Monday, August 22, 2011
Grandpa and his River
My Dad has been working hard on his yard and is getting ready for his train set to go out there. He has his river and lake almost done and while we were visiting Matthew got to help him by putting rocks in the riverbed. I think he especially enjoyed being able to soak his feet in the water while doing it. Rocks, water, and Grandpa it doesn't get much better than this!
Swimming in the River
Friday, August 19, 2011
One of THOSE days..
I know everyone has probably at least had one day in their life where one thing after another has gone wrong. That is my day today. It started last night when Matthew started Teething again and was up constantly, I even was dreaming about him being awake all night, so in my crazy head I feel like I was up all night with him.
Then this morning I was letting the cute little 2 year old I watch go potty on the big boy potty, he said he was all done and the phone rang. I cleaned him up and told him to wait in the bathroom so I could go grab the phone real quick. He comes out not two minutes later and says Matthew is playing in it... uh oh I figure it is the toilet but I had flushed it so it was bad but not that bad right? Oh so far from the truth, this cute little two year old had pooped on the bathroom floor walked in it (tracking it around the house) and then Matthew was poking at it.... ewwww.... So I gave two boys a bath and cleaned that disaster up. All it took was 2 minutes or less, I was not gone long at all, but it took me half an hour to get everything all cleaned up (now it is definitely time for a carpet cleaning).
That same sweet two year old has kept me hopping all morning, every time I turn around there is another mess, another disaster, another source of frustration... Now mind you this two year old usually is very sweet and a very good listener, it is just a very rough day. Needless to say I am ready for today to be done and my weekend to begin!
Then this morning I was letting the cute little 2 year old I watch go potty on the big boy potty, he said he was all done and the phone rang. I cleaned him up and told him to wait in the bathroom so I could go grab the phone real quick. He comes out not two minutes later and says Matthew is playing in it... uh oh I figure it is the toilet but I had flushed it so it was bad but not that bad right? Oh so far from the truth, this cute little two year old had pooped on the bathroom floor walked in it (tracking it around the house) and then Matthew was poking at it.... ewwww.... So I gave two boys a bath and cleaned that disaster up. All it took was 2 minutes or less, I was not gone long at all, but it took me half an hour to get everything all cleaned up (now it is definitely time for a carpet cleaning).
That same sweet two year old has kept me hopping all morning, every time I turn around there is another mess, another disaster, another source of frustration... Now mind you this two year old usually is very sweet and a very good listener, it is just a very rough day. Needless to say I am ready for today to be done and my weekend to begin!
What Was I Thinking?
Well we got our first stash of cloth diapers, then I had to wait for the soap to get here. I guess we will start trying them next week. Now that they are actually here, I am wondering if I am truly crazy... not sure that I really want to deal with the mess. Oh well if I never try I will never know... Good thing I have disposable gloves... maybe I should buy a mask too :)
Have a great weekend everyone! We sure will, because my cousin Bryan is getting married! I sure do love a good wedding :)
Have a great weekend everyone! We sure will, because my cousin Bryan is getting married! I sure do love a good wedding :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Going Cloth!
Pro's of the cloth diaper (in my opinion):
1. When I was talking to one of my good friends about her cloth diapers, she brought up a good point. If there is ever a disaster (family or natural, money or otherwise) she will not have to worry about where to get diapers ect. They are covered no matter what. I thought that was also a good point and a good reason that every parent should at least have a stash of cloth (even cheap pre-folds and pins).
2. Initial upfront investment (however they last through multiple children so the savings will keep adding up).
3. Less garbage!
4. Do not have to worry about buying diapers all the time. If your short of cash, you can buy food instead of diapers.
5. I am simply a fan of buying reusable items, making money stretch and last. I guess the financial aspect is the biggest pull for me, however there does seem to be a nice social aspect with lots of support. It is nice to be part of a group with young children to talk about everything to do with children from cloth diapers and beyond.
Cons (in my opinion):
1. The mess and extra laundry. I am not so worried about the wet diapers, but am definitely not real excited about poopy messes (*there are creative ways to make them easier with cloth though).
