- This might sound terrible, but I recently started to really read books with Erika (I know I should have been doing it more before) and we've found that she ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT!!!! Her favorite is the kitty book. She gets really excited about anything with Kitties. It's cute. I think it goes back to when Steve and Jauslin brought those kittens home. It's fun to get her all excited about something :)
- I had all the kids at the store the other day, we were just grabbing a few things and then just browsed a bit to kill some time. I thought it would be fun to try shoes on Erika. Not really planning on buying any since I'm too cheap for that. The first one I tried on, Erika looked up at me with this cute little grin and kicked her foot a little. I took it off and she got a little fussy and I grabbed another shoe and put it on her. This time, she even squealed a little when she got it on and kicked her feet. And when I took it off she cried! I hurried and grabbed another pair (not wanting the little princess to be unhappy) and quickly put it on. She immediately cheered up, squealed, clapped her hands together and kicked her feet even faster. It was SO ADORABLE!!!! I still wanted to try yet another pair on her, so again I put her through the torture of removing the shoes!!! She cried SO HARD, and then was SO RELIEVED when I put the final pair on. It was hilarious!! By this time I was laughing! I could hardly contain myself and I didn't dare take the shoes off again. I decided we were just going to have to buy them, so I called Nate and was barely able to tell Nate the story through the laughter. He agreed that purchasing them was a must :) Luckily they were on sale and the cutest shoes ever!! I think we have a shoe girl on our hands :) And she still loves them, gets all excited when we put them on, and not as disappointed to take them off, but she does notice it :) It's kinda fun.
- Erika has FINALLY started doing the hand motions with us when we sing her songs. Bumblebee, Itsy Bitsy Spider, When you're happy and you know it..... it's been fun for all.
- Charity has some amazing pull-up skills that I had no idea of. Nate put up a bar in the doorway and she continues to amaze me with how well she can get up there and then with how many pull-ups she can do. Very impressive.
- We got a new little nephew!!!! On Friday, October 1, 2010 Alvin Brian Hatch was born!! He has lots of dark hair!! I think his nose looks like my boys' noses looked when they were born :) He sure is a sweet little man. I can't express how thrilled the girls were to get a new little baby in the family. Charity especially. Course she's been just as interested in SARAH as she has the new baby. She loves her Aunt Sarah. She was sad that the hospital wasn't allowing kids under 14 and she was also annoyed that I made her wait a hole hour after they brought the baby home to go see him. But she got to hold him and all is well :) I just love new babies.
- I know there is opposition in all things, but this Conference session proved that to me times TEN! I could not believe how attacked I felt RIGHT AFTER conference got over. All the strength, motivation, inspiration, comfort, guidance..... I felt so good during and then seriously, not even minutes after, it was like WHAM!!!! I ran into a brick wall. And it wasn't just a brick wall, it was a brick wall with spikes and then there were arrows and bullets coming at me from EVERY angle once I hit the wall. It was insane. I honestly can't remember a time when I felt that bombarded by negative thoughts, negative ideas, low self-esteem, hopelessness, and fear. It was really scary for me and I am not really sure why that had to happen. I prayed like crazy and kept trying to pull myself out of it. I couldn't believe how hard it was to get past it all. But the cute thing that finally pulled me out of this pit of dispair (as I affectionately call it) was my kids. Erika and Noah in particular. I had put Noah and Erika in the shower and was just sitting in the bathroom watching them. Noah started squawking, "No! Dat MY bumb! Dat MY bumb! Dat MY bumb Ewka!" She was sitting, he was standing so it was right at eye-level. He kept trying to turn around and get away from her but she was chasing him around in circles..... cracks me up still..... they're so funny. Kids are adorable. Well, and frankly that shouldn't have been enough to pull me out of the hole, I know that it was not this alone. I'm grateful that I have a Heavenly Father who knows and loves me. I am grateful that I can rely on him for so many things. I am also grateful that he is trying me and shaping me into the person that he wants me to be. I feel like that is what has been happening lately. I'm not sure I'm meeting his expectations, but I sure hope I do someday.
- If you know Noah you know that he is very easily entertained. BUT you would also know that he is very easy to not entertain as well. In fact sometimes I forget to entertain him altogether because he is so easy going. He kind of just wanders around during the times that I am busy with housework or Erika or whatever, and frankly, he gets bored. Well, for the last few months, when he's gotten bored, he automatically just goes upstairs to Grandpa. Grandpa will turn on a movie or game for him and he is set for a while. I will usually notice (a little later than I should) that Noah is no longer downstairs. I usually call up to him, he answers, and then declines my "offer" to come downstairs. I usually then go upstairs, DRAG him back downstairs, kicking and screaming and hearing about how much nicer Grandpa is than I am, and find something for us to do together (since I then feel like a crappy mom and am trying to make up for it). Well TODAY this same thing happened. Only this time he said something really funny when I went to get him (that's why I'm choosing to admit to all of this). I walked up stairs, came through the door, saw him sitting on the couch watching Bolt and said, "Hey! Noah Pudoah!!!!" (that's my name for him) And without a pause he says, "No Mom, I not talking to you." Like he's giving me the silent treatment or something. That's a good way to get out of having to go downstairs. What a funny kid. I felt bad, but it was hilarious. Made me laugh :)
