much?

So in two days Aurora will be 6 months. I was asked recently how much I would estimate a baby to cost. Wow. What a hard question. With Rora being the second child and another girl, she has cost us much less. I figured it would be fun to breakdown how much I have spent on her.

Hospital visit - $0 since she was born before the insurance change at the new year.

Clothing - I bought her a snugli($6 on sale), a dress($5 on sale), and one outfit($10 - no sale it was to cute to pass up!) before she was born, a pack of tights($2.88) and a pair of warm socks(~$2). We have been very blessed with friends giving us their childrens outgrown clothes - especially Angie! Thankfully between that and Kira's old clothes that is all I have needed to buy. Total: $25.88

Diapers and wipes - 3 boxes of wipes -($10 x3). One set of size small diapers, plus covers(78.00) two extra covers($11 x2) Plus two packs of newborn diapers - before the cloth fit - ($6x2)
Total: $142

Food - Breastfeeding is bestfeeding! So $0 was spent before she started solids. Oops, I did buy one head of cabbage for engorgement ($2). We have bought one box of rice cereal($1.50), two sweet potatoes(.75 x2) and a sippy cup($2.50) Other than that she has eaten what we eat.
Total:$7.50

Necessities - One bottle of shampoo ($1). Two packages of binkis($2.50 x2). One mei tei - thank you thank you thank you Jess! - ($10 bought from a friend). Mommy's sanity...HAHAHAHAHA!
Total: $16

We haven't used childcare since I am a SAHM, so $0 spent. Her clothes are sharing a dresser with Akira's so $0 spent. She sleeps in our bed at night and during the day she sleeps in the bassinet(given to us for Akira - $0) or on the floor. Her carseat was given to us for Akira - thanks Nelly! We bought the stroller for Akira. All her toys are either hand me downs, or have been given to her.

Our total out of pocket expense for Aurora through the first six months of life is... $191.38!

Truthfully, it was more than I thought it would be. However, we did have to buy the diapers and those are a bit pricey. Next baby we wont have that expense! I am sure that by now you are bored going over our finances, but I have to say that it was fun for me to sit here and figure out how much we acctually spent on her. Of course, the life she has added to our family, the love and kisses she shares with me, the joy I get when I see how much Kira adores her and her role as a big sister, all this is worth every penny and so much more than that! Being a mom is the greatest blessing the Lord could have given me. I would spend every penny I have and then some to have the joy that my children bring me.
If we only look at the logistics of raising a child, so much is not taken in to account. You lose the way your heart grows when you feel the baby kick, when it swells as you hold them in your arms and you realize that they have always been a part of your family. The pride that you recieve as they learn to roll, crawl, walk, show compassion for someone else or choose the right. That is why you have kids. You can't just look at the money. You have to take the leap of faith and let the Lord guide your family to become exactly who he want you to be.

Now...or later?

As the excitement for our upcoming trip to Disney World mounts, we have stopped some of our excess spending to save for souvenirs. That means no more treats when we are on our way home and pass McDonalds(those $.99 sundaes are SOOOO yummy!) Anyways, as we were passing said McD's the other day Kira asked if we could eat dinner there. I asked her which she wanted more, dinner at McDonald's now, or a week long trip to Disney World later. She thought about it for a minute and decided that we could get McDonalds after our trip. It made me so proud! She is learning and understanding that by giving up something small now she can have something better later. She is such a great girl!
Later that evening as I was recounting the story to Josh she came over and tried to negotiate :D She was trying to get McDonalds on our way to Disney! Proving just how smart she is....it just makes me wonder how many more years I can get away with saying 'maybe' and that being the end of the subject! One of these days she is going to call me out on it and realize that it usually means no. At least that day is later ;)

B...the BABB way ;)

Yesterday we did the letter B. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the things we did, so you'll just have to use your imagination to determine how cute Kira is:) I know...your imagination doesn't do her justice! ...BACK to the letter B. We started off by going to the library to get some BOOKS. She was only allowed to get BOOKS that had at least one word that started with B in the title. She did wonderfully with this task and chose some cute books. We came home and read 'A BED full of cats;' 'BAKER, BAKER, cookie maker;' and 'The adventures of BINKY BINKERTON.' - I highly recommend this last book. It was so cute! After coming home(and hating the traffic since Nance is closed!) we shared a BANANA and a BAGEL for our snack. We played with BALL's and BLEW BUBBLES. She was sweet to her BABY and made sure she had her BINKY all day! To end off our day we had our dinner on BUNS(philly cheesesteaks - yummy!!) It was a BABBALICIOUS day ;) teeheehee...

