Happy Valentines

 

 

 

I did a very very very amateur photo shoot for part of Jason's valentines. Since I do not have a set up in my house and no decorations for valentines, we took about 10 minutes making paper valentine crafts. Anyways I'm sure Jason didn't care with how unprofessional these are.

 

Anyways HAPPY VALENTINES!

 

Jason has to work tonight at 6 and during the day we spent our time at an eye assessment for my laser eye surgery come March 27th! YAY!!! Love you hunny! Thanks for taking me to my appointment and being the love of my life and my best friend. (Cheesy I know but it's true.)

 

Loves to clap

 Loves wearing anything that has to do with dancing and being a princess

 

And here's our super boy who is potty trained (with reminders ;) )

Jace

 

Jace

 

He's 3 at the end of the month... need I say more? Kidding I love this kid to pieces.

 

He is my kid that shakes stuff off fast. He gets hurt he needs a little acknowledgement and he's good to go. Usually I just ask if he's ok and he rubs his head and moves on.

 

He's tender hearted. He gets really sad when his feelings are hurt. Physically if something happens he just moves on but he's most sensitive when his feelings are hurt.

 

He loves to cuddle. I'll be reading a book to him and Talia and he'll just climb on my lap and lay there or lean on my shoulder and listen to me read.

 

He loves Talia. He copies everything she says. If she doesn't like a certain food he doesn't either. If she has a sore finger, he does as well. If she's willing to do something he'll think about doing it as well. Jace LOVES Penny. He's the big brother. She loves him as well. He'll go play with her and sometimes gets frustrated with her getting his stuff. He's good with being patient. He pushed her (lightly) over and she did cry. After we talked about coming and getting me before we get frustrated, he's been really good about doing that. He talks in baby voice to her all the time.

 

He loves tools, helping Dad, tractors, cars, and anything of that nature. Not that big into sports yet. We do have him in sportball and he loves going to that once a week and learning about and playing different sports BUT if you ask him or force him to play a sport at home it's a big NO. It has to be his idea. It's been nice having that time with him once a week. we drop off Talia at preschool and we head off to sportball in Beaumont. Penny does tag a long but we focus on him and he gets some energy out.

 

He's goes to nursery well. And we're finally making it through sacrament consistently and I'm not having to be nervous in sacrament waiting for the next outburst. He's been way better at listening/ reasoning with. Maybe we're getting through some terrible twos.

 

He does not love taking photos but he does love being silly. He's loud, really loud, and I think he gets that from me.

 

He definitely is not too manly to play with Barbies, dress up and play house with Talia. It's been good for him because it adds a sensitive side to him. The Barbie house is usually filled with all his tractors and cars. So the games are usually a mix between Barbie meets bob the builder.

 

He doesn't need to be the best and doesn't care about disappointing. Which I think can be a good thing sometimes.  He just learns when he wants and when he decides. For example my mom was teaching Talia the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty. Anyways Jace totally acted disinterested and teased and was loud the whole time. She thought he caught none of it. So he was saying something to himself and she stopped to listen and he recited the whole nursery rhyme perfectly. Smart boy. Just happy to do his own thing.

 

He's going to be a heart breaker.

 

I feel like I had a big parent fail with him. He is my more stubborn child. I felt like I was parenting two different kids. One needed to be parented this way and one needed to be a different way. I tried everything. We discussed every parenting fail or success. I cried over my days with him so many times. Mostly because I felt like the worst Mom at the end of the day. 

He'd have tantrums about a lot of things. I felt like I was walking on egg shells.  I felt like if I didn't have a snack when he wanted he'd have a tantrum. And I'm not a push over, I just didn't know how to get the tantrums to stop especially when we went out. Fine at home it was ok but we have schedules and he has to come. Anyways I've found with him, consistency, preparing him with what to expect. Telling him ok Jace we're going out and there is no snacks so don't ask, but when we get home... or just telling him when you want to me a kind nice boy you can come out etc. It's has really made life easier. I am not the most patient person (ask my siblings growing up) BUT I am learning and feel like my kids have taught me to become better.

