Family Update

My journaling skills have lacked lately. So, here's what we have been up to...



Tyler is the best big brother. He likes to entertain Cole and Ella and feed them treats. Sometimes he even gets paid to babysit while I take a shower. He's so helpful!
He isn't in preschool this year. He is already reading and writing, so his teacher told us that she would basically be holding him back since they aren't doing any of that in school. I don't know how I got such a smart kid. Jake and I haven't really done anything out of the ordinary. He has pretty much taught himself. We find funny little notes all over the house. And when he is mad after getting in trouble...watch out! Those notes are the funniest! Don't worry, I have saved them all! This morning he wrote a letter to Santa, sealed it in an envelope, and took it to the mailbox. Eager little beaver!
He loves Hot Wheels and playing Mario Kart on the Wii. He also loves to play games on the computer and call people on the phone.

Cole is getting so big! He loves to watch Ty and see all the fun things he is doing. He is such a Mama's Boy! He is always looking and reaching for me. It's not that he wants to be held, he just wants someone to stand him up. He loves to just stand! And bang on things! He has recently started scooting around, which is nice for me. He can go get his toys himself. He scoots himself right out of his pants. I find him on one side of the room and his pants on the other. He is talking a lot, and loves to spit! He has 2 teeth and counting.
He has gotten used to wearing his helmet. The first few days were a little hairy! He hated it, and kept trying to pull it off. Sleeping was not fun! We would take it off just so he would sleep. But now, he is adjusting to it. Hopefully he will only have it for a few more weeks.
Cole is sleeping through the night FINALLY! He goes to bed around 7 pm, and wakes up around 5 to eat. Then he will go back to sleep until about 7 or 8. It is wonderful! His naps on the other hand are not so great. He will just power nap. 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there. We are working on it. I'll take night sleeping over day sleeping though. I get nothing done, but I am learning to be okay with that.


Ella is still my petite little girl! She is still 2 pounds smaller than Cole, but is almost the same height. Long and lean! She has just in the past few days become very dramatic. Usually she is a happy girl who is fine playing by herself. But lately she has been throwing little tantrums. I think she has more teeth coming in because when you pick her up, she wants to eat your face off! She as 2 teeth now. She also might be frustrated with the fact that she sees her brother has figured out how to get around and she hasn't. She gets up on her hands, but pushes herself backwards. Not fun when the toy she wants in front of her. Her and Cole are starting to pay attention to each other. They laugh at each other now. It is so cute!
Ella likes to play with hair. And she doesn't really pull on it. She glides her fingers thru it. Mine and some of her little barbies. It's quite interesting that she is so nice. We'll see how long that lasts!
She is sleeping through the night now too! Yeah! But she has been reduced to a pack n' play in the toy room until the 2 of them get on the same schedule. For a while they would cry so loud and long that the other one would eventually wake up. We had to put a stop to that. They are 8 months for heavens sake! So hopefully within the next week, she will make it back to her crib. They are slowly getting better. She naps longer than Cole, but not too much longer. For some reason, they think that a power nap is good enough. Not for me!

Jake is working, a lot. We have been spoiled with him being home more often, but since the economy is still crappy...he is having to put in more hours. He makes a lot of sacrifices for our family and we love him for it. He is such a good dad. The kids adore him. Especially Tyler. I usually have my hands full with the twins, so Ty and Jake have been doing a lot more together. They still have their Friday night sleepovers which is fun for them. They play the Wii until very late and have treats. They are always playing catch in the house, which I don't enjoy so much but I let them do it because I love them! :) Until something breaks.

I have felt like my life is a whirlwind, but I don't get anything done. I've been on my stupid diet for 3 1/2 weeks now. I have lost 10 pounds, but nothing in over a week. I hate it! I am sick of eating eggs for breakfast, and chicken and steamed veggies for dinner. There was a point where I am sure Jake was worried about me. I was hating everything, super depressed, and super tired. I finally realized that is not a good way to live. I have switched up the diet a little to allow myself some breathing room. Granted, I am not losing weight as fast as I was, but at least I can live with myself now. The pills and shots I am taking are supposed to give me a lot of energy and suppress my appetite. They are doing neither. I could sleep all day! I'm doing okay though and am seeing results so I press on with celery in hand! If nothing else, I am learning to cook healthier, which is always a plus.
My fall decorations are up and everything is cute and cozy! I have mixed emotions though. Fall is my favorite, but it leads to Winter which I hate. I'm going to try to enjoy the next couple of weeks. Once the snow comes, I hibernate.
I have been playing volleyball with the ward which is so fun. My friends are so crazy! We play games every Thursday night too and it is so fun. I never win, but I enjoy going. I know our husbands would love to be a fly on the wall to hear all of our crazy conversations.
I love hanging out with my kids. Most days we don't even leave the house and it's okay. Now if we could just find a way to have dad join us. Hmmm. Has anyone ever thought of just walking away from it all? Move somewhere where life is so simple and the people are genuinely happy? With all the stresses of the world right now, I would love to do it! But either I am too chicken or too spoiled. Probably spoiled!