2. Traveling with cloth seems difficult. (*Flip diapers have disposable inserts for when you are traveling or out and about and covers wipe clean, or you can just use disposables)
3. They are just so expensive to get started
4. They seem bulky (especially on younger babies)
5. They can be intimidating for others to use when babysitting ect..
All in all I think the pros do outweigh the cons for me. I can find ways to deal with the cons that seem reasonable for me. All of my research has led me to believe it is at least worth a try, so I spent a little over $50.00 and am going to give it a shot. Wish me Luck!
Friday, August 05, 2011
First Words..
My little guy likes a challenge apparently: his first words have so far been - All Done - and he is working on Cocka-Doodle-Doo. Silly kid won't try any of the easy animal sounds but he is sure working hard of the rooster.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Doula Huh?
So let me start this off by saying "I am not announcing anything!" However, last night we had the ward relief society activity, which was a local Doula coming to speak on birthing options and information that people may not know about. Very interesting and informative.
She started off by talking about some statistics, stating that the c-section rate in Washington is currently at almost 40% which is crazy high! The World Health Organization says if the rate gets to 15% it is too high and should be addressed. So there is a real problem with how childbirth is handled. I am already a proponent of natural childbirth with only necessary interventions, so this whole night just reminded me of all the reasons why I chose not to have an epidural ect.
I wanted to write about this though because it seems as though these days "natural childbirth" is a sort of hippie notion these days. That I think is the root of the issue. There is a local doctor here in town, and before he moved here he was practicing in a larger city and following the "regular or normal" medical procedures and his c-section rate was about 27%, he moved here and began changing his methods using less interventions so quickly and his rate dropped to 15%, and currently I think they said his rate was 11%. That seems like a much more reasonable rate, and I will be asking my next doctor what his c-section rate it that is for sure! The c-section rates of that local doctor just prove to me that the fewer interventions that are done the better, also that right now the current medical practices in the United States are needing to be changed, and in addition to that attitudes about childbirth in our country need to change a little.
I am not judging anyone here, I am not pointing fingers, I am simply passing along information that I feel needs to be passed along. So please don't read this thinking I am picking on anyone, or judging anyone for their choices or decisions that were made during their childbirth. I know that everyone does their best to make a good decision with the information and situation they have. I also know that my doctor fought be tooth and nail about the epidural, at appointments, and in the delivery room. He was very sure that I should have gotten one and I was very sure I didn't want one. If I was not so stubborn (shhh.. don't tell Chris I admitted that) I think I would have listened to him. However, if I had listened to the doctor about that I would have missed a great (somewhat painful) experience that did bring me to my core and prove my strength and ability. I still feel accomplished and stronger among many other things because I was able to stick to my plan. The point of this particular story is that doctors recommend the epidural often when it is not necessary, there was no medical reason for me to have the epidural, it simply would have made me more comfortable. It also would have increased chances for more complications since I did not need it, so the risks outweighed the benefits in my case, that is not how the doctor saw it though.
So why in the world is natural childbirth seen in such a way that it is not what "normal people" choose. You must be hippie or a naturalist? I definitely do not think so, it is the way we as women were designed. Our bodies were built for childbirth, why do we insist on taking all the natural out of a natural process? I have some more research to do, I am really interested in the research has been done, pertaining to birth rates in the United Stated vs the 33 other countries with better rates than us. Also pertaining to a possible connection between Pitocin and autism, and planned c-sections/or early inductions and Asthma. I have not edited this posting yet so I apologize if it is confusing, or if I state some information wrong or just plain sound rude. I am just trying to understand what the problem is and in turn what needs to change in order to fix it.
She started off by talking about some statistics, stating that the c-section rate in Washington is currently at almost 40% which is crazy high! The World Health Organization says if the rate gets to 15% it is too high and should be addressed. So there is a real problem with how childbirth is handled. I am already a proponent of natural childbirth with only necessary interventions, so this whole night just reminded me of all the reasons why I chose not to have an epidural ect.
