Catching Up

I have been a blogger-slacker. Every day it has been on my to-do list, and every day it gets ignored. I guess I'm busy. I decided I better do it now before the reunions start and we have even less time and more to blog about. So, get ready for a picture/post overload to follow this post. As for now, what's going on with us?

Anna
Anna is growing so fast! I finally stopped trying to squeeze her into her six-month clothes a few weeks ago. She is barely five months old and is easily wearing nine-month clothes. She goes to bed about 7:00. Much later than that and she is super cranky. She sleeps pretty good through the night with the exception of a feeding around 4:00 a.m. Of course, as soon as I divulge her sleeping/eating habits, something changes so we'll probably be up all night tonight! Now if we can just get her on a good nap schedule. She seems to be a bit of a momma's girl, but is generally pretty happy. She can be entertained just watching Zane and Nora play or watching Mommy work. She giggles easily and gives lots of spontaneous smiles. She loves her bath. She cries when she's hungry or tired. She likes to play with her feet and to grab things and put them in her mouth. She ate her first solid food today. I was snacking with the kids at the park and looked down at Anna in my lap. She had somehow grabbed a pretzel and was sucking on it. I wonder if she will love salty foods? I can't even get her to open her mouth to try cereal or bananas. She rolled over yesterday, but I think it may have been an accident. She is getting close to sitting up. I know she doesn't get nearly enough floor time, but I fear for her safety down there. One Sunday the Peacock's were here. I heard Amy gasp and looked down and Zane was rolling Anna across the floor like an Easter Egg. Both kids seemed as happy about it as can be.

Nora
Nora is quite spunky. She is a girl who knows her mind. She can be the sweetest, most caring, thoughtful child. She can also throw quite a tantrum. She seems to know when Mom really can't do anything about it--like in the middle of the library while Mom's holding Anna and trying to collect everyone's books to check out. Nora will just scream and throw herself on the floor--lovely. However, she gives great hugs and kisses, loves to be helpful, and LOVES her daddy and Grandpas. She likes anything Zane likes--trains, John Deere, blocks. She likes to put things away and to sort things.

She is really beginning to talk a lot and can communicate a lot of her needs verbally, at least well enough so Mom and Dad can understand. Her favorite phrase is "Mommy? (or Daddy, or Zane)" "Do?" (what are you doing?) "Why?" She likes music and dancing and loves to sing songs in the car--especially "Elmo" and "John Deere".

We took her pacifier away a couple of weeks ago and it was fairly painless. Just a little bit fussy at bedtime for a couple of nights. She just moved into a toddler bed and thinks it's pretty neat. She and Zane still share a room and Kevin and I love to hear them in the monitor after we close the door and they are supposed to go to sleep. We can hear them jumping and laughing, and talking to each other forever. Nora used to go right to sleep, but now she will outlast Zane most nights. She likes to carry her blankie everywhere.

Zane
Zane is getting to be quite the big boy. The other day someone asked him how old he was and I heard him say "two and a half." Two and a half? Who taught him that? Whenever he sees something in the store he wants he says, "Maybe I'll get that for my birthday." He still love John Deere and Thomas. He likes to watch TV in the morning. We watch Super Why and Dinosaur Train.

He loves to sing the alphabet and identify letters on packages or around places we visit. "Mom, is that a 's'?" "Mom, there's a 'w'!" I was shocked at first. I guess TV can be a good thing. He knows many of the letters by sight. He also loves to sing songs. His favorites are the temple song, John Deere, Thomas, I Am a Child of God, and Popcorn.

He likes to ride his tricycle and can ride all the way to the park now. His conversation is getting more advanced and it is a lot of fun to see him reason and to carry on conversations with him. He likes to help Kevin and I do whatever we're doing and he is a big helper with his sisters. He loves his family and his friends from church. He talks about his cousins and friends a lot.

Sometimes Zane can be downright goofy. I see him acting really silly and I know Kevin would never act like that and I'm almost embarrassed that he picked up such odd habits from me. At least he seems to enjoy himself.

Zane got to go camping with Dad for the Aaronic Preisthood Campout. They had dutch-oven pizza and he got to run through grass as tall as him with all his little friends. He thought it was so much fun and now he wants to go camping all the time. He told me yesterday he wants to go camping for his birthday, so I guess that's what we'll do.

Holly
I am adjusting to being a mom of three under three. Most of the time I do all right. I just feel like there is too much to do and I come to the end of the day and I have less crossed off my to-do list than not, and I have ADDED to the list.

I have been into couponing for a couple of months and tire my mom with phone calls of "Listen to what I got today and guess how much I spent." I have great ambitions for completing a couple of quiet books and a quilted wall hanging I started at my moms.

In May I was put in as Primary President. I love the calling as it is challenging me, letting me call on my education and experience as a teacher and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the primary children. Even our little challenging kids. I just can't help but love them. I just hope I can fulfill my calling and do a good job. It is keeping me busy and requires a lot of mental effort. Fortunately, I think I have the world's most amazing counselors. I really mean that. I have also felt the spirit guiding me a lot in my decision making. I'm looking forward to the rest of summer and some fun upcoming activities.

Kevin
Kevin continues to plug away. I don't know how he does all that is required. It seems that his calling as Elder's Quorum President always keeps him busy. For a few weeks there he had a couple of meetings a week. Then there is always a move, building clean-up or a service project. He finally finished his final course for his Master's Degree--woohoo! Now he just has to finish a project of thesis.

He keeps busy around the house with yard work, home repairs, kid duties and all that. His new hobby is guns. Well, new within the last couple of years--I think it has surpassed biking. He reloaded his first shells a few weeks ago and they were a beautiful sight. He has quite the set-up in the garage--or "man cave" as I like to call it.

He was one of ninety of three-hundred applicant selected to publish for a conference through his work and so he is working on that as well. We're hoping all this hard works brings a nice promotion this fall.

Kevin actually took an extra trip to Idaho the beginning of June for his Grandpa's funeral. He was able to see a lot of his family again and was honored to be a pall-bearer at the grave site and to hold the flag during the 21-gun salute and that ceremony. His grandfather was a WWII veteran and a POW. Kevin, as you know, is very patriotic, so this was quite an honor for him. We were glad we all got to stop and see Great Grandpa for a few minutes in the beginning of May.

Joey
I know Joey's not "officially" part of our family. In fact, I know some people are thinking "Joey who?" Joey has spent the last ten month in our home. You would think that he would have more of a presence on this blog, right? Well, he's just so independent. However, he has been a very wonderful presence in our home and our lives. What an amazing, atypical 17-year-old. Well, now he's graduated high school and gone off to BYU until he goes on his mission. Joey has been so much fun to have in our home. He was a great help to me with the kids. He was a lot of fun to talk with. The kids LOVED him. He was so much more a blessing and never, ever a burden. Now I have one more bathroom to clean and no one else to sweep the floor, but that's not why we'll miss him. He's going to be great at whatever he does.

And now I have to go. Everyone is waking up from their naps. Perfect timing for a change.