Family Meeting

After several weeks of being annoyed with my children and all their constant demanding requests, I pulled out a book I've been wanting to read for months now - The Entitlement Trap! I needed help and I was hoping this book could give me some sort of start. It's a fabulous book and totally got me motivated within the first chapter. But actually, chapter 3 is really what got me excited! They started talking about family roots, then family traditions, which then led to the family "infrastructure". They stressed how kids start to feel a sense of ownership and equity in the family as they participate in creating a family infrastructure of family symbols, traditions, laws, meetings, and mission statements. I loved it! It all seemed to fit so well with my personality and the type of family environment that I hope to have in our home. On Saturday (while Cal napped and the girls were on a date with Spencer), I sat out in the warm afternoon sun and created an agenda for our first family meeting.  I was excited and could barely wait to begin. We decided on Sunday evenings as our official weekly family meeting time (ignore the date on my agenda- I had typed it up on Saturday).

On Sunday evening, with my agenda all neatly organized in our new "family meetings" binder, we gathered around the kitchen table and started with a song and prayer. Then I posed a question- "I love my family because..." When I was teaching school, I held weekly class meetings and I always started my meetings by asking a question. Then we'd go around the circle and each student would fill in their answer. I thought this would be a good way to start our family meetings as well. But instead of just saying their answer, I let everyone draw a picture of their answer. I like how Spencer used his paper to take notes of our meeting, but I think having the paper distracted the girls a bit, so we might be changing it up.

After the sentence completer, I went into our schedule for the week. I'm sure this part of the meeting will one day be longer and more involved once our kids are older and have more going on, but for now it was short and sweet and mostly just for Spencer and I.

Next, I posed upcoming family plans/goals. I was thinking the girls would want to plan some sort of fun future trip, daddy/daughter date, or vacation, but instead Madi requested another walking field trip to Vons (our local grocery store that her class just took a walking field trip to), and Elle chimed in about also wanting to go to Vons and get a cookie (which we did the very next day)!

I loved the idea of a "gripe session" and I was interested to hear what problems and/or concerns Madi and Elle would want to talk about. Madi was the first to respond and didn't skip a beat in coming up with an answer. She told us how she wanted to do away with the term "time-out" and just call it "quiet time" instead. Elle quickly agreed. Now I just have to be good about remembering (I've already slipped and used the T.O. term this week). As for Spencer's gripe - he requested better behavior in pubic. I gripped about the messes the girls create.

This all led perfectly into the introduction of a new friend, "Mr Gunny" (another idea mentioned in the book). And so far it's been fabulous! Spencer and I had tried a version of this idea with just getting a garbage bag to collect any toys and clothes left out, and making the girls do jobs to earn their items back. But for some reason it didn't work as well as the Gunny bag idea has already worked. We introduced Mr. Gunny by showing them Spencer's big old laundry bag (back from the college days) that he'd drawn a scary face and teeth on. We told the girls that Mr Gunny lives out in the garage, but comes in when he's hungry to eat all the toys and clothes left out of place. Then on Saturday he comes in to regurgitate ("spit up" as the girls call it) and they'll be able to get back all their beloved belongings and put them away before Mr. Gunny eats it again. I think this idea is gonna be a keeper. Actually, the girls are quite scared of Mr. Gunny. Tonight I might have made a few growling noises to let the girls know they'd better hurry and get everything picked up. I guess my little noises seemed pretty real, cause even Madi freaked and told Elle how now she knows he's real. And what a kick I got out of seeing them run around like crazy cleaning up! Saturday's gonna be a sweet day when Mr. Gunny spits out Madi's journal and Elle's "Red Baby" (that unfortunately got eaten up before they were put away)! Hopefully the girls will start to remember to put their special items back in their special spots from now on!

Somewhere in between our gripe session and the introduction of Mr. Gunny, we got into creating family laws and coming up with secret codes to remind us of our family laws/rules.

We probably covered way too much for our first family meeting. There's just so much I want to implement (and fast). I've felt like the biggest grouch lately and some changes need to be happening in our home before I loose my mind! I am very excited about this new family tradition of holding weekly family meetings. Madi also commented about being excited and looking forward to our next meeting (her grouchy face is only because Mr. Gunny had just eaten her journal).

10 months

It's crazy how much changes in just one month. At the beginning of the month Cal had just started crawling and was only pulling up to his knees. Now he's everywhere and into everything! Most days it's no big deal. I only get a little annoyed when I'm in the middle of a project or trying to get stuff picked up and he's grabbing and shoving into his mouth faster than I can clean up. He loves to crawl into his sister's room and rip pictures off their door. I vacumn at least once a day and am constantly on the girls with keeping their things picked up (especially Elle's little dollhouse accessories).  To be totally honest though, Cal's not as active as most (I worried about having a crazy boy :). I baby-sat Cal's little buddy the other day and realized how calm and mellow Cal is. He really is pretty chill and just likes to be with us. He actually hates being left in the room alone and gets pretty upset about it. He's a social little guy- likes to be with people, likes to be held, likes meeting little friends his age, and just likes to be in on the action.