I wanted to write about this though because it seems as though these days "natural childbirth" is a sort of hippie notion these days. That I think is the root of the issue. There is a local doctor here in town, and before he moved here he was practicing in a larger city and following the "regular or normal" medical procedures and his c-section rate was about 27%, he moved here and began changing his methods using less interventions so quickly and his rate dropped to 15%, and currently I think they said his rate was 11%. That seems like a much more reasonable rate, and I will be asking my next doctor what his c-section rate it that is for sure! The c-section rates of that local doctor just prove to me that the fewer interventions that are done the better, also that right now the current medical practices in the United States are needing to be changed, and in addition to that attitudes about childbirth in our country need to change a little.
I am not judging anyone here, I am not pointing fingers, I am simply passing along information that I feel needs to be passed along. So please don't read this thinking I am picking on anyone, or judging anyone for their choices or decisions that were made during their childbirth. I know that everyone does their best to make a good decision with the information and situation they have. I also know that my doctor fought be tooth and nail about the epidural, at appointments, and in the delivery room. He was very sure that I should have gotten one and I was very sure I didn't want one. If I was not so stubborn (shhh.. don't tell Chris I admitted that) I think I would have listened to him. However, if I had listened to the doctor about that I would have missed a great (somewhat painful) experience that did bring me to my core and prove my strength and ability. I still feel accomplished and stronger among many other things because I was able to stick to my plan. The point of this particular story is that doctors recommend the epidural often when it is not necessary, there was no medical reason for me to have the epidural, it simply would have made me more comfortable. It also would have increased chances for more complications since I did not need it, so the risks outweighed the benefits in my case, that is not how the doctor saw it though.
So why in the world is natural childbirth seen in such a way that it is not what "normal people" choose. You must be hippie or a naturalist? I definitely do not think so, it is the way we as women were designed. Our bodies were built for childbirth, why do we insist on taking all the natural out of a natural process? I have some more research to do, I am really interested in the research has been done, pertaining to birth rates in the United Stated vs the 33 other countries with better rates than us. Also pertaining to a possible connection between Pitocin and autism, and planned c-sections/or early inductions and Asthma. I have not edited this posting yet so I apologize if it is confusing, or if I state some information wrong or just plain sound rude. I am just trying to understand what the problem is and in turn what needs to change in order to fix it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
July 15th, Matthew's Second 1st Birthday Celebration
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| Opening his birthday present from Grandma Appel |
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| Panda from his Daycare Friends |
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| My sweet boy |
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| Birthday Treats |
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| Poking the cake again :) |
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| He finally got the smash it to pieces idea |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
A Great First Year!
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| Born July 15th 2010 at 8:02 am |
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| 4 Months and trying cereal for the first time |
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| 5 Months and playing in his exersaucer |
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| 7 Months and Crawling |
9 Months and totally cute!!
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| 11 Months and Walking! |
12 Months and cake covered!
We love our little man :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Steptoe Butte
We went up to Steptoe Butte yesterday after dinner with some close family friends. It was a beautiful day and there was not even any wind! Here are some pictures :)
Thursday, July 07, 2011
The 4th
I was so excited to be in Pullman for fireworks! Chris and I love the Pullman fireworks and had missed them when we moved. Before the fireworks they have a band, a BBQ, and many other things. It is such a great time and so much fun to go play in the park and listen to the music while waiting for fireworks. The firework show in Pullman is really one of the best I have seen, it is not huge like some that you will see in big cities. However in Pullman you get to be right under them (they are set off on the hill in the park), you have room to lay down and be comfortable, and they are set to music. It was good fun and if you are ever looking for a great place to spend the 4th we recommend it :) I put some pictures in of Matthew and Chris dancing at the park. If anyone knows any tricks to turn these picture please let me know!
Matthew's first Birthday Party!!
We celebrated Matthew's birthday on July 2nd (only 13 days early..) However by celebrating it early we were able to have a big party out at Mason Lake, my grandparents have a house out there that used to belong to my great grandparents and I spent many summer days there.
I spent a few days leading up to the party making favors and finding the perfect plates and decorations for his party. It was a lot of fun to plan, and everything came together really well I think. I forgot to take a picture of the favors I made :( which makes me sad because they turned out really cute. I made rice crispy treats and brownies and shaped them like Popsicles, put them on Popsicle sticks, and then dipped them in chocolate and sprinkled them with fun sprinkles. I wrapped them in a treat bag and tied a ribbon around the stick and put a tag on it that said, "Thank you for coming, It's what should be said, But I can't so here's a "popsicle" instead."
