Stephen and Emily in AZ!

Ok, my blogging has been ridiculous. It's hard to get motivated to sit down at the computer, transfer pictures from the hodge podge of phones they were taken with (my "regular" camera hasn't had batteries for a year now), and actually get words down. I plan to go back and blog about lots of highlights from the past 6 months, but for now, I'll start here.

Eric's younger brother Stephen and his beautiful wife Emily and their son Daniel (who is a total charmer, by the way) came down for a long memorial weekend-o-fun! For those of you contemplating trips filled with sunshine, we sure know how to party!

In four and a half days we fit in swimming, a trip to the zoo and the splash pads, a drive down to Tucson to the Titan Missile Museum, a quick stop by the Gilbert Temple, paint balling, shopping, a surprise birthday party (for me!) and lots of good food. The best part was that I had essentially no part in making any of that food! Thank you husbands who like to cook in their spare time, a nice date night out at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, and Joe's Farm Grill.

Here are a ton of pictures, most thanks to Emily :)

the moon was huge. and apparently worth a short hill hike for better viewing :)

the zoo splash pads are AWESOME.

water babies!

Aunt Emily was a HUGE hit with my kids. Alyssa in particular wanted NOTHING to do with me if she could have Emily!

Titan Missile Museum

Date night: hooray for awesome friends (thanks, Linds!) who volunteered to babysit all our munchkins

Sneaking some piano time with Rachel

She's getting pretty brave

Happy Birthday to me!

Scotty was a great helped with Daniel

Our new temple! Coming sometime Fall 2013 (hopefully)

I so wish my kids got to live near their cousins! Someday...someday.

Rachel: 9 months

Height: 27 in (25%)

Weight: 15 lb 13.5 oz (5%)

Head: 44 cm (50%)

this is as pudgy as she gets

Teeth: zero! maybe a slight ridge, but nothing convincing. She still tries to gnaw on me though...
Hair: lots! it's a light brown with a bit of texture and curl, especially around her ears
Eyes: blue, though they are starting to have a green/brown tint in some lights? it seems late for them to be changing but it's possible
Birth mark: the inside of her belly button has a dark red birthmark. I spent the first month or so thinking it was a scab from the umbilical cord but I'm pretty sure it's just a regular birthmark

in a hand-smocked dress from Cousin Janet in England!

Likes: food! She nurses frequently, downs any solid as fast as you can spoon it in, and will squawk at you whenever she sees you holding something edible. She has great finger dexterity so she will pick up tiny specks but can't manage to gum much down yet. She loves to bang things together, especially pots from the toy kitchen. She loves to make sound, often picking up a plastic cup and singing into it and laughing at the echo. She LOVES her brother and sister and looks around expectantly whenever she hears them making sound in another room. I often have to find a quiet room and shut the door in order to nurse her because she is constantly looking for them. She still LOVES the water, whether it's a bath or a swimming pool, even if she's getting splashed in the face. She also likes to be snuggled up in a wrap so she can stay by me when I'm trying to get things done around the house

a typical Rachel pose

she LOVES faces!

Dislikes: waiting too long for things, not being able to see people she loves, getting stuck under furniture. Occasionally she freaks out about going to bed but most of the time our sweet, chill baby is still that--sweet, and chill. She will occupy herself for long stretches of time with basic toys and will follow me down the hall on her tummy if I walk away to get something. She is especially patient with her siblings, who still think she is the best toy ever and love to get right in her face.

New tricks: crawling. And by crawling, I mean this:

AWESOME. She started with baby pushups and graduated to serious planking. She often pauses on her hands and knees but continues to get mobile through fish flops and the animated worm. I hope she keeps it up! She has started giggling spontaneously when she finds something funny or makes a funny sound, though her giggle still sounds like a forced laugh and/or machine gun. She still sings and chatters all day long, and has added a new sound to her repertoire that Scotty aptly named the "Eagle Screech." She has also started signing "more", clapping, and waving.

God's Toddlers

Just before her first trip to Disneyland...

Determined to grimace because I asked her to smile!

Alyssa is 2.5. Fiercely independent. Determined. Focused. Infuriatingly stubborn. At any given moment, she is most likely doing exactly the opposite of what I'm asking her to do, usually while yelling or screaming in frustration.

And I'll admit it, sometimes she is not the only one yelling in frustration.

At times of quiet, late at night when the kids are finally sleeping, I've been puzzling over how to be her mother. How can I help her master new skills while bringing the volume level down? How can I handle her outbursts without adding some of my own? Why is her behavior so difficult, and why am I not showing more love and patience? I think we've all been there.

Last week I spent time thinking about how I could keep my cool, and praying about how to be a better mother. It's hard not to get down on yourself when you replay those moments in your head and realize that you could have given a hug instead of a frown, or a minute of quiet instead of yelling back. I prayed to feel more love for her even in the hard times, so I could have the patience to handle the chaos. I prayed to see her as our Heavenly Father must see her, a small child trying and struggling to grow up.

Instead, I saw me, and I learned something.

I am God's toddler.

I ask for something, and He tells me it is coming. Do I sit and wait, patiently, quietly, until it is time? Or do I keep asking, and asking, and asking as if I'm not sure He really heard me the first time?

I am trying to learn something new, trying to master a new skill. This parenting thing is HARD, but I know I'm supposed to be able to do it. So I just keep trying, harder, louder, not understanding why it's JUST NOT WORKING. Do I listen to His guidance and advice? Do I let Him show me how? Help me? Do I even let Him stand in the same room and gesture in the right direction?

I am frustrated and worn-out from all of my struggling. Do I let Him comfort me or am I too busy being grumpy to feel His love?