Other things to document from his 9th month:

* Started clapping
* Started cutting food into small bites- not as much grinding it up anymore
* Pulls up on everything
* Got sick- several nights of fevers
* Not nursing as much - my milk supply is not what it used to be and I've had to supplement. Cal would drink the pre-made bottles of Similac that the hospital had given us, but he finished off the last one this month and he refuses to drink regular formula. It's super frustrating especially now that I don't have enough milk for him.

* Cal continues to love his books and story time. Only downside is that his bedtime routine ends up taking a super long time. It's one of those love/hate things. I love that Cal will sit quietly and listen to a good 6 or 7 stories at a time and I want to encourage his love of books, but I'm not able to spend that kind of time every nap and bedtime. Luckily Spencer usually takes over in the evening and looks forward his reading/playtime with Cal. And recently I started letting Elle take over. I ended up whipping out the video camera the first night cause it was just so darn cute! She had him laughing hysterically over The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

My baby is growing up way too fast. So naturally I cherish pictures where he still looks like a baby. . . 

Cause most pictures he seems like such a big boy- already developing opinions, preferences, likes and dislikes.

Have I mentioned how much we love our little guy!?!

It's been a fabulous 10 months!

Martin Luther King, In Madi's words. . .

I loved hearing Madi's insight about her day off of school today...

Madi: "We're gonna celebrate Matin Luther King's birthday by not going to school!"
Me: "What's so special about Martin Luther King?" (said in no way to discredit MLK, but rather just as a probing question)
Madi: "He made changes around the world."
Me: "What kind of changes did he make?"
Madi: "Before the changes happened, people with brown skin had to sit in the back of the bus. And the people couldn't go to the same drinking fountain.... But after the changes happened, all the people got to sit wherever they wanted on the bus, and the people could go to the same drinking fountain if they wanted. They also couldn't go to the same school. If they had black skin they had to go to the black skin school. If they had white skin they had to go to the white skin school. If they had brown skin, they had to go to the brown skin school.... before the changes. Then after the changes, if they had brown skin, they could go to the white skin school."
Me: "So Martin Luther King's a pretty good guy huh?!"
Madi: "Ya."

A few things we did this weekend:
Saturday- Hit up our favorite beach in Carpinteria with mom, dad, and the Booras' (who were in town visiting for the weekend). After relaxing in the heavenly 70 degree sunshine for an hour or so, we walked down the road to another favorite - Padaro Beach Grill. Practically a perfect day!

Calvin and Grandpa Al trading hats!

I never tire of watching my girls play in the sand and water. I look forward to when Cal will join in!

Just past our table is a huge sandbox full of toys that the girls love to play in when they're done eating! Best place to eat out with kids!

Sunday- Spencer wasn't feeling great. He made it to his 7am meetings, but then got back in bed as soon as he got home. Thought it best he stay home from church. The girls and I left at noon to get the primary room all set up, leaving Cal home to take care of his daddy! After church we headed over to Boppi and Grandpa Al's for a delicious dinner! So nice not to have to worry about cooking - especially since the girls and I didn't get home from church until 4:30pm. Thanks mom and dad!

Monday was the warmest day of the weekend. I was itching to get out and do something, but Spencer was still feeling crummy. To be totally honest, I have little to no sympathy for sickness (I know that sounds terrible but it's just how I was raised- to be tough and suck it up) so I suggested taking the girls (with all their energy, loudness, and mess making abilities) and getting out of Spencer's hair. Not sure he was thrilled with the idea, but I'd gotten a text from Lindsey (who had just gotten to Silverstrand) saying it was perfect out at the beach. Spencer reluctantly agreed to stay home with Calvin (again). I quickly made some sandwiches, loaded up a chair, some towels, and beach toys and we were on our way! I did feel a bit of quilt for leaving, and thought it maybe a little selfish,  but today was exactly what I needed! I never get to take my girls out on dates (every week they both get individual dates with their dad and I'm the one who stays home). So today my girls and I lived it up! We played for 2 hours in the 80 degree sunshine (my car said it was 87 when we left), and then hit up Costco for ice cream (and a few other items) on our way home. Big thanks to my fabulous husband for giving me this relaxing day to chat with friends, splash in the ocean with my girls, and lay out in the glorious sun! Feeling totally energized, rejuvenated, and quite a bit tanner!

L-R: Easton, Elle, Cruz (a new friend that Elle had a blast playing with), Brooklyn, and Madi

Celebrations, goals, and the New Year!

