The Blair Family: September 2008

Monday, September 22, 2008

Still having fun

Philippians 1:3-5
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you...for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."
I marked this scripture in 2003 the year that Cole and I were married because it so perfectly encompassed the strength his letters lent to me all our years as pen pals.

Cole and I met in the summer of 1998 at an EFY session at Ricks College. After five years of letters we ended up back at Ricks/BYU-Idaho and started dating. We were married five months later. We had discovered most of what we needed to know of eachother through those five years of letters. It was one of the most certain decisions I've ever made. Well I tried to pull up some pictures of fun things Cole and I have done like our cruise and other things but I was having a hard time so maybe those will come as an addition to this post. Anyway, Cole and I are still having fun. We celebrated our anniversay on Friday with a trip to the Columbus, Ohio temple. Afterward Cole took me out to a very delicious dinner at the Cheescake factory. We stayed in a nice hotel and went miniature golfing the next day before returning to life in Charleston and reclaiming our lovely children. We were pleasantly suprised to hear that Hyrum didn't feel too sad in our absence. It was hard for me to leave the sweet babies, but it is an investment in the next five years of our marriage to make time for me and Cole to remember who we are as a couple. It was a very fun time and it truly renewed my appreciation for the amazing and wonderful man who chose me five years ago. It was fun to be able to have so much uninterupted time to talk. It is so amazing to think of all that could be in store for us if we can keep on the right track. I don't see how anyone could be more truly blessed than we are. Life is our adventure. Some may not understand how diapers and daily drudgery of parenthood, school, work etc. could be an adventure, but it is for me. I don't know what will happen next what will test me and try me and refine me but I know that life has always been right no matter what and that I've always been able to trust Father in Heaven to show me the way through and not only the way through but the joy to be had in the journey. That was actually the theme of the EFY session, Joy in the Journey. I have been blessed with the perfect companion, confidant, and friend to travel that journey with me.

Happy Five Years

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Friends

Mary Rhodes neighbors had a garage sale to raise money for a neighbor who is sick. The kids all ran this little candy and chip stand and had so much fun. From left to right, Hyrum, Madalynn, Shailee, Eve.

We had a welcome barbeque for a new family in our ward, yeah!

More from Shailee's birthday

Shailee, Hyrum, and Madalynn Rhodes.

Shailee helped put the goldfish on her cake. As I was decorating she corrected me, "you need to do that different." So hopefully the finished product met her high standards. It was fun.

Shailee picked rice, sweet and sour chicken, broccoli, and corn for her birthday dinner

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Shailee's Fourth Birthday

Shailee asked for a mermaid themed party. We found these wigs and they seemed appropriate

Playing Don't Eat Pete at her party

She opened this towel as her first present

Four Amazing Years

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

First Day Of Preschool

Shailee had her first day of preschool today. It was a joyous and long awaited occasion because she is really ready for the experience. She has been telling everyone that she gets to go to school like her dad. Last night she set her clothes out and got her backpack ready and fell right asleep no stress. May this be the pattern for years of school to come! She was all smiles before and after preschool. I am excited for her and glad that she is so happy about it. Hyrum missed her a little during the three hours they were apart. But I think he had fun going to library story time and the farmers market. He was really happy with this peach we picked out right before I took the picture then I guess he found a mushy spot.
Shailee has been talking about preschool all day since she got out. The things that stood out for her, or at least what she has talked most about...

One of the little boys came out of the bathroom without his pants on, " everyone stared and was embarresed"
She and her friend Eve asked for a turn on a toy and were told no by another little girl. But then they got turns.
She had been singing a song about an elephant sitting on people.
She was really excited that they got to play outside on the playground and ride bikes.
She played with the dollhouse.

I know some parents feel sad about their children growing up. I do sometimes but not when it's something so fun for Shailee! She may be destined to enjoy school as much as her Dad.

BABIES

updates on the things they do.

07-28-11

It is about time I started blogging again. Had a sweet moment with my babies yesterday. We got out a big piece of butcher paper, taped it to the floor and used markers to make a map of "our land". It was Hyrum's land initially so Shailee was really sweet to let him direct things and she made sure to ask permission before adding trees to his forest etc. They got really into it. When Coops woke up from his nap I thought the game would be over, but they encouraged him and told him what a great job he was doing making algae in their ocean with a green marker. "He keeps picking exactly the right colors," they told me excitedly. Coops felt very pleased with himself. Every few minutes they would run into the kitchen where I was cleaning dishes to give me the update on the map. Places like, "Kamodo River" and "Monkey Forest" and "Lava Mountains" appeared. They were literally jumping up and down and squealing with excitement about what they would create next.

A couple months ago Hyrum and his good friend were playing at the park when they decided to climb a tree. Their first attempts failed and we overheard them saying, " We're just not strong enough!" They proceeded to do push ups....then they ran back to the tree to try again.

Coops tried rollerskating today. He laughed when he fell down and was so determined to get out on the floor with the other kids that even though he couldn't skate there he started dragging his skate-clad feet behind him in an army crawl position to get onto the skate floor. A very determined little guy!