 

As hard as Jace has been, I felt like I was making it worse. And I really was. I didn't know how to cope and I yelled a lot. I'm working on change and I feel like through prayer and my concentrated effort I have changed.  He still is stubborn, and has tantrums but it's way less. Since I stopped yelling, and just raising my voice when I need attention my kids have responded to me WAY better. I've been the same as for being consistent just less crazy. Hopefully I can keep going with it :)

 

He really is a good boy. He's fun. He loves to tease and be silly. Sometimes his teasing goes to far but he really does mean well. He wants to be noticed and loved. I want him to know he's so special and is so loved. He's funny, smart, independent, and caring. We loving him around and I really cant imagine life without him!

 

 Oh he's potty trained!!!

 

I DREADED this. I know he's known how to forever but he had to decide for himself. Anyways the rule was you had to be potty trained for starting swim lessons. Also for preschool and for having cousin sleep overs at Nana and Grandpas. The sleepovers almost made him motivated but what motivated him the most was seeing a picture of his cousin Marli starting. So that day he started as well. He's had a few pee accidents BUT no poop accidents. He's done so good. I expected to be fighting him. Mostly just sometimes he waits to long to go. But for the most part he's so good. I still get nervous going out but we haven't had an accident going out. Had to stop on the road (way easier with boys) but that's it. Still wear a pull up at night but haven't changed a diaper in like 3-4 weeks with him!  I'm so proud of him! Yay Jace!

 

Sometime funny he said I wanted to remember. He had a bit of a red bum so I put white bum cream on. Anyways shortly after I heard him yell from the bathroom "Mom I pooped out sour cream!" So I looked and some of the bum cream was on his poop. I couldn't help but laugh because he did have sour cream that night. So I thought that would be the end of it. But after we finished up in there he asked "will you put more sour cream on my bum?" I think he really thought I had put sour cream on his but to make it feel better. So funny! I love you Jace!

Talia

I thought since I've give updates on my babies I thought I should give an update on my other two.

 

 

 

 

So Talia, where do I start? She's thoughtful. She really cares about how you feel and can be brought to tears if you're hurt or she's worried about someone. If Jace is refusing to go get something he wants (because he's a toddler) she'll go get it for him just so he's happy. She hates when someone gets hurts. She'll cover her ears because she doesn't want to hear someone sad.

 

Today I asked her what'd they do at gym time during school. She said they ran races from one line to the other. She said she didn't run fast today. I asked why? (She's super competitive) She said a boy named Max tripped on his shoe lace and his shoe came off and she stopped to see if he was ok. She wasn't even going to tell me this. It just comes up in conversation like it's normal. That's the type of person she is.

 

Another example is at dance lessons, while I was watching through the window I noticed the teacher giving stickers to certain kids. 3 of the 10 got a sticker and Talia was one of them. I could tell it was for the kids that were listening and not talking. At the end of class they all always get a sticker so she would have two. I was excited to ask her about it and praise her for listening. Anyways she came out with 1. She didn't even tell me she had had two and wasn't going to bring it up. So I asked her I saw you got two stickers where's your other sticker? She was shocked I knew she had had two and told me some girl was sad she didn't get a sticker so she gave her hers. Immediately I though you EARNED that sticker you can keep it... but really who was right? She's just so thoughtful and more kind than me.

 

She hates to disappoint Jason and I. She loves to learn. I need to be better at teaching. She'd probably be reading by now if I was better at teaching. My theory... she'll get there when everyone else does.

 

She's really athletic and competitive. I am not the kind to brag about my kids and talk them up to others but I really am not lying when I am shocked with how good she is at stuff we teach her. She's SO fast! You'd never look at her and think she'll put pressure on you but she will. She's little but she's so quick. She's competitive and we've worked on 'it's ok not to do everything perfectly or not win.' Now she'll say "it's ok if I don't win..." as if to convince herself. She's picking up on simple dance stuff that'd she's learned and swimming as well. The good thing is she's competitive with herself. She never looks at anyone and thinks oh I need to be better. She gets mad if she can't do something.

 

She loves church. She hates missing when she's sick. Sometimes she's my motivator ;)

 

She's an amazing sister. She just loves Penny. Jace is her best friend. For the most part her and Jace get along. They can both fight thought and both can be at fault. It goes through phases. I swear last December I felt like all they did was fight. Now January and February they're just playing great. It'll change and the fighting will come back but mostly they love each other.