I know I've totally done my fair share of whining about the loss of all (well... 500) of my pictures, but I should take a sec to say how totally awesome my computer is working now! After Bobby reformatted my hard drive (1st thing to help speed up my ancient computer), we went ahead and got new RAM. I went from 1 GB to 4 GB (2nd awesome thing)!! Then we upgraded my operating system to Snow Leopard (3rd awesome thing)! With an upgraded operating system I was also able to get Lightroom 4 installed on my computer (an added plus:)! What a wonderful thing it is to have multiple applications open at the same time, and be able to jump from one project to the next at lightning speed! Great big thank you to my computer nerd brother Bob who helped make all this possible! Totally worth the loss of a few pictures. I feel like I've been given a brand new computer!

Along with celebrating my "new" computer, I wanted to officially ring in 2013 (now that January's almost over). 2012 was a good year to us - with much to celebrate! Truthfully, the year flew by faster than any other (which I'm hoping isn't the new norm - I really need time to start slowing down). Welcoming Calvin into the family was the biggest event of the year for me. He's been a huge blessing in our family! While some days feel like a juggling act, I really have tried my hardest to figure out my weaknesses as a mom and (attempt to) strengthen them.

In 2012 one of my goals was to be a better cook. I don't enjoy it. I don't like messes and I start to freak out when more than 2 pots are on the stove at the same time. So after eating our same standard meals (chicken and broccoli, hawaiian haystacks, enchiladas, orange chicken, and quesadillas) week after week, Spencer and I together decided that it was time to branch out and try some new recipes. I'm definitely not one to read cookbooks and get excited about something I've never made, never tasted, and not quite sure how it will turn out (but I sure do love and admire those friends of mine who do this :). So I started simple. I turned to a new cookbook of mine - Our Best Bites (you might have heard of their blog) and had Spencer hand pick the stuff he wanted to try. He was kind and stuck to ones that looked rather easy. Then I plugged his picks into our weekly menu. Our Sunday night weekly menu planning was the trick for me. If I had meals scheduled for each day of the week I would make them, but if we forgot to menu plan, I found myself reverting back to my old ways (I'd rather have someone tell me exactly what to make than have to decide on my own). With a plan in hand, I'd go shopping on Monday and then not need to stress the rest of the week about not having key ingredients. At first I did just one new recipe a week - but then there were so many great side dishes and rollover ingredients in the cookbook that it was almost easy to throw in something new here and there. It felt good to try new things and have Spencer excited about a meal.

Unfortunately... we've had a couple busy months and I haven't done much "new" cooking since before Thanksgiving! Wow just typing that makes me feel guilty! So... new goal: get back into menu planning! And I'm actually kind of excited cause Lindsay gave us the new Best Bites cookbook for Christmas (Savoring the Seasons)! And I tell ya, everything in these cookbooks is delish!!

I actually have something else I've been working on. For this post I'll call it goal #2. I have a tendancy of becoming stressed out rather easily (especially when my dramatic, crying, fighting kids are involved). And when I get stressed out it's much easier for me to loose my patience with the kids. It drives me crazy that I'm like this and I honestly try my hardest to find ways to calm down, relax, not worry about the little things, etc etc. But I know it's part of my personality and I know I will always have to make a conscious effort in this area. So with that said, my goal this year is to be slow to anger, quick to love, and leave emotion out of discipline.

I love these babes of mine so incredibly much and I so hope I can set a good example for them and be such a good mama.

Champ of the Month

Today Madi was recognized at her school's Citizenship Awards Assembly! She received the CHAMP of the Month Award for being a good citizen and always following the school and classroom rules!

Way to GO Madi!!! We're so proud of you for always making good choices and following the rules!

Spencer went into work a bit late so that he could be there for it. How fun it was to see Madi's face when she walked in and saw us sitting in the back seats of the gym! Spencer had to take off right after Madi was recognized, so we didn't get a picture with her after the assembly. So naturally I made her pose with her daddy as soon as he got home from work (notice how light it still is- Spence got home at 4:15 today!)

Since today was also Elle's half birthday (ya, I'm a dork and like to make a big deal about things like that) we made it an extra special day. Being a Thursday, I was scheduled to work in Madi's classroom. So after centers, I checked Madi out of school to join Elle, Calvin, and I for lunch. We went to the park, played for a bit, but then decided to forgo the picnic lunch since it was so stinkin windy and ate at home instead. Then this evening Elle helped me make pink cupcakes to celebrate!!

Aunts and Uncles

Over Christmas break the kids were able to see 4 of their aunts and 4 of their uncles. Pretty much all of the pictures I'd taken were lost in the reformating of my hard drive, so naturally I was thrilled to find these gems left on my camera. . .

Jocelyn and Michael's last night in Camarillo - they chose to come hang out with us! We love you Aunt Joci and Uncle Michael! Thanks for a fun visit!