02-05-09
Last night I had a little tender moment with Shailee and Hyrum. While going through the bedtime routine we started talking about prayer and what we should pray for that night. Shailee suggested that we pray for a friends baby who is having health problems and Hyrum unprompted suggested we pray for Uncle Trent on his mission. Then they both suggested we pray for Cole. It was such a good feeling to know that they are learning the power of prayer and the meaning of it when I still have so much to learn myself.
After our prayer Shailee asked if we could talk about bodies and how they work which is one of her big interests. So we had a discussion about the cardiovascular system. She asked questions, I answered. It was pretty fun. She is so insightful and curious and it sparks new desire in me to learn and gain knowledge.
I've had some fun moments with Hyrum this week too. While Shailee is at preschool I get to see a new side of him because he usually follows her around mimicking her every move. It's fun to see what he thinks up on his own. Today he asked me to do some yoga with him. We have a yoga poster on the kids wall. He picked the poses he wanted to try and then asked me to show him how. He was so cute. He also asked me to read him some books. He loves books, library time, and reading as much as Shailee does. He has also begun to be very energetic . Jumping, tackling, wrestling, kicking, all things athletic. He also loves to help in the kitchen. If he hears me cooking he is at my side asking to stir and help. I think this is partly because he has a very healthy appetite and loves all different kinds of foods...spicy, healthy, sugary, anything edible he is willing to try it and usually likes it.
11-29-08
Today Shailee and i were irritating eachother and she said she was going to go find a new Mom. I told her I would miss her and she said she would miss her dad and that she was taking Hyrum with her because she would miss him too much. But later when I was putting the kids to bed she said she loved me and that she was sorry for being mean.

Hyrum is talking a lot now and sometimes I like to interview him. Today I was asking him about our family. "Do you have a Mom?" and I went down the list of family members. He said yes that he had a dad and a siser and grandmas, but when I asked him about Grandpas he said "no" as if I had asked him a silly question. So apparently we need to communicate more with the Grandpas.

11-12-08
Shailee is a verocious reader who will someday correct all my spelling and gramatical errors I'm sure. She doesn't actually read the words yet but she peruses books for hours on end. She also loves to listen to books on CD or we sit and read books out loud. Some of the books we love are....
Hey Wake Up- by Sandra Boynton
(she has this one memorized)
The entire Magic Tree House Collection
Book one of A Series of Unfortunate Events
Some of the Disney Fairy Collection
The Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant
The Olivia books
Eloise books (although I think she is very naughty)
Raold Dahl books
Babybug magazines

10-06-08
Hyrum's new words
"Rooooooar"
"Hello"
"A dat say" (what does that say) he was asking cole as they watched the World Series.
"Ruiz" (the Phillies catcher)
"I do it" or "A Me" pointing to himself sternly
"I don't know"

09-14-08
Hyrum is talking up a storm all of the sudden. He was refusing to say a lot of things except with sign language now it seems he adds three or more words a day to his vocabulary. "Wim!" for swim ,"A ome" for at home. Anyway it's fun to be suprised by his new words every day.
Shailee is loving preschool. Her favorite part is playing in the kitchen right now and the dress ups. She comes home with lovely finger paintings every time.
07-07-08
We spent today at home. We pulled the babies mattresses out into the living room and I got my excercise done while they occupied themselves jumping off couches and running around. Later we painted. I commented on Shailee's painting which was full of warm red and pink and yellow colors. "Those are pretty colors,"I said. My medically minded daughter replied, "It's blood, a picture of blood." Coming from another child this might sound morbid, but Shailee finds "blood and inside parts" and all functions of the body very interesting.
Before we painted I told Shailee that she and Hyrum had to be dressed. Hyrum was running around completely clothing free. Shailee proceeded to dress him dry diaper and all. I was pretty impressed. The diaper was put on correctly and his clothes matched and he just laid there patiently while she got him dressed. Their dialogue went something like this...
"Hyrum, Bud, do you want to paint?"
A nod from Hyrum
"Then you have to come get your clothes on, good boy. Just lay down while I put your britches on, put your legs down, good job"
It just can't be recorded how cute it is to hear Shailee talking to Hyrum as a tiny little mother and him listening so obediently to her commands.
06-13-08
Hyrum has, overnight it seems, turned into this little boy instead of a baby. He likes to tackle Shailee and me and Cole and anyone else he is familiar enough with. This is unfortunate for Shailee when she is sleeping. I've started putting up the baby gate on the kids room for her protection. Hyrum usually wakes up in our bed (this is something I wish to change, but am too lazy so far) and then goes looking for Shailee because he is lonely. She does the same thing if she is first up.