Fantastic Father!

On FRIDAY we skipped ahead in the alphabet to F. I thought it was FITTING ;) seeing as today is FATHERS day. We started off the week by telling Kira what was going to happen on FRIDAY and then telling Josh that we had a surprise for him and that he needed to cancel any plans. Kira was great all week and didn't tell Josh. She kept telling him that she had a secret and when he would guess, no matter how far off, she would say, "I don't know what you're talking about...We don't have a secret!" It was so FUN!
Friday FINALLY rolled around and we started the day by letting Josh sleep in. When he woke up, he was given a gift of Swedish FISH and FRUIT snacks. Kira FED him FISH and we gave him a FOOT rub while he watched Star Trek: The FINAL FRONTIER. We had FRIED FISH for lunch and after quiet time Josh took Kira out for a FOUNTAIN drink. He then took her to his radio meeting and on the way home got her a FROSTY. She loved it! It was a great day for a great FATHER.

Since it is Fathers Day, I need to take a few moments to gush on the wonderful father of my girls. The Lord truly was guiding me and blessed me when I fell for Josh. As a husband, he has taken every stereotypical man and blew him out of the water. He is the first to apologize if we get into an argument, realizing that arguing isn't helping the situation and doing what needs to be done to rectify it. He is continually thanking me for what I get accomplished throughout my day. Whether it is doing the dishes, folding the laundry, making dinner, or just keeping the girls happy. He makes me feel like a million bucks!
As a dad, he is even more spectacular. Having only girls he doesn't mind playing barbies or princess' or just snuggling. He takes the time to teach them about computers, space, and just how to be a good person. Because of him, Kira now says thank you when I do just about anything. Including thanking the Lord during her prayers for 'Mom washing the dishes, diapers, etc.'
He tells her how beautiful she is every morning before he leaves for work and she can't wait to show daddy when she has finished with her hair. Especially on Sundays, when she gets to wear lipstick(shhhhh...'lipstick is our secret;)' and have sparkles in her hair. She bounces out of the bathroom to Josh and he takes the time to have her twirl for him and comments on her beauty. It always brings a smile to my face.
How many other men do you know that will pack the diaperbag every Sunday morning without being asked? He even did it on FATHERS DAY while I was doing Kira's hair! He gets the girls breakfast while I go to the gym and most days when I come home Kira is dressed, has eaten and is ready to go. Plus Rora has had multiple diaper changes! Its so nice to know that they are being cared for by such a great man while I am gone!
You complete me and I am so greatful to have you at the head of our family. I love you!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY JOSH!!

All About Akira!

For A we learned ALL ABOUT AKIRA. Of course she started off by practicing writing A, then ATE APPLESAUCE. Next we traced AKIRA and wrote ALL ABOUT her. She loved seeing the lifesize AKIRA drawing and it was great to learn which things she wanted to ADD to her paper. Definitely a great letter!

Z

Z was a tough letter to do as we have no money :( Our ac went out over the weekend so there went $180. Needless to say, there was no trip to the ZOO on our forecast. Since there aren't very many Z words, we didn't do a whole lot. We practiced tracing ZIGZAG's on paper and jumping in a ZIGZAG pattern. We found lots of clothes with ZIPPER's on them and then we did some subtracting. Ending up with ZERO. Kira was fantastic at subtraction. By the end she was understanding the difference between the minus sign and the equals sign. It was a fun way to do Z without using ZEBRA's or the ZOO.

'Y'

"YANKEE Doodle went to London..." Kira learned the song YANKEE Doodle for Y! Then we made 'Y's with our bodies while doing the YMCA. It was so much fun! She practiced writing Y with a YELLOW marker. To finish off our afternoon we made YUMMY cake(coffee cake) for a special treat! We also YELLED and YELLED and tried - emphasis on TRIED - to YODLE. It was so much fun!

Worlds Greatest Grandma!

Yesterday we got home and Kira saw a package sitting by our door. She ran to it screaming, "Great Grandma sent me some books! I love my great Grandma!" When we brought the package inside, it was indeed a package from my Gma Jones. Once again, Gma made me smile when I was feeling out of touch with my family. She knows just the things to do to make me feel like I am her only grandchild and I know that somehow being the super-Gma that she is, she manages to do this for all of her 50+ grandchildren...not to mention great grandchildren!!

As we opened the package from Gma, there were indeed books. She finds great old books that teach values at the thrift store then she remembers which books she has sent and sends new ones! Super - Gma! She is also keeping up with the girls - her GREAT grandchildren. There were clothes that are the right for this summer and next summer for both girls. She once again amazes me!

