Ring ring!!!!

I get asked a lot what my "favorite age/phase" is so far.

I can never answer this. I'm enjoying all three of my kids so much right now.

Maddox is running all over the house and is almost always happy. His giggle could solve all the world's problems. He's also still really cuddly - which is fun and interesting now that my belly is so big.

Sloane is at the age where she says everything she thinks. She takes everything very literally. I'm a Diet Pepsi drinker, but I do make myself drink TONS of water in order to "support" my habit. When I say tons, I mean somewhere between 150 - 200oz of water a day. The water and the Diet Pepsi, plus the fact that this is my 4th pregnancy in FIVE years, means that I take LOTS of potty breaks. Every time Sloane sees me on my feet she asks, "Potty break again Mama?" It just kills me that even she has noticed!

Holynd is 4 going on 24. She asks questions about everything. She's very responsible and loves to act grown up. A couple of weeks ago, she came to me and said she wanted a new Repunzel Barbie. Her's had come up missing and she wanted another one. We do let Holynd have a little "half-Birthday" celebration during the summer. Having a Christmas time birthday can be rough. However, she wanted the barbie sooner rather then later. I told her she could earn an "allowance" by helping me with some chores on Cleaning Day. Holynd and Sloane do have chores that they're already responsible for,  (and they complain about every time they have to do them) but I told Holynd she'd have to do extra work. She agreed. Monday rolled around - she helped me clean all three bathrooms and helped Matt take out all the garbage's. Surprisingly enough, she did it happily.

I gave her 11 dollars for the help.

Matt sat her down and explained that she would have to pay tithing on the money. She seemed ok with the concept.

Sunday came, she cheerfully took her tithing up to the Bishop.

The next day, we went to Target to find her something to buy.

This is where the story takes a turn. I have been blessed with wonderful kids. We go out almost everyday and very rarely do I ever have a hard time with any of them - especially Maddox! However, this day was like the Perfect Storm of bad days.

I had not slept.

Maddox was up most of the night with teething issues and when he finally settled down - I couldn't settle down. Little One was up in my ribs, I was having STUPID contractions and just could not get myself to fall back to sleep.

However, Monday is still Cleaning Day, so I got up early and got to work. By the time noon rolled around, I was overly exhausted. Really. I could have fallen asleep standing up. But, I had promised Holynd we would go to Target that day and I didn't want to let her down.

"My kids are usually really easy" I remember thinking....

Holynd was so excited she talked my ear off all the way to Target. I wasn't being a great mom because, by the time we got there, I wasn't really listening to her anymore. We got into the store fine, stopped to look at the little baby things, everyone was happy and riding in the cart.

Then things went south.

I let Holynd and Sloane out of the cart to look at toys. Maddox, seeing this, immediately got restless because he wanted to be doing what his sisters were doing. I thought we'd be back there maybe 10 minutes at the most. Afterall, Holynd had already said she wanted a Repunzel barbie.

I showed Holynd the Repunzel barbie. She looked it over and said, "Hmmm... Mama, I'm really excited about my money. Is it ok if I keep looking?" She asked so sweetly that even in my semi-incoherent state I couldn't say no. "Sure. Keep looking".

This is the moment where I learned that Holynd is as indecisive as I am. She literally looked at every toy on that aisle. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Now, after about 30 minutes of being stuck in one small space, Sloane and Maddox were a little bored. They eventually found little play carts and began pushing them all over the aisle. 10 more minutes went by and Maddox decided that staying in the aisle was overrated and took off!

Literally, full blown sprint, pushing a pink shopping cart. I'm going to be honest right here, I have probably only chased a running toddler one or two times in my life. This really hasn't happened to me all that often. My kids are usually content staying next to me when we go places.

Holynd is still standing in the barbie aisle, ringing her hands, completely distracted by the decision in front of her.

I took off to get Maddox. At this point, Sloane thought that Maddox's idea was a GREAT idea, but that she wanted to run in the OPPOSITE direction.

Are you kidding me?! I'm exhausted and a few days shy of 30 WEEKS PREGNANT!

I go after Maddox and after giving a warning to Sloane, Sloane ditched the cart and came running back. Maddox was not going down without a fight though. When he realized we were going back to the same ole' boring aisle, he lost it.

Full-on temper tantrum, screaming at the top of his lungs. I eventually just set him on the floor because I didn't dare put him in the cart for fear he'd fall out. I also didn't dare hold him because I was afraid I'd lose control and drop him. So, down on the floor he went, kicking and screaming and carrying on.

