Missed Pics

Bye Miss Peaches! It was great while it lasted!


Found these Easter pics on another camera.

Update:

Wow! Sorry about that posted meltdown. And sorry for any of you that had to be around me during my meltdown journey. Thank you Julian who called up Nycole to "rescue me." And thank you Nycole for rescuing me. I had a great time. And thanks Nana for flying Ogden out to spend time in Texas. It's no secret that Ogden loves spending time there and is even "thinking about moving to Texas."

Yesterday in church they talked about treating our bodies like a temple. I realized I have some work to do. They said moms need to take care of themselves so they can take care of others. I've heard this before, but yesterday it clicked. I tend to put my wants/needs aside and take care of others, and if there is time, I'll do something for myself. The last couple of weeks I've barely been exercising, because at the end of the day, I just want to be together as a whole family. Or I'm tired. Or I don't feel like it. Also realized I haven't gotten a haircut in 6 months. Also realized I haven't bought clothes in over a year. Also realized, if I keep this up, I will quickly be on my way to wearing Mom Jeans. I know wearing a pair of bad jeans doesn't make you a bad mom, but it definitely would affects my confidence. And not having confidence affects the way I interact with others and the way I feel about myself. And pretty much results in another colossal meltdown. I'm going to do a better job.

For Real?!

So, most of the time I try to be optimistic and not speak unkindly of others and so on and so on. Well, in light of making this a tad bit more of a blogging journal, I am going to put all that optimism aside and just be real. In illustrating some of my personal frustrations, I am totally not blaming those frustrations on others. I am simply expressing how a series of incidents has culminated in this downhill battle of emotions and self-esteem. Here is the story. A couple of days ago we got a call from someone asking to look at our house. He said he would call back after he talked with his wife about a good time to come and would call us back the next day. Of course Julian and I were on a high to have our first potential buyer come look at our place. We spent hours cleaning the house after the kids were in bed. And then I went grocery shopping at 11:00, knowing that if I didn't, I would be shopping with 3 kids the next day. When I got home after midnight, Julian was still up cleaning. The house looked GREAT! The next day, we got no call. Kind of puts you in a sour mood. And now that so much energy has been put into cleaning, I now feel like I can't even live in this house. Every time the kids come in the house, I have to set Paige down and carry each child to the bathtub to wash their feet as not to dirty the freshly cleaned carpet. We had activity days at our house and I had to plan the whole activity outside which isn't hard,, just another stressor involving extension cords and a blender.

Getting the picture? Well, we are now on the rollercoaster of real estate, and the house is filled with tension and anxiety. The other day somebody came to our door and I seriously wondered if I could invite them in, or if I would end up getting "the talk" about how their dirty feet would make a mess. And , yes, I invited them in. And, no, I did not get "the talk."

This morning is the morning that Ogden left for Texas. He was super excited and couldn't wait to ride the new-to-him bike that is waiting. Kaelyn is sad because Ogden is leaving and she wants to go to Texas with him (even though she gets homesick pretty quick). I'm really glad Ogden gets to go spend time with his grandparents in Texas. However, getting ready to go involves dun dun dun: messes. Laundry. Suitcases. Piles of clothes and toys and food to pack. This morning I loaded up the car with the 3 kids and Julian raced around the house like a mad man getting ready for work, making his breakfast, and picking up our trail of getting readiness. As I left, he said, "when you leave, you need to make sure the house is clean." He is right. I know he is right. But sour Alicia is thinking, "Do I really need to? Is somebody really going to want to come over during the 3 hours that I'm gone?"

Upon arriving at the hotel that Nana was staying at, the kids excitement was really climaxing. Ogden is going to Texas. Kaelyn is going to see Nana for a little bit before they left to the airport. And the kids were beginning to act like. . .kids. We hung out in Nana's room for about an hour. An hour that brought out baby talk and asking silly questions and being reminded not to stand on beds and and and. I left the hotel feeling like I could not control my kids. I hate that feeling. They didn't really do anything bad, it's just so hard to act like perfect little angels when you're so excited. And my kids have more personality than perfect little angels.

On the way home, Kaelyn was crying because she missed her brother and also said her Molly was hurting (a nickname for her reoccurring cold sore). I passed her a tube of vaseline (the clear, greasy kind) so she could apply it to her Molly. Driving, driving, driving. I turned around and Kaelyn had thoughtfully rubbed vaseline all over her face, arms, and legs, and even lubed Paige up a little bit. Her skin is very hydrated now. Why did you let your 4 year old have the vaseline for so long? I don't know.

When we got home, I rubbed her down with a rag and then changed Paige's diaper. As I reached for the fresh diaper, I suddenly noticed a stream of urine running off the changing pad onto the. . .CARPET.