Matthew loves the presents he got and really liked eating the cake of course. The party turned out great, and I think it was an excellent first birthday!
I spent a few days leading up to the party making favors and finding the perfect plates and decorations for his party. It was a lot of fun to plan, and everything came together really well I think. I forgot to take a picture of the favors I made :( which makes me sad because they turned out really cute. I made rice crispy treats and brownies and shaped them like Popsicles, put them on Popsicle sticks, and then dipped them in chocolate and sprinkled them with fun sprinkles. I wrapped them in a treat bag and tied a ribbon around the stick and put a tag on it that said, "Thank you for coming, It's what should be said, But I can't so here's a "popsicle" instead."
Matthew loves the presents he got and really liked eating the cake of course. The party turned out great, and I think it was an excellent first birthday!
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| After the cake |
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| The decorations |
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| Matthew's first birthday cake, we think it turned out really cute. We had safeway make it because it was too hard to make it while traveling. We called and told them the toys we had to put on, and asked that they make him a cake with a dirt track. Then we added the cars, ribbons, and candles. |
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| Safeway gives you a free baby cake when you order a first birthday cake through them, his got damaged in the box, but it still tasted good. He started by poking the cake and licking the frosting off his fingers... he did this for about 12 minutes :) |
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| I finally cut the cake so that he could see there was something besides the frosting. |
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| Digging in! |
A June Wedding!
We were very excited to travel to Reno, NV to be with Chris's Sister as she was married and we welcomed another family member into the family. We closed the daycare early and headed up to the Spokane Airport, before we got on the plane we were able to spend some time with our friends who live in Spokane (the Roe's), they then drove us to the airport. Matthew did really great on the flight down to Reno, I was worried because he has not flown since he was 3 weeks old which is much different than 11 months, but I worried for nothing he did just fine.
We made it down there and were able to spend the weekend with lots of family, we stayed at The Nugget hotel in Reno. It was nice but they charge you for everything, their complimentary water was even $2.00... silly. Saturday morning Dan, Chris, Matthew and I went swimming in the hotel pool, then boys and girls split up. I went with all the girls and we got our hair and makeup done for the wedding, it was fun to spend the whole day helping Mandy get ready for her big day. Chris, Matthew, and the boys helped set up the reception.
The wedding turned out beautifully it was outside in a park and they all looked amazing! The reception was also a ton of fun with a candy bar, an awesome cake, and with a really good BBQ, and lots of games to play. Here are a few pictures of the happy new family! I am not sure why they came up sideways and at this point I don't know how to fix it, so just turn your computer, or lay down and look at them :)
We made it down there and were able to spend the weekend with lots of family, we stayed at The Nugget hotel in Reno. It was nice but they charge you for everything, their complimentary water was even $2.00... silly. Saturday morning Dan, Chris, Matthew and I went swimming in the hotel pool, then boys and girls split up. I went with all the girls and we got our hair and makeup done for the wedding, it was fun to spend the whole day helping Mandy get ready for her big day. Chris, Matthew, and the boys helped set up the reception.
The wedding turned out beautifully it was outside in a park and they all looked amazing! The reception was also a ton of fun with a candy bar, an awesome cake, and with a really good BBQ, and lots of games to play. Here are a few pictures of the happy new family! I am not sure why they came up sideways and at this point I don't know how to fix it, so just turn your computer, or lay down and look at them :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 06, 2011
So I Realize...
I have been noticing lately that everything I post here and on Facebook is about Matthew, there are very few times in the last year that I have posted about anything else. It is because my little Matthew has become my world, everything in my life revolves around him. What a lucky kid huh?
Of course there are many other things that we do on a daily basis. Chris is taking summer classes and has been doing very well in those. He is a trooper, he has been going to school with no breaks since he started and I know how hard he is working. In addition to school he comes home and helps me get through lunch with all the kids and start nap time. The middle of the day seems to be my crunch time, when I don't have enough hands to help everybody, it is also the time when both babies are ready for their bottles (it is hard to feed them both at one time..) He is also a wonderful Daddy to Matthew, our little boy loves him so much! He has started getting sad when Chris leaves for school in the morning, and when Chris gets home Matthew is in his arms before he even gets through the door. I love watching them play together. Chris has also been very busy getting ready to take the OAT (Optometry Admissions Test). This test is a big deal and will be a huge part of his acceptance into his Optometry program.
