And it begins...

This came home from preschool in an envelope with a ribbon around it.

Calebs reaction....

"Ahhh Sarah"

Tough Caleb

So Caleb got this nice black eye while jumping on the trampoline at the Hickens house. It was worse but I didn't get around to taking a picture of it until today.

Someone at church asked him what happened, Caleb's explanation...."I got jumped"

Conversation with Caleb

Caleb in prayer: thank you for all the girls in our family...

Mom after prayer: what other girls are in our family?

Caleb: The ones that are going to come out of your tummy

Mom: well, there arent going to be any more babies coming out of mommys tummy

Caleb looks at me and puts his hands on his hips and says: Mom, have you talked to Jesus about that because I think you should!

Im pretty sure Grandma Caroline put him up to it!
Just kidding mom!

How was my day?

Let me show you...Yes that would be the cake that I starting working on at 9:00 this morning. I am suppose to bring a "August" cake to our RS dinner tonight that is suppose to have the lime green color of Augusts birthstone. So I made 2 lemon cakes to make it feel summery andYes, those are limes I drove to walmart with all 3 kids to get, washed, sliced perfectly, and then dehydrated to decorate my cake with.

I'm not a natural cake decorator like my mom but I really worked hard on this. I had even got the sides PERFECT and set it back in the freezer to let the top get hard so I could do a perfect top layer. Not to mention that I used a rolling pin to get my frosting bag perfect with no air and practiced and perfected the perfect border. Open the freezer to finish my pride and joy and she falls at me feet. Would you like to see how much hard work and neglect for my home has gone into this cake...yes this is what every counter in my kitchen looks like! So now I get to go clean a kitchen that is disastrous, take all 3 kids back to Walmart and get a single layer white cake with a yellow border to place my perfect limes on.

Total cost of this disaster and fix about $20.

The only thing I find funny about the whole thing is that Caleb had accused me of "starving" him because I told him this cake was for a party that he wasn't going to. So when the whole cake wreck happened I think he understood that Mom was to be avoided. Davis on the other hand ran over and start shoveling handfuls into his mouth and licking it off the inside of our freezer.

Nice

Yesterday I registered Caleb for Kindergarten

and I'm not really sure how I really feel about this.

On one hand I'm so excited for all the new things that he going to learn. Hes so ready for someone to challenge his amazing little mind. He is so anxious to learn and hes so close to learning to read. I cant wait for the possibilities I know will open to him when he can read. Not to mention the new friends he will meet and I think that Caleb is going to thrive on the structure of school.

On the other hand I'm scared to let my boy go. So far I have been the main influence in my kids lives. Ive been the one to decide what they watch, who they play with, and always been there in the background to be sure they are okay. Caleb has such an innocent and sensitive spirit and it worries me to let him go to school where there are bullies and kids whose parents don't value kindness and have not taught them that.

It makes me realize how I have a few short months left to give him the self esteem he needs to go to school and deal with the realities of kids in school. It also makes me realize that I'm entering a different yet just as important stage in my career as a mother to be ready for him when he comes home to listen, to hug, to have a inviting and wonderful spirit in our home so that he can "rest" and rejuvenate from his day away. I love the title of Kimbas blog...a soft place to land. That is what I need to make our home for Caleb.

I held back my tears as best as I could filling out the paperwork and counting my blessings that for now I got to bring him home with me.
I'm excited and dreading the first day of school when I have to drop him of and come home alone.

Updated to add: After I wrote this I went and laid down and fed Beckham and was thinking about Caleb. I'm so proud of the fact that I know Caleb will be an answer to many mothers prayers out there that are worried like me about their kids making friends. Caleb is a friend to everyone. He is kind to everyone. He may get in fights with his friends but he never really wants to hurt anyones feelings. He really is an amazing little person and there is so much I can learn from him!

Slacker

Yes, I have been slacking in the blog...which is funny to me that Ive been hearing that complaint from a lot of people when I still blog more than most of them!!!

Beckham is my lifeline right now. Hes so perfect in every way and just makes me feel validated every time he smiles at me...which is all the time. Hes had officially started sleeping though the night and sleeps from about 9 or 10 until about 7 or 8 in the morning, hes perfect I tell you!Caleb and Davis are both growing up faster than I can believe but are at that stage where they have started to bug each other, which in turns drives me crazy that they cant get along! We went to the mountains this weekend with some friends and it was fun. There was a fire, a BBQ, 4 wheelers, shotguns, and lots of good company. Davis couldn't get enough of the 4 wheelers and kept asking to go vroom.Ive been taking lots of pictures for people and learning a lot. Its a good experience but like Ive said before it makes me feel very humble to admit and show others that Im not good at something yet and just learning. Where else do you start though?

As for John, work has been stressful as his jobs have been wrapping up but he did just get a good sized job in Cedar City. If he can get a few more we will be feeling even better!

So there is a very boring update blog...

What our children teach us...

