Free Personal signatures - cool!

TEXTAREA_ID

I Got A Dream

This is my favorite new expression to hear from Hunter...

The first time I heard it he said "Momma, I got a dream." "You had a dream? About what?" "I got a dream about you, momma." "What was I doing?" "You do this *insert angry face*"

"Momma, I got a dream." "About what?" "Dora, Jackson, and Madasyn in the bathtub." "Umm, that's strange." Then he erupted into laughter.

"Momma, I got a dream." "You got a dream?" "I got a dream I got a puppy. *insert sweet please face*" "It was only a dream son." (This poor child wants a puppy so bad. Sweet boy, you are never getting a puppy.)

He tells me this almost everyday and seriously, I become completely engrossed in what he will say. It is so interesting to think that he has dreams and he remembers them. Or he is completely making it up. Either way, I love it and am totally mezmorized by how his mind works :)

I need to start writing them down because anyone who really knows me, knows I remember nothing :) I ws inpired to blog these by my friend Melody. She has many posts recording the cute things her boys say and I love reading them! Thanks Mel!

Mr. Jackson is 9!

Seriously, this is just insane to me! He is my first born son. I remember the day he was born, though some of the details are vague, it doesn't seem like that long ago...

Jackson at nine...

You are 55lbs and I am guessing about 4'1"?? Or something close to that :)

You wear a size 8 pants, but mostly for the length, because you can actually wear Hunter's 4Ts and 5Ts, and sometimes in your haste in the morning, you try too...lol.

Your favorite toys are Legos, Bakugan, Pokemon Cards, and most video games. Though right now you are really into Halo Reach!

You love to go to Church and have some wonderful friends there...The Tobey boys, Sam, Drew, and really you just love everyone :)

You still hope to grow up and play Major League Baseball and I still believe you can :)

You are super duper smart! A math whiz! You shock me sometimes at how fast you can solve math problems in your head in seconds. You are getting more into reading. In fact just this past week, you and I have been to the library twice! You are loving the Magic Tree House non fiction books!

The best thing about you is how loving and charming you are, or I should say, can be.

You have been struggling with your Dad moving away, so you have needed some extra reassurance and hugs, but you have really gone through it well. I am so proud of you!

I am always impressed with how good you are to your baby brothers. Hunter loves you so much and loves to spend every minute he can with you. I know it is hard on you sometimes, but you are usually pretty patient and understanding with him. Thank you. Finn just smiles every time you enter the room. I'm sure he can't wait to hang with you too.

You said to me the other day, that you wanted a baby sister, but you weren't sure how you could protect three younger siblings...lol. So sweet. Don't worry, you will only have the two to worry about :)

You are becoming less of a "little" boy everyday and I am so proud of you and could not love you more! Thank you for bringing all the joy to my life!

Happy Birthday, my precious first son! And remember what I taught you when you were 2..."Jackson, who loves you more than Mommy?" "No one."

Patience

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Ever since I recently began praying everyday, I have been praying for more patience. Or rather to learn how to be more patient...whichever way I say it doesn't quite sound right, but you get the jist of it.

So this is what happened...
Things haven't been running very smooth here. Issues with all sorts of things, money, John's happiness at his job, running children to activites, getting the older children to pitch in around the house more, my feet (a whole other post in itself), etc....So I go to Church one Sunday, feeling completely weighed down by it all and like I really didn't have time to spend three hours at Church, and feeling like Praying just wasn't working for me, and poor me...etc. Then in the third hour, Relief Society (it is a time when just the women meet for a lesson and discussion), a lesson was taught about patience. WHOA! "Did she just say her lesson was on patience?" this was my first thought. And seriously, I don't know how it happens, but everytime I attend Church feeling broken down and blah, someone gives a talk, or a testimony, or just adds to the discussion, the one thing that is on my mind at the time. I know it sounds nutty, but I'm telling you, this is how I know this Church it True and that Heavenly Father is listening and responding, just not always how I think He will....Anyways, back to my revelations on patience. So the wonderful woman who is teaching the class (forgive me, I cannot for the life of me remember her name), is really talking about being patient in our Faith and is discussing how the Lord is patient with us...At some point I'm sure I became preoccupied with Finn, or was distracted...I really mostly try to listen and take it all in, but I also have an 8 month old baby and my 4 year old running around, usually in the hallway, so I almost always miss part of the talk.

After the lesson, I go home and I don't think about it much again. I know I'm not a good example, but I am honest.

