California Trip - thus far (first 4 days)

Love this picture - you can see the pent up energy, but we finally got to California!

We started at 5am (after a lot of long packing and unpacking) and headed down south in the 15 passenger van.  We had almost reached High River (25 minutes into the trip) and we hear a little voice pipe up, "Mom and Dad.... it's taking a long time to drive to California..."  Jarett and I laughed out loud.  25 minutes down out of 25 hours.

The trip, however, went very smoothly.  The kids were amazing!!  Lanaya took to traveling extremely well and the other kids set the perfect example for her.  Two days straight in traveling is hard on anyone... but the kids handled it like champs!  Slight problem at the end of the trip... a person started yelling at us that something was going on, so we pulled over.  We couldn't find anything wrong, so we kept going, but when we got to the resort, we saw a red/brown liquid coming from the van.  According to the mechanic, the next morning, our transmission housing and a seal need to be replaced.

We spent all day Monday getting the mechanic/car rental/condo all set up.  We got it all figured out and were all ready to go for Tuesday at DISNEYLAND!

Highlights of the day in Disneyland:

1. Jaymeson was selected to do Jedi Training.  He now has a certificate that makes him an official Padawan.  He fought Darth Vader, followed the instruction and listened intently without cracking a smile.  This is very serious business... After, I asked, "Jay, did you fight Darth Vader?!?"  With complete sincerity he answered, "Yes, and I almost killed him!"  If only he had more time...

2. Benson loved the Peter Pan ride and seeing Goofy, Mickey and Frozen characters in the parade (Saryn loved the Frozen parade as well).  For Pirates and Haunted Mansion, he had his hands over his ears the entire time (his scared position).  He said he loved them afterwards, but had no interest in going again.  "They was just a little too scary, Mom".  He also was too nervous with Mr Toad's Wild Ride and enjoyed moving the Dumbo ride up and down.His favorite ride (he was pushing me back to it to do it again and again) was Buzz Lightyear.

One ride that he really did not love, however, was Space Mountain.  He clenched my hand through the whole thing and had all his strength going into it.  Afterwards, he was almost in tears and told me he liked it, but it was just a little too scary.  This was almost the exact same reaction that Kaia had 6 years ago.  Jaymeson, however, LOVED it.  It would be the one ride that he'd go on again if he could.

3. Fantasmic was definitely one of the most favorite things by everyone (unfortunately, Benson fell asleep just before it started and slept through the fireworks, music and everything).

4. The kids have enjoyed seeing the pictures after the rides.  Saryn is making it a resolution to do an Egyptian dance or something next time through.

5. The Indiana Jones ride was a huge hit - Jaymeson held my hand to make sure that I didn't get too scared all 3 times that we went.  He would reassure me that it wasn't real - it was just pretend, each time.  Kienna loved trying it from different seats and seeing what things became more or less scary with where you were seated.  (She may have been thinking too much about that when she left her hat on the ride... luckily they have an awesome Lost and Found).

6. Jarett put "Skipper Dan" by Weird Al on his iPhone while we were in line for the Jungle Cruise ride.  This was right after there was announcement for a missing person, "She is approx. 5'7", has dark hair, enjoys basketball, snuggling and the occasional romantic stroll down the beach.  If anyone has seen her, please bring her right to me as I have been looking for her my entire life."

Benson - scared on the Jungle Cruise.  This was his position for almost every ride.

7. Kaia loved Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones the best.  Space Mountain definitely went up in her books from last time, but isn't a FAVORITE favorite.  She loved pirates and is disappointed (as we all are) that Splash Mountain is closed.  They also have the castle closed which has been super sad.


8.While Jay was doing his Jedi training, Darth Mal came and kept scaring Benson.  Benson would just look down and ignore him no matter what happened.  Darth Mal kicked his shoes and did everything he could to get Benson to look up, but to no avail.  Kaia, on the other hand totally missed Darth Mal standing right behind her until people were laughing and she turned to see what they were laughing at.  She was NOT expecting that!