Bobby and Amy drove down from Monterey, arriving the night of January 3rd. They stayed and played for 2 days before heading back to Provo. We hit up the beach on Friday followed by fish and chips at Andria's afterwards. Aunt Amy and Uncle Bobby are so silly. . .

We've taken this picture many a time down at the harbor, but I just loved both girls sweet smiles here. .

Deleted pictures I remember, loved, and wish I had:

- Aunt Joci on the trampoline with my girls, and then with all the kids (including cousin Bailey)

-Aunt Karlee and Uncle Jeremy pushing the girls on the swing set at our condo in Monterey with a view of the ocean in the distance.

-Aunt Amy snuggled with the girls on the bed, reading stories before bedtime

My kids are lucky to have some pretty fabulous aunt and uncles! It's no lie that one of my favorite things is having my kids adored by their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I so loved reading this sweet post Karlee had typed up on her blog. Oh, and this post too! We love you Aunt Karlee!

My little Sunbeam

This past Sunday was a big one for our little Elle. Ever since she got potty trained (back in May) she's been asking to go to primary with Madi (being potty trained = big girl = getting to go to primary). Then for the past 4 months we've had a count down going. The months turned to weeks, weeks turned to days, and just last Friday (with only 2 days to go), Elle could not contain her excitement any longer. Numerous times Elle would anxiously tell me, "I can't believe I'm gonna be a sunbeam." While beaming, she'd ask me, "Do you remember when I would ask you when I was gonna get to go to primary? And now I am! I can't believe the day is already here!" It was seriously the cutest thing ever!

But this past Sunday wasn't just a big day for Elle, it was a pretty big day for me too. I was officially called as our ward Primary President. I'd known for quite awhile but had just been laying low until it became official. My first Sunday went well. I was prepared to jump right in, but by the end of the day I was completely overwhelmed. Eleven classes (one which needs to be split), plus nursery, 82 kids, teachers to call, forms to update, ideas to implement, meetings to be had - it's been a busy week! I think today was the first day I haven't had a headache. Lucky for me I have amazing counselors!! Very supportive, willing to jump in and do whatever needs to be done. I love em already! I'm super excited to be in primary, and especially excited to be with my girls. It was fun to be in there with Elle on her first Sunday!

Madi's been really cute about my new calling. Several times on Sunday, and then various time throughout the week Madi will say, "I can't believe you're the new primary president!" Pretty sure she's excited to have me in there!

Happy New Year!

Wow do I have a lot of catching up to do!! A few days after Christmas we packed up and headed 4 hours north to Marina, Ca (just outside of Monterey) where we stayed at the Marina Dunes Resort with my parents, Bob, Amy, Karlee, and Jeremy. It was quite the party!! Every night was spent playing BANG (Spencer's new favorite game) while consuming tons of junk food and pounding the H2O! It was a blast! We were a minutes walk from the beach and a short drive to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We ate lots of good food (thanks mom for all your hard work in keeping us well fed:), saw some gorgeous sunsets, jumped the sands dunes (to stay warm while waiting for sun set), went swimming (heated pool wasn't warm enough for me though), hot tubbing, surfing (just the boys), and let the kids be adored by their aunts, uncles, Gram, and Papa! Naturally I took a gazillion pictures, but sadly all the pictures were deleted when I had Bobby reformat my computer a few days later. I had uploaded them in Lightroom and was in the editing process when we decided to give my computer a much needed tune up. My iphoto was all backed up, but I lost everything in Lightroom! I was sick to my stomach for days after. I had taken Cal's 9 month pictures, done a photo shoot for my friend's 8 month old, had all the pictures from our after Christmas fun with Spencer off work (bowling pics were the best!), not to mentioned the 300 pics from our trip to Monterey. I'm been so sad about it that I haven't been motivate to blog. Truthfully I think it was a blessing in disguise. Since getting back from Monterey we've been busy with one thing after another. I'm trying to be positive and think of all the hours it's saved me from editing and blogging all the events I had pictures for. Now they'll just be mentioned and I can move on. For memory sake, I'm including a couple iphone pics and ones my dad took....

At the aquarium . . . these turtles came down back to back right in front of us! So cool! Watching the feeding was also a highlight. As well as the new jellyfish exhibit (trying not to cry about lost pictures..)

The girls were spoiled rotten with always having an aunt or uncle willing to read them stories. . .

Gorgeous sunset! The pics we lost of Bobby jumping into the sun were awesome! I had some pretty good jumps too! :)

Bob and I racing up the sand hill (after doing our awesome jumps). . . 

Elle wanting to race. . .

Then the girls racing. . . Super sad about the cute pics I had of my girls and I enjoying the sun go down.

Karlee keeping Cal warm during sun set. . .

We got some great family pics on the beach - all lost! This will have to do. . .

Love these girls and how much they love the beach. . .  

Pausing our game of Bang to ring in the New Year. . .