11 Great things about 2011

What a great and crazy year.  We have had fun as a family...  So here it goes

1. Jarom Don.  What a fun and handsome son.  We love him.  He is squishy and cute.

  

His dimples can calm and lift anyone.

2- Watching the temple go up in our town. This has brought us closer together!

3- Cousins all of them at reunions fun fun

Derrek's birthday ride at the Miller's Sports Park

Jacob's arrow of light and weblos

Trip to Arches

Rachel's play at her school.  Isn't she an adorable fairy

Jacob's football time

Derrek's trip to Havasupi with his Brother Dallon (not the frog,but couldn't find a picture of both of them together.)

Family Reunion(Aunts and Uncles and my Grandpa)

Last but not least our family.  The fun times we have together, prayers, hopes, dreams, school, work, daily life with each member doing their best at everything.  SO grateful for 2011.  Here comes 2012...  I have quit hoping for it to slow down but just now pray I can manage our time and help each person become who they are supposed to be.

A Blurrr.....(catch up)

Our Little family has been going 100 miles an hour.  Mostly mom has started a new Dual Immersion program for students at her school.  It has been a massive undertaking but is running very smoothly and success is being seen every day.  What little "free" time I had has been gone but I am hoping to have it come soon.l  Highlights.

  Jarom started sittingat 6 months.  He has been crawling since the day he turned 7 months.  He is so giggly and fun to be with.  He loves loves to eat.  I have been worried about allergies because he broke out in a horrible rash when we gave him Tylenol.  I know for sure his skin is sensitive.  Only organic stuff to touch his skin.  Like... Norwex laundry detergent (we started with Dreft and that got expensive fast) We are slowly introducing food to his life.  He loves all the fruit and vegetables we can give him.  He likes the corn chex and rice chex also.  I am staying away from wheat and gluten for a bit.  He will be walking sooner than later.  He is very determined. 
 

 Rachel is loving preschool.  She prays everyday is a preschool day.  But only three days a week.  She is a determined adorable girl.  She hiked to Delicate arch with all of us.  What a champ. She wants to learn to read and so she and I are working on that.  She loves to hike climb and run. 
Shelby got a 4.0 in her school and loves swimming and being the oldest in our family. 


Jacob got his arrow of light and his weblos badge in Sept. adn is enjoying scouting now.  We love him.  WE finished football over the Thanksgiving holiday.

 Walk to Remember our sweet Joshua

Jarom's favorite trick--6 months at walk to remember Oct. 15

Arches National park 

Cutest kids in the whole wide world.  Yes I am biased!

Four months and fun

Jarom is 4 1/2 months.  The pictures were taken on his 4 month day.  

He is weighing 14 pounds and is 25 inches long.  

He is in 3-6 month clothes now, and size 1-2 diapers moving quickly to 2's

Everyone says he is a big boy but he is in the 50 percentile for everything. He is so much fun. He is laid back and is talking to everyone. We call him squishy because he is so loving and cuddles up to everyone.  His reflux is controlled as long as we give him the medicine.  However, we missed his meds for three days and he has been miserable.    We adore him and love his silliness. 

Derrek got to race in a Mustang GT for his birthday.  We got to go and watch him drive.  He loved it and so did we all.   Rachel was certain he was winning the race and we were watching Cars 2.  

We went to the Kennocott Copper Mine.  Impressive place.  I learned a ton.  We even witnessed a blast. Not really ready to send my children to school.  I miss them terribly during the day but love my job and the ability to teach others. My babies are getting way to big.  I am sure that I haven't aged so I really do not know why they have.  Oh well.  Such is life.  

Motherhood advice" Your momma heart"

I have been reading a wonderful lady's blog for quite sometime.  I decided today I would enter her show me your life link.  The question is " What is the best Parenting advice you have recieved?"

I had my first beautiful girl 13 years ago.  I received more advice from everyone than I could handle.  At the grocery store, church, family etc...   I learned very quickly that everyone is an expert parent until they are parenting their own child.  I really struggled with feeling inadequate as a mother.  I had an older lady at church come and quietly whisper to me "you have to do what is best for your baby.  Listen to your heart"  That has been my parenting style ever since.

   I learned to follow what I call my "momma heart".  Meaning  when other people tell you things you could do for your child you can sort through their advice and do what feels right for you and that particular child at the time.  All four of my children here on earth are so very different.  They need different things at different times.   If you follow your mother heart you generally do what needs to be done.  With my sweet angel boy, every baby loss mom remembers their child differently.  Some just keep their child in their heart and do not share with others  Others do many things daily, weekly and/or monthly.   I have learned to be confident in my mothering as I search for ideas when situations arise that I need help with  I read, listen, pray and then act following the things I feel are the best.   My husband and I actually do this together and it has always worked for us.

