Catching Up

Well, it has been awhile since my last post and I'm behind on several things so I'm just going to post them all in one and have it done with! So first of all, going back a couple of weeks, we finally started Kaya on rice cereal. I know, at six months that's kind of late to be giving her solids for the first time, but after the terrible experience we had with Spencer's allergies, I am being really cautious. But mostly, after doing this with my four previous children, I was really not in a hurry at all. It's messy and time-consuming and MESSY. But Kaya was ready. And I mean really ready! For the past couple of months, she's been grabbing at any item of food she can get and sometimes she's successful until we take it away from her. I know, I'm totally mean. So she was beyond excited when I brought that first mouthful of food right up to her face. And then, she wasn't so sure it was all that she'd thought it would be!

Here she is right before the feeding began and she wasn't sure what was going on:


And then here she is after that first bite:
But after a few more tastes, she decided that was pretty good and she was ready to feed herself:


Now she is a pro--albeit a messy one and we are about ready to venture into other baby cuisine! Oh, and on a side note, this morning we discovered that our "baby" has cut her first tooth! I was shocked. My other kids teethed for months but didn't actually get the first tooth until closer to 8 or 9 months of age. I was totally not expecting my 6 month old to have a tooth yet and I can't say I'm too excited at this latest diplay of her aging-faster-than-I'm-ready-for behavior!

Anyway, to continue...Christmas happened at our house. It was an absolutely wonderful time once I got the last package in the mail and sent out the last of our newsletters, and purchased the last of our gifts. Which pretty much left Christmas Eve and Christmas day to enjoy. But we really did enjoy it. Christmas Eve we spent at home wrapping the rest of the gifts and listening to Christmas music. We started a new Christmas Eve dinner tradition. At least I think it will be since everyone really liked it. I made chicken noodle soup but even the noodles were homemade. I've never made noodles before! But they were SO delicious. Everyone ate their dinner and most had seconds. With the picky children I have that is nothing short of miraculous! That night we watched Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and one of the many repeating airings of A Christmas Story and laughed like it was the first time we'd ever seen it. And not forgetting the spiritual aspect, we watched the dramatized Christmas story on BYU TV . Then it was time for hanging our stockings and saying our prayers 'cause Santa Claus was coming that night. It took him awhile to show up though because Taylor decided that he was going to have the tooth fairy come that night too by pulling out one of his loose molars. However, the thing was mighty stubborn. One spot just wouldn't budge and it took him till about midnight to get the thing out! Finally with the tooth out, Mom was able to go to bed and Santa could finally come (though not quite in that order).

Christmas day dawned bright and early. Well, actually not super early. Our kids are a phenomenon when it comes to Christmas. Usually they don't wake up until around 8 or later! What kid does that??? I'm just fine with it however.


Everyone got what they asked Santa for--Lynnsey got a Leapster L-Max, Spencer got a Little Einsteins piano, Kendall got an interactive globe, Kaya got a little musical elephant stacking toy that has balls that drop down the center, and Taylor got a Havoc Heli remote control helicopter. No one got an Official Carbide Action Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time though. Darn! Maybe next year. Unfortunately the camera batteries died right after this picture so this is the only digital documentation we have of the day. We had lots more great gifts though and our traditional omelet breakfast and a YUMMY Christmas dinner which was made mostly by Kalen. It was so great to just stay home and relax with nowhere to go and a temporary break from all our day to day worries.

And finally we arrive at today. Today was Spencer's last day in Nursery. For months he has been so excited to be in Sunbeams and has talked about how much fun it was going to be. And then last week, he and the other three-year-olds got to go to primary for the last 20 minutes as an orientation. Not a good experience. Suddenly Spencer did not want to go. He threw a fit and they had to carry him in yelling that he was staying in nursery. Well, today they did it again. We knew they were planning to and so we've been talking it up all week. The nursery teacher even made little caps for them and asked them to wear a "gown" (Daddy's shirt) as they walked into primary from the nursery. They had Kalen come to escort Spencer so they could avoid the scene from last week. It didn't work. I came out into the foyer so I could see what happened. I heard him before I saw him. He was yelling as Kalen carried him through the priesthood meeting: "I'm not going to Primary!!!" and as they came out into the hall I see the nursery leader followed by the two little girls in caps and gowns with arms folded and looking so pleased to be so grown-up and then bringing up the rear is Kalen carrying Spencer who will NOT wear his cap and is ripping at his gown all the while yelling: "I don't want to be a Sunbeam!". I quickly went back to Relief Society to pretend I didn't have any idea what had just happened. Oh, what are we going to do??? We've had difficult children before, but they usually do their tantruming before we are in public. Spencer is so very vocal about his dislikes and he doesn't care who happens to witness his antics. I talked to him after church and told him being a Sunbeam wasn't a choice. The only choice he has is to be a happy Sunbeam or a sad Sunbeam. Guess what he said. He scowled at me and said "NO! I'm gonna be a MAD Sunbeam!" Aargh!!! I did get him to wear his cap and gown for a quick picture by promising to let him watch his Thomas the Train movie that he got for Christmas. At least he can still be bribed! I'll have to think up a good one to get him to go to class next week...