I wish I could say I love watching this with zero feelings of frustration...but recently I've wondered if me not stopping such behavior has caused a few of Jaylee's acting out episodes recently. I've laughed so many times when Jaylee does spontaneous, destructive things like this that I've probably confused her as to whether or not "this is a good thing to make mommy laugh"... or "this is a very bad thing to make mommy MAD".
But I laughed this time, then immediately after this on the way to "Quiet Time" she tried destroying other piles of things that made me so made I ended up going up the chain of taking away treats, putting in time out all the way up to (after she still refused to obey or go in time out) to the spank. Then we had 3 episodes of that in the same day and she hasn't acted up fully since so I don't know if we nipped it in the bud or if it was a pre-cursor of the awful 4 year old age I've been warned about... I hope the first.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Happy Birthday Christi! 32 woohoo!
Honestly I would have had pretty much zero birthday celebration in my home if it weren't for my angel mother in law Anita. Seriously, she is the only one who really remembered and went out of her way to make me feel special. I have said how much I like having decorations put up around the house, but I didn't realize how that is truly what can make or break my birthday! I'm such a visual person that when I saw all these decorations put up in my honor, it made me feel soooo special! All day that was really what made the difference for me! Thank you Mom Anita! And you probably can't tell the decorations apart from everything else, but there are banners that say Happy Birthday (and my favorite colors: pink and green), hanging do dads, colorful leis and birthday hats to wear while blowing out my cake, table centerpiece AND she went early in the morning to buy me beautiful flowers! How could I not feel so special???
On top of that, after a long work week, Anita left early Saturday morning before General Conference started in order to buy some more things for me. She had already done all my birthday present shopping (so amazing) but she wanted me to get the same traditions with her as when I was growing up with my parents. A tradition I had growing up is that my mom used to make us children whatever meal we wanted on our birthday. I would usually pick pizza, oriental salad, artichokes and cheese cake or lemon crazy cake. I told Anita that eating out would be my preference this year. But she decided that on top of going out she at least would make my cake of choice and make artichokes with whatever dinner she made. So right before Conference started she trudged in the door carrying flowers, and bags of food and more decorations...all for one reason...to make me feel special!
Then during conference she was listening AND putting up decorations and helping entertain Jaylee so I could enjoy part of conference. Then in between sessions do you know where she went? BACK TO THE STORE because the first store didn't have any "good" artichokes! Yeah, I know. So full of love. When she got back she immediately started baking the lemon crazy cake. Immediately after the amazing sessions she was ready to take the family WHEREVER I wanted to go. And she was so happy about it. And Curry Pizza House was awesome!
The rest of the day you can guess--opening presents, blowing out candles, singing--all because my wonderful mother in law Anita planned it and made it happen. Thank you so much, Mom. I love you!
Another thing another that touched me incredibly was that Jaylee, all on her own, decided she wanted to wear only pink and green on my birthday (to honor me since those are my favorite colors!) What a sweetheart. I love you Jaylee! I love your goodness and thoughtfulness and willingness to celebrate and have fun on special days like my birthday!
I received so much love from many people! Thank you all. My parents sent me a card with a planned gift of a new set of violin strings. Griffin also made a card and helped Jaylee make a card for me too. I took Jaylee to the dollar store to let her pick out a gift for me and she chose a mermaid barbie doll which she thought I'd love! (haha, she was begging for me to open it so she could play with it). My Grandparents, Griffin's aunts (terry and arlene) and others sent me birthday cards. Anita had planned ahead and besides her own gifts to me helped Jaylee make a card for me and helped Jaylee make a bracelet out of beads that says "I love my mommy" for Jaylee to give to me.
I'm so excited to be 32! I've seen a few more wrinkles appear this year and I don't mind at all! I hope they'll stand as a witness for me at the end of this life... that I have endured well the trials and and stresses and challenges Heavenly Father has placed before me in this life. I like to think the wrinkles are evidence of the many days of smiling I've lived out of gratitude to this amazing life experience that will be over before I know it. I feel honored to become more like those who are experienced and older who are all the more wise because of it. And best of all, I love the fact that I feel inside I have passed yet another year of tests from my Father in Heaven. I am that much closer to returning home to Him and as Elder Anderson talked about today in General Conference "All these things shall be for thy good". How could I not feel joy from all this? And I'll tell you a secret I shouldn't! My birthday wish as I blew out the candles, was-- not that I'd win a million dollars or that people around me would change-- it was simply that I could be happy no matter what is around me. I should pray that for all people. I am so grateful for the true gospel of Jesus Christ's understanding in my life.
