Landon is 5 months

Our little man still isn't rolling, but he is really happy trying hard to grab things and talking. He likes to be held and get really squirmy when he is tired. He still doesn't cry when he needs to eat, except in the night, all he does is kind of give out these loud blasts of yells. He goes 3 to 4 hours between eating now. He is kind of curious in the world around him so has a hard time staying focused when he eats. We went in to the doctor just before he was 5 months because we missed his 4 month appointment while in Utah. He was 17lb. 10 oz. and 26 inches. This puts him in the 80% . I keep getting the question how he compares to the others. At 4 months Eldon was over 19lb. Bryson was 18lb. and Jaron was close to 17lb. So he is a little bigger than Jaron and a little smaller than Bryson. Same on the height.

I included a picture of his birth mark. I think it looks like a butterfly. Also sorry it isn't the same black background, the bed was covered in decorations and toys.

Catching the Joy

So as many of you know i am a very open person. Here is a deep confession. Four kids has kind of pushed my limits as a person. I am an organized, over achiever. With four kids I just have yet to find the time to do a lot of necessary things because I am so busy trying to keep up with my expectations for myself. With the past 3 I have adjusted after two months to the whole new way of life. But with the events before Landon's birth and the sickness since his birth I just haven't gotten to that place where I am satisfied with my efforts and also satisfied with the product of my efforts. I insist on being happy, even in times of trial JOY and PEACE are still something that I can have. What caught me off guard was the feelings I had. I have never not loved being a mother. I have always loved it and been more than willing to give everything for my family. But when my efforts still weren't good enough in my eyes I began to have feelings of resentment towards my kids & husband. I mean who does that?! Well the lady that doesn't have time to eat, pee, or sleep I think. I started really reflecting on what I needed and why I was so unhappy. Why didn't I like my life? I realized i needed to lower my expectation for myself. There is no such thing as a perfect mother or a perfect wife and trying to be those things was only causing me sadness. I took a step back and realized it is OK for me to take a few minutes to go to the bathroom, eat lunch, and yes even sit down and just hold my baby. It is not a waste of time to take care of myself or let others know that I am willing to give them my undivided attention. The moments will soon pass when my kids are small and want to sit on my lap. The time will pass when they want to talk my ear off. If I don't give my man the time of day, he will soon stop asking for it and we will drift apart. I realized I can't be perfect right now and needed to be happy with what I did have and happy with what efforts I was giving. Because I do have the deep desire to be perfect one day. So I decided, with some help from Don, to catch the joy again.
I start by taking a mayor time out. I went to Utah for a few weeks and did absolutely nothing more than what I wanted to do. I help Landon, slept in a little, ate whenever I wanted, and visited with family. It was a good time and I am really grateful I have such a wonderful family.
Since I have been back I have been trying hard to do the things that matter most. Keeping my Savior close, trying to spend more time with Don, and expressing love to my kids and showing them as well. Love in family after all is often spelled T-I-M-E. But at the same time realizing when I need some time to myself to take it. I can't feel others cups if mine is empty.
If you come over and my house is a mess, know I will get to it and know I love my kids enough to let it go sometimes. We can only take three things with us when we leave this earth, our knowledge, our desires/feelings, and our RELATIONSHIPS. Life is meant to be a joyful thing, so toss the guilt and catch the joy!

Halloween 2011

This fall we were all a little sad at our house when the Bell's decided not to do their pumpkin patch. BUT . . . they let the ward have the trunk or treat at their farm. They got out the train and they kids had lots of fun!! Sadly we did not get a picture of our family, I worked really hard to not buy anything this year, but still have a great family costume theme. I think it turned out. Don was DK, I was Peach, Jaron was Luigi, Bryson was Mario, Eldon was Yoshi, and Landon was Toad.
Halloween was a very eventful day. I helped with Jaron's party, we did the ghost cake. Jaron got a TON of candy at school from his treat parade and the class party. I decided that we didn't need any more candy so we cleaned the church building that night instead of going trick-or-treating. They boys had fun playing ball in the gym with Dad.

Landon Month 3 & 4

As I got on today to write about 4 months I realized I hadn't even done 3 months!! Yikes, how time flies.

3 months

Landon's 3rd month of life obviously didn't have a lot of things going on. He is such a happy baby, sleeping well through the night and smiling a lot.

4 months

At 3 months he really started doing lots of new things.
He could grab his rattle and then would just stare at it in amazement when he grabbed a hold of it.
He is laughing now. Daddy is the funniest out of everyone and can get some good belly laughs.
He has rolled over a few times, but not on purpose at all yet.
His hand is his new toy, he sucks/chews on it all day. He has been a little fussy and I am wondering if the teething process is starting to begin. I don't see any coming down or swollen gums, but he sure is acting like a teething baby.

I just love this little kid. He is motivated, yet very easy going. He really is a blessing especially when I hold him close. I can feel heaven through him and that is something we all need.

Bryson is 4!

His birthday fell on Sunday this year. So we did balloons in the morning, and cake in the evening with a few close friends. The cake was decided a day before his birthday. He first wanted a Tangled cake, then a bat, and finally landed on the car cake.
Then Monday he chose to go bowling. It was lots of fun! Thanks Grandma Barlow.

These precious years pass so fast. Bryson is starting to be a really independent helper. Bryson sees and need and finds a way to meet it. Which sometimes means I can't leave him alone for very long. If he is hungry, or anyone else for that matter, he gets food. If he is board, he gets something out. This is very good at times and he is getting much better at asking before he does things that require permission.
He is getting good at the chores I have given him to do, and even wanted to help vacuum the other day. He does not like to do things when asked, but on his own time. He also has a very sarcastic way of talking. We are working on him expressing himself positively and focusing on the fact that he can do hard things.
He loves to dance, sing, play Wii, play baseball, jump, and play pretend. Legos are his most favorite toy right now.

