Isaac's "Last Night"

Isaac is learning how to talk about the past, present, and future. Anything that has happened in the past is: "Last night I ate breakfast," or "Last night we went to the park." These events could have happened that day, a week ago, or they have never happened and his imagination is running wild.  

One of my favorite "Last Nights" happened 5 months ago. Isaac was talking and says, "Mom, last night... three BIG white sharks bite me. And I died!" For a while me and Matt were also starting our conversations with each other like this, but it got a little confusing!

FYI, there are 3 posts today!

Eli, aka Noah

Eli loves pairs. Pairs of cars, animals, balls, blocks... you name it! We should have named this boy Noah. He'd totally rock that name! (We still love Eli though.) 

He are some examples of pairing:

Two balls. Two balls that Eli carried around and which Matt put under his shirt

Two small fishing polls. Two small fishing polls that Eli carried around in his mouth for days!

Eli is funny, Eli is a joy. He is most happy when he has two of something. Including two spoons to eat with!

Loving Some Lashes!

Our boys have beautiful long amazing lashes. Not from me, sadly, but from Matt. 

(Which makes Matt even more handsome. When dating I'd say, "You have beautiful eyes!" He'd reply, "Yeah." Me, "Oh... I'm not the first gal to tell you that.")

Titus has very much inherited this gene! 

I am guessing his will grow like Isaac and Eli's. First extreamly long. Past the face, seriously. Then his body will catch up to the lashes about year 1. And he will have beautiful eyes the rest of his life!

Poem of the Month

The Red Wheelbarrow 

William Carlos Williams

so much depends 

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain 

water

beside the white

chickens.

[1923]

.........................

Kinda a cool little poem, don't you think? Maybe a little different? Do you see how Williams created little wheelbarrows with the structure of the stanzas? My 12th English teacher swears there are chickens too, but I still haven't been able to seem them. 

This poem has been on my mind for the past few weeks. Matt has started his MBA at Boise State! So much depends on him. We are looking at 50+ hours a week of studying and school, and on top of that the ROTC program (to become an officer in the Army). 

I drew this one day, just trying to wrap my mind around everything. Kinda illustrates Matt and his wheelbarrow full of responsibility. 

Well, this is this months poem! Hope you enjoy! To learn more about said poem click here.

In Times of Desperation

I'll use anything to sooth this gas filled baby! 

A Friend In Need

Last night I got an unexpected, but very much appreciated call from my dear friend Michelle. Her and I (with our husbands and children of course) lived next to each other for pretty much 4 years. Where we moved, they moved. Where they moved, we moved. It was wonderful!

 

We are now apart living across the country from each other, but we are going through similar situations. Known as "having 3 kids in a very short amount of time." All of our kids are practically the same age! It was wonderful to share thoughts, feelings, and concerns. The phone conversation was a great blessing and comfort to me, and I hope for her too. 

As we hung up, not knowing when we will have the time to talk to each other again (I wished her a Merry Christmas, just to cover the bases), I started to think about a certain article. My friend Helen had posted this on her FB page, and I'm so grateful she did. It applies to all mothers, to be sure! 

(And before you read this know that I have never felt ill will or resentment from any of my friends. Please don't focus on that part of the article! Instead this is a way for me to explain why I may not have time. Time to do many things that I wish I could.) 

'Why don't friends with kids have time?' 

CAROLYN HAX: TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT 
WASHINGTON POST
Thursday, May 24, 2007 

Dear Carolyn: Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. 
Me (no kids): What'd you do today?
Her: Park, play group ... 

OK. I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners ... I do all those things, too. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events); I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy, but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a contest ("my life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks have the same questions. 
— Tacoma, Wash. 

Dear Tacoma: 

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

 

Or, you're lying about having friends with kids. 

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them. 

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed. 

So, because it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, cleaned, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces checkout-line screaming. 

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15. 

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier. 

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense. 

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything — language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand, or keep your snit to yourself. 

.................

And I just want to say this about Michelle, she is a wonderful and inspiring woman. I miss her so much. So much! I learned tons and tons from her example during those precious Rexburg years. I am so grateful she is in my life. Did I mention that we each have 3 boys?! I look forward  to seeing our families grow and change (each of our boys will be in the same grades), but for now we just need to survive the present with a little bit of grace. We can do it, right Michelle?

Smiles, Smirks, Sad Faces, and Special Outfits

This week Titus has started to smile. Finally! He is 8 weeks old. However we haven't gotten any on camera. One day, one day.

But we have gotten lots of good pictures of the boys this week. Smiling, smirking, and being sad. Something I have come to realize is that the high and the lows of childhood can be captured in 5 minutes time! 

Isaac boy and his beautiful smile 

Isaac's smoldering smirk

Isaac is upset! 

Eli

This is Eli smiling for the camera!

Eli is upset! His cookie broke, poor thing. 

Titus

Titus wondering why the parents are making faces at him

Okay, this is the closest smile we've been able to capture. 

Reminds me of Will Ferrel's Harry Caray! click here.

So the boys share a lot of outfits. Basically everything belongs to everybody. But one thing I have tried to do is make sure during their first 3 months they each have an outfit that is specifically theirs. Nothing too fancy, cause fancy is not something we Studlys do... and they do wear each other's outfits, but that said outfit will always be theirs. Make sense? 