• This morning while laying in bed with all the boys Beckham started to get fussy so I said "hurry Caleb run and grab me his binkie..." Caleb sighed got up and while he was walking away said in a sing song type of voice, "only if you say please!"

• Costco went to the new earth friendly milk jugs which is great for saving the earth but horrible for a 5 year old who is learning to pour milk. So yesterday in our loooooong walmart trip i found a little jug that I thought would be perfect for him to pour milk out of. I was so excited this morning and I showed him his own new milk jug. He poured him and Davis milk in their cereal and in their glasses and then put the milk jug up to his mouth and took a hug drink out of it! I told him it was not to drink out of but that it was his milk jug. As he went to put it back in the fridge again under his breath but this time with a little resentment in it he said, "Dad drinks out of the milk jug" funny kid...
  

A first and last

Today for the first time my kids rode in a clean Walmart cart
Today for the last time my kids rode in a clean Walmart cart!

How did we get to ride in a BRAND NEW cart you ask?

Our Walmart opened today!!!!

Now I am a Walmart shopper but this is the most exciting thing because we now live a mile or so from a Grocery store instead of a 15 mile round trip from the nearest store!I can now "run" to the store!!!

How excited am I really? Well, my friends and I met there and just walked up and down the aisles and ate free hot dogs and tried samples and shopped for a couple of hours! You have to live in a small town to appreciate something like this so much that you literally hang out in the Walmart aisles.

So hooray for Walmart although I do feel bad for our local Lins market. Ive decided that I wont ever price match something from Lins but will always go there if they have a great sale so that way I can support both. I also will go to Lins when they have their food storage and case lot sale and for great priced meat. I really don't want them to go out of business.

2 month check up

12 pounds 13 ounces

23 inches long

The newest members of our family....

GaleOur apple tree

StellaOur cherry tree

FantasiaOur nectarine tree

ElbertaOur peach tree

AshOur free 6 year old Ash tree that came from one of Johns sites where it had to be ripped out

Im so HAPPY!!!

Two months old

Oh my...does it get cuter than this!!!

I dont think it does!!!

Today I am reconsidering the career choice I have made to be a stay at home mom...

I just want to go "home" from work for just one day.

Ive been tagged

8 favorite TV shows:
(we dont get TV but if we did these would be the shows I would watch)
1. Numbers
2. American Idol
3. What not to wear
4. The biggest loser
5. College football
6. The Office
7. Law and Order
8.

8 Things I did today:
1. Went to Walgreens
2. Laundry
3. Emptied the dishwasher
4. fed Beckham twice
5. Blogged
6. called John
7. Ate breakfast
8. got boys dressed
(give me a break its only 9:30)

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Beckhams blessing and seeing our family
2. The Easter egg hunt for adults put on by my mom and aunt
3. SLC on the 1st (hoping to tag along on a Sunroc trip...we are in the process of trying to convince one of Johns coworkers that a car ride with kids is really fun and cool...)
4. Sea World
5. Beckham sleeping though the night
6. The baby weight coming off
7. Girls night on the 28th
8. Taking pictures for people

8 favorite restaurants:
1. In N Out
2. El Polo Loco
3. Texas Roadhouse
4. Olive Garden
5. Gondalofos
6. Islands
7. The Critter Country restaurant in Disneyland by Winnie the Pooh
8. Pirate Island Pizza

8 Things on my wish list:
1. Pre pregnancy weight actually pre kids weight in general
2. A better economy
3. our car to last though the year without any major issues
4. A baby that sleeps though the night
5. landscaping
6. A family gym pass
7. warm weather for a few months before it gets hot
8. adoption

people I tag:
Anyone who wants to do it!

Thats right Baby! Dont ever forget it!

Happiest Girl EVER

Two of my favorite things are now one...

Costco
&
Fage Greek Yogurt

All the flavor and texture of sour cream with NO fat. If you haven't tried it...you must! Tomorrow I'm going to eat Lipton Onion Dip with celery and carrots completely guilt free!!!!

Last night I nursed Beckham for the last time. You could tell there just wasn't enough for him to get satisfied and like with Davis at right around 8 weeks my milk goes dry. I don't really know how to feel about this. In some ways there is relief because for me nursing adds a lot of stress not to mention the added time of pumping a lot to keep my milk supply up. It felt like I was always hooked up to the pump. On the flip side the cost of formula is a bummer (if anyone has any enfamil checks that they know they wont use...send them my way please).

In reality though its the added feeling of letting go of nursing forever that is effecting me more than I expected. There is some excitement of moving out of the "baby bearing" years but to not have another sweet newborn it difficult to grasp. I love the way that Beckham has eyes for no one but me. He could stare at my face for hours...and does. Never will a child of mine be this "into me."

So today I feel sad....sad at what I'm leaving behind and for today I'm going to let myself be sad, hold Beckham lots and just breathe all of his newbornness in before it is all gone.

(and yes I know newbornness is not a word)

Trying to be brave...

I started a blog to put the pictures Im taking on...
See over----->

Spring is in the air....

and it feels soooooo good!(for the record this picture was not posed!)