I can't call it insomnia because it's just barely 10:15. But it's that feeling that I better get my tush in bed since the countdown has begun for Lil' waking up. She rises sometime between 6 and 6:45 in the morning, so the countdown goes something like this... "if I want to get 8 hours of sleep, I better be in by 10. If I want to get 7 hours of sleep I should go to bed at 11." Soooo. I am sitting here, the boys in the family tucked in safely (I assume) at Lake Perris. And I am tired. My eyes hurt. And I am not guaranteed 8 hours of sleep at this point, and though I am depressed, I feel like I might as well stay up until 11 and get 7 hours, because I like round numbers like that.
I'll leave you for the night with a cute story. Ben's friend Brent was not going to go to the Father & Sons campout, but THANKFULLY, he was able to go. When Ben heard the news, he and Brent did a hug and jump in circles move that was quite splendid and shouted out, "We're going to Perris!" Only, really, the way they said it, they were going to Paris. One day, I will be as excited to go to Perris, California! Good night. Keep your fingers crossed that all three girlies sleep well without the men here to protect us and snore us to sleep.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A rant and a dirty little secret
First the rant...
I used to LOVE dogs. My first dog in my childhood was as perfect as a dog can get, aside from the digging, the daily escaping and the hip dysplacia(which I'm sure I spelled wrong). My Mom's dog turned me off of dogs. Sorry Mom. Then I thought, well, maybe it's just THIS particular dog - who spent an entire lifetime not toilet trained and experienced that "time of the month" all over my bed and chewed and ate the contents of the litter box, and, and, and. But then I was around more and more dogs and well, now I'm just turned off in general. Dogs smell. And I could forgive the smell if they were toilet trained and didn't bark. And for some reason, I moved into a neighborhood and a neighborhood blossomed around me that has TONS of dogs. Loud dogs. That bark incessantly and wake up my baby. And forgive me, but it is crazy hot here during the day and if the climate is cool at night and I want to have my windows open and a fan blowing, I shouldn't have to hear your dogs at all hours of the night - especially you guy across the street who has at least 3 dogs! Also, the screech owls can stop mating any day now. The end.
And a dirty little secret...
Ben likes Barbie. I should have known a few years ago when his giant Wayne Gretzky action figure was giving skating lessons to Barbie. The following conversation actually took place in this very loft on Monday:
Ben: (whiny voice) I want to pick the show!
Sofia: You picked last time, it's my pick. I want Nemo.
Ben: Are you sure you don't want Barbie?
Sofia: OK, Barbie.
Ben: The one where she goes to Paris.
At this point I look at Ben and ask, "are you serious?" To which he replies, "I like the dogs."
And then today in the bath the two kiddos are singing songs from "Barbie and the Perfect Christmas." Hmmmmmm...
I used to LOVE dogs. My first dog in my childhood was as perfect as a dog can get, aside from the digging, the daily escaping and the hip dysplacia(which I'm sure I spelled wrong). My Mom's dog turned me off of dogs. Sorry Mom. Then I thought, well, maybe it's just THIS particular dog - who spent an entire lifetime not toilet trained and experienced that "time of the month" all over my bed and chewed and ate the contents of the litter box, and, and, and. But then I was around more and more dogs and well, now I'm just turned off in general. Dogs smell. And I could forgive the smell if they were toilet trained and didn't bark. And for some reason, I moved into a neighborhood and a neighborhood blossomed around me that has TONS of dogs. Loud dogs. That bark incessantly and wake up my baby. And forgive me, but it is crazy hot here during the day and if the climate is cool at night and I want to have my windows open and a fan blowing, I shouldn't have to hear your dogs at all hours of the night - especially you guy across the street who has at least 3 dogs! Also, the screech owls can stop mating any day now. The end.
And a dirty little secret...
Ben likes Barbie. I should have known a few years ago when his giant Wayne Gretzky action figure was giving skating lessons to Barbie. The following conversation actually took place in this very loft on Monday:
Ben: (whiny voice) I want to pick the show!
Sofia: You picked last time, it's my pick. I want Nemo.
Ben: Are you sure you don't want Barbie?