On top of that, after a long work week, Anita left early Saturday morning before General Conference started in order to buy some more things for me. She had already done all my birthday present shopping (so amazing) but she wanted me to get the same traditions with her as when I was growing up with my parents. A tradition I had growing up is that my mom used to make us children whatever meal we wanted on our birthday. I would usually pick pizza, oriental salad, artichokes and cheese cake or lemon crazy cake. I told Anita that eating out would be my preference this year. But she decided that on top of going out she at least would make my cake of choice and make artichokes with whatever dinner she made. So right before Conference started she trudged in the door carrying flowers, and bags of food and more decorations...all for one reason...to make me feel special!
Then during conference she was listening AND putting up decorations and helping entertain Jaylee so I could enjoy part of conference. Then in between sessions do you know where she went? BACK TO THE STORE because the first store didn't have any "good" artichokes! Yeah, I know. So full of love. When she got back she immediately started baking the lemon crazy cake. Immediately after the amazing sessions she was ready to take the family WHEREVER I wanted to go. And she was so happy about it. And Curry Pizza House was awesome!
The rest of the day you can guess--opening presents, blowing out candles, singing--all because my wonderful mother in law Anita planned it and made it happen. Thank you so much, Mom. I love you!
Another thing another that touched me incredibly was that Jaylee, all on her own, decided she wanted to wear only pink and green on my birthday (to honor me since those are my favorite colors!) What a sweetheart. I love you Jaylee! I love your goodness and thoughtfulness and willingness to celebrate and have fun on special days like my birthday!
I received so much love from many people! Thank you all. My parents sent me a card with a planned gift of a new set of violin strings. Griffin also made a card and helped Jaylee make a card for me too. I took Jaylee to the dollar store to let her pick out a gift for me and she chose a mermaid barbie doll which she thought I'd love! (haha, she was begging for me to open it so she could play with it). My Grandparents, Griffin's aunts (terry and arlene) and others sent me birthday cards. Anita had planned ahead and besides her own gifts to me helped Jaylee make a card for me and helped Jaylee make a bracelet out of beads that says "I love my mommy" for Jaylee to give to me.
I'm so excited to be 32! I've seen a few more wrinkles appear this year and I don't mind at all! I hope they'll stand as a witness for me at the end of this life... that I have endured well the trials and and stresses and challenges Heavenly Father has placed before me in this life. I like to think the wrinkles are evidence of the many days of smiling I've lived out of gratitude to this amazing life experience that will be over before I know it. I feel honored to become more like those who are experienced and older who are all the more wise because of it. And best of all, I love the fact that I feel inside I have passed yet another year of tests from my Father in Heaven. I am that much closer to returning home to Him and as Elder Anderson talked about today in General Conference "All these things shall be for thy good". How could I not feel joy from all this? And I'll tell you a secret I shouldn't! My birthday wish as I blew out the candles, was-- not that I'd win a million dollars or that people around me would change-- it was simply that I could be happy no matter what is around me. I should pray that for all people. I am so grateful for the true gospel of Jesus Christ's understanding in my life.
Happy Easter 2016
Before Jaylee could relax in bed the night before Easter, she INSISTED we needed to leave a sign for the Easter bunny due to the fact we have a cat.Word for word from Jaylee...
After I carried her downstairs to see the sign taped to the back of a chair in the middle of the room so the Easter Bunny would see it, she was able to sleep in peace. :)
Easter morning sleepy head...
This clip is REALLY long of Jaylee showing off her basket. No offense taken if you don't watch it! :)
I am not very crafty, but I was proud of these zero cost hangings we all made together to get in the Easter spirit. :)
After church we hid the eggs for Jaylee to find, doing the "hot" or "cold" hint game like my parents used to.
Inside those eggs were hair clips and Almond Joys or Mounds...some of Daddy's favorites.
Then we dyed easter eggs. Although Jaylee enjoyed dying the eggs, nothing made her giggle more than dying the white paper towels green!
I thought this Easter was so awesome because all these years my health couldn't handle doing so many of the fun Easter traditions I remember. But since my body has been doing much better recently, we squeezed it all in. And you know what?... I didn't like the feeling !!! I felt something was missing! We had had an Easter oriented FHE mid week, but somehow that spiritual focus left amidst all the festivities. So we decided (since we ran out of time for the cookie decorating with Nini anyway) that we'd extend Easter another day to have a longer Easter FHE on the Monday after Easter. It was wonderful watching some of the LDS Bible videos on the resurrection with Jaylee. Then the activity was decorating Easter cookies...which I think I ate all of them except like 3 lol.
And I gotta give a shout out to our amazing postman, Eddie. He is sooooo nice to Jaylee and brings her GIFTS for holidays! This time it was a chocolate Easter bunny! Eddie says he only has Grandsons so he likes doting on Jaylee as well as a few other adorable "granddaughters" on his route. :) He told her to eat the ears first to make a silly looking bunny. Jaylee did with delight!
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