Our list of activities/rides went along these lines.
Magic Morning - Peter Pan, Mr Toad, Dumbo,Teacups, Storybook Land (we decided we should have skipped this one as the line was too long - but we did get a chance to snack while in it, so that worked out okay).  We then headed over to Tomorrowland and saw a little bit of Jedi Training.  We left so we could get to Autopia.  We then breaked for lunch and while we did, noticed that they were starting Jedi Training again.  We decided to do it if they picked one of the boys.  They picked Jay (Benson bowed out).  Then we took pictures with some stormtroopers, his Buzz Lightyear, got a couple fastpasses and headed over to do Indiana Jones.  Once we finished that, the parade was starting, so we booked it back.  Mom had reserved us some seats and it was super fun.  After the parade, we did Star Tours, and Space Mountain - twice (along with a mini-dinner).  We then headed over to Indiana Jones, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion.  My mom then saved us seats for Fantasmic while we hit Indiana Jones one more time and Thunder Mountain.  We got back just in time for Fantasmic to start and then the park closed.  We just stopped in at a Glass Blowers/Crystal Shop on Main Street.  My mom remembered seeing the Glass Blowers working when she was a little girl.  They no longer do that, but she asked a worker at the shop if she remembered correctly.  He responded, "Yes, they were across the street and my father was one of the blowers".  After we walked to the tram, my mom walked to the car and we headed home.  By the time we got home - all 6 kids had fallen asleep.  What a day!!

 

Snippets

Tonight, at family home evening, Benson gave each of his sisters a note. They all said "I love playing games with you, doing silly shows and when you acted like a baby and cried!"

Today, I had lunch with a friend. As I was walking towards the door Benson had to hug me at least five times before I could leave. He got really teary-eyed and made me promise that I would come back for him.

A couple days ago, we found Benson had climbed in Lanaya's car seat, put on the winter cover, and fallen asleep. He is such a little monkey!

On another note, Lanaya got her very first tooth today! We are very excited, it was quite an uneventful teething process!!  

Today at cello, however, she was talking, squawking, rolling, and laughing the entire time. I have never heard her make so much noise. It was quite funny (even though it was quite distracting)!

20 Questions

I did this years ago with Kaia and Kienna.  I just published a blog book for my girls for Christmas and they loved reading this so much that I decided that I'd do it again with my boys.  Wish I had done it earlier with Saryn.  She is probably too old for this.  Oh well, live and learn.

1. What is something that Mommy always says to you?
Saryn - Hi
Jay - I love you
Benson - I love you

2. What makes Mommy happy?
Saryn - When we clean the house
Jay - Doing things that she doesn't tell us to do - like cleaning the basement and stuff like that.
Benson - Getting a silly show - it's so hilarious!

3. What makes Mommy sad?
Saryn - When something bad happens to us.
Jay - Breaking something that's really important to her
Benson - Doing no silly shows.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
Saryn - Tickling us
Jay - By singing the Bumblebee song.  It's just really funny because it makes Lanaya laugh and it makes us laugh.
Benson - Doing a silly show

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
Saryn - I have no idea.  Fun?
Jay - Like she is now except for way smaller and younger and stuff - and without the wedding things.
Benson - Cleaning up

6. How old is Mommy?
Saryn - 32
Benson - Um, I can't figure that one out.
Jay - 32.  I know that's actually right because she was 31 - and she told me, but now she had a birthday, so she's 32.

7. How tall is Mommy?
Saryn - 5'6"?
Jay - About 50 foot.  Or 5.8
Benson - *laying on the floor, he raises hand up high

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Saryn - Spend time with family
Jay - Love us!
Benson - Nothing... I don't know.  She likes eating dinner.

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
Saryn - Clean the house
Jay - Work.  She does work - cleaning and stuff.
Benson - She can't find you.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what would it be for?
Saryn - Being super fun
Jay - Buying things she needs to buy that are really expensive
Benson - Turkey

11. What is Mommy really good at?
Saryn - Tickling?  No.  Being a mom
Jay - Loving us
Benson - Kissing and snuggling

12. What is Mommy not really good at?
Saryn - Dancing
Jay - Saying yes
Benson - Getting the ball through the basketball hoop

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
Saryn - Be a Mom
Jay - Take care of us
Benson - Cleaning up for her brothers and sisters

14. What's Mommy's favorite food?
Saryn - Banana
Benson - We don't know that.  Maybe strawberries?
 Jay - Guac.  Guacamole.

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
Saryn - Being a mom
Jay - How much she did for us.
Benson - Cleaning up the basement

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Saryn - Snow White because she's nice and kind.
Jay - Belle, because she has light hair and you have light hair.
Benson - A Police Officer because you gave out a ticket.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
Saryn - Go to dinner
Jay - Play games
Benson - Have dinner, and breakfast

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
Saryn - We both like to colour
Jay - We both love eachother!
Benson - We both eat.  We have green eyes.  We make Lanaya happy!