 

She's the biggest girly girl you'll meet. I did not grow up this way. I was the biggest tom boy. She LOVES pink. She's just starting to accept girls wear jerseys. She'd love to have her hair done perfectly every day. Just so sad she doesn't really have top hair yet and the back is starting to come in and it's so thin. She'd totally sit and let me do it perfectly. She lives in a world where girls should be a princess and should dance around like one. She always is always willing for me to practice taking photos of.

 

All kids have their issues. As your kids grow passed 1 year when they start to be independent you begin to notice where their weaknesses and strengths lie. Talia has a lot of my anxieties just a little different. Mine was a social fear like reading out loud or getting embarrassed. She has a hard time being outgoing or confident in big groups. One on one she's great. She worries about me a lot. She has this attachment to me that I'd be a little worried if something was to happen to me. I worry she's not going to stick up for herself at school when the bad parts of life happens. She has some self esteem issues. Like if I tell Jace you're being so nice, she thinks I'm telling her she's not nice. Breaks my heart. I need to build her up and make her see what I see. She really excels at all she does. I think because she HATES disappointing us. She just needs to know we love her regardless of all the above. She's our girl.

 

What I'd want Talia to know. She's beautiful inside and out. She is the kindest most caring person ever and that's what matter most. She's a blessing in my life. She makes me a better Mom. She reminds me so much of myself. Maybe that's why I feel so much for her when she worries because I know how she feels. I want her to know she will always be loved by her Mom and Dad. We really are so blessed to have her in our lives! Love you Talia.

 

 

 

Just stuff

 Random picture update:

I was able to sneak away for a night and do a day a skiing at Jasper with Breanne and her Sister in law Kelli. It was fun. I love skiing and it came back ok. Breanne and Kelli are snowboarders and we all kept about the same pace so it was fun. Also lets be honest it was fun not to think about mom stuff and have a day break. Thanks Jason and Mom for watching the kids :) (Jason worked that evening.) 

Penny has been sick with this nasty cold for 1.5 to 2 weeks. Super congested cough, runny nose, fevers, cranky. Thankfully I live with a doctor and He checked her ears, throat, listened to her lungs like every day and they sounded good. He suggested we get a chest extra or we just get antibiotics. I always put it off and say oh it's probably viral (which most the time it is). So we've put it off long enough that I think she is FINALLY getting better. Poor girl. Oh she also popped her second tooth! She's had 1 for SO long. So that's probably the fever part of it. So basically we're almost a completely healthy house again.

Just me and the Kids while Daddy was at work. 

I'm so excited that Jace is almost 3! Now he can start swimming lessons at Paul Saddler. He was so excited for this swim assessment. He wasn't great at kicking or anything but he was so willing to get in and try. It was just so fun to see him in the water. He was smiling from ear to ear with pride. Man he's cute!

So usually every year we go to Ice on Whyte. This year we got to go with Jason's parents . It was a great night for weather and it's a pretty impressive display of ice sculptures.

 

So they always have this ice slide and this year it was massive. Talia just LOVED it. She could have just gone up and down on that the whole night and been happy. Jace is a little more timid and not coordinated sometimes and basically was being forced down. (We're nice parents) So the first picture is Talia. She always laid back and went. It worked out great she went fast, had fun. The next picture he somehow managed early on to turn himself around and was going down on his back head first. I could not stop laughing. The poor boy was scared out of his mind. He would not go down again but eventually warmed up to the small slides. Like really if you could have seen it, it was the funniest thing ever. Most people standing around either felt bad for the boy, thought it was so funny, or was very confused.

Penny was good being carried. Sad though we got home and her feet and ankles were ICE old. I don't have great winter stuff for her because her and Talia are opposite seasons for clothes. So I've got away with squishing her in some of Talia's old stuff but I just cant do it anymore. I went to look for winter snow suit and could not fine one. So I had in her this booties but they sucked and i think her ankles were exposed. Worst mother ever! Poor girl!

 

Oh love my coat! Jason got it for me 2 years ago. I wanted it so bad and I guess he went out with Talia on boxing day week and got it for me. Yay! I love green!

Poppa White and Grandma Low with us.

 

 

I couldn't figure out for a bit what this was... It's a crocodile with a swan or a goose in it's mouth. Crazy and bizarre.

Happy and frozen. She fell asleep in the carrier. 

 

 

Jace LOVES tractors but for some reason when he's presented with the opportunity to go near one he gets really nervous. So I got Talia to take a photo first then he agreed to go for a photo. You can tell in his expression he's a little nervous.