An "Egg-cellent" Easter Weekend

Egg Hunt at the Park

Hayden all ready for some fun.

Sydney being a stinker.  

Didn't want to stand with the other kids, or take pictures, or take the basket off her head . . .

Eventually she decided to have fun.

Dying Eggs with Jewels and Eric

Easter Sunday

Isn't this a funny hat?  Bennett's not so sure . . .

Happy Easter!

The Days of Getting Nothing Done

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Okay – I just looked at the clock and it's almost noon. Where did my morning go?  What have I even been doing? I haven't showered, I'm wearing glasses and sweats. My hair is thrown up in a bun. Sydney is still in her pajamas.  There are piles of clean laundry on the couch and piles more in the laundry room waiting to be washed.  In every room the carpet is littered with toys and blankets and shoes and hats and paper and diapers.  My kids will be home in an hour and I haven't even frosted the brownies that I started making yesterday and I told them I would make on Monday.  So seriously, what have I been doing all morning?  

Well, I have fed Bennett three or maybe it's been four times.  I have changed an equal amount of diapers. I made breakfast for all the kids and ate a little here and there, while looking for cash to send to school with one of my children, and barking out reminders like "Did you put your lunch in your backpack? "  "Do you need me to sign your reading log?" Also, I dealt with and eventually defused  an emotional breakdown performed by child number two.  I drove my children to school because they missed the bus.  I wrestled a screaming two year old into her carseat--a feat that required all my strength plus assistance from two of her older siblings.  

I have held and burped and cuddled Bennett.  I have put him in the swing and listened to him cry himself to sleep while i frantically did the breakfast dishes, and rotated laundry.  And that's about it.  Oh, and write this post.  and the only reason I got to write this, is because I can speak it into my phone while feeding Bennett.    

I am not wishing away this time. I love cuddling our new little Bennett.  I love having a new baby in our home and the sweetness he brings.  But i have a very bad habit of basing the success of my day on the number of things checked off on my to do list, so I keep getting frustrated with my lack of productivity.  I know this time will go by very quickly.  And it won't be long before I can get a lot more done in a day.  And I will look around and wonder where has the time gone and miss my tiny little boy. But these days, a lot of times when I look around I just feel like crying. (Hormones, exhaustion, messy house ) So I guess I'm just trying to find a balance between enjoying the moments and still making sure our family is functioning.  And making sure I get a shower at least one in three days. 

February Quotes

Hayden:  There are two people we don't like, right?  Justin Beaver, and Obama.

The day before I was went in to be induced, Hayden announced to the entire primary:  

"I am having a baby tomorrow night at 8 o'clock."  

The primary leader said, "You are?  What are you having?  A boy or girl?  

"A boy."  

"And what are you going to name him? " 

"I am naming him Bennett."

The first time Sydney saw me nursing Bennett she scowled and said, 

"Get him off your bobbies!" 

(I think she meant boobies?)

Hayden:  (holding Bennet) He'th the cutetht thing in the whole wide world!

Sean:  Bennett sounds like a fire alarm

Here are a few samples of the kids writing that we got during Parent Teacher Conferences.  I thought they were pretty cute.  Unfortunately, Daphne's teacher didn't send any of her work home, so I'll have to post some of hers when her work comes home at the end of the year, I guess.

Dallin's Essay

Ten years from Now

Ten years from now I will be a return missionary.  (A return missionary is someone who went on a two year mission to teach people the gospel.)  I will also be spiritual because I go to church and the temple.  I will also hold the Aronic and Melcesidic priestood.  With the preistood I will baptize members of the church.  After I return from my mission I will go to college.

Ten year from now I will live in Provo Utah and go to BYU.  (Brigham Yung University.)  I will live in a dorm with other students and make new freinds.  I will study for tests to get good grades.  I will be smart and strong.  I will be smart because I went to school, took classes, studied for tests, took tests, and passed tests.  I will be strong because I took P.E. classes from elementary school to high school.  I will also work out.  I won't take drugs and alcohol.  I will also communicate with my family and freinds by calling, texting, and e-mailing.  I will do this because I will have a phone and a laptop.  To get to my classes I will walk, ride a bike, and drive a car.

Ten years from now I will be abel to drive a car, because I would have goten my drivers license when I was 16.  I will also be going on dates because I will be hansome and older than 16.  (In my reliogion we can't go on dates until we are 16.)  I will be hansome because I will have no glasses.  I will have no glasses because I will have contacts.  I will have grown so I will probally be more hansome, ten years from now.

Skelitonic Verse by Dallin:

Smell

You smell bad.

That makes me sad.

I hope you'll make me glad

by takeing a shower,

then you'd smell like a flower,

when you use the power,

of soap.

Please don't moap.

The Crashing Balloon

 By: Sean Gariety

There was a balloon that crashed everywhere.  Once it crashed at Dunk in Donuts.  Then it crashed in a cloud.  And someone jumped out of the balloon.  The balloon crashed at a hotel.  And it crashed at Dunk in Donuts again, and donuts were flying out of the building .  And people went flying out of the building.  (Here he has a picture of a bunch of donuts and people with big smiles on their faces flying out of the building and saying, "WAAAAA!") The crashing balloon crashed in a parking lot.  Then it popped.  The End.

A Mission to the Moon 

By: Sean Gariety

Once there was a person named Sean Gariety.  Now, blastoff!  To the moon!  Finally, now I am at the moon.  I started to juggle.  Then, I founded some aleins, and they danced and danced and danced.  Oh no!  Two asteroids are falling!  Hurry, hurry to the rocket.  But the Aliens did not here me, so they died.  And I left them.  And I got home.  The end.