Sofia: OK, Barbie.
Ben: The one where she goes to Paris.
At this point I look at Ben and ask, "are you serious?" To which he replies, "I like the dogs."
And then today in the bath the two kiddos are singing songs from "Barbie and the Perfect Christmas." Hmmmmmm...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
She has blessed us with Grace
How do I write about Lily without sounding puffed-up or prideful??
Charles and I were married almost 13 years ago! Can you believe it? I hardly can. Together, we were two complimentary ice cream flavors. I like to believe we were my favorite Bubby's combo... chocolate hazelut(me) and pistachio(charles). We were good together, but we wanted kids. So desperately. We waited, and waited, and tried and tried and visited too many doctors and I gave myself too many shots in my abdomen and then we prepared for IVF. And then, on our anniversary weekend 6 years ago we found out a baby was on the way. Ben arrived and then all too quickly, Sofia joined the mix helping us to create our sundae that frankly, had too many nuts! I wondered, prayed and then prayed some more. Perhaps Sofia came so quickly because it was the only way. Maybe two was all that we could get, and I would have been happy with that because I already got double my wish. And then, Lily came.
Throughout my entire pregnancy, I almost never felt Lily move. At 20 weeks, I broke down. My poor Bishop came over and asked how things were and I just started crying. I think at that point I became a psycho relief society president, but after a sweet blessing I realized I needed to take more time to get to know Lily, and I have always liked what I found. I hardly felt Lily because Lily has and is just happy to go along with the ride. She tends to not make waves, she is happy to watch her crazy brother and sister. She'll play in her high chair with a spoon for 20 minutes while I make breakfast. And she makes us all melt. Hence, Lily is the hot fudge on top of our nutty sundae.
If I have to confess a weakness in this angel it is that she pulls hair. But I will take it. A million times to get to have Lily in my arms and be able to give her hugs and cuddles and kisses. I am forever grateful that she has shared her Grace with us all.
Always alert, but mellow
Charles and I were married almost 13 years ago! Can you believe it? I hardly can. Together, we were two complimentary ice cream flavors. I like to believe we were my favorite Bubby's combo... chocolate hazelut(me) and pistachio(charles). We were good together, but we wanted kids. So desperately. We waited, and waited, and tried and tried and visited too many doctors and I gave myself too many shots in my abdomen and then we prepared for IVF. And then, on our anniversary weekend 6 years ago we found out a baby was on the way. Ben arrived and then all too quickly, Sofia joined the mix helping us to create our sundae that frankly, had too many nuts! I wondered, prayed and then prayed some more. Perhaps Sofia came so quickly because it was the only way. Maybe two was all that we could get, and I would have been happy with that because I already got double my wish. And then, Lily came.
Lily amid the chaos. They ADORE her!
Throughout my entire pregnancy, I almost never felt Lily move. At 20 weeks, I broke down. My poor Bishop came over and asked how things were and I just started crying. I think at that point I became a psycho relief society president, but after a sweet blessing I realized I needed to take more time to get to know Lily, and I have always liked what I found. I hardly felt Lily because Lily has and is just happy to go along with the ride. She tends to not make waves, she is happy to watch her crazy brother and sister. She'll play in her high chair with a spoon for 20 minutes while I make breakfast. And she makes us all melt. Hence, Lily is the hot fudge on top of our nutty sundae.
Our nutty, melty sundae of a family.
If I have to confess a weakness in this angel it is that she pulls hair. But I will take it. A million times to get to have Lily in my arms and be able to give her hugs and cuddles and kisses. I am forever grateful that she has shared her Grace with us all.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Guess what size shoes I just bought for this cutie?