I get frustrated with myself because I want to be better, I know I can be. I fall short, and I have trouble accepting that. I want to be able to do everything right! Can I see that He recognizes the effort? That He is excited for the steps I am making and not solely focused on the outcome?

I hope the next time I find myself pushed to the breaking point, I can take a step back and realize that when I comfort her and teach her with love, I have a Father looking over my shoulder and guiding me too. I won't always be perfect, and neither will she, but "this too shall pass" and toddlers grow up.

Even God's.

Rachel 3-5 months :)

I like to post as least once a month. Just to keep from getting too behind and to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away.

And then the realities of three kids, a part time job, and Eric's busy season hit. Ha! I swear, if I didn't have to look decent for work everyday I would forget to shower. Have I mentioned that this job has been good for my mental health?

5 months: first time in a swing!

My newborn is no longer a newborn. When she was 3 months old I finally posted her two month stats.  I suppose it's now time for her four month stats and some updates on her new tricks.

4 months

Stats at four months (on 1/11/13)

Weight: 12 lb 4.5 oz (10%)
Height: 24.75" (50%)
Head: 40.75 cm (30%)

4 months: getting some snuggles

Based on her stats two months previously, she's still a lightweight, no longer tall for her age, and her head is growing at an alarming rate. Realistically, her weight is consistent because she flirts with the nurse while on the scale, her length fluctuates because she stretches out when she's excited, and her head measurement is a complete guess because she's fascinated by everything and successfully yanked the measuring tape out of the nurse's hand.

5 months: giving some sass

She started rolling back to front occasionally over Christmas break, just before four months, but didn't really get good at it until 4.5 months. At five months she suddenly flipped front to back after a bath and hasn't looked back since. She spends her time rolling back and forth and occasionally log rolling across the rug. She's a sneaky thing. I'll put her down on the floor somewhere, glance away to get something for another kid, and turn back to find her facing a different direction or in another place. Yet when I sit there and watch her, she doesn't seem to move very much!

3 months: tummy time

5 months: rolling and grabbing

Favorites

Things to look at: people. all people. Her whole lights up whenever a face appears in front of hers. Except for the first deep brunette she met, which apparently freaked her out about dark hair. Topping the list is Scotty and Alyssa, her two favorite people by a substantial margin. She also loves her Nani a lot.
Things to do: roll around, put everything in her mouth, make excited noises
Songs: the Rachel song, When I am Baptized (I like to look for rainbows) - she sings along every time!
Books: anything the bigger kids are looking at. Very tasty.
Places: anywhere outside, in someone's arms (or my wrap or sling)

5 months: in the wrap

Least Favorites

Things to look at: anything that's not moving or singing at her. She gets lonely without hyper kids in her face or snuggles from mama.
Things to do: get stuck on her stomach, get tickled (she rarely giggles and when she does it sounds like a bad fake laugh!)

My favorite things about Rachel

5 months: loving her Scotty

She was meant to be the third child with very high energy siblings. A head appears inches from her nose, bouncing around and singing loudly in her face--and she smiles. EVERY TIME. And occasionally grabs a nose or a handful of hair. I call it her self-defense mechanism. She falls asleep easily 90% of the time and sleeps through the chaos of kids running in and out of a room only a foot away from hers. She'll fall asleep on the floor with kids running in circles around her. She can transition from sleeping to waking instantly without being thrown off for the entire day--especially if she gets a solid morning nap. Unlike the first two, she doesn't mind her carseat or rides in the car. She likes to snuggle and calms to me, but she mostly just wants interaction. If she was my first kid I probably wouldn't think she was so easy because she likes constant entertainment--which Scotty and Alyssa are much more equipped to provide.

5 months: pat-a-foot with Alyssa

She is so engaging! I took the kids to story time at the library last week and the librarian commented to me how aware the baby was. She watched the kids help with puppet show, and looked at the pictures in the book. She even caught some of the bubbles at the end. She watches everything and is always trying to grab things, eat things, and communicate. Her whole face lights up when she seems someone and she coos and sings and yells happily all day long.

5 months: Alyssa was singing her songs when she woke up and Eric walked in to discover this

 She is working on sitting up independently, and can balance fairly well without tipping. She gets excited when she sees her toes and tries to eat them, so she often folds in half but she is very capable of holding herself up. The next adventure is starting solids but I'm in no rush. She nurses well (especially since I cut my hair and she can no longer tangle it all up) and doesn't seem interested in regular food. I've sneaked her an occasional bite of ice cream and she is still clueless about spoons or opening her mouth.

Rachel's Blessing

So this post is almost exactly two months late, but whatever! I'm juggling three kids, a busy husband, and a part-time job--I'm impressed that anything gets done around here. Just don't look in my fridge; we've been out of milk for 2 days and we still have tupperware with Thanksgiving leftovers...

ANYWAY.

October 14, 2012
Our sweet baby Rachel Marie Larsen was blessed by her daddy,  and both sets of grandparents got to be there. It was so great to have Charlie and Leanne out here! Leanne was super woman, cooking freezer meals and helping with the kids while I worked even though she was down to one arm.

the Larsens

her sad face is adorably scrunched up :)

the Mary Poppins feet!

Love!

I love this little peach dress! It actually belongs to one of my mom's dolls and it was the dress I was blessed in as a baby.

Alyssa also got to wear it. See any resemblance?

Alyssa, 1 month: BIGGER eyes :)

and pointy ears

but they both do "that tongue thing"

More kids means decent looking family pictures are harder to come by :)

with Nani and Papa

P.S. for the curious, we all agree that Rachel looks more like Scotty as a baby, with the same furrowed brow and big ears. Her head isn't as round as his was and she has the pointy chin like Alyssa.