Joshua's 2nd

Happy 2nd Angel day.  Joshua.  We love you very much. 

Families Can Be Together Forever

Love you forever, Like you for always as long as I'm living my baby you will be. 

Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come.

~Joseph F. Smith

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. I'll always be with you.” Christopher Robin to Pooh

3 months & 4th ofJuly(long)

 Jarom turned 3 months old  AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Make him slow down.  We have loved playing with him and watching his personality grow and show itself.  He is quite the character.  We have enjoyed him every day!  

He is Sleeping through the night (his biggest accomplishment this month), This makes a happy

mom and a starving Jarom.  He eats and eats and eats when he wakes up.  He sleeps from 10-6 Heaven!

HE was not impressed with fireworks

He weighs 13 lbs and is 23 1/2 inches long

Wear 0-3 month clothes (the are getting tight)
Size 1 diapers

He smiles easily and laughs at the kids. 
He is happiest when the kids are playing and he is in the middle of them.

He loves the noise of our home and is fussy when it is quiet.

He is laid back and can handle just about anything as long as he is fed.

He loves to be outside from about 7-9 every night.

Loves the Bjorn and his stroller.

Rachel, Shelby and Jacob can produce the largest smiles from him!

He is rolling from tummy to back making tummy time almost non existent now.

The fourth of July

We had all of my family (minus a sister-in -law and her 1month old) at my house on the third of July.  It was spectacular.  We love family.  The picture below is of the gang playing in our backyard.  Our home is not large but it handled the family just fine.  Three of the families slept here after fireworks.  I love to host all my family and provide opportunities for my children to enjoy their cousins.  To this day my cousins are some of my dearest friends.  I want this for my children also.  The day they left my home felt very, very empty. Our annual traditions of the day at the Park in the tiny town I grew up in, (not so tiny anymore) with fireworks at the neighboring town are dear to my heart.  What a fabulous day to celebrate this Free country we get the privilege to live in.  I am very proud to be an American!

Grief Game

Grief Game

It is interesting to me to find myself being bombarded with the grief feelings again as we get further into the summer.  The grief finds itself at center stage in my life where for the past few months it definitely has been in the corner playing just a small simple background melody.  As the anniversary of Joshua' s death approaches the loudness of the sadness comes forward in my brain.  It is not as painful this time around but it brings a shadow to some of my days. 

Love this article:  Explains the grief game so well.  It speaks volumes to my soul.

Two months

Jarom Don is 2 months old

I cannot believe our baby is two months old.  He is so much fun to have in our house.  I was able to take him to work with me the last 6 days of school.  All the Kindergarteners were being tested and we had extra hands helping us.  He was passed around the adults while I one on one tested all 42 of my students. He would be calm and have fun with everyone as long as I did not talk.  I would walk in to check on him and talk and he would immediately grunt and squirm to try to get my attention.  Silly Boy! (but it makes me feel good)  My principal even enjoyed him as she was retiring and finishing her time in education.  Every person who held him got to feel his incredible spirit and joy.  They would melt and smile as he would every time he was passed.

Things about Jarom:

Height and weight will be checked in two days at the doctor BIG is all I know

He is wearing 0-3 month clothes

size 1 diapers fit nicely

He  flashes an adorable two dimple smile to anyone willing to work hard to entice it out of him.

Today he smiled and  giggled while watching his sisters dance and his brother playing with Legos .(I love being home during the summer)

He went on a hike in Snow Canyon over Memorial Day weekend.  

He sleeps in 4-5 hour shifts.  

He has developed reflux and showers me with milk a few times a day.  

At least it is not curddled it just is straight like out of the bottle. 

He loves our family and we are having a great time smothering him in kisses,hugs, cuddles, and love

Adorable sweet little one

Joshua

Here is Joshua"s name on a beach in Australia.  A baby loss mom does this as part of her healing.  Her name is Carly and you can check out her blog here.

I have tried for almost two years to get his name request entered.   Thank you Carly for your time and tireless efforts for those experiencing grief in all its forms. 

One month old and pictures

my four children on Easter

Jarom's first Easter

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's

 We blessed Jarom on May 1st.  It was a great warm day.  One of the few we have had lately.  We were blessed to have many of our family with us and we missed those who could not come.  Grandma Ruth made his outfit.  He looked a lot like our Joshua and I kept looking twice because of the tie like Joshua had.  A beautiful day for a beautiful boy

 

Jarom turned one month.  I cannot believe it.

He is 21 1/2 inches long

8lbs 14 ozs 

He is wearing newborn/0-3 month clothes

He is still in newborn diapers but will be out of those soon.

He loves the noise of our family and has trouble sleeping without

some music in his room.

He sleeps about 3 hours between each feeding but has had two nights with 4- 4 1/2 hrs streatches
He loves his swing and tummy time mat.