A month later, I am driving to Ohio to visit my Mom. This had been a particularly awful day. I won't go in to detail, but by awful, I mean really bad, let's just say I started the morning sobbing at 7am. But as I was driving through some rural part of the highway, I had a revelation! PATIENCE...oh my goodness! This is my lesson, this is what I have been praying about. This is how Heavenly Father is teaching me. It was like a ton of bricks. I am learning how to be patient everyday. I think my lesson, was more focused on my selfishness and haste, in wanting what I want, when I want it (sounds good in theory.) But, I think that struggling a little in life and having the patience to just make it through everyday is MY lesson. He is teaching me and helping me and making me stronger. CRAZY! This is all so new and strange, some may say just coincidence, but I have to belief it is Divine Intervention.

So, I know that there a lot of my friends who don't have the same beliefs and will definitely think I have lost my mind (there are still times I wonder too), but I am serious about this. I have never been a religious person, nor have I ever been someone to go to Church, especially for three hours, but this is something I cannot deny. And I know you will all still love me as much as I love all of you. I just wanted to share my story because it happened a while ago and I still can't stop thinking about how real it was or I should say, how obvious it was, after all.

To all my friends from Church that inspire me, encourage me to attend, and help me to learn...Thank you!

"Aunt Jamie, di you always know you wanted five kids?" Kennedy Vincent

I was doing laundry, while she was playing with dolls on the floor when she asked this question. I didn't really think much of it at the time and simply answered "I never knew exactly how many, I just wanted a large family." I then went on to explain that I am an only child and while as a child it is nice, it is kind of lonesome as an adult. I also told her how lucky she is to have two brilliant, fun sisters to love!
Now I begin to really think about it all...How wonderful it would be to have sisters like this? One is my twin and one is older and wiser and someone to really look up to.
Then I think about my "sisters," my friends. They are irreplaceable, just like a blood sister. They are there for me, always supportive, honest with me. They are here for me to cry with, laugh with, do crazy things with, complain to, vent with...and on and on. With these "sisters" of mine I could conquer the world!
What I am trying to say is I am lucky! I am lucky to have five healthy, beautiful children. I am lucky to have my family and "sisters." I am lucky to be able to open myself up and be grateful for what I do have!
To all my "sisters" I love you and I couldn't make it without you!

John Findlay aka Finn, "Finney", "Mr. Finn", "The Finster", "Finney, Finn Finn", "The Baby"

Finn, what can I say? 6 months has gone so fast! You are THE HAPPIEST baby/person, I have ever met. When you wake in the morning, you wake up smiling and talking, never crying. If someone passes by you in the house, you smile, if we pick you up, you smile, if we change you, you smile and on and on....I guess we are all doing something right. Raising you/taking care of you is definitely a group effort. Everyone in the family/house is involved and they LOVE it! Your sisters are constantly picking you up and hugging you and asking what you need next, the boys are always on the floor with you, talking to you, kissing you. Love is all around you, you are so adored!
You haven't had your official six month check up yet. I had to postpone it because of all the activities we had planned with your siblings and visiting Grandma this summer. But at your last visit, a week before you turned six months, you were 17lbs and 26.5 inches long. You are so long! Here are you other stats:
-you eat jar baby foods, twice a day (apples, pears, carrots, squash, peas, bananas)
-you eat Gentlease Formula, 5 times a day. Anywhere from 6 to 8 ounces
-you wear size 3 diapers
-you wear 6-9 month clothes
-you sleep 12 hours at night, give or take an hour, some nights
-you aren't a good "napper" yet. Usually they last 20minutes to an hour
-you can almost sit up
-you love the Jumperoo
-you love to pull my hair!
-you love your binkie when you are sleepy, but only the ortho shaped ones
-you have excellent grasp and fine motor skills, already! Bring on the cheerios!

Also in the last 6 months you have had almost every illness :( You had RSV as a newborn, Hand Foot Mouth, pink eye, and ear infections. My poor guy. I will say too, for as happy as you usually are, oh boy, when you are sick, watch out!

Finn, you are loved so much, and you are such a light in all our hearts! We love you little man and are excited to keep watching you grow.

I'm back...

So I don't really know where I was...Oh yah, here with all five of these zany kids and the dog days of summer :) I'm not really sure what we have been doing, but we seem to have been busy. I think about blogging a lot, but have a hard time finding a block of time to do it and really focusing on one subject at a time. The ADD kicks into hyper drive...
This summer we played lots of baseball and softball (softball was interesting.) Lots of activities with Church, visiting Grams's and her visiting us, a trip to Turtle Cove, a membership to the Flat Rock Comm Center, summer school...Ok, so I guess we have been doing stuff, but there is still so much to do. We haven't seen Kelly, we haven't been to the zoo, I want to get back to Turtle Cove, visit Mom for a longer time, visit John's Mom....and time is running out! Ahhhh!