19. How are you and Mommy different?
Saryn - I like to sing and dance on stage and she doesn't
Jay - Mommy has green eyes and I have blue eyes.
Benson - We have good stuff.

20. How do you know that Mommy loves you?
Saryn - Because she does nice things to us and she's not mean.
Jay - Because everyone says that you do.  And Heavenly Father says that you love me because you gave birth to me and so you gave birth to me because you love me, so you gave birth to me.
Benson - Mommy makes me happy when I feel sad.

Moments to Remember

This morning I was doing my "insanity" workout.  Benson wanted to join in.  He kept on saying, "Mom, look, I'm so good at this!"  and "Way to go Mommy!" and kept rooting us on.  It was so sweet!  Such a sincere face and encouragement.  Made me so happy!

I drove Kaia to violin, gone a total of 10 minutes, and left Kienna and Saryn in charge.  I asked Kienna to make sure that Benson finished his dinner.  Within 5 minutes, I had two phone calls from home.  They went straight to voicemail where I heard:

Saryn:  "Mom, Benson isn't eating his dinner - and Kienna's being super bossy."

Then the next message:

Kienna:  "Mom, What Saryn said about Benson is true, but if anyone is being bossy, it's her."

People say that I'll miss and forget these moments.  It made me laugh so hard, so I thought I'd jot it down.  These little conflicts make them what they are later, right?

Yesterday, Jaymeson and Benson had a race upstairs and Jaymeson, being 2 years older, won.  Benson broke into tears.  His heart was completely broken.  After talking about practicing more and getting bigger and better as you grow, he calmed down... just in time for Jaymeson to remind him that he didn't win... but maybe next time.  The tears started again instantly.

Over Christmas holidays, we had a few adventures.  They all seemed to start New Year's Eve.

My Nana and Grandpa Dan were here for Christmas.  Gran and Aunty Beryl came up  Boxing Day.  On the 30th, Nana had a cough and started to feel under the weather and didn't even end up coming upstairs on New Year's Eve at all.  It spread fast.  Gran was sick the next day, as was Grandpa Dan.  The flu also started to spread.  Almost everyone in the house caught this nasty cold/cough or the flu.  All three of my Grandparents that were here developed Pneumonia.  My kids had boughts of the flu and coughing/colds (Lanaya was probably the worse), but they all got over it faster than Gran, Nana and Grandpa Dan (who are still dealing with it). 

Of course, we aren't usually staying at my parents anymore, as we live about 5 minutes away, but we were here for all of this as the Elder's, who are in our basement, brought Bedbugs into the house.  We found this out on New Year's Eve as well.  No big deal as far as health is concerned as it had just stayed in the Elder's apartment, but if they fumigate, they have to do the whole house - which means we had to prep for that.  It was an enormous undertaking.  We were there for DAYS washing, drying and bagging every piece of fabric in the house.  We had to throw away pillows and cushions and any stuffed animals as they could have eggs in them and we couldn't wash them thoroughly enough.  You don't realize how many linens, clothing, kitchen cloths, curtains etc. that you have until you have to wash all of them.  What a nightmare!!  We also had to empty out every closet, every dresser drawer and under every bed.  All furniture has to be a couple feet out from the wall and we had to sort through all of this and put it in the garage...  Then we had to shower, change into uncontaminated clothes and not touch anything as we came to my parents house to stay over night. 

We have a friend who is an exterminator, and he came and fumigated once, then has to wait to weeks for any eggs to hatch and then fumigate again.  Currently, we are still at my parents house, anxiously awaiting the chance to get back in and unpack.  What a headache!

My Sweet Jay

We just had a wonderful Christmas. I can't wait to update all about it. But for now I just want to write down a few things about Jaymeson that happened the week leading up to Christmas.

His prayer one night made me laugh. It was so sincere though, and it was neat to see what he has been learning. He thinks heavenly father for many things, he asked for his blessings for others.  Then he randomly said, "and I just wanted to ask a quick question. How do you repent?"  Then he closed the prayer.  Not even two seconds later, he said, "oh, I know the answer now!"  I love that he is learning that he can receive an answer to prayer!