What's in a name
If you've been around this family for long, you might remember back in the day that both Benjamin and Sofia had their very own blogs. They posted endearing comments like, "what is this slop my Mom is trying to feed me?" and, "you'll never believe what happened to me at the doctor today!" Like I said endearing, and charming, and frankly, it was a lot of work. Poor Sofia had second-child syndrome bad. I was just too tired to type her remarks, so we decided a family blog would be better. But then everyone had a blog, and I mean everyone! And Jackson is a common name. So we were trying to think of a suitable blog name, and while I think it's cute (not really) that we're the Jackson 5, we weren't at the time, and we knew we might not always be just 5. So many names were discussed and tossed, and finally, we decided to settle on a tribute to the awesome red minivan we had just acquired. And by awesome, I mean, I NEVER wanted a minivan. I wanted a gremlin. Then, when I realized that was stoopid, I decided a suburban was more my cup of tea. BUT, the reason we got the van was to hold people and not have to spend $150 to fill the gas tank. (Which we did spend filling the truck one fateful Saturday). So now I am the self-proclaimed hottie in the red van. Which I think I rock. This is where you just nod your head and say, "yup Hails, you make that van look good.... and no, it doesn't smell like there is fast food under your seats."
Nipples
Come on over to the Jackson house. I'll give you a bowl of nipples. Ya know, cuz nothing curbs an appetite like a bowl of nipples. Orange nipples.
Of course I meant "Cheese Nips!" Get your mind out of the gutter. There is never a dull moment with Sofia!
Of course I meant "Cheese Nips!" Get your mind out of the gutter. There is never a dull moment with Sofia!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Little bit of sugar, LOTS of spice!
Sugar and spice... lots of spice and spunk and everything that makes life fun. Living with Sofia is living by the seat of your pants. I love this girl! She makes everything great. And her big brother thinks so too. Rewind about a month ago. Ben was sick with an ear infection. My sweet, sweet friend comes up from Temecula to take Sofia so that Lily and I can take Ben to urgent care. On our way to the doctor, Ben says to me, "Mom, I miss Fia." "Why do you miss her honey, she's only been gone about ten minutes." "Fia makes everything fun." And that's it. Fia makes everything fun... and funny.
I've had a full two days to think about what I could say about Fia. She is the child that found a sharpie and wrote all over everything and let Ben write all over her. She has spilled glitter all over the house, covered the bathroom in toothpaste, eaten a toilet "sausage," and taken an enormous #2 behind an ice cream store. She has been a part of the funniest things I've ever seen and the most embarrassing parenting moments ever! And I love her to death for it.
At 4, Sofia is a pro at: winking, rolling her eyes, crossing her eyes, putting her hands on her hips and sarcastically muttering, "seriously," waking up Lily the moment she goes down for a nap, giving awesome cuddles and hugs, and randomly telling me she loves me. She hates to clean up ANYTHING and insists all tasks are too hard, she loves to write, draw and color and is learning to read. She still sings off-key, but she is doing so much better than she used to, and she hates it when the singers get the words wrong (she makes up and changes the words to just about every song.) She is my pickiest eater, but she loves salsa and pretty much all Mexican food. She has cheerleader moves and facial expressions - Aunt Alicia would be proud. She will be THE girl to know in High School... and it scares me.
This isn't a new picture, but it speaks volumes about my little girl who just couldn't wait to be a part of this world and give Ben a run for his money.
I've had a full two days to think about what I could say about Fia. She is the child that found a sharpie and wrote all over everything and let Ben write all over her. She has spilled glitter all over the house, covered the bathroom in toothpaste, eaten a toilet "sausage," and taken an enormous #2 behind an ice cream store. She has been a part of the funniest things I've ever seen and the most embarrassing parenting moments ever! And I love her to death for it.
At 4, Sofia is a pro at: winking, rolling her eyes, crossing her eyes, putting her hands on her hips and sarcastically muttering, "seriously," waking up Lily the moment she goes down for a nap, giving awesome cuddles and hugs, and randomly telling me she loves me. She hates to clean up ANYTHING and insists all tasks are too hard, she loves to write, draw and color and is learning to read. She still sings off-key, but she is doing so much better than she used to, and she hates it when the singers get the words wrong (she makes up and changes the words to just about every song.) She is my pickiest eater, but she loves salsa and pretty much all Mexican food. She has cheerleader moves and facial expressions - Aunt Alicia would be proud. She will be THE girl to know in High School... and it scares me.
This isn't a new picture, but it speaks volumes about my little girl who just couldn't wait to be a part of this world and give Ben a run for his money.
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