I have been busy running the daycare, trying to figure out how to keep up on the housework, and paperwork, while caring for all the children. I love having so many different ages here, but it does make the day somewhat challenging also. I love being able to be home with Matthew, and also having such a close relationship with the other children and their parents. It is much different than working in the daycare center, in that I really feel that I get to know the children and their families much better. I love that connection, because I really love the kids I care for and I think parents really can see that I care and enjoy my work. I feel like Heavenly father really did prepare me for this job, if I had not taken the path I had, this would be so much harder and more intimidating. All the schooling I have had and the different jobs I have had really gave me the experiences that I needed to become a good teacher and business owner. Some of the jobs I worked were not my ideal and I struggled to enjoy them because of various circumstances present in each one, but I can see how each one was necessary. Each job taught me an important lesson or skill which makes where I am now possible. It is very cool to see God's hand at work in my life, to see the result of so much frustration and hard work pay off, and really benefit me more than I could have imagined. He truly does know and love each of us.
I have to say that I love each and every day that I get to be Matthew's Mom. He lights up my world :) I also love that I have an amazing husband who I love more than words can say.
Now onto Matthew because I have to write about him! He is doing great, we have been having fun planning his first birthday, I am so excited for it :) He has walked across our living room, but he is not confident yet and so would rather crawl everywhere still. He is a silly kid and loves to crawl under tables and chairs, he loves to chase balls around, play with cars, and his recent love is putting things inside buckets ect.. I find many interesting items inside boxes now days.
That's all for now, we are busy and loving life as parents, business owners, and students.
Of course there are many other things that we do on a daily basis. Chris is taking summer classes and has been doing very well in those. He is a trooper, he has been going to school with no breaks since he started and I know how hard he is working. In addition to school he comes home and helps me get through lunch with all the kids and start nap time. The middle of the day seems to be my crunch time, when I don't have enough hands to help everybody, it is also the time when both babies are ready for their bottles (it is hard to feed them both at one time..) He is also a wonderful Daddy to Matthew, our little boy loves him so much! He has started getting sad when Chris leaves for school in the morning, and when Chris gets home Matthew is in his arms before he even gets through the door. I love watching them play together. Chris has also been very busy getting ready to take the OAT (Optometry Admissions Test). This test is a big deal and will be a huge part of his acceptance into his Optometry program.
I have been busy running the daycare, trying to figure out how to keep up on the housework, and paperwork, while caring for all the children. I love having so many different ages here, but it does make the day somewhat challenging also. I love being able to be home with Matthew, and also having such a close relationship with the other children and their parents. It is much different than working in the daycare center, in that I really feel that I get to know the children and their families much better. I love that connection, because I really love the kids I care for and I think parents really can see that I care and enjoy my work. I feel like Heavenly father really did prepare me for this job, if I had not taken the path I had, this would be so much harder and more intimidating. All the schooling I have had and the different jobs I have had really gave me the experiences that I needed to become a good teacher and business owner. Some of the jobs I worked were not my ideal and I struggled to enjoy them because of various circumstances present in each one, but I can see how each one was necessary. Each job taught me an important lesson or skill which makes where I am now possible. It is very cool to see God's hand at work in my life, to see the result of so much frustration and hard work pay off, and really benefit me more than I could have imagined. He truly does know and love each of us.
I have to say that I love each and every day that I get to be Matthew's Mom. He lights up my world :) I also love that I have an amazing husband who I love more than words can say.
Now onto Matthew because I have to write about him! He is doing great, we have been having fun planning his first birthday, I am so excited for it :) He has walked across our living room, but he is not confident yet and so would rather crawl everywhere still. He is a silly kid and loves to crawl under tables and chairs, he loves to chase balls around, play with cars, and his recent love is putting things inside buckets ect.. I find many interesting items inside boxes now days.
That's all for now, we are busy and loving life as parents, business owners, and students.
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