The Little Sheep

By:  Sean Gariety

There was 3 little sheep that went to a lake and found 3 ducks.  Then they went to a crazy place with hundreds of black rocks.  The 3 sheep went to a place with a few volcanos.  And then they went to a lava pit.  (Don't forget to read the dialog boxes of the sheep in the right hand picture--the sheep on the ground is saying, "What is going on?!?) The 3 sheep finally got out of the lava pit.  And then the 3 sheep have found their hotel.

Our Big Snow for the Year

February 21, 2013

We got a good 2-3 inches here in Albuquerque.  

Enough to make a pretty big snowman . . . with Daddy's help.

Introducing . . .

Bennett Stone Gariety

February 12, 2013

4:32 a.m.

7 lbs 2 oz

20 inches long

I went in to be induced at 8 p.m. Monday night.  We were hoping to get two doses of antibiotics in (which takes 4 hours) and have the baby at 12 :01 a.m.  (wishful thinking) Dr. Okun broke my water, both of us thinking it wouldn't be long after that. After all I have a history of "rapid delivery."  But three hours later, I was only dilated to a SIX!  

It was 4:20 a.m.   I'd been up all night, and was pretty tired.  "This is taking forever!" I whined to Dr. Okun.  She said she'd come back and check on me later.  So I changed positions, and 2 horrific contractions later, I was fully dilated and ready to push.  (That's what I call rapid delivery.)  They rushed the Dr. back, and our little Bennett was wrapped up and laid on my chest 5 minutes later.

We are so glad to have him here.  He is perfect, and as you can see from the picture overload, we can't quite get enough of our little Bennett.

Hospital pictures:

Brand new--still a little purple--and having some skin-on-skin bonding time

Bennett & his Dad

Okay, here's a cool story.  When we were on trek this past summer, my friend, Erica Davis, from the neighboring ward was the other pregnant "Ma"--(for real pregnant, not pretend pregnant.)  She and I were watched over by the trek doctor, Rob Miller, from my ward.  He would bring us special "spring water" (Propel disguised in regular water bottles) and keep a close eye on how we were doing.  

Well, 6ish months later, our boys were born on the same day!  

Birthday Buddies, Mason Davis and Bennett Gariety

We were recovering in the hospital together just a few doors down from each other.  And Dr. Miller's wife, Lynda, was my nurse on the day I got to check out.  So it was like a church party down at Presbyterian Hospital with the Davis's and the Garietys and the both of Millers, AND my next-door neighbor Eveline, (the manager for the labor and delivery unit, who hand-picked my nurse for me the night I went in for my induction.) 

Trek Ma's with our little birthday boys

First Day at home:

Bennett meeting his five older siblings.  

He will never lack for company at our house!

 

Our crew of six little Garietys

Dallin, Daphne, Sean, Hayden, Sydney and Bennett

Looking very distinguished and thoughtful

Bennett with Nona

Cousins Kylie, 3 months, and Bennett, 3 days, with their moms

Nona with the two newest grandchildren

I just love his wrinkled forehead.  

It is so endearing how sweet Dallin is with Bennett.  He loves to hold him and burp him and change his diaper.  What a great helper!

Mom came out to help me for a week after we got home from the hospital.  She was so wonderful to come make meals, do laundry, get groceries, clean, and shuttle kids to and from the doctor's office--(we had two kids with ear infections).   We loved having Nona at our house for a week, and of course, I always cry when it's time for her to leave.  Thanks so much for coming to help us, Mom!  And thanks to Dad for sharing her for a week!  

We just love our newest little guy.  And if you couldn't tell from all these pictures, I'll confess that basically, I could just stare at him all day.

Welcome to our family, little Bennett.

Quick Catch-Up

1.  Arthur had a birthday last month!  Poor guy--his birthday got kind of messed up.  The day of his actual birthday we had some sick kids, so we postponed his birthday dinner and cake, so it didn't really feel like a birthday.

But we still did a treasure hunt for the present I got him.  He had asked me earlier if I wanted any ideas for a birthday gift for him, which normally I would welcome because he's kind of hard to shop for.   I told him I'd already gotten him a present, but I'd like to hear what his ideas were anyway.  But then he wouldn't tell me.  He was surprised I'd gotten him something since the only idea we'd discussed previously was a chainsaw.  But he didn't think I'd go out and buy him a chainsaw on my own.  (hee, hee, hee . . .)  which is precisely what I'd done, after talking to some friends of ours about what kind is good to get.

Anyway, here is his face when he found it at the end of the treasure hunt.  

We had his birthday dinner later in the week, when the kids were better, but sadly, he came home from work that day not feeling well, and barely ate any of his birthday dinner.  :(  So sad.

Happy Birthday, Arthur!  Hopefully next year's will be a little better . . .

2.  Dallin and Daphne have been playing Upward Basketball for the past couple of months, and Arthur has been coaching both of their teams!  They have been having a great time playing and both of them ended up with friends from church on their teams.  Unfortunately, after multiple attempts and a couple of different cameras, I don't have any good pictures to post of either one of them.  So here are a couple of lame pictures of their basketball experience this year.

3.  Dallin went on his first Klondike.  He had a great time, and didn't lose any limbs to frostbite.  :)  Also, his troop came in 2nd out of over 20 troops, and for most of them it was their very first Klondike!

This shelter was built in less than 15 minutes with a tarp, wood, poles and rope.

Pioneering class

4. This past Wednesday was "Super-Hero" day.  Daphne chose to dress up as her dad.  I love that.  She even made a security badge to wear since he wears one to work every day.