Here is Isaac at one month in his outfit. 

I got a gift card to Old Navy to buy myself some clothes, but instead I spent it all on him! 

This is Eli at 3 weeks old.

Before we left Salt Lake City after his first open heart surgery, I realized he didn't have an outfit to come home in! I searched all the stores, but liked this Old Navy one best.  

Titus at 8 weeks old in his outfit. 

Got this at Old Navy (see a trend?). At first I wasn't going to get one for him, but I really wanted to! Worth it, I think.

The plan is that each boy will keep the outfit that is his, and use it how he wishes. In a storage box, or for his first born son, or whatever he pleases! 

Education?!

Matt is starting his MBA program in less than two weeks and it has really got me thinking about my education. I'm pretty terrified that I don't have any real skills... Right now Matt and I have agreed that it is his turn to go to school and I am to stay at home and be the primary care giver. We feel this stability is very important for our boys. I really like this plan, and feel good about it. But if something happens to Matt and the responsibility of providing for the family falls on my shoulders I don't know what I would do! I have a Bachelor of Science degree in University Studies.  Mmm... pretty dang lame. It's pretty much a jumping off point for a masters. But a masters in what? What do I want to be when I grow up? I don't know! I know I want and need a masters, so here's what I have been thinking:

• Follow my heart and go into Anthropology. This probably requires a PhD in the end. Then go into university to teach. 
  
• Go back and get another bachelors in Landscape Architecture, followed by a masters, then become a sweet landscape designer.
  
• Go back and get another bachelors in English, followed by a master in library and information science, become a librarian!
  
• Fill medical school requirements, enter medical school, probably specialize in Cardiology, and become a Cardiologist. (Kinda feel I'm half way there anyway, with Eli and all.)  
• Or a physician assistant. 
  
• Or a super skilled ultrasound technician. 
  

One of my problems is that I love school so much that I cannot decide what I want to do. The list above is a portion of the things I have thought about. 

One day I'll enter school. One day I'll figure it out. I may be 60 by the time it is all over and I can start a career. Till then let's hope Matt stays well and whole!

 

Eli Is:

First, Eli is a story lover. He has really fallen for the written word. For him any moment is story time. 

Second, Eli is a helper. Open up the dish washer and he is there! Taking out the silverware and putting them in special places, oh like cups on the ground, is his specialty. That said, two days ago I was folding clothes on our bed. Eli is watching, thinking. He grabs a shirt, waddles over to our dresser, opens a drawer, then puts the shirt into the drawer. This is repeated three or four times.

Third, Eli is a pooper. Yesterday me and Matt were preparing to have some friends over for dinner. Their expected time of arrival was 6:30. At 5 I put Eli in his high chair to get him out of the way and let him snack on some watermelon. Around 5:30 Matt goes over to Eli and asks me, "Is Eli playing in poop?!" 

My response, "Um no, I gave him watermelon. That's why he's all wet."

Matt, "But he smells like poop... Oh! He is covered in poop!! It's all over the place!!"

Yes, Eli, had a blow out poop. Up the whole high chair, and all over the shirt and pants. And Eli had started to play in this poop. Rubbing it in his hair, face, shirt and all over the highchair tray. Fabulous! Matt reluctantly got Eli out of the chair (Matt's not one for yucky messes), and gave him a bath. And I ran around trying to everything else together for the company. Thank you Eli, you made our night!

................

Sometimes I feel like me and Eli don't get enough one on one time. I love this lil guy. Today I took him on a run with me. Just him in the stroller. He loved it. He loves life, as he should. 

And I don't know why, but I was just looking at Eli's tummy, seeing all of his surgery scars... and it is just hard to handle. Typically I don't even notice them. But today they are screaming at me, reminding me of all the pain and hardship he has had to go through. Oh Eli, you crazy lovable boy! You are one special child. 

Family Evenings

Evening. A time to get the boys ready and relaxed for bed... A few nights ago we took some pictures during our evening festivities. Enjoy looking at our chaos! 

 

Titus and bath

Eli loving on his brother. Never thought this would happen!

Isaac trying to tell me something during a kiss. 

Eli's walking skill

"Hey Dad, let's read some books."

Handsome, handsome men!

Blessings and Birthday

First, sister Ashley and her husband Dave blessed their son Luke at their home this last weekend. 

Me and my beautiful sisters. I love having sisters! Best friends always there.

A blessing in the LDS faith is a way to introduce the infant to the ward (church) and formally put his/her name on the church rolls. It is a special time, and the blessing is given by the father or responsible male in the infants life. 

And Titus, our little man, was blessed during church this last weekend. Matt gave the blessing with other members of the family--including my father, Matt's father, grandfather, brother, uncle and cousin. 

Titus, 7 weeks old and now 10 lbs, in blessing outfit 

(each of our boys has worn this one)

Isaac in blessing outfit (two weeks old)

Eli in blessing outfit (8 weeks old)

And now our current family of 5! 

Also, Matt turned 27! 

The boys enjoying some frosting before the party starts

Happy birthday, Matthew!

Lots of family came, and it was so fun. So fun! 

Isaac loves having these cousins come and play.