Now, I know there are probably hundreds of things I could have done to prevent each situation that, in turn, made me feel more and more like a failing mom. But I don't want to know about prevention strategies. I just want empathy. And I hope other mom readers (if you have even read this mammoth entry) can relate and feel uplifted by the realness of motherhood.

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Our home filled with 2 1/2 wonderful years of memories:




The time has come. We have listed our house "For Sale!" We have loved living where we are and have had the chance to serve and also take advantage of all the great resources in this area. Where else are you going to have Prime Rib catered at a Ward Valentine's Dinner? And where else are you going to have Provident Living classes available at your ward every Wednesday night? But, the time really has come. We have worked really hard the last 2 years to pay off ALL our debt (except the house) and save, save, save for a down payment. We are ready to get into a house that our kids can grow up in and run around in the backyard and do whatever we want. We found a house in Spanish Fork that we love. It's a very spacious 2 story house with a perfect backyard, 4 bedrooms upstairs, and an office downstairs. It's a very simple big house with a very simple price tag (comparatively speaking). And it's perfect for our family. We made an offer on the house yesterday, contingent upon the sale of our house. That's the hard part: selling a house in a buyer's market. We have faith that it will happen, but not sure what kind of a timeline it will be. We've decluttered our house, cleaned windows, ceiling fans, carpets, etc. And now we just have to be patient.

The house I am coveting:

Summer Begins!

Capturing the mohawks!

Adam and Andrew stop by--thanks for always taking the time to visit guys!

"It's warmer on the cement."

Watermelon baby

1st bite of food! And she loves it. Side note: when we moved here we sold most of our big baby items. And now, since we're trying to sell our home, I've decided to wait until we get into our new house to buy such items. That is why she is eating in her car seat, which functions as a high chair, swing, bouncer, etc. We also have a box on our balcony: diaper genie. And we have a washcloth that we lay down in the bathtub: ta da! A baby bathtub.

I know what you're thinking. Who is that guy? We actually don't know, but Julian spotted him as all the parents were walking to their cars after the school dance program. He wanted to capture how the guy was babying his HUGE soda jug (with a cigarette in his other hand) and right then the guy turned around and looked at Julian, turned to the lady behind him who was bent over tying her shoe, and said "Hurry up, honey. This guy is taking a picture of your butt." To which Julian replied, "Not HER butt." Good comeback, honey.

Ogden and Ms. Arnesen

Such a handsome soon-to-be 1st grader

Dancing the hookie lau

Homemade fortune cookies

Other Captured Memories

We made it to the top of the "Y"

Oquirrh (sp?) Mt. Temple in the background

Paige meets Great Grandma Anderson

. . .and sticks her tongue out at Great Grandpa

Uh-oh.

Little mommy

Puppy-dog.

I Love to see the Temple!

After a yummy Sunday dinner, we headed to the temple for a little stroll which turned into a photo shoot. It was fun and right up my alley for a Sunday/Mother's Day activity.

Hmmmm. Why are there legs under the tree. Oh! That would be our emergency potty. Which would be better: a) a trail of urine on the temple grounds leading to the closest open building with a potty, or b) an inconspicuous puddle under a tree next to the temple? And yes, both the kids marked their territory.

I'm not sure how we captured this, but I think it's the I'm-making-nice-noises-but-am-getting-frustrated-and-need-to-sleep face.

Ode to My Husband

I know you all have amazing husbands, but I really got myself a winner. Mother's Day, of course, was a wonderful day full of 5 star meals and homemade cards and void of all kitchen duties. Now here's the real kicker: I get treated like this frequently. I don't know how I lucked out to marry a man who works all day and still likes to come home and make dinner. (Okay, I have a clue. He knows that his meals have a better outcome.) And, more and more often, I will come in the kitchen after tending to Paige, and the kitchen will be clean AND done better than me. Also, now that he is so health conscience, he makes sure I have time to go for my runs and understands that I am nicer when I get that chance. So, anyway. Thank you, Julian, for all you do for me. Thank you for being a great dad and having a good relationship with our kids. Thank you for working so hard for our family. I love you!

Troll Hair

It has been brought to our attention that Paige's hair resembles that of a troll doll. Yes, it's true.

Paige's 4 month update

It's been a while since I shared some fun tidbits about Paige. She is such a cutie. She is learning to control her hands a little better. She's so funny when she looks at her hand and slowly brings it to her mouth and sucks on a finger, and every once in a while another finger will simultaneously (accidentally) end up in the nose. Oops! She had her 4 month check up & here's the stats:

Weight: 12lb 8oz. 25 percentile
Length: 25 in 75 percentile
Head: 40 1/2 cm 40 percentile

She's doing very well. Ogden and Kaelyn are such good siblings. They always want to give hugs and kisses. Nights are going pretty good. I haven't slept on the couch for a while, so that's a good sign. Paige continues to get many comments about her awesome hairstyle. Fortunately, she hasn't gotten kicked out of BYU for having an "extreme" hairstyle.