If you look at my fridge, you can't help but smile. I have homemade magnets with quotes that Gma has sent. There are notes that she has taped to books, stuffed toys and clothing to help explain the item. I love these. One that always brings that smile is a note that was taped to a polar bear for Kira. Knowing that I love penguins, Gma wrote, "not a penguin, but still cute, right?" How many people can say that their Gma spends the time finding things that are perfect for you. Then almost monthly, she has gathered enough things and sends a package. For no reason other than to remind me of her love. She truly is an amazing woman.

When I was going through a tough challenge, without me telling her about my problem, she had written me a 12 page letter going into detail about when she had a similar challenge. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel like she was going through it with me. It was a beacon of hope in the midst of the storm. And I can think about multiple other events in my life where she has been the one I turned to.

I love my Gma. She is truly the worlds Greatest Gma!

X marks the spot!

Daddy did X today while I had a meeting and unfortunately he didn't take any pictures. :(
Kira read a map and followed it to get to the 'X' which marked the spot where a BOX was waiting for her. It was a great letter to introduce map reading and as a plus they got to play pirates! A favorite of Kira :) She made 'X's with her body and practiced writing X. I think the fact that Daddy did it with her made it even more memorable!

WALKING in a WINTER WONDERLAND for W

For W I had a couple of ideas floating around my head and let Kira choose what we would do. Her choices were between having a WATER day and spending it playing in the sprinklers, having a WATER fight and in general getting WET. Or, she could create a WINTER WONDERLAND. Her eyes got really big when that idea was presented as she asked if we could listen to 'WALKING in a WINTER WONDERLAND.' I love that she loves the holidays as much as I do!
Needless to say we put on Christmas music and made our home into a WINTER WONDERLAND. We made snowflakes and 'Alabama snow' (bubbles.) We snuggled to keep WARM and enjoyed our WINTER. We also talked about WINTER WEATHER and the difference between the summer and WINTER seasons. We played 'WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and WHY.' Taking turns picking something and asking the questions who, what, when, where and why until the answer was given. It was so fun to see what she was thinking about! We also played our favorite 'W' game, WIGGLE WORMS! To play wiggle worms: make cards with numbers and cards with worms on them, mix them up and then draw a card. If you get a number then tell which number it is and if you get a worm then jump up and wiggle your whole body like a worm. It's one of Kira's favorite games(more than candyland!) She also loves it with letters.
After playing WIGGLE WORMS we ended our day by eating WET WIGGLY WORMS! For me, it was one of the more enjoyable letter days, of course, I love anything where I can listen to WHITE Christmas and WALKING in a WINTER WONDERLAND!

Short U

Yesterday I was a little burned out so our short U lesson was simple. We practiced signing U and then found all the things in our house we could get UNDER. She got under blankets, beds, the table, desk, counter, etc. We jumped UP and down and took a walk UNDER an UMBRELLA. It was fun, but short as Mommy was exhausted! At least she has U learned very well ;)

Long U

Today we practiced the long U sound. She made a UNICORN horn USING a paper plate. We imagined we were UNICORN's and had a blast playing pretend. Then we talked about the UNITED States of America and where we live in relation to UTAH inside the USA. We talked about our great country and said the Pledge. We discussed the reasons America is great. Kira's response: "Amerdica is great because God said so."

As you can tell, im getting a little lax in creating adventures for each letter, yet can we really go on a field trip everyday!?! All in all, it was a fun way to review the long U sound!

T

Yesterday we learned the letter 'T.' We started off our lesson by making T's out of TOOTHPICKS. She also practiced writing T. She made TEENY TINY T's. Next we made TICKETS to enter 'TEA for TWO.' Two being her and her TEDDY. We took turns being the TICKET TAKER and enjoyed eating TEDDY grahams at out TEA. After we had our TEA party the afternoon was rounded out by watching TOY story. Another fun letter finished!

Turning around a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!!

I didn't know that I would reach my breaking point by 10:30 this morning when I woke up, in fact, I was quite happy. Even though Rora woke up at 6, yes, 6am! I was able to pass her off to Josh when he got up around 7 and stay asleep until 9. However, once I woke up it went from bad to worse. Rora should have been her happy morning self, hahaha! The last few days she has been overly clingy, to the point that I can't even clean the counter. Anyways, as I was starting to clean the kitchen, I discovered that in Kira's hidey hole in the kitchen she was making a deposit of boogers. DISCUSTING!!! After dealing with the mess from that, cleaning the kitchen, Rora's crying and Kira's fit I needed a time out! It was one of THOSE days, all before 10:30am!