At dinner on night, Benson wasn't eating food. I was trying to remind him that Santa was watching (because he had found a Marshmallow Gun that he would do anything for). So I said, 

"Benson, who's watching?"

"Mom & Dad?"

"Well, yes, who else?"

Then Jay jumped in.  "God is watching".

I stopped then and there. True. And that's all that matters.

In primary, the kids were answering questions in a game of Christmas  Pictionary. Jaymeson got two of the answers correct, so instead of getting the reward twice he got to choose one other person to put a piece of the nativity up instead. He had a lot of the kids wanting it to be their turn, hands were up everywhere and people calling him to pick them.  He overlooked all of them and went straight for a little girl who has Rett Syndrome.  She can't talk and needs assistance for almost everything.  He had been sitting by her earlier and was trying to be her friend.  I was incredibly touched by his actions - especially for a six year old boy.

For about two weeks, Jaymeson has been constantly reminding me that he needs to serve the neighbours.  "Those neighbours" he would say, pointing to a very specific house (our only

next-door neighbour's).  I'm guessing he was told to serve his neighbours in Primary that week.  Regardless, he had been begging me and it was never the right time (right at dinner or bedtime or as we were running off to a lesson etc.).  Finally we had about 15 minutes on a Friday after his last day of school for this year.  I took him over and he knocked on the door.

"Can I do any service for you?"

"Oh my goodness, thank you.  Um, let me see.  What can you do?"

"I can clean a room or carry things because I'm strong, or..."

"Well, my daughter Jessica is moving out right now.  She has a few things that need to be carried to her car.  Could you help her do that?"

"Yes."

He proceeded to carry a bunch of games etc. to Jessica's car for her while I visited with our neighbour.  After about 5 minutes he just came up to me and said, "okay, we can go home now, I'm done".  No need for any thanks or anything, just had to serve them and now he's good.  What a sweet, sweet boy.

Not sure where this all came from, but I've been very grateful to be his mom and watch him learn and piece things together.  It has, in turn, helped me learn so much.

Late Night on a Special Night

I am currently holding my little baby at 1:40 on Christmas morning.  All of the other kids are having a sleepover in the boys room. Lanaya has been up with a tummyache. It has given me time to think about Christmas and been able to bond with my littlest sweetheart.  I love Christmas Eve.  I love the nativity pageant that we act out, the songs that we sing around the piano, the games, the togetherness.  There is no other day in a year that I feel the same way.  It's just perfect!

Today, Jarett and I were talking about how lucky we are to have the kids we have, the families we have, the friends we have and the membership in the ward and stake we have.  We truly had that "wonderful life" moment where we realized that we have been given so much and we have been so blessed by our Father in Heaven.

I'm really excited about tomorrow as I have a couple presents that I'm so excited to give.  I got my mom a special picture that I commissioned her friend to do for me.  I hope she likes it and understands the full amount of thought put into it.

I also have put together a book of the first two years of my blog to give my kids.  I'm so excited to read through it with them and remember all the little things they did as smaller kids.  They are such special kids!!

Well, Lanaya just fell asleep.  Here's hoping I can too...  Nothing says Merry Christmas like a sick baby at 2am.  She's such a beautiful little baby and so sweet.  I'm so glad she's in my life.  What would I have ever done without her (or any of my kids)?  Life is good.  God is good!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Lanaya is six months old!

I really can't believe it.  Time flies so fast and these little babies just grow constantly right before your eyes.  Lanaya has just worked her way into our lives so quickly.  I can't imagine life without this little ray of sunshine.  She is SUCH a happy girl, sleeps well, eats well, smiles and laughs constantly and has just been a dream baby.  She's getting steadier with her sitting, she is rolling over both ways now (although it took her a while to learn that because she is held so much and gets so much attention).  We are so SO blessed to have her in our lives! 

Day 1

1 Month old

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

4 Months Old

5 Months Old

6 Months Old

The most wonderful time of the year!

Over the last few years, I've had a hard time feeling the Christmas spirit until Christmas Eve. I guess it's just that reality hasn't really set in that it's Christmas time again, but for some reason I just haven't felt the Christmas spirit as strong as I would like.

This year, however, it has been so much more vivid to me. Today I was listening to Handel's Messiah, and it was just such an inspiring experience. It really has taken me back over the past month and helped me remember some things that I wanted to write down on my blog.