I was stumped. We've dealt with tantrums before, believe me, girls love to be dramatic. Matt and I have a pretty strict, if you have a tantrum - you can go work it out in your room, type of strategy. We really don't give tantrums much attention. It seems frustrating to me to try and reason with a preschooler who screaming and having a meltdown. The girls are always more then welcome to discuss the problem AFTER they've calmed down. Had one of the girls been throwing a tantrum like that, I would have thrown the child in the cart and walked straight out to the car. No warnings, no negotiations - they would have went straight to their room when they got home. However, I've never dealt with a tantrum with someone as young as Maddox. Had I walked out of the store, he wouldn't even had made connection that he was the reason we were leaving. Plus, I'd have one disappointed little girl. Luckily enough, my mothering instincts were still semi-functioning and I just knew if I could get Maddox to some different scenery, he'd be fine.

I looked at Holynd and said, "Holynd. We really need to go. What have you decided on?" She pointed at two things. A baby doll and play food to feed it with. It was over her budget, but I was desperate. "Great choice Holynd".

We left the toy section, Maddox stopped crying, everyone was back to riding in the cart.

"I did it!" I thought. It's over!

We got out to the car and everyone seemed content.

That is until.... I realized I had lost my phone.

Sigh........

"Holynd do you know where my phone is??"

"Oh yeah! It was on the floor at the store. I was too excited about spending my money to tell you."

Are you kidding me?!

Back into the store we go, we head back to the toy section. I'm walking just as fast as I can - not really searching as well as I want to. I head over to customer service, stand in the LONGEST line ever, only to be told that my phone wasn't there either.

Great.

I got everyone back out to the car. At this point, I glanced at the clock and realized Matt should be home from basketball, but might have time to help me out before needing to be back at work. By the time we got home, I was bawling.

Matt was, of course, the best husband ever. He jumped right in the car and drove us all back to Target. Me crying the whole way there. He ran in, found my phone and brought it out to me.

Then he said something that really made me realize why I love him so much.

"I think you need me to get you a Diet Coke".

Yes. I really think I need a Diet Coke.

Feed me!

 

You may think this post is about me and my pregnancy. It's not. Although, my doctor is totally getting a kick out of my weight gain this pregnancy. It's been quite the roller coaster ride with the on-again, off-again sickness saga. ;)

 

This post is about my kids.

 

Sometimes my kids just make me laugh.

 

One thing that always makes me smile is their appetites.

 

I've always had really good eaters. I'm not sure how I did it, but my kids love to eat. Not really just that they like to eat, but they like to eat a big variety of foods. They eat things I would've never touched at their ages. About the only thing I've tried to do is to always put the food in front of them. Rarely, do I ever not put something on some one's plate. Just because they said they didn't like it, doesn't mean that they won't change their mind. There was a time when Sloane wouldn't eat any vegetables. But, I just kept dishing it up and putting it on her plate, after enough nagging, she got tired of listening to me and starting trying her vegetables. She doesn't love very many vegetables, but she's came around as far as carrots and broccoli go.

 

Maddox is a dip lover. Spicy? No problem. This kid will eat it up. He's not into the ketchup like most kids. Maddox wants salsa, guacamole, hummus etc. The kid can also put down soup faster then the entire family combined. Maddox is pretty die hard about feeding himself. He doesn't want help and he wants the same plate/utensils as his sisters. No exceptions or he's not eating. This can be a little frustrating when he's still sitting at the table trying to feed himself and I've finished cleaning up after everyone else!

 

Sloane is my fruit lover. She is slowly coming around to more and more veggies, but the girl can put away fruit like it's candy. I think the only thing we've had a hard time getting her to eat is grapes. Sloane's love of fruit reminds me a lot of Matt. Matt loves to talk about the fruit he ate and juices he drank while serving in Brazil. When we were dating, he got me to try mangoes. I'm not a fan, but Sloane gobbles mangoes up! Along with cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and apples. Her all-time favorite will probably have to be strawberries.

 

Holynd.... Oh, Holynd.... Much could be said about this little girl and eating. I'm not exaggerating when I say she eats just about as much as I do. Really I'm not. Holynd is a little picky. She definitely likes to know all about what she's about to eat, but when she finds something that she likes, she will eat. Nights where Holynd doesn't ask for seconds are rare. Holynd LOVES vegetables, especially grape tomatoes. The last few summers, we have given Holynd her very own grape tomato plant. She has to help water it and when it starts to fruit, she gets to pick the tomatoes. She'll eat most of her harvest in one day, which is sad for me, because I'm a huge tomato fan too!! I hardly ever have to ask Holynd to eat her vegetables. The girl even likes Brussel Sprouts!