It is so fun to watch them grow and learn. We love you Bryson!

Eldon's 2nd Birthday

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His birthday was loads of fun too. It was a day filled with traditions that I love. The night before he birthday we decorated so that he felt special the moment he woke up.
Then his dinosaur cake. He did pick this and was consistent on what he wanted for several weeks. I had a blast making it for him.
Then a few friends to eat the cake with us. Dad made a sandbox for his birthday present. He have been loving the gift!
After the cake we went to Chuck E. Cheese. This event is my parents gift every year. They boys really love going here!
Traditions have become lots of fun in our house. The boys get all exicted talking about what cake mom will make and what special place they will get to go on their birthday.

Eldon is the biggest of all our boys so far at 3'1". He has really wide feet so we have to put him in a size 8 toddler shoe. He is talking more every day and does a lot of sound effects to tell us what he wants. So like for food that is good he say, "mom, food" and then smacks his lips. Or if he wants a drink he says, "Mom" and makes a slurping noise. It isn't that he can't say them, he just thinks this is easier I think. His favorite song is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" which he sings to himself often. Still kind of struggling with separation and if I would, he would have me hold him all day. But with new brother this doesn't happen. He is not angry about it though, just sometimes he asks to be held when he needs it. He is a typical two year old, which means no is favorite word, and going against directions is his game.

We love our little guys and are so glad he chose us!

Don's Birthday

The big guy in our house turned 29 on Sep. 10th! I really can't believe we are that old we still act so young. I tried my hardest to make his day extra special. I think he enjoyed a day of cake, pizza, football. When he first started at FedEx he delivered a few times to Janie's Cakes. He just went on an on about how great they were, but they are also a little expensive. This year I swallowed my cheep side and bought him one. I also bought LOTS of ice cream to go with it.
The day kind of got away from me and I didn't do as many other things as I would have liked to. The boys made some cards for him and we had friends over throughout the day to keep us company. We ordered pizza for dinner instead of going out. Anyway . . . I love this guy so much and am happy he was born!

Landon is 2 Months

The second month of life Landon started getting into a routine a little bit more. Eating every three hours, unless he is growing then every two. He is sleep much better through the night which we love around here. He fights falling asleep and so we have to hold him a lot while he falls asleep. Not a great habit to form, but he just won't do it on his own.
At 6 weeks he started smiling a lot! This is one of my most favorite times. Those smiles just make you melt.
Brothers are loving interacting with him now that he is awake a little more to talk to.

I just cherish these first few months when they are so little and cuddly.

First Day of Kindergarten

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Jaron hanging out after school with Landon.

Bryson playing outside on Jaron's first day of school.

I can't believe our little boy is already going to school. The first week was really rough for both him and me. On the first day of school I walked him to class. When we got to his classroom I told him to go on in. He looks at me with panic in his eyes and said "But mom I just want you to come with me." I told him I couldn't and opened his hand and gave him a kiss to keep with him all day. The wait to be picked up also upset him. He would get in crying and say, "Mom it just takes too long." He would say he just wanted to stay home with me all day. By day 5 of school Jaron was totally fine with going and waiting to be picked up, but I still am having a hard time letting him be gone for so long. It will just take time for me to adjust to him being away all day. I look forward to weekends when my little boy can stay home with me.

Bryson had a rough first week too. He didn't have his best friend around to play with all day. Jaron and Bryson really are so close and fight very little. After school it is like a party every day, they just play until dinner. It is hard to get them to do their chores.
The second week of school I started school with Bryson and that has been helping a lot with him being so lonely. We do things most days to keep busy.

Eldon is doing okay with the change. He does ask where Jaron is a lot, but is not upset that he is gone.

Nothing is constant as change, too bad I don't deal with it too great.

7 Years and Counting

On August 13th Don and I celebrated 7 years together. We spent 5 hours out together!! It was so nice and much needed. It is always good to date each other and remember why we hooked up in the first place.
We didn't have much money but I still wanted to do something special. So I made this 7 layer cake. It took a little time, but was SOO good. I am glad I did it for him/us.
I also enrolled him in the date of the month club. I came up with fun but inexpensive date ideas and he choose which ones he wanted to do through the year. I am excited to do these I think it will be fun and also we will do dates at least once a month. Dating each other is so important especially the more kids you have because that usually means less time for each other.

I can't believe 7 years have gone by. It feels like I have have known him for forever, but then it feels like it was just yesterday we were married. It has been a great 7 years and we look forward to many more together.

Landon's Blessing

Not sure what this face is. It kind of looks like his poop face a little.



I have how many brothers!?






We were very grateful to have family here for Landon's blessing. We are also very thankful for great friends that stood in the circle. Don blessed Landon and Grandpa Gray, Tae Parker, Helaman Noyes, Bishop Scott Mackey, and Jeremiah Alexander stood in the circle (bishop is not in the picture).
Don gave a wonderful blessing and we are so blessed to have the priesthood in our home.

Landon is 1 Month

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Landon's first month of life was fairly uneventful. He did a lot of sleeping, eating, and that other thing. He is such a joy to have around. At one month he wasn't sleeping too great yet. Still had his days and nights mixed up a little. He woke up at around 2am and stayed awake for several hours. By his second month he was doing much better and not staying awake at night so much.
He is a great eater, but spits up a lot more than any of the other boys.

We love our little guy!