We set up for Christmas about a month ago, right after Remembrance Day. I have thoroughly enjoyed having the tree up, the garland on the stairs, the stockings, the advent calendar, the nativity sets and everything else Christmas.  Right on the first day, I felt the Christmas spirit taking over our house. The kids were snuggling with Jarett, they were getting along, and all was right.

Even while decorating cookies (on crazy hair day at school), everyone got along! Jarett put on some music and the kids started dancing with each other and had a line going where they were doing kicks and jumping and dancing. 

I find that I have been listening to Christmas music more this year.  Might have something to do with it.  I just got Handel's Messiah today.  But before today, I have been listening to Brad Paisley's Christmas album, Celine Dion's Christmas album, Josh Groban's, and the Piano Guys.  Another favorite song, is Christmas in Sarajevo.  Music just seems to bring such a spirit with it!

I think that the other main reason I have been able to feel the Christmas spirit more is because I'm trying not to spend as much money this Christmas so much as find meaningful gifts to give. I haven't been as obsess with the money and budgeting behind it but more on the spirit of giving.  It has made me more excited than I have been for a long time!  I just hope that my kids appreciate it, and don't ask where all the other presents are.

I've been doing some reading of A Christmas Carol by Dickens.  That is such an inspiring book!!

Of course, reading about the life of the Savior leading up to Christmas has probably been the biggest reason of all.  He truly is the reason we celebrate everything in life!!  What a beautiful, perfect gift we have been given!

Merry Christmas everyone!

If all else fails...

Benson just needed a little help.  I turned around and he was stuck in the straps of Lanaya's car seat.  So naturally, I just loosened the straps a little and let him continue.  Might keep him out of trouble for at least 30 seconds, right?  ;)

Of course, this doesn't look exactly how Lanaya does, so we need to add the cover.

He actually stayed still for a good two minutes!  Really hard to believe he has croup...  Poor guy.

Just different

It is mornings like this that I realize that having six kids isn't necessarily harder than having one. But I t's also not necessarily easier.

This morning, I got up, got the kids up, got her hair done, and had them going on their lunches, when Jarett came down and told me that the baby was awake and it smelled like she might have a dirty diaper.  He, of course, was heading off to work right then, or he would of helped (because I got one of those super helpful husbands - yay!)

So, leaving the kids to breakfast and their lunches, I went upstairs and Lanaya had completely blown out all over her crib. She needed a bath, her diaper needed changing, as did her entire crib, and I still had to get the other kids ready for school and out the door in 15 minutes.  

Experience with other babies makes the baby part a whole lot easier.  I stripped the baby, (using the new method I learned to remove onesies), bathed her, put her diaper and clothes on, washed down the change pad, stripped the crib, disinfected the mattress and went downstairs to feed her while encouraging the older kids to stay focused while getting out the door.  Some, of course, were a little more focused than others.

With a little bit of guidance, and a few little additions to their lunches, they were ready to go at five minutes before the bell rang. I packed up the kids quickly, and got them to school as the bell rang and watch them run across the field.

As I drove home, I realized that I was very much on top of the baby situation (had the whole thing done in just a few minutes), and I was very much on top of the kids getting ready for school, but not necessarily both at the same time. I guess that I have learned how to optimize my time through the experiences I've had with my children, but now I need to combine all the experiences together to get it a little bit more perfect.  

Who says that kids don't teach us anything?  Time management, patience and a whole skill set you'd never dream possible were evident this morning. :)

Being Benson

I let Benson play on the computer this morning when he asked, giving me a chance to clean up.  As I walked away after setting him up I hear, "Yes!  She's letting me do things today!"

Clearly I'm not always the same.

Mom

I appreciate my mom more than words could possibly express... Especially since becoming a mom of 6.  Today, however, I'm just thinking how much I took it for granted that there was always dinner on the table and I never had I make it.  Oh, how I long to go back to those days.  Making dinner is possibly the biggest interruption/frustration of my day.  Sigh.  Okay, off I go.

Benson is 4!

It always blows me away how emotional Nov 25th is to me.  All my kids birthdays take me down memory lane and I always get emotional, but Nov 25th has a deeper, borderline-crying-all-day kind of emotion to it.  I just sent my kids off to school and both Benson and the baby are still asleep, so I thought I'd just jot down a few of my thoughts/feelings (if I can still type through my tears).