 

It's quite comical at dinnertime when I'm telling Sloane to eat her veggies and I'm bribing Holynd to eat something BESIDES vegetables. Maddox? He usually ends up with all of his food mixed together and is perfectly content eating it this way.

 

When Utah finally gave in to some good weather, we wanted nothing more then to be out of the house. One of the first days of spring break, I decided to take the kids to the park for a picnic. Since we had ample time, I thought taking the kids to the grocery store to pick out their lunch was a fantastic idea. I remember thinking that Lunchables were the perfect idea.

 

No.

 

NO.

 

We got to the park and Holynd opened hers up. She stared at the contents and said, "Mom! This is just a snack!". We ended up having to have a second lunch when we got home.

 

I really love to cook for my kids. I'm pretty consistent, although, I will admit, the bigger I get the less I want to cook. There's quite a few days in the week where I feel really unappreciated when it comes to cooking. I hate when meals aren't perfect and constantly trying to get everyone to pay attention and eat gets old.

 

About a week ago, I called Matt and told him that I just wasn't up for cooking. I asked him to bring home Thai food. Pad Thai is one of my kids' favorite things. Matt was working later then when I usually fed the kids, but I figured on this one night, they could deal with a later dinner.

 

At about 6:15, Sloane came walking up the stairs. She walked right passed me, climbed up onto her stool and looked around the kitchen. Her mouth dropped open and she gave me a really dirty look. "MOM! YOU FORGOT TO MAKE MY FOOD!" I couldn't help but laugh. "Dad is going to bring dinner home.". We don't really eat out much for dinner, so Sloane was extremely concerned with this statement. "Daddy is doing dinner?!?" she said.

 

I had a pretty good laugh about the whole thing.

 

******

 

Just as a sidenote: I'm 29 weeks along and starting to feel very big. Weeks 20 - 30 always drag on for me, so I'm very excited for this week to be over. Things just get so much more exciting once you get into the 30's. I'm still feeling so much better since calling my doctor. I haven't thrown up since I started taking my prescription. Wahoo! I have started falling asleep really early again. Some nights, when Matt gets home later, I can barely ask him about his day before I'm OUT!

Sickness Part II

About three weeks ago, I started getting sick again.

Always at night.

I'm an insomniac under normal circumstances, so this made sleeping so much worse.

Over the next few weeks, I became a very hard person to live with. I kept telling myself that it wasn't that bad. I basically kept beating myself up because I couldn't figure out why I wasn't handling it better.

Last week, my grandpa passed away.

The week turned into an out-of-control tornado with Aunt T flying in from Colorado, viewings, funerals and luncheons.

When Matt's alarm went off Sunday morning, I couldn't even move.

"I can't do it." I said. Matt didn't ask anymore questions. He left the room to go take care of the kids and I stayed in bed. I was very discouraged. I could not believe a little sickness was taking such a toll on me!

Monday night was another sleepless night. This time the sickness and indigestion were so bad that I couldn't even lie down without having to throw up. I spent most of the night propped-up awkwardly, watching Seinfeld.

Tuesday morning I waited for the clock to hit 9:00. I picked up the phone and called my doctor immediately. I was SO OVER IT.

When the Rachelle, the nurse, called me back, she asked what was going on. I gave her a very brief run-down of what I was going through. When the words, "....and then the heartburn gets so bad that my throat is sore most days. I just can't quit coughing. I can't eat because of the heartburn, but if I don't eat I get sick..." she stopped me. "Ok, Tanshyle, this is unacceptable. NO ONE should have to feel this way. Tell me where I can send a prescription."

It took one hour after that first dose for me to realize, this sickness had been horrible. I had no idea how bad I was really feeling until the sickness was finally gone! I quickly noticed that I had been sick ALL THE TIME and was just experiencing the worst of it at night.

It's only been just over 24 hours, but I am so much happier. I'm so grateful that I'll actually get to enjoy these last few months.

Now if I could just get Sloane's doctor to give her something to help with potty-training....

Play.

Spring is here.

We're not home much these days.

That might change as the pregnancy progresses, but I'm choosing to ignore that.

But, for now, we are enjoying the new season.

The kids have discovered a love for the library. Matt and I both love to read, so this is an outing I can almost never say no to. Maddox loves to walk up to a shelf, pull out one book, sit and slowly turn each page.

We're also huge fans of picnics. I want a real picnic basket more then anything. It has to be one like my Grandma Faye had. Has to. I really hope I never forget picnics in Wallsburg.We have quite a few favorite parks. It seems like we visit one for awhile and, when we feel it's been sufficiently explored, we venture to a new one.