I needed a timeout! After I had had a few minutes to let the morning roll off, I decided that we needed a day in bed. We grabbed some books and snuggled down in the bed to read and relax together. It was the perfect solution to a bad morning.

250+ pages of story books, one pint of ice cream and a nap for EVERYONE = a great afternoon. It's great to be able to step back from a bad morning and turn it into a fun day. There is just something about snuggling in bed that is automatically relaxing. Add to it Dr. Seuss and chocolate ice cream and its impossible not to be happy! I love lazy days!

The Letter S!

**Attention
ALL READERS!!! **

*this addition is brought to
you by Josh!*

Well today was fun you could say it, it was my day off so I
naturally decided to try this whole pre-school thing. We covered the letter S!
and Kira had soooo much fun! we went Shopping at the Store and also looked at
the Shopping carts, got a cookie with Sprinkles, looked at the Shrimp and
scallops. Then we made snicker doodles cookies! and we talked about Space!
it was a fun day and I May have to take the Letter D.

R

Yesterday we REVIEWED the letter R. Again, it was another fun day with the alphabet! We started off by RUNNING a RACE to Mr. ROY's house. My. Roy wasn't home, so we stopped off at Blake's house to REST and play 'RABBIT, RABBIT, RAT.' - (duck, duck, goose.) When it was time to leave, it was RAINING. We REACHED for the rain and got nice and wet! We also searched and searched for a RAINBOW, but none showed up. When Daddy got home we RELAXED together and REMEMBERED all that we had done. Just before bed as an extra special treat she got to talk on Daddy's RADIO and tell Mr. Heath all that she had done. It was a great day!

Q

Today we learned about the letter Q. Our afternoon started off with a QUICK QUIET time. Instead of the usual 60 minutes, Kira only had quiet time for 45 minutes! Of course she was in heaven. When she got up we talked about QUARTERS and how 4 quarters makes a dollar, so if you have anything divided into 4 then you have quarters. We quartered our boiled egg snack and it was delicious! We then played twenty QUESTIONS and talked about what questions are. We also practiced writing question marks. After that our Q day continued with dressing up as QUEEN Esther. We then read the bible story and talked about being like her. Following that came her favorite part of the day, singing 'Old Mother Duck.' She kept running back and forth to QUACK at the baby ducks! We sang it over and over and over until my voice was getting hoarse! To finish off our day I let her use Q-TIPS to make whatever she wanted...instead of doing a 3 dimentional item, she chose to glue them to paper to make a picture. She did a great job making a house and we had a blast learning about Q!

V

Today we learned about the letter 'V'. I know, we skipped, yet I wanted to focus the majority of our day on VOTING and VETERANS since yesterday was Memorial Day. Yesterday we went to a cemetary and met a Veteran from WW2. We talked about all the freedoms we enjoy because of these brave men(and women) and how they make it possible for us to VOTE. We then headed over to the community center to Vote. When we returned home we voted on everything we did for the rest of the day. She learned about majority and minority an how voting works. We then voted on VACUUMING. It was a unanimous vote that we both would vacuum and make letter 'V's with the vacuum on the carpet. After nap we made a VOLCANO. It was such a fun project! Tonight (as soon as Daddy gets home) we will have a mini VACATION in the livingroom. Pull out the tent, enjoy some sweets and relax as a family! V was such a fun letter!

5 months!

Aurora hit the 5 month marker! I can't believe how fast my baby girl is growing up. Here is a rundown on how awesome she truly is.
She can roll over both ways.
She can scoot to get what she wants.
She is just starting to gain the necessary balance to sit on her own.
She is very impatient when she wants something and wont hesitate to let you know what she wants.
She just started solids and absolutely LOVES food!
She weighs 13lbs 2oz and is 25 inches long! Thats the 50% in weight and 60% in height! There is a reason we call her chubbzy wubbzy!
Rora prefers to be on the move to anything else and she gets bored with toys very quickly. Her ideal day would be to be strapped in the Mei Tai from sun up to sun down as long as I do not stop moving!
Rora is already idolizing her sister. She loves Kira! If she is fussy and I can't get to her, Kira will come over and play with her. She laughs and giggles and it is the sweetest sight!
She is a total Mommas girl and it makes me smile everytime she wants me...even if I am really ready for a break!

14 months ago I got pregnant with Aurora. From the moment I found out she was ment for me, I have loved her with every fiber of my being. I am so greatful that she came to ME! I love my baby girl!!!