priorities

I decided I need to start blogging again. My baby is almost 3 months old, and time is not slowing down like I hoped it would, so I am making it a priority to keep a record of the stages in our life. I've become a facebook addict since Joshua was born, and get on there anytime I sit down to feed my boy, but have neglected my blog in the meantime. And as fun as facebook can be, its not my personal web space for my journal, so back to the blog I return.

Kylie and Toast finished up another year of school back in June. They both learned and grew in so many ways this past year, and I am proud of them. They start school in one more week, but I am not wanting to let Kylie go back. She has been my right arm during her summer vacation. She is gonna be one awesome mother someday. She is such a help with Joshy, and when I'm taking care of him, she is such an immense help with James and Bennieboozie. She is ready to get back though. She has complained of "being bored" at least 500 times this summer.

Toast has been really great this summer too. He comes up to me each morning and after giving me a hug he usually asks what he can do to help me. He is one of the main reasons the laundry gets put away after I get it washed. Otherwise we would be digging through mountainous piles trying to find clothes to wear each day. Toast has been into Calvin and Hobbes this summer. He'll be on the couch laughing to himself, and if I ask whats so funny, he'll go into a 5 minute description of whatever Calvin has been doing. Awesome!

James is on a waiting list with one of the charter schools down here to start Kindergarten. He has entered into the terrible awful stage of being a defiant little punk. Tyler, for the most part, has moved on from that stage, but James is right in the middle of it. Drives me batty! I wonder how other moms raise their 4-5 year old boys to skip over that stage. I'm doing something wrong but haven't been able to figure out exactly what that is yet. I keep trying to justify it, saying surely all 4-5 year old boys have a defiant little streak in them, but as I've observed lately, that's doesn't seem to be the case. James is an extremely strong willed kid. Taking away privileges doesn't help. Putting him in time out is a joke, cuz he gets out over and over and over again. I encourage his good behavior, and praise him and reward him with the good, but for the life of me I cant figure out what to do regarding the not so good. oh my little James. The little girl with the little curl must have been cake compared with my Jamesy. One sweet thing that he does each night though, is this little goodnight handshake with the baby. He gives him double high 5's, double stones, double hugs and double kisses. It's really quite sweet.

Bennieboozie is still my delightful little boy. He is hilarious. His little voice and his smile, and the way his eyes just light up, oh this kid has my heart. His favorite thing in the world is swinging. He doesn't care if it's 110 outside, he wants to go outside and swing. The first thing out of his mouth when Daniel comes home from work each day is,"Push me on da yewow swing,daddy!!!" and follows him around saying that over and over and over again until Daniel does it. He LOVES to swing. Bennie is so sweet with the baby too. Anytime the baby starts fussing Bennie goes over to him gives him a love and sings a primary song to him. My favorite is when he sings "I am like a star shining brightly." I just love my Bennie.

My sweet Joshy is just getting so big. I am kind of bummed that he is gonna be 3 months old next week, cuz I want to keep him as a tiny baby a little while longer. The newborn stage is my ultimate favorite. I love love love it. and even though I love the rest of the infant, and toddler, and subsequent preschool, kindergarten and other stages, and it is so great to see your kids grown and learn and comprehend and all that stuff, my most favorite is the newborn stage. I marvel at the itty bittyness of it all. The itty bitty toes, the little tiny fingers that he curls into a tight as can be fist, his little stretches, his little nose, and his tiny mouth. I cant kiss his little head enough. I love just holding him so close and having him fall asleep on me. And I honestly cant get enough of that new baby smell. Granted, the sleep deprivation is a killer,and my house doesn't get cleaned everyday anymore, but there is something so magical about a newborn. So yeah, I wish it would last a little longer, that time would slow down instead of speeding up. But he is laughing and smiling now and that always makes my heart happy too, so i guess I can allow him to get bigger.

Daniel is liking his new company, and is keeping busy. I don't know how I got so lucky to have this guy in my life but I am so grateful he is. I've noticed different guys who aren't really involved with their families, and it makes me sad, but grateful that I have my Daniel. He is so good to me and our kids. He spends his days working to provide for us,and comes home and helps me get the kids ready for bed. After he tells them their bedtime story, he takes Bennie to his bed and sings like 20 primary songs with him. It's one of my favorite things in this world.  He recently got a new calling in our ward. He was the ward mission leader, and loved that, as he loves missionary work, but now is the executive secretary, so he gets to assist the bishopric. He has a few meetings before church, so I told him whatever slim chance we had to make it on time just got kissed goodbye. The kids and I probably wont be making it to church until its time for primary each Sunday, but that's probably a good thing to increase the level of reverence during the sacrament by not having the Jackson kids there. hahaha.

We have been mostly here in this blasted desert this summer, but did get to get out for a few days for my family reunion, and a few for Daniels family reunion. Utah summers are divine. And being with my family was wonderful. I really don't like living so far away and only being able to see them all once or twice a year. We had Joshys blessing while we were up there so we could have all my family there, and Daniels family was able to come to that as well, so that was nice. I missed hearing most of the blessing since my James refuses to be reverent for any prayer but at least I heard Daniel give Joshy the right name instead of changing it. :)
On our way home, our ac went out in the van, so that made for quite the adventure with 5 kids in 112 degree heat. At least the car worked and we got home- it could have been much worse.