Six Months

So Caleb turned 6 months old on the 6th. I can't believe how fast those months went by. He is growing up so fast! He is now 26.5 inches and weighs over 17 lbs. He sits up really well and loves to play with anything he can get his hands on. He also really loves his jump up and will be happy in there for quite a while. So nice when I'm trying to make dinner! Caleb has also started scooting around on his tummy and is really good at doing 360's! He is a lot more motivated to be mobile than Anna was so I think he will crawl sooner. I'm pretty nervous for that day. I think he is going to get into EVERYTHING!! We were pretty lucky with Anna. She really only got into the dog food and water but was pretty good at staying out of other things.

Caleb has the cutest sense of humor. He loves to watch Anna play and laughs a lot when she throws toys around. He thinks Anna is hilarious! He laughs at the most random things too. I was putting bath toys away and squeezing water out of them and he just laughed and laughed. He is also very ticklish! He is a really happy baby and is always smiling at people. I love to go to the store with my kids and see just how many old people come talk to them! Anna introduces herself to everyone and Caleb flashes his most charming smiles! They crack me up!

Anna is 2 1/2 and very much a 2 year old! She wants to do everything herself and gets really upset if I pick something up off the floor for her. She throws it back on the ground and picks it up herself. She is a really good helper with Caleb though and likes to give him his pacifier or a toy when he's unhappy. She also still really likes to be held and cuddled, which I am glad of because she would never cuddle as a baby. Her favorite phrase: "I want mommy to hold you." She says some pretty funny things and gets words confused quite often. She uses her "brush teeth" before bed and likes to drink "nog egg"! The other day I was brushing her hair and she had tangles so she was crying. I asked her why she was crying and she said "because my hair hurts." Then I asked why her hair hurt and she said "because I need a drink!" Silly!

I love my two blue-eyed kiddos and feel so lucky to be their mother. I wouldn't trade this job for anything. They are both so sweet and teach me a lot. I know the Lord knows what he's doing!

Life

I haven't been doing well at writing but it just seems like my life is so crazy lately! Yet at the same time I try to think about what I've been doing and I can't think of much. Caleb still hasn't been sleeping really well so I just feel like I'm in a fog a lot of the time. I feel like I'm behind on everything and really have to prioritize my time based around things I HAVE to get done. I have many sewing projects that are half done waiting on my sewing table and thinking about reading a book for pleasure seems laughable right now. I'm in the Primary presidency in my ward here and have been pretty busy with that lately.

One thing I have been thinking a lot about and reading sometimes is stuff on Motherhood. I know I have mentioned this a lot lately, but in the last few months I have really been trying to change my attitude about being a mother. When Anna was a baby I was always really frustrated because she didn't do things on MY schedule or MY way of thinking. As I've been reading the Dear Jane blog and other books and blogs I have realized that I have been a really selfish mother. I have had tears in my eyes many times as I have read the way other mothers teach their children always with love. Too often when things happen with my children I take things so personally and become angry and then I pull away. I'm trying to be better about understanding things from my children's' perspective instead of assuming that they think like I do.

I really have felt a lot more love for my children as I have tried to show more love and be more understanding. This way of mothering makes so much sense to me and really reflects the way I think our Savior would teach. I've read parenting books about natural consequences and other methods and they always seemed so formal and stiff to me. I love the way Jane talks about teaching and loving and helping children to learn to follow their own conscience rather than doing things because they fear the consequence. She also talks about how our world today is trying to make children grow up and be independent so early and they really don't need to. Is it really going to matter in the long scheme of things whether your baby learned to sleep on his own at 5 months or your toddler was potty trained before she was 2? I am learning that I don't need to rush my children into things and that I can just follow their lead.

The most important thing I am learning though is that there is no parenting method that will fit every child and the only parenting method that will always work is following the Spirit. The Lord know us and our children so well and if I will always seek him in prayer I know he will guide me in the best ways to teach and nurture my children. I am so thankful that I have the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine trying to raise my children in this world without the knowledge of Heavenly Father's plan. I know families are eternal and that is why it is so important to love them! I love my family!

These three are my life!