A confession not really about the babies
Today we made up some "responsability charts" for Hyrum and Shailee. I took pictures of them doing some of these responsable things and made them into laminated cards wich they switch from the "to do's" pocket to the "all done" pocket throughout the day as they complete them. Our house seems to breed clutter. Why is this! I can't seem to keep any flat surface clean for 24 hrs at a time. Not to mention that I'm terrible at doing the dishes. We always have clean clothes but they are usually in the dryer or in massive piles on the couch. So my theory is that if the kids feel more responsable for their things, I might get more of my responsabilities taken care of. I really want to be robbed by a kind-hearted theif who wants all our toys and old clothes and all the clutter from the shove-and-shut drawer in the kitchen.

05-05-08
My younger brothers like to play this video game called guitar hero. It involves "playing" rock music with an electronic guitar. I've found Shailee dancing to the music several times and, wow, I don't know where she gets it but she knows how to dance to rock music. This worries me just a little.
Hyrum has warmed up to my family a lot more than last time we were here, although he still won't voluntarily stray from my sight. I was once in the market with the Getchers and Ethan and Shailee were running around and all the sudden I panicked, "where's Hyrum?" He was in my arms. That is how second nature it is for me to be holding the cute little clinger. I know someday I will truly miss how much he feels he needs me right now, but I will be happy for him when he finds a little more independance.
04-09-08
Shailee often astounds us with the things she says. Sometimes they are just simple things, but sometimes it doesn't feel like she is just 31/2. more on that later.
03-17-08
The other day shailee was teasing hyrum. I was doing dishes and he ran behind my legs for protection but shailee was still poking him. He was screaming at her and she was sweetly singing, "Jesus said love everyone, treat them kindly too..." Apparently the message of that song was not sinking in.

We put our vaccuum to sleep now. Hyrum was so obsessed with it that after vaccuuming twice a day for weeks I had to come up with a plan. So we lay the vaccuum down and hyrum gives it a blanket and we only wake it up once a day now.

02-11-08
Shailee has a world of imaginary creatures that follow us around. A lion named Brookie Cookie, tonight she is at home having a movie night with her mom and dad. There is also a bear who's parents decided not to name him and then left on vacation so he is staying with us. Shailee says the bear does not miss his parents. A frog who's house is far far away. We have to make sure and buckle these guys in the car when they come with us and I've been told that I need to let them in the front door when they knock.
Hyrum is growing in his ability to communicate with us which is a lot of fun. He is using signs like "more" and "finished" and he throws his diaper in the trash when we ask him to after he's been changed unless he gets destracted on the way to the garbage, by a ball or a puppy usually. He also throws a lot of other things away that don't need to be thrown away. He's defending himself against Shailee's tyrany now wich is good for both of them.
02-17-08
Yesterday Shailee turned on a kickboxing dvd and started working out and Hyrum joined her. Now Hyrum is walking around punching the air and making grunting noises, it's pretty cute. Hyrum has been repeating some words too like "backpack" and he learned how to say "ball" which he is pretty excited about.
02-22-08
Today at playgroup Shailee and her friend Ethan got in an argument about who was stronger. It got pretty heated and once they were seperated Shailee flexed her muscles and said, "Heavenly Father just made me stronger."I don't know where this idea of competition came from or why they both felt so adament about it. By the way, Ethan and Shailee once "got married" while they were playing. He decided the first thing to do after that was have prayer and scripture study and then kiss, but upon the attempted kiss Shailee pushed him over. Ethan is a fabulous young man and we would make no protests to this match, but apparently he has his work cut out for him if they ever do decide to marry twenty years from now.
02-26-08
Hyrum had his 15mo check up today and got some immunizations. It was sad because he was all relaxed and trusting (he is at peace with the world when he is in nothing but his diaper) and then we laid him down and he knew something was up. He screamed pretty loud for about 10 seconds and then he was fine. I destracted him by saying, "Let's put your stompers on!" That's what we call his shoes and he gets so excited about putting them on. All we have to say to make him happy these days is, "where are your stompers?" or "Let's find a ball."
Hyrum also gets really happy about the vaccuum. Either he is a neat freak like his father or he likes the sound. It probably has more to do with the fact that Shailee sometimes likes to run trying to dodge the vaccuum when I turn it on. She laughs really hard about this game. Hyrum used to be terrified about the vaccuum but after watching Shailee he plays this game to. He frequently pulls me over to it and points, "Uh, uh?" hopeing that the floor needs a cleaning.
And now some tragic news, Shailee has taken up sucking her thumb. We allowed her to keep her binky for three years(mistake #1) to avoid this exact happening. What do we do now? She has been rid of the bink for almost six months but that would be better on her teeth right? and how do you take away a thumb? I do not underestimate her cleverness and this may become yet another thing she will outsmart me on or I could just give in. Uhhgg. I'm not impressed with my parenting skills.
Round #2 who is stronger, Shailee or Ethan. We had to pry them apart again on monday. It's so funny because they play together extremely well except for this one current argument which gets so heated. Ethan was practically in tears with frustration and happy to concede that they were both the strongest but my too strongly willed daughter was taunting him and refusing to back down until I explained to her that she could lose a friend this way and she decided she like Ethan more than being, "the strongest".