The girls have discovered a love for hills. They pedal their little bikes up our hill, turn around and come flying down as fast as they dare. We'll probably be taking a trip to the Emergency Room soon. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a couple of trips.

Everyone got a fun swimsuit from the Easter bunny. There's no way we'll be able to wait for Memorial Day to swim, so for now, we'll swim at the Legacy Center.

Everytime I think about summer, I think about being pregnant all summer long. I have to keep reminding myself that this pregnancy will end in July.

Right now, I plan on just taking little brother along for the ride. I hope he doesn't come to earth expecting rest and relaxation.

That's just not the way we do things around here. 

Time.

Right before I got pregnant, I had a very unsettling experience at Costco.

A man and his wife came up to me while I was standing in line. I had all three kids in the cart and grocery piled high around them. The woman began commenting on Sloane's hair. This is nothing out of the ordinary, people are always complimenting her hair. The man looked at me and said, "Your children are beautiful, but so young! You need to be done. No more. Ok?". He chuckled and walked away with his wife. I was dumbfounded. Here I was, stressed to the max over trying to get pregnant and this guy just told me "No more." I didn't know what to say. The experience stuck with me.

Now that my belly is getting quite round, I'm getting more looks and questions from strangers when I'm out and about with all three kids.

Actually, I get very amused when someone asks about my kids when Holynd is at Preschool. Their eyes always get really wide when I say, "Sloane is 2, Maddox is 1 and my 4 year old is at Preschool. I'm having our 4th baby in July."

Most people are very kind, even though I can see the judgement in their eyes.

People can say and think what they want. My kids are perfect and they love each other, that's all that matters to me.

One question that I'm hearing more and more often is, "How do you spend time with each child?"

This is something I never know how to answer.

Actually, this is a question that I prayed about almost everyday when I was pregnant with Maddox.

"How will I ever be able to spend time with each baby individually?"

I never really got an answer.

I've been confused about it for quite some time. However, recently, I've noticed that the answer has been in front of my face for a long time.

It just happens. I don't know how it happens, but when one of the kids needs time with just me or just Matt the opportunity just sort of presents itself.

This is no coincidence. We're definitely receiving some sort of divine help.

For instance, Maddox loves his dad. Unfortunately, I don't think Maddox gets to spend as much time with Matt as he would like to. A lot of the time, when Matt has to run a more husband-type errand, like getting the oil changed or the tires rotated, Maddox tags along. He loves every minute of it. This, in turn, gives me time to spend with the girls. We do things that normally Maddox would just interrupt, like fingernail painting or playing in make-up.

Holynd is at an age where she's can easily tag along with me on my sort of errands. She loves a trip to Hobby Lobby and I've even taken her with me to have a manicure while I get a pedicure. Sloanie is my grocery shopping buddy. She knows the layout of Smith's just as well as I do. She LOVES to be the one to get things off the shelves and put them in the cart. She's also extremely content sitting in the cart, drawing all over the grocery list with a pen. Matt also makes it a priority to take Sloane with him every morning when he takes Holynd to Preschool. The ride back may not be very long, but Sloane is on top of the world having daddy all to herself for a few short minutes.

Sometimes the opportunity doesn't come in the form of an outing. When Holynd got Croup, she really didn't want anyone around her. As long as she could lay in my bed with a movie on, she was content. This was a strange situation for Sloane, Maddox and I. We stayed downstairs most of the day, playing blocks or cars (things that Holynd normally found BORING). When it was time for Maddox's nap, Sloane basically had me all to herself. By the time Holynd was better, Sloane was SICK OF ME. She wanted her sissy back and Holynd was way ready to play too.

This doesn't come without some sort of sacrifice from Matt and I. Usually, in order to make it happen Matt and I have to split up, which means less time together. It used to bother me more, but I've slowly realized that it just means that we have to be more adamant about having date nights. Matt and I also know that in a few short years, our kids will probably be "too cool" to hang out with us anyway. Matt is also a really good sport about taking the girls on Daddy Daughter Dates. I know he wasn't thrilled about seeing Beauty and the Beast in 3D or taking the girls to Disney on Ice, but he's always 100% willing to take them out. I don't really mind getting to spend time with my baby boy either.

One thing is for sure: taking one or two kids with us is NOTHING compared to taking all three. I took Maddox shopping with me a couple of weeks ago, it was almost like a mini-vacation.

I'm still unsure what to say to people when they ask us how we ever get in quality time with each kid. I'm still trying to tell myself that these people really aren't just being rude. There will probably come a day when I yell and scream at someone at Costco.