First and foremost, I am so overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude.  I am SO grateful for this little boy whom I almost lost a couple times in his first couple days.  I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for providing me with the people, the strength and the comfort I needed to get through that hard time.  Grateful for the Priesthood in my life.  I am so grateful for doctors who knew what to do and were able to save both me and my baby.  I am thankful for the nurse "Anita" whom I will never forget.  She pinned me down, stared me in the eyes and promised me it would be okay.  She truly was an angel sent to help me through the biggest physical challenge I have ever endured.  I am thankful for the memory I have of how much I NEEDED my husband.  I felt so out of control and helpless until I knew he was there beside me.  As soon as he was there, I knew I could do it.  I don't know how to explain the connection I felt to him that day.  I suddenly realized that he wasn't just my "best friend" and he wasn't just a "husband" to me.  He was everything to me.  I needed him desperately in my life.  And I still do.

I also just remember the terror I felt.  I felt so helpless, so hopeless.  I remember crying as soon as Jarett couldn't come with me.  I knew I couldn't do this without him.  I remember a couple days later, as I was surrounded by multiple doctors telling me that my sons heart had stopped, I felt so -  I don't know - just helpless, and anxious to find a cure, I suppose.  I would've done anything at that moment to make him okay.  I remember that it took over a year before I would be able to wake up in the morning and not feel panicked that Benson might not have made it through the night.

I also remember feeling so weak.  I was stopped in the hallway multiple times asking if I would be okay.  Apparently, I looked green.  I would fall asleep when I was sitting up while nursing him in the NICU... just pass out.  The nurses would just come and slip him away and lean me back on the chair.  I would try to read my scriptures and just get to three words before I would be out cold.  I was so completely drained. 

I also will never forget all the generous people who brought meals, love and support over the weeks who followed.
The funny thing is, it was 100% worth it and I would do it again in a minute to have my Benson with me.

Benson has brought a whole new dimension to this family.  He has so much energy, so much sweetness and so much monkey in him that we just can't have a boring day.  You turn your back for so much as 3 seconds and you have no idea what he may or may not have gotten into.  (Recently it's been After Eight mints of Kaia's or Lindt chocolate balls that I have been saving for December (as I'm sugar free for this month)).  He loves to sneak off and put on movies (which no one has taught him to do) and fiddle with anything to make it work.  He has an incredibly curious mind and always wants to figure out how to work things.  He loves his baby sister and wants to protect her constantly.  He smothers her with kisses, wants to hold her and love her and then, after 30 seconds, announces, "I'm done." and hands her back.  I wish I could just follow him around all day, every day with a video camera so that I could completely remember his sweet little voice, his mischievous ways and his overload of energy that he carried with him everywhere.  I love watching my two boys play with each other and become best friends.  Jarett frequently reflects on how much they play like little puppies, just wrestling with each other and being complete goofs.  I love my boys so incredibly much and am so glad that they have each other.

October's Summary

Lanaya turned 4 months old in October. 

She is absolutely smothered with attention.

She is such a happy baby, she loves reading and has a favorite toy.

She is also rolling over (Oct 10 is when she started to do it consistently)

She also has the biggest blue eyes and she sleeps like a dream!

Lanaya and Benson both got special pillows and blankets from Granny Jubber and Aunty Beryl.  They have parties with them quite frequently.

Jarett and Jaymeson had birthdays this month.  Jaymeson loves to tell people how old  he is.  He's six and proud of it.  Jarett just busts out the Monty Python video where the guys says "I'm 37.  I'm not old."

Jaymeson had this count down for his birthday for 90 days and asked us, multiple times a day, how many days until his birthday.  He asked us this for MONTHS before we finally made this chart... and it didn't get much better after.

We had an awesome LEGO party for Jaymeson.  I'll cover that in the next post though, as it's a lot of pictures.

Benson has begun a new addiction of "Team Umizoomi" and "Backyardigans".  He sneaks up to my room and turns it on while I'm nursing or cleaning.  He's quite a business sometimes.

Halloween was fun this year.  Kaia and Kienna went out with the Beerman girls, Saryn with Kindred, Keira and Anika.  Jaymeson was sick and Benson just decided he didn't want to go trick-or-treating.  We were a little concerned about our kids, but they did eventually decide to go do at least our block.  We also went to a Halloween dance at my cousins house in Welling the next night all dressed up too.  It was an absolute blast!

This was when I told Kienna to dance around like a bee while I played Rimsky-Korsokoff's "Flight of the Bumblebee".  It was hilarious!